Student comments from EPID600 Fall 2009

(in random order - click here for date order)

(About student comments)

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17: “Though there is a lot of reading required for this course, it is very interesting and practical. It's been full of insight for me so far.”
(1st peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/09/26)
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11: “We have broken up into the same groups most weeks so while I know the faces and contributions of the other members I do not know there name. Many of them were not searchable on Facebook, and a lack of a face is a reason I am lacking in the reasoning for a lot of the answers I gave but I have no issue with the work any of the other team members has contributed.”
(1st peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/09/25)
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58: “Great course! I am already learning so much and am excited about all that I'm going to learn over the next couple months. Thanks!”
(TAeval1, Classroom course, 2009)
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37: “Overall, I am very pleased with Anna. She provides very timely feedback to our submissions and to any questions that we email her. She gives us "hints" at what we may be doing incorrectly without directly telling us the answers. She is probably the best TA that I have had so far in my experiences at UNC. I feel very fortunate to have her as my TA for this course. She is definitely facilitating my learning in this course.”
(email, Classroom course, 2009)
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13: “Our group has been great so far. I think we all work well together and we were very quick to establish an effective and efficient system through which to complete the critical thinking assignments. I think we have all helped each other understand the material better and I hope we will continue to work so well together.”
(1st peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/09/24)
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24: “This course is stretching me; am VERY glad, as a full-time employee, that this is the only course I'm taking. Love the problem-solving and Vic's intro/exit slides (my 10-year old son is also now hooked on these quirky entries; he can hardly wait for each week's iteration.) Have been really impressed with Jessica's responsiveness and attentiveness to both group and individual work. Thanks!”
(1st peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/09/23)
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7: “The lectures at the beginning of recitation are very helpful to sum up the lecture and smooth out any confusions I had. I really enjoy this class- I think it's my favorite class this semester! but the case studies are very time consuming and I end up spending much more time on them than going over the slides or doing the reading in the book.”
(1st peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/09/24)
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26: “I wish I would have seen the facilitating rating sheet before I facilitated. Maybe I missed it? The balance between participating in the discussion during your faciliation week and facilitating is difficult. I found it hard to keep up with the discussion boards and synthesize information; and VERY difficult to participate meaningfully in the discussion. I am being challenged--no doubt--but the course is intriguing and the case studies are helpful.”
(1st peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/09/23)
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68: “This class was way too confusing. And there was no need for it to be so confusing. The grading policies were confusing, lecture notes were confusing, and the exams/assignments were very confusing. Questions should not be 2 paragraphs long and full of irrelevant material and it would really be nice if the exams could be complete and error free before being posted so that we don't have to read through lists of corrections and re-answer questions. Lectures/lecture notes were too full of extraneous jokes and random materials. Thank goodness for my TA, Heidi, or I would have done much worse in the class. Her lecture notes were really helpful and much more clear and useful than the main lecture material.”
(2nd peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/12/03)
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23: “Excellent, challenging, but fair course. Thanks, Jessica and Vic, for thought-provoking comments and excellent communication.”
Jeffrey, MPH student, PUBX, TA: Jessica (1st peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/09/25)
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21: “I've enjoyed the group work this year.”
(1st peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/09/27)
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25: “The Friday deadline for submission of extra-credit (**) questions is tough for those of us who work M-F, especially since the previous case study forum doesn't end until Thursdays. Saturday deadline would be better, but I guess then maybe it would be too easy!”
(1st peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/09/25)
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96: “Steve offered an outstanding effort as our TA providing informative and focused feedback to ensure that our discussions remained on track and that each member of our group understood core concepts for the module. Thanks for all your help, Steve!”
(2nd peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/12/07)
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19: “I think it is hard to grade those people who are doing a great job, but not at the same level as maybe one or two of the group. It was easy to pick out those who are not involved at all, but I think those in the middle really are doing more than is required of them, but just are not the same as those of us who are a bit more obsessed with the group work. I tried to fairly assess the whole group, but found it a bit difficult. I think the biggest issue we face other than people not contributing at all is people contributing really late or just posting responses that make it obvious they have not read the 10 prior posts.”
