Enrollment: 20
Forms Completed: 18 (90%)

Core Items (A: Much Above Average, B: Above Average, C: Average, D: Below Average, E: Much Below Average)

Additional Items (SA: Strongly Agree, A: Agree, U: Undecided, D: Disagree, SD: Strongly Disagree)

Comments

What did you like most about this instructor and course?

1. The visuals--the examples, the powerpoints, and the step by step instructions that he gives. Also, the way he makes sure everyone understands the prompts, assignments, and projects.
2. The class was very organized.
3. The different technologies used & the setup of the class (ex. SPs, Ps etc). Really enjoyed Elements of Style project.
4. The course is the perfect amount of challenging & so is Prof. Mueller. Everything is interesting, relevant and informational.
5. Interesting material presented in a new way.
6. He is a firm teacher always prepared and on time, excited about what he is teaching.
7. I enjoyed the class discussions & Prof. Mueller's open-mind. He was most accessible through email.

Comment (July 2010)

Students I have taught almost universally prefer online means of contact to in-person office hours. One caveat here is that with compulsory early-semester office visits, students are more likely to show up during face-to-face office hours or to request meetings other than email and phone contact. -DM

8. Prof. Mueller is very approachable and concerned with/about students.
9. Creative, fun, very easy to talk to/get help from.
10. The Helvetica film and the creative control I got to exercise over projects.
11. Effective and knowledgeable about material.
12. I like that the class used a variety of different writing styles for the online world.
14. I think that he is willing to try to help bring students up to date with new technology. He is informative and enthusiastic.
15. He did a great job of relating ideas to the real world. He is great at explaining things in a way to facilitate learning.
16. I felt the course was in touch with real-world applications of style and technology. I learned a lot.
17. I thought Professor Mueller did a very nice job of using different media interfaces to pursue the course material.
18. Derek was great, gave interesting perspectives on technology+writing, the course work seemed unhelpful as opposed to the helpful readings + discussions.

What did you dislike most about this instructor and course?

1. N/A
2. Too much due in the last 3 weeks of class, examples didn't illustrate expectations, seemed to dislike female students.

Comment (July 2010)

The final three weeks of the semester do intensify, and this is more keenly felt when students are taking overloads, working, or in those cases when they procrastinate. Even though assignments are distributed across many weeks, when deadlines approach, as they do late in the semester, the demands of the workload likewise increase, usually in other courses as well. The course schedule is set up to be moderate in this regard, and I will continue to schedule the end of the semester with sensitivity to the challenges typical of ends of semesters. I find concerning the comment here about female students because I cannot recall any occasion in class or otherwise that would explain or otherwise corroborate this perception. -DM

3. Wasn't really a fan of the wiki project, but I can see the value in it.
4. The technology, but what did I expect? It just takes some getting used to.
5. Facilities are sometimes frustrating in this lab.
6. This course just seems irrelevant to teaching and the projects didn't really teach me anything.
7. Twitter at first but it grew on me.
8. It was kind of slow paced.
9. Still unsure as to how necessary it was for my major.
10. At times if welt we sacrificed width for depth.
11. Some readings were boring but effective.
12. Nothing. He is a good teacher.
14. Readings were pretty dry and some were uninspiring.
15. I feel I could have used more freedom with the Twitter checklist. But I liked the project nonetheless.
16. I think some of the assignments were too long and drawn out.
17. I noticed that many students displayed a lack of interest in some course material, and Prof. Mueller seemed to take exception to it.
18. The 3 major projects didn't mesh well w/ content, I see the connection, but its not great.

Comment (July 2010)

There were four major projects, and I do find that they all in slightly distinctive ways answer to the course objectives and the more general curricular promise made by the course re: writing, style, and technology. This is one of those cases when "what did you dislike" would be aided by "what concretely do you suggest." That is, if the connection can be sharpened, I am in full agreement that it should be. -DM

What constructive suggestions do you have for this instructor or course?

1. Possibly try to condense the assignment explanations--when I first read a few of the assignment sheets at the beginning of the semester, I was a bit overwhelmed by the long paragraphs of explanation, but in writing the SPs + Twitter Reflective Essay it helped because I had some concrete questions to answer.
2. Get conversation started more, be a better facilitator.
3. Perhaps set out specific topics for people with regards to Wiki.
4. Have people turn computers off when they're not necessary.
5. Next time for Twitter go over things for a day to get people used to the website. Explore day.
6. Make the course more focused on teaching technology.
7. Great class!
9. Make the twitter checklist have interval due dates (like to tweet #s) so there's not so much spam in one night.

Comment (July 2010)

I incorporated this adjustment in the Spring 2010 online version of ENGL328. The checklist was an instrument that answered to Fall 2009 students' request for more structure. Winter 2010 students found the checklist to impose too much structure. This balance is difficult to strike, but perhaps Spring 2010 students will report greater satisfaction with the role of the checklist in complementing their Twitter activity. -DM

10. Something has to drop, but what that something is, is hard to say.
11. More activities that force us to focus during class.
12. Possibly a little more time in class going over style and syntax.
14. Keep up the good work. Hope to have you for more classes.
15. None--stated above.
16. Look at some more formal uses of style+technology.
17. Keep up the good work.
18. Less points on twitter checklist.

Additional Comments

1. More positives about the professor: Always willing to explain anything, genuinely interested in what the students say or comment about, gives/assigns relevant homework and gives great visual examples, easy to talk to and not distant from the students.