PHYS 485
Are there any other comments or final words you would like to say about the TA and the tutorial sessions?
"The tutorial sessions would have been 10 times better in person, but nevertheless Michael was able to make the best out of these virtual sessions. Awesome job, and I hope that some other courses will take on this tutorial approach as well." (2021)
"Michael performed his job in a way that was very cohesive to the students' experience. He came off as a friendly guy that was genuinely looking to help as opposed to someone that was working as a TA because they had to." (2020)
"I was somewhat scared when I first saw the tutorial sessions mentioned in the syllabus (as I got used to simply handing in the assignments over the years), and I don't remember being so wrong about anything. The sessions turned out to be fantastic, which was ~30% thanks to the format itself and ~70% thanks to Michael's effort and enthusiasm. I found it very helpful and productive to discuss the assignments informally with both the TA and the students, as we could focus on the important strategies for problem solving rather than on algebraic details. It would be great to have similar sessions in other courses, although to guarantee their success, Michael has to be teaching every single one of them." (2019)
"Incredible. The amount of time he put into helping us is unmatched by any TA in my undergraduate carrier. I really like the idea of the tutorial sessions, and the way he ran them was very helpful." (2018)
"The TA did an excellent job! His efforts were a large reason as to why I thought this course went well. His explanations and examples directly aided my understanding of the class material, and I could not have done well without him." (2018)
PHYS 420/580
In what ways was the teaching assistant most effective?
"Had a good grasp on how to communicate the way to transfer analytic methods towards computational methods. Also liked how you could go and mark your assignment and have him explain and walk-through where you got marks or not." (2017)
"Due to the way this course was taught, the TA had to sacrifice an immense amount of time towards the course. He did so, and still was good-natured in helping students in office hours (and when they ambushed him outside of office hours)." (2017)
"He put a lot of work and effort into this course, much more than would have been required for any other TAing position. He basically took the course with us, and had to do all of the assignments himself. I seriously admire his dedication." (2017)
"Helping understanding the problem better and giving good hints." (2017)
"He took time to meet with each student which was really helpful not only for grading but also for asking questions and getting help." (2017)
ENPH 131
In what ways was the teaching assistant most effective?
"He was well prepared, provided great feedback, was available around the clock... Michael was a fantastic TA, someone I can see as a professor at a great university sometime in his future. He really cares about the understanding of concepts as opposed to just checking the boxes to give the marks. Really appreciated all the work he put into this lab." (2021)
"The ample amount of feedback allowed for the constructive growth and understanding of his students. Giving several opportunities to meet with him made it easy to improve if it was desired by a student." (2020)
"Best experience I have had with any Professor/TA yet. I felt like this lab is the class I have been able to achieve a full understanding and feel comfortable with what I learned due to the ease of asking way too many questions. Never felt unable to ask about anything that was unclear, misunderstood, etc. Allowed me to get the most out of my own learning and I appreciate it immensely." (2020)
"He was clear in the goals, motives of the labs, he provided great feed back and gave clear instructions for the lab. He was helpful during the lab, and when asked a question would guide you in the right direction instead of giving the direct answer. He made the lab effective and material exciting." (2017)
"Providing insight on ways to improve my writing skills and what to look for when writing a scientific report." (2017)
"The TA gave helpful feedback when returning graded lab reports. He explained the labs in the beginning and gave us a demo on how to use the devices which was very helpful. He was very clear in his feedback and explained very well what was required of us." (2017)
Quick Response Summaries
In several of the courses that I taught as a TA, the student evaluations of teaching conducted at the end of the semester included a multiple-choice component. For these respective courses, the complete results from these surveys aggregated over all yearly sections taught per course are shown in the figures on the left (or below on mobile devices).
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Quick Response Summaries
In several of the courses that I taught as a TA, the student evaluations of teaching conducted at the end of the semester included a multiple-choice component. For these respective courses, the complete results from these surveys aggregated over all yearly sections taught per course are shown in the figures on the left.