MCB 229 Spring 2000 Survey Results

The following survey was taken by students in MCB 229, "Fundamentals of Microbiology", at the end of the spring semester, 2000. Number of responses is indicated by N (for some questions, a few students chose more than one response), and the % selecting each value is indicated.
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Click links below to access complete student written comments to the following questions:
  1. Did you find the extensive use of the web in lecture to be valuable? Please tell me your reactions, both positive and negative, and suggest any modifications you think might be useful.
  2. Did you find the required text reading/WebCT quizzing to be of value? Please tell me your reactions, both positive and negative, and suggest any modifications you think might be useful.
  3. When I have described the WebCT quiz feature to my colleagues, many of them are very concerned that students would cheat. Do you think this is a valid concern? Do you know or suspect any incidents of cheating that might have happened in this course? (I am only seeking this information in order to collect accurate data; even if I hear that cheating did occur, I will not take any punitive action based on feedback collected here, so please be candid). Thanks for your feedback!
  4. Please comment on anything else you would like me to know. Thanks for your feedback!
Question and Answer Choices
%
General Course Feedback
What was your overall experience of this course as taught by Professor Terry?
N=110
Very positive, would recommend friends to take it
74
Good course, better than average
22
Average
5
Below average
0
Very negative, would recommend friends not to take it
0

What final grade do you expect for this course?
N=110
some kind of A
43
some kind of B (from B- to B+)
46
some kind of C (from C- to C+)
10
some kind of D (from D- to D+)
1
I expect to fail
0

Do you think your grade so far (including lab) is an accurate reflection of the work you put into this course?
N=112
Yes
68
No, I'm getting a higher grade than I deserve
4
No, I'm getting a lower grade than I deserve
29

Web Access and Need for Training
What was your overall experience in getting access to Web materials?
N=111
Access was consistently easy
47
Access was usually easy, with occasional difficulties
41
Access varied, sometimes easy, sometimes difficult
7
Access was consistently a problem, but I could get access occasionally
1
Access was so much of a problem that I couldn't use the Web effectively
0
Did not use these materials
4

How did you usually connect to the internet?
N=114
with a fast connection from a UConn dorm room
38
with a modem connection from a UConn dorm room
6
from a UConn computer lab
32
from an off-campus location with a T1, cable, or other fast connection
4
from an off-campus location with a 55.6K modem
14
from an off-campus location with a 22.8K modem
4
from another location
2
didn't use the internet
0

How would you rate the level of difficulty in learning to navigate the Virtual Classroom?
N=111
It was easy, no trouble at all
77
It took me a little while to get used to it, but then it was easy
21
It was challenging, not too difficult but also not too easy
1
It was difficult
0
Too hard to learn
0
Did not use these materials
1

Would you have liked to see a brief training session on accessing the Web and MCB 229 Web site early in the course?
N=111
No, I didn't need such a session
77
Yes, I would have liked this option, preferably during an initial scheduled lab period
14
Yes, I would have liked this option, preferably as part of the lecture
4
Yes, I would have liked this option, preferably in a computer center lab outside of regular class time
1
Yes, I would have liked this option, but have no strong preferences as to how it was provided
4

Lectures, Notes, Practice Exams
What was your overall experience of the lecture portion of this course?
N=112
Very positive, one of the best lecture courses I've had
38
Good lectures, better than average
44
Average for a large lecture course
14
Below average
4
Very negative
0

What was your overall experience of the Web resources I posted for our course?
N=111
Very positive, material generally excellent
54
Good, some good material
32
Average
5
Below average
0
Very negative
0
Did not use these materials
8

How many of the lecture notes did you download?
N=113
none
4
not more than 25%
4
25-75% of them
8
most of them
16
all of them
69

If you used lecture notes, did having access to instructor's lecture notes help you learn the material?
N=110
not at all
0
yes, slightly
13
yes, definitely
75
they were invaluable
10
Did not use these materials
3

Did having access to lecture notes cause you skip any lectures that you would otherwise have gone to?
N=113
I didn't miss any lectures.
8
No. I probably missed 1-2 lectures, but I would have missed them under any circumstances, and access to lecture notes was not a factor.
25
No. I probably missed 3-4 lectures, but I would have missed them under any circumstances, and access to lecture notes was not a factor.
19
No. I probably missed more than 4 lectures, but I would have missed them under any circumstances, and access to lecture notes was not a factor.
13
Yes, I probably missed 1-2 lectures that I would have attended if I didn't know I could get the instructor's notes.
11
Yes, I probably missed 3-4 lectures that I would have attended if I didn't know I could get the instructor's notes.
12
Yes, I probably missed more than 4 lectures that I would have attended if I didn't know I could get the instructor's notes.
13

If you did not attend all lectures, how did your frequency of missing classes compare between MCB 229 and other classes you took this semester? (Note: MCB 229 meets at 8 a.m.)
N=110
I missed more classes in MCB 229
22
I missed about the same number of classes between MCB 229 and other courses
49
I missed fewer classes of MCB 229 than I missed in my other courses
29

Did you use the posted practice exams?
N=113
no
4
yes, one of them
12
yes, more than one
84

How helpful were web-based practice exams?
N=113
not useful
0
slightly useful
16
very useful
41
incredibly useful
41
Did not use these materials
3

Did you access the Announcements page?
N=110
not at all
4
a few times
48
once every two or three weeks
22
about once a week
19
more than once a week
7

