eCAFE: Course and Faculty Evaluations

Instructor: Jacob Terrell

Available Survey Results

LING 100, Fall 2012
LING 102, Fall 2012
LING 105, Fall 2012

Jacob Terrell: LING 100, Fall 2012

Campus:	University of Hawaii at Manoa	Department:	Linguistics
Course:	LING 100 - Lang in Hawaii & the Pacific	Crn (Section):	74231 (001)

1. Class Level (pick one)

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Freshman   Sophomore   Junior   Senior   Grad   Other   2.36 99 1.04 Freq(%) 22 (22%) 39 (39%) 18 (18%) 20 (20%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)

2. Course

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Elective   Required   1.41 99 0.5 Freq(%) 58 (59%) 41 (41%)

3. The instructor demonstrated knowledge of course content.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.06 99 0.81 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 1 (1%) 26 (26%) 38 (38%) 34 (34%)

4. The instructor fulfilled the goals of the course.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.39 99 0.67 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 10 (10%) 40 (40%) 49 (49%)

5. The instructor communicated effectively.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.58 99 0.64 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 1 (1%) 5 (5%) 29 (29%) 64 (65%)

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

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.25 99 0.69 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 1 (1%) 11 (11%) 49 (49%) 38 (38%)

7. My opinions about some topics changed because of this course.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.04 99 0.77 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 1 (1%) 24 (24%) 44 (44%) 30 (30%)

8. Which aspects of the course were most valuable?

The most valuable aspects of the course was learning about the culture of Hawaii and other Pacific islands, such as how the culture and languages developed and other social aspects of the islands. The aspects of the course that were most valuable was the ability to take multiple tests on a single day. It was so convenient that we could go in an finish the course when we could. I was almost done with hi course after 2 months and it feels really great to ensure an A. You and your TAs are so helpful and I learned a lot from this class. Being able to learn the class on my own time. Time management. I was able to finish this course earlier than I thought it would take me to, because I always procrastinate on my work. But, the book was very interesting, I just could finish it. The most valuable aspect would have to be the topics covered within the units, because they have a lot of information about cultures not widely known and provide a different perspective coming from all these various cultures. I think the key information shared in this class was important in terms of understanding the place we live in. The course itself was an interesting background on some of the linguistic and cultural history of Hawaii. i love the set-up of this course. Jacob and the graduate students were always very kind and helpful whenever I had a question The unit mastery class is very flexible to my schedule and allows me to take an additional class in the semester. I really liked the format. It was awesome. Learning to be self-motivated to learn the material and take tests. I liked and appreciated the whole system and how due dates were organized. It was definitely manageable yet fulfilling. System was organized Information about the development of language, explanations on how languages came about and vocabulary. Communication and organization of the course and its content. The information we took from the background of linguistics It was good that we were able to focus on all the different islands in the pacific, rather than just focusing on Hawai'i or another island. So overall, I liked that we had variety because it made learning more interesting. the lost of languages The readings were very interesting and the succession of the topics throughout the course helped to build a quality perspective on the issues at hand. The ones focusing on Hawaii and the Native Hawaiian culture. online tests Since this was a Unit Mastery course, I was able to complete this class at my own pace and schedule and the syllabus is really easy to understand. Learning about the creole language and Hawaiian language. Some things that are read in the book can be put into real life situations such as how a language develops, or is learned. none The course provided me the knowledge how language adapted from one place to another. Able to study at own pace and multiple-choice exams. The flexibility of the class (self-directed), very convenient I was able to learn about the other islands in the Pacific! Time management and self learning. The readings shared a lot of interesting and useful material. flexible time the fact that I can study at home The ability to take the class at your own pace was definitely a benefit for us who didn't want to sit through another class It was important to know the background of languages and how they accompany the how are the identity for of a group of people. The most valuable aspect of this course was the Journal entries. It was a requirement for the H- focus. It wasn't a lot but it did do its part in this course in a way for us student to understand what was being read and what has been going around in the language section certain people speak around the world. Thus, writing journal entries makes it more understandable for us student. Being able to test whenever I wasn't too busy was very convenient. Learing about the different languages and how important preserving language diversity in the world. The inclusion of local articles helped the course seem more interesting. The aspects that were more about Hawaii and Pidgin history. Quizzes and journals, obviously. History and policy seemed very useful, in terms of the reading. Eye openers of threatened languages around the world, pacific islands in particular. No lectures. Makes it easier to juggle other classes/extracurricular activities. The content was easy to understand and the things i was always reminded about the deadlines and requirements needed. the readings were very interesting The ability to work at my own pace - became literally invaluable during the midterm crush. The resources posted on Laulima explained everything really thoroughly, which is necessary in a class of this format. I didn't have any questions and if I did, I could find the answer in one of the files. reading material After reading the required foundation sections students get to read any section or article of their choice which allows the students to learn about stuff that is of their interest. Not being required to come in for scheduled class time. Taking quizzes were the most valuable aspects of the course. The most valuable aspect of this course was learning about the history of language and many interesting facts about it as well. I enjoyed that I learned about things that I never would have considered even thinking about on my own. This book held a lot of information and usually it was very easy to understand. quizzes and journal entries I knew nothing about linguistics before starting this course, and it gave me a good basic understanding of what linguistics is all about and how it's studied. Content was relevant to the local culture and allowed me to put issues into perspective. The quizzes really made sure we knew what we read. It helped me solidify my understanding of the material As a Unit Mastery Course, I really appreciated the independence. I enjoyed the journals because they allowed us to reflect on what we had learned Unit master allowed me to work at my own pace. Relevance to my life and experiences. the evolvement of language over the years The idea of where, why, and how language is important is clearly a significant topic to know about. However, it is more important for us, as residents of a pacific island, understand how important the culture and history of the languages of Hawaii. All the different reading material. Reading about Hawaiian history of languages. There was a lot I did not know. I felt it was valuable learning about the accumulation of languages that resulted in Hawaiian Pidgin and Creole English. I like how I was able to take the tests on my own time. Easy class to manage and make time for. Despite it being a unit mastery where I have pretty much no guidance except for myself, the subject on linguistic diversity and its certain languages' endangerment is so interesting and should be acknowledged by more people. Pacific Island and Hawaiian knowledge It was all on your own Importance of language to the preservation of Pacific Island cultures Since the course was self directed, I felt that less time was wasted, instead of sitting in a class learning material for an hour that you could sometimes learn in less time than that on your own. Learning more about my Hawaiian culture and its language background. I liked being able to learn at my own pace and do things on my own time. History was interesting. I enjoyed the technical readings a lot.

