fall 2014 - course evaluations

Fall 2014 CRS 225: Public Advocacy Section .002: W/F, 8:25-9:20AM | 22 Students Section .004: T/Th, 8:00-8:55AM | 21 Students Section .006: W/F, 10:35-11:30AM | 22 Students Role: Teaching Assistant, Lynn Greenky

Summary Instructor Rating: 4.72 out of 5.0

Based on the statement, Overall, I rate this instructor as an excellent teacher. 1=low | 5=high

CRS 225.002: Public Advocacy

CRS Instructor Dionne,Terrell Jake, 28511, CRS225, Section - M002

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY Department: Communication & Rhetorical Studies - VPATerm: Fall 2014Form: Department of Communication and Rhetorical StudiesInstructor: Dionne,Terrell JakeClass: CRS225 Section M002 (Public Advocacy)Responses: 19 Enrollment: 22 Response Rate: 86.4%

Reason for taking the course:

Core req. CRS 225 recitation is required with lecture. It was a requirement for my major. It was part of my requirement for the CRS major Learn how to advocate Major Major requirement/interest in the field. Mandatory for major Mandotary (2) required required by major (2) Required for major REQUIREMENT This was to fill one of my required classes for my major. To have an understanding of how to advocate a message into the real world. was assigned Was part of my requirement in the CRS major.

Produced by The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment - 12/18/2014


2. Your estimated grade in this course: N %A 11 57.9%B 8 42.1%C 0 0.0%D 0 0.0%F 0 0.0%Total 19

3. Classes missed during the semester: N %0 2 10.5%1-2 13 68.4%3-4 3 15.8%5-6 1 5.3%7 or more 0 0.0%Total 19

4. Estimate the approximate number of hours per week that you spent outside of class studying and preparing for the course: N %0-2 5 26.3%3-4 11 57.9%5-6 3 15.8%7-8 0 0.0%More than 8 0 0.0%Total 19



1Strongly Disagree

2Disagree

3Neutral

4Agree

5Strongly Agree Summary Stats

N % N % N % N % N % N Mean StD5. I sought assistance when needed. 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 1 5.3% 11 57.9% 7 36.8% 19 4.32 0.58



1Strongly Disagree

2Disagree

3Neutral

4Agree


N % N % N % N % N % N Mean StD6. The objectives of the course were clearly specified in

the syllabus. 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 1 5.3% 9 47.4% 9 47.4% 19 4.42 0.61

7. The objectives of the course were met. 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 1 5.3% 10 52.6% 8 42.1% 19 4.37 0.608. I gained an understanding of concepts/principles in

the field. 0 0.0% 1 5.3% 0 0.0% 9 47.4% 9 47.4% 19 4.37 0.76

9. I learned to apply principles from this course to everyday life. 0 0.0% 1 5.3% 1 5.3% 8 42.1% 9 47.4% 19 4.32 0.82

10. The course content provided intellectual challenge. 0 0.0% 1 5.3% 1 5.3% 13 68.4% 4 21.0% 19 4.05 0.7111. I learned from the contributions of other students in

the course. 0 0.0% 1 5.3% 4 21.0% 8 42.1% 6 31.6% 19 4.00 0.88



1Strongly Disagree

2Disagree

3Neutral

4Agree


N % N % N % N % N % N Mean StD12. The instructor's feedback on returned assignments

was helpful. 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 1 5.3% 6 31.6% 12 63.2% 19 4.58 0.61

13. The instructor encouraged students' perspectives and ideas. 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 6 31.6% 13 68.4% 19 4.68 0.48

14. The instructor offered challenging viewpoints and/or perspectives. 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 2 10.5% 7 36.8% 10 52.6% 19 4.42 0.69

15. The instructor answered students' questions effectively. 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 7 36.8% 12 63.2% 19 4.63 0.50

16. The instructor reflected a willingness to help students who were having difficulty. 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 5 26.3% 14 73.7% 19 4.74 0.45

17. The instructor appeared to have a thorough knowledge of the subject. 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 4 21.0% 15 79.0% 19 4.79 0.42

18. The instructor seemed well prepared for each class. 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 5 26.3% 14 73.7% 19 4.74 0.4519. The instructor's teaching methods were helpful (e.g.,

lecture, discussion, etc.). 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 4 21.0% 15 79.0% 19 4.79 0.4220. Overall, I rate this instructor as an excellent teacher. 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 3 15.8% 16 84.2% 19 4.84 0.37



