Past Student Evaluations

The most common theme in my teaching evaluations is that I am hard, but fair, and the students learn a lot (especially about writing). (Typical comments are below.) In general, the kind of student who really dislikes my classes is the kind who wants a teacher to them exactly what to do, so that taking the class is a question of following instructions.

In the last four undergraduate courses I’ve taught, 51% of my students gave an “overall instructor rating” of excellent, 27% very good, 21% satisfactory, and 1% unsatisfactory (which is one student). I’ve never received a “very unsatisfactory.” In regard to workload, 6% of students rated the workload excessive, 58% rated it high, and 34% rated it average. I’ve never had any students rate it light or insufficient. 69% of students said they strongly agreed that “the instructor made me feel to ask questions, disagree, and express my ideas,” 26% said they agreed, and 5% were neutral. I’ve never had a student say they disagreed or strongly disagreed with that statement.

Typical Student Comments

“I really enjoyed this class because it made me push myself to work harder than I ever had. I honestly feel like I am a better writer now.”

“Some discussions went off on tangents, although they were interesting tangents.”

“During lectures, the instructor talked about many different topics. While it was interesting and informative, it was difficult to follow and often times it was unclear how these topics related to the readings or what I thought we were supposed to be discussing that day. However, I’m used to outlined lectures, and it did become easier to follow the discussions as the semester progressed.”

“She cared about getting each of us to improve our writing.”

“I definitely think my writing has benefited from taking her class.”

“She never told us we were wrong and let us come to our own conclusions.”

“I learned as much about myself as a writer as I did about ‘how to write.’ The course improved my ability to write papers of several kinds and increased my awareness of the process involved in grading writing.”

“Truthfully, this course is what I would really expect a high-level university rhetoric course to be like. The work was really challenging! I have never been asked to write papers like that before, or do so much reading and analyzing before. But Trish was very approachable, and she was eager to help with all of my problems.”

“Professor Roberts-Miller is an exceptionally good professor; she communicates information effectively, makes class interesting and relevant, pushes us to do better on our writing, allows us to voice our opinions, and ensures that every time we leave the classroom we are better educated than when we entered it. This is one of the few courses I’ve taken that I feel is well worth the effort I put into it.”

Past Student’s Advice

1. Don’t be afraid to express opinions different than Trish’s. She grades papers, not beliefs.
2. Ask for help if you need it—your paper will benefit from it. Trish is very good about working with her students.
3. Don’t stress if you do badly on paper 1.1—you have plenty of time to improve by paper 1.2, and if you work with Trish you will improve.
4. NEVER WRITE A SUMMARY INTRODUCTION—EVER!!!

“Trust her. Thanks to a mediocre educational system, what she says in the beginning may be so foreign to you that you might be tempted to fight it. Listen, take good notes of the diagrams and read her “how to” essays a few times. Use her office hours and don’t be afraid to tell her you’re struggling with something. In the end, you might be able to write a worthwhile paper in spite of your University education.”

• Go to her office hours and understand exactly what she means by her comments on your papers.
• Go to class and pay attention.
• Speak up, you learn more if you ask questions.
• She wants you to do well so give her every opportunity to see you learning and working.
• Don’t put off your papers or reading the text, because you will get stuck on what to write.

“When entering the class keep in mind everything you read and hear in class will be used throughout the whole semester. I recommend that you read thoroughly and take good notes (taking good notes does not require a ton of writing).”

“Give these writing techniques she talks about (example—introduction techniques) a chance. It may be hard at first, but you will benefit from them and become better writers with much better papers.”

“Keep up with the readings! Try not to start your papers the night before, they will come out better if you spend more time on it. If you are ever stuck on a topic, organization of your paper, Trish will always be willing to help you out! Talk to her!”

“This class seems only to work with active participation by the individual.”

“Ask Trish for help with your paper—she has a lot of good advice to offer.”

“Do your microthemes! Doing them is the best way to be a full participant and to keep yourself on track with the readings. Also, come to class on time, don’t be absent, and turn your essays in on time. Start essays a week and a half early so you can go in and talk to Trish when you have a bunch of crap on paper and she can help you turn it into a decent essay.”

“Come to class, ask questions (lots of them), and keep up with assignments.”

“Start thinking of your paper topics really far in advance, because sometimes your first idea is useless if you cannot find a text to support it.”

“Take the course. Do the readings, they are interesting and it’s worth it to be able to follow class discussions. Don’t (EVER) be afraid to contribute in class or talk to Trish. She genuinely wants to hear what you have to say and she’s there to help you.”

“Come to every class even if there is only ten min left: you will learn something. The class is like the greatest philosophical phrase you’ve ever read: it provokes thought; it’s to the point, and it your life is more understandable because of it.”

“Be prepared to change your writing habits and style. Be prepared to change your views on what you know.”

“This course is rewarding because you walk away with knowledge of writing effective arguments and a good understanding of the material. Even though it’s a challenge, you gain more than just a grade.”

“Watch your back, she’s been known to shank students in the kidneys. Eat lots of tofu, watch Star Wars, and don’t be afraid to call idiocy idiocy.”