POLI:3101/30:116 American Constitutional Law and Politics

Old Questionnaire Responses

This page contains the responses to my old questionnaire that I used for courses taught prior to the Fall 2015 semester.

Below are the questions I ask on my evaluation form. I don't include here the questions dealing with my teaching assistant. After the options for each question are the results for that question. Note: Unlike the ACE forms, the order of the options varies. This means that the "best" option is not always first or always last. As a result, sometimes a lower number indicates "better" performance and sometimes a higher number does. (I should also note that on the form I distribute the options are labeled a, b, c, d, and e. I've entered them below as numbers because that's the way the computer output interprets them and it makes it easier to examine the summary statistics if I leave them in that form.) After the results for some questions I've added a few comments (in italics) regarding that question or the results for it.

There seemed to be a problem with the 2014 results. In the results the first two questions showed as being skipped by all 22 students, which just wouldn't happen. The rest seemed to be off by those two question (i.e., the results labeled for #3 seemed to be for #1. Unfortunately, only 22 questions were scored, so there were no results for the final two questions. I am no longer given the original score sheets so by the time I discovered this they had long been destroyed.

1. How many class periods did you miss during the semester?

0-1
2-4
5-8
9-12
more than 12

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 1 is "better")
F 2014	22	1	10	9	2	0	0	1.62
F 2012	24	0	17	3	3	1	0	1.50
F 2011	32	1	15	14	1	1	0	1.61
F 2010	47	0	26	10	10	1	0	1.70
F 2009	38	0	15	20	3	0	0	1.68
F 2008	42	0	16	14	7	1	4	2.12
F 2007	42	0	17	18	7	0	0	1.76
F 2004	53	2	23	23	4	1	0	1.67
F 2003	55	0	32	14	9	0	0	1.58
F 2002	53	0	19	22	8	3	1	1.96
F 2001	55	0	21	23	10	1	0	1.78
F 2000	54	0	18	21	9	5	1	2.07
F 1999	53	0	22	23	7	1	0	1.75
F 1998	44	0	21	12	11	0	0	1.77
F 1997	58	0	27	26	4	0	1	1.66

Obviously coming to class is a good thing. The students responding here may be accurately indicating their attendance, but it overestimates that of the entire class. My experience is that on any given day I'll have about 70% of the students present. The students not present the day I did evaluations were probably the ones that skipped more often. Something odd apparently happened with the scoring of this question and the next as I can't imagine that everyone filling out the questionnaire decided to skip the question. I hope it doesn't affect the results for the remaining questions.

2. How prepared were you for class (on average)?

read and briefed all cases
read all cases and made notes in book
read all cases
read cases before test
relied on class notes

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 1 is "better")
F 2014	22	1	2	2	8	5	4	3.33
F 2012	24	0	4	6	9	4	1	2.67
F 2011	32	2	2	6	11	7	4	3.17
F 2010	47	0	5	13	9	18	2	2.98
F 2009	38	0	5	9	12	11	1	2.84
F 2008	42	0	9	9	7	14	3	2.83
F 2007	42	0	2	21	6	13	0	2.71
F 2004	53	3	2	9	18	18	3	3.22
F 2003	55	0	6	13	16	16	4	3.03
F 2002	53	0	6	17	15	10	5	2.83
F 2001	55	0	8	16	9	17	5	2.89
F 2000	54	0	10	10	16	17	1	2.80
F 1999	53	0	6	15	14	15	3	2.89
F 1998	44	0	5	15	12	10	2	2.75
F 1997	58	0	6	24	19	9	0	2.53

A key to this course (and even more in law school) is preparing before class. This means reading all the cases and either briefing them or making extensive notes on them in the casebook. The students could be more prepared. They usually realize this about the time of the first test. The F 2011 class seemed to be less prepared than the past several semesters and it seems that the students realized it.

