Total Respondents: 23
What did you like most about this course?
#1: GIS project
Number of spontaneous GIS project mentions: 10
#2: Readings
#3: Class Discussions
(Results for "Readings" and "Class Discussions" to be added)
What did you like least about this course?
Number of spontaneous GIS project mentions: 2
Comments:
-GIS project was interesting, but hard to do without help
(Results for "Readings" and "Class Discussions" to be added)
Were there components of the class that did more (or less) to facilitate your learning and your ability to learn in the future?
Number of spontaneous GIS project mentions: 7
Comments:
-Group project (GIS) was great.
-More time on GIS would have been helpful.
-I did like learning GIS.
-GIS is a good skill to know.
-The GIS project significantly helped facilitated my learning by forcing me to reach my own conclusions and not just read other people's.
-The GIS project really helped to facilitate my learning because they were hands on projects that really helped me to learn about quantitative data analysis.
(Results for "Readings" and "Class Discussions" to be added)
Did doing the GIS project facilitate your engagement with the readings on environmental inequality? If so, how?
Yes: 18
No: 1
Qualified: 4
Comments:
-Yes, the GIS project was instrumental in bringing together the readings and real world application.
-Writing the paper forced us to look at theories in the readings and compare them to our data.
-Yes, very visual representation of the concepts and how they varied geographically and temporally.
-Yes, analyzing my own maps forced me to study and engage with theories and literature on the subject.
-Because we were interpreting the information, it made the conclusions that the readings came to more clear.
-It provided a visual stimulation that added to the readings. It made them come to life.
-It really brought the theories we've been writing about to life.
-Yes, I think that GIS helped me to relate to the readings and understand how the researchers we read about gathered their own research and interpreted their results to formulate theories.
-Definitely, brought real-life examples to the theories!
-Yes, allowed visual representation of what we were reading; feeling of actually discovering (very important).
-The visual representation helps a lot.
-I thought it was really interesting to visually represent the readings.
-Yes, by backing up theories discussed with statistical data and understandable images.
-Yes, because it gave us content that the readings applied to, so it made it much easier to remember.
-Yes, it was fun to come to that realization at the end of the project that it all really was connected!
-Helps to understand how you do research in papers.
-Yes, if for no other reason than doing the literature review section of the paper.Qualified comments:
-Yes, but I needed more instruction on the use of the data.
-don't know if it facilitated my engagement with the reading so much as it allowed me to personally check what the authors said.)
-I guess, but it was hard to keep up with both the project and the readings at the same time.
-The visual maps did because I could see the inequality. The data tables didn't help me engage with the readings.
Did it at all help in your understanding of the relationships between theory and empirical investigation?
Yes: 21
No: 2
Comments:
-Yes, it reinforced the use of data to assess theories.
-Yes, except not sure which one comes first—the theory or the empirical investigation in sociology.
-Yes, but it would have been more informative to see the pattern over time.
-Yes, very much.
-Yes, it did.
-Yes, of course, that's exactly the point of it.
-Yes, a lot.
-Yes, it improved.
-Not really, already had a good understanding.
-Yes, I know much better now how sociologists work.
Did the project alter the way you feel about working with quantitative data?
Yes: 8
No: 10
Somewhat: 3
Comments:
-The GIS project reinforced my desire to have quantitative data to back up theories and hypotheses.
-Yes, more confident.
-It made it understandable.
-Yes, it was interesting to compare our hypotheses, the visual correlations, and the statistical data.
-Yes, I now see data as a very helpful tool that will help me engage with the world.
-Yeah, I thought it was going to be a lot of math and confusing numbers, but it was fairly simple.
-Yes, because I can see how it's an important asset for understanding the causation of environmental inequality.
-It made it seem more relevant and usable.
-I already liked quantitative data, so the project was very fun for me.
-Not really. I felt comfortable before and after. Interesting stuff, though.
-Did not really alter it because I have always liked quantitative data.
-I like it and am getting better at it, so then I like it more.
-I don't like working with quantitative data, but GIS made it much more interesting.
-I'm already comfortable with quantitative data.
-Not really. Quantitative data is useful and good (but still not incredibly fun for me to deal with), but it can be easier if we understood the computer programs that create/analyze them.
-I feel more comfortable working with data, especially interpreting the results and analyzing it to be able to observe tendencies and patterns.
-I've always enjoyed quantitative data, so it just catered to my desires.
-Yes, I feel a bit more comfortable. That has always been difficult, but I was glad we did it.
-I still think it has limitations, but it is a good place to start quantitative research.
-Not really. I wish we had more time to really get to know the program.
If a half-block course on GIS were to be offered by the college, would you enroll?
Yes: 6
No: 9 (3 or 4 of these are graduating seniors)
Maybe: 8