Student Evaluation of Instructor Fall Semester 2009

 

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Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

Student Evaluation of Instructor

 

Course:

83595 ECON 4930 MATHEMATICAL ECONOMICS

Instructor:

Shelby D. Frost

Distribution:

Online

Enrollment:

19

Respondents:

18

Percentage:

94.7%

 

 

5 - Strongly Agree

 

 

 

 

1 - Strongly Disagree

 

 

 

 

0 - N/A

 

 

 

 

5

4

3

2

1

0

 

Inst

Sect

Crse

Dept

Coll

StdD

1.

The instructor followed the plan for the course as established in the syllabus.

10

4

1

0

1

0

 

4.4

4.4

4.4

4.3

4.3

1.1

 

2.

The instructor gave assignments relevant to the goals of this course.

9

4

1

2

0

0

 

4.3

4.3

4.3

4.2

4.3

1.1

 

3.

The instructor explained the course grading system clearly.

11

4

0

1

0

0

 

4.6

4.6

4.6

4.2

4.2

.8

 

4.

The instructor was willing and able to answer students' questions.

10

3

1

1

1

0

 

4.3

4.3

4.3

4.2

4.3

1.2

 

5.

The instructor was receptive to students' and others' opinions.

10

4

0

2

0

0

 

4.4

4.4

4.4

4.2

4.2

1

 

6.

I learned a lot in this course.

9

2

3

0

2

0

 

4

4

4

3.9

4

1.4

 

7.

The overall structuring and sequencing of topics in this course facilitated learning.

9

1

4

1

1

0

 

4

4

4

4

4

1.3

 

8.

Tests in this course required creative and original thinking beyond mere memorization of material.

6

3

4

2

1

0

 

3.7

3.7

3.7

4

4.1

1.3

 

9.

Test questions clearly related to course content.

10

1

4

0

1

0

 

4.2

4.2

4.2

4.2

4.2

1.2

 

10.

The instructor communicates effectively.

11

1

3

1

0

0

 

4.4

4.4

4.4

3.9

4

1

 

11.

The instructor was well prepared.

11

2

1

1

1

0

 

4.3

4.3

4.3

4.2

4.3

1.3

 

12.

The instructor demonstrated extensive knowledge of the subject.

10

2

2

1

1

0

 

4.2

4.2

4.2

4.3

4.4

1.3

 

13.

The instructor stimulated me to intellectual effort beyond that required by most courses.

9

2

1

2

2

0

 

3.9

3.9

3.9

3.9

4

1.5

 

14.

The instructor's teaching methods aid students in understanding the material.

9

2

3

1

1

0

 

4.1

4.1

4.1

3.8

3.9

1.3

 

15.

The instructor was accessible to students outside of class.

10

5

0

1

0

0

 

4.5

4.5

4.5

4.2

4.2

.8

 

16.

I am pleased with how much I learned in the course.

9

0

3

2

2

0

 

3.8

3.8

3.8

3.8

3.9

1.6

 

17.

I would recommend this instructor to anyone who is planning to take this course.

9

2

2

3

0

0

 

4.1

4.1

4.1

3.8

3.9

1.2

 

18.

All things considered, the instructor was very effective.

10

1

2

2

1

0

 

4.1

4.1

4.1

3.9

4

1.4

 

19.

Generally, how many hours per week did you spend outside of class preparing for class?

Total

%

 

 

0-2

3

21.4

 

 

3-4

6

42.9

 

 

4-8

3

21.4

 

 

9-14

1

7.1

 

 

15 or more

1

7.1

 

20.

What is your expected course grade?

Total

%

 

 

A

12

85.7

 

 

B

1

7.1

 

 

C

1

7.1

 

 

D

0

0

 

 

F

0

0

 

21.

What is your grade point average at GSU?

Total

%

 

 

3.75-4.00

5

38.5

 

 

3.50-3.74

3

23.1

 

 

3.00-3.49

3

23.1

 

 

2.5-2.99

1

7.7

 

 

below 2.5

1

7.7

 

22.

For undergraduates only, which best applies to you?

Total

%

 

 

freshman

0

0

 

 

sophomore

0

0

 

 

junior

4

30.8

 

 

senior

7

53.8

 

 

other

2

15.4

 

Course strengths.

1.

The course covered a lot of critical mathematical concepts for future economic use. The order in which the material was presented (which was slightly different than the text) contributed to a better learning process.

2.

Difficult math for people who probably don't take a lot of difficult math. Good primer for grad school.

Instructor strengths.

1.

Prof. Frost is really good at explaining some of the more complex areas of calculus in easy to understand terms. This greatly improved this course.

2.

Dr. Frost is extremely well versed in the subject matter and is great at teaching the material and relating to students.

3.

Dr. Frost did an awesome job again. She's very enthusiastic about this subject and that makes the course fun, even though the material is difficult.

4.

Dr. Frost is a math expert. She effectively communicates the more difficult material with concrete examples, to a degree I never expected. I would have struggled in this class much more without Dr. Frost as an instructor. The course material is tough, but she pulled us through.

Course weaknesses.

1.

The course covers a lot over the semester, but it would have been nice to cover more economic examples of the mathematic concepts, especially multi-variate optimization and non-linear programming. As the course is currently listed, with little math pre-requisite (Calculus is a pre-req as listed for the undergraduate listing of the course but not for the graduate listing) a lot of time in class was spent explaining the math in detail to individuals who hadn't had calculus before. It would be nice if the course had more stringent pre-requisite restrictions so that the math theory could be moved through a bit quicker and more time could be spent seeing how the theories apply to economics in practice.

2.

While the material is very useful, the class crams too much material (college algebra, single and multivariate calculus, and linear algebra) into one course. Students range in backgrounds from college algebra to calculus II and above, undergrads, grads, and professionals, and econ to math majors so we were all at different abilities in the class which made the environment a bit intimidating at times. The textbook was a very difficult read and was supplemented with handouts and other materials provided outside the class and in ULearn. I found myself consulting several other textbooks for assistance throughout the course.

3.

Considering the volume of material, and that econ majors are particularly interested in how it applies to problems in economics I would suggest upping the credit hours for the course and having a mandatory 1-2 hour math lab doing just econ problems with a TA.

4.

I feel this course needs to be split into two semesters. It would be nice to delve deeper into the economic applications for each of the math models we learned. I get the math, now I'd like more time to practice it and use it for my major.

Instructor weaknesses.

1.

Because of the time constraints of the course, Dr. Frost taught the material very quickly. This made the learning process very cumbersome for those who are not mathematically inclined or have not previously been exposed to the concepts covered in the course.

2.

Really, I have nothing here.

Course suggestions for improvement.

1.

As mentioned under course weaknesses. I think that creating a version of the class with higher math pre-requisites would allow "more interested" or "more advanced" students to learn more.

2.

Perhaps dividing the course into two sections will allow more time to absorb the material, practice with it, and truly learn how to adequately apply the material to economics. By the time the material was introduced in class and practice problems were completed, there was little or no time left to truly absorb the concepts and apply them to econ matters.

3.

Split the course into two semesters

Instructor suggestions for improvement.

1.

Given the time constraints and the vast amount of material covered in the course, I thought Dr. Frost did an exceptional job and therefore do not recommend any suggestions for improvement in her instructional methodology.

2.

Continue as you have

Comments on classroom environment (for example: temperature, audio/visual equipment, visibility, etc.).

1.

The classroom itself was fine. However, I would note as a first time GSU student I thought the General Classroom building inside was kind of drab and un-inviting. A clean-up of the paint and asthetics might make it a bit more inviting to students.

2.

The classroom was often warm/stuffy.

 

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