Online Check-in Results
In November 2024, students were asked to complete an online evaluation form for this course. In this form, they indicated how strongly they agreed or disagreed with twenty-three statements, and had the opportunity to submit written comments on six additional questions. Evaluations were performed in-class and submitted anonymously via a web-based evaluation form. All responses were voluntary.
Many thanks to the students for their honest feedback on these forms.
The results of the "multiple-choice" responses are summarized here. Values in parentheses, where presented, indicate averages from the previous year.
| STATEMENT: | AVERAGE RESPONSE (n=20) 5-Strongly Agree 4-Agree 3-Neutral 2-Disagree 1-Strongly Disagree (Values in parentheses are from previous years) |
| 4. I enjoy taking this class. | 4.26 (4.71, 4.88, 4.50, 4.83, 4.63) |
| 5. I learn a lot in this class. | 4.32 (4.93, 4.63, 4.65, 4.83, 4.38) |
| 6. The information in this class will be useful in the future. | 3.95 (4.57, 4.44, 4.10, 4.61, 4.50) |
| 7. This class is difficult for me. | 3.11 (3.36, 3.25, 3.45, 3.11, 2.88) |
| 8. This class has a lot of homework. | 3.42 (2.93, 3.50, 3.55, 2.83, 2.94) |
| 9. I complete homework assignments regularly. | 4.00 (4.43, 4.47, 4.35, 4.56, 4.47) |
| 10. The textbook in this class is useful to me. | 2.00 (2.54, 2.36, 2.64, 2.75, 2.92) |
| 11. The teacher in this class is useful to me. | 4.26 (4.93, 4.73, 4.85, 5.00, 4.88) |
| 12. The teacher demonstrates enthusiasm for the subject. | 4.68 (5.00, 5.00, 4.95, 5.00, 5.00) |
| 13. The teacher is respectful of students. | 4.39 (4.71, 4.75, 4.85, 4.82, 4.88) |
| 14. The teacher wants me to succeed. | 4.47 (5.00, 4.81, 4.85, 4.94, 4.75) |
| 15. The teacher presents course material in a clear, straightforward manner. | 4.21 (4.79, 4.56, 4.50, 4.89, 4.69) |
| 16. The teacher presents course material using variety of techniques. | 3.68 (4.50, 3.94, 3.55, 4.39, 4.38) |
| 17. The teacher checks to ensure that students understand the material. | 4.00 (4.07, 4.44, 4.37, 4.33, 4.50) |
| 18. The teacher is available outside of class for individual help. | 4.21 (4.64, 4.63, 4.60, 4.56, 4.73) |
| 19. Class time is used effectively. | 4.21 (4.57, 4.50, 4.15, 4.61, 4.31) |
| 20. Course objectives are clearly stated. | 4.00 (4.64, 4.44, 4.20, 4.56, 4.38) |
| 21. Grading criteria are clearly communicated. | 3.78 (4.57, 4.00, 4.05, 4.28, 4.19) |
| 22. Assignments are meaningful and reflect the course objectives. | 4.33 (4.79, 4.63, 4.42, 4.83, 4.81) |
| 23. The website-based presentations are useful to me outside of class. | 4.00 (4.71, 4.60, 4.37, 4.59, 4.57) |
| 24. The website-based presentations improve the quality of the teacher's lectures. | 3.83 (4.62, 4.33, 4.53, 4.61, 4.27) |
| 25. The website-based presentations in class are effective in helping me understand the material. | 4.18 (4.58, 4.53, 4.63, 4.61, 4.27) |
| 27. For assistance in coursework, students who work with other students | 18/20 |
| 27. For assistance in coursework, students who email the instructor | 10/20 |
| 27. For assistance, students who see the instructor during office hours | 10/20 |
| 27. For assistance, students who have a tutor | 0/20 |
| 27. For assistance, students who search online | 11/20 |
| 27. For assistance, students who use the textbook | 0/20 |
| 27. For assistance, students who ask a family member | 1/20 |
| 27. For assistance, other: | I google things that aren't covered by class materials to expand my learning. |
Results from the "free response" questions are given here. Not all written comments have necessarily been listed, but the comments given here are representative of what was received.
