Evaluations

Below are select excerpts from course evaluations. Most are taken from the Physics for Scientists and Engineers Lab at NC State University. I have received limited course feedback, due to being a TA, and could not obtain any course evaluations from my time at Wake Forest. Due to an error at NC State, I only have course evaluations from 2 lab section. For ease of reading, comments have been transcribed, but raw (anonymous) responses are linked below.

PY205H Physics 1 for Engineers (Honors):Lecture Feedback

My course evaluation numerical responses.

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  • “…Sam- Watching Sam grow through the semester has been awesome.  At first he seemed very nervous and when mistakes were made got thrown off for the rest of class. By the end he was effectively running the classroom, fielding questions, explaining concepts multiple ways, and quickly recovering from mistakes or small mishaps.  I am also very impressed with his ability to push through some of the times the class was very disrespectful.  I felt very bad whenever kids were really rude.  I think Sam will become a great teacher and I am glad he got to practice with our class, he was great. “
  • “Stephen Reynolds and Sam Flynn are incredible teachers, mentors, and people”.
  • “Dr. Reynolds and Sam are two of the most effective teachers I’ve ever had.  They made [me] fall in love with physics, and helped [me] to feel smart, confident, and competent with the subject.  Physics actually gave me the confidence boost needed to complete the semester, and I always looked forward to it, thanks to them.”
  • “Dr. Reynolds and Sam as well were both fantastic teachers. They obviously had a strong understanding of the material and knew what we would be confused about.  Both were receptive to our feedback and very closely catered to our needs both n and out of class.  I feel that through them and through this class my understanding of physics has greatly improved, which is something I don’t think many 205 students this semester can say”.
  • (In regard to my project implementing peer grading): “I really appreciated the problem sets and peer grading done in class because they forced me to spend a lot of time to really gain and understanding of the material.  If we had been assigned webassign material rather than written out homework, I do not think that I would have learned nearly the amount that I did by writing everything out.  Additionally, I really enjoyed the peer reviews because they allowed me to understand where I was making mistakes and how my work would be graded”.

Physics 1 for Physics Majors: Guest Lecture Feedback

  • “Yes there were some times when it [the lecture] was a bit all over the place, but all in all I think you did a great job with the lecture today.  In all honesty you got us to talk more than Dr. Reynolds [instructor] does so I would consider that a major win.  You also explained what we were learning very well.  I didn’t feel like you were teaching us in a different language which is also a good sign.  Thanks for teaching our class.”
  • “I thought it was a solid lecture and would definitely take a class if you offered done, just need to work on managing whiteboard space better and slightly nicer handwriting”
  • “Thanks for handling lecture today! You explain harmonic motions better than my diff-eq professor who has done it for 40 years.”
  • “Great job! Better than most lectures I attend. I loved the inviting and personal tone you used throughout the lesson. It created an atmosphere of acceptance.  There is definitely still room to improve though.  Primarily, work on the flow of the lectures. This was the main element your class was missing today. If you mastered seamlessly flowing from one topic to the next, it would truly mark you as an experienced and seasoned professor. Thanks for teaching me!”
Physics 1 Lab for Engineers
“I feel like I lucked out by getting Sam Flynn as my TA. He’s an awesome, intelligent TA. Also he’s just a nice guy. 10/10 would have as my TA again”. “I would put something here [suggestions to improve] if I felt he need to improve”
  • “The way Sam explains things is very straight forward, and he doesn’t talk down to you and make you feel less intelligent, which is great. Also he’s cool”.
  • “He is very good at explaining hard material. He is very patient with people who don’t understand”. [Suggestions to improve] “He is great at pretty much everything”.
  • “He was always willing to help without giving the answer. Always was respectful to us. Could explain material well”.
  • “Very approachable and intelligent. Constantly impressed me with his vocab. Always friendly and willing to go above and beyond to help us learn”.
  • “He effectively explained any ambiguous concepts and made sure everyone understand why and what were were doing”.
  • “Very easy to talk to and explains concepts thoroughly and with clarity”.
  • “Good at keeping student’s attention, group control, ect. Good at relating material in simple terms. Able to answer/assist all questions for all groups in lab”.
  • “He understands the concepts well and had a vast knowledge about physics. He explained problems well and was very enthusiastic about the material”.
  • “Sam did a great job in answering any questions that pertained to the concepts being discussed in lab as well as being patient as we struggled through the labs”.
  • ” He was willing to stay late in order to help students finish when the mechanics of the lab did not go as planned”.
  • “Sam is a very fun and engaging TA and always did a great job at making sure everyone was being helped if they needed it. He know the concepts very well and is awesome at explaining them”.

 

From a note left on a lab report from Wake Forest

“Thanks for a great semester! I wish I had you for lecture, I think I would have understand the subject better and enjoyed it more.”