Student comments from EPID600 Summer 2009
(in order by date submitted -
click here for random order)
(About student comments)
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3:
“Have enjoyed working with Aliza. She has been very encouraging
and really seems to be concerned about how we are progressing.
She is the best TA I have had in the program.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/06/10)
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4:
“I would not recommend this class be taken online. I feel more
disconnected with this course than I have in my other online
courses. I feel that I would gain more by taking this in a
classroom setting with face-to-face discussion for case studies.
I also feel that I would better understand some of the concepts
a little better with a lecture setting rather than reading
them on my own.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/06/14)
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5:
“Even though our group does a great job, I would like to see
more communication going back and forth regarding the questions.
(e.g. is someone gets an answer other than what was posted,
I would like for them to post their case.)”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/06/12)
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7:
“My group is very uneven. Several very strong people, but several
"free riders." It's frustrating.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/06/14)
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8:
“The class is great. Well structured distance learning program.
This is a challenging program that leaves you feeling like
you have gleaned extremely valuable information that will help
throughout your career.”
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Elisha,
CERT student,
FEPI,
TA: Hilda
(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/06/12)
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9:
“The material covered in the weekly "lectures" could be more
detailed and specific in relation to the type of questions
actually posed in the case studies. Jie is very helpful and
also timely in her feedback. She is also good about providing
guidance without giving away the answers. She helps you to
figure it out on your own.”
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Laura,
MPH student,
PHPX,
TA: Jie
(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/06/10)
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11:
“This is a very bright group, with thoughtful comments, building
on each others strengths and minimizing weaknesses to come
up with good work”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/06/12)
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12:
“I have been very fortunate to be in this group. This group
is sharp and has helped me understand some of the problems
I am struggling with.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/06/11)
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13:
“I look forward to another opportunity for evaluation on our
group interaction. While trying to get my individual process
together, I haven't been a very good contributor yet to the
group.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/06/12)
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14:
“Some come with pre-existing knowledge, it does not mean they
have put in as great an effort as any another.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/06/12)
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15:
“I am really enjoying the class and the material. I do wish
we all had more time to contribute to the discussion forums-
I think we all have more to share and contribute than we actually
find the time to do. I do find it hard to keep up and keep
track of what's coming up next with the online format. Vic's
lectures are just great, though; I love the examples and anecdotal
stories.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/06/15)
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16:
“This is a very good program!It has stirred my interest once
more in Epidemiology.I plan to go over the materials again
and again even after the end of the course.I also like the
group discussion style.Thanks for teaching me!”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/06/12)
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17:
“Overall, the group is very strong and almost all are very strong
contributors. I am learning fast what it takes to be a good
contributor in an online class environment from them and will
keep trying to emulate them. Darrick”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/06/14)
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18:
“I love this group, so happy for the switch, everyone really
works together and very supportive”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/06/14)
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20:
“I really appreciated the wonderful contributions of the TAs
in this class. I felt like they were a huge part of this semester
and I really appreciated their presence and participation.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/05)
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21:
“Although having larger groups decreased the workload for each
task force in working on the case studies, I felt throughout
that there may have been "too many cooks in the kitchen." Realizing
that TAs can only do so much, I don't have a solution, but
feel that smaller groups would have encouraged more and better
collaboration. Overall, my group experience was valuable and
the caliber of my group members very high.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/07)
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22:
“This was a tough course. Very hard to juggle taking other courses
and working full time. Time management is a necessity. Sometimes
it was hard for me to know what answer the instructor was looking
for or which direction to start in answering questions. Thanks
to my TA, Aliza, and Vic for not giving up on me.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/07)
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23:
“I forgot to include this with my course evaluation, but I wanted
to make sure that I mentioned it (maybe there should be a box
added at the end of the course eval to include "any other general
comments). Nonetheless, I think it would be helpful to introduce
students to an article critique prior to right before the exam.
I have heard about other Epi courses doing practice critiques
throughout the semester (maybe a short one as an individual
case study), and I think that might have been helpful. I would
have liked to have seen an actual critique prior to trying
to writing one myself. Also, many thanks for your dedication
to the course! It was clear that both Professor and TA were
committed to helping each student be successful in their learning.
!mil gracias!”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/07)
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24:
“Great class, very well-structured. I never had a question that
couldn't be answered by referring to the website. I hate that
the class took so long but that is not anyone's fault! Thanks
Vic and Emily!”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/07)
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25:
“Really appreciated the TA Emily. She really helped our group
a lot when we had questions and contributed greatly to our
learning, especially when we got stuck. Thanks, Emily!”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/06)
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26:
“I liked that Emily got involved in our group discussions after
the 1st Exam; trying to steer the path when we seemed to be
going adrift and letting us know that she was there to help
us.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/07/23)
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28:
“Great class. I enjoyed the jaundice case study most, maybe
include more of those type of studies throughout the course.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/07)
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29:
“Overall I enjoyed the course but sometimes felt overwhelmed
as an undergraduate compared to my group mates who seemed to
have much more developed higher level / critical thinking skills.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/07)
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31:
“Umm, since we cant get on blackboard, its kind of hard to know
exactly what each person contributed, so this is off of memory
- who i remember hearing from the most / best quality work.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/06)
Show comments in random order.
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32:
“Hilda was a very responsive TA. Answered questions promptly and
helped to guide our discussion for the case studies.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/04)
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33:
“My earlier comments still stand regarding the extraordinary
number of hours required for the course, particularly in regard
to the "process" time involved. However, I recently changed
my perspective on my previous complaint that this 3 credit
course has the content and work requirement of a 5 credit course.
