!

Student
Evaluations'

Evaluations!
Summary!of!Student Evaluations!

!
As!an!instructor,!I!assess!my!teaching!methods!and!student!learning!outcomes!regularly!
through!a!combination!of!informal!mid;semester!assessments!and!summative!end!of!
semester!evaluations.!Mid;semester,!formative!assessments!are!facilitated!through!one;on;
one!conversations!and!in;class!group!discussions.!When!engaging!with!individual!students,!
I!ask!about!where!each!student!is,!where!they!would!like!to!be,!and!any!specific!challenges!
they!have!identified!as!limiting!their!progress!within!the!course.!Drawing!from!and!
reflecting!upon!these!conversations,!I!adapt!my!planned!material!to!the!needs!and!
preferences!of!each!student.!Similarly,!group!assessments!of!the!course!material!and!
teaching!techniques!help!me!to!gauge!and!accordingly!adjust!my!understanding!of!common!
challenges.!These!on;going!conversations!not!only!aid!me!in!assessing!the!impact!of!my!
teaching!methods!and!delivery,!but!also!foster!a!classroom!learning!community!where!we!
collectively!work!together!as a class in!order!to!achieve!both!shared!and!individual!goals.!
!
Summative!evaluations!conducted!at!the!end!of!each!course!provide!me!with!invaluable!
information!about!student!perceptions!of!course!content,!organization,!teaching!
techniques,!as!well!as!strong!elements!of!the!course!and!opportunities!for!future!
improvement!and!professional!growth.!I!have!found!that!I!can!best!glean!teaching!insight!
by!conducting!a!self;assessment!in!addition!to!thoroughly!reviewing!course!evaluations.!To!
conduct!my!self!assessment!it!is!my!practice!to!review!and!reflect!upon!the!progress!made!
toward!goals!and!objectives!defined!prior!to!the!start!of!the!course.!I!do!this!after!I!have!
submitted!final!grades!and!before!I!receive!student!evaluations.!Later,!when!I!receive!
student!evaluations,!I!compare!my!self;assessment!to!the!student!metrics!and!comments!
and!looks!for!similarities!and!differences.!This!iterative!process!helps!me!to!assess!multiple!
dimensions!of!my!teaching!from!different!perspectives!and!it!enables!me!to!revise!and!
adjust!material,!topics,!and!techniques!for!use!in!the!future.!!!
!
Included for!your!review!in the following section is a summary!student!evaluations!for!
courses!I!have!taught!at!Indiana!University.!Summary!quantitative!scores!are!presented!
first!in!Tables!1,!2!and!3.!These!tables!are!comprised!of!student!ratings!of!my!teaching!
effectiveness!as!measured!by!three!quantitative!metrics!including:!
1. "Overall, I would rate this instructor as outstanding."
2. "How likely would you be to recommend this course with this instructor?"
3. "How much did the instructor emphasize student learning and development?"

Table 4 is a summary table of quantitative teaching evaluations assessed across multiple

courses. Following the tables, qualitative evaluation comments are included for each
course.

Lastly, a two-page student evaluation solicited from Christina Sluka, a student in Animal
Behavior and a former student of the Animal Research Ethics course is included. The
evaluation was requested for the purpose of improving the course as it undergoes
development towad a regular course offering in the Department of History and Philosophy
of Science and Medicine that would fulfill the ethics requirement for Animal Behavior
majors in the Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior (CISAB).
!

Evaluations!

Quantitative!Summary!Tables!of!Course!Evaluations!
!

Table!1:!Student!responses!to!"Overall,!I!would!rate!this!instructor!as!outstanding."!
!
Course!number!

Semester!

Role!

HPSC!X200!(10058)1!

FA!2013!

AI!

Number!
enrolled!
33!

Percent!
responded!
94%!

Strongly!
Agree!
61%!

Agree!

Disagree!

39%!

0!

Strongly!
Disagree!
0!

!
Table!2:!Student!responses!to!"How!likely!would!you!be!to!recommend!this!course!with!this!instructor?"!
!
Semester!

Role!

CLLC!C210!(17330)2!

FA!2014!

AI!

17!

COGS!Q240!(17233)3!

SP!2014!

Lab!AI!

23!

3!

SP!2015!

AI!

21!

Combined!

44!

57%!

48%!

HPSC!X100!(4509)!

FA!2015!

AI!

11!

91%!

HPSC!X100!(5136)!

SP!2016!

AI!

12!

EDUC!X152!(5080)!

SU!2016!

AI!

14!

COLL!P155!(12871)!

FA!2016!

Lab!AI!

21!

COLL!P155!(12823)!

FA!2016!

Lab!AI!