(1st peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/09/25)
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99: “Thanks for a great course! I wish I had had enough time to fully participate in the discussion forum. Notwithstanding, when I was able to participate, I learned a great deal from the materials and the insights my fellow students contributed to the discussions. Have a great and Merry Christmas!”
Wilmot, MHA student, HPMX, TA: Steve (2nd peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/12/08)
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76: “Very helpful class. Although time-consuming, but you will learn a lot of things.”
(2nd peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/12/08)
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71: “Thanks Heidi for being a great TA and making some difficult concepts totally understandable!”
(2nd peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/12/08)
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98: “This semester was very frustrating given the lack of participation by the majority of my group. I felt I could only rely on two other members to participate each week. I don't know what can be done, but I would recommend reorganization of the structure in future semesters if the TAs notice something like this happening. Thanks.”
(2nd peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/12/03)
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34: “We have a group of really bright people that all make great contributions.”
(1st peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/09/27)
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14: “Great class! I am learning a lot and looking forward to much more!”
Pranay, BSPH student, HPM, TA: Nikhil (1st peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/09/26)
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42: “TA's advice facilitates our discussion.”
(TAeval1, Internet course, 2009)
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88: “This group seemed extremely skilled, professional, and maybe even a little over-achieving. I was astounded by the breadth, depth, and speed of discussion.”
(2nd peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/12/04)
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79: “I thought we were a good group. We had a good efficient system that ensured that we all did every problem and yet did not have to be stuck in recitation 'till late. I have really enjoyed this class and learned a lot that I will definitely apply in the future. In fact, after taking this class I have been thinking more and more of environmental epidemiology as a career!”
(2nd peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/12/10)
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20: “I like the overall format, took me a week or two to get used to the online format and sometimes the deadlines have kept me up a bit late, but overall love the course so far. As a clinician, I believe we need to develop skills to analyze the literature more critically and I believe I already have a better concept of epidemiologic dtudies. Thanks! PS I dont see feedback for Jessica Rinksy here, or for Elizabeth Yanik.”
(1st peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/09/28)
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8: “Thank you, Heidi, for you brief presentatations at the beginning of our group sessions. They are very helpful to me in simplifying some of the more complex equations and topics in the course.”
(1st peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/09/25)
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85: “Our group worked really well together and Nikhil did a fantastic job of helping us out when we had questions about epidemiological methods. I really enjoyed the case studies and felt they were a very good way to learn the material and really enjoyed working with my group.”
(2nd peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/12/06)
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75: “Nikhil was a wonderful TA. He was very helpful, clear, and available for help!”
(2nd peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/12/13)
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82: “EPID 600 has been an intersting, but challenging course for me. Because I had previously taken Epidemiology during a previous graduate level course, I thought I knew a bit of it. But I realized I knew nothing of this particular course by the time I wrote the first exam. That was a big challenge for me to buckle down and approach the course as a beginner. And this paid off for me. It's been an interestig, but time-consuming journey, well worth its while.”
(2nd peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/12/13)
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84: “There is a lot of information about the class on Blackboard as well as the Epi website. Much of this information is extraneous and wordy. It was often hard to find the critical information in the sea of text and information that was out there. Additionally, the organization of the Blackboard site was not 100% intuitive. For instance, it took me a while to find the link on the page under the syllabus tab to actually get the syllabus. Also, the problem sets and exam questions we were given were often very confusing. I would spend a good amount of time trying to interpret the question first before even attempting to answer the problem (of course only for the case study questions, for the exam questions, I had to interpret them on my own and would often not do such a good job). I found this was a real obstacle to understanding the concepts and how to apply them, when I couldn't even figure out what the question was asking and/or there were often misleading words and terms. I know this is a well-established course, but I feel someone may want to go through the problems and edit some of the text to make it more clear.”
