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University
of North Carolina School of Public Health
Department of Epidemiology
EPID600, Principles of Epidemiology for Public Health
Instructors: Victor J. Schoenbach, Lorraine K. Alexander
Student comments from EPID600
Fall 2006
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______________________________
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“I'm enjoying the course so far. it is well organized, so that
there is something to do every day for the course, if you are
organized, yet it is paced well enough that you don't have
to panic if you have to set it aside for a day or two.
one concept I am having trouble with is the difference between
total rates and crude rates. when you start taking fecundity
and cohort rates, I get even more loss. I think it is mostly
that I have trouble picking these concepts up by reading about
them. I am more of a visual/auditory learner.
thanks for the opportunity to comment.”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
09/07/2006)
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______________________________
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“Going well so far. I really like the evolving text, is there
a way to reference it more as supplemental reading?”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
09/07/2006)
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______________________________
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“Things so far have been a bit fragmented and difficult to understand.
I am completing all required readings and assignments, but
I am having a great deal of diifculity completing the case
studies. the required amount of work for this class is excessive.”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
09/08/2006)
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______________________________
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“I am definitely learning alot about public health and epidemiology.
my ta (ashley) has been helpful and very responsive.
case study ##2 confused me. I may need some help with questions
that were missed. I am going to review the answer sheet this”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
09/09/2006)
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______________________________
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“Thanks for asking - it's going pretty well. I am spending approx.
16-18 hours per week on the modules, but I think it's because
I haven't done school in a while and I needed to go back and
review the math concepts - btw thanks for including the math
review - extremely helpful. the case studies are more labor
intensive then I had originally thought they would be, but
I'm learning a lot - and that is why I'm doing this.”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
09/09/2006)
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______________________________
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“How do we get help with the questions for case study -
when do we get the feedback from our answers-”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
09/09/2006)
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______________________________
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“Things are going well. the subject is interesting - I have had
a little exposure, but not at the depth that we are at now.
I have not quite gotten my routine down pat, I am taking 3
courses via internet- so at times I feel that I am rushing
to keep up. in reality, I have met the deadlines as required.
the discussion forums are very interesting. I am in group one,
the group is very diverse in life experiences, education levels
and job experiences. it is interesting to see the questions
answered through many sets of "different eyes." I look forward
to the rest of the semester.”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
09/09/2006)
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______________________________
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“Okay - it is a bit frustrating navigating the web site and
trying to organize the reading material. participating in the
forums can be challenging while working full time, because
of the short suspensions.”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
09/09/2006)
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______________________________
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“It has been 2 years since I received my mph. although, I went
through a wonderful program, things are different once you
have worked in public health. the discussion forums have been
great, our ta is always available for questions and to keep
us on tract, and the readings generally have been excellent.
I was a little reluctant to go back to school, but this is
a good review for me. I look forward to the remaining classes.”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
09/11/2006)
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______________________________
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“This is my first time taking an on-line course and it is taking
some time getting use to it, but I certainly am learning a
lot.i am finding it very interesting in the virtual world of
internet postings. I have enjoyed each topic discussion and
enjoy reading feedback/comments from others.”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
09/11/2006)
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______________________________
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“I absolutely love this course. I think the pace is perfect,
the assignments are all relative, and it's obvious that you
all have put a lot of time and thought into it. I have taken
several online courses from another institution, and the difference
couldn't be greater. I appreciate the work you all do...thank
you so much!!!”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
09/12/2006)
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______________________________
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“Thank you for the preparation and making a lot of information
accessible. I haven't had any problems with the website, and
have enjoyed the lectures. my discussion group has been polite,
but not a lot of thoughtful discussion about epidemiology.
the case studies are helpful to test out our learning. looking
forward to the rest of the class!”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
09/13/2006)
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______________________________
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“I am very frustrated by this course. I feel that the instructions
are extremely difficult to follow (i'm not alone, many of my
group members are having similar difficulties), the timing
and due dates for the readings and assignments are ackward
and there is no "flow" to the course so far. the content
is easy, as I have had this all before at the doctoral level,
but the instructions are difficult. also, having a ta with
a poor command of written englich language is less than confidence-inspring.
lastly, having two webpages with differing information is incredibly
stupid. if blackboard alone is not adequate to provide the
needed information, then maybe the information isn't really
needed?? if there are to be two website, they need to have
the same information and be mirrors of each other. lastly,
the information available under the "syllabus" link for
this course is hardly a syllabus and needs serious improvement.”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
09/13/2006)
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______________________________
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“I've found that the abundance of material in so many different
formats is a little overwhelming. there is the public website,
the blackboard website, announcements, the discussion forum,
etc. the grades page does not appear to be working or perhaps
grades from our first 2 case studies have not been posted.
also, having more than one due date per week, one for the case
study and one for the discussion forum is more difficult than
having both available at the same time with a due date of the
end of the week for students to submit as they are able.”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
09/13/2006)
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______________________________
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“A little fast for me, but I am trying”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
09/16/2006)
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______________________________
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“I'm not sure how to fairly grade the facilitation because one
of the choices says "met with TA" and I don't know how I would
know about that. I also didn't know that it was required/requested
that we meet with the TA before the lab. Overall my group is
doing a nice job.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/09/29)
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______________________________
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“As we discussed, please include more relevant and applicable
examples during class (Vic time) (rather than so much theory
and irrelevant car examples). Keep it simple. theory is fine,
and I understand it helps, but we also need practical examples
to help us comprehend what we're doing in the case studies.
