During the first term interrupted by Covid, there were no formal USRIs. (I still sent out a Google Form to my class because that feedback is important to me--especially during the difficult shift to remote teaching.)
Anyway, here are written comments provided by students this past Winter term from my PSYCO 282 course. Enjoy--but remember that my responses (in parentheses and in bold) to these comments may have an extra dash or snark and a pinch of sarcasm!
- Probably best prof I've had so far(C'mon, tell me how you really feel! 😊)
- It's clear that Dr. Loepelmann cares about teaching and his students. He makes every lecture enjoyable on top of being well organized, well spoken, and overall a great professor.
- Psyco 282 with Professor Loepelmann was one of the most enjoyable and well-organized courses I took this semester. Whether it was online classes at the beginning of the term, or in-person classes later on, Professor Loepelmann made the lectures clear, interesting, and easy to understand. The self-management project was engaging and applicable to our daily lives. I have already recommended this course and instructor to multiple other students and will continue to do so.
- It was a pleasure being in Karsten Loepelmann's class this semester. He was engaging, knowledgable, and funny in a cheesy way. His lectures were often thought-provoking and made me think critically about why people behave the way they do. Overall, I enjoyed his class which made me more knowledgeable in the field of psychology.
- Instructor was equally enthusiastic in both online and in person lectures.
- I love u leopelmann <3
- this professors conduct was completely unacceptable. Regardless of ones views on class matters, I don't believe that for a PSYCH course a professor should be so vocal about their political and social views. This professor even went to the extent of trying to enforce his own mandates in a public university. Now I don't disagree for or against policy as I understand this is a difficult time, the way he went about sending multiple emails and constantly giving his opinion made this feel like a political science course rather than being about behaviour change. At the start of the semester he was an average prof doing his best but towards the end he constantly made people feel uncomfortable and even made scenes during class regarding mask debates. I know many people that didn't attend class including myself for his antics. For a tenured and self proclaimed "great" professor, he should understand how to conduct himself in a professional manner and focus on course content.(Just to be clear: I am not tenured, and I do NOT--and never have--declared myself to be "great." In certain circumstances, the real world invades into the classroom. I did not give my political views; I commented on how the UCP government overreached itself by secretly demanding that post-secondary institutions follow its policies to remove mask mandates. (Yes, it was the government. No, I won't tell you how I know--but I do know.) The governments of other provinces did not meddle like this; most other universities across Canada kept their mask mandates in place--some of them until June 30, 2022. My classroom is my workplace. I resent anyone telling me what to do or how to do it. The fact that the extremely well-paid people who work in central admin did not step up and support front-line workers is appalling. Like it or not, my political and social views seep into everything I do (and they, clearly do the same to you, judging by your comments). It's too bad that my "completely unacceptable" conduct upset you. It's important to me to keep myself safe and healthy, and students in my class, too. I will never apologize for doing that.)
- instructor was slow at times when back in person.(Slow? Like, speaking slowly? Or, like, in the pejorative sense?)
- No feedback on the student’s performance on the course. Need to learn from our mistakes on the midterms. When TA asked for clarification during the midterm viewing, he did not offer any assistance. Not familiar with the material? Told to refer to Prof.(Wha-? No feedback? You mean the ExamVis for midterm 1 and the in-person exam viewing for midterm 2 were not feedback? How about the feedback you got on the quiz questions after every lecture? How about the feedback on each assignment? As for the TAs, I wish they could have been more prepared, but I did answer any questions that were referred to me.)
- Lack of enthusiasm from the instructor, especially when we went back in person(*Sigh* Just, *sigh*)
- Class lectures were basically a regurgitation of the textbook - we all know how to read - please make it come alive.
- I also really enjoyed his obvious enthusiasm many of the topics and I thought the supplementary videos he provided were both interesting and informative. Cheers!
- Personally, I really like how Professor Loepelmann actively engage in this class. I can easily understand his teaching and he is accessible outside the class even when we're online. I will definitely recommend his class to anyone who is interested in this subject.
- I found in his feedback he was overly condescending and as a result I had no desire to seek extra help.(I'm sorry if that's how I came across to you. It was probably the most difficult term I've ever had in over 25 years of teaching. Posting videos online while also teaching in person was immensely draining, to say nothing about the existential threat of Covid and the war in Ukraine. If you're referring to my responses in the discussion forum, I tried to answer questions as quickly and concisely as possible. It can be frustrating if someone is asking--yet again--a question that I've answered before, or is answered in the syllabus. I would never be "snappy" with any student in person. Here are some other perspectives:)
- I wish I saw more compassion from him. It did not seem like he was ever happy to answer questions from students. This is why when I was unsure of something, I would resort to a classmate or even Google because I would get too anxious to ask him anything, afraid that he would be snappy with his answer (as he often was when answering questions on the discussion board). Wish he was more approachable in this way.
- Dr. Loepelmann is an incredibly passionate professor and made this course extremely engaging and enjoyable. He treats all his students with respect and it is evident that he knows this course inside out. I would recommend both him and this course to everyone.
- His presentations are clear and interesting, he never goes over the class time , and shows a clear respect for his students. I took this course as an option and I am so glad I did. I would 100% recommend this course and Dr. Loepelmann to anyone and everyone
- This class was absolutely phenomenal. The content itself was all extremely interesting and I was never left wondering how it would be applicable in the real world, as research and examples were consistent throughout. Although we did watch many videos and interpreted plenty of graphs, it never felt excessive. The self-management project was the perfect assignment to aid in course knowledge. Each section of the project felt appropriately spaced, and no part of the assignment felt too big to comfortably complete within our busy schedules. It truthfully felt like a learning opportunity rather than a tedious project with no purpose. Finally and perhaps most importantly, Professor Loepelmann was absolutely fantastic. Although we began the semester online (where many professors tend to flounder) Karsten made every effort to make the content enjoyable and accessible. And he exceeded all my expectations. He continued to post online resources even once we moved online because he understood that with COVID people’s situations readily change. Our abundance of resources (ePoll quizzes, and textbook quizzes) that we were able to access at any point throughout the semester were irreplaceable. It is very apparent that he genuinely cares about the quality of learning we receive. This has honestly been the greatest class I have ever taken at the UofA. Give this man another teaching award please!
(Thanks!)
- I wish we were given some practice midterms and finals to prepare better for the exams. Also, not being to able to get our exam copies back was a horrible experience.
(You got:
- dozens of poll questions based on lectures
- five worksheets
- multiple-choice questions from the textbook posted on eClass
- dozens of practice tests, quizzes, and application/misapplication exercises from the textbook
But you still want more?
No, you did not get midterm 1 back. Sorry if that was, er, "horrible." But you did get extremely detailed feedback from ExamVis--more feedback than students have ever gotten in person. And there were multiple exam viewings for midterm 2.)
- Dr Loepelmann was literally my favourite prof this entire term. He's enthusiastic about this subject and it shows in his lectures and interactions with students. I will forever remember hearing Dr. Loepelmann screech when he got Big Mac sauce on his keyboard during a Q & A for this class. 100% comedy gold.(That's your takeaway from the course? *sigh*)
Why aren't you studying?