9. Which aspects of the course were least valuable?

None of the aspects of this course were least valuable. Some of the lessons seemed unimportant to real-life applications. N/A Journals would have to be the least valuable aspect only because they were not specific to any unit. Journals were very open to write about and it gave students the opportunity to write much without pertaining to a particular section of text. They were fun to write though. Long uninteresting articles because it was hard to try and understand the key points. some of the readings were redundant I think the text needs an update, possibly a more coherent structure. All of the articles are really interesting, but there is a lot of redundancy on some topics and others are sort of glossed over. It would be nice to have a text that uses examples from the articles to explicate what seem to be some fairly universal points and maybe expound on them rather than read five or seven essays that get halfway through making the same point over and over. Having to be self-taught. You never know what's going to be on the exam because there's nobody to guide you through the readings. Extremely difficult quizzes (many questions are vague including the answers). Some units list tons of languages and names. Good if they're an example, bad if it's standing alone. None. none None. anything else but the lost of languages Unit Mastery is horrible and I don't know why we are following such a model at the University level. Unit mastery course structures do not allow for students to learn the material... none of what we were asked on the tests had any pertinence to the topics, all the quizzes did was show that we have read the material. The ones that were strictly information based, such as the charts showing minor differences between languages. Everything was a learning experience. none N/a Length of readings. Very little social interation, but thats what comes with taking a unit mastery course. N/A Nothing LBC. Unless the student needed the extra credit. Very easy to procrastinate too much readings None Although, this is an online course, I have no least valuable aspect of this course. A number of the chapters were very dry and soul sucking, mostly because the authors seemed to beat around the bush and say the same thing in overly complicated ways over and over. A fair amount were also very interesting though. I did not find anything not valuable. Some of the articles were very hard to understand. I feel as if Jacob should provide a brief synopsis of each article so that the students have a little hint as to what the article is about. The fine details about small islands histories. Can't think of anything in particular. I can't comment on the LiC or LBC because I didn't do them (oops) It isn't easy getting to the test center on certain days. It didn't match my schedule well since I have classes in the morning and work in the afternoon. No lectures made the material more boring. i think the online quizzes were challenging but everything else was fine. the journals were not overly engaging Many of the readings were amateurishly written; others were difficult to read due to a convoluted writing style. The textbook print is very poor, and missing several pages (due to copy/printing error). Many pages contain illegible text. LBC but only because there weren't many options available to fulfill that requirement. It was much easier to just do an extra chapter instead of going beyond the classroom. everything was helpful I think some of the reading sometimes are hard to follow and some actually has some misprints in them. Journals seemed arbitrary/unnecessary. There were no aspects of the course that were not valuable. I think there were certain sections in the text book that were very useless and hard to comprehend and understand. Reading certain sections took a lot longer and sometimes it felt like they were stating things over and over again, sometimes even in separate chapters. no comment Some of the sections were repetitive. I realize we need the basic background to understand more specific topics, but some of the sections were so alike others that I didn't feel like I learned many new things. none I didn't get much from having to do the journals i did not care for the online quizzes Some topics had no connection to myself whatsoever, but it was still interesting to learn about others culture and language. nothing There were important learnings in all chapters, whether it be the entire chapter, or a few things. nothing None Certain in-depth culture-specific passages The other languages that I learned about were interesting, but weren't so important to me. Case studies were wordy and uninteresting at times.

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

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.27 96 0.73 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 1 (1%) 13 (14%) 41 (43%) 41 (43%)

11. The design of this course lets me learn at my own pace.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.68 99 0.62 Freq(%) 1 (1%) 0 (0%) 2 (2%) 24 (24%) 72 (73%)

12. In general, the course was well organized.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.53 99 0.68 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 1 (1%) 7 (7%) 30 (30%) 61 (62%)

13. Reading assignments are interesting and stimulating.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   3.67 99 1.04 Freq(%) 3 (3%) 11 (11%) 24 (24%) 39 (39%) 22 (22%)

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

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   3.72 99 1.03 Freq(%) 3 (3%) 10 (10%) 22 (22%) 41 (41%) 23 (23%)

15. The exams cover the reading assignments well.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.16 99 0.82 Freq(%) 1 (1%) 1 (1%) 17 (17%) 42 (42%) 38 (38%)

16. Exams are reasonable in length and difficulty.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.29 97 0.75 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 2 (2%) 11 (11%) 41 (42%) 43 (44%)

17. Which aspects of the course did you like the best?

it was self paced and everything that was required for the course was up from the beginning so if I wanted to work ahead I could. Which gives me time to study for my other courses that I may need more time with. I enjoyed having the opportunity to take online quizzes. I liked that I was able to take multiple tests on a single day and the fact that I could evenly space out taking the tests in a set period. Being able to learn on my own time. I really liked the fact that I could go at my own pace, and still fully comprehend the material that was given to me. I liked how you could just go in, take a test, done. The course overall doesn't take up too much time comparatively to other classes. I liked the flexibility of the class especially when there is other classes that demand immediate attention. The LBC. It was just quite interesting to see/be a part of a study. individual pace and learning the unit mastery format is great. Not having to go to class every other day and doing the work on my own time. I also enjoyed the listening to the words activity offered in place of one exam because it was a nice change of pace. I liked that we could go in and satisfy requirements on our own time. emailing was fine (helped keep this course fairly unorganized) Unit mastery, can take my time with the tests. Worked at my own pace. the readings I liked how I got to learn at my own pace instead of overwhelming myself with a load of deadlines and quizzes to take. the no class part Being able to take the quizzes at my own pace. That I could read and take exams at my own pace and that Jake had an outline of where we should be in terms of units at what week. The fact that I was able to take exams and read readings at my own pace. I liked that you could take the quizzes anytime at your convenience. - Well structured/organized course - Extra credit opportunities to make up for tests and journals Learning on my own and being accountable for it. Being able to complete this course at my own pace. none The way they have explained where and how the Hawaiian Creole English language has taken place amongst Hawaii. The fact that we can go in on our own to take the tests at our own pace. Being self-directed. I liked how I get to do the quizzes whenever I'm free and there's a deadline to keep us on track. Learning at my own pace. Journals. Simple, easy, and to the point. Required thoughtful writing that made you think about the topics and better understand them by relating them to your life. The ability to work at our own pace and that there is no time restraints (set aside from the Gates) that I can keep my own pace Not having class everyday The material is very interesting going at my own pace In this course, I like the way how the readings are organized in a way that is related to each other. In this case, it is much easier when it is time to take the test. The pithy exams. They are very fast and short and summarize the readings well. That it is self-paced so that I can procrastinate like a boss. I liked the fact that I was in charge of when to take my exams and could go through the course at my own pace. I liked the fact that I got to work at my own pace and set my own objectives. The speed, the freedom to pick what you read and when you read it. independence The unit mastery aspect of it was probably the best part, since it let me study at my own pace. The fact I could study on my own. Study at my own pace. i liked seeing the different kinds of languages variations throughout the subjects. learning was easy and the quizzes and assignments were given in a timely manner where you could learn at your own pace. the readings The ability to learn at my own pace. Online exams and submissions. Many of the readings were interesting, informative, and well written. I could study at my own pace and come in on my own time so I never had to worry about scheduling conflicts during the course of the week concerning this course. going at my own pace I like how this class is taken at our own pace, and that we'd be responsible for our own learning. I like this way of learning, and I feel the tests were good demonstrators of the material. That I can go at my own pace and I had other options that I can do to replace a few of the journals or quizes. ...not being required to come in for scheduled class time. I enjoyed the reading the best. I liked the fact that I could do things at my own pace and that the instructor made sure to send out emails very very frequently. It served as a good reminder of where we should be at during every moment of the semester. I liked how well the instructor communicated to everyone, even though it was a unit mastery class and most of the material was to be learned on your own our instructor communicated well with the entire group. I feel that he communicated better than some of the instructors that actually have lecture classes. I also liked that every time I went to the quiz center the instructor was always there and available to answer questions. I appreciated his long office hours. readings I loved how this course allowed me to work at my own pace. I put in a lot of work at the beginning of the semester, before I had difficult assignments and exams in my other classes. I was able to finish the course in about 9 weeks, so I didn't have to worry about it and could focus on my major classes. I liked that I could work the course around my schedule while still learning as much as I normally would in a class that had a scheduled meeting time. The tests. I really enjoyed the LBC assignment. It was interesting to participate in that type of experiment The availability of the testing center. The whole concept of just coming into class to take quizzes on the readings. the chapters in the book I liked that this is able to be done is a reasonable amount of time and at one's own pace. Online quizzes I liked the flexibility in class timing. Having the freedom to go in when you are free is less stress inducing during the semester because one has the opportunity to finish everything early and submit work online. Work on your on schedule. Time requirements for sections of the semester. It's very easy to take a test. We can do everything in our own pace Able to work at own pace and quizzes relatively quick and not overly difficult. Test center location and hours quite convenient. I like the flexibility of it. We weren't forced to take one quiz every week with the gates system. I liked that it was a self study course and that I could work at my own pace. Like I said earlier, I loved being able to finish the course on my own time. We were able to do things at our own pace. On my own time! Self-pacing, friendly proctors. Gates are a nice touch, forcing us not to screw ourselves over come the end of the semester.

