Rutgers University Student Instructional Rating
(Online Survey)
Devlin Patrick
Summer 2014, 01:640:151:C1 — CALCULUS I FOR MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES (index #660)
Enrollment= 25, Responses= 19

Part A: University-wide Questions:
Student Responses Weighted Means
Strong
Disagree
1
Strong
Agree
5
No response
 
Section Course Level Dept
1. The instructor was prepared for class and presented the material in an organized manner 2 0 0 2 15 0 4.47 4.47 4.63 4.52
2. The instructor responded effectively to student comments and questions 2 0 0 0 17 0 4.58 4.46 4.54 4.40
3. The instructor generated interest in the course material 2 0 0 0 17 0 4.58 4.46 4.50 4.33
4. The instructor had a positive attitude toward assisting all students in understanding course material 2 0 0 0 17 0 4.58 4.63 4.62 4.48
5. The instructor assigned grades fairly 2 0 0 0 17 0 4.58 4.53 4.48 4.43
6. The instructional methods encouraged student learning 2 0 0 0 17 0 4.58 4.35 4.41 4.27
7. I learned a great deal in this course 2 0 2 2 13 0 4.26 4.29 4.36 4.31
8. I had a strong prior interest in the subject matter and wanted to take this course 2 3 6 4 4 0 3.26 3.43 3.31 3.45
 PoorExcellent 
9. I rate the teaching effectiveness of the instructor as 1 0 0 1 17 0 4.74 4.51 4.48 4.37
10. I rate the overall quality of the course as 1 0 1 3 14 0 4.53 4.31 4.28 4.24

What do you like best about this course?:

I liked that my instructor had a liveliness attitude. He gave time to copy the lecture and to understand it. His office hours were very convenient.

It was very organized and kept everything on track

The sidebars about real life applications

The material was presented in. A clear to understand way

I liked the way my professor presented the course. Usually calculus is boring and the course load is difficult but the professor made it seem easy and this made me look forward to coming to class everyday.

Best part of this course was that some of the material in this course challenged me to think more critically but did not overwhelm me.

the BIRDS and that he was always readily available to answer questions

Everything. Pat actually made calculus enjoyable.

The teaching is really simplified and easy to understand.

Outstanding instructor and the material is quite interesting as well, even if you're not a "math person."

The professor is very open to helping students and altering the speed of the course according to feedback from students.

the way the course was presented by the intructor was the best thing about the course. everything was done very well and made learning the course material very fun and engaging.

Professor explained complex material in very simple terms

Professor was very enthusiastic every class and very willing to help students.

Subject itself, teacher

How the teacher was really motivated to teach us, and explain things simple. Also, the stories and eased environment!


If you were teaching this course, what would you do differently?:

I would not do anything differently

Space out the due dates of the assignments

Not a huge fan of having to write out the workshops.

Not much. I'm not a huge angry birds fan so that might have been missing;)

Nothing. The professor knew his material and all the questions asked were answered properly to satisfaction.

One thing i would do is attempt to explain the course material in a less complicated manner as i originally felt the course and info was much more complicated than it actually was which scared me at first.

more pancake/waffles/snacks. Also give us more reasons as to why we should throw angry birds at you.

More book examples. Examples similar to homework problems. Some of the homework problems were difficult to solve because some of it wasn't covered in class.

nothing

Nothing. The instructor's style of teaching was clear, concise and effective.

I would explain the concepts a bit more, because it felt as if some topics were only grazed upon.

everything was done to the best of the instructors ability, and i couldnt have thought of any other ways to make it more fun and engaging. And its pretty had to make math fun at some points because some problems are very long and tedious.

Nothing really, everything was done well

I would give more homework.

At times you were teaching too simple. Have trust that your students know things, I didn't feel that at times


In what ways, if any, has this course or the instructor encouraged your intellectual growth and progress?:

He gives us the opportunity to prove that we do understand the material during office hours.

To come to office hours and do recommended homework every night

Great teacher. You can tell he likes the material which inspires me to do well.

A lot of ways

His method of teaching is very encouraging because he makes math fun and engages the students. He uses diverse examples and shows you different methods to solve one problem. He's not the type of professor who makes his students hate math. If you had any questions both in class and outside, Pat would take his time to explain everything clearly. He also didn't leave office hours till the last student had gone, most professors don't have this patience. His determination to help students and teach is very appealing to me and if I could i'd probably take all my math courses with him.

I have gained a amount of knowledge about math and i have processed information in a new way due the instructor always being interactive with the class

He didn't just give us number problems and then asked us to solve. He explained why every equation exists and why every solution makes sense. I never understood math the same way before. His teaching makes me excited to go on to learn more about math. and to not just think about getting from point a to point b, but why and how i should get there because there could be an infinite amount of solutions to get to the answer. Pat has really helped me develop in that way of thinking.

Pat made calculus fun and interesting by applying things to real life situations. His passion for the subject makes me appreciate mathematics a lot more.

apply calculus in real word situations.

I will certainly consider taking at least one Physics course for my NS requirement (whereas I wouldn't have before taking this course)

The professor has taught calculus in a very clear way, and I am able to apply it and recall methods more easily now.

Consistent effort by the intructor in office hours and in class helped us make sure that our grades remained high. He made himself available for us whenever he could and was always glad to help. He encouraged us to think outside the box for problems and helped make a way for future math classes by lightly diving into some materials we would see in the future, which piqued our interest.

complete explanation of what a derivative is and what we're doing and why it makes sense made me understand and appreciate the material better than before

NA

In many ways! I really like Calculus now


Other comments or suggestions::

I would make sure the homework is assigned a week in advance. Also a quiz weekly will help determine if the lecture is going too slow, or fast.

The best teacher I've ever had. I've never been able to learn math so easily before.

Pat did this closer to the end more, but I like when the section number is introduced so I know where to look in the book.

DO NOT LET HIM GO. He's really good. Thanks Pat !

Great to see an instructor who truly loves the process of teaching to his students with passion!

PAT = AWESOME+ BIRD + 0!

The textbook is dense, boring and unreadable. Other than for homework problems, it's worthless (might be useful for pressing flowers/self-defense)

Give pat a raise, he deserves it for the amount of effort and time he puts into not only the class, but to each individual student.

keep up with the colored chalk, make more reasons for students to throw angry birds at the professor

Instructor is great; one of the best I've ever had.

You are a great teacher, just keep on doing what you're doing.