(2nd peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/12/10)
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31: “I worry about contributing too much so I will comment on one problem my group does not have a consensus on and then back off. But, no one else is commenting or working to reach a consensus at the end of the discussion except myself and the facilitator (Akito in the last discussion). In the last discussion I felt like we were doing all the work and still couldn't get it all accomplished. I'm struggling to learn this material and am very frustrated. It is not a good experience. Everything is taught at level 3 and applied at level 10. It is great when you can figure it out but if you can't it is a week of hell dealing with group until the "correct" answers are posted. At that point, your best effort/answers are counted off. I dread the test and my husband is even asking when this class is going to end. I have only had wonderful experiences in my past courses so this is very frustrating. I know I can do better and resolve to not have all the right answers but I would actually like to learn all the material instead of having the right answers hanging over my head as deductions.”
(1st peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/09/24)
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69: “Heidi's TA lectures were great. Thanks!”
(2nd peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/12/07)
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93: “This was an excellent class for learning. I've thoroughly enjoyed being in the class with my work at the same time. Liz has done best moderating and teaching for our group. I am especially thankful to Dr. Schoenbach for allowing me to take this class and material for course work has been very carefully designed. It has certainly added a lot to my basic knowledge and understanding of Epidemiology and will be very useful for future. The Case study material was very well selected and suited for class participation and I've really enjoyed our group's discussion which was always thought provoking. it's nice to know everyone's view for same question.”
(2nd peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/12/04)
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4: “Heidi is doing a great Job. However, sometimes, she's too in hurry during her explanation. The professor is very committed and outstanding.”
(1st peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/09/25)
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12: “I think everyone is doing a wonderful job being prepared, involved in discussion, and listening to others. We have all been trying our hardest and I haven't noticed anyone slacking or falling behind. I gave every 100% and above for this reason!”
(1st peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/09/24)
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32: “I am enjoying this course thoroughly! It is challenging and very informative. My biggest challenge is finding the data when completing case studies. This will get better with practice. I find my group very supportive and driven to do well. I couldn't ask for a better online experience!”
(1st peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/09/25)
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50: “Course is really good , learning new things. Concept of group discussion is little bit new to me but learning a lot in group discussions. I wish I could attend the residential lecture.”
(TAeval1, Classroom course, 2009)
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95: “EPID600 comes with a warning that it requires a lot of time, and I found that to absolutely be the case. But it is time well spent, and the positive effect that this course has had on my understanding of public health can't be overstated. Thanks to all for a great experience!”
Brian, CERT student, PHCP, TA: Steve (2nd peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/12/12)
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39: “My intent in taking this course was to learn. Learning is far more important than a grade. I also have a busy schedule, so when I find myself going in circles trying to locate an assignment or a key piece of information in order to proceed with a course assignment, I get very frustrated. I wish the course were designed in such a way that, following the ppt/narrative presentation and explanation, very clear and precise instructions were provided, followed by a chance to complete a series of assignments based on the information, followed by immediate feedback (this doesn't even have to be a grading of an individual assignment--it could be an automated response with the correct calculations illustrated, step-by-step).

Learning should not be a guessing game; it should be instructions and explanations, a chance to practice (based on clear directions and information), and responsive.”
(TAeval1, Internet course, 2009)
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89: “This was the best discussion group I have participated in of all of the 5 Core Certificate courses. I found these group discussions helped me more than anything to understand and process the content of each unit. Our TA, Jessica, was awesome and more involved than TA's in any previous classes.”
(2nd peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/12/04)
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47: “The recitation group is not working for me, as a student with English as a second language. The discussions are not clarifying my doubts because my colleagues go through arithmetic explanation so fast that I can't follow them. It has been very disappointing. When I was the moderator of a recitation discussion I felt horrible because I was not feeling that I could moderate. That experience made me have an outburst because I felt so stupid during the discussion. I talked with one of the group's member that I do not feel empowered to say that the structure we are using is hurting me rather than helping. I decided to ask this colleague to meet me individually to go through my doubts. I' m considering also contact my T.A. to see what she thinks.”
(TAeval1, Classroom course, 2009)
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16: “My group is working really well so far.”