18. Which aspects of the course did you like least?

I did not like the fact that I had to wait a whole day before retrying a test. Some of the readings were very boring and uninteresting. That I could choose the time of when I wanted to go into take a test. It really went well with my busy schedule. Moore Hall is sometimes quite a walk to get there. They should offer more online quizzes. Long articles. The readings having to go to the classroom to take the tests. I honestly did not expect to have to take in person tests for an online class. Sometimes I'd feel like I read the chapters pretty well, then I wouldn't pass the exams. The readings were sometimes tedious and uninteresting, but that just depends on one's interest in the material really. I'm sure it's stimulating for those who are very interested in the field of linguistics. Therefore, I'm not complaining-- just giving my opinion. Unfriendly TAs.. (except for one), horrible quizzes (not clear what asking), the atmosphere seems to be extremely discouraging. WAY too hard for a 100-level course. Journal entries are too broad, hard to come up with ideas to write about. None. some tests were confusing in content I didn't like how the quizzes were not open book, but then again it's the only way for us to prove that we learned the material. I also didn't like how some readings were difficult to understand such as foundation D ( I had to read this section many times). the no class part. it's kind of like a love-hate relationship I did not learn anything further than just reading the statements made in the articles. N/a It's hard to expect what will be on the quizzes. The testing center closed a little too early. - Journals kind of seemed like a waste of time Long readings and some topics are boring to read about. none N/a There were too many tests to take. The hours of the exam room--wish it opened earlier. I didn't like how some of the readings were hard to understand. The longer chapters of reading. Quizzes. But no one really enjoys quizzes. None too much readings to do Some questions on the test were on smaller subjects in regards to the long readings none Some of the quiz questions I could not find the answers in the reading material Everything about this course was on point. The journals seemed detached for me. It was hard to write about anything because I didn't grow up in Hawaii so I have absolutely no personal experience with anything in this book. I also hated the social context section. I almost threw my book out the window during those two chapters. I didn't like how long the readings were. I did not care for much of the readings mainly because I couldn't follow all the main points in readings easily. Since the course was a unit mastery course, I had no problems with the outline and format of the class. The journal responses could be a bit more guided. none Not much comes to mind. Maybe the length of some of the readings, which could then appear too much material for one to remember when taking a quiz? The availability of the testing center. I had a difficult semester with a new job and medical issues and didn't have many opportunities to take my quizzes. So I ended up taking 5 quizzes in one day. It'd be great if it opened at 7am. Or stayed open until 5pm. Minimal interaction between student and instructor regarding the material. Practice questions would have been better. i liked the fact that i didnt have to go to an actual class to sit and learn. I could do it on my own time. the journals Taking paper exams for an online class on campus. I had never taken a linguistics course before so I guess some parts of the readings were hard to understand like terminology, etc. some reading material I procrastinated a bit so I had to rush during the second and third gates, but that's my fault, and I was well aware of the gate deadlines. But in the end, I managed to get the required amounts of units. I think the hard part was writing the journals because topic can very thus making it difficult to know if the chosen topic will meet the professor's requirements. N/A I didn't like the journals. I didn't like that the course had gates and that we couldn't take a quiz the same day we failed it. I took a unit mastery course last semester and found it easier to go at my own pace, even if that meant doing everything in the second half of the semester. I didn't like this because the first half of the semester was very busy for me and I found it hard to go to the testing center. I think I may have done better if there weren't any gates, I do understand that they are there to keep us on track but I personally didn't benefit from having gates. no comment I was sometimes unsure of how I was doing in the course, especially with journal entires. Jake was there to answer questions (and I had several), but I never really discussed course material with him. I always either had class or work during the online discussions, so I didn't talk with other students much, if at all. I guess I felt like this course was missing a social component. none The journals online quizzes The readings were bland and sometimes unclear. Some test material were not covered in readings, and if they were, the readings were very unclear. The toll procrastination will take if you forget about your unit mastery. nothing I did not like that there were certain amount of quizzes that needed to be passed within each gate. Some quizzes were confusing The test often had questions I wasn't sure how to answer or know what it meant. None A lot of reading I didn't like when i let myself get behind on the quizzes. I felt that the readings were way too long, and hard to read because of how its printed. Not being able to go backwards in taking tests. Reading Some readings were lengthy, but to be expected for a self-study course. Some of the scans in the book were very difficult to read.