In the future, possibly even this semester, it would be helpful
to learn material before we are asked to answer questions about
it; case studies take WAY too much time when I have to teach
myself the information first. And I can assure you, no one
in our group feels as though they can just 'look' over the
questions prior to class; instead we all feel as though we
need to come in having spent a lot of time working with the
questions.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/09/27)
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______________________________
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“We have a great group that gets along well, and everyone comes
to lab prepared.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/09/27)
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______________________________
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“I agree with the comments you received before. It would be
very helpful if you could go over the more "technical" aspects
in lab - especially formulas - rather than the broad concepts.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/09/29)
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______________________________
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“We work extremely well as a group---although we didn't delineate
responsibilities, everyone took a particular role when it came
to keeping track of what was said and writing things down,
facilitating (although that transfers from person to person),
checking over answers, etc...”
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Ade,
BSBI student,
BIOB,
TA: Brettania
(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/09/29)
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______________________________
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“Excellent class! The structure is both engaging and applicable
to practical implementation of the material.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/09/29)
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______________________________
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“The class has been really worthwhile so far. It's a lot of
work, but the case studies make a huge difference in really
hammering home the concepts. I feel like I am learning a lot,
not only about epidemiology but about public health, from reading
the various case study articles. I know that I will look back
on this class and be glad -- glad when it is over because it's
so much work, but also glad to have done the work and learned
so much!!”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/09/30)
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______________________________
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“Our group has worked very well together. I feel that everyone
has done all the work and participated in class discussion
in a respectful manner.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/09/26)
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______________________________
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“I was right to not fill out an evaluation form for Willona,
correct? Thanks for all your hard work!”
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Kathryn,
BSPH student,
HPAA,
TA: Tania
(1st peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/09/27)
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______________________________
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“This has been an excellent class thus far. It is a lot of work,
but none of it is busy work. I'm learning alot about things
that apply directly to my work in public health. Has caused
me to think differently about studies I read and the numbers
that get bandied about. Two comments about the peer evaluations:
Although I read the evaluation criteria at the beginning of
the semester and even made myself a little chart to keep track
of who did what in discussion groups, I still had to reread
the discussions (which is OK), and still am feeling that I
may not have done my classmates justice in evaluating them.
I don't think that I over-rated anyone, but may have under-rated.
It might be good to advise students to set up a matrix at the
beginning of the semester to track discussion forum participation,
etc. On ##1 of the peer evaluation, "Participating in group
discussion forums", it would be nice to have a choice between
3 and 4 (not 6 choices, but maybe rearranging the choices?).
Some people participated in all the discussion forums, but
didn't make two, well-spaced contributions. They may have made
only one contribution or two on the same day in the same part
of the discussion. I ended up giving those people a 3, but
felt like they weren't getting credit for not having missed
any discussions. Thanks for an informative and challenging
class.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/10/01)
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______________________________
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“I think that we have a very interactive,diverse and energetic
discussion group. I am impressed with several members personal
international experiences and find them very interesting. I
enjoy EPID 600 and find it quite interesting.The exercises
are very challenging and sometimes I am frustrated. I think
sometimes that frustration comes from the concern over grades
especially when I have spent a good deal of time with problems
and wonder if I am just being dense. I have a heavier load
than previously, taking three internet classes this semester.
I have been in the MPH program long enough to have experienced
that if you work hard, complete the assignments and put forth
sufficient effort in the end it all comes together. While EPID
600 seems very intense, I know that I will have learned a lot
when it is all said and done. I have had two other classes
that I experienced the same feelings, Toxicology and Environmental
Health. I also felt these classes were challenging and at times
labor intensive, but after they ended, I realized that I had
truly learned from the classes, with that learning staying
with me allowing me to build on these experiences. As an older
student, approaching a significant age (no... it is past 30
and 40),I do value the experiences that I have had the privilage
to have experienced in the program. Over my years as a professional,
I have certainly known and worked for people who had college
creditals, but seemed to lack an indepth knowledge and professionalism
that should accompany those creditials. These are qualities
that I believe that I am acquiring in the program. Yes, I want
good grades, but I also understand the importance of aquiring
the knowledge to back up the grades along with being shaped
by the experiences and hard work of earning them. EPID 600
is one of the "shaping" classes, but I know that if I reach
out for direction, I will receive it.”