3. How many hours did you spend per week preparing for class?

none
1-3
4-6
7-9
10 or more

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 5 is "better")
F 2014	22	1	4	8	7	2	0	2.33
F 2012	24	0	1	8	13	2	0	2.67
F 2011	32	1	1	12	14	3	1	2.71
F 2010	47	0	3	30	11	2	1	2.32
F 2009	38	0	4	17	15	2	0	2.39
F 2008	42	0	3	24	14	1	0	2.31
F 2007	42	0	3	20	18	1	0	2.40
F 2004	53	3	4	24	17	2	3	2.52
F 2003	55	0	7	19	24	5	0	2.49
F 2002	53	0	3	25	22	3	0	2.47
F 2001	55	0	5	21	25	2	2	2.56
F 2000	54	0	3	25	15	9	2	2.67
F 1999	53	0	6	21	20	6	0	2.49
F 1998	44	0	3	19	14	7	1	2.64
F 1997	58	0	3	22	25	6	2	2.69

I remember someone telling me that students should expect to spend about three hours preparing for a class for each hour they spend in class. For a three credit class this should mean about 10 hours per week of study time. That's probably a bit much (even for this course!) and the time spent will depend on how difficult the material is to the individual student, but overall I would be happier if the mean was between 3 and 4.

During the Fall 2002 semester a story appeared in the DI indicating that students tended to average only about five hours of study per week for all their classes. If they are putting in about five for POLI:3101 (which still isn't enough), then they must not be studying at all for their other classes! Actually, I took that report with a big grain of salt as I know that certain majors have to put in plenty of time, and most of those interested in law school (i.e., those in my classes) tend to study more than the average.

4. How often did you make comments in class (other than as daily speaker)?

quite often
fairly often
sometimes
a few times
never

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 2-3 is "better")
F 2014	22	1	3	2	6	9	1	3.42
F 2012	24	0	3	2	5	10	4	3.42
F 2011	32	1	2	7	7	11	4	3.26
F 2010	47	0	2	3	10	22	10	3.74
F 2009	38	0	1	2	12	11	12	3.82
F 2008	42	0	4	2	13	13	10	3.55
F 2007	42	0	1	6	18	14	3	3.29
F 2004	53	3	1	8	13	15	13	3.62
F 2003	55	0	4	4	11	18	18	3.76
F 2002	53	0	3	9	9	19	13	3.57
F 2001	55	0	3	5	7	23	17	4.04
F 2000	54	0	4	5	12	18	15	3.65
F 1999	53	0	4	4	7	18	20	3.87
F 1998	44	0	4	4	13	13	10	3.48
F 1997	58	0	1	4	10	24	19	3.97

Because I have assigned speakers each day I sometimes have to limit the amount of questions and comments I can take from other students. Even so, I think the students often underestimate their participation. Then again, there are some students who are regular contributors while the bulk contribute less often, if ever.

5. How often did you speak with (or email) the instructor (not the TA) about your coursework or other problems with the course?

never
1-2 times
3-4 times
5-6 times
7 or more time

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 5 is "better")
F 2014	22	1	9	6	6	0	0	1.86
F 2012	24	0	8	10	3	2	1	2.08
F 2011	32	1	13	15	2	1	0	1.71
F 2010	47	0	23	22	1	0	1	1.60
F 2009	38	0	18	16	3	1	0	1.66
F 2008	42	0	20	18	3	0	1	1.67
F 2007	42	0	17	19	6	0	0	1.74
F 2004	53	3	20	19	8	0	3	1.94
F 2003	55	0	25	22	5	2	1	1.76
F 2002	53	0	18	26	8	0	1	1.87
F 2001	55	0	18	27	10	0	0	1.85
F 2000	54	0	16	29	8	0	1	1.91
F 1999	53	0	25	17	9	1	1	1.79
F 1998	44	0	9	25	6	1	3	2.18
F 1997	58	0	24	23	7	4	0	1.84

I say that closer to "5" is better, but it's probably more like "3." If a lot of students were coming to me with problems more than 7 times during the semester it might indicate a fundamental problem with the course. On the other hand, if a lot of students never speak with me it might mean several things. On the negative side it might mean that the students find me unapproachable. Although this is undoubtedly true of a few students each semester, on the whole it does not seem to be a problem. On the positive side, it might mean that everything about the course is sufficiently clear that the students don't need to speak with me. Again, this is probably true of several students each semester. (My own experience as an undergrad was that I usually did not need to speak with the instructor in a fair number of classes, particularly the larger ones.) A third possibility is that the students spoke with the TA rather than me. Even if a professor is not necessarily "unapproachable," students often feel more comfortable speaking with the TA.

