Student comments from EPID600 Spring 2007
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______________________________
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“Marcel has been a very receptive and helpful TA so far.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/02/25)
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______________________________
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“So far, I really like the subject of Epidemiology, the lectures,
and the case study format. However, I would like to make one
suggestion that might be incorporated for either this year
or next. The mini-lectures in lab, while helpful in reinforcing
the concepts, feel a little redundant, especially for those
of us in the Tuesday labs who are coming straight from lecture.
I personally think a better use of the time would be to go
over the case study questions from the week before to get a
TA's explanation on how to do them. Otherwise, I think it might
be a good idea to just give the groups more time to work on
the case studies so that they can discuss them in more detail.
As it is right now, the time is tight, and I think people are
a little impatient to sit through a whole extra mini-lecture
when they know they need to get the lab done.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/02/12)
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______________________________
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“Hello, Marcel and Vic - I would like to - retrospectively -
inform you both that I attended the National Health Policy
Conference in Washington DC this past week (Feb 12 - Feb 15).
As a result, I was unable to attend Tuesday's lab. While I
informed one of my lab members, some may have been unaware
about the reason behind my absence - FYI. I've enjoyed the
course, to date. In a few words - "it's been challenging and
intellectually stimulating."”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/02/18)
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______________________________
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“I feel that our group works well together.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/02/25)
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______________________________
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“I love the periodic process of learning knowledge and skills
in the wonderful lectures, digesting and working on the case
study on my own, then solving problems and questions with TA
and my teammates in the epi lab. This scientific system helps
me better understand the knowledge and skills in epidemiology.”
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Jiang,
MPH student,
HBHE,
TA: Marcel
(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/02/13)
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______________________________
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“The case studies are very long for the time we have in recitation.
It takes a good deal of time to go through each question, make
sure everyone understands and then reach group consensus. It
is then hard to get all group members together at other times
because of significant time commitments for other classes.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/02/15)
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______________________________
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“The class so far is really interesting and great!”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/02/12)
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______________________________
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“The group discussions are very helpful, but sometimes the questions
are hard to figure out for exactly what they are asking and
looking for and so that takes alot of time out of our discussion
to actually discuss our answers for all the questions. Also,
it might help to have some shorter presentations at the beginning
of the sessions, so we have more time for the discussions.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/02/16)
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______________________________
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“I enjoy working in groups, but I find that the group size is
too large to meet everyone's needs -- I believe this process
would work better with groups no larger than 5 or 6. We have
a difficult time getting through the questions during lab --
the choice is to either breeze through them, without much discussion,
and risk that some group members don't understand how we reached
the answers, or work them out together and end up staying late.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/02/14)
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______________________________
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“Given the option to attend other group labs it may be that
the people not rated or with lower ratings are doing well,
we just don't see it. I don't think it would be fair to mark
them down if that is the case. The people rated highly above
are a strong core of this group, always having thoughtful answers
prepared ahead of time and are genuinely concerned with other's
understanding and figuring out the correct answers.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/02/15)
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______________________________
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“Epid600 is helping me transition from memorizing and regurgitating
facts to applying book knowledge to real world cases. Reading
a former student's comment on the Epid600 website about the
level of difficulty of the exams was daunting at first, but
now I'm actually eagerly awaiting the challenge.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/02/13)
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______________________________
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“These are corrections to my original submission because I mixed
up Claire, Katie, and Margot. Sorry!”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/02/15)
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______________________________
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“The group is getting along very well overall.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/02/15)
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______________________________
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“Quoc is helpful but he has to split time between two groups.
He always encourages us to email him with questions. The comments
below are not about him but about the class model itself. I
think it would be helpful for TAs to be able to help more during
the lab. There are alot of questions to get through. It is
difficult and unmanageable to get through them all and really
understand them during lab. I know you suggested breaking into
smaller groups and coming together but there is not enough
time for that either. Even if there was, we would not have
time to really come to an understanding of all of the concepts.
I do not think the student facilitator who doesn't really understand
the material themselves can be responsible for others learning
the material. I find it frustrating that I have to work for
hours in a group before lab in order to try to answer the questions.