23!

COGS!Q240!(17109)

Number!
Percent!
Very!likely!
enrolled! responded!

Course!number!

88%!

[!

Likely!

Somewhat! Not!at!all!
likely!
likely!

[!

[!

[!

24%!

16%!

12%!

40%!

40%!

20%!

0!

75%!

33%!

33%!

22%!

11%!

93%!

31%!

62%!

8%!

0!

Not!available!

Not!available!at!this!time!

Due to differences in quantitative course evaluations, some questions were not asked on all course evaluations.
Collins Living Learning course was evaluated using only qualitative items.
3
Due to transition of course evaluation distribution mechanism only combined reviews for COGS-Q240 SP 2014 and SP 2015 are
available.
2

Evaluations!

Table!3:!Student!responses!to!"How!much!did!the!instructor!emphasize!student!learning!and!development?"!
Number!
Percent!
enrolled! responded!

Course!number!

Semester!

Role!

A!lot!

Somewhat!

A!little!

Not!at!all!

CLLC!C210!(17330)4!

FA!2014!

AI!

17!

[!

[!

[!

[!

COGS!Q240!(17233)5!

SP!2014!

Lab!AI!

23!

COGS!Q240!(17109)5!

SP!2015!

AI!

21!

Combined!

44!

57%!

76%!

20%!

4%!

0!

HPSC!X100!(4509)!

FA!2015!

AI!

11!

91%!

90%!

10%!

0!

0!

HPSC!X100!(5136)!

SP!2016!

AI!

12!

75%!

56%!

33%!

11%!

0!

EDUC!X152!(5080)!

SU!2016!

AI!

14!

93%!

92%!

8%!

0!

0!

COLL!P155!(12871)!

FA!2016!

Lab!AI!

20!

COLL!P155!(12823)!

FA!2016!

Lab!AI!

23!

88%!

Not!available!

Not!available!at!this!time!

!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
4

Collins Living Learning course was evaluated using only qualitative items.
Due to transition of course evaluation distribution mechanism only combined reviews for COGS-Q240 SP 2014 and SP 2015 are
available.

Evaluations!

Table!4:!Quantitative!Summary!of!Course!Evaluations!
!

HPS!X100:!!
Disordered!Minds!
Evaluation!Topics!

"How!clearly!were!learning!goals!
and!objectives!communicated!to!
you?"6!
"How!effectively!was!class!time!
used!to!help!you!learn?"7!
"How!effectively!did!out!of!class!
work!help!you!learn?"4!
"How!available!was!the!instructor!
to!provide!you!help!when!
needed?"8!
"How!much!did!the!instructor!
motivate!you!to!do!your!best!
work?"9!

11!enrolled,!10!(91%)!
responded!
Extremely/Very+

HPSC!X100:!!
Animal!Research!
Ethics!
12!enrolled,!9!(75%)!
responded!
Extremely/Very+

EDUC!X152:!!
The!University!
Experience!!
14!enrolled,!13!(93%)!
responded!
Extremely/Very+

80%!

67%!

85%!

70%!

56%!

92%!

50%!

33%!

83%!

90%!

78%!

100%!

90%!

78%!

100%!

!
!

Possible ratings include very clearly, clearly, somewhat clearly, and not at all clearly.
Possible ratings include very effectively, effectively, somewhat effectively, and not at all effectively.
8
Possible ratings include very available, available, somewhat available, and not at all available.
9
Possible ratings include a lot, somewhat, just a little, not at all.
7

Evaluations!

Qualitative!Evaluation!Comments!
HPSC!X200:!Scientific!Reasoning!!
Fall!2013!

Enrolled:!33!
Responded:!31!!

