I. Goals of the course
Back to the beginning... The goals I set forth for the course were:
- Exploring
Going beyond what you've done to explore gain insight into what you may or may not enjoy and may or may not be good at
- Progress towards independence - Framing your own questions
The ability to make your own sense of a poorly defined problem and find a path towards its solution.
When you find the way blocked, analyzing what you need and expressing the need and the reason for it
to others to gain useful aid.
- Progress towards independence - Digesting information yourself
The ability to find useful information within research articles, without predigestion by someone else.
- Progress towards independence - Finding your own motivation
Making educational choices for what you may learn from them rather than for an imposed reward
dangled in front of you.
Doing things that are not required by an outside authority but that you believe
further your best interests.
- Progress towards independence - Learning that you can use the computer in ways
not bound by inflexible software
You don't have to be a computer nerd to program the computer
- Learning something about bioinformatics
Why not?
Your thoughts?
II. The Means of the
Course
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Tools of engagement: Look back on the notes, tours, the class discussions, lab, statistical simulations, problem sets, take-home exams.... They were intended to help you achieve the goals listed above. (Note that the final project is considered separately)
Your thoughts?
- The Final Project: The individual research projects were supposed to give you the taste of self-directed research. The group meetings, the symposium, the project report, were supposed to inspire you to see what you do as part of something larger than a class, more than doing something someone told you to do, as part of the process of science.
Your thoughts?
- Help and feedback: You may have had interaction with Keith or me, either face-to-face, in group meetings, or through e-mail. You may also have had interactions with others in the class, perhaps from critiques or in your research group. How did this work for you? Did you feel you had adequate opportunity to get help you needed? And what about responses to your work on problem sets, Exam 2, and the symposium?
Your thoughts?
| D. |
Degree of engagement: Those of you who came to class noticed that attendance was sketchy, I'd guess averaging about 25% of the total population and sometimes much less. Those of you who didn't, well, you weren't alone. Similarly, responses to problem sets trailed off after the first few weeks (see chart at right). I believe that the articles and the on-line tours of them, designed to get you engaged in producing your own results by reproducing the results of others, did not accomplish their purposes because by and large people in the class didn't use them.
Now, if the goal were a high level of attendance and submission of problem sets, that could easily be accomplished, by compelling both through the power of the Grade. But that wasn't my goal. Class, problem sets, tours, etc, were merely means to help you reach the goal, the goal being the ability to think and work independently. Mechanically moving your limbs for you is hardly the way to instill motivation!
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If you have any suggestions as to how class time and resources can be used more effectively to help people reach the goals of the course, I'm all ears.
Your thoughts?
III. Bottom line
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Three things you'd advise that this class never to do again?
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Three things you'd advise that this class keep doing at all costs?
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Three ideas that would make the course better for those that come after you?
(I know... make shorter questionnaires)
- Did you get what you wanted out of the course? If so, what? If not, what did you miss?
Do you feel more proficient in some way? If so, how?
What if anything do you think will still be
with you from the course in five years?
A LONG questionnaire... Thanks!
REMEMBER TO CLICK SUBMIT!