Math 141, Calculus in the Management Sciences, Spring 2008
Calculus in the Management Sciences is a course designed for business, construction management, and natural resources students. The content of the course includes a gentle introduction to limits, derivatives, and integrals with a focus on relevant applications such as equilibrium of supply and demand, marginals, optimization, and the growth model.
I was involved in a course redesign from Summer 2007-Fall 2008 sponsored by a grant from a Provost's competition at CSU. My role in this project was to provide the perspective of a brand new GTA. The aim of the redesign was to create classroom-based professional and curricular development activities focusing on `real-world' applications, a deeper conceptual connection to content, and pedagogical techniques for future GTAs in order to increase student interest in the material presented and student success across all sections. Promising results arose from the redesign such as increased student performance which was consistent across all sections.
I was involved in a course redesign from Summer 2007-Fall 2008 sponsored by a grant from a Provost's competition at CSU. My role in this project was to provide the perspective of a brand new GTA. The aim of the redesign was to create classroom-based professional and curricular development activities focusing on `real-world' applications, a deeper conceptual connection to content, and pedagogical techniques for future GTAs in order to increase student interest in the material presented and student success across all sections. Promising results arose from the redesign such as increased student performance which was consistent across all sections.
Student Course Survey
Scored on a 5 point scale: 0=Strongly Disagree to 5=Strongly Agree
Course Enrollment: 211
Course Enrollment: 211
|
Weighted Average
4.66 4.40 4.56 4.45 |
Question
The teacher was enthusiastic about the course The teacher created an atmosphere conducive to learning The teacher was willing and available to help students outside of class Overall, I would rate this teacher as good |
Unabridged Student Comments:
“I very much
appreciate Lori’s openness to helping in and outside of class…you rock!”
“I enjoyed this course a lot. I learned a lot and was expected Calculus to be really hard, but the teacher made it very easy.”
“Lori is a great teacher and I learned much from her. She has a great attitude and is smart.”
“Great test reviews-helped a lot. Nothing bad.”
“Tests that are graded more carefully would be nice.”
“You did a good job, how ever the class sessions were sometimes confusing because you’d go either too fast or it wasn’t well organized in some sections.”
“The only thing-when writing on boards-the students in front rows can’t see right away-I don’t know how’d you correct it-but somehow how to see. You are a great teacher!”
“Lori was an awesome teacher, very thorough in here explanations and passionate about math. Did not like MathXL at all, had to simplify everything & we don’t do that on tests. Would definitely recommend Lori to anyone taking this class! Love the review sessions before tests, helped so much!”
“Lori did an outstanding job in instructing this course. Mathematics is a subject in which a good teacher can make all the difference, and Lori did an A+ job!!”
“Overall the course was good. One thing that was kind of difficult was when we had to rush at the end of class to finish a problem. Review sessions and mid-way reviews were very helpful.”
“Great enthusiasm for course & help outside of the class room.”
“You did a good job.”
“Unexperienced but enthusiastic. Needs works.”
“Book not necessary—waste of money. Annoying voice.” “The MathXL was really more frustrating than helpful because you had to simplify the answers to a certain format everytime and you never knew if you had it right. Great job Lori. I love your enthusiasm and little jokes and helpful sayings. Thanks.”
“Good job for first year teaching. Taught the material thoroughly and complete, the reviews helped, even the little ones before class each day.”
“I feel like we did a lot of examples that were not relevant to the tests. I learned the most during the review sessions.”
“I hop give a homework more attention by give it some weight of the total grade.”
“She doesn’t have a lot experience teaching this course. However, she did a good job.”
“Math XL was an excersize in frusteration.”
“She had great energy about the course. I just did not have time usually to meet with her to get help. I would recommend that they give bonus points for doing the homework to supplement the exams. And to increase my understanding.”
“Lori was an excellent teacher, I feel like her examples helped to better my understand. I do think that homework should be required, it gives students incentive to do homework, and gives an opportunity for extra points. I love MathXL.”
“Best math teacher I have ever had, very enthusiastic!”
“You were an amazing teacher and taught the material in a great manner.”
“I really like having the mid-way review sessions. I think they are very helpful in keeping students on track and identifying any problems early. Overall, you are a good teacher. I enjoyed your class.”
“Fix the chairs they make a lot of noise and are distracting.”
