Just after the Spring Break reading week, on February 23 and 25, I asked students at the end of class to come up with three comments or observations on the course and how things were going. At least one of these comments had to be positive, and one a suggestion for improvement.
I’m interested in getting midterm feedback in part because it can help guide the second half of the semester: if necessary we can make changes or follow up on the feedback given.
But I am also very interested in feedback because I recognize that this is an unconventional course in many ways (in terms of its structure and grading, for instance), and I am keen to know how it is seen and experienced by students themselves.
Student Comments/Observations
| Positive | Negative | Other | Jon’s comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| As said at the start of the class, this class is so helpful in preventing anxiety about grades. I really appreciate the contract grading. The TAs are so on it! It’s nice to see the effort they give in responding to students’ blogs. Thanks guys! |
On the other hand of that, maybe no random calling on people, to reduce anxiety. | I can’t promise to eliminate calling on people entirely: I do think I provide everything I can (via the flipped classroom, with lecture and conversation videos, plus you are prepped having written your blog posts) to ensure that students come to class prepared to participate. On the other hand, I almost always call on people only after group work: the person called upon then becomes the spokesperson for a whole group, thus building on group discussion and spreading responsibility around. | |
| I like the grading contract structure–alleviates a lot of street but still motivates me to work hard. I like that the midterm is optional in this course, as it isn’t my preferred method of testing. |
Can be hard to shift focus from one novel / blog post / lecture / discussion to the next so quickly; maybe if they could be spaced out a bit more that would be nice, or if classes were on Wed/Fri instead of Mon/Wed, so there’s that extra day at the beginning of the week. | I don’t get to control the timetable, sadly… but even if we had classes on Wed/Fri, I would no doubt still ask for blog posts to be due the night before class, so I’m not sure it would make a lot of difference. I do know, however, that we cover a lot of ground (although that also depends on the contract you pick!). That, however, is by design: I’m trying to introduce you to a whole panorama of Romance language literature. | |
| Lovely enthusiasm from prof keeps it engaging. | Let us know if there is/isn’t a convo video coming up pls? Music is a bit loud during talking/collab work time. |
✅ I’ll certainly try to keep you up to date (as I did this week) about conversation videos. And I’m happy to turn the music down… perhaps you can mention when you are finding it too loud? | |
| I really like how the course is designed, how the course functions. I mean: reading the book we ant, and to discuss with classmates. | The post makes me a little bit nervous. Maybe the music is a little book too loud wen we discuss??? |
I hope you come to feel less nervous about your blog posts… these should be a space above all in which you express yourselves. And I’m happy to turn the music down… perhaps you can mention when you are finding it too loud? | |
| The course structure is nice: read, watch videos, blog post, discussion class. Particularly blog posts are a great way of interacting with other students’ thoughts/perspectives. | The balance of workload is good, but a lot. Sometimes, I find that trying to do everything takes a lot of time, even if I start early. I’m also a very slow reader and focus a lot on trying to memorize potentially important details in preparation for the quiz. Class discussions are very interesting, but I’m more of a listening, make observations, so I get anxious when called on. |
✅ I’m glad you like the course structure. On calling on students, as I say in my comment above: I almost always call on people only after group work: the person called upon then becomes the spokesperson for a whole group, thus building on group discussion and spreading responsibility around. On workload, I do try to make it achievable, but above all I’d point out that you control that to a large extent, depending on the contract you have chosen, which includes your final grade and the number and choice of books. I do try hard to ensure that the workload is reasonable in terms of the grade contracted for: I believe an A+, for instance, should require significant effort; and that a C+, for example, should not be hard to achieve. I am open to suggestions, but on the whole I think the balance is about right. | |
| I always enjoy the discussion questions. They always get me to think more about the book in new ways. I also like the selection of novels and choice in picking. |
If the quizzes weren’t right at beginning of class would be better, just in case get late to class. | ✅ I’m glad you like the novels! As for the quiz, my feeling is I want to get the quiz over and done with, so we can get to the important stuff: the discussion of the text! | |
