eCore Course Evaluation Faculty Response Summary Summer 2009
What went well in eCore classes?
  1. Overall success.
  2. Student interaction in discussions helped them learn more
  3. Constant professor interaction (through email, chat, etc.) was appreciated by students
  4. Videos made the material seem more alive
  5. Students enjoyed speedy feedback from professors
  6. Moderating/facilitating of the course
  7. Projects/assignments that relate to the student's personal life
  8. Assignments correlated with the material being taught
  9. Students appreciated accessibility of professors and understanding during course/personal challenges
  10. Format from each lesson's readings to discussion to quizzes worked well for students
  11. Surprise bonus points encourage students to check in frequently
  12. Quality of the discussions shared between students
  13. Experienced students assisted new eCore students
  14. Providing a lot of detailed information at the beginning of the course (guidelines, deadlines, instructional emails, etc.) eliminated confusion for the students
  15. Course is smoother after necessary revisions are made
  16. Individual work/contact with students through email and phone helped them to improve
  17. Recent, everyday life examples helped students find a connection with the material
What was problematic?  What needs to be improved?
  1. Too many attempts at quizzes
  2. Grading forms were hard for students to understand
  3. Students fail to submit evaluations
  4. Course material and readings were too much for a summer course
  5. Students should take the opportunity to learn from each other, not just the professor and book
  6. Pace of the course was too fast and too much material was covered
  7. Students did not utilize the professor as a resource
  8. Providing extensions for students with legitimate excuses and not extending the extensions to all students was difficult
  9. Honor system was not always observed while taking quizzes
  10. Students discussions are not always on topic or demonstrate critical thinking
  11. Inability to respond in a timely manner to student questions
  12. Links were not always operational
  13. Book pages were not listed correctly to match lessons and assignments
  14. Course design (quizzes, assignments, etc.) was outdated
  15. Student participation was lacking
  16. Disconnect between objectives and activities
  17. Mid-term exam was too long
  18. Some students don't have a good foundation of principles before entering upper-level courses
  19. Students not having course materials/books at the start of the session hindered the learning environment
  20. Lax students discourage active students and traditional students don't recognize that non-traditional students are also in eCore
What do eCor faculty plan to change the next time they teach the course?
  1. One attempt at quizzes and less bonus points
  2. Provide rubrics so students know how their grades are determined for specific assignments
  3. Give daily reminders to submit course evaluations during the week in which they are requested
  4. Provide clearer explanations for assignments
  5. Encourage every student to participate in discussions
  6. Interject more during discussions
  7. Prevent students from jumping to future units before they have been taught
  8. Utilize other programs and forms of media
  9. Hide those items that students will not be using, so it does not confuse them
  10. Learn from other professors in the field and students who have taken relevant courses
  11. Will not accept late assignments, in order to grade other assignments quickly
  12. Provide constructive criticism versus negative feedback
  13. Give students more time on group projects
  14. Provide assignments in advance so students can work ahead
  15. Give students better study guides/methods to prepare for exams and make the exams appropriate for summer session
  16. Follow-up with students who are not engaging in the course
  17. Plan group activities toward the end of the semester, to eliminate input from those who plan to withdraw from the course
  18. Set a time frame for responding to student inquiries
  19. Utilize the discussion area more than emails
  20. Encourage students to think about the concepts versus just answering problems and questions
  21. Provide more examples because students respond to different learning methods