Student comments from EPID600 Spring 2010
(in order by date submitted -
click here for random order)
(About student comments)
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1:
“Group activities have been excellent learning sessions.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/02/18)
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2:
“I really enjoy working with my group. Everyone has something
positive to add!”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/02/19)
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4:
“I am continually surprised by how well our group works together.
It is definitely helping me get the most out of this class.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/02/18)
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5:
“Lauren is a great TA and Vic is a remarkable instructor. Thank
you both for all the effort you put into this class. It is
paying off and EPI 600 is an enjoyable and engaging experience.
I love the group work structure that allows us to learn by
teaching others.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/02/17)
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6:
“I really love my group. Everyone has been doing great work
and things have been going smoothly.”
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Mitchell,
BSPH student,
HPM,
TA: Lauren
(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/02/18)
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7:
“I do like the course, but I feel that some of the case study
questions get muddled. And then I get very frustrated just
trying to figure out what is being asked. If the questions
could be looked over for clarity I would really appreciate
it thanks!”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/02/18)
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8:
“I have enjoyed working with all of my group members. Everyone
does an excellent job of being prepared and participating in
group discussion!”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/02/16)
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10:
“This course is challenging, but I really like it!”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/02/19)
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11:
“The lab is where I learn most of the basic principles for EPID600.
My classmates always provide more clarity in working through
the case studies than I could get from the lecture alone.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/02/19)
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12:
“Group 13's members has been great to work with.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/02/16)
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14:
“Team-based Learning works very well for this class. Thank you
for exceptionally exemplifying what every other course is implementing.
Please share your team-based learning tips with other departments
at the school.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/02/20)
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15:
“I think our group strategy is great because everyone comes
prepared to discuss answers. We answer all of the questions
on our own, and then go around in a circle with each person
answering one question. If there's any concern, then we discuss
the answer and modify it if necessary. This way, everyone is
ready and participates in our group.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/02/21)
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16:
“All of the evaluations I have for my group members are really
high, but our group is really exceptional. I have been so pleased
to work with everyone. Our group members are incredibly smart
and grasp a lot of the material really well. Everyone is almost
always thoroughly prepared (and we all work through all of
the questions individually to help our own understanding of
the material, so that's a lot of work.) We almost always reach
consensus pretty easily, and people aren't afraid to ask questions
if they don't understand each other's answers. I feel really
fortunate to have been put into this group, and they really
have enhanced my experience of this class.”
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Megan,
MPH student,
HBHE,
TA: Quynh
(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/02/18)
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20:
“Up until our homework on the water filtration case, it seemed
like we were doing the same problems each week; calculating
rates and ratios.
I would prefer a little more 'big picture' analysis and discussion.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
2010/02/28)
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23:
“I have yet to form an appropriate opinion for a class in which
I've only participated for a little over a month. To date I
do not enjoy this class given its excessive constraints on
my time due to the severely verbose assignments (in which many
times I come out more confused than before I started the assignment).
With the first test being administered today, and several more
lectures until the end of the course, I'm hoping time allows
for the course to become more inspiring and less tedious.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
2010/02/28)
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25:
“The case study questions building on themselves so heavily
and being so involved i don't think helps me learn the material
very well. For someone just learning this material it is too
much to try to jump from just reading and listening to doing.
I think a workbook would be very helpful as supplemental material,
with examples of how to look at graphs in research articles
and interpret them in an epidemiologic framework.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
2010/02/28)
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29:
“I've been really enjoying the course. I think the pace is perfect
find the material fascinating.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
2010/02/28)
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30:
“The TA lectures are far more helpful than the in-class lectures.
I would be lost without them!”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
2010/02/28)
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32:
“no thanks, in general I like the course and it is challenging.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
2010/02/28)
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35:
“It would be very helpful to have 1 concise document that gives
us all relevant dates, not just an assignment schedule that
requires us to look elsewhere for other details.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
2010/02/28)
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36:
“This is confusing stuff! maybe we could make a formula sheet
together as we go along?”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
2010/02/28)
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38:
“I do not like that the class is so large that we have to be
broken up into different TA groups. 300 plus people is way
to large for a required masters course.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
2010/02/28)
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39:
“The course structure is terribly confusing, but Vic is great.
Thanks!”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
2010/02/28)
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41:
“I just want to say that I am also really thankful to have access
to the lecture slides via powerpoint (and with speaker notes).
I am trying to beef up on quantitative skills via short courses
at Odum this semester, in preparation for my practicum this
summer, and many of the short course times conflict with the
lecture time for this course. Thanks!”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
2010/02/28)
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43:
“The course is somewhat frustrating in sense that the context
in which we read certain words that should have a standard
definition in fact, do not. For instance, the use of the word "rate"and
the use of the term "mortality rate" given that the mortality
rate is not actually a rate.