| I really like the grade contract: helps me focus on working rather than worrying about grades. Flipped classroom works out well, and the lecture videos are super helpful to understanding the novels better. |
Maybe you can change the due date for blogs to right before class, but that’s not necessary. | Thanks! As for the due date for blogs: I decide on what we are going to discuss in class largely on the basis of reading what you guys have written in your blog posts… so I really can’t ask for them any later! | |
| Lectures are very engaging, which is fun. Blogs are fun to make. Conversation videos are interesting to watch. |
Yay! | ||
| Idk man, I love the whole course. Love the playlists! Please teach more RMST courses! |
Would like better descriptions in “Choose your own adventure” and more thought-provoking blog comments (though I understand it’s a lot). | ✅ I do plan to revisit the descriptions in “Choose your Own Adventure”. One constraint is that I really don’t want to make these descriptions too long. If you (or anyone else) has specific suggestions, they would be most welcome! | |
| There is a lot of freedom–literary freedom about the blog posts. This is positive! In a world of corporate writing and heavy academic essays, this is much needed! I love the readings. |
Group discussions are not always productive. | Group discussions are on you guys, to a large extent! But if I can provide better prompts, do tell me. | |
| I like the books and the blogs, so I can see what others think. | Some pages in the books are missing… many people in class have physical books, maybe we can fill them back? | ✅ Absolutely, happy to fix any missing pages… can you help by pointing to where the gaps are? | |
| I like the contract grading–the idea that you get a grade for certain if ou put an X amount of effort in makes learning rewarding. A reciprocal relationship!! The discussions each class pertaining to each book are eye-opening. The fact that we get time to read, analyze through our blog posts, and then have a wide discussions actually helps me to understand the book, context (historical, social, etc.), and keeps it ingrained. |
One thing that could maybe improve would be the scans for the book–some of them are missing pages and might need to be updated. | ✅ A “reciprocal relationship” is a very nice way to describe contract grading, in my view! On missing pages (I wasn’t aware!), again absolutely, happy to fix… can you help by pointing to where the gaps are? | |
| The discussion sessions are very entertaining. It is a great space to share thoughts and gain new perspectives on the novels. The themes of some books are similar and it is fun comparing the characters from different books. |
Topics of discussion sometimes feel limited, but understandable due to the time constraint. | ||
| I really like the low pressure of one assignment per week–and the flexibility. The discussions are always engaging: Jon is a great prof. |
For the weeks with the required book, I would ask to have the topics for Monday and Wednesday listed, to choose which one I am more interested in talking about. | Your suggestion is very understandable, however I decide on what we are going to discuss in class largely on the basis of reading what you guys have written in your blog posts… which means I don’t made those decisions until Sunday night / Monday morning, and then what we do on the Wednesday often depends on how the Monday has gone. (Right now it’s Monday evening, for instance, and I have yet to decide what we will be discussing in Rodoreda this Wednesday!) | |
| Selection of novels has been good: I have enjoyed / gotten something out of most readings so far. I like writing and reading the blogs and to having to worry about my grade. |
Discussions could have more guidance among groups, but usually very well held. | ||
| I really enjoy how accessible the website has become. As well, I am happy that the lectures are available in the transcript form as well as a podcast: it allows me to reference back to what I have listed to in a really accessible way. I am also happy about my ability to self-direct, due to the deadline of Sunday night and th contract. For example, though I have a full course load, having the Sunday deadline allows me to get started on reading later in the week and still be able to keep to my contract. |
For improvement, I think it would be helpful to have guiding questions available for each book, so that reading/blogging can become more structured if we wish. | ✅ There are questions for each and every book! | |
| I like that the class is engaging and everyone participates. I also like the music. I like the idea of blog posts not being graded on content. |
I suggest that we could use technology to take notes, at least iPad. | ✅ I’m glad you like the music! I spend too much time thinking about it. 🙂 As for note-taking… I do think there are many specific advantages to using a pen and notebook, and not only to avoid the many distractions that are on your devices… and the science seems to agree. | |
| I’m a fan of the blogs. I like its deadline and the requirements are good. I like the course’s reliability. I know what to expect and how to plan my time to do well. |