Then by the end of lab, I am still not sure if I understand
the questions after they are answered. I don't think this is
an effective way to learn. It also does not help that we have
lab right after class, before we have had a time to really
think about the lecture. I think a better model would be have
a lecture, then work through questions on our own in a group
outside of class and then have a mini lecture/question session.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/02/15)
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______________________________
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“The groups are rather large and we've not been meeting for
very long, so I don't feel that I'm in a very good position
to be evaluating people yet. We are just now starting to get
comfortable in the group discussion. I feel like that lab time
would be better spent without the TA lecture. I would rather
have more time to go over the case studies, and then have time
at the end to discuss questions that we have. The lecture is
merely a reiteration of Vic's lecture, so it feels redundant.
However, Quoc is doing a really nice job with the lecture (it's
just not very helpful to me).”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/02/15)
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______________________________
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“Our group doesn't have a designated room for our small group
discussions- maybe in the future or for next year's class this
would help us focus and make us feel more "groupy."”
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Karen,
MPH student,
HBHE,
TA: Quoc
(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/02/13)
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______________________________
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“Great group of students - very efficient.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/02/17)
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______________________________
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“The structure for this lab makes it very difficult to learn
the material. I have a great group but it does not seem to
beneficial to work on case study questions before class (primarily
in a group setting), right after class on Tuesdays, and then
submit the answers. If we are learning information incorrectly
we don't know it until answers our posted later. I think each
lab should have their own TA that does not divide their time
between two classes. During the lab the TA should review and
discuss the questions and work out the problems with us. Overall,
I feel the class does not only have to prepare for class but
we have to teach ourselves the information before class and
lab. Doing this defeats the purpose of attending lab. Another
solution would be to have the labs a week behind lecture so
old information can be reviewed and new information can be
taught, processed, and studied before we're expected to submit
answers. It is really good idea to have a lab but the structure
needs a great deal of revamping. Thanks so much for providing
students a way to give feedback!”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/02/16)
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______________________________
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“Great Course. After dealing with research studies throughout
my career in healthcare, I can honestly say that this course
has brought evetything together....and then some, or should
I say...and then sum! Paul Meade”
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Paul,
MPH student,
PUBH,
TA: Sunni
(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/02/23)
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______________________________
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“I feel lucky to have had Marcel for a TA!”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/29)
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______________________________
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“I really enjoyed working with Marcel. He was very approachable
and helpful given the limitations. Also, I want to say that
I would like to see the class have more simplistic problems
to help understand major concepts rather than bombarding the
students with every concept as the student not experienced
in the concepts can follow along and learn the concept well
rather than semi-learn it.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/26)
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______________________________
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“Marcel was a great TA. He was always there to help when we
needed it.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/24)
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______________________________
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“Thank you!”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/22)
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______________________________
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“Marcel is a very smart guy who always inspires us to explore
Epi with fun!”
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Jiang,
MPH student,
HBHE,
TA: Marcel
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/29)
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______________________________
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“The class was good but a little too much work for what I personally
got out of it.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/23)
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______________________________
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“It's hard to not rate everyone top of the line - this was probably
the best participating group I have been in at UNC. The undergrads
in particular are to be commended for their grasp of the material
and willingness to help the rest of the group understand it.”
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Tom,
MPH student,
HPAX,
TA: Marcel
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/25)
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______________________________
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“Entertaining lectures + helpful TA + intellectually-stimulating
exams = great class!”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/25)
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______________________________
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“I thought Nikki was great, a very helpful and informative TA.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/24)
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______________________________
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“Thanks Nikki!”
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Anna,
MPH student,
HPAA,
TA: Nikki
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/22)
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______________________________
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“I loved the mini lectures and the lab groups. What a unique
way to foster teamwork and learning!”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/26)
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______________________________
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“I enjoyed epidemiology. I am training to become a medical journalist,
and the things I've learned in this class have already helped
my reporting. One thing I'd improve about the course is the
way the case studies are written. If there's a way to shorten
the questions, I think future students would be appreciative.
Nikki's lectures are sometimes long. While I believe these
lectures are important, they aren't as interactive as we need
(after sitting in a lecture hall the previous 1.5 hours.).