1Strongly Disagree

2Disagree

3Neutral

4Agree


N % N % N % N % N % N Mean StD21. The amount of work required was appropriate for the

course level. 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 1 5.3% 10 52.6% 8 42.1% 19 4.37 0.6022. The exams covered the important aspects of the

course. 0 0.0% 1 5.6% 4 22.2% 9 50.0% 4 22.2% 18 3.89 0.83

23. The readings made a valuable contribution to the course. 1 5.3% 1 5.3% 5 26.3% 7 36.8% 5 26.3% 19 3.74 1.10

24. The assignments were helpful in understanding the course material. 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 12 66.7% 6 33.3% 18 4.33 0.49

25. The grading system was clearly explained. 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 2 10.5% 9 47.4% 8 42.1% 19 4.32 0.6726. Overall, I rate this as an excellent course. 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 2 10.5% 8 42.1% 9 47.4% 19 4.37 0.68



What could you have done to improve your learning experience?

constructive criticism on graded coursework- slightly harder grading I could finish my assignments earlier. I could have contributed more in class. I could have managed my times better, I got late to a few classes, and rushed many of my projects not able to give my best efforts due to

time. I could have read more of the materials that were assigned to us. I could have spent more time preparing for lecture. I could have went to office hours to discuss any questions I may of had. Just more diving into the topics and going deeper into all of the information My attendance was a bit off with two unexcused absences and 1 excused. I also could have reached out to classmates to better my

understanding of course concepts. N/A nothing, i feel that i have learned a lot from the course participate in discussions more. participated more in class reach out to the teacher more for assistance Review To improve my learning experience I could have attended office hours with my TA to better understand course concepts. Work in group to help each other on our presentations.



What do you understand as the course outcomes? How successfully were they met?

I believe that I have learned a lot about public advocacy and its importance in our society and in academics. Over all a very successful semester with this course.

I believe that this course teaches students to speak more efficiently in public and to advocate certain ideas or issues. I believe this course did an excellent job with this.

I gained general knowledge of communication and rhetoric, as well as learned more about presentational speaking and persuasion. My TA successfully met all aspects of the courses expected outcomes and I will leave this course with a firm understanding of the course

material. N/A Super good the class outcomes have been successful as i learned my capacities and limits of presentation skills. The course outcomes are to be more confident with expressing your opinion and how to go about doing so. They were successfully met

with the assignments distributed throughout the semester. The course taught me things that are far from my major and I learned many new things about advocacy and campaigns and how to convey

a message. The course was intended to teach the art of persuasion, and proper rhetorical analysis. Though the projects and lectures, I effectively

learned and grasped these concepts. The course was to help us better understand the meaning of communication and it was successfully met by us being assigned projects

that helped us better understand what the course was all about. The idea of communication and the ways it changes will talking about a different topic or idea. I thought most of the topics were covered

and explained. The outcome of the course was to be able to successfully advocate a message by means of speeches and hybrid texts. This outcome was

met successfully.




To see how media frames something tomato us feel a certain way, sure. to understand and apply the rhetoric behind public advocacy to both analyze and create public advocacy messages. fairly successful,

acquired a greater understanding. to understand rhetoric in communication better through framing, visuals, different mediums, and speeches. I thought it was successfully

met.



What do you consider to be the strengths and weaknesses regarding the course?

I believe that one huge strength is that there was a lot of repetition to really drill in the core concepts. One weakness is that sometimes we focus too much into insignificant things, this rarely happened but everyone and a while it was a fixation on small unimportant things

I found the course to be really interesting, it was one of my favorite courses, but i do think they could've given clearer guidelines with the rules of projects.

Love this TA so much!!!!! Always giving me support My strengths were being able to follow instructions on the projects because they were clear. My weaknesses is that I need to work on my

advocacy skills in the real world because I am not good at it. N/A Strength is the availability of recitation note online, recitation notes are better than the lecture notes. strength: recitation twice a week with a knowledgable ta weakness: readings were not always tied into the course's lectures and recitation,

making some seem less important/applicable as others The course inspired creativity and the input of the students' opinions and ideas. The course used videos and other visual aids to effectively

help students understand concepts and keep the course fun. The course could do a little better with integrating the readings more into the lectures and recitations.

the strenghs were working on our presentations in class, all the answered and help gave by the T.A. The strengths are definitely the projects we get assigned. The strengths of this course are recitations are extremely helpful for understanding lecture and there are many resources to succeed. A

weakness of this course is that there is only one lecture per week. The strengths of this course is the interaction between students and teacher, and skills attained by getting peer feedback. The weaknesses

are we don't spend as much time reviewing what we learned in lecture.




The TA was enthusiastic about the class and I enjoyed learning and attending recitation. He also did a great job of inviting class participation as well as clarifying ideas gone over in lecture. The weakness was the grading. Sometimes I felt that he graded some speeches easily.

