Feedback on CS201,
University of Western Australia, 1994

This questionnaire is intended to gather information that may help me monitor and improve this course. Please take time to answer accurately, and add any comments that you think may be useful in the spaces provided after each section. Questionnaires may be returned (anonymously) in the labs next week.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your patience and hard work. I hope you’ve enjoyed the course as much as I have, and that you are not quite as exhausted by it as I am.

Thank you.

Michael P. Fourman

Please fill in here the Course you are studying: ............................................. .

1 Teaching

In this section, you are asked to comment in detail on various aspects of teaching and learning in this course. Please read each comment and respond by giving your initial reactions, using the following scheme:
4-true, almost always;  3-true, on the whole;  2-varies a good deal;  1-not true, on the whole;  0-doesn’t apply

Course content

  1. The course covered the material I expected ................................4....3....2....1....0
  2. The course was pitched at an appropriate level for me ..................... 4....3....2....1....0
  3. I found the material in the course interesting .............................. 4....3....2....1....0
  4. I think I will find the material covered in the course useful in the future ... 4....3....2....1....0
  5. I would recommend this course to other students .......................... 4....3....2....1....0

The lab demonstrators

  1. are available when I need them ............................................4....3....2....1....0
  2. seem enthusiastic about the subject ....................................... 4....3....2....1....0
  3. give explanations that are full and easy to follow .......................... 4....3....2....1....0

4-true, almost always;  3-true, on the whole;  2-varies a good deal;  1-not true, on the whole;  0-doesn’t apply

In practice classes, my tutor

  1. shows a genuine concern for student’s difficulties .......................... 4....3....2....1....0
  2. gives good study skills advice ............................................. 4....3....2....1....0
  3. seems enthusiastic about the subject ...................................... 4....3....2....1....0
  4. explains the relevance of topics introduced ................................ 4....3....2....1....0
  5. gives explanations that are full and easy to follow ......................... 4....3....2....1....0

In lectures, Michael Fourman

  1. can be clearly heard .......................................................4....3....2....1....0
  2. writes clearly so as to be easily read .......................................4....3....2....1....0
  3. makes effective use of overheads ........................................... 4....3....2....1....0
  4. makes effective use of blackboard ..........................................4....3....2....1....0
  5. makes the point of each lecture clear ...................................... 4....3....2....1....0
  6. gives lectures that are easy to follow ...................................... 4....3....2....1....0
  7. gives well-organised and clearly structured lectures ........................ 4....3....2....1....0
  8. introduces new topics at a rate you can cope with easily ...................4....3....2....1....0
  9. pauses to help students see and grasp important points ....................4....3....2....1....0
  10. explains the relevance of topics introduced ................................ 4....3....2....1....0
  11. seems enthusiastic about the subject ...................................... 4....3....2....1....0
  12. stimulates your interest in computer science ............................... 4....3....2....1....0
  13. gives explanations that are full and easy to follow ......................... 4....3....2....1....0
  14. gives enough examples to illustrate the points made ....................... 4....3....2....1....0
  15. summarizes his main points effectively .....................................4....3....2....1....0
  16. encourages students to ask questions ...................................... 4....3....2....1....0
  17. is prepared to go over difficult things again ................................4....3....2....1....0
  18. seems to be approachable and helpful ..................................... 4....3....2....1....0

How could the presentation materials used in lectures be improved?

Yourself

Your efforts and study skills will have a marked effect on your performance. We want to assess how well you are studying, as a group. This is an anonymous questionnaire, so you may be honest.
4-true, almost always;  3-true, on the whole;  2-varies a good deal;  1-not true, on the whole;  0-doesn’t apply In studying for this course I

  1. take notes in lectures ......................................................4....3....2....1....0
  2. regularly spend time reviewing the lecture material ........................4....3....2....1....0
  3. discuss with other students points I don’t understand ..................... 4....3....2....1....0
  4. raise questions at practice classes ..........................................4....3....2....1....0
  5. read the handouts .........................................................4....3....2....1....0
  6. have bought the recommended text ....................................... 4....3....2....1....0
  7. regularly supplement the lectures by reading the text ......................4....3....2....1....0

How would you rate your performance

  1. Overall in your university courses ....................................A+AB+BC+C
  2. In this course ....................................................... A+AB+BC+C

2 Lecture Notes and Practicals

Circle the number that best represents your view of the appropriateness of following comments, using the following scale. 4-Strongly agree;  3-You could say that;  2-Not really, overall;  Not at all;  0-Doesn’t apply

Lecture Notes

The lecture notes and handouts

  1. are well-integrated with the rest of the course ............................. 4....3....2....1....0
  2. give explanations that are full and easy to follow .......................... 4....3....2....1....0
  3. make the point of each note clear ..........................................4....3....2....1....0
  4. are easy to follow ......................................................... 4....3....2....1....0
  5. are well-organised and clearly structured .................................. 4....3....2....1....0
  6. introduce new topics at a rate I can cope with easily ...................... 4....3....2....1....0

How could the notes be improved?

4-Strongly agree;  3-You could say that;  2-Not really, overall;  Not at all;  0-Doesn’t apply

Course text

Paulson’s book

  1. is well-integrated with the rest of the course ...............................4....3....2....1....0
  2. gives explanations that are full and easy to follow ......................... 4....3....2....1....0
  3. provides an indispensable reference ........................................4....3....2....1....0
  4. is well-organised and clearly structured ....................................4....3....2....1....0

How was the book helpful? In what ways could it be improved?

The first five practicals

  1. are well-integrated with the rest of the course ............................. 4....3....2....1....0
  2. make clear which basic skills they aim to develop ..........................4....3....2....1....0
  3. have helped me to develop new skills ...................................... 4....3....2....1....0
  4. have clarified the material introduced in lectures .......................... 4....3....2....1....0
  5. have stimulated my interest in the course ..................................4....3....2....1....0

How could the introductory practicals be improved?

The project

  1. is well-integrated with the rest of the course ...............................4....3....2....1....0
  2. makes clear which course material it aims to develop ...................... 4....3....2....1....0
  3. has helped me to develop new skills ....................................... 4....3....2....1....0
  4. has clarified the material introduced in lectures ............................4....3....2....1....0
  5. is well-organised and clearly structured ....................................4....3....2....1....0
  6. has stimulated my interest in the course ...................................4....3....2....1....0

How could the project be improved?

3 Outcomes

In this section, I want you to assess how confident you are in various areas of the curriculum. Circle the number that best represents how confident you feel about your knowledge and skills in the following areas, using the following scale. 4-Very confident;  3-Fairly confident;  2-I understand the basic idea;  I’m having difficulty;  0-I don’t understand this at all

  1. basic datatypes: booleans, integers, strings, products, sums.................4....3....2....1....0
  2. lists and recursion ......................................................... 4....3....2....1....0
  3. trees and recursion.........................................................4....3....2....1....0
  4. abstract datatypes: sets, dictionaries, queues, etc........................... 4....3....2....1....0
  5. arrays and hashing ........................................................4....3....2....1....0
  6. references and pointers ....................................................4....3....2....1....0
  7. representing graphs........................................................ 4....3....2....1....0
  8. graph algorithms...........................................................4....3....2....1....0
  9. heaps...................................................................... 4....3....2....1....0
  10. search trees................................................................4....3....2....1....0

Which aspects were worst presented? Which aspects were presented best?

4 Further Comments

Please make any comments, favourable or otherwise, on any aspects of the course and its organisation.