19. What changes would you make in the readings?

none Maybe have some more recent readings since many of the readings currently in the textbook are from a couple of decades ago. It would be interesting to read about modern-time Hawaii and other Pacific islands. Many of the readings discussed the same topics so it got a little boring. I would include more interesting topics. Nothing. Maybe some questions for the tests were of things of insignificance to the reading, but I still thought the test were good. Some units in the readings are really long compared to others and being how it's optional to read all of them, these units most likely get ignored. I suggest having shorter readings. Nothing The readings were to be honest, while informative, quite boring. sorry i have no suggestions! it's fine how it is see above Make them easier to understand. Readings aren't so bad just a lot of them aren't clear. Less listing languages, more development and history. None. Certain readings felt irrelevant to linguistics For some sections, I would suggest to split them up. What I mean by this is instead of having two readings for one quiz, maybe split it into two quizzes. Having too much to read can be hard at times because you tend to focus on just one of the readings more than the other. nope The readings were great, I would not change them. I like learning about languages across the world, but I realize this is linguistics in Hawaii and the pacific so it's not possible to incorporate those types of readings. There could be more diversity int he text content or what book we use. I don't mind learning about the Pacific region languages but i want to learn about the languages we never heard of. The context could be more recent or like more diverse for college students. A lot of the readings were similar and went over the same material as other essays/chapters. I think more of a variety of topics would be better. Maybe provide more readings to choose from. - Some of the readings are long, a bit repetitive, and boring Make readings shorter, or input which sections of the readings are important to learn. none N/a, they were great stories to learn about. More interesting topics. Make it shorter and more interesting. I found some of the readings difficult to understand and read. Some of them were very wordy also. I found myself reading passages multiple times to comprehend what the reading was about. Don't combine two stories into one quiz, it was hard for me to find which questions was from which story. Nothing More easy to read or interesting readings. Have it abridged. not much to make Maybe if they were shorter and didn't include so much material that we wouldn't be tested on none No, changes because it was already organized and we related to each other. EDITING. I would make them more concise and to the point. Most of the papers appeared to be pretty old too, so updating information and updating the terminology used would be helpful as well. Make them shorter. I'm sure that other students would appreciate a study guide or a sheet as to what Jacob expects us to understand in each article. None The ecology bit seemed a little tedious. Similar ideas from ecology A and B seemed as though they were covered in other bits of the readings. If it could be simpler to read. Have practice questions available. i dont like how the book is formatted. Some readings are scattered all over the place and at times the content is confusing as well as the fonts found in the book. it's hard to read at times and frustrating. possibly readings that specifically focused on different regions of the world Better authors. Updated (current) papers. Better publisher. Some of the readings were a lot longer than others. Maybe add "extra" units, but shorten them so it's easier to comprehend and focus on smaller sections instead of trying to cram all of it into one. I would not use some of the essays used Some of the passages were a bit boring, but that can't be changed. It would be nice if the information can be more up-to-date since most of the reading is from a while back. Either reduce the amount of reading for the first test or make the test easier. It's difficulty was disproportionate to all other tests in the course and this was inconvenient as it was both the first test as well as required. No changes. I would suggest that some of the readings be taken out. I didn't like that some of them were very repetitive. I found that some of the chapters repeated things that were stated in other chapters, not just as a reference but it felt like I was reading the same thing multiple times. I'm not sure exactly which chapters they were that were so repetitive. Sorry. no comment Perhaps provide short summaries of the content for each chapter (rather than the overview that essentially just restates the title) to allow students to make more informed choices that tailor to their interests when choosing units to master. none None no changes More recent topics, possibly better printing, for example one of the readers were photo copied and almost unreadable. More topics related to Hawaii if there were anymore. nothing The readings can be rather lengthy and boring, so have more readings that could be relatable to the reader. nothing Some of the readings are highly lengthy. I feel like Social Context A was really hard to be quizzed on because one had to memorize about 50 pages of material. I would maybe break it into smaller sections. None they were interesting and well grouped. Maybe a little shorter? Make all the document in same font and size, so it is easier to read. Remove some passages that go into great detail about one particular language and/or culture (excluding Hawaiian) Maybe don't make the readings so long. Could break the really long ones up. Just the length and how its printed. Some of the words are cut off, and the quality wasnt that great. nothing More to the point of what is important. Definitions bold words etc. Re-scan. Perhaps an e-book.

20. What changes would you make in the examinations?

none Some questions were very specific and made it hard to answer if you did not memorize the text word-for-word or date-by-date and just read for the content. Some of the examinations were harder than others without there being a middle level of difficulty. none. The exams overall were fine, they tested sufficient knowledge of the units. Get rid of those roman numeral answer ones where it could be more than one answer; those ones are hard. Nothing none exams were fine, no changes necessary I don't think it's really necessary to have the tests be only in person... They seem to be well suited for online use with laulima. Maybe take away a few tries and put more of the tests online so it's a true online course. No particular changes. n/o Too detail oriented. If you want students to get something out of the course, don't make it so you have to remember a bunch of percentages and details and useless facts! None. None. some exams were hard to understand I would add questions that cover almost all the material in the book. There were times were I felt I spent a lot of time trying to understand a concept and when it came to taking the quiz, I wasn't even test on it. nope NO UNIT MASTERY n/a have study guides? None None. none N/a None. Nothing. Nothing much just adjust some of the questions so the person understands the question fully. Have more online exams, they are more convenient and allows you to complete assignments faster. Nothing. none. take it more carefully, double check the answers none Highlights of main points in each reading Examinations were very hard which I do understand because of level of difficulty. And I do not want to change anything about the exams because it shows that we read the section and understand it very well. The exams were great, my only suggestion would be to give the format of the exams in the syllabus. When I first came in I didn't know if I was coming in to an essay test, short answer, multiple choice, short, or long, etc test. I wouldn't change anything. More questions should be added to the test. A test comprised of 12 questions with a score of 8 to pass seems like a better test format. some questions seemed like more than one answer was possible. Sometimes very confusing. Possibly the three strikes, you're out sort of quizzing, but it's understandable given the fact that it's called unit "mastery." The quizzes also sometimes covered very precise details that could have easily slipped my mind while reading, which was frustrating. I only had a problem with the online quizzes. It didn't tell me which questions I got wrong. Which made me second guess myself and I feel like I changed my answers from right to wrong. Give more chances. none. there are no exams, N/A Better wording on exams. Many of the questions don't align to the information presented in the readings. (Either the wording is being changed to avoid plagiarism, or there is a misunderstanding of what is being communicated in the material, as the questions/answers don't always align, thus forcing students to make "best fit" guesses quite often, where none of the provided answers correctly answer the question being asked.) No change. They were fine. they were fine I think the exam format is fine Maybe it might be better to have some questions on concepts over just facts written in the readings. See above. No changes. I would like to be able to take the exam more than once in the same day. Sometimes it was hard to make it to the test center more than two times a week. I would have also liked more chances to pass the test. Three was okay, but it was very stressful and if the test was failed three times and you took the time to study the chapters it kind of felt like a waste of time. I noticed that some versions of quizzes (the older ones, I believe) were significantly easier than other versions. These had fewer answers to choose from, and (in my experience) were nearly impossible to fail. Other versions had more specific questions and more answers to choose from, which require more thorough reading/studying. These sometimes also asked students to rate interest and clarity of the reading, which, if it is of interest, should be on all versions. The first few quizzes I took were of the former type, for which I found reading the material thoroughly once through was enough to get a 9 or 10. I was shocked when I got to a quiz of the latter type and failed. I went back and reread the material, and when I retook the quiz, it was a much easier version. I would hope to see more standardization between different quizzes on the same units. More online quizzes! None no changes Ability to have the right answers after the test would help to know what information was wrong and to do better on the next tests. A future possibility could be to move to electronic testing facilities. Nothing because no exams. nothing The exams should be allowed to be retaken within the day, maybe not right at that second, but at least after an hour or so after taking the exam. answers should be more specific I like the three tries exams. I feel like some readings are way more difficult than others, but being able to try again makes it fair. None. Easy to complete if reading was done. Nothing. It's challenging and good. None None The exams were made well. No changes I'm fine with how it is now. none Nothing

21. Global appraisal: Considering everything how would you rate this COURSE?

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Very Poor   Poor   Average   Good   Excellent   4.3 87 0.75 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 2 (2%) 9 (10%) 37 (43%) 39 (45%)