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Kathy,
MPH student,
PHNX,
TA: Ashley
(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/09/24)
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______________________________
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“This is a challenging course. However, it is good to know that
there are multiple correct answers for the case study problems.
This gives me hope that some of my responses have a chance at
being right! The instructors were telling the truth when saying
that it takes 10-12 hours to be successful in this course.”
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Corey,
CERT student,
PHCP,
TA: Ashley
(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/10/01)
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______________________________
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“I enjoy the pace of the course because it makes me take a look
at material most every night. As far as the instructor and
TA go, they are very helpful, and I appreciate that they are
quick to respond to questions and comments. I also like that
they realize online students have other things going on in
life besides class and are accomodating to those situations.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/09/25)
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______________________________
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“The course has been very good, I do have trouble at times keeping
assignments straight. However, I am very impressed with the
overall work that has gone into making this a great course.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/09/28)
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______________________________
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“I have thoroughly enjoyed EPID 600 thus far, and already have
gained an increased ability to interpret study protocols and
journal articles in my daily work! Although I am taking this
course towards a certificate (and hopefully one day towards
a MPH), I am finding the course material very interesting and
applicable to real life work.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/09/28)
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______________________________
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“Epid 600 is the first online course I have ever taken and I
am enjoying the experience. The lectures are quite interesting
and the case studies and group discussion questions force us
to think....which I guess is the whole point of this course.
It is difficult to evaluate someone on the basis of a couple
of group discusssion forums. Hopefully I will be better at
it the next time around. I have tried to give an honest evaluation
of my peers to the best of my capability. I”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/09/25)
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______________________________
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“I'm not sure that the change in textbooks is a good one. The
text changed, but the lectures and questions didn't change,
thus, the text is "off" from the lecture series. I find the
text, lectures, and questions disjointed and not closely related.
If I did not already know much of the material, I would be
lost, as some of the class members obviously are. On the other
hand, I do like the questions (if the text-lectures would follow
them) as well as enjoy the case study articles. Finally, I'm
not sure that I fully understand the point of students grading
students - surely if there is an issue with a student not working
well with others, the faculty would be the best judge?”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/09/27)
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______________________________
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“I am loving this class! The discussion forums are thought provoking
and interesting. The new addition of the case study discussion/
Q&A forum is a great addition. I can't wait for the rest of
the semester.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/09/30)
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______________________________
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“This course makes you appreciate nonverbal communication. I
am enjoying the content, and the challenging assignments, but
miss the visual and auditory cues that come with reading body
language,facial expressions, and inflection of voices.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/10/01)
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______________________________
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“This course is a LOT of work, but I'm really enjoying it and
learning so much. I FINALLY understand the difference between
incidence and prevalence - - something that's confused me for
years!”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/09/26)
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______________________________
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“I am a little concerned about my personal peer evaluation,
since I started internet course late and took a bit to get
everything figured out. I am hoping this is taken into account.
Once I got the hang of it, I didn't want to make irrelevant/unecessary
emails. I feel at times this might be the case for some folks,
although I am aware that is important to communicate with internet
group, sometimes it goes a little overboard and much time is
spent reading everyone's chatty emails that aren't relevant
to coursework. but overall, I do enjoy the internet course!
thanks, Leah”
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Leah,
UNK student,
UNDC,
TA: Hoa
(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/09/30)
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______________________________
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“Interesting course; concerns I have are not being able to preview
msgs on discussion forum (like I do in my email acct); takes
too long to view all the comments and I get bumped (especially
when I'm on the road) out of the forum;”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/10/01)
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______________________________
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“This is a very challenging course...EXACTLY what I need in
my new role as our Department's Asst Health Director.”
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Chris,
CERT student,
PHCP,
TA: Hoa
(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/09/26)
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______________________________
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“You guys are doing great. Keep up the good work -- this has
been a great class so far and I'm looking forward to learning
more in it.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/09/29)
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______________________________
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“This is a great course. I'm really enjoying it, and hope that
you take with a grain of salt my personal eval of my performance,
meant with a bit of satire as I am uncomfortable rating my
peers. Isn't that the TA or instructor's responsibility? Truly,
this is the first type of class that I'v been asked to rate
my peers. I'd appreciate your feedback on my perceptions and
position.”
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Doug,
CERT student,
PHCP,
TA: Margaret
(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/09/24)
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______________________________
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“I appreciate the thought and careful attention to the assignments.
I would not be able to keep up except for the well organised
weekly expectations. The problems take hours, but once they
are done, I feel that the material is better understood. I
also really appreciate the tenor of Dr. S's communications.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/09/24)
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______________________________
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“This class is challenging but really informative. So far I've
learned a lot. All the tools work nicely together to reinforce
the material.”