What%did%you%like%most%about%this%course%and/or%instructor?%
%
His!positive!attitude!and!comfortable!demeanor!when!dealing!with!students.!Also!energy!
and!overall!chilling.!His!smile.!
!
Group!work!&!classroom!discussions!were!comfortable,!laid!back,!thought!
provoking!&!helped!ideas!in!lecture!stick.!
!
Overall,!I!think!Nick!taught!the!class!very!well!and!did!his!best!to!make!
this!material!interesting.!I!thought!the!material!was!very!boring!and!a!lot!
this!stuff!is!touched!on!in!other!classes.!But!Nick!made!it!interesting!with!
examples!and!activities.!He!was!a!great!instructor.!AlsoRhis!smile,!and!he!
looked!like!Ryan!Reynolds.!
!
Nicks!energy!and!personality!really!turn!the!class!into!interesting!topic.!I!
came!into!this!class!planning!to!go!on!a!philosophy!grind!but!the!class!title!
actually!matched!the!description!!Loved!this!course,!ended!up!being!a!
favorite.!Enjoyed!what!I!learned.!
!
I!really!liked!the!material!we!learned!about;!The!articles!were!interesting!
&!Nick!is!a!great!professor!!
!
I!liked!the!class!size!and!the!group!work/discussions!in!this!class!the!most!
!
The!class!material!
!
I!really!enjoyed!the!class!in!that!it!included!all!of!the!subject!matter!
involved!in!the!sciences.Rbut!as!an!upperclassman!it!could've!been!more!
rigorous.!Nick!did!an!awesome!job!as!instructor,!he!was!very!respected!!
!
Nick!was!very!knowledgeable!on!the!subject!matter!&!encouraged!
different!opinions!without!judgement.!Overall,!great!teacher!!
!
I!wasn't!a!huge!fan!of!the!course!material,!honestly.!The!instructor!was!
great,!but!its!not!a!course!I!would!ever!willingly!take!again.!
!
The!Friday!discussion!sections!&!readings!were!wellRorganized!&!always!
interesting.!More!classes!should!do!something!similar.!
!

Evaluations!
Great!instructor!very!personable!
!
I!liked!that!the!teacher!made!an!effort!to!make!the!class!interesting.!I!also!
liked!the!setRup!of!the!exams.!
!
He!was!a!very!enthusiastic!&!genuinely!nice!guy.!
!
With!the!exception!of!the!midterm!it!was!easy!
!
Nick!was!always!very!enthusiastic!about!teaching!this!course,!I!felt!like!
some!of!the!required!subject!matter!was!dry!but!he!made!class!interesting!
as!well!as!provoked!great!discussions.!
!
Nick!is!a!great!instructor!that!allows!for!students!to!openly!discuss!the!
topics!covered!in!class.!
!
The!instructor!was!very!enthusiastic!and!taught!well!
!
He!is!a!good!teacher!and!explains!the!material!very!well.!
!
Makes!the!class!fun,!yet!focused!!!
!
He!is!very!frrnny!and!very!enthusiastic.!Wants!everyone!to!do!well.!I!
learned!more!by!his!teaching!style!and!got!more!out!of!his!lecture!than!
most!other!classes.!I'd!highly!suggest!him.!
!
He!fostered!ideas,!
!
Yery!discussion!based!which!I!like!&!Nick!is!a!great!professor!!
!
Nick!was!a!great!instructor.!He!made!the!course!interesting!&!fun!even!
though!the!material!was!sometimes!boring.!I!like!the!group!projects!he!
had!us!do!in!class!&!presentations.!Great!instructor!!
!
Nick!was!very!organized!&!made!the!class!interesting.!Topics!generated!
good!conversations!&!readings!were!thought!provoking.!
!
Nick!is!relatable!and!makes!class!fun.!

Evaluations!

COGS!Q240:!Philosophical!Foundations!
of!Cognitive!Science!!
Spring!2014!

CLLC!L210:!Philosophy!of!Satire!!
Fall!2014!

Enrolled:!23!
Responded:!No!qualitative!responses!
available!!
Enrolled:!17!
Responded:!15!!

!
What%was%the%strongest%aspect%of%this%course?%
%
I!think!the!larger!nonRanalytical!assignments!were!very!effective!in!helping!me!understand!
arguments!and!satire.!I!also!liked!the!encouragement/requirement!to!send!our!opReds!to!
actual!newspapers!as!well!as!the!bookRbased!analytical!assignments.!
%
analyzing!what!makes!certain!things!funny!
!
I!thought!I!was!very!interesting!and!opened!my!eyes!to!things!that!I!didnt!even!think!of!
before.!
!
Looking!at!real!life!examples!of!satire!and!being!able!to!discuss!them!
!
The!strongest!aspect!of!this!course!would!be!the!inRdepth!class!discussions!of!various!
pieces!of!satire!as!well!as!the!analytical!assignments!that!had!us!critique!satirical!works!
!
I!felt!like!when!students!actively!participated!we!had!insightful!and!thought!provoking!
discussions.!
!
Regular!writing!assignments!were!good!for!practicing!the!analytical!techniques!we!
learned!in!class.!
!
The!discussions!during!class!fostered!debate!and!good!conversation.!
!
Guest!speakerHow!to!be!funny!workshop!
!
Refined!my!writing!abilities!in!ways!philosophy/literature!classes!would!not!
!
class!discussion!was!great;!very!involved!and!helpful!professor!
!
There!isnt!one!thing!I!can!think!of.!Some!readings!taught,!others!did!nothing,!some!
discussions!informed,!others!just!droned!on.!
!
The!discussions!that!we!had!in!class!based!on!the!readings!were!very!stimulating!
!

