Fall 2019 - Benjamin Miller ENGCMP 0610 -

COMPOSING DIGITAL MEDIA - 1030 -

Seminar
Project Title: 2201 - Teaching Survey Fall 2019

Courses Audience: 17
Responses Received: 13
Response Rate: 76.47%

Subject Details
Name ENGCMP 0610 - COMPOSING DIGITAL MEDIA - 1030 - Seminar
DEPARTMENT_CD ENGLISH
CAMPUS_CD PIT
SCHOOL_CD ARTSC
CLASS_NBR 18576
SECTION_NUMBER 1030
TERM_NUMBER 2201
COURSE_TYPE Seminar
CLASS_ATTRIBUTE
First Name Benjamin
Last Name Miller
RANK_DESCR Assistant Professor
TENURE TS

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Table of Contents:

I. Numerical results to Likert scaled items - Summary and Detailed Results

II. Responses to Comments or Open-ended Questions

III. Responses to additional School or Department Questions (if applicable)

IV. Responses to additional QP/Custom Questions (if applicable)

Collect student feedback early next term.

Beginning spring 2020, the Office of Measurement and Evaluation of Teaching (OMET) will offer a midterm course survey option. This
option will be open to all instructors by request. Read more about Midterm Course Surveys and the new OMET option.

Creation Date: Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Arts and Sciences Questions
Summary: 5-point scale - Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree
Results
Question Response Standard
Mean
Count Deviation
The instructor created an atmosphere that kept me engaged in course content. 13 4.77 0.44
The instructor was prepared for class. 13 4.92 0.28
The instructor treated students with respect. 13 4.85 0.38
The instructor was available to me (in-person, electronically, or both). 13 4.92 0.28
The instructor evaluated my work fairly. 12 4.92 0.29
The instructor provided feedback that was helpful to me. 12 5.00 0.00
I learned a lot from this course. If there is no basis to judge or not applicable, answer N/A. 13 4.62 0.51

Benjamin Miller (ENGCMP 0610 - COMPOSING DIGITAL MEDIA - 1030 - Seminar) 2/9
Detailed Responses

1. The instructor created an atmosphere that kept me engaged in 2. The instructor was prepared for class.
course content.

3. The instructor treated students with respect. 4. The instructor was available to me (in-person, electronically, or
both).

5. The instructor evaluated my work fairly. 6. The instructor provided feedback that was helpful to me.

7. I learned a lot from this course. If there is no basis to judge or

not applicable, answer N/A.

Benjamin Miller (ENGCMP 0610 - COMPOSING DIGITAL MEDIA - 1030 - Seminar) 3/9
The standards the instructor set for me were:
The standards the instructor set for me were:

How many hours per week did you usually spend working on this course outside of classroom time?

How many hours per week did you usually spend working on this course outside of classroom time?

Benjamin Miller (ENGCMP 0610 - COMPOSING DIGITAL MEDIA - 1030 - Seminar) 4/9
Comments
What did you like best about how the course was taught?
Comments
I like how there was always a predictable structure to the units so you generally knew what was expected of you in a project, and
how there were lots of resources on the website that we could use to inform our projects. Also, the site being based on the website
was helpful because it was pretty well–organized and you could see the lesson plans even if you weren't in class.
I liked how each project only required people to work towards a baseline of requirements to receive a reasonable grade.
Sometimes creative projects can be consuming so having the option to not go above and beyond if media creation isn't your forte.
workshops
Tasks were given with ample time to complete. Basics taught beforehand were very necessary and taught well.
I liked the wide array of mediums used to teach composition. It allowed me to learn several different tools, and influenced how I
thought about composition.
The repeating structure of all the units made it easy to adapt and get in a flow for the class.
The workshops and the ability to revise previous projects.
I liked that we were able to go into our own direction for our projects
I really enjoyed that this course did not necessarily evaluate you through strict examinations and papers but rather creative projects.
The opportunity to always get at least a B on every project as long as you met very basic requirements was also encouraging since
the techniques can be tough for some students. Ben always gave good advice and feedback on these projects which allowed me to
learn a lot from this course. Furthermore, it was a very comfortable environment to participate in.
I liked that the class atmosphere was very casual and hands–on. I really appreciated the fact that we were given in–class studio
time to work on projects and ask any questions we had. It was also just a fun class in general.
The best thing about this course was the professor. Ben is probably the best teacher I’ve had at Pitt, because he is very
knowledgeable about the subjects he teaches, but on top of that is quite kind and understanding. He works with you, and actually
provides useful and meaningful feedback. Often times I’ve found that in certain classes, it almost feels as if you are working against
the professor, rather than with them. Like you have to convince them of your works merit. This was not that way with Ben, as he
actually works with you if you need help. He is truly and excellent teacher, and I would take more classes with him in the future.
Allowed for a lot creativity while learning new tools

If you were teaching this course, what would you do differently?

