University of Hawai'i eCAFE

eCAFE: Course and Faculty Evaluations

Instructor: Carl Evensen

Available Survey Results

NREM 210, Fall 2009
NREM 605, Fall 2009

Carl Evensen: NREM 210, Fall 2009

Campus:	University of Hawaii at Manoa	Department:	Natural Res & Environmtl Mgt
Course:	NREM 210 - Intro to Environmental Science	Crn (Section):	72971 (001)

1. The instructor demonstrated knowledge of course content.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.63	16	0.5	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	6 (38%)	10 (63%)

2. The instructor fulfilled the goals of the course.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.5	16	0.63	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (6%)	6 (38%)	9 (56%)

3. The instructor communicated effectively.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.38	16	0.81	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (6%)	0 (0%)	7 (44%)	8 (50%)

4. I learned a good deal of factual material in this course.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.44	16	0.89	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (6%)	1 (6%)	4 (25%)	10 (63%)

5. I learned a lot in this course.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.44	16	0.89	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (6%)	1 (6%)	4 (25%)	10 (63%)

6. Which aspects of the course were most valuable?

The service learning project was a very nice addition.

I feel that the course as a whole has been extremely helpful for my future needs as a NREM major.

Service learning project, because they offered students real life experiences rather than material straight out of a text book.

The second and third sections were the most interesting.

Three instructors have their own strength in subject.

Everything that was taught in this class I found very valuable. Most of what was taught was new to me and I'm glad I took this class.

Knowing the sensitvity of the environment.

The ability of the professors to relate information to real life and the information gained.

The experiments and discussions we conducted in class is the most valuable part of the course. It gave students the opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns about certain topics. It also allowed students to see where we stand in certain things like issues with global warming, GMOs, overfishing, etc.

I loved the service learning project. In addition, I love each professor's style. They made this course easy to understand.I liked the homework assignments.

reading and lecture. the teachers were very nice.

The activities really broke down the longer lecture and made students see everything in a real world perspective.

I think the most valuable thing for me was to be able to realize the kind of problems we face today with our natural world. Until I took this class, I didn't realize that many of these problems even existed. I can say it was a sort of eye opening experience for me.

7. Which aspects of the course were least valuable?

N/A

I can't think of any!

N/A

subjects in the first section.

none.

One of the assignments which included writing down nutritional information about every item we spent at least $25 but I learned something new everyday.

Way to much terms that needs to be remembered; although some are important, I think trying to stuff down and not digest terms is what make students discourage of many classes

The way that the instructors switched off who was presenting. should make it one person for a month and then switch or make it one person for the whole thing.

The least valuable part of the course was a portion of the exams. It required students to memorize many scientific terms, which is very difficult for non NREM/TPSS/Botany majors. Knowing the scientific terms does not seem relevant.

N/A

service learning project; didn't get any info on what we were doing, about the plants, planting material, etc.

None

I think some parts of the textbook were quite lengthy and sometimes it was hard to keep up with the reading.

8. The instructor makes good use of examples and illustrations.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.13	16	0.81	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (6%)	1 (6%)	9 (56%)	5 (31%)

9. The instructor is enthusiastic about the course material.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.44	16	0.73	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (13%)	5 (31%)	9 (56%)

10. The instructor frequently discussed recent developments related to the subject matter.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.31	16	1.08	Freq(%)	1 (6%)	0 (0%)	1 (6%)	5 (31%)	9 (56%)

11. The instructor treated students fairly.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.63	16	0.62	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (6%)	4 (25%)	11 (69%)

12. The instructor is willing to meet and help students outside class.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.56	16	0.63	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (6%)	5 (31%)	10 (63%)

13. The instructor keeps students informed of their progress.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.0	16	0.89	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (6%)	3 (19%)	7 (44%)	5 (31%)

14. The instructor was willing to help.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.5	16	0.63	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (6%)	6 (38%)	9 (56%)

15. The instructor seems well prepared for each class.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.63	16	0.5	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	6 (38%)	10 (63%)

16. How can the instructor improve the teaching of this course?

I think the male professors need to work on their enthusiasm. You guys are funny SOMETIMES, but not enough to keep me awake. No offense.