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Tanya,
CERT student,
PHCP,
TA: Ronna
(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/09/28)
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______________________________
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“I want to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed the discussion
group. Everyone has participated by posting comments regularly
throughout the time allotted. Everyone has made useful and
appropriate comments. = I think that the first two more general
discussions were the most interesting and produced the most
lively exchange of ideas. However, the last two discussions
of the sample test questions were useful, too, because they
served as a sort of group study for an exam that was helpful,
too.”
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(1st peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/09/26)
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______________________________
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“I feel lost most of the time. the case studies are very intense
and having discussion group assignments due at the same time
raises the level of difficulty. I am now in the process of
starting over at the beginning to see if I missed something.”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
09/26/2006)
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______________________________
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“There is a lot of information to read and assimilate (i also
have two other courses), but I have learned a lot. the course
requires a lot of thought and concentration - not bad things
as I have learned that courses such as statistics and similar
courses help deter the developement of alzheimers. I should
be good to go.
all joking aside, if I had to use one word to describe the
course it would be intense. I don't know that I realized the
importance of epidemiolgy in public health, but I certainly
recognize it now. I find the course interesting.
there is a lot of support and encouragement provided for which
I am very appreciative of. I believe that I am beginning to
have a good undertanding of the concepts. I have had nursing
research within the last 3 years and I have a greater understanding
of study designs, statistical data and confidence intervals
than I ever believed that I would have had.”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/13/2006)
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______________________________
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“I work hard to keep up, and really appreciate the effort that
is behind presenting the material in a weekly format that forces
one to keep up. I often find answers to my questions in a lecture
a little past where the question arose, but that is fine. I
felt that the group exam took too much time, I'm not sure why.
maybe an overly eager group? it had taken a while to get into
the rhythm of the class and to realise that most of the queations
are simpler than they appear at first glance. I don't have
any suggestions for inprovement yet..”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/15/2006)
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______________________________
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“I really love the course but I'm sure I would be doing 200%
better if I were sitting in your classroom. I need help with
many of the calculations and I really don't have anyone to
help me out. I finished by bs online in medical technology
and didn't spend nearly as much time working on course material.
this is a rude awakening to masters level work. I understand
most of the concepts but I need to see examples when I'm trying
to perform calculations. I plan to hang in there until the
end....and pray that god will continue to help me out because
there are many nights I have to stop and pray for help from
god. I know you all are there to help but, sometimes
I just don't know to ask the question.”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/16/2006)
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______________________________
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“The course is very informative. it has provided some great
information on confidence intervals and p-values. I think I
explained it to my wife last night!! each and every module
challenges me.
this is alot of info. to absorb over a semester which can be
discouraging at times.”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/17/2006)
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______________________________
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“I am finding it difficult to absorb all the mnaterial I am
reading since I no sooner read the information then immediatley
need to apply the concepts to a practical application which
takes me hours to complete. I do believe I am learning but
do now feel confident that I am processing what I learn as
quickly as I should be doing.”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/16/2006)
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______________________________
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“I think that the information is too much and case studies come
too quickly. this course was designed for working people with
families but it doesn't seem like it at all. give at least
a week and a half for case studies to be due instead of the
time currently allowed...case study materials come on sunday,and
then its due on wed. I get positive responses from my ta but
I would like a numerical or letter grade to judge how I'm doing.
also have less exams. have a group exam as exam one and then
case studies inbetween and a final group exam. this course
must be more favourable for working people with greater commitments!”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/18/2006)
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______________________________
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“I think that the information is too much and case studies come
too quickly. this course was designed for working people with
families but it doesn't seem like it at all. give at least
a week and a half for case studies to be due instead of the
time currently allowed...case study materials come on sunday,and
then its due on wed. I get positive responses from my ta but
I would like a numerical or letter grade to judge how I'm doing.
also have less exams. have a group exam as exam one and then
case studies inbetween and a final group exam. this course
must be more favourable for working people with greater commitments!”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/18/2006)
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______________________________
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“On the negative side this course is intense with non-stop requirements
at a pace that does not enable you to stop and reflect on anything
you've learned. I feel like I cannot breathe, relax, or stop
worrying until this course is over. only 8 more weeks to go!
on the positive side I feel as if I have an improved ability
to interpret research. I have always read research papers with
a great deal of skepticism because I believe you can skew statistics
to support any hypothesis, but this class has made me look
even more critically at the information presented.”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/18/2006)
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______________________________
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“I think the work is very excessive. it would be just as beneficial
to have either the case study weekly or discussion group, but
not both. I am assuming most of us have jobs and families to
keep up with also.i cannot keep up with all the questions after
reading the chapters; however, I do all the reading. and I
cannot keep up with all the case study questions. I would like
to see more examples used in the lectures of reading an article
and then picking out what is good research and what is not.