“I think Lori did a great job of teaching and she really knew what she was talking about. I really enjoyed her class.”
“Great organization and availability. Lori took the fear of math out of the calculus.”
“Calculus has the potential to be a very boring class, but Lori was always enthusiastic and made it an interesting class.”
“I would recommend not talking down to students/using young language.”
“I really liked the course you did a good job. The only think I would change would be to start the problems w/ the formulas and then do an example.”
“You created a great learning environment without any punitive actions.”
“Lori was a fantastic teacher, very enthusiastic. I would recommend her to all my friends taking calculus in the future.”
“I feel that this instructor did a great job teaching this course. I enjoyed coming to this class. The review sessions before the exams helped out a lot.”
“Lori was a great teacher. Very enthusiastic and fun. She made calculus a lot easier than I expected. Overall, I commend the M141 teachers for effectively organizing this course. Thank you!”
“I really enjoyed your style of teaching, I felt that it helped me ‘click’ w/ the material. You should choose darker colors to write with b/c sometimes it is hard to see red from halfway back.”
“I thought Lori was a great teacher. My only problem was with the pace of the class, sometimes it seemed a little slow.”
“Lori did a great job! Couldn’t see the board sometimes though.”
“I thought you were very knowledgable about the course. I would definitely take another class with you. I can’t say I would change anything about your teaching style. It might help to have more tests so we are tested on less material.”
“Do NOT say silly.”
“Lori was a wonderful teacher and I really enjoyed taking this course because of her. She was always very cheerful and enthusiastic about teaching and this made it very easy for me to learn. She is a very sweet person and I know other students will benefit from taking her section”
“You explained things really well and made it really simple for me to understand personally.”
“You were a great teacher. Just remember we are not 4th graders. Sometimes you talked to us like we were children. And for someone that is older than you that is a little annoying.”
“This course was really hard and I think it would help if there were more grades than just the tests. If the HW’s were required it would help more with understanding because we would be forced to do them.”
“I thought this class was taught very well. Lori made difficult material seem easy and I enjoyed her humor and enthusiasm!”
“The teacher did a very good job considering the size of the class especially. This class should be halved or quartered to promote a better learning environment & closer contact with the teacher!”
“The teacher was wonderful. I have recommended her to other students. I don’t like MathXL. I don’t think it should be require especially since the homework isn’t graded. I barely used it & it was a waste of money.”
“You were well prepared for class session, and I really loved your method of teaching.”
“Lori you were the best teacher!!”
“Teacher did a very good job at explaining the material. I have never been really good at math, but she explained it very well that I understood.”
“The website thing was kind of inconvenient because it didn’t work with a mac, so I never used it. You were a really good teacher though, so I don’t think the website was that necessary anyway.”
“Good job teaching and being prepared. Make sure everything works (calculator, etc.)”
“Keep up the great work.”
“She is very excited about math.”
“Slow down…”
“Good teacher!”
“Lori knew her information very well but needs to write larger, and not stand in front of the board. Maybe she could use the overhead and write on that.”
“Class was well organized. Review sessions were very helpful. Great teaching & easy to understand!”
“Thank you! Have a great summer!”
“I though you did a great job however it would have been helpful for you to use more techniqual jargin, instead of says ‘this guy’ say the function. Good job!”
“Lori says the darndest things”
“Great teacher. Highly effective teaching techniques. Reviews are a great tool!”
“I thought you did a great job w/ helping us understand the material. The examples really helped.”
“Really attractive! Never wanted to skip class! Made class fun and interesting! And I understood everything clearly!”
“I loved this class, the way she taught was great. Review/recall @ the beginning of each class really helped me learn. I would love to have her as a teacher again.”
“I really liked how you put a review of the last class on the board at the beginning of each class. You also do a great job explaining concepts.”
“Thank you for all your help.”
“Don’t base grades only on test scores, need other assignments in class, math MathXL mandatory. Let class out on time, I was late numerous times to following class.”
“Study sess. Was a huge help!!”
“Lori is a great teacher and is good at keeping the classes attention and does not mind going over topics repeatedly. Also she is very attractive.”
“Best teacher at CSU.”
“Awesome teacher, always on time, good graphs, & explanations.”
“The class was taught well enough but wasn’t very intellectually challenging. Probably couldn’t learned everything in ½ semester.”
“She was never boring. Good enthusiasm.”