(1st peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/09/24)
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41: “I am really enjoying the course, though I do find it quite more time consuming than I had figured with group assignments and individual assignments due only one day apart each week. I feel this may be why the discussion board ends up being the same 3-4 of us each week as others have moved on to the next case study. I am happy to have a TA that is so involved because I know she can see who is participating and who is not. I also think this mid course evaluation is a brilliant idea and I wish I had this in my other courses where the group participation is much less than this course. I find the lectures extremely helpful and the text is surprisingly good reading.”
(TAeval1, Internet course, 2009)
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72: “Heidi was wonderful and very supportive of the group”
Joel, MPH student, MHCH, TA: Heidi (2nd peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/12/14)
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67: “Thank you!”
(2nd peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/12/08)
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52: “I like the wide variety of topics at which the case studies discuss. However, my favorite, as of yet, has been the AIDS documentary.”
(TAeval1, Internet course, 2009)
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15: “Epidemiology is harder than I thought it would be. The overlapping definitions are confusing. I get stuck on little details in the case studies and it is a bit frustrating, but I have a great study group to work with and a wonderful and efficient classroom group. Vic's lectures are entertaining and funny, as well as, educational. I also appreciate Nikhil's mini-lectures. Nikhil is easy to talk to and helpful in his explanations.”
(1st peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/09/23)
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94: “EPID600 was an excellent course that exposed me to the fundamentals of Epidemiology on a global scale. The course was structured in a manner that built upon concepts that developed into full understanding of the value of the science.”
Charlene, CERT student, PHCP, TA: Steve (2nd peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/12/10)
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91: “Thanks so much for your hard work. I had a great time and learned a lot!”
(2nd peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/12/04)
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40: “This has been a challenging course, but the content is fascinating to me and extremely relevant to my current employment. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in learning more about epidemiology.”
(TAeval1, Internet course, 2009)
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2: “Also, because I missed one day, I am not sure if anyone else missed that day. Thanks!”
(1st peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/09/25)
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66: “I truly enjoyed this class and how it expanded my knowledge about key public health and epidemiological concepts in various ways. I entered this class thinking that it would be a struggle for me to truly understand the concepts, yet I'm pleased to leave this class with a strong foundation of knowledge that I will be able to apply to future coursework. With the semester behind me, my only wish is that students had more time to have fruitful discussions about the key concepts and the research studies. The recitation lab sessions only allotted time for solely focusing on the case study questions provided. Opportunities to have discussions beyond the class structure were not always feasible. Although I learned a lot from the recitation labs and discussions that I sought out, I wish that I would have had more opportunities during the structured class time to just talk about the multitude of concepts and formulas that we learned about throughout the semester. Overall, I'm really happy with what I've learned and retained over the course of the semester and I hope to take another EPID course before I graduate.”
(2nd peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/12/11)
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53: “The course is very stimulating. It requires the art of thinking and not just copying answers from books. / / I just wish I had more time dedicated to this course.”
(TAeval1, Internet course, 2009)
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51: “I find this class to be very interesting. I like the content and the information. Unfortunately, this class has killed any interest I have what so ever in the topic. There is a significant amount of work to do each week and that does not give you time to really understand the material. Instead we spend time looking up a website for a number to a piece of information that we then use to try to interpret something. Instead of sending us on a treasure hunt, teach us to understand the concepts and the theory. Huge long assignments do not make you a better teacher or the class better students. The questions are written in a way that is confusing and confounding. It is a lot of work and a waste of time. Does giving this feedback really even matter? I am sure you have heard this before and has anything changed? Thanks for ruining my interest in this topic.”
(TAeval1, Internet course, 2009)
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35: “Thus far, the course has been very challenging but in a good way. I have enjoyed the course so far and it ranks as one of the best I have taken in the program.”
(1st peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/09/25)
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46: “I love the live meetings because the interaction is in real time and it is a way to get our questions answered and better understand the material. Group forums are difficult to manage online because each person has a different schedule for posting contributions and the start and stop times of the forum are blurry.”
(TAeval1, Internet course, 2009)
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63: “Quite a challenging class (in a good way)!!!”
(TAeval1, Internet course, 2009)
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22: “Excellent so far, enjoying epidemiology tremendously. I made the right choice to take this course.”