Evaluations!
The!practical!uses!that!evaluating!humor!and!satire!give.!It!allowed!me!to!get!inside!the!
head!of!a!writer!and!better!understand!why!I!laugh.!
!
The!discussion!and!instruction!
!
The!critical!satirical!reviews.!These!I!learned!a!lot!from.!
!
What%change(s)%would%strengthen%this%seminar?%
%
I!would!increase!organization!and!put!a!bit!more!emphasis!on!writing!satire.!
%
more!analyzing!of!satirical!press!
!
More!on!your!own!practice!and!more!time!to!make!a!super!awesome!final!project.!
!
Having!a!more!solid!plan,!which!just!comes!from!experience.!I!think!the!course!will!be!
stronger!when!Nick!teaches!it!again!
!
In!order!to!strengthen!this!seminar!I!would!consider!giving!it!a!later!start!time!
!
Maybe!a!little!more!guidance!as!to!what!to!pay!attention!to!in!the!readings!in!order!to!
improve!active!participation.!(many!times!this!was!not!a!problem)!
!
Assign!slightly!less!reading,!but!going!more!in!depth!in!the!reading!that!is!assigned.!
!
A!greater!concentration!on!a!single!text!instead!of!a!broad!focus!on!many!texts.!
!
Not!assuming!everyone!has!watched!the!Daily!Show!or!Stephen!Colbert!
!
Perhaps!include!more!opportunities!to!write!satire!throughout!the!semester!
!
More!analysis/creation!of!satire,!less!philosophy!
!
This!course!was!very!all!over!the!place.!A!better!course!objective!and!outline!are!
necessary.!I!felt!like!there!was!no!clear!directive.!More!inRclass!satire!writing!needs!to!be!
coveredI!felt!unprepared!for!the!final!project.!
!
I!think!that!it!is!fine!the!way!it!is.!
!
Less!textbook!material!
!
Less!mindless!reading.!I!do!not!like!reading!that!we!do!nothing!with!afterwards.!
!
Please%describe%the%2%or%3%activities,%assignments,%readings,%etc.%from%which%you%learned%the%
most.%
%

Evaluations!
I!learned!the!most!from!the!Cambridge!text,!the!first!book!on!philosophy!and!arguments,!
and!the!book!on!comedic!writing.!
!
Readings!on!funny!filters;!readings!from!the!Stewart/Colbert!Effect!
!
guest!speakers!Scott!D;!funny!filters!and!how!to!be!funny!was!a!good!read!
!
the!critical!satirical!reviews,!the!films!we!watched,!the!How!to!Write!Funny!book!and!
speaker,!the!opRed!
!
Analytical!assignments!were![unclear!handwriting],!2R3!page!essays!in!which!you!were!
trust!into!deconstructing!a!piece!of!satire,!we!also!wrote!an!opRed!piece,!which!was!an!
interesting!way!to!write!about!concerning!issues.!
!
I!found!Scott!Dikkers!book!to!be!really!worthwhile!as!well!as!readings!from!early!works!of!
satire.!I!like!how!the!final!project!allowed!us!to!exercise!creativity.!!
!
The!critical!satirical!reviews!helped!me!gain!insight!into!what!makes!good!humor!writing!
and!the!readings!for!these!were!fun.!
!
Class!discussion;!analytical!assignments.!
!
Critical!satirical!reviews;!how!to!be!funny;!final!showcase!project!
!
I!learned!a!lot!from!writing!critical!satirical!reviews,!reading!The!Book!of!Mormon!
musical,!and!How!to!Write!Funny.!
!
Critical!satirical!reviews,!class!discussion,!Scott!Dikkers!How!to!Write!Funny!
!
Critical!satirical!reviews,!analyzed!works!of!satire,!How!to!Write!Funny!readings;!Actually!
looked!at!satirical!writing!format!
!
I!enjoyed!and!learned!from!our!discussions,!critical!satirical!reviews,!and!How!to!Write!
Funny.!
!
The!opposing!the!editorial!taught!me!how!difficult!writing!in!a!newspaper!is,!and!the!
satirical!reviews!taught!me!to!better!evaluate!satire.!
!
I!learned!the!most!from!our!analytical!assignments.!These!assignments!were!meant!to!
help!us!reflect!on!the!readings!we!had!for!the!wee!and!respond!to!them.!
!
Critical!satirical!reviews!and!the!final!project.!
%
Please%describe%the%2%or%3%activities,%assignments,%readings,%etc.%from%which%you%learned%the%
least.%
%