Online Canvas quizzes could save paper and TA marking time. There should be more flexibility. Two absence for A+ rather than one. Everyone regardless of grade contract should get one absence, then A+ contractors get one bonus. Sometimes life happens or you get sick. One absence for 12-14 attendances is restrictive, but can be Okay. |
On the quizzes: I’m not against the idea of Canvas quizzes. In fact, my original plan was to use Kahoot. But in the end, using pen and paper just seemed quicker and easier. As to absences… you will find that we are indeed as flexible and responsive as we can be when people are sick of have other unavoidable issues preventing them from coming to class. The “free absence” for A+ students is different, as it is “no questions asked.” And even then, note that even A+ students come to class only once a week (except for the first and last weeks). The attendance requirements for this course are in fact much lower than they are for most other courses. | |
| The books we have are mostly interesting! I appreciate choosing this course and reading these books. Prof and TAs are so kind and helpful. I don’t have suggestions for improvement. It seems great! |
Yay! | ||
| Minimum stress: videos, rad, blogs, comments… simple patter every week. Exposes me to other cultures, historical reference. |
Some books are difficult, but that’s my issue. | ✅ I agree that some books are difficult (and we start with one of the more difficult ones), but to be honest I already see you guys increasingly comfortable with them. You are learning! 🙂 | |
| Wide variety of texts! Really good novel selection. | Perhaps, class can be more dynamic? More active learning… Perhaps different prompts to holistically explore (or “unpack”) the text as opposed to one-themed driven text discussions. Consider adding Central American authors to course syllabus! 🙂 Please and thank you! |
✅ I will certainly think about varying the structure of the class discussions. (I do try to at present, but can try to do so more!) As for Central American authors… I’m not against them in this class, but there are also at least a couple in another course I have taught! | |
| It creates discipline by making consistency a requirement. The course ensures gradual progress through incremental small taks that are spread out over long periods of time. This also maintains a low-pressure environment where creativity thrives. |
I’m struggling to come up with a suggestion, but I guess we could have a class debate or something one one of the discussion questions for a particular text, just for fun. | ✅ I’m in favour of varying classroom activities, and I like debates. In fact, I did think of organizing a debate on Quimet this week… but I felt it might become too one-sided! | |
| It helps to write the blogs and read what others thought about the material. It helps me keep track of my understanding. I like that the class time we have together focusses on discussion, rather than lecturing. |
However, sometimes there aren’t enough opportunities to discuss the topics I wanted to go over, and presenting points of group discussion can feel limited. | ✅ Heh, but I don’t know what are the topics you wanted to go over… I am always open to people putting their hands up and offering up their thoughts! | |
| Lecture and conversation vids are very helpful and interesting. They’re a good length and help understanding bigger themes. (I like watching them after reading and posting blogs.) The comments on blog posts are always given quickly, which I appreciate! These give an idea of whether or not I’m thinking in the “right” way or I’ve completely misunderstood. |
More books written by female authors! | ✅ OK, but you have to admit that the proportion of women authors is pretty high already! And by choosing your own adventure you can get to maximize the number of women you read… up to seven over the semester! | |
| I enjoy the structure. It’s easy to follow and helpful for time management. It’s nice to hear other people’s thoughts as well. |
Would possibly be nice to be able to do both weekly readings for marks (with limits). | ||
| I like being able to choose books and there’s a lot of time each week to submit. I like midterm/finals being optional, saves me from studying. |
Transcripts for the conversation videos would be very helpful, though I understand this is extra work. | ✅ I would love to have transcripts for the conversation videos. If we can find a way to do that without it taking too much time/effort, then this is a priority as far as I am concerned. | |
| Good amount of freedom and structure (choosing weeks/books) Interesting discussion in class. |
/Discussion lasts a bit long: 1.5 hr is a bit long but OK for a once a week course. | Remember that the course is actually scheduled as 2x 1.5 hour sessions! But yes, we do not ask you to come more than once a week (except for the first week of the semester). As a result, however, there is always more we could have discussed… | |
| I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would. It is nice to be encouraged to think deeply. |