22. State in two or three sentences how this course could be improved.

The LBC requirement would have been a bit difficult to complete had there not been an online experiment offered for us to participate in. Most of the LBC were for Japanese or Korean speakers or residents from California, so it might have been difficult for some local students to fulfill the LBC requirement. Maybe have the LBC requirement changed to a supplementary credit, such as the LiC opportunities. A more wide variety of topics discussed in the reading would be good. Reading about a topic that I had previously read about in another part of the book was boring. Revise the linguistics book and include more interesting stories. I didn't enjoy mostly all of the stories. N/A This course could be improved by having a more up-to-date system for keeping track of the units already taking tests for and how much more needs to be done, rather than waiting at the end of each gate. Reminders that the gate will be ending soon would also be nice, maybe like a week and a half prior. Maybe have a study guide for each article, especially long ones to highlight key points. A more cohesive book and the option to take it entirely online. I can't really think of ways that this course could be improved, it's already good. listed above (exams need work, readings are WAY too vague). None. The exams could be improved upon. Instead of having deadlines per gate, I think there should be a one quiz per week deadline. Therefore, students will not be scrambling and struggling towards the end. maybe have one class meeting a week so freshmen like me know what to do. i was kind of lost in my first semester in college. i think that is why i have a low grade. Throw away the Unit Mastery model and actually TEACH the students something about the linguisitc findings in the Pacific. I think Jake already makes the course very easy for his students. He sincerely wants everyone to do well, and it's evident by his approach to communicate with us whenever he can. I honestly don't see anything that needs to be changed. Unlike other unit mastery classes, the professor is always in the room and we only need a 7/10 to pass. How does it get any better than that? He even offers extra assignments to make up for missed units. More diversity in the text. It is hard to expect what will be on the quizzes and some of the questions were parts of the essay that could be easily glossed over. Maybe if there was a general guide on what to pay attention to for the chapters in order to do good on the quizzes would be good. Other than that, this course was very good. Maybe open the testing center a little longer. And also provide a study guide in what to study for. I think that, if possible, students should be e-mailed individually to say that the journals they did were done correctly. This course could be improved by adding more assignments I believe that there could have been less quiz to deal with but I felt like it was manageable. I think that a video of the topic could have come in handy. Least amount of required tests to take would be great. I think that's pretty much what I think could be improved. Try to engage student's interest more. Have more LBC/activities. More online tests for increased flexibility Maybe have a class field trip to meet the people in our class & professor, and to have a "hands on" experience. Rather than just reading straight from the book we could go to the Bishop Museum. More online exams! This course is good the way it is. None. This course is awesome, so long that you can pace yourself and avoid procrastination. I wish there were less readings to do. Also few more extra credit opportunities would help a lot. If the readings weren't so scholarly, or long. We should be rewarded with a slice a pizza when we pass a test. I don't like how the test is marked with "P" for pass and "F" for Fail. I feel like its degrading. Maybe instead of using a "P" use gold star stickers and instead of an "F" maybe have a sad-face-better-luck-next-time sticker. Maybe we should fill the room with kittens and puppies to ease the tension from taking so many quizzes. This course does not need any improvements. I think I have already stated ways to improve this course above. I would make the readings shorter. Maybe make the testing room hours longer. Finally take away the gates. Linguistics 100 should have more questions on the test (12 questions/ 8 to pass). A brief summary of each article should be provided by Jacob Terrel. A list of concepts for each article should be created so that the students know what they are expected to learn and study. Quizzes that don't focus on minute details. Readings that don't go over what another reading had already gone over. Let the student see which question they got wrong. It doesn't have to show the answer they entered. But just, which question. More opportunities to earn points. I think the book could be revised and maybe the class should meet up every once in a while for optional discussions and field trips or educational meetings. Overall i don't see anything major that would need to be improved. this course could be improved by reevaluating the journal concept into something more useful Clearer articulation from both the readings and the exams would bring this course to perfection. I feel like the course is already fine the way it is. If I had to change something, it might be more example journal questions to help relate the text to Hawaii as we know it today. In some gates, I found it hard to relate to the reading because it had to do with a different culture or island chain. some different readings, but very well rounded course I think the structure of this unit mastery class is thoroughly planned out. Everything was well stated at the beginning of the course and I was able to manage my own progress of learning. I think it would be better mainly if the readings can be more up-to-date so students can know what is happening to the different languages in the Pacific. This course needs little improvement, it fills a niche for a lot of students because it allows them to work at their own pace yet retains the ability to pass on much knowledge to the students as reading the chapters are necessary to pass the course. If anything, the balance of the first unit should be looked at, it was a disheartening unit. Maybe put more online quizzes. It could be improved by changing some of the testing limitations as well as eliminating gates. no comment Standardizing quizzes and providing students with a better method of choosing units could improve the course. My only other complaint is that the book was expensive, and as a non-major, I probably will not use it as a reference in the future. I got around this by using a library copy, but as there are only two, obviously, most students cannot do this. Perhaps a system that allows students to borrow or share books can be set up. I'd either drop the journals or make them more structured. It was sometimes difficult to connect the readings with my life. N/A Electronic testing would be nice, adequate testing hours (availability of the testing center to fit into working students needs), and possibly better quality readings or books. Not much to change, maybe change some of the assigned readings to more relevant and interesting ones if not already present in the assigned readings. have test center times extended. have more online quizes This course can be improved by having more of the online tests. Make the quizzes a little easier with answers that are more specific Despite my comments about things here and there... Overall, the course doesn't need to be improved. It's good as is it is. Provide online document because the textbook is too expensive for just one sememster use. Improvement unnecessary. This course is a very interesting course that doesn't need much improving. The teacher and scheduling is very organized and easy to follow. I enjoyed this course very much! Thank you:) -

23. Other comments:

The class was good. The professor was nice and very helpful. N/A Jacob was very helpful because of his consistent weekly updating of the work you completed so you could track your progress and cross check it with your own records. The many extra ways to complete quizzes and journals are also interesting and helpful. This was an overall great class. Thanks for a very interesting and stress-free class! I enjoyed all the information. :) Will not recommend to peers or students to take this course. None. none Good job! none N/a N/A n/a Jacob Terrell rocks the coolest hair/facial-hair style to date! I think I got everything out. Thanks! Matt the TA was cute. :P As long as you do the work, you'll be fine. no other comments Cool teacher and TAs, would definately take another class in the future. N/A None. I think Jacob Terrell was a great instructor and I really did appreciate all of the communication he had with his students as well as all the time he spent at the quiz center being available for students to ask questions personally and have conversations with him if they needed help. merry chritmas I don't really want to tell you to change this, because it's one of the things I appreciated most about the class, but it almost seemed too easy. Appropriate for an introductory class, I suppose. Anyway, really enjoyed it :) None N/A A single lecture per week would have been substantial. Good class, enjoyed it very much. n/a Jacob was super helpful and very kind. There was a test that the computer misprinted and gave me super hard choices, Jacob noticed that I failed, looked at it, and admitted that the test I got was a glitch and really hard to pass. He pulled me on the side and let me retake it. I passed. He always replied to emails, which was also very helpful. Overall really great. -

Jacob Terrell: LING 102, Fall 2012     Back to top

Campus:	University of Hawaii at Manoa	Department:	Linguistics
Course:	LING 102 - Intro to the Study of Language	Crn (Section):	71928 (001)     71929 (002)

1. Class Level (pick one)

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Freshman   Sophomore   Junior   Senior   Grad   Other   3.09 22 0.81 Freq(%) 1 (5%) 3 (14%) 11 (50%) 7 (32%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)

2. Course

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Elective   Required   1.14 22 0.35 Freq(%) 19 (86%) 3 (14%)

3. The instructor demonstrated knowledge of course content.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.39 23 0.66 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2 (9%) 10 (43%) 11 (48%)

4. The instructor fulfilled the goals of the course.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.43 23 0.59 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1 (4%) 11 (48%) 11 (48%)

5. The instructor communicated effectively.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.61 23 0.58 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1 (4%) 7 (30%) 15 (65%)

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

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.43 21 0.68 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2 (10%) 8 (38%) 11 (52%)

