HST 101: Western Civilization - 8 week (Summer 2019)

I enjoyed the book and the fact that it was fully online. I also appreciated the amount of attempts I was given for each exerc and helped me understand the questions I was confused about. 

I thought the textbook was extremely easy and well flowing especially compared to other textbooks I’ve read. It felt more like a story as opposed to a lesson, which made it easy to follow along and remember information. I think taking notes was the most difficult part; but if you put effort into it, it’s not that bad and helps in the long run. 

All in all I found it pretty usable and well organized. I didn't really use many of the fancier features, though I did encounter a few issues with what I did use. I found the search feature incredibly useful, however on the last chapter it refused to find anything in chapter 11 (perhaps because I missed chapter 10?). Oh well. It's a very minor thing, but I really wish it were possible to flip pages with the keyboard rather than clicking the little arrow with the mouse.

I'd also like to note that purchasing the textbook for $80 without getting tricked into paying for extras required some care; they do seem be quite eager to get you to buy extras/higher tier plans.

This review  does not reflect you as a teacher, more so the cengage website.  I think it is a slap in the face to students to require the purchase of a website such as MindTap.  I desire a teacher to make the curriculum and teach, not utilize an external use.  The tuition fees for an online class taken at lane was $580, for a teacher that re-directs us to a different website, for $80 more I might add.   It is sad that I can truly say this was the least memorable material I have read and studied, and upset with the whole experience.  

Using MindTap might seem like a good idea, but I hope you can see how it would make some angry for paying as much as students do and then be thrown to an external website that does the work for you.  Would not recommend this class to anyone.

I think it worth the price especially for a web class 

Mind tap was a quality learning aid, however on the test is focused on very specific information in the chapter that I feel digressed from the major concepts/themes of the chapter. 

I was very impressed by the compatibility that MindTap offered across platforms as well as helping me learn the material. I believe the price was very reasonable and I enjoyed the fact that I was able to highlight and take notes on the material. I wished more classes used MindTap as it made me feel more organized digitally and helped me learn the best in my online learning experience. 

Use of the textbook was a generally positive experience . The only issue I experienced was not being able to log in a couple of times for unknown reasons, which was frustrating at times when I was trying to finish a test on Sunday night. Otherwise, I liked how the book was set up in shorter sections that made reading chapters less arduous and provided more focused information. I also liked the reflection points where we could briefly review what we read and get some points for it. I do wish we had the option to print out chapter tests, as I think they make good study tools, but I couldn’t find the option to do so.

I think MindTap and the online text were perfect for my style of studying. Once I read a chapter, it was easy to navigate back to a location that I thought I needed to revisit when studying. I also like that it was a proper introduction to Western History, and gave you a nice mix between overarching concepts, solidified by more detail only when necessary. I never felt overwhelmed by the content I was reading.

A couple of concerns was the color mapping as a test question. For students that are color blind, it is very difficult.  The other is the reading computer I liked this feature but sometimes it was very difficult to understand or follow. Especially when it is reading dates. 

I really enjoyed the set up of the online questions in relation to the chapter sections. It made learning the material more convenient and easy to learn in an organized manner. This set up and correlation between the two really made taking an online class easier for me than past online courses.

I thought that Mindtap was very clear, organized, and useful. I did see though that the chapter tests were significantly more difficult than the checks, and I did struggle to find some of the answers. 

The textbook was very useful and easy to maneuver. 

I used the read it out loud option when I would be sick of reading the chapter's material and it helped me to get a second wind and it also helped me to take notes. 

The organization of the textbook was helpful, and the flashcards, the option of a printable textbook was also useful although I didn't use it or need it. 

I was very straightforward, I opened the assignments, I read the chapter then in order did each question set immediately after finishing the corresponding section. The material was always easy to understand and well organized. If I had any critiques, I would just add that the mindtap questions are a little lack luster. You might read a long section and then get only 1 questions about a minor concept.

this was a very hard class for me so im not sure

I appreciate the extra credit opportunity i wasn't able to complete it because I was on the road so I couldn’t access the movie but I was fine without doing it.  

I thought the extra credit opportunity was reasonable and seemed doable, I kept putting it off and then it was too late. I think if I would’ve taken advantage of it, it would’ve been beneficial. I have not had any other extra credit opportunities in any classes.  

I mean, I did it, but it says I got a 0? (oops, does that kill my anonymity?)

Essays about a certain topic would be the best outlet for extra-credit.