Maybe a weekly reminder/announcement on Canvas about which books are to be blog posted that week, for us forgetful folk. This one would be really helpful!! And put my mind at ease. | ✅ I’m not against Canvas reminders, though remember that every student’s schedule is likely be to unique… and the course does encourage you to take your learning back into your own hands! | |
| The weekly award is very fun to have. The blogs help me to interpret the novels differently, as I’m able to read other people’s thoughts. |
The different levels of quizzes are a bit frustrating. | ✅ I find the award to be fun, too! I’m glad you are taking them in that spirt. For thoughts on quizzes, see my responses to your feedback. | |
| Good that we have choices on what we read. | Personally, I don’t like writing comments under others’ posts. This shouldn’t be mandatory. I hope that discussion questions will be posted ahead so we could attend class based on that. Ex. I also want to listen to others defending Quimet. 🙂 |
I strongly believe that you learn from each other, so I want to ensure that you are reading each other’s blog posts. I understand about wanting to anticipate what the class discussion will cover, but I decide on discussion topics very often based on reading your blog posts… i.e. I can only start thinking about this around 11pm on Sunday night, and don’t make final decisions until the Monday morning. Then the Wednesday discussion topics often depend on what we have done (or what we did not get to) on the Monday. If you want to be sure not to miss a topic… come to both class sessions! |
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| I like how organized the website is. Contacting prof and TAs is super easy and [they are] always available to help. |
Maybe having something more engaging than just writing on the board. | ✅ I’m up for other kinds of in-class activities, but group work is important–as I say above, I strongly believe that you guys learn from each other–and when you put your thoughts up on a board, it helps both you (because you have to come up with something concrete) and me (because I have a sense of what each group is discussing). | |
| Class model? The discussions are super awesome! I love how I feel comfortable with speaking my mind. The blog structure and replying is great and I love how it encourages us to interact with one notion. |
Have more blog awards per week! Also for obligatory readings, maybe share what themes will be talked about in which class, so we can go to the one that is more appealing to us. 🙂 | ✅ I’m glad you are liking the discussions and the blogs! On alerting you to what the class discussions will discover… as I say above, I only make the final decision on that very shortly before class, sometime on the bus coming in to UBC! | |
| Amazing to get some many perspectives from [?] blogs and class discussion. Amazing to read so many novels with different authors and nationalities, yet see similar themes. Not having to worry (much) about grades frees me up to learn–every course should do the same. |
✅ I agree totally that de-emphasizing the grade allows learning to flourish! | ||
| Weekly discussions are very engaging. I like the grading contract: reduces stress/pressure. |
Quizzes are sometimes too challenging. | For thoughts on quizzes, see my responses to your feedback. | |
| Blog posts are a fun way to share an analysis of the novels we read, and I love reading my peers’ thoughts. Discussion-based classes that happen certain days of week depending on contract is nice! |
Some of the books feel very hard to follow/confusing, like Proust. | We are certainly tackling some challenging books. But it is great to see you all rise to that challenge, and become more confident over the semester. | |
| The blog is a good thing to write after reading the book. The lecture video is good. Like those type of lessons. |
The in-class lecture feels (weird)? Sometimes my thoughts on the book did not align with the them of the lecture, so feel speechless during the entire lecture. | I know, I’m sorry we can’t get to everything… there is always more we could discuss. But please feel free to raise ideas you have even if they don’t seem to fit the current discussion! | |
| I like the structure of the course. The contract grading with the blogs and discussion-based lectures makes this a very enjoyable class. I like this class a lot. |
Maybe a way to keep track of everything we’ve done so far in the course would be useful. I worry about missing a blog post or comments because of technical difficulties. If we had a way to know that you have received our assignments (especially comments). | We do try to be on top of things when it comes to indicating whether we have received everything OK: we are in touch whenever we see problems, and for instance get in touch before 1am on Mondays if there are issues with blog posts. It’s a little harder to be quite so prompt when it comes to comments. But in general, no news is good news. We don’t want to give you unwelcome surprises. | |
| Content is interesting and engaging and fun: I look forward to reading for the first time in years! Classes are fun. I enjoy the themes we discuss, the music being played, and the time dedicated to talking about the book. |