7. I improved my abilities to revise my rough drafts and to make my writing more effective.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.22 23 0.9 Freq(%) 1 (4%) 0 (0%) 1 (4%) 12 (52%) 9 (39%)

8. My opinions about some topics changed because of this course.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.17 23 0.72 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 4 (17%) 11 (48%) 8 (35%)

9. The instructor explained the writing requirements clearly.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.52 23 0.67 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2 (9%) 7 (30%) 14 (61%)

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

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.48 23 0.67 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2 (9%) 8 (35%) 13 (57%)

11. The design of this course lets me learn at my own pace.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.65 23 0.57 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1 (4%) 6 (26%) 16 (70%)

12. The instructor's feedback about my writing helped me become a better writer.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.17 23 0.98 Freq(%) 1 (4%) 0 (0%) 3 (13%) 9 (39%) 10 (43%)

13. In general, the course was well organized.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.61 23 0.58 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1 (4%) 7 (30%) 15 (65%)

14. The writing assignments helped me understand the course content.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.35 23 0.65 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2 (9%) 11 (48%) 10 (43%)

15. Reading assignments are interesting and stimulating.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.04 23 0.56 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 3 (13%) 16 (70%) 4 (17%)

16. The exams cover the reading assignments well.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.32 22 0.78 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 4 (18%) 7 (32%) 11 (50%)

17. Exams are reasonable in length and difficulty.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.39 23 0.72 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 3 (13%) 8 (35%) 12 (52%)

18. Which aspects of the course did you like the best?

I liked the fact that most of the communication relating to the papers could be done online because it made it easier for me to submit things and work on my papers on my own time at home. The reading and testing I liked that I could take my time with the quizzes. Some of the readings were very interesting such as chapter 15 (animal communication). I enjoyed writing the essays with topics I'm comfortable with. This course lets students do the exams and work on their own pace. I truly enjoyed the independent nature of the course and the manner in which we, the students are treated as adults. We are held totally accountable for our education and actions and I really enjoyed that. There is no room for excuses. Things are laid out from the beginning and if there are any questions Jake is always available via some form of communication to assist! One of the best aspects of this course is its structure. Although it is a unit mastery course and we was expected to study on our own pace, I like how the course was divided into 3 gates. Therefore, we was still required to meet deadlines so we don't fall behind throughout the semester. I liked how it was self-paced. I really like how the pass rate was 7 out of 10 instead of counting just the # out of 10 because I'd get a lot of C's if I couldn't remember exactly everything from the chapter. Learning at my own pace and coming in to take the quizzes on my own timing. Going at my own pace and being able to finish early. The self paced aspect. The essays helped increase my ability to communicate effectively in scholarly writing. I liked the fact that I can learn at my own pace. This allowed me to load up on this course in weeks were I was not extremely busy with my other classes. Doing the unit mastery quizzes. I liked how the quiz center was open all convenient times throughout the week and also that there was always a TA present to correct quizzes in a timely manner. Its self paced. I enjoyed reading most of the readings in the booklet. That the course was a Unit Mastery and I could progress at my own rate. The fact that I could study at my own pace for this unit mastery class. I liked that the material wasn't to hard. And the TA's and especially Professor Terrell was very nice and welcoming if you had any discrepancies or questions.

19. Which aspects of the course did you like least?

The course overall was great The essays The course was well to my liking. Probably the only thing I disliked was the writing assignments, however it just because I'm not a strong writer. There weren't many things I disliked except some questions on the exam are a bit tricky and could be more clearer. A few of the readings were a bit difficult to follow, but perhaps that is because of the lack of my background in linguistics. I hope that there were other rooms available to take the tests and that it was open at different times. Therefore, it would still be open even after 3:20pm. Writing a linguistics topic essay is difficult. I think if there were more prompts given, it might be easier to formulate a paper. Limited extra credit The unit tests sometimes had questions that I couldn't find the answer to in the chapter, even after four-five readings. I did not like the fact that the mini term paper was only allowed to have one draft. Writing the mini term paper. N/A Some of the defining words/vocabulary are different in each different section. I was not sure if that was the general case of if each linguist just came up with their own terms. None applicable. Some quizzes seem like there could be multiple answers or some questions were confusing.

20. What changes would you make in the readings?

The readings seemed fine. none More readings on the current multilingual status of Hawaii today. I enjoyed reading about the different languages and the examples it had. I think they should have more examples in the readings because it makes the chapters interesting and it can also give the reader a better idea of what they're trying to defend. A few of them were rather long and the content very technical. A lot of them referred back to the phonetic pronunciation and maybe an online component to that chapter would help actually as a supplement the [p] sounds like this but for the more difficult sounds. After 6 chapters of readings it's very easy to forget how to articulate the sounds when studying independently. One small drawback. I wish there was more topics to choose from in the class reader because I wanted more variety in the readings. Since we was required to read at least 12 of the chapters in the class reader, providing at least 20 chapters will give the students more chapters to pick from depending on their interest. I didn't like some parts of chapters where it got too technical with things that we don't need to remember. Less detailed. Some were way too long and the quiz questions with numbers were too specific. None come to mind at this time. I thought the readings were fine. Nothing. All the readings were interesting and in reasonable length. None. Some of the chapters were hard to comprehend the content it contained because it was a little wordy and others were easy to comprehend. Maybe more chapters. Some readings were a little difficult to grasp because I was not a real expert in Linguistics but maybe an introduction to it would be good instead of jumping straight into it. Especially for the essays, a Linguist writes a paper differently then a normal person does, they are more specific and they write at a higher level. And finally maybe a section to help grasp some of the concepts better since sometimes some examples are still a little confusing, but if you do go in and ask the TA's and professor Terrell does an excellent job making sure you understand anything you have questions about.

21. What changes would you make in the examinations?

Exams could be a little clearer in detail, some questions were a bit confusing to me. This could be because a greater understanding of the material was needed and not just memorization. none Less choose all that apply questions. As stated above, some of the questions could be a bit more clearer. Most of the questions were in depth and it's really hard to memorize everything in the reading. I'd keep them the same...the random nature of the questions and the manner in which they are administered are excellent. I would not recommend any changes because the tests were fair and the questions were straightforward. I'm glad that the tests were not timed and I also like how the room was divided into different sections to study, take the test, and review it. None. Limit the questions with specific numbers. As mentioned above, some questions are difficult to find in the chapter. Also, the wording on some questions is vague or confusing. I thought exams were fair and reasonable. Nothing. The examinations were fair and fairly easy as long as you read the material. I think it would be easier if there were no questions where you have to choose one or more correct answers. None. None applicable. None

22. What changes would you make in the writing assignments?

The writing assignments were interesting but i am not sure of what changes i would make. none Instructions on the mini-term paper could include more details like if we need to include subsections and etc. Other than that, the instructions were detailed and clear. I would elaborate a bit more possibly leaving a sample of an essay to show or clarify what an essay should look like. I made the mistake of writing in a creative fashion first because I misunderstood the instructions. However, I knew that I wasn't the only one, because a friend of mine made the same mistake and had similar concerns about the instructions not being too clear. There are no major changes I would make for the writing assignments because the requirements were well explained. However, I suggest that a rubric for the essays and mini-term paper should be uploaded on Laulima. Therefore, students know how the papers are graded and what is expected in order to earn the grade they hope to receive. Other than that, the writing intensive part of this course was great. None. None. The writing assignments were graded by the TA. The TA would leave very specific but appropriate corrections that left no room for your own corrections to be made. None, they work well. Perhaps offer extra credit for turning in essays during the gates, and accepting normal credit if the gate deadline is missed. I think I would give the mini paper the chance to write at least one draft. Nothing. Writing assignments were also reasonable. I enjoyed having a TA take the time to read the essays and proof read them once before the students submitted the final draft. For a writing intensive course this is a good amount of writing for students. None. None applicable. None