“Love the way you taught this course. Great job!”
“Lori, excellent semester! Your style, patience, & dedication were clear throughout the course. I enjoyed the class (amazing to enjoy calculus).”
“Go over material in too much detail we’re in college no elementary school! I felt like class was slow moving”
“Lori was very happy”
“Taught everything very well. Used multiple examples which made sure everyone understood. Best math teacher ever.”
“This class was really easy.”
“Lori was a great teacher. She knows whats up. She was really great at presenting the material and made it easier to learn the material. I feel that MathXL sucks!!! I stopped using it because it just confused me more. Whoever thought to use that should be fired!”
“The classroom size was too big. Sitting in most areas of the lecture hall made it very difficult to hear, and nearly impossible to see the material being taught. The technology in the classroom was lacking as well. The teacher did an excellent job organizing and keeping pace throughout the semester. Especially for her first year.”
“I enjoyed this course a lot. I learned a lot and was expected Calculus to be really hard, but the teacher made it very easy.”
“Lori is a great teacher and I learned much from her. She has a great attitude and is smart.”
“Great test reviews-helped a lot. Nothing bad.”
“Tests that are graded more carefully would be nice.”
“You did a good job, how ever the class sessions were sometimes confusing because you’d go either too fast or it wasn’t well organized in some sections.”
“The only thing-when writing on boards-the students in front rows can’t see right away-I don’t know how’d you correct it-but somehow how to see. You are a great teacher!”
“Lori was an awesome teacher, very thorough in here explanations and passionate about math. Did not like MathXL at all, had to simplify everything & we don’t do that on tests. Would definitely recommend Lori to anyone taking this class! Love the review sessions before tests, helped so much!”
“Lori did an outstanding job in instructing this course. Mathematics is a subject in which a good teacher can make all the difference, and Lori did an A+ job!!”
“Overall the course was good. One thing that was kind of difficult was when we had to rush at the end of class to finish a problem. Review sessions and mid-way reviews were very helpful.”
“Great enthusiasm for course & help outside of the class room.”
“You did a good job.”
“Unexperienced but enthusiastic. Needs works.”
“Book not necessary—waste of money. Annoying voice.” “The MathXL was really more frustrating than helpful because you had to simplify the answers to a certain format everytime and you never knew if you had it right. Great job Lori. I love your enthusiasm and little jokes and helpful sayings. Thanks.”
“Good job for first year teaching. Taught the material thoroughly and complete, the reviews helped, even the little ones before class each day.”
“I feel like we did a lot of examples that were not relevant to the tests. I learned the most during the review sessions.”
“I hop give a homework more attention by give it some weight of the total grade.”
“She doesn’t have a lot experience teaching this course. However, she did a good job.”
“Math XL was an excersize in frusteration.”
“She had great energy about the course. I just did not have time usually to meet with her to get help. I would recommend that they give bonus points for doing the homework to supplement the exams. And to increase my understanding.”
“Lori was an excellent teacher, I feel like her examples helped to better my understand. I do think that homework should be required, it gives students incentive to do homework, and gives an opportunity for extra points. I love MathXL.”
“Best math teacher I have ever had, very enthusiastic!”
“You were an amazing teacher and taught the material in a great manner.”
“I really like having the mid-way review sessions. I think they are very helpful in keeping students on track and identifying any problems early. Overall, you are a good teacher. I enjoyed your class.”
“Fix the chairs they make a lot of noise and are distracting.”
“I think Lori did a great job of teaching and she really knew what she was talking about. I really enjoyed her class.”
“Great organization and availability. Lori took the fear of math out of the calculus.”
“Calculus has the potential to be a very boring class, but Lori was always enthusiastic and made it an interesting class.”
“I would recommend not talking down to students/using young language.”
“I really liked the course you did a good job. The only think I would change would be to start the problems w/ the formulas and then do an example.”
“You created a great learning environment without any punitive actions.”
“Lori was a fantastic teacher, very enthusiastic. I would recommend her to all my friends taking calculus in the future.”
“I feel that this instructor did a great job teaching this course. I enjoyed coming to this class. The review sessions before the exams helped out a lot.”
“Lori was a great teacher. Very enthusiastic and fun. She made calculus a lot easier than I expected. Overall, I commend the M141 teachers for effectively organizing this course. Thank you!”