It is still quite true, but my new perspective is that since
I am personally paying the full freight, by the credit hour,
for summer session tuition, I am grateful to have recieved
all of this excellent education at such a 'discounted' price.
My thanks to all of the instructors, TAs, technical support
people, and fellow students for all they have done to facilitate
my learning in this course.”
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Walter,
PHD student,
HMSC,
TA: Hilda
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/04)
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34:
“I only have one other online class to compare it to but I love
the timely manner the instructors and TA answer your questions.
In my other class it would take up to several days (if not
a week) to get an answer. There are times when one is not able
to continue with the assignment until they get an answer so
it is very important. Thank you for all you do!”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/07)
Show comments in random order.
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35:
“Thanks, Jie, for all of your help throughout the semester.
It has been a pleasure working with you.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/06)
Show comments in random order.
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36:
“One suggestion. Perhaps groups should go-over the grading criteria,
or have it called to their attention, prior to the start of
the discussions. Maybe I just missed it prior to the start
of the course, but found it helpful for the second half of
the course. I really appreciated Group 9's diversity in background
in their contributions. Everyone made an effort throughout
the course and I feel that my experience was greatly enriched
by the comments and posts of fellow group members. Jie was
also an excellent and very prompt facilitator. Thank you! I
feel like I was lucky to have been assigned to a group with
such great and considerate members.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/08)
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37:
“This class has been a challenge, in a good way, and definitely
kept my brain from getting lazy this summer. This is a wonderful
course and I feel as though I learned a lot. I enjoyed the
structure of it and the instructors and TA were great.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/06)
Show comments in random order.
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39:
“The group case study and group discussions really contributed
to my learning - hearing other people's thoughts, seeing how
they arrived at answers and interepreted information helped
make the course material make more sense. I would have gotten
much less out of it without the group - and I was very appreciative
to be in such a smart group.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/03)
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40:
“Thanks for working with folks who had complications. You all
were excellent. Our TA was very good.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/09)
Show comments in random order.
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41:
“I think it must be difficult to teach this course "distance"
without being able to see our facial expressions of understanding
or NOT. Thank you for your efforts.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/07)
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42:
“Thank you Dr. Schoenbach, for a very thought-provoking class.
I greatly enjoyed your humor-laced lectures. While I often
had to wrestle with the module questions and spend considerable
time on the exercises, I definitely feel that it was a worthwhile
learning experience which will stick with me throughout my
career. I appreciate how you guided us through the thought
process in solving epidemiology problems. I also liked the
fact that you allowed us to work together and collaborate.
Working with others on these challenging problems made an intimidating
subject much more approachable and was an effective confidence-builder.
Thank you, Kristen, for your assistance throughout the semester.
You were extremely approachable and quick to respond to our
questions. You always explained things in a straightforward
and clear manner. We couldn't have asked for a better TA.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/07/30)
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43:
“This is my first course with online group discussions and I
believe it can be a great way to learn from others. It did
help me to bounce my answers off of others in order to find
errors in my understanding of the concepts. Of course this
depends on the contributions of those in the group and in general
we did have a good group, although it was not clear when and
if follow-up contributions to the discussions would be made.
Maybe my group should have explored the real-time discussion
tool.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/07)
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44:
“The case studies are very good but it never seems there is
enough time to complete the required readings etc and have
questions ready for asking but by then we have moved on to
the next module. Perhaps the course is trying to cover too
much in a short space of time and little seems to be understood
in depth”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/07)
Show comments in random order.
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45:
“Thanks for this informative program!”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/07)
Show comments in random order.
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47:
“Highly intensive learning experience, lots of material to take
on board in a very short time. However, an incredible course
that truly prepares one for a solid foundation in Epidemiology.
A big thank you to the Instructors and Teaching Assistants
for making this a possibility. Its understandable that students
have to really work hard however it is even more amazing how
much effort and dedication the Instructor(s) and the Teaching
assistants have to put into the whole course- THANK YOU.....”
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Uzma,
CERT student,
PHCP,
TA: Lydia
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/05)
Show comments in random order.
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48:
“I had a great semester with this group!”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/06)
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49:
“I thought Lydia did a great job overall. First she was reasonable,
level headed, provided great study guides. She still held people
accountable for questions, and helped just enough to spark
ideas to try to solve a question. Her written communication
was well versed but easy to understanding as a still learning
epidemiology student. The other Ta's were good on their per
tests practices, I don't remember their names but they were
pretty good for help on the 1st exam. Back to Lydia, I think
she was a great link between Vic and our group. She really
made alot of clarification and helped us consistently through
start and finish of the class.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/08/08)
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50:
“Lydia gets many kudos in just trying to decipher half the questions
asked to her! Very supportive and willing to assist, but wants
you to understand the concept and will only steer you in the
right direction! Thank you”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/07/26)
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51:
“I have learned so much in this course, even though at times
I felt the work load was difficult and the course module questions
seemed insurmountable. Despite the challenges, i found it very
intellectually stimulating and I have probably learned more
in a short period of time than in any course I have ever taken.
I thought that the support that I received from Vic and Lydia,
especially when I was discouraged about my lack of understanding
of some of the new concepts, was very helpful and really gave
me the incentive I needed to keep working hard to complete
the course material. The course has whetted my appetite to
learn more about epidemiology.”
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Lynne,
UNK student,
UNDC,
TA: Lydia
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2009/07/24)
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(An additional 9 comments were received but the students did not
authorize their dissemination.)
2009b,
compiled 08/11/2009 |