| Zeilberger D Spring 2015, 16:640:640:01 — Experimental Math (index #06111) Enrollment= 11, Responses= 8 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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 4.88 | 4.88 | 4.88 | 4.47 |
| 2. The instructor responded effectively to student comments and questions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 4.88 | 4.88 | 4.88 | 4.54 |
| 3. The instructor generated interest in the course material | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 4.88 | 4.88 | 4.88 | 4.39 |
| 4. The instructor had a positive attitude toward assisting all students in understanding course material | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 4.88 | 4.88 | 4.88 | 4.51 |
| 5. The instructor assigned grades fairly | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 5.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 | 4.68 |
| 6. The instructional methods encouraged student learning | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 4.88 | 4.88 | 4.88 | 4.37 |
| 7. I learned a great deal in this course | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 4.88 | 4.88 | 4.88 | 4.29 |
| 8. I had a strong prior interest in the subject matter and wanted to take this course | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4.25 | 4.25 | 4.25 | 4.28 |
| Poor | Excellent | |||||||||
| 9. I rate the teaching effectiveness of the instructor as | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 4.88 | 4.88 | 4.88 | 4.30 |
| 10. I rate the overall quality of the course as | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4.75 | 4.75 | 4.75 | 4.26 |
What do you like best about this course?:
The professor! He is the best professor I had at Rutgers. He has a really positive personality, and he's an expert at explaining and motivating topics.
Dr. Z! And the fluid nature of the topics we cover, and the easily stated but interesting problems, like the Monty Hall problem.
Dr. Z goes into a ton of detail when explaining course material! His assignments are very challenging and I learn a lot from completing them.
Dr. Z and his method of teaching.
I like Dr. Z's enthusiasm for the course and his preparedness for class. Even though he's pretty famous in the math world, he still cares about students and helping them succeed.
The applicability and the innovative outlook on Mathematics
If you were teaching this course, what would you do differently?:
Nothing!
--
I was a bit saddened that we would not get to do any final projects this semester.
absolutely anything. Dr. Z provides me a role model as how a course should be taught.
I would provide some other sort of metric for students to measure their progress in the course. For example, providing solutions to homework questions or a mid-semester assessment of their performance in the course. I also probably would not allow students to turn in homework late, after other student's solutions have been posted on the website. It's very nice of him, but it's not the same as the students who worked hard to get the homework in on time and did not have the other student's solutions to look at if they were stuck on something. Or, if he does offer late homeworks, then I recommend not posting the rest of the class's homeworks before everyone has turned in the assignment. I just think when it is time to give grades, whether to undergrads or grads, that someone who attended every class and turned in every homework on time should get a better grade than people who turned in homework late and missed a number of classes.
Not much, perhaps put a few more comments in the notes that are posted online.
In what ways, if any, has this course or the instructor encouraged your intellectual growth and progress?:
It helped me get an idea of what I might pursue for my thesis.
The philosophy of experimental math is pretty amazing, especially that it can be used in all areas of math.
This class has taught me many applicable skills that will be useful in any work at the junction between Math and Computer Science.
Even thought my major is not math, the course teached me a lot and made me learn a whole new approach to solve math problems by using programming via Maple math software. The motivation and enthusiasm of Dr. Z are really contagious.
I was not sure what to expect from this course, but I am really happy that I took it. I was able to brush up on a lot of mathematical concepts that I had been rusty on. I think Dr. Z is always encouraging us to try different things experimentally with Maple if we don't understand a concept - he even points out open questions in mathematics. Also, his enthusiasm really encourages others to get excited about math.
Generated more interest in how computers can be a useful tool for Mathematics
Other comments or suggestions::
Keep this class going!
I look forward to auditing this class next year to experience the Spring 2016 Iteration!
Dr. Z is, by far, the best professor I have ever had. If you are thinking of taking this course, don't think twice, take it!
Wonderful class and wonderful professor