“I really enjoyed your style of teaching, I felt that it helped me ‘click’ w/ the material. You should choose darker colors to write with b/c sometimes it is hard to see red from halfway back.”
“I thought Lori was a great teacher. My only problem was with the pace of the class, sometimes it seemed a little slow.”
“Lori did a great job! Couldn’t see the board sometimes though.”
“I thought you were very knowledgable about the course. I would definitely take another class with you. I can’t say I would change anything about your teaching style. It might help to have more tests so we are tested on less material.”
“Do NOT say silly.”
“Lori was a wonderful teacher and I really enjoyed taking this course because of her. She was always very cheerful and enthusiastic about teaching and this made it very easy for me to learn. She is a very sweet person and I know other students will benefit from taking her section”
“You explained things really well and made it really simple for me to understand personally.”
“You were a great teacher. Just remember we are not 4th graders. Sometimes you talked to us like we were children. And for someone that is older than you that is a little annoying.”
“This course was really hard and I think it would help if there were more grades than just the tests. If the HW’s were required it would help more with understanding because we would be forced to do them.”
“I thought this class was taught very well. Lori made difficult material seem easy and I enjoyed her humor and enthusiasm!”
“The teacher did a very good job considering the size of the class especially. This class should be halved or quartered to promote a better learning environment & closer contact with the teacher!”
“The teacher was wonderful. I have recommended her to other students. I don’t like MathXL. I don’t think it should be require especially since the homework isn’t graded. I barely used it & it was a waste of money.”
“You were well prepared for class session, and I really loved your method of teaching.”
“Lori you were the best teacher!!”
“Teacher did a very good job at explaining the material. I have never been really good at math, but she explained it very well that I understood.”
“The website thing was kind of inconvenient because it didn’t work with a mac, so I never used it. You were a really good teacher though, so I don’t think the website was that necessary anyway.”
“Good job teaching and being prepared. Make sure everything works (calculator, etc.)”
“Keep up the great work.”
“She is very excited about math.”
“Slow down…”
“Good teacher!”
“Lori knew her information very well but needs to write larger, and not stand in front of the board. Maybe she could use the overhead and write on that.”
“Class was well organized. Review sessions were very helpful. Great teaching & easy to understand!”
“Thank you! Have a great summer!”
“I though you did a great job however it would have been helpful for you to use more techniqual jargin, instead of says ‘this guy’ say the function. Good job!”
“Lori says the darndest things”
“Great teacher. Highly effective teaching techniques. Reviews are a great tool!”
“I thought you did a great job w/ helping us understand the material. The examples really helped.”
“Really attractive! Never wanted to skip class! Made class fun and interesting! And I understood everything clearly!”
“I loved this class, the way she taught was great. Review/recall @ the beginning of each class really helped me learn. I would love to have her as a teacher again.”
“I really liked how you put a review of the last class on the board at the beginning of each class. You also do a great job explaining concepts.”
“Thank you for all your help.”
“Don’t base grades only on test scores, need other assignments in class, math MathXL mandatory. Let class out on time, I was late numerous times to following class.”
“Study sess. Was a huge help!!”
“Lori is a great teacher and is good at keeping the classes attention and does not mind going over topics repeatedly. Also she is very attractive.”
“Best teacher at CSU.”
“Awesome teacher, always on time, good graphs, & explanations.”
“The class was taught well enough but wasn’t very intellectually challenging. Probably couldn’t learned everything in ½ semester.”
“She was never boring. Good enthusiasm.”
“Love the way you taught this course. Great job!”
“Lori, excellent semester! Your style, patience, & dedication were clear throughout the course. I enjoyed the class (amazing to enjoy calculus).”
“Go over material in too much detail we’re in college no elementary school! I felt like class was slow moving”
“Lori was very happy”
“Taught everything very well. Used multiple examples which made sure everyone understood. Best math teacher ever.”
“This class was really easy.”
“Lori was a great teacher. She knows whats up. She was really great at presenting the material and made it easier to learn the material. I feel that MathXL sucks!!! I stopped using it because it just confused me more. Whoever thought to use that should be fired!”
“The classroom size was too big. Sitting in most areas of the lecture hall made it very difficult to hear, and nearly impossible to see the material being taught. The technology in the classroom was lacking as well. The teacher did an excellent job organizing and keeping pace throughout the semester. Especially for her first year.”
