Evaluation Summary – Fall 2014 – Sociology of Popular Culture

 

Evaluation Summary – Fall 2014 – Sociology of Popular Culture

44 evaluations out of 95 students

Quantitative Feedback

Item 1: I (the student) came well prepared for class.	4.3	Improvement from 4.1 in Spring 2014.
Item 2: The instructor clearly explained the educational objectives of this course.	4.8	Improvement from 4.7 in Spring 2014.
Item 3: The instructor was well organized and prepared for class.	4.9	Same score as 2014.
Item 4: The instructor was conscientious in meeting class and office hour responsibilities.	4.7	Improvement from 4.6 in Spring 2014.
Item 5: The instructor promoted a classroom atmosphere in which I felt free to ask questions.	4.7	Improvement from 4.6 in Spring 2014.
Item 6: The instructor provided useful feedback about exams, projects, and assignments.	4.5	Improvement from 4.3 in Spring 2014.
Item 7: So far, the instructor has applied grading policies fairly.	4.7	Improvement from 4.6 in Spring 2014.
Item 8: The instructor taught this course well.	4.9	Improvement from 4.7 in Spring 2014.
Item 9: The course content was consistent with the educational objectives of this course.	4.8	Improvement from 4.7 in Spring 2014.
Item 10: The course increased my ability to analyze and critically evaluate ideas, arguments, and points of view.	4.7	Improvement from 4.4 in Spring 2014.
Item 11: I learned a great deal in this course.	4.7	Improvement from 4.3 in Spring 2014.

Qualitative Feedback

Professor

·      Passionate professor 8

·      Organized professor 2

·      Good sense of humor 1

·      Intimidating professor 1

Class Meetings

·      Documentaries are good (2 comments specifically named Miss Representation and 1 comment noted Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes) 7

·      Media clips are helpful (but there was 1 negative comment about Disability Culture Rap) 6

·      Prezis slides are good 5

·      Good lectures 3

·      Good class atmosphere 3

·      Boring lectures 1

·      Should switch to PowerPoint from Prezi 1

Assignments

·      Students like the social media assignments 7

·      Like the book 4

·      Improving coordination with TA for grading 3

·      Liked relating the material to current events 3

·      Content analyses are good 2

·      Qualitative analysis was confusing 2

·      Quizzes are useful 1

·      More feedback 1

·      Assignment values not distributed well 1

·      Should not assign professor’s book 1

·      Too much time spent on instructions 1

·      Like the combining of the student quantitative analyses 1

Class Design

·      Good range of topics 5

·      Good use of technology and Blackboard 2

·      Should be a smaller class 2

·      Clear goals 1

Suggestions

·      More qualitative material 1

·      Add a group assignment 1

·      Focus on Tumblr and drop the other social media 2

·      More quantitative analyses 1

·      More structure for choosing topics

Sensitivity to Diversity

·      28 comments about this, all positive

Selected quotes

·      At the end of the semester, instead of sticking to the original lesson plan, Kidd showed us different sources that helped us to make sense of the Ferguson issue. He told us that was more important. This is what made me respect Kidd the most. He really cares about the social problems that are going on, and he tries to show us ways to address them and be informed about them.

·      The instructor’s sensitivity to the diversity of the students of the class was phenomenal.

·      I really enjoyed the course content! It was very informational and professor Kidd did a great job teaching it. You can tell he was passionate about it and that made the experience even better.

·      Dr. Kidd’s passion and knowledge translated into a well organized, insightful, and informational class. The use of his book helped easily grasp concepts and his many ideas. He allotted equal time to explore each issue. Also, I greatly benefited from the social media assignments. Many employers are requiring knowledge of social media, therefore, I believe these assignments were very useful.

·      I loved this course! Dr. Kidd’s approach to modern society with the classical theory base was excellent!

·      Dustin Kidd is a really great professor. He speaks in a very clear and concise manner and makes all of the content as accessible as he can. The class content is interesting in itself, but between his own passion and excitement on a daily basis, he definitely makes it even more interesting.

·      Even though the class was taught in a large lecture hall, Dr. Kidd did a great job with engaging students during class. He incorporated technology not only in his lectures, but also in the assignments we received.