Student Comments and Evaluations
As a teacher, I am always interested in receiving feedback from my students. Knowing what helps them to learn best—as well as what is not working for them—allows me to tailor our class to my students' needs and thus accelerate their learning. The following are comments (all-inclusive) that I have received from students while teaching at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Quantitative FCQ results can also be accessed online.
Unsolicited letter sent to the department head; passed to me at conclusion of the semester
Mr. [Dept. head],
I would like to offer additional comments on the SPAN 1010 class I took this semester. My professor was Tyson Hazard.
In the interest of brevity I would just like to remark that Prof. Hazard was excellent. He took his teaching duties very seriously and it was obvious that he cared about the comprehension level of each student. Apart from assigning homework and teaching new material in class, Prof. Hazard used many engaging exercises to help students remember the vocabulary. Every week we had worksheet assignments to do in class with a partner. There were several times when fun activities were involved that got us out of our seats, moving around the classroom and speaking with other students. Some of the class activities I enjoyed were the family tree exercise and the exercise where we ‘bought’ baby clothes with ‘money’ he had given us in order for us to learn how to ask for the price of an item, how to pay for an item, and how to identify clothing. Prof Hazard was always observant of classroom comprehension and he did a very good job on calling on all students in the class to answer questions.
I’m sure you often receive comments from students when they are dissatisfied with a professor. But, because of Prof. Hazard’s high level of teaching, I wanted to make sure someone in the department recognized his talents. I hope you continue to give Prof. Hazard the support that he needs to continue to develop his skills as a professor.
Thank you,
[Student's name]
Mr. [Dept. head],
I would like to offer additional comments on the SPAN 1010 class I took this semester. My professor was Tyson Hazard.
In the interest of brevity I would just like to remark that Prof. Hazard was excellent. He took his teaching duties very seriously and it was obvious that he cared about the comprehension level of each student. Apart from assigning homework and teaching new material in class, Prof. Hazard used many engaging exercises to help students remember the vocabulary. Every week we had worksheet assignments to do in class with a partner. There were several times when fun activities were involved that got us out of our seats, moving around the classroom and speaking with other students. Some of the class activities I enjoyed were the family tree exercise and the exercise where we ‘bought’ baby clothes with ‘money’ he had given us in order for us to learn how to ask for the price of an item, how to pay for an item, and how to identify clothing. Prof Hazard was always observant of classroom comprehension and he did a very good job on calling on all students in the class to answer questions.
I’m sure you often receive comments from students when they are dissatisfied with a professor. But, because of Prof. Hazard’s high level of teaching, I wanted to make sure someone in the department recognized his talents. I hope you continue to give Prof. Hazard the support that he needs to continue to develop his skills as a professor.
Thank you,
[Student's name]
Fall 2010 End of Semester Evaluations (Beginning Spanish I)
Fall 2011 General Comments (Beginning Spanish II)
Please write one thing you have liked about this course so far, and one thing you have not liked/would like to see/hope to do in this class. You may write in English. (You don't have to be nice, I just want to try and make the class as good as possible for you during the weeks that remain)
Fall 2011 End of Semester Evaluations (Beginning Spanish II)
Spring 2012 General Comments (Beginning Spanish II)
Please write about, in English or Spanish, one thing that you have liked about this course, and at least one thing you would like to do, see, practice, etc. differently. What would you do differently as the teacher?
- Wonderful teacher. Wonderful person.
- Enjoyed coming to class everyday.
- Tyson was a fantastic teacher. Always available to us and very patient. I love him.
- Tyson loves to share his knowledge and he does so in a very fun and engaging way.
- It was a very fun class, and I learned a lot. I like how my teacher made us engage with each other.
- I looked forward to coming to class everyday. You're my boy Tyson.
- -made it fun to learn Spanish
-put in like everyday life to help teach students - It was a great course and instructor did a great job.
- Tyson is one hell of a guy. I would not have been nearly as interested in this course had it not been for the great teaching of Mr. Tyson. I see a lot of potential in this guy. Possibly even the next department head for Spanish at Boulder.
- Tyson has been an awesome teacher all year. His passion for and knowledge of Spanish really encouraged me to engage fully with the class. He is extremely friendly, happy, and easy-going, which made class very comfortable and fun.
- Tyson does a great job getting the entire class involved through activities and answering questions. Also he is very helpful and readily available when the student needs him. Great Job :)
- Tyson, you're an awesome teacher. CENTRO was too easy. I didn't like the group activities much either.