(1st peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/09/26)
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5: “The website is very hard to navigate. Class lectures are good, but sometimes I wish they would go into a little more detail so I felt better prepared to answer the very specific case study questions. I like the clarification I get in the recitation presentation and hearing the input from my group on case study questions. In general, though, I feel that the groups are too large to work effectively.”
(1st peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/09/25)
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78: “I thoroughly enjoyed this recitation class and thought everyone did a phenomenal job!”
(2nd peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/12/11)
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83: “I loved Epidemiology. Although I struggled with some of the concepts, this course has introduced me to a field in Public Health that I want to learn more about.”
(2nd peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/12/12)
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10: “I find the class to be extremely interesting. The TAs and Dr. Schoenbach are enthusiastic about the material, which makes learning exciting and more enjoyable!”
(1st peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/09/23)
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92: “I feel somewhat uncomfortable evaluating my peers when I missed interacting with them for nearly a month during the end of the semester due to my work travel. I did try to stay up with their online contributions as much as possible, and went back to review them once I was back in the United States with a more reliable internet connection than I had in Zambia, but it wasn't quite the same experience as if I had been able to participate continuously as I did for the first couple months. As such, I have tried to give the benefit of the doubt wherever possible, rather than unfairly bringing down someone's rating when I may be lacking information. If my answers are out of sync with the rest of the group members' ratings of an individual, please take this explanation into account. [Note from Vic - participation grades are based on median ratings, so low ratings from one or two participants have minimal impact.]”
(2nd peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/12/11)
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64: “The course is very exciting, and the materials are stimulating. However, the scheduling of this course along with Capstone is unfortunate because many of us taking the Capstone have major time commitment issues, finding it difficult to split time between the various assignments that are due in each of the courses each week.”
(TAeval1, Internet course, 2009)
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6: “Heidi is doing a fabulous job so far at teaching us what we need to know and not bogging down the material with too many cumbersome details. I like how Heidi uses specific examples and problems in her powerpoints to teach lessons. Dr. Schoenbach is very intelligent and has a lot to tell us in class. In reality, though, it may be a little too much. He almost never ends class on time and has to rush through slides without students actually having time to "soak" up the information. Dr. Harmon cut out a lot of Dr. Schoenbach's slides when she gave the lecture and I thought I learned so much more when I wasn't weighed down by a multitude of studies, equations, and verbatim lecture notes.”
(1st peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/09/23)
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65: “I believe that the form submission process for case problems is archaic. Other classes have not had to use these 'text-based' forms. In a class that is dependent on calculations and with today's available technologies, it is extremely cumbersome to have to re-do answers and type formulas that one does in Excel into a text-based editor and then have to paste these answers into a form.”
(TAeval1, Internet course, 2009)
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18: “Some of the questions on the case study are worded in a way that is confusing and hard to interpret. I often spend a considerable amount of time trying to understand what the question is asking for. After understanding the question, I am then able to try and answer the question. I would recommend/suggest revising some of the questions and how they are worded. Also, the Blackboard site for Epid 600 a bit confusing. For instance, it took me a while to find where the syllabus with due dates was, as it is not under the syllabus section of the site.”
(1st peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/09/26)
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59: “I find the course as a whole somewhat disorganized. The website is a maze to figure out, and the case study questions are often convoluted and hard to understand.”
(TAeval1, Classroom course, 2009)
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87: “One of the best courses I have ever taken, and I have taken many. Very well organized and made especially easy for an internet course. I now have a strong basis for my epidemiology studies.”
(2nd peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/12/09)
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56: “I think the set up of the online materials is very complicated and disconnected. Too much information.”
(TAeval1, Classroom course, 2009)
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61: “I think the course is incredibly informative. The structure of the class, specifically with the group work and Case Studies to apply the skills taught in the lecture is very helpful!”
(TAeval1, Classroom course, 2009)
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70: “Heidi was great during all the semester. She always provided toughtful explanations and her lectures helped to better understand the material. She deserves an award.”
(2nd peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/12/08)
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36: “Thanks for making the course truly enjoyable, despite the time squeeze.”
(1st peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/09/28)
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74: “Thank you for a great semester. Nikhil, you did a fabulous job of TAing and were always welcoming to students!”
