Columbia University used a variety of different course evaluation formats over my years of teaching there, and so there is not a particular coherence of presentation of relevant statistics or comments. Overall, each semester I received some form of brief rating of my ‘effectiveness’ as an instructor, as well as free-form comments; students were not automatically required to fill in online evaluations of any kind, so the numbers of evaluations received usually falls short of the total number of students in each course. I was particularly gratified to receive any comments which spoke to efforts I had made towards inclusion and accommodation in the classroom, given the experience I had had over the years of seeing or hearing how my students may have struggled with unseen challenges, as well as comments which addressed the helpfulness of my feedback on their written work. My enthusiasm and encouragement, which are also very important to me, were frequently recognized.
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- “Caroline is a phenomenal instructor. During our session, she finds the perfect balance of group-based activity, lecture for context on the work, and full class discussion. She is enthusiastic about each and every text as well as extremely reasonable and clear about her expectations. She grades most all assignments within a week of submission. Never did I feel the classroom environment to be hostile to my perspective or contributions. I would recommend her section to any future CC student.”
- “I enjoyed the way Caroline spoke on and responded to certain topics throughout the class. She put honest comments into grading papers and made herself extremely available to reach by email, in person, or over Skype, which I found very genuine of her. Also, whenever I had a personal issue with the content of the material in class, I was able to bring it up to her and she would do her best to accommodate.”
- “Caroline is a fantastic instructor who is always open to feedback and is incredibly accessible. She sets clear and realistic expectations for the class and its assignments. Feedback is always timely and worthwhile. Caroline also strikes a wonderful balance between background and discussion, always trying her hardest to incorporate relevant activities during class time. You can tell she really enjoys what she is teaching, which reflects incredibly well on the entire class.”
- “Caroline definitely makes sure we feel comfortable participating and encourages us along with guided questions.”
- “Very well prepared with a clear idea of what we would go over but flexibility to go where the class needed.”
- “Caroline was always extremely well prepared for section. She had all the time planned with interesting activities to get the discussion going and to lead us to critical themes discussed in class. She was very calm and understanding and considering of our answers.”
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Click here for a fuller collection of excerpted evaluations, organized by year & course.
Scans of original (anonymous) evaluations are available upon request.