Rutgers University Student Instructional Rating Survey
Summer 2013
(Online Survey)

 01:640:152:C2   91694       Devlin Patrick  
         ENROLL=   26       RESP=  25 (96%)     STRONGLY                    STRONGLY  # OF     MEAN    MEAN  MEAN   MEAN       
                                                DISAGREE        NEUTRAL       AGREE     NO      OF      OF    OF     OF      
PART A: UNIVERSITY-WIDE QUESTIONS:                   1      2      3      4     5   RESPONSES SECTION COURSE DEPT   LEVEL   

  1. The instructor was prepared for class and     
     presented the material in an organized manner   0      0      1      1    23       0      4.88    4.64  4.58   4.62
  2. The instructor responded effectively to       
     student comments and questions                  0      0      0      2    23       0      4.92    4.47  4.46   4.44
  3. The instructor generated interest in the      
     course material                                 0      0      0      2    23       0      4.92    4.47  4.37   4.37
  4. The instructor had a positive attitude toward 
     assisting all students in understanding       
     course material                                 0      0      0      0    25       0      5.00    4.63  4.63   4.59
  5. The instructor assigned grades fairly           0      0      0      2    23       0      4.92    4.65  4.41   4.38
  6. The instructional methods encouraged student  
     learning                                        0      0      0      0    25       0      5.00    4.51  4.34   4.31
  7. I learned a great deal in this course           0      0      1      2    22       0      4.84    4.54  4.34   4.34
  8. I had a strong prior interest in the subject  
     matter and wanted to take this course           2      1      7      2    13       0      3.92    3.78  3.50   3.32
                                                   POOR                     EXCELLENT
  9. I rate the teaching effectiveness of the      
     instructor as                                   0      0      0      1    24       0      4.96    4.53  4.39   4.37
 10. I rate the overall quality of the course as     0      0      2      3    20       0      4.72    4.31  4.23   4.18

What do you like best about this course?:

The instructor is probably the best i've ever come across. I hope he is instructor for calc 3 as well.

Office hours - they were a great chance to reinforce lessons. Wish there were more instructors like Pat, especially since he doesn't go by the book and has his own style of teaching (and it works!!). Stresses on class participation. Overall, he is one of the best professors out there.

Instructor's enthusiasm.

I liked the enthusiasm of my professor the best. We all know sometimes it can be a drag to go to class but I always looked forward to seeing my professors smiling face ready to teach every morning.

The professor and his passion for math. He makes the class very interesting.

Homework - they really helped me learn better. If the homework wasn't graded, I probably would have never had the incentive to do it. Workshops - they were challenging problems that actually helped me learn a lot. After doing them regularly, I'm convinced that no mathematical problem can't be done with a bit practice.

This course was excellent only because our professor was excellent in teaching us.

that when I'm clicking strongly agree to these categories, I actually mean it here.

Pat Devlin is the man!!! Best professor I've had at Rutgers University; he combines his goofy attitude with his knowledge and love for calculus which i personally found to be a great way of teaching while remaining entertained. So to answer this question, the professor is the best part of this course

all the extra help he gives us

Pat himself was very interested and excited about the material he was teaching. By him being excited to teach it, it made the class very enjoyable to take. It made for a very relaxed and comfortable environment.

I like this teacher, he also help me when I have a trouble

Pat made everything so fun. He explained everything very well and always gave us opportunities to better ourselves in what we were shaky on. I felt like I knew the material through and through because of him.

The teacher went right to the point and explained in different, creative, and clear ways.

The Professor Devlin proved to teach this class in a very effective way. The large amount of high grades does not display an easy class, but rather, a well-taught class. The professor kept everyone engaged and caught up on material. His teaching method, although he may not know it, is very effective. First he will explain a topic in a general way, giving the students a basic understanding of it. Then, he will go through a few examples. Finally, he goes in depth on the concept and its applications. Professor Devlin followed through with his syllabus and the level of knowledge he expected us to know, and I feel very prepared for Multivariable Calculus after taking his class. He even went into linear algebra and differential equations and explained the topics efficiently. Overall, I would like to say Patrick Devlin has been my best professor at Rutgers University, and he made Calc II, which is normally very information heavy, seem easy and straight-forward.< /q>

The teacher. He made the subject interesting and fun to learn, thus inspiring the students to work harder in this course.

My Professor's one on one interactions with the individual students.

The way it was presented to me allowed me to be more engaging and interested, especially since it was a 2 hour long class.

I did not have that great of an interest in the Calc 2 material coming into the course, but now, due to the course, I have developed an appreciation for the material.

The amount of time Pat gave to me and the other students outside of class was incredible! I was never afraid or stressed out in this class and never had to worry about not understanding something. The way Pat explained material was very engaging and made things stick by relating problems to real life and helping us see things on a conceptional level.

The.professor i just hate myself for not always having to.miss class. I feel as if i was dishonoring the professor

Throwing angry birds at Pat!...just kidding I enjoy the discussion style classroom instead of it just being a lecture.


If you were teaching this course, what would you do differently?:

Id rather teach like Patrick

Not one thing.

I wouldn't do anything differently. I had an excellent instructor.

Nothing, everything he did was absolutely perfect!

More homework!

Nothing, The course was effectively taught by the professor.

I would leave and let Patrick Devlin take over. Because he is truly a fantastic instructor.

Nothing, he was great

nothing

Maybe give the students a few more quizzes to make sure they are keeping up with course.

I think is good

I would probably stay away from going on random tangents as much and wearing the color purple.

Not have the students memorize formulas like during the year, but the professor for this class did an amazing job with what to learn.

I would have touched on a little bit more of the third part of the class's material.

