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Survey Results



Course Survey Results


Baybars   Karacaovali   ECON321, Fall 2015

Campus: University of Hawaii at Manoa Course: ECON 321 - Introduction to Statistics
Department:   Economics Crn (Section):   70699 (001)    


1.   Class Level (pick one) - please note that by answering this question you could potentially jeopardize your anonymity

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Freshman (1)  Sophomore (2)  Junior (3)  Senior (4)  Grad (5)  Other (6) 
3.26 128 0.7   0(0%) 16(13%) 66(52%) 43(34%) 3(2%) 0(0%)
2.   Course - please note that by answering this question you could potentially jeopardize your anonymity

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Elective (1)  Required (2) 
1.72 127 0.45   35(28%) 92(72%)
3.   The instructor demonstrated knowledge of course content.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree (1)  Disagree (2)  Neutral (3)  Agree (4)  Strongly Agree (5) 
4.75 131 0.49   0(0%) 0(0%) 3(2%) 27(21%) 101(77%)
4.   The instructor fulfilled the goals of the course.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree (1)  Disagree (2)  Neutral (3)  Agree (4)  Strongly Agree (5) 
4.67 131 0.55   0(0%) 0(0%) 5(4%) 33(25%) 93(71%)
5.   The instructor communicated effectively.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree (1)  Disagree (2)  Neutral (3)  Agree (4)  Strongly Agree (5) 
4.55 130 0.65   0(0%) 0(0%) 11(8%) 36(28%) 83(64%)
6.   I gained a good understanding of concepts/principles in this field.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree (1)  Disagree (2)  Neutral (3)  Agree (4)  Strongly Agree (5) 
4.34 130 0.89   2(2%) 3(2%) 16(12%) 37(28%) 72(55%)
7.   I deepened my interest in the subject matter of this course.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree (1)  Disagree (2)  Neutral (3)  Agree (4)  Strongly Agree (5) 
3.95 131 1.1   3(2%) 10(8%) 34(26%) 28(21%) 56(43%)