Evaluations!
I!learned!the!least!from!the!first!nonRCambridge!book!on!satire,!some!of!the!nonRbook!
based!analytical!assignments,!and!sadly,!the!Book!of!Mormon,!though!I!really!enjoyed!
reading!the!latter!the!most.!
!
Critical!satirical!reviews;!New!Yorker!cartoon!contestI!realize!that!this!was!more!for!fun!
than!learning,!but!I!couldnt!think!of!a!second!activity!that!I!learned!the!least!from!
!
Analytical!assignments!
!
Some!of!this!readings!early!on!(philosophy),!some!of!the!class!discussions!that!lasted!
longer!than!they!needed!to!
!!
N/A!
!
I!think!the!time!we!spent!reading!the!essays!from!the!Colbert!Report!book!couldve!been!
better!spent!doing!something!else.!
!
The!New!Yorker!caption!contest;!The!morning!exercise.!
!
Analytical!assignments!(in!class!ones);!opRed?!
!
Less!helpful!were!the!opRed!and!readings!from!the!Stewart/Colbert!book!(though!these!
were!still!helpful!to!a!certain!extent,!just!not!as!much!as!others)!
!
OpRed!Piece!(really!unrelated!to!course!topic),!final!creative!project,!writing!philosophy!
!
Daily!ShowRScience!readings;!nothing!to!do!with!this!course!and!long!and!boring,!OpRed;!
wasnt!satirical,!just!a!waste!of!time!
!
All!of!the!nongermane!Stephen!Colbert!essays!did!not!help!me!to!better!my!satirical!
writing.!Felt!more!like!an!ethics!course.!The!analytical!assignmentsR!for!the!most!partR!were!
unhelpful.!
!
I!dont!remember.!
!
N/A!
!
The!opRed!
!
Did%you%learn%about%any%topics%or%activities%you%might%want%to%pursue%in%the%future?%
%
I!learned!about!humor,!the!psychology!of!creative!individuals,!and!creativity,!which!seems!
relevant!to!my!future!research!endeavors!within!the!field!of!psychology.!
!
As!someone!whose!major!does!not!focus!on!writing!ability,!probably!not,!but!I!would!
imagine!other!people!whose!major!does!focus!on!writing!might.!

Evaluations!
!
yes!
!
I!got!to!try!scriptRwriting/filmmaking!
!
satirical!writing!
!
It!exposed!me!to!a!lot!of!new!satirical!works,!and!helped!me!think!more!critically!while!
watching!satire.!
!
Possibly!standRup!comedy!
!
Watching!more!satirical!works!
!
As!an!English!major!I!am!definitely!pursuing!writing.!The!course!taught!both!creative!
writing!and!how!to!formulate!a!philosophical!argumentboth!skills!I!will!definitely!pursue!
in!the!future.!
!
How!to!write!a!joke,!components!of!humor,!analysis!of!Daily!Show/Colbert!Report!
!
No!
!
I!enjoy!satire!and!satire!analysis!but!I!will!not!be!pursuing!that.!
!
Writing!humorously!will!be!very!useful!throughout!my!life.!
!
I!learned!a!lot!more!about!how!satire!works!and!who!it!affects.!
!
No,!not!really.!
!
Do%you%have%other%suggestions%or%commentsfor%the%instructor%of%this%course%OR%for%the%
Collins%Board%of%Educational%Programing%(BOEP),%which%selects%courses?%
!
I!hope!that!Nick!can!teach!this!course!again!in!the!future!because!it!was!interesting,!
enriching,!and!engaging.!I!would!recommend!this!course!to!a!friend.!
!
This!was!a!fun!course!and!I!really!enjoyed!it.!I!already!know!people!who!want!to!take!it!
next!year.!
!
He!should!teach!it!again!
!
This!course!should!be!considered!to!be!taught!again.!
!
I!thoroughly!enjoyed!this!course!and!have!already!recommended!it!to!friends!if!it!is!to!be!
taught!in!future.!
!

Evaluations!
Id!definitely!recommend!for!this!course!to!be!taught!again.!
!
Running!this!course!again!would!be!a!good!choice!in!my!opinion.!
!
This!was!a!great!course!I!think!it!should!be!offered!again.!
!
Please!dont!require!five!extra!readings!in!addition!to!the!two!that!were!listed!under!the!
course,!one!of!which!was!discarded!before!we!read!it!after!Id!already!purchased!it.!
!
Yes,!have!Nick!teach!this!again!!I!absolutely!loved!this!course!and!would!take!it!again!if!I!
could.!
!
This!course!was!excellent!and!I!would!highly!recommend!it.

Evaluations!
!
Enrolled:!23!