I can't think of any improvements for Dr. Evensen. He's incredibly patient and will go out of his way to help any student before, during or after class.

maybe not hat three instructors

None. Everyone did a great job teaching this course!!

To much boredom, perhaps need to give more examples and open up the class for dicussion.

The instructors can improve the teaching of this course by providing a more consistant teaching style. Each instructor has a different style and sometimes it is hard to understand certain subject matter when I get used to one style. One example is how one instructor will be more interactive to the audiance than the other or one will give a lot of examples while the other gives only a few or none at all.

I liked their teaching methods. All were very different however, they all meshed really well.

Maybe include a relevant news event at the beginning of class.

I think it could get better if there were actually more activities and simple assignments for us to do. For example, I really enjoyed doing the shopping basket activity because I could learn from it, and it was also fun to do. It would also help students to get points for the class and not worry so much about the exam scores.

17. The TA grades paper (exams, homework) fairly.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree	N/A
4.33	16	0.82	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (6%)	2 (13%)	3 (19%)	10 (63%)

18. Assignments are interesting and stimulating.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
3.69	16	1.35	Freq(%)	2 (13%)	1 (6%)	2 (13%)	6 (38%)	5 (31%)

19. Assignments require a reasonable amount of time and effort.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.13	16	0.72	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (6%)	0 (0%)	11 (69%)	4 (25%)

20. The course was a valuable contribution to my education.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.13	16	0.96	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (6%)	3 (19%)	5 (31%)	7 (44%)

21. Audiovisual materials (or computers) used in this course contributed significantly to my learning.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.0	16	0.82	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	5 (31%)	6 (38%)	5 (31%)

22. Course material was effectively presented with the team teaching approach.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.27	15	0.88	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (7%)	1 (7%)	6 (40%)	7 (47%)

23. Team teaching provided insights a single instructor could not.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.38	16	0.72	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (13%)	6 (38%)	8 (50%)

Carl Evensen: NREM 605, Fall 2009 Back to top

Campus:	University of Hawaii at Manoa	Department:	Natural Res & Environmtl Mgt
Course:	NREM 605 - Research Skills	Crn (Section):	75258 (001)

1. The instructor demonstrated knowledge of course content.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.36	14	0.63	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (7%)	7 (50%)	6 (43%)

2. The instructor fulfilled the goals of the course.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.36	14	0.63	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (7%)	7 (50%)	6 (43%)

3. The instructor communicated effectively.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.57	14	0.65	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (7%)	4 (29%)	9 (64%)

4. Which aspects of the course were most valuable?

proposal presentation

Investigating ideas for developing research proposal, by inviting guest speakers in order to give perspectives on the natural resource management in Hawaiian context.

The main goal or project of the course was the Research Proposal. Being able to write a Research Proposal is important information to have.

development of research proposal, initial research exercises

Getting introductions from various professors of their research that were applicable to my focus. In addition, the process of proposal writing.

Proposal structure

Guidelines to write a research proposal.

guest lecturers

Group projects and discussions were the most helpful in this class. Hands on experience and visual education worked very well for me. Field trips were also a great way to communicate pertinant details.

The proposal writing process. The knowledge gained pertaining to accessing scientific journals.

Knowing how to write a project proposal and its contents. Also little bit of presentation skills

research proposal

First couple classes were great! Guest speakers from agencies were helpful and good contacts.

5. Which aspects of the course were least valuable?

researcher speeches

None.

Having professors and people working with different agencies come in to talk to the class was a bit redundant and not so useful. Many of the people I had heard speak before. It may have been more helpful if the people that came in to speak also were looking for research help or even summer internships.

speaker presentations were interesting, but shortening presentations and utilizing more class time for proposal development would be more valuable

The field trip to the library

None

Some guess speakers's presentations are not fit with my topic. But those of topics presenting may help other students

I took this course thinking I would learn Research Skills, but I did not. I'm not sure what i learned exactly.

research proposals

Long lectures with no class discussion.

Too many professional presentations/speakers

We spent more classes getting lectures from different people. To me was not useful, because they were just telling us what they are doing. I think the class should focus more on how a student can improve proposal writing skills and other research skills as its name suggests, "RESEARCH SKILLS".