Could be a personal thing, but this sort of issue drives me nuts!”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
2010/02/28)
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50:
“Some of the questions that have been included in the case studies
have been very frustrating. The wording isn't always entirely
clear, so we spend a lot of time as a group even trying to
figure out what is being asked, as opposed to working through
the concepts. Although sometimes I feel that case study questions
help me to work through concepts from the class, other times
I feel that the time spent on them is not helpful in developing
my understanding of epidemiological concepts(eg. looking through
an article for mathematical errors). A clearer correlation
between the most important concepts we are learning and then
applying them in specific ways in the case study would help
my learning.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
2010/02/28)
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53:
“It's frustrating that the case studies focus on things that
are not covered in lectures. It also seems that the questions
are asked in unnecessarily convoluted ways sometimes. I understand
the importance of being familiar with, for example, the different
terms used to refer to the same concept, but more consistency
within the course would be nice. Also, it's certainly important
for us to grapple and engage with the course material in novel
ways, but there are some instances where our group ends up
just going back and forth about what the question is actually
asking, not how to get the answer. Finally, I really love our
group and think that we do a good job of reaching the correct
answers, but I hear reports from other groups that they just
don't work well, and that seems somewhat unfair that someone's
learning and grade can be so affected by randomly getting stuck
with bad group-mates.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
2010/02/28)
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57:
“I don't understand why comments are requested. Clearly Vic
has been teaching this class for 30 years, and I would be more
than surprised to find out that my comments made a difference
in how this course is taught. Regardless, I will say that I
was severely disappointed in the course material, course structure,
and overall experience. Vic appears to be a very genuine, caring,
kind person who knows the field well. However, given that this
course was a survey class, I would expect a better, more comprehensive,
applicable approach to the material and coursework. As a future
hospital administrator/manager, nearly nothing I learned in
this course will be applicable to my job. I left the workforce
to pursue a degree in healthcare administration which is a
large reason for my dissatisfaction with this course; I could
have been spending my time learning health law, mergers and
acquisitions, marketing, healthcare entrepreneurship, etc,
etc. Instead I was spending my time learning how to calculate
prevalence... a skill I will undoubtedly never use again. My
comments are unfortunately not positive, however, my negative
sentiment is only partially an indictment on the structure
of the course (test instructions 2000 words long, weekly assignments
that consume 5-6 hours of my out-of-class time, and lectures
that only loosely tied in with recitation). The other side
of the issue is the School of Public health's poor course structure;
this is an issue for which Vic has no control. In summation,
Vic as a presenter was enjoyable. The course itself was quite
nearly the worst class I have ever taken. If I could make a
suggestion, it would be to implement some simplicity in tasks/homework/tests
(shorter instructions, fewer questions, less verbiage) and
then show me how I, as a future hospital administrator will
use this information. One last, separate, note. Jen was a great
TA. She was positive, funny, and all around enjoyable to have
in class. Thanks”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/05/02)
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59:
“Jen's powerpoints were really clear and helpful and I appreciated
her lectures.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/04/20)
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61:
“Tough but worth it. One of the few classes that forced me to
talk and become friends with students in other programs.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/04/20)
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64:
“I loved working and getting to know this group of people.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/04/27)
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65:
“Lauren is great. I know that is not descriptive, but it is
true. She clarified things and consulted other TAs when she
wasn't sure. She was always available and always worked through
things before we did them in lab.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/04/20)
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67:
“Thanks for your help Lauren. You have a talent for teaching
and I'm very happy I had the chance to be in your group. I
appreciate your effort in making epi fun for us. Although this
course was (sometimes very!) challenging for me, you always
simplified concepts and presented them in a way that really
made sense. Good luck with your upcoming wedding!!”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/04/22)
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69:
“Lauren was an amazing instructor. Our group was one of the
best in the course and a lot of that was due to Lauren. Lauren
has an amazing ability of communicating complex concepts clearly
to people who don't have a clear understanding of the underlying
principals. She always has a relevant example that perfectly
fits the conceptual model. Additionally, her review materials
were vital in succeeding on exams.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/04/30)
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70:
“great group of people who were enthusiastic about learning
the material...and the a great mix as far as establishing a
good rapport with the TA.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/05/01)
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71:
“The class is just too big.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/04/23)
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72:
“I enjoyed the course material, however sometimes the nuts and
bolts of it seemed tedious (such is life!). I really enjoyed
the case study topics. I would've preferred Vic's lecture and
Lydia's lab presentation to be on the same topic each week
rather than one week out of sync.”
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Anne,
UNK student,
UNDC,
TA: Lydia
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/04/28)
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73:
“We had a phenomenal group that came ready to discuss our answers
every time. Wonderful people and wonderful group members, all
of them.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/04/25)
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76:
“Epidemiology was a great class and I really enjoyed reading
the case studies!”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/04/20)
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79:
“Lydia was a great TA! Thanks for your help throughout the semester!”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/04/22)
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80:
“This was one of the few group activities in the entire school
that I enjoyed, learned from and actually eagerly anticipated.
I did not have the feeling that we were simply providing a
deliverable but were involved in teaching and learning. Don't
change this; in a class this large there needs to be a functional
small group.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/04/28)
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81:
“We discussed this as a group, but I really wish the group case
studies were worth more for the amount of time we spend on
them. It bothers me that a person could never come to lecture
or group work and still get a very good grade.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/04/27)
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82:
“EPID600 provides all of the resources needed to gain proficiency
in basic concepts of epidemiology, while letting students work
at their own pace. The class puts a lot of responsibility on
students, in that learning is strongly encouraged and rewarded,
but not force-fed in the more traditional manner.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/04/25)
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84:
“Thank you, Quynh! You were a great TA.”
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(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2010/04/30)
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(An additional 32 comments were received but the students did not
authorize their dissemination.)
2010a,
compiled 02/23/2010, 05/08/2010 |