I have no idea how I am doing since we have not gotten back
even our first exam grades yet. I happened to look at the general
discussion board the other day....i found out that I am not
the only one struggling in this class. in all my years in school,
I have always done very well and graduated in the top but I
am hanging on by my fingernails in this class. most of the
time I feel as though I am having to teach myself a lot of
the material and it's very frustrating.”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/18/2006)
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______________________________
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“Things have been going pretty well so far in the course but
I am beginning to find some of the biostatistical concepts
(like confidence intervals)quite difficult to understand. I
have been enjoying working on the case studies.it has been
great working as a group on the group exam and the discussions,
though I feel that participation frequency in the discussions
is dwindling......”
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(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/18/2006)
|
|
______________________________
|
“Wow! in my 50's in a 'have it now' culture, I have tried to
make a concious effort to slow down and enjoy the journey.
I thoroughly enjoy the journey of this class and all that I
am gaining, but the speed at which the trip is going is a little
too fast, and I feel I may get 'car sick'. the knowledge is
a tremendous help to me, but I'm getting fed this information
so quickly that I know that I am not digesting it all. I understand
that an intro class should cover the breadth of knowledge on
the subject, but what about the depth? how deep are we supposed
to be at this level? I don't feel like we're allowed enough
time on each topic to go very deep into it. debbie bundy-carpenter”
|
|
(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/18/2006)
|
|
______________________________
|
“I'm having a difficult time keeping up. this course is supplemental
to being a full time medical student and going on rotations.
it has been difficult to keep up with the pace and demands.
I just realized I missed case study ##8 completely! I would
like to have more time to really take it all in and learn more.”
|
|
(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/23/2006)
|
|
______________________________
|
“Once you put yourself on a schedule things work more smoothly.
I do think that there is a lot of information covered in a
short amount of time.”
|
|
(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/23/2006)
|
|
______________________________
|
“There is a lot of information to read and assimilate (i also
have two other courses), but I have learned a lot. the course
requires a lot of thought and concentration - not bad things
as I have learned that courses such as statistics and similar
courses help deter the developement of alzheimers. I should
be good to go.
all joking aside, if I had to use one word to describe the
course it would be intense. I don't know that I realized the
importance of epidemiolgy in public health, but I certainly
recognize it now. I find the course interesting.
there is a lot of support and encouragement provided for which
I am very appreciative of. I believe that I am beginning to
have a good undertanding of the concepts. I have had nursing
research within the last 3 years and I have a greater understanding
of study designs, statistical data and confidence intervals
than I ever believed that I would have had.”
|
|
(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/13/2006)
|
|
______________________________
|
“I work hard to keep up, and really appreciate the effort that
is behind presenting the material in a weekly format that forces
one to keep up. I often find answers to my questions in a lecture
a little past where the question arose, but that is fine. I
felt that the group exam took too much time, I'm not sure why.
maybe an overly eager group? it had taken a while to get into
the rhythm of the class and to realise that most of the queations
are simpler than they appear at first glance. I don't have
any suggestions for inprovement yet..”
|
|
(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/15/2006)
|
|
______________________________
|
“I really love the course but I'm sure I would be doing 200%
better if I were sitting in your classroom. I need help with
many of the calculations and I really don't have anyone to
help me out. I finished by bs online in medical technology
and didn't spend nearly as much time working on course material.
this is a rude awakening to masters level work. I understand
most of the concepts but I need to see examples when I'm trying
to perform calculations. I plan to hang in there until the
end....and pray that god will continue to help me out because
there are many nights I have to stop and pray for help from
god. I know you all are there to help but, sometimes
I just don't know to ask the question.”
|
|
(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/16/2006)
|
|
______________________________
|
“I am finding it difficult to absorb all the mnaterial I am
reading since I no sooner read the information then immediatley
need to apply the concepts to a practical application which
takes me hours to complete. I do believe I am learning but
do now feel confident that I am processing what I learn as
quickly as I should be doing.”
|
|
(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/16/2006)
|
|
______________________________
|
“The course is very informative. it has provided some great
information on confidence intervals and p-values. I think I
explained it to my wife last night!! each and every module
challenges me.
this is alot of info. to absorb over a semester which can be
discouraging at times.”
|
|
(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/17/2006)
|
|
______________________________
|
“I think that the information is too much and case studies come
too quickly. this course was designed for working people with
families but it doesn't seem like it at all. give at least
a week and a half for case studies to be due instead of the
time currently allowed...case study materials come on sunday,and
then its due on wed. I get positive responses from my ta but
I would like a numerical or letter grade to judge how I'm doing.
also have less exams. have a group exam as exam one and then
case studies inbetween and a final group exam. this course
must be more favourable for working people with greater commitments!”
