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Learner Feedback

Leighton Pritchard edited this page May 17, 2021 · 3 revisions

The learner feedback after each lesson was collected online through Qualtrics. We had links for feedback on the Etherpad and shared them via Zoom chat. We verbally advertised the feedback opportunity several times per session, and thanked the learners for their responses. The number of responses fell as the course progressed.

Actions taken on the day

  • On-the-fly checks of OpenRefine data/version compatibility
    • Instructor was running v3.3 of OpenRefine; class was running 3.4 and there were different default import options

Actions for next presentation

  • Instructor updates OpenRefine, or use the disparity as a teaching/learning moment
  • Make the drop-in software installation session compulsory
  • Dropping into a breakout room with a helper isolates learners from the main session so...
    • maybe live broadcast the instructor on YouTube so that learners who drop into breakout rooms can see where the lesson is and catch up?

Feedback

Unix

Positive

  • It demonstrated how helpful this type of programming will be.
  • Explanations were excellent and it built a foundation for Unix coding
  • Covered a lot of material very quickly and clearly.
  • The helpers were so good and efficient at replying
  • I liked that all the helper were ready and quick to respond to questions
  • Wide range of information on this particular software
  • Very informative and learnt a lot about something I had no idea about [...]
  • Steve explained what he was doing at each stage very well
  • The intro was nice and reassuring for people facing the lesson with dread. Regular 15 minute breaks was helpful.

Negative

  • [...] the pace was a little fast, and also some additional context as to how learning this new technique / information can be applicable to real life scenarios / research. Maybe it's just a personal issue as I am completley inexperienced, but most of the exercises seemed a bit "random" and I struggled to think up how / what I could go away and use it myself for.
  • It was quite hard to follow and things were far to fast to properly take in. I also feel like certain basic things were not explained, which makes it hard for someone with zero previous experience. I was lagging behind and unable to catch up.
  • It was a little rushed / couldn't follow at times (but that was ok as the info is available and individuals can do a little research in areas they need to work on). Just meant that the code couldn't be followed as well.
  • Excersize solutions are displayed directly under the excersize, I would find it better if they were either at the end or somehow revealed on click so that you don't see them while doing the excersize.
  • Too fast to begin with because I was clueless at the start and got left behind
  • Maybe, next time go slower when using Git Bash, I got lost some times
  • Maybe going a little too fast at some points but it's understandable given the time constraints
  • Maybe slightly too fast towards the end when moving through the more complex code
  • A couple of us got lost very quickly because of how fast the instructor was going. The opportunity to flag up isses (red cross) wasn't an option on our version of Zoom. It would be great for the instructor to stop every 5-10 minutes to allow us to catch up as there seemed to be no time to process what is happening and also type everything he is typing!

R Part 1

Positive

  • A lot of information well delivered
  • Good to know how to work R studio - I've never created a project before or realised there was a help function.
  • I loved this. Just want to find some opportunities to use and explore R. Looking forward to creating some cost and life cycle analysis models.
  • Very well paced and explained. Good examples used!
  • I liked the exercises at the end of each topic

Negative

  • Perhaps having to be briefer tutorial description of plotting and use this time to cover the same plots using practical excersizes.
  • Could have gone at half the speed but that's probably my age! Not necessarily because is was too fast but it would have been nice to explore a bit more. COurse would be 4 days not 2 though.
  • The length of the whole day was a bit too long (hard to focus in the end). But for the amount of info it was worth it!
  • As a very first beginner, it did go a bit too quickly for me to fully understand

OpenRefine

Positive

  • Steven did well to admit fault in the issues which arose.
  • Instructions were clear, program was useful and instructors spent time answering in detail on any questions (even at the cost of their break)
  • Much easier to follow compared to Unix Shell
  • clear explanation of openrefine
  • Well explained and good data set was used to show the functions of openrefine.

Negative

  • Only negative would be the version difference between instructor and downloaded tool (in respect to tickbox on import) but this was very minor
  • nothing was very clear!
  • Time was lost due to different openrefine versions

R Part 2

No learners completed the feedback survey

Positive

Negative