Course Description:
CS 100: Introduction to Computing through Applications
Using personal computers as effective problem solving tools for the present and the future. Effective use of spreadsheets to process, manipulate, and visualize numeric and textual information. Introduction to the Internet, World Wide Web, HTML, and XML. Algorithms underlying the functional components of web search engines and their influence on data access. Using wikis to publish, reshape, and organize data collaboratively.
Dave's Comments:
Teaching Evaluations:
Number of Respondents: 45 / 188 (24%)
| The learning outcomes for this course were clearly identified. |
| Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree |
| 1 | | 6 | 19 | 17 |
| 2% | | 14% | 44% | 40% |
| The course materials and activities helped me to understand the course concepts. |
| Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree |
| 1 | | 3 | 25 | 16 |
| 2% | | 7% | 56% | 36% |
| The course introduced an appropriate amount of new material. |
| Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree |
| 1 | 1 | 2 | 23 | 18 |
| 2% | 2% | 4% | 51% | 40% |
| The course content was well-organized and clearly explained. |
| Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree |
| 1 | 1 | 5 | 18 | 20 |
| 2% | 2% | 11% | 40% | 44% |
| The intended learning outcomes were assessed through my graded work. |
| Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree |
| 2 | 3 | 19 | 20 |
| 5% | 7% | 43% | 45% |
| The assessments contributed to my learning. |
| Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree | No Basis for Rating |
| | 4 | 18 | 22 | |
| | 9% | 41% | 50% | |
| The way in which the course material prepared me for the assessments was fair and appropriate. |
| Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree |
| 4 | 9 | 19 | 13 |
| 9% | 20% | 42% | 29% |
| Feedback on assessments was provided within a reasonable timeframe. |
| Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree |
| 1 | 1 | 7 | 22 | 14 |
| 2% | 2% | 16% | 49% | 31% |
| Feedback on assessments contributed to my learning. |
| Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree |
| 1 | 10 | 15 | 17 |
| 2% | 23% | 35% | 40% |
| The course environment was supportive and helped me to learn. |
| Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree |
| | 11 | 20 | 12 |
| | 26% | 47% | 28% |
| The course personnel were helpful to students seeking assistance. |
| Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree |
| | 12 | 14 | 15 |
| | 29% | 34% | 37% |
| My interest in this topic was stimulated by this course. |
| Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree |
| | 10 | 18 | 17 |
| | 22% | 40% | 38% |
| The course material and course personnel encouraged me to be engaged with the course. |
| Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree |
| 2 | 12 | 14 | 13 |
| 5% | 29% | 34% | 32% |
| On average, how many hours per week did I spend on this course? |
| 0 to 5 | 5 to 10 | 10 to 15 | 15 20 | > 20 |
| 14 | 19 | 9 | 2 | |
| 32% | 43% | 20% | 5% | |
| The course materials and activities helped me to understand the course concepts. |
- [Agree] As this was an introductory course most likely intended for non CS majors, the concepts within the first three modules were slightly more difficult to understand as everything was simplified using analogies (I personally did not find the analogies too helpful).
- [Agree] It was kind of weird that some modules had videos, while others were strictly readings of the text.
- [Agree] The assignments helped me understand course concepts more, especially in the excel and HTML units because we had to apply what we learned to generate the results.
| The course content was well-organized and clearly explained. |
- [Agree] See above about my comments about the first three modules.
| The way in which the course material prepared me for the assessments was fair and appropriate. |
- [Neutral] I feel like midterm 2 was much more difficult than the assigned work and seemed a bit unreasonable
- [Neutral] I liked having pre-recorded lecture videos, but I wish there was some for the HTML unit because it would've been a lot more helpful in understanding how to use the codes. Also, some of the modules don't cover information that's asked in the assessments so I had to look up answers to questions instead of being able to look in my lecture notes.