(2nd peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/12/08)
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60: “The case studies are spaced too closely together. And each case study is dragged along the whole week (from Friday - individual submissions thru Thursday - group submission). Also, I usually work on the case studies on Fridays when individual submissions are due, then by the lab on Tuesdays, I forget why and how I got my answers. It would be helpful to make the individual answers due by Monday evening, or sometime closer to the discussion section.”
(TAeval1, Classroom course, 2009)
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90: “I really enjoyed my discussion group. We worked well together, and I learned a lot in the process.”
(2nd peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/12/09)
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80: “It was hard to evaluate because I felt our group really did work very well together. It's not often that I've worked in a group where almost everyone contributed and did the work in preparation and in discussions and facilitating. It was a very positive experience overall.”
(2nd peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/12/10)
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29: “Thus far I am really enjoying this course. It is a lot of work but I feel that the workload is necessary in order to adequately cover such an intense subject matter. This is my first semester in the MPH program and I was a bit nervous but I have gotten over that and am very happy to be in this program and in this course. The TAs seem very knowledgeable and I am very impressed with Vic's teaching style and depth of knowledge in epidemiology. I'd love to be able to make it down to NC for a live EPID600 class some time.”
(1st peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/09/24)
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77: “I did not really include any comments for specific group members because I think everyone contributed pretty evenly and we worked very well as a group. I also want you [Nikhil] to know that I really appreciated your contribution as a TA as you were much better than many other TAs I have had in the past.”
(2nd peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/12/12)
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38: “I think the class is very good and very challenging. One critique I have is that there is almost too much information when navigating blackboard. I think it would be easier for distance students to have only one place to get the info. they are looking for rather than several. Overall the class is very good thus far.”
(TAeval1, Internet course, 2009)
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1: “I definitely value group work and how it can contribute to everyone's learning, especially in this type of class, yet I feel that the group dynamics could have been structured more from the onset. It would have been nice if the groups could have been encouraged to establish group agreements and discuss how they would like to proceed with tackling the case study questions. Some sort of structured activity prior to beginning our group work, could have alleviated some of the issues that inevitably unfolded during the group process. There is already so much work to accomplish in a short period that it would have been nice to take a preventative approach to our group work, by foreseeing any issues and establish agreed upon methods to deal with those issues if they were to occur. Also, all students could definitely benefit from learning how to structurally work in a group (everyone didn't come to this class knowing how to function in a large group). These are all factors to consider.”
(1st peer evaluation, Classroom course, 2009/09/26)
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33: “Steve has been an excellent TA and has shown impressive and constant engagement. The amount of time he has put into explaining questions to me and to the entire group has been impressive...and extremely helpful.”
(1st peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/09/24)
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28: “Sometimes it is a deterrent to others to contribute to online discussion when others in the group are posting answers so early on in the week, especially to those individuals who are not EMP and have more than one or two courses and other various commitments.”
(1st peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/09/26)
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27: “I understand the intent behind it, but I found this evaluation form to be cumbersome. I didn't feel very comfortable making all of the assessments that it asked for for each student in my group after such a short time, and it took an inordinate amount of my day to fill out, time which I no longer have to allocate to this week's readings and case study. If for grading purposes you want students evaluated along each of these aspects, I would recommend doing this only once, near the end of the semester. If these earlier results are meant to be shared with the students so that the can adjust their group participation before it is too late, then I think a less detailed review at this stage in the semester would suffice. On a completely different note, I have really appreciated the Case Studies. I was a little nervous at the beginning of the semester that the Case Studies would really just be busy work -- a way to get us to put in a requisite number of hours per week working on epidemiology. Instead, the questions have been interesting and thought provoking, and have certainly helped me to flesh out some of the more difficult concepts. Thanks.”
(1st peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/09/21)
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97: “Steve is a great TA, he was always ready to help us. The whole team is hoping that you recover fast!”
(2nd peer evaluation, Internet course, 2009/12/02)
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(An additional 15 comments were received but the students did not authorize their dissemination.)

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2009cd, compiled 12/18/2009