|
|
(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/18/2006)
|
|
______________________________
|
“I think that the information is too much and case studies come
too quickly. this course was designed for working people with
families but it doesn't seem like it at all. give at least
a week and a half for case studies to be due instead of the
time currently allowed...case study materials come on sunday,and
then its due on wed. I get positive responses from my ta but
I would like a numerical or letter grade to judge how I'm doing.
also have less exams. have a group exam as exam one and then
case studies inbetween and a final group exam. this course
must be more favourable for working people with greater commitments!”
|
|
(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/18/2006)
|
|
______________________________
|
“On the negative side this course is intense with non-stop requirements
at a pace that does not enable you to stop and reflect on anything
you've learned. I feel like I cannot breathe, relax, or stop
worrying until this course is over. only 8 more weeks to go!
on the positive side I feel as if I have an improved ability
to interpret research. I have always read research papers with
a great deal of skepticism because I believe you can skew statistics
to support any hypothesis, but this class has made me look
even more critically at the information presented.”
|
|
(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/18/2006)
|
|
______________________________
|
“I think the work is very excessive. it would be just as beneficial
to have either the case study weekly or discussion group, but
not both. I am assuming most of us have jobs and families to
keep up with also.i cannot keep up with all the questions after
reading the chapters; however, I do all the reading. and I
cannot keep up with all the case study questions. I would like
to see more examples used in the lectures of reading an article
and then picking out what is good research and what is not.
I have no idea how I am doing since we have not gotten back
even our first exam grades yet. I happened to look at the general
discussion board the other day....i found out that I am not
the only one struggling in this class. in all my years in school,
I have always done very well and graduated in the top but I
am hanging on by my fingernails in this class. most of the
time I feel as though I am having to teach myself a lot of
the material and it's very frustrating.”
|
|
(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/18/2006)
|
|
______________________________
|
“Things have been going pretty well so far in the course but
I am beginning to find some of the biostatistical concepts
(like confidence intervals)quite difficult to understand. I
have been enjoying working on the case studies.it has been
great working as a group on the group exam and the discussions,
though I feel that participation frequency in the discussions
is dwindling......”
|
|
(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/18/2006)
|
|
______________________________
|
“Wow! in my 50's in a 'have it now' culture, I have tried to
make a concious effort to slow down and enjoy the journey.
I thoroughly enjoy the journey of this class and all that I
am gaining, but the speed at which the trip is going is a little
too fast, and I feel I may get 'car sick'. the knowledge is
a tremendous help to me, but I'm getting fed this information
so quickly that I know that I am not digesting it all. I understand
that an intro class should cover the breadth of knowledge on
the subject, but what about the depth? how deep are we supposed
to be at this level? I don't feel like we're allowed enough
time on each topic to go very deep into it. debbie bundy-carpenter”
|
|
(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/18/2006)
|
|
______________________________
|
“I'm having a difficult time keeping up. this course is supplemental
to being a full time medical student and going on rotations.
it has been difficult to keep up with the pace and demands.
I just realized I missed case study ##8 completely! I would
like to have more time to really take it all in and learn more.”
|
|
(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/23/2006)
|
|
______________________________
|
“Once you put yourself on a schedule things work more smoothly.
I do think that there is a lot of information covered in a
short amount of time.”
|
|
(anonymous)
(HowAreThingsGoing?,
Internet course,
10/23/2006)
|
|
______________________________
|
“Brettania is THE BEST TA EVER!!! Always willing to help and
if she doesn't know the answer, she will find it out for you.”
|
|
Kirkland,
BSPH student,
HPAA,
TA: Brettania
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/12/08)
|
|
______________________________
|
“Brettania was a very good TA - explained things very clearly
and succinctly; always available; and respectful of students.
Her lecture notes were very helpful in working through the
exams.”
|
|
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/12/05)
|
|
______________________________
|
“Brettania is really a good TA and should continue what she
has been doing. Vic's passion for epid is amazing and I reccomend
everyone taking the class. I expected to learn about diseases
and how to diagnose them and how to contain them. But I learned
about how to read scientific papers, which I believe is a key
if anyone wants to pursue a career in any field of science.