I guess students just won't do it anyway if the extra credit did not help for the final letter grade.

The survey was a good extra credit opportunity.

I would suggest possibly offering more extra credit opportunities throughout the course, however, I understand that not everybody takes advantage of it so offering more may lead to students slacking off more. 

I had an Oceanography class where I got some extra credit for going to the Oregon Coast Aquarium and completing a little write up on my experience. I’m not sure if we have a museum close by that provides some info about Greek or Medieval periods, but that may be fun and engaging as an extra credit activity for students. The movie idea is also a good one in my opinion.

I still haven't decided whether to do the extra credit. With the workload I have, I am waiting to see if I can make time for it. I think the extra credit isn't completed often because of the size of it. It is more time consuming than all of the assignments given for the term, and most people I think would only use it if in need, which usually would be determined nearing the end of term, when their workload is the highest. I think one possibility would be to make several smaller extra credit options available at the beginning of the term that seem more manageable, say five of them. Then you have to complete 3 of them to get the credit.

extra credit, in my opinion, should be small exercises that keep the student engaged throughout the term. 

While I understand we are at college learning level and that the extra credit is to show which students will go the extra mile to work for their grade. I will point out that while I believe the essay is a reasonable request for an extra credit opportunity, the time it takes to write an essay for some students, may discourage many to skip the extra credit opportunity. Especially students who are balancing a full class load with a full work schedule as well. For example, I am balancing a full schedule and over 40 work hours a week, so sometimes the bare minimum is all I can get done as much as I would like to participate a great deal more and I know that I am not the only student in this position. So while I do not know if I can offer any good suggests for these opportunities that would hold a challenge and be still worth the credit, I still think it is important to factor in, how full students lives can be. 

Several small extra credit oppurtunities. For example, you could have an extra credit question or two on every chapter test. The extra credit you offer is quite time consuming, and not everyone may be able to achieve that

Extra credit assignments that I have done in other classes would be watching videos and taking notes, coming up with a powerpoint presentation etc etc 

You might create a small quiz in which every obtained point, is a point of extra credit, so there's no reason not to take it. Maybe a 20 question quiz where every problem is worth half a point. it could be done on the first half of the course material, that way people have an incentive to try and re-study that material.

this is my first college class and my goal is to do extra credit

i appreciate the Sunday deadlines more because i was also taking another class and that class had mid week deadlines but Sunday gives me a deadline to keep in my mind so I can have a whole week to complete such work and tests. 

I work and take other courses that are on campus would be difficult to do during the week.

For me personally, it would be a little more difficult. There were some weeks when I only have 1 day off and it’s easier for me to be able to dedicate that day for homework. In a different perspective, there were some chapters that I would read in 1 sitting simply because I was so curious as to what it was about. I wonder how people would do if there were more frequent deadlines Because it may make some people rush through the information in order to meet the deadline. I do however think it would make some more involved. 

Perhaps if the week after the current week's work were also available, that would allow people with true time obstacles an opportunity to take appropriate action. A few times I was away on the weekend, and I didn't have a problem completing my chapterwork early when I knew I wouldn't be able to on the deadline.

This is a college course and should be treated as one.  Make things due all at once, like they were in this class, and let the students figure out what works best for them.  Even if that means procrastination.  This is not high-school, hand holding is kind of insulting.

I support the proposal to add midweek deadlines to this course. Although it may reduce flexibility, it should motivate students to read and study more.

I am in opposition to this plan because although the information is not absorbed fully, the student will suffer the consequences on a test. So in my opinion I think the format currently used is effective for each individual's schedule. 

I worked full time while taking 12 credits online this summer. With this in mind I enjoyed and prefered the one deadline a week however if I was not working full time I would prefer the more deadlines during the week to make me more accountable for the work and taking more time. 

I think midweek deadlines would help student's to prioritize study time within their schedules

Midweek deadlines definitely would motivate students to study more effectively, and eliminate cramming or saving everything until Sunday night. For me personally, I work full time until 10:00 pm Thursday through Monday, and use my mornings for chores and other classes, so the Sunday night time slots for doing history homework tended to work more for me, and I didn’t have to consistently stress about homework every time I came home from work. I understand that everyone‘s schedule is different though, so more deadlines might be beneficial. Another factor that I think would contribute to the lack of completion throughout the week is the fact that it’s Summer Term, and people aren’t as enthusiastic about homework during this time. 