6. If you spoke with the instructor, how well did he answer your questions or comments?

very well
fairly well
satisfactorily
poorly
very poorly

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 1 is "better")
F 2014	22	3	5	10	3	0	1	2.05
F 2012	24	5	8	6	2	1	2	2.12
F 2011	32	10	6	8	7	0	1	2.18
F 2010	47	15	11	10	10	0	1	2.06
F 2009	38	12	15	7	4	0	0	1.58
F 2008	42	12	12	10	1	3	4	2.23
F 2007	42	12	9	7	13	1	0	2.20
F 2004	53	21	8	8	8	6	2	2.56
F 2003	55	20	10	10	14	1	0	2.17
F 2002	53	13	16	8	12	3	1	2.13
F 2001	55	16	15	10	14	0	0	1.95
F 2000	54	10	16	12	12	4	0	2.09
F 1999	53	22	14	10	5	1	1	1.87
F 1998	44	6	17	12	6	2	1	1.89
F 1997	58	15	21	14	5	0	3	1.84

One problem in responding to student questions and concerns is that if you don't give the answer the student wants to hear it may be considered a "poor" response when it's actually clear and very fair under the circumstances. Still this score seems pretty good. An interesting point regarding the results for this question is that the number of students who said they didn't speak with me in the previous question should have skipped this one, but several fail to do so each year.

7. How prepared was the instructor for class?

unprepared
somewhat prepared
moderately prepared
quite prepared
very prepared

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 5 is "better")
F 2014	22	1	0	0	0	0	21	5.00
F 2012	24	0	0	0	0	8	16	4.67
F 2011	32	1	1	0	1	3	26	4.71
F 2010	47	0	1	0	1	11	34	4.64
F 2009	38	0	0	1	0	4	33	4.82
F 2008	42	0	0	0	2	7	33	4.74
F 2007	42	0	0	2	1	9	30	4.60
F 2004	53	3	1	1	1	9	38	4.64
F 2003	55	0	0	0	0	10	45	4.82
F 2002	53	1	1	2	0	12	37	4.58
F 2001	55	0	0	0	1	6	48	4.93
F 2000	54	0	1	0	0	13	40	4.69
F 1999	53	0	0	0	0	13	40	4.75
F 1998	44	0	1	0	3	12	28	4.50
F 1997	58	0	0	1	0	11	46	4.76

Aside from the fact that I've taught this course for many years, because I use what one former student called a "soft Socratic" method for the class (i.e., it's mostly question and answer), I have to be more prepared to lead the discussion every day than if I were just going to lecture. Even so, I often get one or two students who think I was unprepared. The mean jumped quite a bit this semester, so I'm pleased that this group saw that I was prepared for the class. (If only I could have gotten them as prepared!)

8. How well did the instructor answer questions in class?

very poorly
somewhat poorly
adequately
fairly well
very well

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 5 is "better")
F 2014	22	1	0	0	0	7	14	4.67
F 2012	24	0	0	2	3	7	12	4.21
F 2011	32	1	0	2	6	12	11	4.03
F 2010	47	0	0	1	6	21	19	4.23
F 2009	38	0	0	0	5	12	21	4.42
F 2008	42	0	3	1	5	15	18	4.05
F 2007	42	0	0	4	8	17	13	3.93
F 2004	53	3	3	1	10	16	20	3.98
F 2003	55	0	0	4	11	23	17	3.96
F 2002	53	1	3	0	10	15	24	4.10
F 2001	55	0	2	0	4	33	16	4.15
F 2000	54	0	0	2	10	23	19	4.09
F 1999	53	0	0	2	6	25	20	4.19
F 1998	44	0	0	2	7	19	16	4.11
F 1997	58	0	0	2	3	23	30	4.40

Although these results are very good, there are a couple of reasons they might not be a bit better (aside from improvement on my part, that is). One is that I sometimes have to cut off discussion because of time limitations. Another is that I try to keep the discussion on track (especially if time is short), so I may ask students who ask questions only marginally related to the topic to speak with me after class. Third, the nature of the material is sufficiently complex that there aren't always clear answers. Fourth, because I use a form of the Socratic method I often turn the question back on the student or another speaker. Students who just want a black-and-white answer don't like this approach. Finally, I suppose if I do "poorly" with the question a student asks, he or she will be more likely to evaluate me on the basis of that one question rather than on all my answers. Oh well.

