General Entomology 350

Midterm Assessment to Enhance Teaching and Learning In Lecture

1. What helps you learn in this class or what do you see as the strengths of this class?

• Labs help a lot. The book is definitely not a strength of this class. The quizzes keep us up to date on material.
• Study guide, slides make it easier to follow along, book has good illustrations.
• I think the lectures are well prepared and usually follow the outline.
• All of the notes are gone over in class, and are printed out on paper.
• The book is good. I have mixed feelings about lecture outlines, but they're good to study from.
• The pictures on the slides are very helpful in seeing the different structures.
• The case of which the lecture presentations are given. Substantial learning of common insect parts backed by solid lab instruction.
• Reading the book beforehand so I get the material twice helps.
• Having outline with diagrams made the information easy to follow and understand.
• Organization of material.
• I like the slides, but I am a horrible speller. So far the examples of insects or other points if spelling will count for test, I will be in trouble.
• An outline already printed with us filling definitions in helps keep everything organized.
• the picture in the slide shows, showing picture with stuff labeled really helps and then in lab we get to see the real thing (grasshopper)
• The material we cover in class is closely related to what we read. The quizzes are helpful.
• Detailed pictures in the note handout.
• The readings help along as the outline.
• Going through the outlines.
• The lab is very helpful.
• Dr. Brewer is great, the way he lectures is very understandable and I feel comfortable coming out of class and excited to come into class. Instructor is awesome.
• Learning the basics has helped a lot. Taking daily quizzes helps a lot to stay on top of stuff.
• I'm not always prepared for them, but I think that the daily quizzes are very helpful or motivators to study the material.
• I like when we take time and go over certain areas instead of going over information so fast and not knowing whether or not we should study that or not. But it is hard in only 8 weeks.
• I like the slides.
• The outline helps a lot.
• The outline you give us helps a lot but you go a little too fast when going over notes. Slow up a bit.
• I thought the sample of the rest questions were a good idea, but the answers posted later would have been nice.
• Mr. Brewer does a great job of explaining, describing, and put the lecture material into understandable terms. He explains the material in a way you understand it and makes sense. I like the way he uses examples to relate the material.
• The lab period is very helpful. Lecture outlines are helpful.
• The slides are simply put together, and easily illustrate what is being taught, this allows me to better grasp the information.
• The lab as a review and hands on of the insect parts we're talking about.
• I like the slide shows and illustrations. I think it is easier to learn the insect parts when a picture is available.
• Reading assignments and going over notes before going over it in class.
• Reading along with lectures. Having slides with illustrations along with the text.
• Pictures of where the terms are on the insect.
• The pretyped notes are a great idea. It saves writing time so we can listen to the discussion topic.
• Slides of the parts. Packet of notes for class.
• I like having the notes before class and using the slide projector.

2. What improvements would you like and how would you suggest they be made?

• Get a new book; it seems that a lot of our notes have holes in them because not everything is covered.
• So far so good, no improvements necessary.
• I would like a few minutes taken to ask questions on material.
• The slides seem a little fast. A little more detail would be nice, but there's a lot of stuff to cover.
• Level the projector.
• Too early to tell. So far very good.
• It might be better if the lecture was a little more interactive.
• I would like to go maybe a little slower.
• Slow down a little when taking notes.
• This is a fast moving course with lots of information thrown at you in a short time, so maybe not sure how to slow it down.
• Don't make the quiz questions on stuff we haven't covered, make them from the day before. If possible, slow down a little bit. There is too much information for a short period of time and can't take it all in.
• The class moves very fast. Sometimes it seems too fast. I feel the outline should follow the lecture or vice versa so it is easier to keep up.
• It is going a little fast. You could knock it down one gear.
• More information on the notes helps, the book is quite hard to read.
• Overall it has been a good class with very understandable material.
• Maybe have a study guide for the tests. The questions were good, but we covered so much material that it is hard to know what to concentrate on.
• I hate all of the terms. I don't know how we could improve.
• The book is very hard to read. Slow down and make things more clear.
• Go slower on notes and don't try to rush through them just because you want to get through the notes.
• I think it is hard to follow along in the notes maybe a study guide for the test would be nice.
• Only thing is that it is tough to keep up with note taking sometimes.
• I know that the circumstances don't allow it, but more detailed lecture notes would help.
• No so many topics in so little time.
• Have lab before class test.
• Make the exams shorter.
• Good so far.

Rating:

Very good = 4
Good = 3
Poor = 2
Very Poor = 1