8.   Which aspects of the course were most valuable?
The online problem sets, as well as all of the practice problem sets were very valuable in helping me to better understand the material taught in the course.
Learning statistical approaches towards life
This is a statistics course, so I think the actual content in learning about how to calculate different things and apply them was the most valuable aspect.
The practice exams helped me out the most because it made me become more prepared for the tests
It was nice to be able to learn how solve statistical problems. Not only by hand but also had the opportunity how to use excel spread sheets.
All the examples were applicable to life
It was a pretty roughly put together course
The handouts, problem sets, practice exams, iclickers and computer assignments were all very helpful. They were an integral part in helping me fully understand how to do statistics. You were very generous with the computer assignments and I thank you for that.
Having problem sets and practice midterms was really helpful
homework assignments to help with understanding concepts
In terms of science research the introduction on null hypothesis turned out to be very helpful.
The worksheets we used to fill out during lectures were really helpful because it made the class more interactive instead of just a regular lecture. Also all the supplemental material on laulima for help was really valuable to me.
He was good about giving really important baseline information for us to grow upon.
He was very helpful and very clear in his teaching.
the review sessions
The quizzes and problem sets were helpful in learning material
The lectures were the most valuable because a lot of the things he says and the questions he asks helped me learn more.
The notes were very valuable because most of the stuff we did for homework could be found on the handouts.
We were able to cover a lot of information. I think the course overall was pretty organized and structured.
Printing out handouts to take notes on and doing excel assignments were the most valuable to me. I didn't have a hard time following along in the lecture because of the handouts and the excel assignments helped to cement the concepts into my head more easily.
Great teaching and was helpful in grading more for tests if you don't need to come to class.
hypothesis testing, it is the most useful in my field (biology)
I learned basic statistics so the goals of the class were fulfilled.
The easy to understand study guides and handouts that were provided during the course made learning the material so much easier.
Problem sets were extremely helpful when it came to studying. It also helped me pinpoint the areas that I needed to work on.
Baybars enforced the application of each topic with videos that explained this importance.
The overall organization of his course and all of the extra resources made available were terrific.
Lectures were put online
Revising stats, although I am an exchange student and found it was extremely easy for a 3rd year paper. Everything taught in this class I learnt in my 3rd year of high school, and I feel like we are just revising that.
Lots of resources, working on problems in class, exam reviews
Handouts were very helpful. Especially since there were fill in the blank which helped me stay on task.
Definitely the extra credit where you let us learn a little more about excel, because if it isn't for this course I wouldn't have never touch excel. Now it is a skill I'll have forever.
Everything covered in the course had relevance and cumulated well throughout the semester.
The handouts are very useful. The amount of resources provided by Professor Karacaovali incredibly helpful.
Probability seems interesting
The aspects that were the most valuable were that Professor Baybars thoroughly explained through the concepts and would go over many examples. He gave us the necessary materials for his exams and was available when I needed help. As a person who attends class everyday, I appreciated how he counted attendance as a large percentage of my grade as well as offering extra credit and curving the homework grades.
The handouts that we filled out in class lectures were the most valuable because the sections that we went over are pretty dense & hard to grasp. Doing the handouts & filling them out alleviated the content
I thought in general all aspects of the course were the most valuable. We covered general knowledge of statistics and did not go too into depth.
Problems on exams were similar to problems on homework sets!
He and the TA were always available and he made it a very clear cut class. As long as we did our work and showed up to class it was almost guaranteed that we would get all the material needed to tackle the exams presented in class.
One of the core topics of my major/career choice is biostatistics. So I'm sure I'll be able to apply this class to something one of these days.
Professor Karacaovali was very meticulous in his lectures, which is a good thing, especially for students who didn't understand how he went from point A to point B.
He always made sure we understood the concept. Not all professors do that so thats pretty cool.
The fact that we solve many in-class problems for each section made it easy to understand the concepts and prepare for the exams as well.
I really like all of the resources that was provided for the class. These were accessible and easy to understand. I also really enjoyed giving us notes for the test. Life is an open book, so this also helped my learning.
Everything. From the basic concepts to the upper level concepts, everything I learned will help me in my field of study and most likely my occupation.
Learning how to understand different types of statistical methods.
The professor was always very understanding and helpful.
I found that the most valuable aspect of the course was the problem sets given, along with the extra practice exams that were available on Laulima. They were very helpful in studying for upcoming exams.
Everything, I have never taken a statistics course before
Baybars used examples to apply the information learned.
applications of statistical knowledge to daily life
extra points for attending class via iclicker the online hw sets going over practice problems in class
The iclicker activities help me test my understanding of the subject.
Being able to check my answers with the Iclicker and seeing where I went wrong if I didn't get the answer correct.
The different type of surveys to get population samples
The easiness of understanding the material despite not having a textbook, and Karacaovali's help outside of class. Also, the class structure with the iclickers was very helpful.
Professor Karacarovali was very interesting and helpful teaching this course- his examples were very through.
Great class all around. No complains.
very intersting really enjoyed his course
The clicker questions. They allowed you to actually work problems in class, which helped learn the material better.
Mutual respect between instructor and pupil gained through flexibility and good communication. Leniency that doesn't hinder learning through extra credit assignments, dropped exams, and no busy work. Understandable lectures and reasonable tests.
Baybars is very clear in both his teaching style and class requirments. He is also extremely generous with extra credit opportunities and giving ample amounts of sample problems that will help you understand the material and prepare you for the tests.
Hypothesis testing near the end of the class
having four tests with only 3 chapters was very helpful
Hypothesis testing
The online assignments
Online problem sets, online resources, practice problems
The powerpoints and handouts were helpful when we are able to follow along.
Utilizing Excel during the course was valuable most to me because there were parts of Excel that I did not know how to do, until I took this course with Professor Baybars.
The Iclicker
I believe that Professor Karacaovali provided us with a great break down of the formulas and information. This was the most valuable asset to me because it allowed me to understand the criteria and the review helped me practice and remember the content easily.
I found all the resources and samples were very valuable to my learning experience in this course. I felt more assured I could do well in this class by how he grades homework, offers extra credit, and drops the lowest homework and exam score. I'm very glad he doesn't penalize us for wrong iClicker answers because it helps knowing if we were right or wrong and if we're on the right path to understanding the material.
The structure of this class is excellent, I like the way it's grading is more effort centric than test centric.
the vast amounts of resources that were provided how the grading system was constructed, so if you did not do well on tests, you could still do well in the course
Baybars was a very good teacher. His method of teaching and expectations of the class were clear and reasonable. He didn't throw any surprises on exams and everything that was on the exam was covered in class. It was valuable to have the homework that gave feedback as well as previous exams with solutions and how to do the problems. It was all very organized. He really wanted us students to understand the material and therefore, pass his class.
The formulas covered were very valuable as they look quite frightening but with class review they were simplified down.
I really liked how all the readings and handouts were all available from the beginning so we could print them out and bring them to class. I really liked all the practice we got during lecture when he reviewed and went over practice problems. It was really helpful on the exams. The extra credit was very much appreciated as well.
Learning how to do the calculations by hand. Understanding what all the tests and terms actually meant.
Sample exam and sample problem sets
Writing down examples by showing work and taking notes of each slide. Also, extra credit.
The online problem sets were very helpful.
statistics
The homework assignments.
I feel that Karacaovali did a great job of teaching according to different types of learning. In his examples he always gives the mathematical explanation, written explanation, and uses graphics to make sure everyone can understand. The examples we go over in class are the most valuable.
statistics and probabilty that something would happen
Applications to real life - the videos made class interesting
He made as much resources as possible open to students by posting them on Laulima. All the resources that he made it available for students were helpful to understand the materials that he was covering in class.
Probability and standard deviation.
Computer assignments Extra practice problems
Learning statistics and applying it to the real world using mathematical calculations and equations.
He provides many materials which facilitate students' understanding.
Learning about probability and how statistics are used in pretty much everything in our daily lives.
Having iclicker questions for participation in this large lecture class, computer assignments, problem sets, practice exams and problems up on laulima to help students and for students to look back on at home is very helpful.
The review sessions when going over the problem sets and practice exams.
The homework and the practice problems and practice exams were very helpful
I think the homework problem sets, and then the practice sets and computer assignments were all very helpful in the course. It was easy to study and get more practice with all the extra optional problems.


