| Helped understand the course material better |
61 |
| Made the class more personal |
19 |
| Make the class more enjoyable or engaging |
15 |
| Encouraged them to study the material better |
10 |
| Improved their grade |
5 |
| Were in a bad/dysfunctional group |
28 |
| Didn't like random assignment to groups |
14 |
| Groups activities didn't help |
13 |
| Don't like peer evaluations |
10 |
| Disapprove of group work |
5 |
| Groups don't work in large classes |
1 |
| Examples of favorable comments |
…with a class this size, the groups are a MUST. At first I was a little apprehensive about being in a group since I'm usually a very independent worker, but it turned out to be great. For such a big class, it ended up being one of the most personal I've had of that size. I think that having the group tests is a good idea. It encouraged me to study more for the class out of a desire to not let my group down. Group testing is definitely a plus. I believe that during group tests or discussion that if you don't understand a concept too well that hearing the explanation comes from another group member might help you to understand it better than if it came from the teacher or the book. Plus fellow students tend to be less intimidating when it comes to asking questions. I really enjoyed the group set up. I have never been in a class like this before, but I found that it really helped me understand what I was confused about because, in a group setting, your classmates know you better and know what you struggle with and what your strengths are. The groups also made the class more fun because I was put in a situation to make new friends. This was one of my favorite classes because we were able to be so involved in lecture. Normally it is just the instructor at the front of the room talking the entire time, but with activities and the clickers students were able to participate in class and relate the material to real life situations. |
| Examples of unfavorable comments |
I don't like the group evaluation idea—several people in my group participated as little as humanly possible, even skipping tests, and I fear that next week they will give me a low evaluation score out of mere spite; they weren't even in class to see my contributions. I didn't like the group thing because since they were randomly assigned, I happened to have a group in which none of us really understood any of the material, whereas a friend of mine was in a group with a couple of people who were brilliant at biology. It's random, but it's only beneficial for some people. I think the group tests were not all that beneficial to my overall comprehension of the course material. I feel those people who knew the answers consistently knew them for each test and just told the rest of the group what those were instead of more of a collaborative group effort. As for the student evaluations, I think they could be done without. I personally don't like the idea of having another person determining my grade. |
