TABLE 4.

Coding rubric for survey question 2: Please describe the easiest class you have ever taken at college. What made it so easy?

Category	Definition
Strong preparation and interest	Student has strengths in this content area, is interested in the course, and/or has prior course work/learning in this area that leaves the student feeling prepared for the course.
Low/manageable workload	Easy courses have low student workload expectations, or there are “reasonable” workload expectations (e.g., “not too many big projects”).
Course content is “logical”	Course material is “commonsense” or course content seems “logical” to students.
Clear alignment	Expectations for what is important are clear; class content and exams are well matched.
High support	Faculty help, listen, and provide support (e.g., peers) for studying; active-learning strategies are employed; feedback is provided.
Low cognitive demand	Material/content is fact based, requiring memorization or simple comprehension. Critical thinking and higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy are absent.