| 28. List a few of your favorite things about this class. |
Some things include working on projects in class, working with partners, and the fun projects we do. Friendly atmosphere/teacher, comprehensive & understandable website. I really just enjoy the class, it is very different from all my other ones. It definitely challenges me in a different way. I love the classroom atmosphere I like that this class is very hands-on with learning and there are almost no lectures. I like that we learn all the material through writing a ton of programs ourselves and as a class. I love how the class is structured around assignments that is both credit and application of the learning we are doing in class. Another thing is I like how the pace of the class is. I like how half of the class usually is lecture and the other half we can start on homework and questions. I like the variety of things taught and how they're taught. I enjoy the way the class is run and how we have the website as a resource to review how to do something when completing the homework. The class formats are really engaging. I also enjoy completing the smaller homework assignments. I like practicing programs on BlueJay and watching the code actually work when I run it. I also really like the crashwhite website because it's good to reference when I'm stuck. I really enjoy the assignments and how we learn through them. Rather than learning a concept and then applying it on the homework/assignment, the assignments themselves provide space to grow and learn and I like that kind of process. I especially enjoy the graphics unit we are on now due to how engaging it is. I also like how satisfying it is when uploading programs. I like how most of the content on the test is understandable and straightforward as long as you study the material on the website. I also like the interactive nature of the class and how my classmates are supportive and passionate about coding. The classroom atmosphere is really fun and casual. It makes me feel ready to learn and experiment with new and different methods. I love how supportive but also encouraging environment that has been built in this class. Some of my favorite things in class are working together on problems, getting to explore different websites that relate to coding, and getting to explore different coding programs like processing, so that we aren't always using Java. The Website is very helpful and I enjoy the classroom atmosphere. Some of my favorite things are the welcoming environment in class, the variety of different areas in coding that we get to explore, and my classmates who are there for support. The group atmosphere, teacher-led coding challenges, our teacher learning with us, working on assignments together |
| 29. Which achievements in here are you most proud of for the year-to-date? |
Some things include working on projects in class, working with partners, and the fun projects we do. Friendly atmosphere/teacher, comprehensive & understandable website. I really just enjoy the class, it is very different from all my other ones. It definitely challenges me in a different way. I love the classroom atmosphere I like that this class is very hands-on with learning and there are almost no lectures. I like that we learn all the material through writing a ton of programs ourselves and as a class. I love how the class is structured around assignments that is both credit and application of the learning we are doing in class. Another thing is I like how the pace of the class is. I like how half of the class usually is lecture and the other half we can start on homework and questions. I like the variety of things taught and how they're taught. I enjoy the way the class is run and how we have the website as a resource to review how to do something when completing the homework. The class formats are really engaging. I also enjoy completing the smaller homework assignments. I like practicing programs on BlueJay and watching the code actually work when I run it. I also really like the crashwhite website because it's good to reference when I'm stuck. I really enjoy the assignments and how we learn through them. Rather than learning a concept and then applying it on the homework/assignment, the assignments themselves provide space to grow and learn and I like that kind of process. I especially enjoy the graphics unit we are on now due to how engaging it is. I also like how satisfying it is when uploading programs. I like how most of the content on the test is understandable and straightforward as long as you study the material on the website. I also like the interactive nature of the class and how my classmates are supportive and passionate about coding. The classroom atmosphere is really fun and casual. It makes me feel ready to learn and experiment with new and different methods. I love how supportive but also encouraging environment that has been built in this class. Some of my favorite things in class are working together on problems, getting to explore different websites that relate to coding, and getting to explore different coding programs like processing, so that we aren't always using Java. The Website is very helpful and I enjoy the classroom atmosphere. Some of my favorite things are the welcoming environment in class, the variety of different areas in coding that we get to explore, and my classmates who are there for support. The group atmosphere, teacher-led coding challenges, our teacher learning with us, working on assignments together |
| 30. List a few of your least favorite things about this class. |
