HST 202: US History W20 (Escobar)

I believe that you were extremely thorough in your presentations. It was always clear to me you knew exactly what you were talking about and did everything you could to relay that information to us. I always enjoyed coming to your class because I knew I would always get my moneys worth. 

I was doing well enough in the class that I didn't feel it necessary to come in for extra guidance or help. While I am shy when it comes to visiting professors , you didn't come off as unapproachable and would've reached out if I felt like I needed to.  

Just talking when class ended about some of the more specific occurrences in history.

I have had a few interactions after class scheduled time or over moodle messaging that positively impacted my time spent in the class as a whole. Some professors are not as available as Professor Escobar and that can make going to class tough.

I just didn't have the time between all my class.  You weren't unapproachable and I didn't know about The Zoom video conferencing. Also Each lesson to me were easy to understandable.

You sent me a message to confirm that a question was correct on the practice exam. You were also very nice and gave me some words of encouragement! 

non applicable

Null

I approached you once or twice after class and you answered my questions thoroughly. The times that I didn't message or approached when I should have was because of my anxiety disorder. It has less to do with the instructor and more to do with getting the confidence to ask for help. 

Throughout the class, when I had a question I was able to contact you through Moodle messaging or have it answered during class. I don't know Zoom and tend to be in my pjs at home so I would not be doing a video chat

The in class and online material was good enough for me. I didn't need any extra help.

I genuinely enjoyed talking with the instructor after class to elaborate on topics discussed during class as well as any other information that would have taken up class time.

I came to Joe Escobar on a few occasions to see what I had missed the day before. This term has been hard with a lot of doctor appointments, but Joe was always happy to help me and anyone else who needed it. 

I never came in office hours because it never worked with my schedule and I never had a question important enough to set up a meeting. However, if office hours did work with my schedule I definitely would have stopped by a couple of times. 

I did not need them

I like how you ask "who has seen ___?" or "who has been to___?" it offers a look into your life and relates back to us as students.

i didnt need to talk to you, i understood the topics and didnt think to talk to you about them

I have never been to his office, but I talked with him right before and after class on small and simple things in which he was very helpful. The teacher was also easily approachable with any concern I had.

Your presentations were thorough and clear that I didn't really need help. But along with that I am grateful that you were always available if a student needed you. In my work schedule, high school, sports, and other LCC classes, I physically did not have time to come in, but  with that being said I am grateful that you were always at top speed to responded to messages from Moodle sent to you. 

I didn't have meaningful conversation with you outside of class as I didn't think that there was much to talk about.

It was very clear that you are willing to spend time helping your students outside of class and are readily available, however I did not feel I needed to take advantage of this.

I just felt like I was doing good in the class and didn't need any help. However in past classes with you, I have had some meaningful interaction with you and if I thought that I need to approach you with something I would have. 

Escobar seems to be very available for students. He is very approachable, even to me and i'm shy.

I didn't do an office hour because I didn't feel like I needed it. I was getting high scores, the class time was very thorough and enjoyable and the subject, I felt like, was easy to learn.

I had an issue with an error I made in a forum and I messaged you over Moodle about it and you fixed it in a hurry, which I greatly appreciated! 

Everything was extremely thorough and I felt like I had the resources to answer all of my questions, it was up to me to find the answers. This is by far the most resource-oriented class I've ever taken, and it's very well put together. Everything is out there if you put in the effort. 

For me personally, there were a culmination of reasons why I never utilized office hours with you. You seem like an extremely approachable and likable person, I had questions to ask sometimes that i thought were pretty interesting but I had to leave abruptly out of class due to my bus schedule. I'm also a bit of a shy person so that is another reason why i never visited ,but the main reason why I never came to office hours was because your lectures are straightforward, your assignments are straightforward and the notes you give in class are more than adequate enough to succeed in this class. I never felt a time where something was unclear or difficult to understand because you do an amazing job at explaining what is required both in class and on moodle. 

I never had any trouble with the class that would need me to see you after. Even if I had issues I would have used moodle message instead or emailed, I'm usually shy so unless I was bordering a C- to D and was completely lost, I don't usually interact in person with anyone if I can help it. 

Based on how thoroughly you present information in class, I have never felt the need to seek assistance or help with the class. I honestly think I could have passed this class without ever once opening the book, that's how thorough the lectures were. There was also ZERO time wasted which I really appreciate, several teachers I've had here idle away the time. Clock hits 1, class goes non stop until 2:20. I know most students take this class simply as a requirement, I took it to learn and because I enjoy American history. The only interaction we had outside of class was a brief kudos you gave me on my forum entries, positive encouragement which simply made me want to do better. The only way someone could possibly need your assistance outside of the classroom is if they do not attend class, or slept through it.

I just never go talk to anyone during their office hours/don't have time.