The terms and information for all the classes. the lack of depth on all of the topics in the powerpoints There are no apparent weaknesses in this course. This course need to focus more on the concepts presented throughout the course. This course helps students become better public

speakers and how to advocate.





crs I needed it for my major. I needed it to finish my core! I took the course in order to enhance my communication skills It was required for my major. mandatory required (4) Required Required for major required for major Required for my major Requirement Requirement for major to learn how to communicate better with others and see different perspectives from other people.



1Strongly Disagree

2Disagree

3Neutral

4Agree





1Strongly Disagree

2Disagree

3Neutral

4Agree



the syllabus. 1 5.6% 0 0.0% 1 5.6% 5 27.8% 11 61.1% 18 4.39 1.04


the field. 1 5.6% 0 0.0% 2 11.1% 6 33.3% 9 50.0% 18 4.22 1.06



the course. 1 5.6% 1 5.6% 4 22.2% 5 27.8% 7 38.9% 18 3.89 1.18



1Strongly Disagree

2Disagree

3Neutral

4Agree



was helpful. 1 5.6% 0 0.0% 1 5.6% 4 22.2% 12 66.7% 18 4.44 1.04










1Strongly Disagree

2Disagree

3Neutral

4Agree




course. 1 5.6% 1 5.6% 2 11.1% 9 50.0% 5 27.8% 18 3.89 1.08







Ask more question and be more involved in class discussion come to more office hours I would have put a little more time into reading the books. none notes (3) Nothing Nothing I really enjoyed and learned a lot from my TA Jake! Nothing really nothing really, i loved this course Read more study taken more time to prepare for my speeches The discussion being at 8 am was hard. I would have been more awake and ready to listen if it was at a different time. To improve my learning experience I could have asked more questions and stay a few minutes after class to clear up my confusion. To improve my learning experience, I achieved my maximum potential in making sure I perfected the assignments. Took some more time to study.




A better understanding of how to advocate for social issues. They were met well. As understand what is means to be a public advocate. They were met very successfully. By both Greenky and Jake teaching the material throughly How to communicate effectively through all mediums, it was successfully met! I feel that my communication skills and ability to speak in front of an audience really improved. Overall, Jake is an extremely amazing

teacher. He made waking up at 8 a.m. as enjoyable as possible. I am really hoping that Jake will be teaching other courses in the upcoming semesters!

I found this course met all requirements because in the beginning it was stated that I would have a strong basic understanding of rhetoric and I do

i learned more than i can imagine and know how to talk better with people. i learned not only how to public speak, but the structures and reasons behind the speaking. none successful the course outcomes were to be able to present information to the public whether it be persuasive or informative. I feel like the course

really helped me apply these skills in my everyday life and be an effective communicator. This course fulfilled every need for public speaking To learn better public speaking, yes Understanding public advocacy and learning how to advocate for your said whether it be through speech or text. Yes, I think it was

successfully met.




I consider the strengths to be the discussion we had durning recitation and the power points and videos we watched. I don't think there are any weekness'.

I feel as if the strength of the course is how it relates to everyday life but, I also find it a weakness because one can be easily distracted by the topics of everyday occurrences instead of the underlining message we are meant to see and understand.

I feel like my strength come more in the context/ writing side of presentation, however, I struggled with presentations in front of the class i think the weakness was that there wasnt always a lot to do and it was annoying to get here and be dismissed early. maybe only need 1

recitation a week not two Jake was an amazing TA. He is probably the biggest strength of the course. He clearly understood the material and made it relatively fun

coming to an 8 am class. The weakness would be that I had to buy the text book when it was not entirely necessary. my strengths are hearing people out weaknesses are agreeing with certain answers My strengths were picking a good topic to discuss for each project. My weakness was public speaking. none notes strength was having a small class part from lecture Strengths- easy syllabus to understand, dates of assignments clearly written Weaknesses- response ware was difficult at first to use The projects were long and spaced out very closely but jake helped a lot The strengths of the course were the assigned projects. There weren't any weaknesses




The way jake made everything so relevant, he was one of the best TA's i've ever had and i learned a lot from him. Very great TA and made learning interesting and enjoyable You need to be very proactive and aware of the upcoming assignments. Along with that, it is important to put a lot of effort and creativity in

each assignment.





because i was required CRS major requirement CRS opens up doors to a lot of different fields. I am interested in becoming a better speaker and learning how to use better methods in rhetoric. interested in public relations and marketing, so making campaigns Interesting It was a major requirement. It was a needed course in my major It was a requirement for my major. It was required for my major and it seemed interesting major Mandatory with the lecture (2) Required Required for CRS major Required Recitation for CRS 225 Required. Requirement for CRS major. Seems interesting very goodnice prefect guy love u so much