Research Ethics

n/a

6. The instructor gives clear explanations.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.43	14	0.51	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	8 (57%)	6 (43%)

7. The instructor makes good use of examples and illustrations.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.29	14	0.73	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (14%)	6 (43%)	6 (43%)

8. The instructor is enthusiastic about the course material.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.5	14	0.52	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	7 (50%)	7 (50%)

9. The instructor appears to have a thorough knowledge of the subject.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.57	14	0.51	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	6 (43%)	8 (57%)

10. The instructor was able to explain concepts clearly and effectively.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.43	14	0.51	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	8 (57%)	6 (43%)

11. The instructor acknowledges all questions insofar as possible.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.64	14	0.5	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	5 (36%)	9 (64%)

12. The instructor treated students fairly.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.5	14	0.65	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (7%)	5 (36%)	8 (57%)

13. The instructor was easy to talk with and available for consultation.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.64	14	0.5	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	5 (36%)	9 (64%)

14. The instructor presented the course materials in a clear and organized way.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.38	13	0.65	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (8%)	6 (46%)	6 (46%)

15. The instructor was consistently well-prepared and organized for class.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.57	14	0.51	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	6 (43%)	8 (57%)

16. The amount of material covered in the course is reasonable.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.14	14	0.86	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (7%)	1 (7%)	7 (50%)	5 (36%)

17. How can the instructor improve the teaching of this course?

Work on one methodology and make sure the students know it totally.

It would be better if the time of peer-reviewed session is added (e.g. 2 lecture times for peer-reviewed session), as this would provide discussion among students that may come from different regions with different issues of natural resource management. Extra times for peer-reviewed session may be taken from times from guest-speakers presentation.

more class time devoted to proposal development

Dedicate more lectures to the actual proposal writing process and how to improve our rough drafts (besides that one-time editorial marking). In addition, allow for more time for final presentations as a lot of us students have more to share than just 5-6 minute presentations on our proposals that we spent a lot of time on.

No room for improvement

make sure the title of the course conveys the correct and adequate content of the course--i.e. change the title from research skills as it does not teach any research skills.

give more sample proposals

Improve visuals and overhead presentations to include examples of topics being taught. Include students more in the discussion. Promote dicussions among the students regarding topics.

It would have been helpful to spend more time developing the skill of grant writing as it is so important in academia.

As mentioned earlier, the focus should more be in improving the research skills of students. I think there is more to be done than only proposal writing in this subject.

It is undeniable that the research proposal assignment teaches us the basic concept of requesting for funds and beneficial to grad students. I prefer taking this course in my second semester (since I m new in this semester and I barely know anything on the what topics and aspects I am interested and would want to do research in) This course fits better for plan A student yet not so much help for students in plan B.

When the class first started it was great. We were collaborating with fellow students the first few classes and the peer review was so helpful. Then, we stopped meeting with groups, stopped group discussion, turned the lights off, and the presenters arrived. I did not really know what I was doing for this class and with the help of my peers, with an instructor present, I feel like I could have gotten a better grasp of everything. We could have helped each other because so many of us were confused. Also, 2 different professors grading makes it a bit unfair. I do not feel both professors graded the same. If there is any way it could be acknowledged that we were always present in class that would be nice too. I went to every single class and would like that to be a part of my grade.

18. Assignments are relevant to what is presented in class.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.14	14	0.66	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (14%)	8 (57%)	4 (29%)

19. The course materials (texts, handouts) are easy to read and understand.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.43	14	0.76	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	2 (14%)	4 (29%)	8 (57%)

20. The course was a valuable contribution to my education.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
3.71	14	0.91	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (7%)	5 (36%)	5 (36%)	3 (21%)

21. Grades are assigned fairly and impartially.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.36	14	0.84	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (7%)	0 (0%)	6 (43%)	7 (50%)

22. Course material was effectively presented with the team teaching approach.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
4.29	14	0.61	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (7%)	8 (57%)	5 (36%)

23. Team teaching provided insights a single instructor could not.

Mean	N-Size	Std Dev		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
3.93	14	0.83	Freq(%)	0 (0%)	1 (7%)	2 (14%)	8 (57%)	3 (21%)