I can understand wanting to make sure students are investing the proper amount of time on their assignments. Spreading out deadlines can help with comprehension, workload, stress, etc. However, like you said, students are from all walks of life. When I was working full time and going to school, multiple deadlines a week were what caused me to dropout 3 times. Now that I am a student full time, I can deal with multiple deadlines per week, but back then it would have been impossible. I also personally work better picking a day to do a specific class. I will wake up and spend a day doing all the assignments for a given class and it helps my comprehension. When I try to spread out work throughout the week for multiple classes, information can get muddled in my head. It also leads to more stress. 
I think the important thing is that students are paying to be here. While some are fresh out of high school, I think it is time for them to make their own decisions about whether to get work in on time.. It took me a long time to do it, but I am now. I don't think it is a teachers job in college to hold their students hands, they should instead focus on making sure the course material is structured in a way to inspire students to actively participate.

I agree for some it would help for others it could hurt. 

While I can understand this opinion and why you may want to enforce this, I would have to strongly encourage you not to. As a student who is taking a full load of classes and is also working 40+Hours per week graveyard, it is extremely difficult for me to get to the class work until the weekend. I will be the first to admit that I have not participated nearly enough in this class nor have I gotten as much out of the course as I could have. But for students who have families or just busy lives, it would be a great disadvantage to those who are trying further their education while being busy, productive members of society. I found you to be an extremely fair and just Professor and I sincerely hope that you do not take this advantage away from those who truly need it, in order to push students who may simply lack the interest or care in pursuing their education further with a serious approach. 

I would discourage that. While I agree that students accomplishing the chapter in one day may not get as much out of it, part of what I liked about this course was the flexibility to do a little bit everyday throughout the week, so that I could still work and take other classes, but no stress to make a deadline. 

I think that if a student chooses to do all the work on one day of the week, that is his/her choice, and it will reflect what kind of grade they get in the class. It also reflects the students time management skills, it does not reflect you as a teacher. 

Having a lot of due dates and mid-week timelines will just get very confusing for students, especially since not every chapter has the same number of questions and readings. Also, some students may prefer to do all the work in one sitting, so when you implement the deadlines, you may just see a reverse of what you saw, where students will just log on the weekend an assignment is first opened and finish it all then, again in one sitting, which would effectively change nothing but whether students completed assignments earlier or later in the week. Having a firm set deadline at the end of the week just makes it easier for students to remember what they need to do when. However, one small change you might consider is making the chapter assignments due on Saturday, and the test due on Sunday, which might incentivize students to use the sunday to study before going into the tests, since all the chapter work was due the day before.

its not a bad idea for my situation

no suggestions, I highly encourage this class to others and I found it very interesting. 

I don't have any recommendations, but I would like to say (since there’s no comment question) that I have never liked a History class in my entire 13 years of school. I am fascinated with history but every class I’ve taken has just seemed like an overload of information. This class gave me a new love for history and learning about it. I’ve reconsidered my major, and considered adding some history or religious minor. The way this course was set up was extremely helpful for me and made me really enjoy the material. 

Can't think of anything in particular.

That said, this was very likely the most organized online class experience I've had so far. So, thanks, I appreciate all the effort you've put into making this class a good experience for us. It shows.

Beside the whole MindTap rant I went on, I don't think there is much to change.  You seem like a nice professor who cared about this subject, maybe if I took this class in person I would have enjoyed it.  

It's great for me

I would suggest more assignments separate from MindTap and more on the moodle side to get multiple aspects as to how the students themselves are understanding/using the information and material that they have learned.

I think that it would be beneficial to have other activities to supplement just the MindTap exercises and tests. It would be cool to read articles or participate in discussion about how history has contributed to our culture now, in order to help connect the dots a bit more.

I think I covered everything I wanted to.

I do not, thank you 

While some online videos were incorporated, I would have liked to see more due to the fact that I am a very visual learner and tend to remember facts better after watching an listening about them in combination to the reading. When both formats are used I find that I retain the information much better. Even if it wasn't as a required watching, it would be nice to have a optional video list. Perhaps from these videos short responses could be produced for extra credit also.

I have nothing to suggest. 

This was one of the best online courses I have ever taken, the book online really helps to save paper. I also liked how you updated us each week regarding your concerns in the class- overall I would say it was well organized and ran, and I can tell you care about your students learning. 

I think the course is fine, and it worked out great for me.

everything was great