If you used the Announcements page, how useful was it, overall?
N=110
not useful
7
slightly useful
59
very useful
28
Did not use these materials
5

Did you send e-mail to the instructor?
N=110
no
40
yes, once
34
yes, occasionally
25
yes, frequently
2

If you sent e-mail, did you find this was an effective way to communicate with the instructor?
N=110
no, I prefer face-to-face or direct telephone encounters
8
e-mail made communication with the instructor slightly easier
13
e-mail made communication with the instructor much easier
43
I did not correspond by e-mail
36

Did you explore other microbiology Web resources for this course (e.g., links to other sites outside UConn?)
N=112
no
33
yes, once
23
yes, occasionally
37
yes, frequently
7

If you did explore other microbiology Web resources, how useful were they?
N=111
not useful at all
2
slightly useful
30
somewhat useful
22
very useful
7
Did not use these materials
40

What was your impression of the "group exam" feature of the course?
N=111
Very positive, it helped a lot
52
Good, it helped some
36
Not especially useful
9
More detrimental than useful
1
Terrible, I hated finding out how I'd done
2

Laboratory
What was your overall experience of the lab portion of this course?
N=112
Very positive, one of the best labs I've had
43
Good lab, better than average
38
Average for a lab course
16
Below average
3
Very negative
0

In comparison with other laboratory courses you have taken at UConn, how would you rate the amount of work you have do to in MCB 229?
N=110
MCB 229 demands a lot more time than other 4-credit courses
54
MCB 229 demands a bit more time than other 4-credit courses
34
MCB 229 takes about the same time as other 4-credit courses
11
MCB 229 requires a bit less time than other 4-credit courses
2
MCB 229 requires a lot less time than other 4-credit courses
0

Required Reading, Study Guides, & Online Quizzes
What was your overall experience of the required textbook quizzes?
N=111
Very positive, added a lot to my learning the material
47
Good feature, added somewhat to my learning the material
38
Neutral feature, didn't feel strongly either for or against this feature
7
Didn't find it all that helpful, somewhat negative feelings about this feature
8
Didn't like it at all, very negative reactions to this feature
0

How helpful did you find the study guides when you reading text assignments?
N=111
not useful at all
0
slightly useful
15
quite useful
27
incredibly useful
56
Did not use these materials
2

How many of the assigned chapters did you actually read?
N=110
none
1
not more than 25%
5
25-75% of them
16
75-90% of them
26
not all, but more than 90% of them
14
all of them
37

How much time did it take you to do the assigned reading, on average (including using the study guide)?
N=111
less than one hour/lecture
7
about 1-1 1/2 hours/lecture
36
about 2-2 1/2 hours/lecture
38
about 3-3 1/2 hours/lecture
12
4 hours/lecture or more
7

How many of the assigned quizzes did you take?
N=111
none
0
not more than 25%
0
25-75% of them
3
almost all of them
56
all of them
41

What time of day did you usually take the WebCT quizzes?
N=114
the morning of the lecture
1
between 10 pm-2 am the evening before the lecture
32
between 6 pm-10 pm the evening before the lecture
45
between noon-6 pm the day before the lecture
12
earlier than noon of the day before the lecture
3
it varied enough that none of these answers really applies to me
8

Where did you usually take the WebCT quizzes?
N=114
in my dorm room at UConn
40
in a computer lab in one of the UConn dorms
4
in a computer lab at the computer center
24
in a variety of locations, no real pattern
11
in an off-campus location
20

How would you evaluate the level of difficulty of the WebCT quizzes?
N=111
They were almost always too difficult
0
They were often too difficult
14
They were usually about the right level of difficulty
82
They were sometimes too easy
4
They were usually too easy
0

Was the grading policy for the WebCT quizzes fair?
N=110
Yes, very fair
91
No, somewhat unfair
9
No, very unfair
0

Was it helpful to be able to retake the quiz a second time?
N=110
Yes, very helpful
98
Yes, somewhat helpful
2
Not helpful
0

Was the 15 minute time limit adequate for the quizzes?
N=112
Yes, always enough time
13
Yes, except for once or twice
54
Yes for at least 75%, but some of them were too long or detailed
27
Yes for at least 50%, no for the remainder
4
Yes for at least 25%, no for the remainder
0
15 minutes was almost always too short.
1

0
Do you think you learned more from this course because of the required reading/WebCT quizzing than you would otherwise have done?
N=110
Yes, definitely
74
Yes, a little more
22
No
5

I set the WebCT quizzes to count for 25% of your course gradWhat % would you have set for this, if it were your choice?
N=110
25%
38
at least 30-35%
40
more than 35%
11
15-20%
9
less than 15%
2

Do you think having the frequent required WebCT quizzes and assigned textbook reading made it less stressful to study for exams?
N=110
Yes
64
No
25
No opinion
12

On the whole, would you like to see at least a few of your other courses include required text reading and WebCT or similar frequent quizzing?
N=110
Yes
73
No
15
No opinion
12

I set the quizzes up so that you could always get the higher grade. Suppose I had set them up so that you would get the average of two grades instead. How do you think this would have changed the quiz experience?
N=116
I would have preferred this approach
0
It wouldn't have made any significant difference
3
I would have been more careful not to take the quiz until I was well prepared
25
I like it better being able to take the highest of the two grades
72