- [Neutral] The second midterm was very difficult compared to what I was learning during the module.
| Feedback on assessments was provided within a reasonable timeframe. |
- [Agree] It would have been nice to have had received midterm 2 marks before the drop deadline. Maybe hire more ISAs to accomplish this?
| The course personnel were helpful to students seeking assistance. |
- [Strongly Agree] The TAs were very quick and helpful in responding to any questions I had on Microsoft teams as well as providing clarification.
Note: This is a complete list of comments I received, listed alphabetically to avoid bias.
| The most important thing I learned in this course was: |
- excel
- Excel and html/css
- Excel functions (Modules 4-6)
- Excel functions.
- Excel has a lot more functions than I expected and I was able to learn how to use the basic functions.
- Excel. I actually open up an Excel sheet for every little thing now lol
- Honestly I have been abusing the what-if analysis function on Excel since discovering it in this course! On a more serious note, I think the most important thing learned was understanding how computers and the internet work in general (which was one of the learning objectives of the course!).
- How to create a webpage using HTML
- how to use excel
- How to use excel efficiently even though I thought I knew all aspects of it
- How to use htnl/css
- How to utilize excel
- how to write html and css
- How webpages are created and designed
- HTML
- HTML
- HTML
- HTML/CSS as I did not know those languages before.
- I learned more about computer systems and a little big more on coding. Some great applicable skills I can use in my everyday life.
- Knowing how to code
- Most important thing I learned in this course was a lot of concepts behind the everyday things we use and how they work (HTML, websites, CSS, etc.)
- The use of excel spreadsheets
- Use of MS. excel
- very interesting basics, I will definitely take more CS electives in the future
| What helped me to learn in this course was: |
- Assignments
- Being able to apply what was learned in each module (by this I mean parts B and C of each assignment).
- Having the transcript along with the videos so that I could choose to either watch or read the module.
- How mono tone Prof Tompkins sounded in the videos and his terrible jokes (just kidding, I loved them)
- practicals
- some videos
- The assessments! As a hands-on learner, it was the assessments themselves that helped to further understand the content.
- the assignments
- The course material
- the lecture videos
- The module material.
- the modules
- the several detailed modules
- the videos and readings
- The way the lecture was structured.
- The weekly assignments really helped me learn the content as it allowed for me to be able to apply what I learn in a real life concept/manner
- the youtube videos with analogies that students understood truly help to fully understand the course concepts
- Thorough explanation in the course modules
- W3schools and lectures
- Well organized modules
| What changes, if any, would I suggest for this course? |
- don't include new material in assignments and midterms
- everything is perfect
- Give more instructions on the assignments and making midterm 2 more related to the course material
- Give more practice questions in preparation for midterm 2 in excel
- Have more consistency with how each module is taught. For example, every module should have videos.
- Having some practice modules would be great to help with the content that didn't have vidoes.
- I felt like it wasn't always clear what the Excel assignments/tests were looking for
- I felt the course materials did not fully prepare me for Midterm 2. I reviewed all assessments before Midterm 2 and felt as if I did not know a lot on the midterm. I wish some of the questions were a little closer to what we had learned in class.
- I would suggest the professor create some lecture recordings for the HTML unit to show him using the codes as an example, similar to how he recorded the lectures for the excel unit where he provided examples of him using the different functions.
- Maybe include some additional content? This course was well taught and made some complex language really simple and easier to understand. Which made it interesting and left me wanting to learn more. :)
- Midterm timings and clarity in instructions for midterm
- more detailed explanation about excel material in videos
- more excel examples- take it slow
- N/A
- N/A - It was interesting and practical.
- No more midterms, those were hard and a little stressful.
- None great job !
- nothing :) its is such a structured course and would recommend it to all for future
- Stop rick rolling people >:(
- The only change I would make is by combining the multiple choice quiz and the short answer quiz into one quiz so that the work load is a bit less because sometimes the third part/assignment would take a lot of time to complete (reduce some work load).