It's middle-of-term time again. Some midterms are past, some are coming up. In the spirit of
formative assessment I invite you to give me feedback, comments, or other miscellanea on my courses. Can't hear me in the back? Think that my jokes suck? Still wondering what that "syllabus" thing is?
This term, I'm trying some very different things--online assignments in intro psych, and an entirely new course in
b-mod. I can't improve things if I don't get feedback from you, the people. (Commentz can be anonymous, don't ya know.)
Why aren't you studying?
Psych 104:
The midterm struck a good balance, just as you mentioned it would in class. I applaud the LearnSmart interface for the interactive testing - I didn't read much of the textbook, but spent time doing the quizzes. Going over the questions several times proved useful on the exam, and was much more involved (for me) than traditional studying might have been.
PSYCO 282 - I think your wording of some questions on exams can be ambiguous or misleading at times, which is why I got certain questions wrong. Yesterday I bumped into a friend on campus who complained about the wording on her PSYCO 104 midterm. I asked who's your prof? "Dr. Loepelmann." Note that we are in two different courses and both of us had an issue with the wording
@Anonymous: Thanks for the feedback. This term, I'm using a lot of new questions in 104 and 282. It sometimes takes a few iterations to work out any problems.
I don't try to make questions confusing or ambiguous. It would help me to know which particular questions gave you difficulty and why. You could mention it to the TA at the exam viewing and have her pass it on to me.
Is it possible for you to bold the missing words in the ppt? Some students find it difficult to look for the missing word in the ppt, fill in the blank, AND have to listen and write down what you're saying. Bolding the word will make it easier to locate which is the missing word, and take a bit of the cognitive load off.
@Anonymous: No. I tried that one term, and the (mis-)behaviour of the class was remarkable. I even threatened to walk out. I've never had such a poorly behaved class in my career, and I swore I would never do that again--that's how bad it was.
If you miss a word here or there, try asking someone for help. I also usually end class a few minutes early and would be glad to help you with any missing words.
PSYCO 282 - I agree that the questions are sometimes ambiguous, and I will be sure to point out any more that strike me as a little misleading. The textbook is really dry, although the material in it is fair. What I'm wondering is why you always end class early. I've always been curious. Also, why do you give us days off before the midterm? I'm definitely not complaining, I just find it very peculiar. Otherwise, you're a good lecturer, sometimes it's easy to drift off, but I think that's the nature of the course. I personally think the iClicker questions should provide some kind of participation mark, regardless of whether or not you put the right answer. Either way, in the (similar) words of almost every romantic comedy stereotype: "it's not you, it's the course."
@Anonymous: A lot of questions are about definitions, and definitions by their nature must be precise. I try to point out crucial words in definitions as much as I can. Leaving out or changing one word can completely change the definition itself. I suspect that some dissatisfaction with my exam questions centres around the precision that I require when it comes to definitions.
I end class early so that I can answer the questions that students ask when they line up in front of me. If I don't end early, people still want to ask their questions, and then the next instructor wants to get set up. I hate it when the instructor before me runs late, and I don't want to inconvenience anyone else. So I answer questions, give people fill-in words they've missed, etc.
I cancelled classes before the midterms because I ran out of lecture material. I did tell you that this is the first time the course has been taught, right? I managed to cover all of the learning objectives, so it's not like I've cut anything out. In the future, I will try to fill the time meaningfully--probably by developing lectures on new topics (e.g., token economies, behavioural contracts).
If I awarded participation marks for clicker questions, there would be cheating. I don't want to deal with that, quite simply. It takes an inordinate amount of time and effort. Those who use a clicker will benefit; those who don't, won't.
Yes, we can hear you in the back and even though your jokes are lame some times I think it's still pretty cool. And yes, I know what that "syllabus" thing is - seriously if I didn't know that by now then I really should not be in your class, or any other university level class for that matter. LOL
Okay, feedback on PSYCO 282!
Self-Management Project
While I was a little hesitant and concerned about the Self-Management Project, I can now say I think it is a terrific idea! Yes it is a little overwhelming to have to do things that have not yet been covered in class, but it's fine really. I found that it really brought a lot of what we are learning to life - which is difficult to do in a lot of classes... or maybe profs just don't make the effort I don't know. But either way - Self Management Project - awesome!
Midterm I
Wow that average was high... (good thing the class is not curved) but overall it was a fair exam and I did not have any issues with it other than the question about the p-value (I mean yes, I guess it was a fair question, but really?).
Midterm II
Well that felt like payback for an easy midterm I (kidding). Perhaps the material covered in the second midterm was significantly more difficult, but some of those questions were just confusing! Whether I was stressed or they were not clear, I am not sure. I am going to have to wait until I can review the midterm to make that determination.
Textbook
I love the textbook - one person called it dry... well it's a textbook - it is what it is. I really find all of the case studies they use throughout the chapter helpful. I know you give some in class, but I also find it tremendously beneficial to read about them in the text while they are explaining concepts. One thing I do not understand though why there are no answers to the quizzes that are located in the back of the book - or are there and I just haven't found them? And is it only me or on the textbook website are there only 5 questions for each chapter and the final exam is actually just all of those questions put together... I took your Psych 104 class - now that website was terrific! The one for this textbook? Not so much.
Dismissing class "early"
Uhhhh..... yes. So HOW exactly is that an issue? I'm not sure...
Clicker Questions
A really good way to review the material covered. Thanks for putting those up on your website for us to review. I used to try and type them out quickly before they came off the screen then right before the first midterm you told us you would post them. Ah well, at least I only had to do that prior to the first midterm (in Psych 104)!
You
Well, if I took this class after taking your Psych 104 class then clearly you're my kind of instructor. Seriously though it is a pleasure being in your class! The love you have for teaching comes through and it makes for a great experience as a student. Thanks! Your website - so helpful!
Alright I guess that's it from me! See you tomorrow at 11! :-)
*sometimes
@MT: So I wanted details, and you gave me details--thanks!
There were some problems with midterm 2. I'm working them out--more info in class.
I have the answers to the end-of-chapter questions. They are copyrighted by the publisher and some profs use them for marks, so I can't put them on the Web. I'll see what I can do about eClass/Moodle and get back to you.
Yeah, there are only 5 questions per chapter on the website. But there are a lot of chapters. Add it up and there are a total of 22 * 5 = 110 questions. (Intro books always have more resources. They sell a lot of intro textbooks, so they have more money to create a lot of resources.) This b-mod textbook actually has a website with practice questions. Most of the ones I looked at don't even have that!
Issues with the midterm? So is that why our grades have not been posted yet? I was a little surprised that they are still not up - you usually get them up quite quickly.