9. Did the instructor encourage class participation?

very much
quite a bit
somewhat
not much
never

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 1 is "better")
F 2014	22	1	17	4	0	0	0	1.19
F 2012	24	0	14	8	0	2	0	1.58
F 2011	32	1	14	11	4	1	1	1.84
F 2010	47	0	22	17	7	0	0	1.68
F 2009	38	0	23	11	4	0	0	1.50
F 2008	42	0	15	14	12	1	0	1.98
F 2007	42	0	13	17	10	2	0	2.02
F 2004	53	3	24	16	8	2	0	1.76
F 2003	55	0	13	18	15	9	0	2.36
F 2002	53	1	29	16	5	2	0	1.62
F 2001	55	0	25	17	10	3	0	1.65
F 2000	54	0	14	23	12	4	1	2.17
F 1999	53	0	17	23	10	3	0	1.98
F 1998	44	0	25	14	4	1	0	1.57
F 1997	58	0	17	28	10	2	1	2.00

One of the assignments in the course is to sign up for speaking for one period. This basically means those students are responsible for discussing the day's cases with me. Because it's a graded assignment I have to be sure the speakers get to answer the bulk of my questions. Even so, as much as possible I try to call on everyone else who wishes to contribute. When I only have three speakers for a given day, this isn't too hard to accomplish. When I have to have four, it becomes a bit more difficult. I think the variation in the last few years is based on the number of speakers I've needed to have each day. If I have only three, others can participate more freely. If I have four, then others may be more limited. I also make an effort to call on folks who don't contribute as often. All this means that everyone might not get to contribute on any given day, and I tell the students all this right from the start.

10. How interested were you in learning the course material?

not interested
somewhat interested
moderately interested
fairly interested
very interested

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 5 is "better")
F 2014	22	1	0	1	1	12	7	4.19
F 2012	24	0	0	1	2	6	15	4.46
F 2011	32	1	1	4	4	12	10	3.84
F 2010	47	0	1	3	5	16	22	4.17
F 2009	38	0	0	0	2	16	20	4.47
F 2008	42	0	1	2	5	12	22	4.24
F 2007	42	0	0	2	6	15	19	4.21
F 2004	53	2	1	6	7	16	21	3.98
F 2003	55	0	0	7	0	20	28	4.25
F 2002	53	1	2	2	9	17	22	4.06
F 2001	55	0	0	3	4	22	26	4.43
F 2000	54	0	0	2	7	13	32	4.39
F 1999	53	0	0	1	4	28	20	4.26
F 1998	44	0	0	4	0	15	25	4.39
F 1997	58	0	2	3	3	20	30	4.26

About 95% of the students who take this class are either planning on or thinking about attending law school. As such they certainly ought to be interested in the material. I suppose there are occasionally students that had to take the course for scheduling reasons, but this is definitely not a course to take if you aren't interested in the material. The drop in the mean for F 2011 may help to explain why the class as a whole seemed less prepared than previous classes.

11. How much did you learn in this course?

quite a bit
a lot
some
not much
nothing

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 1 is "better")
F 2014	22	1	9	9	3	0	0	1.71
F 2012	24	0	15	8	1	0	0	1.42
F 2011	32	1	15	11	4	1	0	1.71
F 2010	47	0	28	15	4	0	0	1.49
F 2009	38	0	21	15	2	0	0	1.50
F 2008	42	0	22	14	5	0	1	1.67
F 2007	42	0	15	18	7	1	1	1.93
F 2004	53	2	24	22	4	0	1	1.67
F 2003	55	0	32	18	4	1	0	1.53
F 2002	53	1	25	22	3	2	0	1.65
F 2001	55	0	29	23	3	0	0	1.45
F 2000	54	0	30	18	5	1	0	1.57
F 1999	53	0	23	21	9	0	0	1.74
F 1998	44	0	24	16	3	1	0	1.57
F 1997	58	0	35	17	6	0	0	1.50

Even though the numbers are pretty good here, I think the students are underestimating how much they learned. The material in the course is so different from what most of them are used to that they often start the semester feeling that they don't really know what is going on and what they should be getting out of the cases. Most usually have a handle on it by the end of the semester, but I suspect some still are a bit uncertain about it. I suppose what I ought to do is give the class a test the first day so they can compare it with their results at the end of the course. Hmmm, I wonder what giving a test the first day would do to my evaluations.