Sometimes there are a lot of projects so it takes more time to finish them. Otherwise I have no complaints. I dislike how a lot of the time we learn through writing on the board, it would be nice if there was a slideshow or a more organized way of presenting the materials Sometimes I don't like how quickly we move from program to program sometimes without going over the details. Sometimes I get confused and, since the programs have been building on each other more and more, it usually leads to me being behind in a lot of areas. The homework on my poly is often unclear and either due the wrong day or not edited if we changed it in class. There isn't anything in particular that I dislike strongly about the class. I think we could spend more time on concepts, and then after we learn the concept, move into programs. Sometimes I'll know how to do something(like create a for loop) but not understand really how it works. The class often moves too fast and I can't keep up with the pace. Sometimes Mr. White will write a program without explaining specifically what happened and I get confused and can't move on. Sometimes I don't enjoy super long lectures, but that doesn't seem to happen very often, so no problem! I understand that especially to introduce new concepts, lectures need to happen. I sometimes forget to upload HW Turning in assignments through the terminal makes it difficult to remember if I have submitted the assignment or not since MyPoly automatically checks it as being completed once the due date approaches. I can't think of anything. I don't particularly like writing on the board when we cover new subjects. I think it would be more effective to have like a slideshow so we could have more structured notes and maybe have some more in-class practices to fully grasp the understanding of the topic. One of my least favorite things about class is that I feel like when I miss class, it's a little hard to understand and catch up on notes or in-class assignments that I've missed. There is a LOT of homework sometimes, and also we had a textbook? Some of the pacing is slower than what I've experienced in other CS classes, however, this is probably a product of of the class being full-year rather than just one semester |
| 31. What has been most difficult or challenging for you up to this point? What strategies have you considered for meeting those challenges? |
I think preparing for the tests. Both weeks I had the last two tests, I was very busy with other things and other exams (had 5 that week). Hopefully I can manage time better. Using programming - searching up the commands to use it It has at times been challenging completing all the assignments on time, so I've been trying to make sure to follow the schedule so that they don't pile up. One of the most challenging things was adapting to java, but I learned. The most difficult thing are when I still don't fully understand an assignment/lesson and have to move onto another. I think just practicing youtube videos or thoroughly reading through this website helps. It's been difficult to stay on top of assignments because there are so many different ones. I try to check the assignments off one at a time to make sure I complete them all. I haven't been able to consistently write programs myself without any assistance from classmates. Sometimes thinking of efficient ways to go about coding can be be challenging, or really understanding what is happening with each line of code. Once I understand that, it can help me understand whatever roadblocks I'm facing. EPSILON and some of the more mathematical calculations have been slightly confusing. I often find myself struggling on more open-ended, creative assignments. I become overwhelmed when choosing where to start. Remembering all the different commands and intricacies has been most difficult, so I've been diligent about taking notes each class that I can to refer back to. I think the most challenging so far was making all the programs with the tons of if-else statement, but I think just doing continual practice would be helpful for home at least. My biggest challenge has probably been the tests because I'm not the strongest test taker. I've met with you about tests to reflect on, which I definitely think helps me. Figuring out the finer details of some projects has been hard for me, as sometimes its something minor and stupid in my code. The most difficult subject for me was the classification of methods. Some of the extensions and variations have become more challenging, and a lot of the stuff we are doing now is new information. The main strategies have been to make my code more testable throughout the process so I can have more oversight on how the code works. |
| 32. Suggest some improvements to make the class better. |
Hopefully we can get some more class time to work with partners on projects. Being more aware of the time, such as setting a timer on your phone so you don't go over time I think it would be helpful if we got a list or some notes of commands and ways to write some things like loops and conditional statements so that we could use it and have it on hand. (also with things like EPSILON) I think fixing mypoly and spending more time on bigger assignments would make this class better. Spending more time initially explaining new concepts I wish we could practice small parts of a program instead of trying the entire thing. For example, Mr. White can give us prompts that say write the method, write the conditional, etc. Then say put it together. I can't really think of a straightforward way to make this class better. I think that the teaching and expectations in this class are really clear and I like that. However, maybe less lectures (if possible) would be nice! lightlessness? A little more time to complete the assignments. If we decide on doing the extension, or changing the homework, etc., in class, could you update MyPoly quicker to confirm or make sure we don't do the wrong assignments? I don't think I have specific improvements, but I might suggest that we have more explanations for the things that we learn that are new. If possible, could we go a little slower? I think that, at least for important vocabulary, before taking a test, the class should go through the vocabulary and make sure that we have clear definitions of certain terms like encapsulation. Update the MyPoly when you update the schedule please. This class is easy to follow and fun to learn. Our class could do more with some larger group projects, or even just group coding challenges that way we can collaborate and learn outside of the full class lectures, as the large class size sometimes means that things get skipped over. |
| 33. Other comments? |
No other comments. I really enjoy this class. It's very straightforward and easy to understand the material and what's expected of me. Excited for the rest of the year! (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ 'I love computer science!!!' == true |