Chemistry 11
Fall 2004
COURSE EVALUATION
We would appreciate as much feedback as possible from you to help us to improve this course.
The questions below are guidelines. Please feel free to make additional comments or to address
any issue that you consider important. You need not sign your name.
Section/Laboratory Instructor (circle one)
a) O’Hara
b) McKinney
c) Kushick
Your Background in Chemistry
How much high school or college chemistry had you taken prior to this course?
less than 1 year ______, 1 year ______, 2 years ______, more than 2 years ______.
Your Study Methods
Approximately how many hours per week did you spend on:
studying/reading ______, homework ______, laboratory preparation and reports ______?
What percentage of lectures did you attend? What percentage of discussion sessions did you attend?
How would you describe the amount of effort relative to your other courses this term?
How often did you use: office hours _____________, lecture TA or QCenter _____________?
Did you have a study group or work together with classmates? What study tools and strategies
did you find most useful?
Course Materials
Did the Zumdahl textbook help you learn? Should this textbook be used in the future?
Did the homework, quizzes, and exams reasonably and fairly test your knowledge? Did you
learn from them? Were they graded fairly? Did you get useful and timely feedback?
Chemistry 11
Fall 2004
Course Content
Please comment on the course syllabus. Did the order of topics make sense to you? Which
topics were most or least interesting? Were specific topics especially easy or difficult?
How would you describe the level of difficulty and the pace of the course relative to your other
classes?
Briefly, what are the two or three most important concepts or underlying themes you will take
away from this course?
Chemistry 11
Fall 2004
Course Format
Comment on the use of PowerPoint (computer projection) in the lectures. Did you like or dislike
this method of presentation? Why? Did you find the lecture handouts helpful?
Were discussion sessions useful to you? Do you have any suggestions on how the use of this
time might be improved to be more constructive or beneficial to you?
In what specific ways would you improve this course?
Atmosphere
Did you find interactions between students in the class to be collaborative or competitive? Do
you have any suggestions on how the instructors might reduce the perception of competition
between students or otherwise improve the class atmosphere?
During the course of the semester, did you observe any behavior inconsistent with the Amherst
College Honor Code? In what context did this behavior take place (for example, during quizzes
or exams, or outside of class hours)?
Chemistry 11
Fall 2004
Laboratories
Please evaluate the laboratories. You might consider the relevance to the course material, the
amount of work during the lab period(s), and the value of the experience. Were certain
experiments particularly illustrative or particularly confusing?
Properties of Acids and Bases
Titration of HCl (in the Chem 12 lab)
Gases
Quantum Mechanical Explorations (Emission Spectra)
Baker Street Dozen - Identification of Unknowns
Caffeine
It’s Not Easy Being Green (Cobalt Complexes)
Comment on the helpfulness of the laboratory TA. Was the TA knowledgeable and accessible?
Were the laboratory reports graded fairly? Did you get timely and useful feedback?