12. How many of the basic terms necessary for an understanding of the material did you learn?

all
most
some
a few
none

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 1 is "better")
F 2014	22	1	0	17	4	0	0	2.19
F 2012	24	0	6	15	3	0	0	1.88
F 2011	32	1	4	18	6	3	0	2.26
F 2010	47	0	9	28	8	2	0	2.06
F 2009	38	0	10	24	3	1	0	1.87
F 2008	42	0	11	25	4	2	0	1.93
F 2007	42	0	6	24	12	0	0	2.14
F 2004	53	2	12	28	10	1	0	2.00
F 2003	55	0	13	30	7	5	0	2.07
F 2002	53	0	8	30	9	5	1	2.26
F 2001	55	0	9	36	10	0	0	2.01
F 2000	54	0	12	38	4	0	0	1.85
F 1999	53	0	10	32	8	3	0	2.08
F 1998	44	0	6	27	9	2	0	2.16
F 1997	58	0	12	40	5	1	0	1.28

This is really a check to see how motivated the students have been. One necessarily comes across a lot of legal terms in reading the cases and I stress that it's important to look up these terms in the law dictionary rather than just trying to figure them out from the context. Of course, I help things along by regularly asking my daily speakers to define the words found in the cases. Again, the increase in the mean here doesn't surprise me given the lower quality of the overall class performance on the assignments.

13. Were you challenged by this course?

very much
quite a bit
somewhat
a little
not at all

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 1 is "better")
F 2014	22	1	16	3	2	0	0	1.33
F 2012	24	0	13	9	2	0	0	1.54
F 2011	32	1	23	7	1	0	0	1.29
F 2010	47	0	28	17	2	0	0	1.45
F 2009	38	0	20	12	6	0	0	1.63
F 2008	42	0	28	9	4	1	0	1.48
F 2007	42	0	21	18	2	1	0	1.60
F 2004	53	2	23	17	9	1	1	1.82
F 2003	55	0	35	13	5	2	0	1.53
F 2002	53	0	35	13	4	1	0	1.45
F 2001	55	0	40	10	5	0	0	1.19
F 2000	54	0	34	14	6	0	0	1.48
F 1999	53	0	34	13	5	0	1	1.51
F 1998	44	1	30	12	1	1	0	1.39
F 1997	58	1	42	14	1	0	0	1.28

No surprise that the students found the course challenging. I tell students the first day of class that it's going to be a difficult course. I ask a lot of the students so they can get a taste of what law school might be like, and they generally deliver.

14. How do you feel about the amount of material covered in this course?

way too much
a bit too much
about right
not enough
way too little

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 3 is "better")
F 2014	22	1	5	13	3	0	0	1.90
F 2012	24	0	2	13	8	1	0	2.33
F 2011	32	2	6	20	4	0	0	1.93
F 2010	47	1	4	24	18	0	0	2.30
F 2009	38	0	3	20	15	0	0	2.32
F 2008	42	4	8	14	15	1	0	2.24
F 2007	42	0	11	23	8	0	0	1.93
F 2004	53	2	8	25	18	0	0	2.20
F 2003	55	0	8	32	15	0	0	2.13
F 2002	53	0	10	31	12	0	0	2.04
F 2001	55	0	9	36	10	0	0	2.01
F 2000	54	0	5	37	12	0	0	2.13
F 1999	53	0	9	26	17	1	0	2.19
F 1998	44	0	6	24	14	0	0	2.18
F 1997	58	1	10	28	18	1	0	2.18

This question is structured so that the middle score is "best." I say closer to 3 is "better," but my preference would be about 2.5. I certainly wouldn't want to overload the students with so much work that they end up not doing any of it, but I also want to get them to work. The actual reading load is relatively small in terms of page count, but because cases require a much closer reading than ordinary text it takes more time to get through it. Again, something I tell the students the first day of class.

