Course Goals and Objectives
I’ve just reviewed stated goals/objectives and see the course achieves them… except maybe “gain skills in working in small groups.” I can’t say I’ve done that, tho’ we have worked in small groups in this and other classes. Gained experience: yes; new skills: no. Very minor observation. All major goals have been explicitly and thoroughly addressed.
Course Content/Design
In class (on the index cards) I’ve already said the things I wanted, so this survey will be brief. Course design was excellent. Not only did Bev teach what she’s probably taught many times (but never did it seem anything but fresh) but it seemed she tried newly developed activities, and was open to feedback on them. I only wished there was more time to explore the approaches a little more in depth, e.g. CBI.
In-Class Learning Activities
Strong “yes” to all of those, but I’m getting a little tired of the “make a poster” activities which all classes have used, and I’ve not always found them productive of new ideas. Group discussion of templates was helpful. In-class teaching of approaches was crucial. Variety and pace of the class were great.
Course Materials
I’ve already answered this. I ended up buying the Larsen-Freeman book because the text was a wee bit gnarly. I marked it as “useful,” though, because it never hurts me to read a variety of materials, since my brain feels awfully dense these days. And I put n/a for diversity, because while it is implicit in all our course materials, I don’t remember various perspectives being represented. They probably were and I’m just forgetting. Certainly, diversity is a part of all our discussions.
Out-of-Class Assignments
Bev is the queen of handouts, in the very best of ways. Of all the teachers, I always knew, when flipping through my pages of notes, that I could find key information. Some things that helped: her consistency in giving us materials at a predictable phase, the colored paper that helped those materials jump out, and even that special “Beverly” font that told my brain what I was looking at. This may seem a minor point, but it isn’t. In every other class I struggled to remember what the assignments were: some were on moodle, some on a handout, some we’d just jotted down. I almost always knew what I was to be doing for Bev’s class. When you’re trying to learn complicated things, you don’t need the additional burden of being clueless about logistics.
Feedback on assignments
Always constructive. The praise, after all the work I’ve put in, is something I really appreciate. Bev also points out areas to consider for future development.
Teaching
I have never given a “strongly agree” to everything in this section before. I have huge admiration for and appreciation of Beverly. She is brilliant, with quick mental access to knowledge and diverse experience. She is respectful and inclusive, acknowledging even the most off-topic of our classroom contributions. She’s perceptive, with the fruitful skill of piercing through even the densest of our answers to identify the heart. I could go on with the praise but I’m getting bored. Bev is an outstanding teacher.
What was the strongest aspect of this course?
Expertise, organization and open-mindedness of the professor. The opportunity for hands-on learning.
What changes, if any, would you recommend to improve the course?
Add some class sessions (start earlier?) so we can cover little more ground or spend more time on certain topics. Consider those other suggestions made in class about peer-teaching.
What would you suggest that the professor continue to do or do differently?
Nada de particular. Use a language other than Afrikaans for the early approaches??? (Not even because of potentially political reasons, but it didn’t feel relevant to me; I doubt it’s something I’ll ever want to learn.) Do you know how to say “red rod” in Xhosa?
Moodle
Not used much, thankfully, thus diminishing my confusion.