Galen T. PickettAssoc. ProfessorPhysics and AstronomyPH3-103
California State University Long Beach 1250 Bellflower Blvd. Long Beach, CA 90840-3901 (562) 985-4934 vc (562) 985-7924 fax
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Analysis of written comments:
At the time of evaluations, enrollment in the course was 48, and 28
students filled out evaluation forms. Of those , 21 had
extra written comments to make.
Even though the amount of homework was exactly the same between my Fall 2004 class and this one, students overall had a more positive impression of the workload the homework entailed, and further, *more* students in this section did *more* of the problems than in Fall 2004. That is, students spent *more* time doing the homework, finished *more* of the problems, and scored better on the problems then completed. All of which makes me very happy as an instructor. The PROBLEMS more than anything I can say or do teach the material. The accomodation I made was twofold: (1) I made the homework worth more of the overall semester grade, reflecting the amount of time and effort that goes into solving these problems; (2) I designated a third of the problems as "extra credit." Most students preferred to to the last 1/3 of the problems on each problem set in order to "cushion" their exam grades ... but doing the extra problems is exactly what I wanted them to do to prepare for those exams in the first place! This grading scheme makes explicit the relationship betwen working the problems, and getting a good grade in the course, which I'm happy with as well.
There are persistent comments on the lab being
too much work.
Comments made during standard class evaluations:
1. Professor Pickett, Concerning the course, I really feel that
you did a good job, especially in the aspects of your clarity and willingness
to help students. The online homework, to me,
was actually helpful; I spend a lot of time on the computer (chatting,
following hobbies, etc.) and having the homework there made it easier to
start than picking up a book. On the
lab ... the lab was a painful experience to say the least.
My lab instructor was helful and did his best, so nothing negative concerns
him (****). The experiment / data acquisition portion was fine, however,
the lab writeups were what did it. The instructions on the website
are, at times, quite hard to follow/ understand. The sheer amount
of work required on the write-up left me wondering why the units I was
recieving for this course can be matched in other classes.
Other than that, I think I am finished. Thank you very much, and
best of luck in the future. I will not hesitate to reccomend you
as a professor to take.
2. Like many students, this is just a pre-req for my major and because
of that I had to take it. Physics isn't the most interesting subject
for me and though some of the problems were just way out there, where you
had to know four concepts to get a grasp of the problem. I
did like the homework, and the amount. The only reason I think I'm
doing ok is because of the extra credit given for the online homework.
I did like the online setup since I did it in a group and because of the
ability to input it many times I figured out what to do instead of "thinking"
I did something incorrectly/correctly and waiting a few days to find out.
I did like the way there were in-class quizes since they simulated the
second part of the tests. One thing I wish you can do better is to
present the concepts in a more simple manner that is more concise without
just inputing them in lecture with little manner to explain them.
3. I think the homework should be handwritten
and turn in by hand to the instructor. In this way, the students
would be more focus in solving the problems. The
lab should only have the students in one class because different instructors
have different pace and way of teaching so the lab sould cover the material
that the instructor did at that time. The test was good and
everything else is perfect.
4. You are a great teacher. I like all the examples you provide
in class. You should also explain the concepts with easier examples
just so we could understand it instead of using NEWTON's way of understand
it. Other than that you been a great teacher, THANKS.
5. LABS had too many requirements. If
the work could be cut down a bit it would be great. During
lecture it would be more beneficial, I think that you go over less examples
and more material. Somedays there were problems you presented on
the board that I didn't quite understand and that took up all lecture time.
Could you also think about teaching PHYS 152? Thanks.
6. Grading was fair for overall course. Labs
were a bit unclear (calculations). Online
HW helped. Maybe cut down a little though. (Sometimes I just
worried about finishing it, rather than learning the material).
7. When moving to new subjects / chapters, it would be helpful to
introduce the new material. The practice problems
are good! Be sure to explain WHY certain formulas and concepts
are used.
8. Prof. Pickett is well in command of the subject of physics.
Easy to talk to and get along with, and explained what needs to be learned
with complete clarity. The online hw was a
bit tedious, but the extra credit given was worth it.
9. Lab- theory and equations are not explained
well enough. (least sq. fit method) lab is rushed, too much is left
for students to learn on their own.
10. Great teacher, was very clear and very helpful. The
HW was good help for the exams (a little tedious but helped a lot).
THe HW helps the grade, too. Overall, the class was run very
well. Teach PHYS 152 next semester and so on ... definitely the best
teacher.
11. You were an excellent professor compared to the last one.
The homework online was perfect w/ extra credit.
If people have a problem it is because they waited too long.
The lab instructor wasn't fair in grading and presenting
the experiment and what he wanted from us.
12. I believe that the homework should be
more heavily weighted for the amount of time that was necessary in order
to complete it. The idea of the multiple section test was
helpful since it encourages people in the class to work together and to
make study partners.
13. The online homework was concerning me
at the beginning of the class, but after a few assignments and the extra
credit I found it to be very useful not only to learn but to maintain a
good grade in the class. Overall real good teacher.
14. Great teacher, hopefully I get a chance to take another of his
classes. please provide reading section in website homework.
15. (1) Cut down homework. Maybe 5 questions
out of the book ( 5 total per chap no A...Z). (2) Great choice of book.
(3) Online HW I didn't like too much.
16. Best professor in physics I've ever had at CSULB.
17. Very good teacher. Too good. He knows everything
about Physics and more, but he does not need to worry so much about loosing
his PhD. if he gets 1 wrong answer. Homework was excessive, but helpful
in learning the material.
18. Good teacher. The online hw helps.
19. Adding extra credit for HW's helped a
whole lot. Too little time to take tests even w/ 2nd book.
The 2 blue book idea is GREAT though... Please write bigger on board
and slow down a bit.
20. Great class ... the HW set helped a lot
understanding the material ... keep the two part midterms ... I
think its great.
21. Too much materials covered in one semester!
last updated: June 27, 2005