It may be more work for her, but I'd suggest making the lecture
into a jeopardy-style game. Because by the time 5 p.m. rolls
around, we're all exhausted and need something to wake us up.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/22)
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______________________________
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“Having the mini-lectures the week before the case study was
done in lab would have been helpful. Especially if your starred
questions were due before your lab day.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/27)
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______________________________
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“I enjoyed this class, and I thought the level of instruction
was right-on target. When I take a class, I want to feel like
I have demonstrable skills and methods afterwards, and I definitely
feel like that was the focus of EPI 600. Even if some of the
general study design or other areas had been covered previously,
I thought it was very important to know how epidemiologists
consider them differently from biostatisticians or economists.
My only complaint is the amount of work involved in the class
- I think it's a reasonable amount of work, with the understanding
that, sometimes, students just won't be able to get case studies
done or attend the lab.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/29)
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______________________________
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“I thought in general the group worked well together and there
were no significant personality clashes.”
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Todd,
MSEN student,
ENVR,
TA: Nikki
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/23)
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______________________________
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“I often found it helpful when Quoc was in there to tell us
if we were doing a problem the right way. I would have gained
more out of the lab if I had been assigned only a few problems
that encompassed the objectives of the study and made sure
that I had learned by making information from lectures and
readings applicable, rather than having the 10 or so questions.
I found it often difficult to complete all the questions in
time due to my course load (independent research and cellular
biology). Having the case studies and exams up on blackboard
on the weekend would have been helpful.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/29)
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______________________________
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“Quoc's before-lab presentations were very helpful!!”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/29)
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______________________________
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“I highly enjoyed this class.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/27)
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______________________________
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“Thanks for all the noticeable effort you put into this course.”
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Laura,
BSPH student,
NUTR,
TA: Sunni
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/23)
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______________________________
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“I enjoyed reading the case studies, it was very educational.
Vic's lectures are fun to listen to, and our TA Sunni summarizes
the material beautifully.”
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Natalia,
MS student,
BIOS,
TA: Sunni
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/29)
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______________________________
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“EPID600 was a difficult journey but I'm proud of the results.
It's a unique experience for any undergraduate and a wonderful
way to get aquainted with the demands of graduate school curriculum.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/24)
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______________________________
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“This was a very challenging class and requires a great deal
of time and effort. I recommend students take this course
with a light course load or in the summer by itself in order
to give it undivided attention. I loved the book and online
lectures. I found they were very helpful, but I was often faced
with reading the book in depth or reading the case study and
understanding it. I also enjoyed the last case study that we
completed on the final day of lab. I actually think all labs
should be an interactive case study such as this one that allows
the group to work on a realistic situation together. Please consider
adding more of these in the future. Thank you for providing
us the opportunity to give you comments; it's appreciated a
great deal!”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/27)
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______________________________
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“I absolutely LOVED my Epi group! Our personalities and work
styles seemed to mesh perfectly.... We would always come to
lab prepared and this made for a very productive semester of
Epidemiology!”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/27)
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______________________________
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“I really enjoyed the class overall; I gained most from learning
about a good study design for an experiment; but feel like
I would have liked to learn more about epidemiology towards
the end of the semester rather than the other topics we covered.
Great movie choices in class.”
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Andy,
BSPH student,
ENVR,
TA: Sunni
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/29)
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______________________________
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“This course was extremely valuable to me in my business. The
content was thorough and relevant and will provide a good foundation
in understanding the basic principles of epidemiology. I have
already begun to apply many of these principles in my work.
Thanks to Vic and the TA's.”
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Paul,
MPH student,
PUBH,
TA: Sunni
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/29)
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______________________________
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“I think Epidemiology is really interesting. Sometimes I enjoy
the class and it helps me build the fundamental knowledge of
Epidemiology. However, I would suggest that the course could
be more beneficial with some changes on curriculum. The case
study may provide students opportunities to share their learning
experience. But our discussion can be more effcient if the
number of questions can be reduced and length of questions
can be concise.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2007/04/21)
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(An additional 13 comments were received but the students did not
authorize their dissemination.)
2007a,
compiled 02/28/2007,05/03/2007, 2/27/2023 |