15. Did the instructor present the material fairly and not give too much emphasis to one point of view or the other?

very fair
quite fair
somewhat fair
somewhat unfair
very unfair

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 1 is "better")
F 2014	22	1	16	3	2	0	0	1.33
F 2012	24	0	11	8	3	2	0	1.83
F 2011	32	1	9	16	4	2	0	1.97
F 2010	47	0	18	18	10	1	0	1.87
F 2009	38	0	13	21	4	0	0	1.76
F 2008	42	0	13	22	5	1	1	1.93
F 2007	42	0	11	12	13	4	2	2.38
F 2004	53	2	14	24	5	7	1	2.16
F 2003	55	0	15	24	8	7	1	2.18
F 2002	53	0	19	19	9	5	1	2.06
F 2001	55	0	17	21	15	2	0	2.00
F 2000	54	0	19	18	13	4	0	2.04
F 1999	53	0	8	31	10	2	2	2.23
F 1998	44	0	10	21	9	3	1	2.18
F 1997	58	1	14	30	4	9	0	2.14

Now that I have tenure I often tell students my political inclinations in the first or second class period. I also tell them that for purposes of the course, it doesn't matter whether they either agree with me or with the decisions of the Supreme Court that we read. What does matter is that they understand the arguments of the various justices. Because I run the class in a discussion format, I often argue both sides of an issue depending on the student's answers. I think, however, that because I tell students my general preferences there is a bit of selective perception on the part of some students, so I'm glad there aren't more 4s and 5s. Even so, I would be nice if the students who did select 4 or 5 had provided some examples in the written comments.

16. How well did the first test cover the topics to be tested?

very well
fairly well
adequately
poorly
very poorly

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 1 is "better")
F 2014	22	1	5	10	5	1	0	2.10
F 2012	24	0	5	14	4	0	1	2.08
F 2011	32	1	10	7	11	3	0	2.23
F 2010	47	0	18	15	10	4	0	2.00
F 2009	38	0	7	15	10	5	1	2.42
F 2008	42	0	8	17	11	6	0	2.36
F 2007	42	0	8	13	14	7	0	2.48
F 2004	53	2	11	18	14	7	1	2.39
F 2003	55	0	7	23	18	6	1	2.47
F 2002	53	0	5	12	18	12	6	3.04
F 2001	55	1	8	20	15	10	1	2.45
F 2000	54	1	13	18	12	8	2	2.40
F 1999	53	0	11	18	17	5	2	2.42
F 1998	44	0	6	12	17	6	3	2.73
F 1997	58	1	17	24	11	5	0	2.07

The first test is usually a shock to most students. It's a multiple-choice test and although I tell them it's hard, I don't think they believe me until they see it. Even so, a difficulty factor is built into the way I score the test. (I usually ask 40 questions to get 30 points, or something along those lines.) I often have several students who are unhappy with their performance on the first test, but after they talk to me about it they are usually able to see the problem and develop ways to improve on the second test.

17. Did the paper assignment aid in your understanding or ability to analyze concepts presented in the course?

very much
quite a bit
somewhat
a little
not at all

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 1 is "better")
F 2014	22	1	6	9	4	2	0	2.10
F 2012	24	0	8	7	7	0	2	2.21
F 2011	32	1	5	17	9	0	0	2.13
F 2010	47	0	10	14	15	7	1	2.47
F 2009	38	0	10	11	13	3	1	2.32
F 2008	42	0	5	13	16	6	2	2.69
F 2007	42	0	10	17	10	4	1	2.26
F 2004	53	2	11	12	14	7	7	2.75
F 2003	55	0	11	24	14	4	2	2.31
F 2002	53	0	3	25	14	7	4	2.70
F 2001	55	0	8	13	24	7	3	2.77
F 2000	54	0	15	12	14	9	4	2.54
F 1999	53	0	2	21	17	6	7	2.91
F 1998	44	0	12	22	5	4	1	2.09
F 1997	58	1	26	19	10	2	0	1.79

For the paper assignment I usually give the students a factual situation and ask them to analyze it based on the cases covered in the first half of the course. The evaluations were given before the papers were graded and returned, so the students' responses to this question are not colored by their happiness (or not) with their score.

18. Did the class discussion help you to understand the course concepts and material?

very helpful
fairly helpful
somewhat helpful
minimally helpful
not at all helpful

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 1 is "better")
F 2014	22	1	9	9	3	0	0	1.71
F 2012	24	0	12	9	2	1	0	1.67
F 2011	32	2	12	11	4	1	2	2.00
F 2010	47	0	13	17	13	4	0	2.17
F 2009	38	0	18	16	3	1	0	1.66
F 2008	42	0	16	13	6	4	3	2.17
F 2007	42	0	13	14	10	5	0	2.17
F 2004	53	2	16	20	7	6	2	2.18
F 2003	55	0	16	24	11	3	1	2.07
F 2002	53	0	20	19	8	3	3	2.06
F 2001	55	1	23	23	5	3	0	1.67
F 2000	54	0	25	17	9	3	0	1.81
F 1999	53	1	22	20	6	2	2	1.88
F 1998	44	0	21	18	3	2	0	1.68
F 1997	58	2	26	23	3	4	0	1.73