9.   Which aspects of the course were least valuable?
Hypothesis Testing
none, I thought his class was very relevant.
I can not think of any aspects that were least valuable. There are so many topics to cover in statistics and covering the basics gave me a good grasp on the key components.
Nothing really
You really tried to make statistics fun and to try and make sure we all understood the material. The only problem is that the class is late in the afternoon. Everyone is groggy and tired and you have a very low and calming voice. It made it hard sometimes to pay attention.
I felt that the instructors lack of enthusiasm for being in class led to a large amount of disinterest from students
Exams did not effectively express the content of what we practiced during class or the content we learned from homework assignments, making them more challenging than expected.
None that I can personally think of. Though I will never use economics in my future career it was nice to have a course that teaches one how to crunch numbers.
There was not one thing that was least valuable to me.
Some of it was redundant but probably important to people who have never taken a stats course before.
By nature the course itself might be not very fun to teach but he made it much more enjoyable.
The computer assignments were good extra credit, but not much help in understanding concepts.
n/a
I found it all to be fairly valuable.
The class was simply very boring. I'm not sure if this was because of the subject or the professor, but I don't think the professor did anything particularly to help with the dryness of the material.
Just not interested in Stats.
none, they all work together to get to the final result.
the time of this course was tough, the 3-4:15 block was difficult for most people to stay awake/pay attention.
The pace of the class seemed soemtimes a little too slow and other than that there were no real let downs, it is a introductory course after all.
TA
-
No suggestion. All aspects were valuable.
Nothing, everything in ECON 321 is informative!
N/A
The notation isn't explained clearly upfront.
The calculation are bothersome
None.
n/a
Professor seemed really bored and monotone, but to be fair our class was a drag and kind of late.
The iClicker attendance was good for the grade boost but I don't really see the point of it otherwise. Attendance should be up to the student but since he made it if you missed a certain amount of days and the grading changed I think he catered to both sides very well.
I felt like the amount of work was reasonable and helpful. The set up of the class (large lecture hall) was a bummer though.
Clips from the Freakonomics movie. They are a good introduction to the material but this is something that could be removed without impacting the way I learned/understood the material.
There was nothing about the class that I didn't enjoy.
Nothing.
N/A
Nothing!
N/A
The length, it is a lot of information to take in, in the amount of classes scheduled especially for the later chapters.
N/A
hypothesis testing
not ending class early if we have already finished a topic too many practice problems sometimes
N/A everything seemed very useful and important to me.
Using z-values
With that said, some aspects of the class could have been explained better with a textbook or external resources. I sometimes had to resort to finding help online to understand concepts.
The hardest part is that he makes it impossible for you to miss class. Also, the subject matter is very dry, thus, it is not as interesting as other courses.
None.
little boring
N/a
Some of my peers say he is slightly condescending during his office hours, but I have no opinion on that.
N/A
Intro level topics. We shouldn't need to go over mean, median and mode.
none
the slides. in class it seemed as tho the teacher lossed his train of thought often and was not engaged with the students at all. made it very easy to lose interest in class and confidence in the teacher.
none
Videos seem a little pointless, but entertaining still.
N/A
The computer assignments
I donʻt believe there was anything that was least valuable.
Everything was helpful. The class was well organized and we had all the materials and handouts to do well. The least valuable aspect of this class would be its attendance policy, but I will say the attendance and participation grading system is very generous as it is. He encourages you to come, but for those who missed over 4 class days, the grading system is harder for them. While I have good attendance, I do know there are others who either took this class before and dropped it or can learn it themselves. I'm just not sure if it's completely fair to make their final exam a larger chunk of their grade if they're just as successful.
Nothing
i-clickers
There weren't any aspects that were least valuable. If anything, just a better method of passing out the tests and scantrons on exam days.
Nothing
I don't think there was anything that was least valuable. All the online resources and practice problems were really helpful in the exams.
None. Everything was valuable.
N/A all were valuable
Proving formulas.
none
The lectures.
I think this was a well structured, organized class. It is hard and boring to lead a stats class, and Karacaovali did a good job.
none
I can not think of anything that was not valuable in his course.
None
Though most enjoyable, the videos were probably least valuable.
None.
n/a
The way you explain the equations are a little confusing
I think the computer assignments weren't as valuable as I thought they would be. I liked that they were extra credit.