The knowledge I learned in Epid 600 will help me in future.”
|
|
Jaymin,
BSBI student,
BIOB,
TA: Brettania
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/12/08)
|
|
______________________________
|
“Throughout the semester, Brettania has been exremely helpful
and supportive of the students - she did a great job!”
|
|
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/12/09)
|
|
______________________________
|
“At first, I thought that the case studies were just busy work
but as the semester went on I really started to enjoy working
though the architecture of each article. These case studies
made the course seem real. We were actually working with the
data to solve a problem.”
|
|
Patrick,
MSPH student,
ENVR,
TA: Brettania
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/12/04)
|
|
______________________________
|
“I really enjoyed this class and it certainly improved my ability
to read articles about epidemiology. There was a good amount
of work - enough that I felt like I really learned something,
but not too much to overwhelm. It was also fun to get the chance
to interact with students in other departments, both undergrads
and grads (and a doctor).”
|
|
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/12/07)
|
|
______________________________
|
“The course design for EPID600 is superb with engaging case
studies and constructive exercises, by far the best course
I've taken at Carolina!”
|
|
Aisha,
BACH student,
UNDC,
TA: Tania
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/12/08)
|
|
______________________________
|
“Tania, You were an amazing TA! You really helped us out and
your mini lectures were fantastic. I appreciate all the time
and effort you put into this class. You also added to our individual
team sessions with good questions and interaction. Thank you!”
|
|
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/12/11)
|
|
______________________________
|
“Initially, it was difficult to keep up with the stronger members
of the group, however, a higher expected standard of performance
set by the stronger members, led the rest of group to achieve
more. The group,was very supportive of all its members and
the overall lab experience was a positive one.”
|
|
Linda,
MSPH student,
MHCH,
TA: Tania
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/12/02)
|
|
______________________________
|
“This was a great time and I learned as much if not more than
I have in other classes. Thanks for the opportunity to participate.”
|
|
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/12/06)
|
|
______________________________
|
“Tania did an excellent job as an instructor. She went above
and beyond explaining the various lessons and always had the
time to spare (in a busy schedule) so that we were able to
learn.”
|
|
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/12/14)
|
|
______________________________
|
“Excellent course. I appreciate Vic's enthusiasm for epidemiology
and for teaching. This course has definitely strengthened my
interest in public health. Tania was amazing as a TA and definitely
was the largest contributing factor as far as the quality of
the course. My small group was also amazing and definitely
made the difference in the course.”
|
|
Jordan,
BSBI student,
BIOB,
TA: Tania
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/12/05)
|
|
______________________________
|
“Thanks for a well-designed class with what were (for me) all
the right options for learning the material. I also can't imagine
a better TA to have helped our group learn, as well. Good luck
with future classes.”
|
|
John,
MHA student,
HPAA,
TA: Tania
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/12/10)
|
|
______________________________
|
“I know I came late. Many of the issues raised after seemed
to be linked to other points I did not see before. However,
the little I have got must have been partly because instructors
were highly committed. Vic was welcoming and understanding.
Tania was my sister. She guided me in my new unknown world.
I didn't know what a blackboard was (I hope I know something
now, though I still need adaptation to this world); she linked
me to people who actually gave me the deep need to take this
class again because it is a basic class that I could have missed
if I did not come to UNC.”
|
|
(2nd peer evaluation,
Classroom course,
2006/12/09)
|
|
______________________________
|
“EPID 600 was an intense class. I learned a lot and those learnings
will stay with me. My TA and instructor are both kind and very
helpful as well as very knowledgeable of the subject matter.
I have enjoyed the class.”
|
|
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/04)
|
|
______________________________
|
“I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of EPID600. It was my
first online course but the instructors, TA, and the lectures
were a huge help! The case study articles were very interesting
and answering the case study questions every week consolidated
the concepts that had been learnt during the week. The group
discussions were an excellent way to know other people taking
the course and the insight and experience they brought to the
discussions was an invaluable learning tool!! In the end I
would just like to thank the instructors and the TA for a great
semester!”
|
|
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/03)
|
|
______________________________
|
“This was a great group that was very supportive of all the
members. I was impressed with how well everyone was treated...even
when there was a disagreement (which was pretty rare), everyone
remained professional and had good dialogue. It added a lot
to the class experience.”
|
|
Jeanette,
CERT student,
FEPI,
TA: Eboni
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/06)
|
|
______________________________
|
“I found the discussion component to be beneficial, however,
would have been even better if it had been more 'problem solving
focused'...more like a group case study than a theoretic look
at an issue. Found the post exam discussions also very helpful
& would recommend that they be 'built' into the regular discussion
schedule. & Thanks to Vic and Eboni (TA) for responding quickly
with solutions when I struggled with the course mid-semester.