Because I use a form of the Socratic method the discussion can sometimes be hard to follow for those not actively participating, and given the usual size of the class, that means most students on any given day. The discussion will be even less helpful if the assigned speakers are unprepared or just don't get the material. I either correct mistakes myself or get other students to contribute to get us back on track, but I have to stick with the speakers long enough to be able to give them a score on their performance. I'm actually surprised that this mean is lower than many previous semesters given how some providing written comments complained about it and my own evaluation of the overall quality of the daily speakers (which wasn't as good as in previous semesters).

19. Did the study questions help you to understand the course concepts and material?

not at all
minimally helpful
somewhat helpful
fairly helpful
very helpful

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 5 is "better")
F 2014	22	1	0	3	7	7	4	3.57
F 2012	24	0	0	5	0	9	10	4.00
F 2011	32	1	2	2	7	10	10	3.77
F 2010	47	1	3	3	13	19	8	3.57
F 2009	38	0	1	6	7	17	7	3.61
F 2008	42	0	2	4	12	12	12	3.67
F 2007	42	0	2	4	15	16	5	3.43
F 2004	53	2	4	3	17	15	12	3.55
F 2003	55	0	3	9	14	22	7	3.38
F 2002	53	0	9	3	18	15	8	3.19
F 2001	55	0	1	10	13	19	12	3.68
F 2000	54	2	1	14	12	15	10	3.37
F 1999	53	1	3	3	13	20	13	3.71
F 1998	44	1	1	6	11	10	15	3.74
F 1997	58	2	2	10	19	17	8	3.34

Several years ago I began including an extensive (500+) set of study questions in the course pack. My inspiration for such a large set was my high school government teacher (Mr. Griggs) who always gave us such lists prior to tests. The basic idea of such a large list was that if one could work through all the questions he or she should do well on the test. Another purpose of the questions is to give the students more examples of the kinds of questions I want them to be thinking about as they go through the material. I also recommend that students get together in groups to discuss the questions (which contain many hypotheticals). A nice increase for the study questions. I did try to push them a bit more, particularly given the overall class performance on the first test.

20. Do you think the concepts and information you learned in this course will be valuable to you in the future?

very helpful
fairly helpful
somewhat helpful
minimally helpful
not at all helpful

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 1 is "better")
F 2014	22	1	12	7	2	0	0	1.52
F 2012	24	0	16	6	1	0	1	1.50
F 2011	32	1	18	9	2	1	1	1.65
F 2010	47	0	27	12	5	3	0	1.66
F 2009	38	0	26	8	3	1	0	1.45
F 2008	42	0	19	10	9	2	2	2.00
F 2007	42	0	17	14	10	1	0	1.88
F 2004	53	2	28	9	9	4	1	1.84
F 2003	55	0	27	16	10	2	0	1.76
F 2002	53	1	31	12	8	1	0	1.60
F 2001	55	0	27	15	11	2	0	1.53
F 2000	54	0	28	9	16	1	0	1.81
F 1999	53	1	23	17	10	1	1	1.85
F 1998	44	0	21	15	6	2	0	1.75
F 1997	58	1	29	17	9	1	1	1.74

Again, most of the students in this class plan on law school, so it should be helpful to them (and if they don't see it, then they will soon be in big trouble!). Even so, I tell the students that the course will likely be even more important for those not planning on law school because it may be the only time they will learn about the cases in the course and learn how to analyze the arguments often made about such cases. It's good to see that most of the students realize this.