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

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree (1)  Disagree (2)  Neutral (3)  Agree (4)  Strongly Agree (5) 
4.44 131 0.78   1(1%) 1(1%) 14(11%) 38(29%) 77(59%)
11.   The instructor is willing to meet and help students outside class.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree (1)  Disagree (2)  Neutral (3)  Agree (4)  Strongly Agree (5) 
4.44 131 0.78   0(0%) 1(1%) 20(15%) 31(24%) 79(60%)
12.   The instructor was well organized and prepared for each session.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree (1)  Disagree (2)  Neutral (3)  Agree (4)  Strongly Agree (5) 
4.69 131 0.54   0(0%) 0(0%) 5(4%) 31(24%) 95(73%)
13.   Global appraisal: Considering everything how would you rate this INSTRUCTOR?

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Very Poor (1)  Poor (2)  Average (3)  Good (4)  Excellent (5) 
4.6 130 0.62   0(0%) 0(0%) 9(7%) 34(26%) 87(67%)
14.   The TA gives clear and understandable explanations.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree (1)  Disagree (2)  Neutral (3)  Agree (4)  Strongly Agree (5)  N/A () 
3.99 131 0.92   0(0%) 3(2%) 34(26%) 26(20%) 39(30%) 29(22%)
15.   The TA appears to have a thorough knowledge of the subject.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree (1)  Disagree (2)  Neutral (3)  Agree (4)  Strongly Agree (5)  N/A () 
4.1 130 0.87   0(0%) 1(1%) 31(24%) 29(22%) 44(34%) 25(19%)
16.   The TA grades paper (exams, homework) fairly.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree (1)  Disagree (2)  Neutral (3)  Agree (4)  Strongly Agree (5)  N/A () 
4.32 131 0.82   1(1%) 0(0%) 18(14%) 33(25%) 56(43%) 23(18%)
17.   The TA was easy to talk with and available for consultation.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree (1)  Disagree (2)  Neutral (3)  Agree (4)  Strongly Agree (5)  N/A () 
4.16 129 0.87   0(0%) 3(2%) 24(19%) 32(25%) 47(36%) 23(18%)
18.   The TA's oral speaking was clear and effective.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree (1)  Disagree (2)  Neutral (3)  Agree (4)  Strongly Agree (5)  N/A () 
4.1 131 0.88   0(0%) 2(2%) 29(22%) 30(23%) 44(34%) 26(20%)
19.   The instructor was fair in grading and criteria of grades.

Mean N-Size Std Dev   Strongly Disagree (1)  Disagree (2)  Neutral (3)  Agree (4)  Strongly Agree (5) 
4.58 131 0.69   1(1%) 0(0%) 9(7%) 33(25%) 88(67%)

