Course evaluation 2010

The following is a summary of the course evaluations held in early November. This is not the official course evaluation (multiple-choice questions); I will only get those results in March, 2011.

Here is a copy of the evaluation form you filled in. [LINK]

55 evaluations were returned (class size in 99 students)

Thanks for the very large number of comments and your time to give me feedback

Average time spent of this course outside the class was 5 hours \(\pm\) 2.25 hours

The variation around the average was quite high: most students spend extra time on assignments that require coding.

76% of the class bought/borrowed the course textbook, while 30% of the class use the course textbook at least once per week

Many in the class rated the book as not being useful

Extra required for the midterm was on average 25 minutes \(\pm\) 17 minutes (1 standard deviation)

This large range of variation is expected; many students felt the time was adequate; but also many students felt they need over 45 minutes extra. I will use this to help set the final exam.

48% of the class wanted to use Python, but the actual rate of Python usage is about 18% of the class.

Most students stated their preference for MATLAB was because they had already learned it; but many stated they would switch to Python if they got extra grades for that. Remember though: the main reason for this course is to learn how to use whatever tool effectively, whether it is MATLAB or Python or Polymath, or whatever your preference is.

How can the course be improved

This was the part of the evaluation I was most interested in. Here is a list of the feedback I received, with the most frequent comments at the top.

Be available for help (e.g. in the lab)

As stated, I don't have an office on campus; please come see me 30 minutes before and after the class (i.e. I am available 3 hours per week as my office hours). The TA's available in the labs, or anytime outside the lab, by phoning/emailing them. The 2 TA's have taken graduate-level courses in numerical methods and are totally qualified to help you out.

Give more software tutorials; teach the basics of programming; more explanation about MATLAB and Python; more coding examples

Given the amount of material that must be covered in this course in 12 weeks it is impossible for me to fit this in. However, I have spent a substantial amount of time writing a self-paced software tutorial. The only thing is, you are going to have to put in the time to go through it. Programming is now such an integral part of engineering - every single one of the students that I graduated with uses some sort of programming tool: MATLAB, Python, R, Mathematica, or other custom engineering languages. Spending time learning how to programming can only make you more valuable as an engineer. Please also take some time to read the links on the software tutorial page,

More TAs at the tutorials

Both TAs are available at the tutorials; there was one occasion where a TA was away at a conference, but both are always available outside of class. Just call them at x22008, or make an appointment by email.

More warning about assignments

All assignment, tutorial, midterm and exam dates are now posted on the course calendar. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

Ensure final exam can be completed in 3 hours; more time for tests and exams

This was the purpose of asking how much extra time was required for the midterm; I will use this as a guide when setting the final exam.

Less assumed prior (engineering) knowledge in the questions

One problem with a class this size is that some students have taken engineering courses like separation processes and reactor design. My examples are usually the very simplest of examples from these fields. Please let me know when a question is totally unfamiliar.

More in depth examples and descriptions in class, test or exam level questions in class, template of how problems should be approached

This is helpful feedback. However, bear in mind that this course is teaching how to implement a set of tools, and how to decide which tool to use. Engineering problems are not always posed in a way that makes it clear which approach will work. You will have to think about the problem and see which method will be suitable to use. The last 2 assignments of this course will have questions from previous exams; also there is a substantial collection of practice problems from previous year's tutorials, assignments and exams on this website: please take a look at these practice questions.

The classroom and time slot

the class is hot, the blackboard is not visible from the back; the projector is too small; the late schedule (17:30 to 18:20)

I agree - but there is nothing I can do to change the allocated venue and hours. Please address these concerns directly to the university (i.e. someone in Chemical Engineering)

Class members are noisy - making it difficult to hear

I'll be as diplomatic as I can: this annoys me as well, and I do my best to make the lecture engaging. If people talk during class, please ask them to be quiet, as I don't have time to break the lecture pace for this issue.

Lecture pace is too fast

There were a variety of evaluations: some said the pace was too fast, most said it was OK, some said too slow. I know we cover a lot of material in this class, but if I go any slower we will not complete the required material for this course. So far we are right on target with completing material in December.

Have a review session before exam

That is planned: it will be on 6 December 2010.

Assignments on bottom-left of web page are easy to miss

Please scroll down the page to see all tutorials, assignments and midterms.

No coding for take-home midterm

I'm sorry, that's not possible - the purpose of the take-home midterm is to test your application of the tools learned to real problems - it will require code. There will be no code interpretation/writing in the final exam though: that will be hand-calculations and lots of interpretation.

More bonus questions

There have been several bonus questions in the tutorials and assignments; there will also be bonus grades in the take-home midterm, and perhaps in the final (I haven't set it yet).

Too many slides (pages) / details on slides

The slides are definitely comprehensive. The vast majority of the class only had good things to say about the slides. You are aware that you can print the slides out using a 2x3 layout, fitting up to 6 slides per page?

2 weeks for assignments and tutorials; fewer assignments and tutorials; no overlapping tutorials and assignments

A 2 week turn around would be too long for this course; the material in this course is cumulative. If you've noticed we learned about polynomial interpolation, and then used it right away for numerical differentiation a week later. If we take 2 weeks to hand in an assignment you won't be able to really learn the material in time for the next sections of this course.

You have to be practicing this material all the time in assignments and tutorials. People learn by doing - very little learning actually takes place when I teach - because you are just listening. That is why tutorials and assignments are so frequent. I do this in all my courses and I will keep doing this.