COGSRQ240:!Philosophical!Foundations!
of!Cognitive!Science!!
Spring!2015!

Responded:!No!qualitative!responses!
available!!
%
%

HPSX100:!Disordered!Minds:!History!
and!Philosophy!of!Psychiatry!
Fall!2015!
%
What%did%you%like%most%about%this%course%and%instructor?%

Enrolled:!11!
Responded:!10!!

!
Very!enthusiastic!!
!
The!instructor!did!his!best!to!make!the!topics!accessible!and!relevant!to!students,!thus!
making!the!class!interesting!and!enjoyable.!!
!
The!instructor!was!an!excellent!communicator.!!
!
I!liked!that!the!learning!objectives!were!presented!before!each!class!lecture.!This!help!
guide!the!lecture!and!show!what!I!should!be!learning!about!a!particular!topic.!!
!
I!learned!new!perspectives!on!science!that!I!had!never!thought!of!before.!!
!
Vibrant!lecturing,!entertaining,!encourages!class!participation!Professor!Zautra!was!
always!very!approachable!any!time!I!had!a!problem!in!class.!If!someone!didn't!understand!
something!it!was!very!easy!to!ask!him!for!clarification.!You!never!really!felt!stupid!for!
asking!questions!or!giving!wrong!answers.!!
!
I!liked!how!professor!Zautra!was!always!involved!with!the!discussion!rather!than!just!
standing!in!front!of!the!class!lecturing.!He!did!a!very!good!job!of!presenting!the!information!
in!a!way!that!we!could!understand!and!have!a!discussion!about.!The!course!material!was!
very!interesting!and!always!captured!my!full!attention!in!class.!!
!
Relatively!light!course!load!because!of!thought!driven!nature!of!course.!!
!
The!interesting!topic!and!class!discussion.!
!
What%did%you%like%least%about%this%course%and%instructor?%
!
Not!very!organized!with!time!
!
This!class!began!in!a!purely!lecture!format,!and!I!feel!that!if!discussions!were!included!
earlier!along!with!lecture,!I!would!have!gotten!more!or!of!the!class.!

Evaluations!
!
I!liked!least!that!the!notes!were!the!same!and!little!amounts!of!external!videos!and!notes!
were!used!until!later!in!the!class.!
!
At!the!beginning!of!the!semester,!there!was!a!lot!of!information!about!philosophy!that!did!
not!relate!to!psychiatry.!I!also!did!not!like!the!textbook!
!
Unclear!homework!problems!
!
I!felt!like!the!textbook!for!this!course!was!written!for!someone!with!more!experience!in!
philosophy!than!I!had!so!at!times!it!was!a!bit!hard!to!understand.!Other!than!that!I!really!
enjoyed!my!time!in!this!course.!
!
The!only!thing!that!I!did!not!like!about!the!course!was!there!were!to!many!occasions!
where!Professor!Zautra!would!ask!a!question!to!soon!in!the!lecture!and!there!would!be!no!
class!response!because!nobody!really!had!an!answer!yet.!
!
I!just!really!hate!philosophy!and!history...!Yes,!I!know!that!it!is!a!philosophy!class,!I!like!
psychiatry!though,!so!I!figured!that!it!would!be!OK.!It!wasn't.!He!was!a!really,!really!great!
teacher!for!the!course,!I!just!really!don't!understand!philosophy!and!don't!like!it.!For!the!
course!he!is!great!though,!I!hated!it!slightly!less!than!usual.!
!
Basically!the!format!of!the!exams.!
!

Evaluations!

HPSC!X100:!Animal!Research!Ethics!!
Spring!2016!

Enrolled:!12!
Responded:!9!!