Comments
I might provide more in–class time to work, since a lot of the time I could only get minimal work done except on studio days. I think it
would also be helpful to maybe have a Courseweb page for the class so we could see our grades / any announcements or updates
or maybe post questions / ask for help with the software on a blog that people could contribute to, although I did like the github
website.
I would recommend adding more in–class demonstration of the various platforms we used. Often times, we were given new
software that we weren't familiar with.
give more time for students to learn coding html and css
I would probably encourage students to learn more advanced uses of git, though I am biased as a computer science major.
I wish the final project with groups had more of a set structure rather than you were able to basically do whatever you wanted.
I didn't like that grades were given back as "if this was the final version it would be a B+ or A–." I understand that it isn't the final
grade and we have the opportunity to change it, but situations like that where it is borderline can be stressful because we don't
know what the final grade would actually be. If I made no changes would it be a B+ or an A–? Since this is unclear, I don't know how
much time to spend on my revisions or if I should even dedicate a ton of time to them because usually I would be fine with an A–. I
know I would feel more comfortable fully knowing where my grade was during the semester and knowing I had to choice to revise
projects for a higher grade if I wanted to.
Coding was very difficult and I would say a little out of the realm of this type of class
Nothing! Loved this course, so glad I took it.
I couldn't teach this class any better than Ben already does.
Nothing.

Benjamin Miller (ENGCMP 0610 - COMPOSING DIGITAL MEDIA - 1030 - Seminar) 5/9
Personalized Questions
The instructor gave a clear explanation of the grading system at the beginning of the course.

The instructor gave a clear explanation of the grading system at the beginning of the course.

Statistics Value
Mean 4.54
Standard Deviation 0.66

The grading system motivated me to try new things.

The grading system motivated me to try new things.

Statistics Value
Mean 4.38
Standard Deviation 0.51

The grading system helped me reflect on my learning in the course.

The grading system helped me reflect on my learning in the course.

Statistics Value
Mean 4.15
Standard Deviation 0.69

Benjamin Miller (ENGCMP 0610 - COMPOSING DIGITAL MEDIA - 1030 - Seminar) 6/9
The use of version control software (git / GitHub) helped me reflect on my learning in the course.

The use of version control software (git / GitHub) helped me reflect on my learning in the course.

Statistics Value
Mean 3.85
Standard Deviation 0.90

The use of version control software (git / GitHub) helped me become comfortable with a digital
composing workflow.

The use of version control software (git / GitHub) helped me become comfortable with a digital composing workflow.

Statistics Value
Mean 4.08
Standard Deviation 0.95

I plan to continue using version control software after the semester ends.

I plan to continue using version control software after the semester ends.

Statistics Value
Mean 3.77
Standard Deviation 1.17

Benjamin Miller (ENGCMP 0610 - COMPOSING DIGITAL MEDIA - 1030 - Seminar) 7/9
The course helped improve my ability to manage complex projects.

The course helped improve my ability to manage complex projects.

Statistics Value
Mean 4.31
Standard Deviation 0.75

After this course, I feel confident in my ability to learn new digital composing skills.

After this course, I feel confident in my ability to learn new digital composing skills.

Statistics Value
Mean 4.54
Standard Deviation 0.52

Benjamin Miller (ENGCMP 0610 - COMPOSING DIGITAL MEDIA - 1030 - Seminar) 8/9
What ideas or concepts from this course do you want to remember after this semester?
Comments
I think the web design concepts would be helpful in case I want to make a more formal portfolio website that actual employers
would look at, so I could reference the HTML and CSS of the portfolio that I did make. In that case, I also think remembering how to
use version control would be helpful for digital projects.
how to build a website using html!
File organization
Fair use
Design techniques
github, audacity, gimp, and coding
I want to remember the general way I learned to use new tools and environments. But I also want to remember how to use the tools
we used, like Gimp and Audacity. They have real uses that I have already taken advantage of thanks to this class.
Photoshop
I want to remember that I am capable of doing things that I didn't necessarily think I could do in the beginning (e.g. creating a
website from scratch). If you are provided an encouraging learning environment and are given the appropriate tools you can
accomplish more than you think you can. I would also like to remember the importance of digital media in general because I
learned how much it impacts the every day world and its presence will only continue to grow in the future.
The idea of saving and pushing my work frequently was a big thing I learned in this class. It helped me to stay organized, and I'll
definitely take that lesson with me. Also the idea of stepping back and reflecting on my ideas/work was another big thing that this
class taught me.
I really liked getting into Git and Html stuff. I suck at both of them, but I went from zero knowledge, and a phobia of Java, to actually
being able to write some Java script.
I learned many new tools in this class that I can use in the future– Github, GIMP and html/css are a few that I can see myself using
for other classes or my projects.

What else should administrators know about this course, or this instructor?
Comments
I think they should know that the content of the course generally varies by the professor, since I remember that you said that some
classes focused more on sound or video, while this class seemed more holistic. If students want to focus more on a certain
subject then, or take a variety, then it would be helpful for certain for the course descriptions on the my pitt portal where you officially
choose classes to reflect the way each professor structures the class.
I think this course is challenging enough but useful for people looking to build portfolios for the media industry. At the end of the day,
each project had skills that would be applicable to jobs in the field.
just give more time for kids to learn to code
Ben is incredibly engaging, and makes learning and composing entertaining.
Ben is a very passionate and enthusiastic professor. He created a welcoming and friendly class room environment, and his
excitement wears off onto the class.
n/a
Ben is really an incredible teacher and person in general. He treats us like friends instead of just his students. You can tell he cares
about each of us and wants to see us succeed, which creates a very positive class atmosphere. Ben was very accessible and
answered our questions if he knew the answer, and he worked hard to find the answers for us if he didn't. Overall, this is a great
course and Ben is the best person to teach it.
Ben is excellent, and I wish I could take more classes with him. Professors should be more like Ben.

Benjamin Miller (ENGCMP 0610 - COMPOSING DIGITAL MEDIA - 1030 - Seminar) 9/9