I do believe Pat has done an excellent job teaching the course (considering its his second time doing so). Only thing I would say is to maybe try to stay on topic, but even when we did go off topic, it was math related and certainly interesting.

If I were to teach the course, the only thing I would do differently is simply acknowledge that some of the topics are not as important and will not show up in life as frequently as others. I would not spend an excessive amount of time talking about how unimportant an unimportant topic is.

Honestly, I wouldn't do anything differently. This very well could have been the most fun and effective math course I ever took. Period.

Provide a step by step workout sheet for solving an equation for every time there is a new subject to learn

nothing really...


In what ways, if any, has this course or the instructor encouraged your intellectual growth and progress?:

be prepared, fun and interesting.

Very friendly, and very helpful.

Really helped me approach math in a new way. He must be a spokesman for Complex Analysis; if he's getting paid to market it, I want to peddle a class too.

I learned a great deal in this course and it has encouraged me to pursue a math minor.

This instructor has been the best teacher I have had at Rutgers. He has a great ability to engage students in the subject matter, and effectively teach the concepts needed to understand the material

He encouraged me to work hard, work hard to earn an A.

Patrick has to be one of the nicest and most compassionate people I've ever met. No exaggeration! He really cares about every single student in the class. Pat's class wasn't limited to grades; he really wants you to see the wonderful things in math. More than Calc, he taught us that grades don't define us. More importantly, he showed that with a little effort, we can all be amazing at math. I'm so glad I took this class. Thank you for making a positive difference!

Yes, for sure. I used to fear when I used to hear the word - "CALC.", but now I know so much of it. :)

he has definitely molded me into a better student. Patrick Devlin really motivates you to want to learn and do well...not for him but for yourself. He has even managed to spark a stronger interest in the subject of mathematics in me.

caused me to think more logically

This course has really strengthened my math skills, but it also made me much more interested in math. I came into the course wanting to major in math, but after the course I knew it was what I wanted to do. It was an amazing course that I really enjoyed.

He incorporated math into so many things that will always stick with me. I will never look at Taylor series the same again.

He made the class extremely interactive and made a lot of comments on why this is important and what it is used for so I caught my attention and interested me. It also made me thinking deeper into everything.

See question 11

The instructor challenged the class and made the class more interesting even for those who had no interest in math in the first place.

The instructor has helped me take note about simple but interesting mathematical problems.

Pat has changed the way I look at math. I've had some really bad math professors/teachers in the past, and none of them have helped me, nor have they made math interesting. After taking Calc 2, I am not afraid of math, and I am more excited for Calc 3 when I take it in the fall. This is a fact;I have never been more excited for a math course in my life.

I'm toying with the idea of becoming a math minor, or maybe even changing my major to math. Pat has changed my view on math as a whole and I simply enjoying the small discoveries each problem has to offer.

Gives me.motivation yo.move.on

Definitely learned a lot in calc II


Other comments or suggestions::

really enjoyed his class. knew his material and went great lengths to ensure positive learning

Patrick should be made the professor for calc 3/4.

Only downside: kept us past the end of class more times than not.

Course isn't really necessary for Comp Sci majors.

He is honestly an amazing math instructor, he made it an enjoyable process learning the material. He changed my outlook on math.

Thanks to the professor - the way he taught us was superb.

I suggest to have Patrick Devlin continue to teach, I want other students to have a chance to experience what I have been so fortunate to experience.

Pat was an awesome instructor and really made the class enjoyable. You could tell that he really loved what he was teaching which made it more enjoyable to learn from. I would love the opportunity to have him again as an instructor. I learned so much from him and I know I will use it in the future. Pat also created an environment that as a student you feel comfortable enough to raise your hand and contribute to class conversation without being judged or being embarrassed.

NO

Pat should teach all my math classes. Having failed this course very badly in the past made me so scared to go into it again but, I'm so happy I got him as a professor. He doesn't just throw formulas at you and say, "do this!" He teaches you how to make connections and solve things in many ways. The connections I've learned to make helped me through the course. He emphasizes the concept more than the mundane cycle of plugging in numbers and spit out an answer type of teaching. He really understands his students' weaknesses and strengths and knows what to do to bring the best out of all of us. Amazing teacher 10/10 by far.

This professor really knows his stuff and know his stuff and is the best least boring teacher by far! He kept the class interactive and made his class a really good learning environment. He also cared a lot for his students and focus most on learning opposed to grades so the learnig came really easy with his really good learning strategies. He also gave me a love for math and calculus I never had before. Seeing where everything came from and where it is used made me really how close and amazing the thinga were learning and made me want to learn more. I cannot wait to take more math and calculus class because of him. I just wish i could have him again for my higher level classes she he was so informative. He is my favorite teacher by far! I failed this class during the year with my horrible professor and did not know anythig. However I reallu enjoyed this class. This is actually my favorite class i have taken so far because of the teacher and how he displayed and taught the information.

Patrick Devlin should teach more math classes, because he is the best math instructor I have had in the university by a long shot : )

I don't think there really is anything else i could say. Its been a great summer session having Pat as my Calc 2 instructor. I wish Pat could teach my Calc 3 class in the fall, but sadly I do not go to Rutgers. He should really come out to State College some time, maybe teach at a certain university :). I know he is going to be a great instructor, no matter what course he is assigned to.

The manner in which the material was presented was engaging along with the course itself. Ironically, the group work encouraged independent learning with the help of peers. (Which is a good thing)

Just keep doing what you're doing Pat! I want to write more, but there's just too much to say.

Nappa: "Vegeta what does the scouter say abouy his rating level ?!" Vegeta : "Its Over 9000!!!!!!!!!" P.s So was my tardiness level :( im.sorry u the best professor i had in rutgers and i.couldnt make it to your class all the time. pray for me :)

Pat, you da best.