Evaluations

The following are selected comments from my students. I have chosen those that best represent the majority of comments, as well as those that demonstrate my goals as a teacher and indicate areas for improvement.

100% of students Agreed or Strongly Agreed that:

• My instructor is enthusiastic about teaching this course
• My instructor is knowledgeable on course topics
• My instructor is well prepared for class meetings

Selected comments

• Rebecca knows her material, is enthusiastic, speaks French better than any other Américaine I have ever known, and is always available and able and eager to answer questions.
• She has such a positive attitude and I really enjoyed being in her class.
• She is enthusiastic and cares whether the students understand the subject matter. She is willing to explain any questions on the material and makes class fun!
• I liked that she can tell you exactly how to form each sound.
• The instructor was passionate about the material and excited to share her knowledge with us.
• Rebecca=Awesome. She is enthusiastic and knowledgeable and leads class with integrity and poise. She is very helpful with both class-related and not class-related material.
• I liked the enthusiasm of the instructor and the way she took time to get to know students. I also liked how relaxed she made the class, which made me feel comfortable to participate.
• Wow, I have never had such an energetic, fun, enlightening instructor. She’s committed to excellence in a remarkable way. This has been both a valuable learning experience that will benefit me as I continue with French, and a bar by which to judge instructors I encounter in the future.

Areas for improvement

Comments about dislikes in the course centered around three topics: the textbook, the Friday labs, and the group projects. Many students stopped doing the assigned readings later in the semester; if I taught this course again, I would consider giving little quizzes on the day’s chapter or assigning study questions to guide them at home. Students found the Friday labs boring, but as their instructor listening to them, I found that the labs did help them improve. Sometimes attitudes can be changed just by working a little harder to “sell” students on an idea – I would try to point this out more often, and earlier. Finally, the projects, although fun and creative, were time-consuming and did require coordinating busy schedules among members. In the future, I would consider cutting one project and placing more emphasis on individual work.