- One of the best taught language classes I've ever taken. Tyson you're an exceptional teacher. I'd like some more practice activities such as worksheets in class to accompany your lectures.
- You'll be a great teacher, Tyson. I liked that the class didn't always feel so formal but I would suggest maybe class control. Not naming names but sometimes there were a lot of people talking when you were teaching. Otherwise thanks for a great semester and good luck!
- Great Job!
- -needs more hands on activities
- I think your doing a great job and should keep doing what your doing. One thing that could be improved is reviewing the material that's on the Friday quizzes on the Thursday before, but other than that your a great guy and a great teacher.
Fall 2011 General Comments (Beginning Spanish II)
Please write one thing you have liked about this course so far, and one thing you have not liked/would like to see/hope to do in this class. You may write in English. (You don't have to be nice, I just want to try and make the class as good as possible for you during the weeks that remain)
- I like how there is no pressure in class compared to other classes I've taken where the professor puts you on the spot in front of the whole class. I would just like to learn the concepts by fully understanding them.
- I really like how you teach grammar logically and structurally. I do wish we could have more everyday common talking scenarios though. Overall, I'm a fan of how things are going. Everything makes sense, it's all about keeping up with the new vocabulary.
- First off, I'd like to say this is the best section of the quiz. I really like this class and the low pressure environment really helps me to just concentrate on learning the Spanish and not memorizing vocab, etc. (that's why I like take home quizzes). We also learn a lot through the group activities. I like this class a lot, there isn't much to change in my opinion.
- Tyson is very patient with the class. But sometimes I wish there was less "free talking time" at the beginning of class.
Fall 2011 End of Semester Evaluations (Beginning Spanish II)
- Tyson was my favorite teacher this semester. He was a lot of fun while helping us learn a lot at the same time. Very good Spanish teacher and always available to help you when you need it.
- Great course, best Spanish class I've taken.
- Tyson is doing a great job teaching, especially for a newbee. I really like how he acts things out that we're learning b/c it helps to connect the Spanish words with the actions. He also does everything to teach our class and triest to come up with creative learning strategies.
- It was a good demeanored classroom, I somewhat wished people were not allowed to sit on the peripheral and not participate. The engagement of the students in the material, and with each other makes for a funner and more effective learning space. Overall, this class was one of the best Spanish courses I've taken, you can be pushier in getting participation, we need it, definitely more than Centro :)
- More listening activities--but overall good.
- Maybe try to go over examples one or two times, sometimes you over explain an example which can sometimes be confusing, I think it would be better to go over more examples with a little explanation and then have us try it. Also you should force people to get up and walk around when you say to.
Spring 2012 General Comments (Beginning Spanish II)
Please write about, in English or Spanish, one thing that you have liked about this course, and at least one thing you would like to do, see, practice, etc. differently. What would you do differently as the teacher?
- I really like that we spend a lot of time going over the rules of grammar and how they work/apply. I've never had a Spanish class as efficient at going over the information in an understandable way.
- The thing I like most about this course is it is easy to understand and instructor takes time explaining things. More history and culture would be cool.
- I liked that a lot of the course was what we covered in Spanish one but more in depth. What I would like to do more is do more things with oral, I am not very good at speaking. As a teacher I would get the class more involved, even if they didn't want to speak I would call on them and work them through a question.
- I enjoy the fact it is a small class. I would like to take a trip to some tropical, Spanish-speaking country as a class to interact with native speakers.
- It was very helpful to start by learning the vocab, then the grammar lesson, doing a worksheet to practice and then the test. The worksheets and activities are very helpful. I don't know if I would do anything differently as a teacher.
- I like the structure of the class and how we focus on apply the concepts more of the time. I would like to focus in more/spend more time on the BIG ideas, but there probably isn't time for that.
- I like the activities we do together and how it's a group effort. It would be fun to play some more games that help us learn.
- I like how we get plenty of time to prepare for our oral exams, because they can be difficult.
- I really like learning Spanish. I've taken it for a long time and plan to continue. The only thing I wouldn't mind a change in is now much we learn about the culture of Spanish-speaking countries. I think we could [undecipherable] more.
- This was a really good class. The one suggestion that I would give is to allow for more questions, and allow students to finish the question. Oh, and have more time at the very beginning of the school year having the class get to know each other in English. If students aren't comfortable in English they won't be in Spanish.