!
What%did%you%like%most%about%this%course%and%instructor?%
!
He!was!very!clearly!passionate!about!the!class!and!worked!hard!to!make!sure!that!
everyone!felt!like!their!contributions!to!the!class!were!valid!and!intelligent!points.!Very!
nice!and!fair!
!
He!was!knowledgeable!about!what!we!were!discussing!and!always!let!us!discuss!issues!in!
class!
!
Nick!really!encouraged!student!leaning!and!discussion.!Student!opinions!were!always!
valued!and!disscusion!was!rich!and!worthwhile.!
!
The!method!that!Nicholas!used!for!instructing!was!well!done.!How!he!used!the!first!half!of!
the!semester!to!familiarize!us!with!ethical!knowledge;!then!showed!us!how!to!impliment!
those!ideas!into!a!practical!use.!
!
He!was!positive!about!what!he!was!teaching!
!
best!R!enthusiasm!and!love!for!students!
!
What%did%you%like%least%about%this%course%and%instructor?%
!
He!was!too!easy!on!everyone!and!didn't!force!people!to!actually!think!critically!or!answer!
thoughtfully!because!he!took!everyone's!answers!as!being!relevant!and!insightful!even!
when!people!were!clearly!way!off!base!and!incorrect!or!irrelevant.!He!also!used!the!active!
listening!technique!where!he!would!reiterate!the!sentiment!of!what!someone!said!after!
they!said!it!EVERY!TIME!someone!answered!something.!Not!only!did!this!take!up!a!lot!of!
time,!but!it!frequently!lead!to!long!trains!of!questions!and!responses!irrelevant!to!the!
subject!matter.!
!
More!time!could!be!spent!on!the!last!unit,!especially!with!students!who!haven't!done!
previous!work!in!ethics.!
!
Not!as!concrete!as!other!classes!
!
least!R!could!have!made!the!course!more!exciting!for!the!ethics!bowl.!Make!the!students!
compete!hard!and!have!a!nice!healthy!competition.!
!
Readings!were!not!always!relevant!to!topic.!Class!generally!felt!as!though!it!was!underR
planned!and!highly!improvised. !

Evaluations!

EDUC!X152:!The!University!Experience:!
Engagement,!Critical!Thinking!&!
Problem!SolvingR!The!1970's!
Summer!2016!

Enrolled:!14!
Responded:!13!

What%were%the%instructor's%strengths,%and%what%did%you%find%most%helpful%about%the%course%
content?%
Communication!
!
One!of!the!instructors!strengths!was!that!he!was!very!detailed!with!instructions!
!
Accomedating!to!every!learning!style!
!
He!was!very!understanding!and!communicative.!
!
Good!at!communicating!expectations!and!teaching!material!clearly.!The!course!content!
was!directed!at!improving!out!critical!thinking!skills,!which!will!be!helpful!in!my!other!
college!courses.!
!
showing!us!the!best!ways!to!do!stuff!
!
Clear!instructions!and!message!
!
Nick!was!very!friendly!and!explained!what!he!was!looking!for.!
!
HIs!ability!to!interact!with!students;!helped!prepare!for!college!
!
Did!everything!well!
!
Loud,!and!confident!
!
He!made!sure!we!understood!what!was!going!on!
!
What%were%the%instructor's%weaknesses,%and%what%did%you%find%least%helpful%about%the%course%
content?%
!
None!
!
Nothing!much!
!
He!was!a!little!too!easy!on!some!people!who!were!lazy.!
!
The!least!helpful!was!not!going!in!depth!in!course!material,!but!I!understand!that!the!main!
priority!was!study!skills!and!critical!thinking.!
!

Evaluations!
reading!off!slides!
!
Giving!too!much!reading!
!
the!topic!of!the!1970s!
!
Did!everything!well!
!
Don't!give!enough!time!for!assignments!
!
He!went!through!everything!fast!
!
What%are%the%most%significant%things%you%learned%in%this%course?%
!
Techniques!to!be!successful!in!other!college!courses!
!
How!to!build!an!argument!
!
Critically!thinking!
!
It!just!got!be!back!in!the!swing!of!"doing!school".!
!
Better!ways!to!manage!my!time!and!ways!to!think!while!reading,!discussing,!and!viewing!
images!and!film.!
!
none!
!
Reading!comprehension!
!
I!learned!about!the!different!ways!of!thinking!and!how!to!think!outside!the!box.!
!
how!to!discuss!articles!and!how!to!build!an!argument!
!
Everything!bout!the!70s!
!
How!to!develop!things!and!structure!
!
New!ways!to!learn!and!critically!think!
!
What%suggestions%do%you%have%for%how%this%course%might%be%improved?%
!
None!
!
Nothing!much!
!
Get!rid!of!pointless!busy!work/assignments!

Evaluations!
!
More!debate!
!
none!
!
None!
!
It!was!actually!really!helpful!and!was!very!convenient.!
!
switching!the!topic!to!something!more!modern!
!
Less!reading!
!
More!time!to!do!things!
!
Just!take!his!time!explaining!
!
Give%one%specific%example%of%how%you%will%apply%what%you%have%learned%in%this%course.%
!
I!will!use!building!arguments!in!papers!
!
Going!to!a!situation!and!evaluating!before!making!a!decision!
Time!management!
!
I!will!use!the!techniques!on!how!to!think!when!I!read!and!annotate!future!assignments.!
!
none!
!
By!using!the!studying!and!reading!skills!
!
One!thing!I!can!apply!is!thinking!outside!the!box.!
!
I!will!use!study!skills!that!I!have!learned!in!this!course!to!help!me!through!college!
!
Manage

Evaluations!