I wish we could do more work later past Spring Break that would count toward our grade; just like how if we break the contract, it will effect our grade, we should be able to improve it (ex. read a book we didn’t sign up for). | ✅ Hearing that you look forward to reading makes us happy! As for your suggestion… I’m not sure I 100% understand it, but the simplicity of the current system (you make a contract; you have a chance to amend it before Spring Break; and then you stick to it) I think works both for the instructor and also for students. | |
| I really enjoy the discussion method where we can all share our ideas. I really enjoy that we work in groups, so we don’t feel called out. |
Every week has a song and a drinks pairing; it would be nice to get an explanation [as] to how it’s related a little bit further. | ✅ Each lecture transcript includes an expianation of the drinks pairing; you can also find those explanations on the author pages. The playlist is a little more random on the whole, with some exceptions. | |
| I enjoy not worrying about whether my thoughts on a book will impact my grade. I find the lecture videos very helpful for organizing my thoughts. |
The website could be easier to understand. | ✅ See my response to your website feedback on how we have been trying to improve that. | |
| This course has been so wonderful and engaging. I like the selection of books and music in the playlist. | Some of the quizzes are a bit too easy. I wish the discussions were a bit longer? Maybe more fun categories for the blog awards LOL. |
✅ Yes to more fun award categories, for sure! Though it helps when I can react to your own inventiveness and creativity! | |
| I really appreciate the effort put into the conversation videos! It’s been very cool to hear from people connected to the works. I like how the midterm/final is optional as long as the contract is fulfilled. |
It would be nice to have some confirmation that quiz scores/completion is successfully recorded. | ✅ I’m glad you appreciate the conversation videos! As for your suggestion for improvement: I understand, but we are quite on top of informing you if we see problems (either with the quiz or with other aspects of the course): we are normally able to email within a couple of hours. I think it would be a lot more work to confirm that things are going OK, but for now you can almost always take it that no news is good news. | |
| Discussions are very insightful! Also, I enjoy reading and writing blog posts. | Quiz scores and attendance would be nice to see displayed on Canvas for confirmation our submission was received. Like the structure, but it would be nice if we had more time per book to deepen understanding. |
On quiz scores and attendance, see above: if we see problems, we are normally able to email within a couple of hours. I think it would be a lot more work to confirm that things are going OK, but for now you can almost always take it that no news is good news. | |
| I love how open discussions are: it’s a perfect balance of letting people choose to speak and making sure everyone contributes. You don’t pressurize us, and giving us the space to explain if we mess up / don’t meet a deadline relieves pressure off the course; appreciate it a lot. |
Good mix of individual work and collaborative, but perhaps encourage sort of more collaboration for people to get to know each other, too. | ✅ Because different people show up for each class session (depending on the contract), I do sometimes worry about the effect on class community, so I am aware about this. On the other hand, I do see a lot of interaction, which I like. | |
| Love the contract system! Forces me to actually go to class as I know there is a guaranteed grade waiting. The books are interesting and unique for me: I had never heard of or read almost all of them. I like the “choose your own adventure” aspect of the class and its flexibility. |
✅ I love introducing you guys to new books, from new parts of the world! | ||
| I am really starting to enjoy the books. I do like how we get to choose what books we do. These in-class lectures/discussions are great. |
Check the transcript link on the lectures. It didn’t work for me, but it might have been because I opened it through Canvas on my phone. | ✅ If you can tell me the specific transcript that gave you problems, that would help. But they all seem to work for me… it may indeed be because you were accessing them via Canvas. | |
| Instructor makes in-person lectures interesting, conversational, and engaging, keeping me in tune with the discussion. | The contract is clear, but other expectations for the week are a bit unclear. | ✅ Can you help me by saying which expectations are unclear? | |
| I really like how it is structured to make the student decide their grade, because I think the contract makes them take up more responsibility and effort. | I think the contract revision close should be right after the reading week, instead of before. | ✅ I’m open to delaying the contract revision another few days, but on the other hand I’m not sure how much difference it would make, and think that it’s helpful for students as well as instructor for them to go into the reading week knowing what awaits them thereafter. | |