20.   Other comments:
Great instructor!
Handouts were very helpful!
I found your grading system to be more than fair. I very much liked your class and I wish I could have made it to more of the class times.
Great teacher and I learned a lot!
Great instructor, really easy to listen to and focus on. Totally looks like orlando bloom which is awesome. Is passionate about his subject which helps me want to pay attention.
I felt like he could have simplified many of the equations on the calculators. However, he didn't really go into depth with any calculator formulas. This made it difficult trying to do everything "long hand".
I had a great time in this course. I feel that I gained a deeper understanding of the concepts and formulas more than when I took the psychology statistics course. I think other students would enjoy the class more if it were held earlier in the day but I had no problems with the time.
Great teacher, especially like that he has fill in the blank notes. It really helped me focus more in class.
I feel that Baybars is really passionate about statistics; however it seems his passion for teaching has dwindled. He knows the concepts well and has a great lecture style and approach; however it seems the monotony of lecturing the same material has gotten the best of him as sometimes he seems to just go through the material with out looking up and misses questions by the students raising their hands. overall though ifeelhe isa great teachr.
Unfortunately, stats is sort of a dull subject for me so I had difficulty paying attention etc, that being said I still have learned the material and found this class valuable.
Dr. Karacaovali is very nice. He gave the course some flexible ways to get a good grade. We can missed a few class as long as we can do well in the exams. It help me a lot because I had learnt something similar in Chem 274L so I can absence when I had to working on my terrible chemistry homework.
I think an integration of group work would be helpful for this class, even though it is a large class, we could have tutorial groups once a week to work on class projects together.
N/A
Thank you for a successful semester!
N/A
If the professor were to utilize technology more, more time could be allocated to practicing the material as well as further elaboration on each subject.
N/A
Clear class goals. Wish all classes were this straight up with the material.
The set up for this class isn't very good. It's really hard to learn a subject that's difficult like statistics in such a large lecture hall where it's difficult to ask questions or pay attention. The class should be broken up into smaller sections, or maybe like the math classes here at Manoa, where you have a large lecture but then meet in smaller groups during the week to go over the topics. Also, PLEASE make the problem set homework not due until the end of the day, instead of in the morning. Or at least up until class time that day. It's really frustrating.
Lots of extra credit opportunities and resources on Laulima; all of which I found to be very helpful for my grade. Often stressed to students to seek help through office hours or TA's office hours, which is a plus. Overall, great course with an excellent professor.
Overall, very satisfied by the professors understanding of the material. He knows what he's teaching. He is also very student-friendly. Besides encouraging students to ask questions he tries to provide enough in-class problems on ways to go about solving problems about the material not just in preparation for the exams but to understand.
Thank you for a great semester!!!
Cover the beginning chapters quicker, and spend more time on the late chapters, or give more supplemental material for the later chapters
Was a great teacher! Made me realize how important it is to show up for class every time. Fair grading.
Really enjoyed the class and how he taught
Overall, Professor Karacaovali's stats class was interesting and easy to understand without him spoonfeeding us the information. Although I still do not like statistics, I feel that I was able to learn more out of Karacaovali versus if I took it from another professor.
Baybars is the man!
Nice having you as professor.
awesome teacher
Professor Baybars is a great professor and very smart guy. He was always available in his office when I need a little extra clarification on the material. Also I really appreciated that because his lectures were so thorough, I didn't have to buy some $150 textbook.
made a very boring subject manageable
The lectures were very organized and easy to follow. All the topics that were covered throughout the semester were connected to each other and I could understand the contents clearly. At the beginning of the semester, I thought 5 exams were a lot, but it actually helped me make progress.
He is good
I would suggest that review days before the midterm be more interactive as many students would fall asleep when it was a review lecture. The use of the iclicker during review days would make them more interactive. Maybe get some people involved by splitting the hall in half and asking one half the the class a question and giving points for total correct answers. The half at the end of the day with more correct answers "wins" because students in other classes tend to become more engaged when they have a sense of competition.
I thought this class was very helpful to me. All the concepts were all broken down and made easier to understand. I had taken a class before that required t-tests and regression tests but I did not know the concepts of how the numbers were calculated or what they meant until I took this class. What I did not like however was that there wasn't enough questions on the exams so if you got two wrong it was 10% off right there. I think with a long class that was more than one hour that more questions can be asked so the points can be distributed more.
I enjoyed this class very much.
Baybars was a great teacher. It was known that he wanted all students to truly grasp the concept of the lesson and not intentionally fail students. I appreciated his attention to questions/problems and willingness to help. He graded very fairly and I liked the idea of having four "midterms" so we could really understand each topic. Good job
N/A
If I needed to take anymore ECON, it would be from him. I would highly recommend my friends to take courses from him.
Great teacher that wants each and every student to pass!
His course is very valuable and easy to understand. I would recommend this course to other students.
None.
Some of the examples we go over before an exam are too long and most of them are not even on the exam. It's better to go over past exams than past practice problem sets.
Very good class, I learned alot from the class.