The love of the subject is evident-- this is great! Thanks.”
|
|
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/06)
|
|
______________________________
|
“Even though at times I was so overwhelmed it made me cry I
have to admit I learned. I'm a math challenged person but this
class helped me look critically at research papers in order
to determine if the research methods support the hypothesis.”
|
|
Lena,
MPH student,
PHNX,
TA: Eboni
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/07)
|
|
______________________________
|
“Challenging course if you have never been exposed to some general
class related subject matter such as demographics, statistics,
biostatistics, and health care. Nevertheless this course provides
a great background for anything healthcare related and should
be taken by everyone interested in healthcare.”
|
|
Josh,
AB student,
PHIL,
TA: Eboni
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/11)
|
|
______________________________
|
“I found all aspects of the course helpful - the textbook reading,
case studies, and discussion forums. I think the workload was
heavy at times but I feel I benefited from all forms of this
online course.”
|
|
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/06)
|
|
______________________________
|
“Although this class was TOUGH, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I feel
like I learned so much from all aspects of the class, the discussions,
lectures,and case studies. I did feel overwhelmed however with
the amount of homework, reading etc that there was. I can definitely
encourage making statistics a prerequisite to this class. It
would have made my life easier! Great class, great professor
and a WONDERFUL TA - Thanks Eboni!!!”
|
|
Nicolette,
CERT student,
FEPI,
TA: Eboni
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/06)
|
|
______________________________
|
“The end of this semester leaves me happy (that I am finished)
and sad (that I am finished). I've somehow developed a family
of sorts through an online course. And I've learned an awful
lot from the course. Who knew this would happen?”
|
|
Karamarie,
CERT student,
PHCP,
TA: Eboni
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/05)
|
|
______________________________
|
“To be able to rate oneself could probably increase the self-reflective
capacity and help to change things or ameliorate them during
the course... (of life?)”
|
|
Graciela,
CERT student,
PHCP,
TA: Hoa
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/03)
|
|
______________________________
|
“One thing I would have like to have receieved was feedback
on the case study questions. The answers were provided before
the first exam but not thereafter.”
|
|
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/07)
|
|
______________________________
|
“For those of us who are practicing epidemiologists, it was
nice to remember the fundamental concepts of epidemiology.
The course was fast-paced and required daily review, but is
great for any student interested in pursuing a career in epidemiology.
Although the class is intense, I would recommend it to anyone
who is a recent MPH graduate or anyone interested in becoming
a public health and/or private practitioner.”
|
|
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/06)
|
|
______________________________
|
“Having discussion forums to review previous tests was very
helpful and valuable to me. If we would have been doing this
earlier in the semester with the case studies, my frustration
and confusion (and everyone else's) would have been much less.
We were unclear until the end if it was OK to discuss case studies,
so we missed that opportunity for learning all semester.”
|
|
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/01)
|
|
______________________________
|
“The responsiveness and assistance of Margaret and Dr. Schoenbach
were amazing. This was definitely one of the most challenging
courses I have taken in a long time. I feel like I had to reacquaint
myself with stats after a few (ha, many) years away, but more
importantly, got to really think in a problem-solving mode,
which unfortunately, many courses don't demand of their students.
Thank you.”
|
|
Sonja,
CERT student,
PHCP,
TA: Margaret
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/06)
|
|
______________________________
|
“I like the discussion forums but they are sometimes a bit frustrating
when there is not full participation with the members.”
|
|
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/04)
|
|
______________________________
|
“I appreciate the effort that was apparent in keeping up with
weekly asssignments, the quality of the case studies and the
learning that came from struggling through those. Without those
efforts, I think learining the material 'remotely' would have
been unpleasant and daunting.”
|
|
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/01)
|
|
______________________________
|
“I loved the class, although I had trouble keeping up, I learned
a great deal.”
|
|
Debbie,
CERT student,
FEPI,
TA: Ronna
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/01)
|
|
______________________________
|
“Ronna has been incredible helpful and wonderful at subtly
pushing the group towards better understanding. Vic is a great
teacher. He describes the concepts with great detail and insight--always
with a sense of humor. He is very willing to work with his
students. This is a tough course, with a lot of information
to learn, and they both made it very enjoyable. I definitely
got a lot out of it.”
|
|
Tanya,
CERT student,
PHCP,
TA: Ronna
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/07)
|
|
______________________________
|
“I thoroughly enjoyed EPID 600 on line. I learned a lot that
applies to my work every day. The TA (Ronna) was appropriately
involved with the class both in the discussion group and in
her prompt response to individual emails. The professor was
similarly available and communicative. The pacing of the course
and the amount of material were just about right. The case
studies were interesting even when the topic was one that I
thought might not be because they offered a great opportunity
to apply the material from the lectures and text to an actual
study. I also enjoyed the on-line discussions and was impressed
how committed the busy people in the class were to this. The
one thing I did not like and did not understand the purpose
of was the peer evaluation of group discussion memebers. I
think this would be adequately and efficiently handled by the
TA.”
|
|
Douglas,
CERT student,
PHCP,
TA: Ronna
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/07)
|
|
______________________________
|
“The course was interesting and very instructive. I enjoyed
it!”
|
|
Hedy,
CERT student,
FEPI,
TA: Ronna
(2nd peer evaluation,
Internet course,
2006/12/03)
|
(An additional 18 comments were received but the students did not
authorize their dissemination.)
2006cd,
compiled 12/17/2006 |