COLL!P155:!Public!Oral!Communication!
Fall!2016!
!

Enrolled:!two!sections,!21!and!23!students!
Responded:!Not!available!at!this!time!

Suggestions for HPSC X100 Animal Research Ethics - Christina Sluka

Teaching Style:
I think you are for the most part confident and you relate well to students.
However, for the most part more preparation and or practice before class may be helpful
(next year is likely to be better since you will probably feel more prepared)
I enjoyed how many of our classes were spent discussing what we read but I think that some
of the classes need to be just hard lecture. So maybe Mondays is lecture day and then
Wednesdays and Fridays are spent discussing the lecture and the readings. This would also
help give us straight definitions of key terms and ideas which would help us retain more
information and do well on the midterm. Additionally, these lectures could be done with
PowerPoints or note sheets that you and we can follow which may give you more
confidence and clarity in what you are saying.
I enjoyed the Ethics Bowl (except for organization see in cons), but I also think another
written final would be good to give another grade that is based on actual knowledge rather
than a completion grade. The final could be shorter than the midterm since it is paired with
the bowl but I think some sort of actual assessment would give more finality to the end of
the semester and our grades.
With all this said I dont think this class should be hard per se. It doesnt have particularly
challenging concepts or anything but I do think that it should be one of those classes where
if you dont do the work, you wont get an A. Its not hard work, but it is college so doing
your work should be important in every class. This ties into the idea of grading (also
discussed in cons) and how not everything can be a completion grade. Basically if you dont
make an effort to read and understand and complete assignments you wont get full credit.
With this, I think more actual writing assignments or question-answer worksheets as
homework would be helpful in making sure we actually read and have a basic understanding
of what is happening in the course. Simple pop-quizzes can be useful for that too and arent
hard or unexpected if you actually did the reading.
Pros:
The topic of the class is perfect for Animal Behavior and biology majors whether or not they
plan on going into animal research.
It helps students understand how animal research actually works and how everything you
see in the media isnt necessarily true of all research facilities.
It helps students understand that there are areas in which legislation and common
perception can improve.
It gives a wonderful background on the history of animals in research and some of the
advancements that have been made with this research.
It teaches an important lesson that you cannot judge the actions of people in the past and
call them heathens because they believed what they did was right, it puts history in
perspective and shows students how what we think is ok or right now may be seen as
abhorrent in one hundred years.
Exactly what would be on the midterm was given to us, while it was a lot to learn it gave us a
clear depiction of what was expected and forced us to at least study for the midterm.
The ethics bowl forces students out of their comfort zone and to try something new in a safe
environment on the topic of something theyve been learning about all semester.
It forces students to think in new and sometimes difficult ways and challenges those with
fixed views on the world.
I enjoyed the first assignment of meeting with you to meet you and sharing our background
in research and animal ethics. Since the class was so small I think this was good for you to
establish where all of us are at individually and where our interests and passions lie.

I enjoyed all the papers we read and how the course started with an overview of the history
of animals in research as I think this is a valuable base on which to understand where
different ethical theories came from and knowing what not to do based on history.

Overall, the content of the course was well selected and interesting. What we were asked to do
with the content however was where the class lacked organization.
Cons:
Given the workload over the course of the semester I felt like the combination of the
presentation, paper, and preparation for the Ethics Bowl was an unnecessary large amount
of work in the short amount of time we had left. I think the presentation could have better
been implemented as group time to discuss our ideas and suggest other views the presenter
may have not addressed. Overall the end of the semester could have used more group time
to prepare for the Bowl because some of our group members were more confident than
others and group time would have helped those less confident.
The structure of the ethics bowl was fine because it mirrored that of real ethics bowls but If
there is a way to organize it so that everyone has a chance to present the case they were
given that would be helpful. It would help in grading as well because then you could grade
everyone on what they did and how they presented. Additionally I think this would help
everyone feel like their work had a point because those whose cases were not selected may
have felt disappointed or like their group scored lower because the case that was selected
was not a strong as it could have been because of the position someone took. Maybe
extending the Bowls to multiple days and addressing all the cases while also requiring a
worksheet or some activity that members of the audience must complete while listening to
the other groups.
The first half of the semester were well organized and I feel like we didnt get behind much
but the second half wasnt as strictly scheduled and I feel like more planning could help with
the paper and the ethics bowl issues. Personally I would spend most if not all of the second
eight weeks on the ethics bowl. Taking time to develop our arguments and papers in our
groups. Perhaps beginning with the presentations to propose our ideas, then writing a few
drafts of the paper to learn how to write ethical commentaries, then doing the Ethics Bowl
in the last one or two weeks.