| The readings are a mix of challenging and thought-provoking (with social commentary). I think choosing my grade helps my learning (less stress). |
I think it’d be nice if we knew the discussion question for “choose Monday/Wednesday” readings, because then I could choose what I’m more interested in? | As I also point out above, your suggestion is very understandable, however I decide on what we are going to discuss in class largely on the basis of reading what you guys have written in your blog posts… which means I don’t made those decisions until Sunday night / Monday morning, and then what we do on the Wednesday often depends on how the Monday has gone. | |
| The books deal with life struggles, which I like. I like how the course makes me curious. |
I wish we read a variation of books with different themes. | I do try to ensure that the books are varied… though it’s hard to include everything, and there are lots of different considerations (e.g. I want also geographical diversity, a representative sample of languages, enough texts by women and minority authors, and so on…). Are there any particular themes you would want us to cover? | |
| The readings are interesting. The discussions are good. |
This week’s quiz was a little tricky. | ✅ I’m glad you are liking the readings and discussions! As for the quiz, my feeling is I want to get the quiz over and done with, so we can get to the important stuff: the discussion of the text! | |
| I enjoy how collaborative the class is, and the constant conversation rather than the expectation of memorization. | Honestly wish we had more time to talk. Maybe have quotes from certain blogs to start us off with discussion, so there’s more action with blogs. |
✅ I do try to refer back to your blogs when I can, but will see if I can pull out specific quotations. | |
| Allows students to engage in discussion. Lets you explore very diverse novels. I love that the midterm is optional. |
✅ It’s optional… but don’t break your contract! | ||
| It is a consistent workload and schedule. | It can be a lot of work, and weekly so coincides with all the other midterms / stressful periods. Maybe play the music less loudly during discussions? It can be a bit hard to hear. |
✅ Gotcha on the music. As to the workload… of course, this depends on the contract you have chosen, and you have the flexibility to choose not to read a text when you know you have midterms (or other stresses) on the horizon. | |
| Pretty easy-going. I really like the contract method as I won’t have to stress about my grade along with my other classes, and makes things enjoyable. | Discussions are quite insightful, although I have anxiety of getting picked on. | ✅ As I say above, I do think I provide everything I can (via the flipped classroom, with lecture and conversation videos, plus you are prepped having written your blog posts) to ensure that students come to class prepared to participate. On the other hand, I almost always call on people only after group work: the person called upon then becomes the spokesperson for a whole group, thus building on group discussion and spreading responsibility around. | |
| So far it’s going really well: I like the structure of the assignments, but also the discussions in class. | |||
| I like how final exams / midterms do not really affect our final grade. I like how we get a chance to change our contracts. |
I think variety of books could be expanded (?). | ✅ As I say above, I do try to ensure that the books are varied… though it’s hard to include everything, and there are lots of different considerations (e.g. I want also geographical diversity, a representative sample of languages, enough texts by women and minority authors, and so on…). Are there any particular themes you would want us to cover? | |
| The course is overall pretty easy, and doing a blog post every week and having grades based on commitment is really helpful. I find I enjoy reading the books a lot more this way. In-class discussions are good and always challenge me to look at other perspectives. |
Some weeks I want to read both the books going on that week, so maybe more flexibility there? | ✅ I’m glad that the contract allows you to enjoy reading more! As for reading two books a week… I think that would be more complex for us to administrate (and in fact, more stressful for students). | |
| Very clearly laid out, straightforward. Sets you up for success. No tips. |
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| Quizzes are fair: If you did the work, you can easily get a good mark. Like the redesign of the website. |
Wish some quiz questions were less niche. | For thoughts on quizzes, see my responses to your feedback | |
| I like the concept of the blog posts. Helps understand others’ views on the book. I like the class discussion. |
One suggestion is perhaps doing different group activities rather than just discussion. | ✅ I’m in favour of varying classroom activities, and will look for ways to do this. |