21. On the whole, would you recommend this instructor to other students?

very strongly
fairly strongly
yes
yes with reservations
no

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 1 is "better")
F 2014	22	*
F 2012	24	0	9	5	6	3	1	2.25
F 2011	32	1	7	7	7	7	3	2.74
F 2010	47	0	15	15	9	8	0	2.21
F 2009	38	0	13	12	7	6	0	2.16
F 2008	42	0	16	9	4	8	5	2.45
F 2007	42	0	9	7	8	13	5	2.95
F 2004	53	2	14	13	10	8	6	2.59
F 2003	55	0	13	13	12	13	4	2.67
F 2002	53	0	16	11	11	12	3	2.53
F 2001	55	0	10	11	16	13	5	2.91
F 2000	54	0	9	9	19	14	3	2.87
F 1999	53	1	14	15	11	9	3	2.46
F 1998	44	0	13	8	9	9	5	2.66
F 1997	58	1	20	21	6	9	1	2.12

This is the BIG question. This question is the general overall evaluation of my course. Given the difficulty of the course, it's good to see that the vast majority would recommend me to others. There are often a lot of 4s for this question. In various past semesters I've had students tell me that they would recommend me and this class to others, but that they would emphasize that it's a lot of work, which is certainly a fair assessment. I suppose this may mean that a 4 is not all that negative of a response. Judging by the written comments, only a few of those might have given some reasons why they wouldn't recommend me. It's too bad that more weren't willing to explain why they didn't like the my approach to the course. What many students don't realize is that it can become easy for instructors to dismiss negative evaluations if the students don't clearly explain why they didn't like an instructor or course. As I tell the students the first day of class, and put right in the syllabus, I can't do anything about a problem if I don't know it exists.

After I gave the course evaluations for the Fall 2002 group I went off to get some dinner before my evening class. As I approached the counter to order I noticed one of my students who was in this class. I decided not to say anything to her as she was with someone not from the class, but I ended up standing in line just a bit in front of her. As I was standing there she began to tell her friend about having just taken the evaluation in my course and how she had answered "no." to this question. Although I was trying not to listen, she wasn't exactly quiet and I was right next to her, so I caught a few bits of her reasoning. The gist of her complaint seemed to be that I didn't define terms in class. That, for example, I would say something like "strict scrutiny" and ask the students what it meant rather than telling them. In other words, I actually expected the students to have read the material and be prepared to discuss it. Horrors!!! I'm still not entirely sure if the student actually knew that I was there and was just trying to get a rise out of me, or if she was just oblivious to my being there. If the latter, then the joke's on me. If the former, then it's a good example of a general (and unfortunate) trend for this course.

*As noted at the top of the page, there was a problem in coding and it appears that this question and the next were not scored properly and did not appear in the results I was given.

22. Approximately what grade do you think you will receive in this course?

A
B
C
D
F

Semester	N	Omits	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	Mean	(closer to 1 is "better")
F 2014	22	*							(see note on #21)
F 2012	24	0	6	13	5	0	0	1.96
F 2011	32	1	7	13	11	0	0	2.13
F 2010	47	0	12	23	11	1	0	2.02
F 2009	38	1	17	14	5	1	0	1.73
F 2008	42	0	6	22	13	0	1	2.24
F 2007	42	0	7	20	15	0	0	2.19
F 2004	53	3	11	32	6	1	0	1.94
F 2003	55	0	18	26	11	0	0	1.87
F 2002	53	0	15	29	7	0	2	1.96
F 2001	55	1	13	23	18	0	0	2.11
F 2000	54	0	14	17	22	1	0	2.19
F 1999	53	2	18	24	8	1	0	1.84
F 1998	44	0	15	20	9	0	0	1.86
F 1997	58	1	14	30	13	0	0	1.98

I've often wondered whether a student's perception of how he or she is doing in a course affects the evaluation. I don't try to correlate the responses between this question and the previous one, but I do look at the general trend between the two. On the whole I think the students underestimate their performance in the course. I realize that the average perceived grade is a B, and usually none less than a C, but I suspect that most of the students who are not doing well in the course tend not to show up on a regular basis. Many classes will complain about the difficulty of the course, but nevertheless think they were doing better. It's also interesting to note that one student in a previous semester wrote that he or she failed the first test, but still expected no worse than a C in the course. Must be grade inflation.

It's interesting that the Fall 2002 semester was the first in which anyone indicated that he or she actually expected to fail the course. If these students were serious, I suppose they get brownie points for still coming to the class (or maybe they just came for the evaluations!). Still no one failed the course who did all the assignments. The big problem Fall 2002 was an unusually large number of students who simply choose not to either do the required speaking or turn in a paper. It's a little hard to pass when you take a zero for 40% of your grade.

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POLI:3101/30:116 American Constitutional Law and Politics

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