Rutgers University Student Instructional Rating
(Online Survey)
Devlin Patrick
Spring 2014, 01:640:251:07 — Multivariable Calc (index #30730)
Enrollment= 28, Responses= 22

Part A: University-wide Questions:
Student Responses Weighted Means
Strong
Disagree
1
Strong
Agree
5
No response
 
Section Course Level Dept
1. The instructor was prepared for class and presented the material in an organized manner 0 1 3 4 14 0 4.41 4.31 4.30 4.33
2. The instructor responded effectively to student comments and questions 0 0 1 1 20 0 4.86 4.33 4.23 4.26
3. The instructor generated interest in the course material 0 0 0 0 22 0 5.00 4.18 4.02 4.09
4. The instructor had a positive attitude toward assisting all students in understanding course material 0 0 0 1 21 0 4.95 4.41 4.37 4.38
5. The instructor assigned grades fairly 0 0 1 3 18 0 4.77 4.27 4.20 4.23
6. The instructional methods encouraged student learning 0 0 0 5 17 0 4.77 4.07 3.97 4.03
7. I learned a great deal in this course 0 0 2 7 13 0 4.50 4.15 4.09 4.07
8. I had a strong prior interest in the subject matter and wanted to take this course 0 0 4 5 12 1 4.38 3.95 3.83 3.54
 PoorExcellent 
9. I rate the teaching effectiveness of the instructor as 0 0 1 3 18 0 4.77 4.13 4.04 4.06
10. I rate the overall quality of the course as 0 0 4 5 13 0 4.41 4.05 3.96 3.93

What do you like best about this course?:

Pat may have been the best (most practical, most relatable) TA I've ever had. I was taught to try and always visualize things; memorizing some formula or method of solving a problem isn't as beneficial as understanding the problem itself. I also really liked spending the full time during recitation to go over the concepts discussed each week; being given some quiz or some workshop (in my opinion) is detrimental to the student understanding the material, and emphasis should be placed mostly on reviewing the material.

he keeps the class alive

Interesting...

Connections made to real-world applications made it easier to understand the material.

The TA was very energetic and always encouraged learning the material

Patrick was very enthusiastic about teaching

Angry Birds!

I'm not sure what I really like about the course material. However, I definitely did not enjoy cylindrical coordinates.

Pat's enthusiasm

The TA was very excited about what he taught and it really helped me understand.

Pat always applied what we were learning to the real world and always held my interest in the subject. I learned so much from him!

Pat is an excellent instructor. He not only knew his stuff really really well, but he taught it to us in a fun, interesting way. It was unlike any other class I had ever taken. He actively and successfully generated interest in the material while effectively teaching it to his students. Excellent job.

He was very funny. He was always enthusiastic to teach us. I learned more from him than the instructor.

The practical applications taught in calculus.

I like the material

Pat was one of the best TA's I have ever had. His enthusiasm never ended and that made the class even much more enjoyable.

It's calculus, what's not to like? The birds made the recitation though.

PAT YOU DA BEST ♥♥♥

Pat Devlin, hands down. He makes everything magnitudes easier and takes extreme care in handling all the students evenly.

The recitations were helpful and encouraged learning


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

Have questions prepared to ask the class instead of letting the questions asked by the class guide your teaching.

Because of Pat's unique teaching style, I was able to look at the educational process in a whole new way. There's nothing I would do to change the teaching style; if it wasn't for Pat, I may have not understood what I was learning as effectively.

have more problems done in class

Get rid of maple labs

I would not.

If I were teaching this course, I would assign the homework on a weekly basis rather than individually after each lecture. This way, students could get all of the homework completed in one shot rather than in chunks.

Nothing.

Review some material instead of just answering specific homework questions

Instead of reinforcing what we learned in lecture, the TA just asked if we had any questions and since we turned our homework in the beginning of class, I wouldn't really remember. I would give a brief summary of the lecture in the beginning of recitation if I were teaching the course.

I would more prepared with problems to do rather than just let students choose the problems. I would mix the two (teacher and student problems).

Write clearer and in steps when solving problems. Do practice problems that are important.

Maybe more lectures a week, because the course goes to fast each lecture

No maple labs.

Come with examples that you think are important for us to know for the sake of math or the exam.

Absolutely nothing.

I would probably move slightly faster through recitation review, and repeat different problems of the same material if anyone had issues. The minutia of Pat's explanations is where the true detail lies, however sometimes he expounded a few too many times on the small stuff.

I would be a little more organized so that my students could see what was happening easier


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

He made math exciting and actually have meaning instead of it just being "plugging and chugging."

none

Told us to "think about it", which most of the time works. Asked us questions about math related things and logical puzzles.

By making the concepts more fun and able to relate to, I can remember formulas more easily.

The TA always encouraged learning the material and was always enthusiastic.

Angry Birds!

Pat made the class interesting.

Encouraged me to look at problems in a more simplified and logical manner

He was extremely passionate and had a good grasp of the material, so I was interested in hearing his input about the topics and his way of memorizing certain things.

Again, Pat generated a lot of interest in the course material.

He made me understand math as how it relates to the real world. Instead of memorizing pointless steps.

Makes me see things logically maybe

Encouraged me not to just memorize formulas but to think about why it makes sense and if I forget it, I can just logic it out on exams.

See part 11, Pat you had more energy then any teacher I've seen. And you are passionate about math. I love that you tie the concepts to real world so we understand why we learn things, instead of it just being a wall of numbers. You Definitely broke the mold bro.

Pat pushed me much further and more consistently than any teacher or professor I have had previously. He secured my interest in mathematics. Period.

He related the material to the real-world and showed where it could be applied


Other comments or suggestions::

none

Great teacher! Explained things and related math to real life situations so that everyone could understand. Also made the class enjoyable with angry birds. Funny, smart, and understandable, this instructor is the best I've had in Rutgers so far. You should give him a raise or give him his own lecture for Calc 3. Many students would benefit.

Angry Birds!

Pat is the best.

More classes and practice. Go a little slower each class

Loved the enthusiasm for math and teaching. Class was always interesting.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Keep teaching Pat!!!