23. Global appraisal: Considering everything how would you rate this COURSE?

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Very Poor   Poor   Average   Good   Excellent   4.6 20 0.5 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 8 (40%) 12 (60%)

24. Other comments:

I would recommend this course to others. none N/A I LOVED this course! I also see great value in its complement to being a language major. My favorite was language endangerment and the way a personal story was included at the end of an academic piece to really drive home the lesson. Great choice. There were several other very important readings that I enjoyed. I can honestly say that there wasn't a single one that I did read that I disliked. I saw great use in each of them. I think the reader was effective. None. Having a writing tutor is very helpful. I liked all of the various opportunities to do activities outside of the classroom also that would count toward our grades. Terrell is the best! Great Class and taught by great TA's and teachers.

Jacob Terrell: LING 105, Fall 2012     Back to top

Campus:	University of Hawaii at Manoa	Department:	Linguistics
Course:	LING 105 - Language endangerment	Crn (Section):	79490 (001)

1. Class Level (pick one)

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Freshman   Sophomore   Junior   Senior   Grad   Other   2.23 22 1.11 Freq(%) 6 (27%) 10 (45%) 1 (5%) 5 (23%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)

2. Course

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Elective   Required   1.57 21 0.51 Freq(%) 9 (43%) 12 (57%)

3. The instructor demonstrated knowledge of course content.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.45 22 0.86 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 5 (23%) 2 (9%) 15 (68%)

4. The instructor fulfilled the goals of the course.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.59 22 0.59 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1 (5%) 7 (32%) 14 (64%)

5. The instructor communicated effectively.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.68 22 0.57 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1 (5%) 5 (23%) 16 (73%)

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

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.73 22 0.46 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 6 (27%) 16 (73%)

7. My opinions about some topics changed because of this course.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.5 22 0.74 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 3 (14%) 5 (23%) 14 (64%)

8. Which aspects of the course were most valuable?

That is is unit mastery There was not one single part if the course that I found to be more or less valuable. The whole course omits entirety was very informative and useful. I learned quite a lot. Being able to pace myself and take the quizzes according to my schedule was great, because it helped me motivate myself to try and finishe the course early so I could focus on other classes. I think the setup of the quiz room was very clever where he let us sit in the room and read the material and even review the material and cross reference the quiz questions with the chapters. It was a good idea to take a syllabus quiz because that could clear up any quesitons and concerns we may have had. I am very glad for the valuable resources he gave us. I used the books he assigned us as resources in 2 other classes. Just becoming aware of this is valuable. I never thought about how important languages can be and the impact it has on people. I liked the readings they were really interesting and helpful. I actually enjoyed reading most of the readings. the self studying The readings were the most valuable because that's how I learned the material! self master. being able to study and work on your own time. The most valuable aspect of this class was that this class was an unit mastery class where I can take quizzes whenever I want to. Therefore, I took quizzes and did my assignments whenever I was free, so I did not need to stress about this class when I have a lot of exams from other classes. The fact that it was an introductory unit mastery course that could show freshmen the basic structure of a unit mastery course. Some valuable aspects were gaining knowledge of things that I would not have learned through any other course offered here at UHM. Interesting material that helped me to better understand languages and its existence and endangerment. The readings from David Crystal seemed most valuable because it described the basics of why we should even care about language death. The aspects of the course that were most valuable were learning about the seriousness of language endangerment and all the causes and effects of losing languages over time. Learning about endangered languages and the importance of revitalizing them made me be aware of the seriousness of the topic today. The tests and the language reports were valuable because it helps to make sure that we read the content and learned about it. I really enjoy the Unit-mastery style of the class.

9. Which aspects of the course were least valuable?

*See above* LiLo, LBC, LIC felt like busy work. Try and advertise it better to make people feel more enthusiastic or interested to look foward to them. I think all of the material covered was equally valuable to understanding what language endangerment is all about. I didn't really like reading the history readings. nothing The history part of the course wasn't very useful to me, but I do understand that it was necessary to get an FG credit. n/a Honestly, there is not thing. It was a well balanced course, nothing was more or less valuable than anything else. I think there was nothing not valuable or not worth my time because this class was flexible and interesting. The online readings were least valuable to me because most of them were difficult for me to understand and didn't really interest me much. I didn't find any aspects least valuable. Nothing.

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

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.77 22 0.53 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1 (5%) 3 (14%) 18 (82%)

11. The design of this course lets me learn at my own pace.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.86 22 0.35 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 3 (14%) 19 (86%)

12. In general, the course was well organized.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.73 22 0.55 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1 (5%) 4 (18%) 17 (77%)

13. The writing assignments helped me understand the course content.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.59 22 0.67 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2 (9%) 5 (23%) 15 (68%)

14. Reading assignments are interesting and stimulating.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.23 22 0.81 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 5 (23%) 7 (32%) 10 (45%)

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

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.36 22 0.58 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1 (5%) 12 (55%) 9 (41%)

16. The exams cover the reading assignments well.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.32 22 0.84 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 1 (5%) 2 (9%) 8 (36%) 11 (50%)

17. Exams are reasonable in length and difficulty.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree   Disagree   Neutral   Agree   Strongly Agree   4.57 21 0.68 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2 (10%) 5 (24%) 14 (67%)

18. Which aspects of the course did you like the best?

That it is an unit mastery class I really enjoyed doing the language reports because I was able to learn more about any other dying languages that I chose. I found that very interesting. Being able to go at my own pace. I really enjoyed the readings and am thinking about keeping some of the books to read over the summer. I think the "Gates" were a good idea and the quizzes were fairly paced. I liked how we could pace ourselves according to how fast or slow we learned. I really wish there were more unit mastery courses available Going at my own pace. I liked how I could work at my own pace. I really liked that you had comments on the papers I also really liked the online quizes I really enjoyed reading about the revitalization of languages. I also really enjoyed the LiC and LBC parts of the course. Self mastery aspect. Unit Mastery The fact that if you failed a quiz you had the option to retake it and get a better score. I aspects I liked best were that it was not a course that required class time. With this course, I learned to manage my time more wisely and make time for the readings. I liked the independent learning. Gave me time to do other things and allowed me to work on linguistics on my own time. I loved that it was more of an independent study class. I also loved the fact that we read chapters out of books and not text books. Self-paced learning time I liked that it was self directed so I could go in to take the tests whenever I had time to.