1Strongly Disagree

2Disagree

3Neutral

4Agree





1Strongly Disagree

2Disagree

3Neutral

4Agree



the syllabus. 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 10 47.6% 11 52.4% 21 4.52 0.51


the field. 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 10 47.6% 11 52.4% 21 4.52 0.51



the course. 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 3 14.3% 12 57.1% 6 28.6% 21 4.14 0.65



1Strongly Disagree

2Disagree

3Neutral

4Agree



was helpful. 1 4.8% 0 0.0% 1 4.8% 3 14.3% 16 76.2% 21 4.57 0.98










1Strongly Disagree

2Disagree

3Neutral

4Agree




course. 1 4.8% 0 0.0% 3 14.3% 7 33.3% 10 47.6% 21 4.19 1.03







completely every homework Honestly there is nothing that I would have done differently. I had a very successful learning experience, especially in this recitation with

Jake. I could have done more of the additional readings. I could have paid more attention to the readings I could have went to office hours for a little extra help and completed my assignments a little earlier to get feedback before submitting the

final versions of the assignments. Less powerpoints, more discussion more outside learning My learning experience was really great for this class so I don't think there is much to improve on my experience. N/a, Jake was excellent. Nothing at all. Nothing! Jake is an amazing teacher and I really enjoyed his class! Nothing. Jake really challenged us in a way that bettered our education of public advocacy in communications. Nothing. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Payed more attention, went to more classes practise make prefect Seek out personal assistance and using office hours more. Spent more hours studying for the course




Studied more.




Being able to understand how to advocate to certain audiences. Better at expressing one's opinion on a topic,and it it was comparably met successfully everything, my TA Jake teaches us everything How to create persuasive and informational speeches was my understanding of this course. They were successfully met. I understand how to accurately target my target audience. I also learned a great deal about fallacies and how to be persuasive in an

argumentative speech. They were all successfully met. I understand more about public advocacy in communications. The goals of the course were definitely met, thanks to Jake. Learn how to be persuasive N/A (same as lecture) Outcomes: to be able to advocate for several ongoing issues. I met most of them, I believe. The course objectives were to gain the skills in learning how to analyze and persuade an audience to best deliver your idea. This was

successfully met. The course successfully taught me how to more effectively give a speech/presentation. The course was ran well, I feel that we accomplished everything we set out to. the importance of the audience This course provides a time where our confusions can be cleared and the concepts can be explained more and in a more clear way. They

were successfully met. Jake was a good TA that helped me understand the things that I didn't really get during the lectures.




to be a better public speaker, improve rhetoric, through giving speeches to the class and doing assignments To learn and practice methods of rhetoric and become a better speaker. very good Wasn't that clear




Great TA, probably the best I've had in all of my classes for the semester. In terms of weaknesses, my textbooks were barely used. I enjoyed all the projects, but there could have been more class time to complete them so students could ask the TA for help if needed. I feel that the grading was not structure the way that is proper for college level courses. I did not understand why I received points off on an

assignment. I think that Jake did a good job with keeping the class entertaining and did well with explaining everything clearly. He was also there

whenever I needed help, so he really helped enforce what was taught in lecture and helped me complete each assignment to the best of my ability.

I think that the strengths of this course is that it helps us to analyze the worldly views of communication. I think that the weaknesses of this course is that it can be a little too broad and can make me confused with some things.

Jake was defiantly a strength, I would not have done so well if had I not been in his recitation. The weakness would be timing having a class and two recitations all back to back.

My strengths would be my willingness to want to come to this recitation and learn whatever Jake was teaching that day. It was a very fun, interesting and well taught recitation. My weaknesses regarding this recitation would probably be completing a required reading.

No weakness, my TA Jake is sooooo perfect, he is so generous and friendly and understand the language problems I met, I love him. I talk about the recitation class with friends in other recitation and found that Jake is the best. He trys to make everything clear and help us as much as he could...just love him

now feel more comfortable talking in front of people prefect but too much project Speeches really bring you out of your shell




strength= recitation weakness= lecture very repetitive, would have been fine if we just had recitation. Strengths: Looking at public advocacy through advertising was really interesting. Weaknesses: The readings. They did not contribute to my

success in the class. Strengths: very few assignments, straightforward curriculum Weaknesses: very few assignments (blessing and a curse), not much else The strength of this course was the teacher/student connection and how helpful the teacher was. No weaknesses The strengths are the topics of the course that are meant to bring in the audience. The weaknesses are the fact that it is a class and

students don't like class, at least I don't. You're great Jake! There were multiple strengths from this class. Jake has amazing energy and really gets the class involved. Everyone participates and the

class is always entertaining. I think there were no weaknesses. You learn how to present tactically and in a meaningful manner.


fall 2014 - course evaluations

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