19. Which aspects of the course did you like least?

Everything else was on an equal level in my mind. I'm did not really like anything least. I wish there were more LBC opportunities. There should be more LIC opportunities that relate to language endangerment so that way the LIC can reinforce what the course objective is suppose to be- which is learning abotu langauge endangerment. Maybe partner up or do something with th Hawaiian studies or another langauge here in Hawaii. Nothing. N/A nothing I did not like the history part of the course. Language reports. Nothing. Lots and lots and lots of reading. Nothing. The format of the course was convenient, though to be completely honest, not quite effective at facilitating learning of the material. Due to the relative rote nature of the exams and the brevity of the writing assignments, learning is left largely up to the student alone. Despite lacking the lectures of a more traditional course, some depth should be infused into the course; it is all to easy to just memorize a few keywords and pass the class with flying colors. To put it shortly, the class did not captivate. I didn't like the gate system too much but I do realize it helps us stay on track. I didn't really have anything I didn't like the least. History aspects of languages but this is just because I personally do not like history, I think.

20. What changes would you make in the readings?

I actually found all the readings very interesting. They were well chosen and informative as well as interesting. The Ostler book was too long- their readings and chapters were just way too wordy and really hard to remember for the quizzes. Maybe find a better book? I know that history is hard to read. History 3. Ostler, Chapter 6. pg. 227 - 253. is not correct. The page numbers written down is not the whole chapter, but I think it supposed to be, or at least 5 more pages after 253. I reread 227- 253 twice and I failed the test twice. I read after page 253 and found the answers that were on the test. You should look at that and change it so students don't fail that test. I didn't really like the history readings but that would be because it has a lot of information that I don't is important to know so it was hard to grasp the main idea. The other readings were interesting nothing I know it might be difficult, but definitely try to find a different "history" book. Or maybe make the quizzes easier for that book. Shorter readings. I feel like reading so much for one quiz actually makes the quiz harder because we have to absorb so much information and then the quiz is asking for very specific info about the chapter(s). If the readings are a little more focused, it would help to learn and retain information. Sometimes by the end of a reading, I would forget what I read at the beginning of the same reading set. Nothing. All 3 books were good! Maybe less online material, some of it was really difficult to find and I often avoided Units that had online material covered by the quiz. I would not require so many readings on the history of some languages, and focus more on the contemporary issues of language death. Some of the reading is very general and focus only to a single line mentioned in the text. BUT the grading system is fair enough to get 3 incorrect in order to pass an exam. The reading selections were rather short, and due to their brevity, didn't convey more than a cursory overview of the topic it was chosen to address. The exception here was in the text, Empires of the World, which was, if not the most captivating piece of literature, informative and precise. The other texts lacked value; they read more as anecdotes tailored to elicit certain emotional responses from the reader. While they weren't completely deficient in facts, did not seem particularly valuable for learning the material. Shorter readings would be nice. Maybe split long chapters into two readings? I wouldn't make any, I enjoyed the choices we had. I think Ostler's book is too boring. I would like it if the readings were more interesting. Some of them were interesting but most of them were boring and kind of hard to take in because of the way it was written.

21. What changes would you make in the examinations?

I thought the exams were fair and well composed. His questions were a good mix of multiple choice. I would like to see some more variety of qustions on quizzes like maybe picture or diagram concept quesitons so we can visualize the chapter. Be more creative with the questions, incorporate new methods of wording the questions. Very interesting to see some of the quizzes go online onto Laulima. That was a good idea, but I still prefer physically going to the classroom and taking the quiz because I felt more panicky being left with only 10 really fast minutes to take a 10 question quiz. Try adding a little more time to take the online quizzes and just make it mandatory option to review the questions because I hadn't even seen the review option until I finished the quiz and submitted it. Reviewing the online questions would really help to gage what I need to focus on in the chapter the next time. Nothing. The exams were good. I would like to have what is the main idea questions for the case studies questions because when I read the readings I could mostly think of the main ideas not small details you have to look for in the readings. nothing N/A none Nothing. None! I think the exams should have had more questions for readings that were around 30 pages long. I thought it was a lot to read for just a 10 question exam. Change the examinations to prompt actual thought in the student, not just regurgitation of facts. While memory is an integral part of intelligence, it is not the sole factor; questions should be designed not only to test what the student should glean from a text, but should also be designed to prompt thought. Due to the fact that only ~7/10 points were required to pass a given quiz, the students probably would not mind terribly if a few questions went beyond the difficulty of the questions found this semester. Test more on the important details rather than on random facts that show up once in the 40 page chapter. I ran into those random questions a few times. However, overall, tests were good. The exams were great. I don't think they need any changes either. Nothing. It was reasonable.

22. What changes would you make in the writing assignments?

There was nothing I felt needed to be changed or didn't make sense. I'm glad that he gave us a list of quesitons to incorporate and let us choose from 6 of 8 because sometimes it can be rough and tough trying to make sure to incorporate everything while not going past the page limit. I think he could be a bit more flexible with the page requirements because some topics are just so full of information or we're just so pasisonate that it can be really easy to go overboard. Nothing, the questions asked are appropriate for this course. The only thing I would like for the writing assignment would be to have a language to search up. A list to choose from. nothing No changes. I thought the questions that needed to be answered were fair. language reports are good. I feel like the criteria for the language reports are a little bit too detailed. Answering every question for the language reports were a little bit difficult. Especially when it is only a two page paper required. Nothing. Perhaps offering a list of languages to write on rather than a couple websites that has ALL of the languages. Few languages have the subject material needed for the essays. Nothing. Maybe let us write freely about the language instead of asking us to answer certain questions? The hardest part was finding an endangered language that had enough information about it to answer the 6 questions. I can't think of anything to change about the writing assignments either. Nothing. It was reasonable and interesting.

23. Global appraisal: Considering everything how would you rate this COURSE?

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Very Poor   Poor   Average   Good   Excellent   4.55 20 0.51 Freq(%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 9 (45%) 11 (55%)

24. State in two or three sentences how this course could be improved.

Maybe having the tests be a little bit longer. Be more clear and explicit in the syllabus about the instructions for the quizzes because the wording in the syllabus was a bit confusing and unclear at times so I had to ask Jake for clarification and then it made more sense to me my goal and objective. It would be wonderful if you could also include in the syllbus and on Laulima how to access the online readings from Voyager because I had a hard time trying to get to them at first, tried looking them up on Google, then finally messed around on the Voyager website to gain access. Then I got kind of lost trying to find the article. Instructions would be very useful. There is always room for improvement, however I believe this course is fine the way it is. I had no problems or difficulty with this course. Maybe you can have videos for us to watch. That might make the course a little more interesting if the videos were fun to watch. I don't suggest boring videos, that would just make things worse. One of my professors uses a lot of interesting videos to explain things. Again, I think the course is fine the way it is, just a suggestion. There could be more online quizzes. I've already mentioned the Language reports and the Readings. Everything else was Great. Professor and T.A's were all very helpful and I learned a ton in the course. This course is great just the way it is right now. The course in of itself is a good course. I wouldn't change anything other than one thing about the essays, stated previously. This course could be improved by having small class gatherings outside the classroom as extra credit opportunities. I think this would have made for a more engaging course. The course was excellent but a possible improvement could be shortening some of the lengthier readings. Another improvement could be implementing more online quizzes so we can take the quizzes anywhere and anytime. I don't think the course needs any improvement, it's mostly based on the student. I've heard that this course has been offered for the first time this semester. But I think it was really organized and interesting class!

25. Other comments:

Unable to comment on professor due to having no interaction. This is a fault on my part and not the professors. Eventhough there was not much teacher to student interaction, Jake was very friendly and helpful. I would like to see him check in with students more often and get to know them, instead of seem like an akward moment of "ok I know you're the professor and you're just sitting there" feeling. none Thank you!