Never needed to talk for office hours or outside of class. Was always available via moodle message when you needed him.

The only reason I never personally contacted you or did not come to office hours is just because I am very busy. On the days when I am not going to school, I am working 12 hour shifts. The time frame that I have to do homework and study is very very important to me, and often, I just don't have a lot of time to stop by. I never felt that you were unapproachable or that I couldn't talk to you if I needed to. I am just very busy. 

I never met with you because I didn't have any burning questions that needed answered, as I already understood the material from lecture and the textbook pretty well. If I did have some question(s) that I did need answered with more detail for the sake of a forum, quiz, or whatever, I would've definitely met with you.

We spoke further about images of the civil war that we're shown in class. You told me about some documentarys that i plan to watch.

Joe did an excellent job with teaching his course. I only ever had to message about not being there. His class was thorough. It made sense and was never confusing. I had the first forum to ask some questions but only because I had never had to do a forum before. He loves to talk about life and politics/religion/history after class if theres no rush to go. He was very engaging and listened to you. I have the upmost respect for Joe because he respected me and treated me as such. Maybe he could write his own version of the history book so that he didn't take sections out of the assignments because of the authors lack of placement and informational placement or lack there of.  

I didn't feel like there was anything that I needed to go to you about. When you talk about what you want in an assignment you make it clear so there were no questions. 

It was very easy for me to access these materials. 

Very Easy

Easy

Easy! 

very easy

very easy. 

very easy

Very easy.  Moodle should publish a cellphone APP.

I could access them from home where I have high-speed internet, and at a Starbucks using their WiFi. The materials were quite easy to access, although the lack of subtitles in the videos hindered my understanding a bit.  

I was able to get the materials I needed without any problems. 

Very Easy

I thought they were pretty easy to access

Very Easy

very easy 

Easy

very easy

easy

Since I was always at class, it was "very easy" to receive the handouts. I liked receiving the handouts in class.

It was very easy to get a hold on these materials. 

Very easy, the only critique that I have with the 'Lecture Images' is that I would like to be split up by class, not just week.

Very easy.

Very Easy

Very Easy. I used them quite a bit, and found them to be very helpful. 

Very easy

Very Easy 

Very Easy

Very easy; i also appreciated how you majority of classes you had extra papers for us to pick up if we misplaced or lost the original. 

They were fairly easy all the links worked and I didn't have issues with moodle getting online.

At first it was a little challenging. Younger students are most likely familiar with using google docs, i am not. But once i figured out how to access the files, it was very simple.

Very Easy

very easy

It was very easy for me to access these because they were through google docs. I never had a problem with opening anything, and I never had to download anything which was wonderful.

Very Easy

Easy

No more comments. Access was very easy.

Very easy. 

I think this is a very good concept. It allows the people who actually do the work to gain a better grade. I think you're asking very little from us, so I believe there's no reason to stop doing it. 

Some students just won't complete homework, even if it is just a grade bump gifted to them on a silver platter.

I don't know, to be honest. 

These assignments definitely help me rather than hurt my grade for this course. The quizzes are the best. You have to get a 70% or better and you get an A.

It was easy way to get the 20% and you don't need to change it.

If you're talking about the quizzes, there really wasn't a good excuse not to do it. 

for those whos only connection to the internet come in going to school, I find it may be somewhat difficult to take these online things at an efficient manner, its hard to write a meaningful post on a forum in-between classes. 

I have no such experiences.

I did the polls and computer quizzes by the deadlines (excluding one or two?) The quizzes were extremely useful for helping me retain information. I knew exactly where to get the answers in the book which helped me know where to find an answer for a question. 

I was able to complete everything in time, and do not have any problem with the deadlines. 

I thought it worked out just fine.

Personally I found the the quizzes and polls pretty easy.

I don't have any thoughts on the matter. I thought it would be easy to get a good grade at. I suppose not.

The quizzes were a great study tool however I would have made them due on Wednesday or Thursday so you didn't have to do all the reading over the weekend. I personally enjoy writing so I would not mind an essay but I can understand your frustration. 

I like the quizzes 

...

i think its alright

Taking the quizzes and polls, required me to dive deeper into my studying. If you don't keep up with these online assignments, this class may be hard. 

I for one liked the online quizzes because by the end I would know what material I needed to study more. 

I completed all but one of the weekly quizzes, the one I missed, I am very mad about, and I think I completed all of the online polls; I agree with you they are gift assignments, and I don't know why any student wouldn't avail themselves of that gift. 

I seriously think you are doing everything within your power to encourage students to take advantage of these easy grades, and it doesn't make sense why some students choose not to do them. I don't see there being much else you can do.

I think that some student just think that if they fail this assignment they will be find because all they have yo do is not fail the other ones. 

I really enjoyed taking the online quizzes on chapters before we talked about them in class. This helped me remember the important events. 

I really enjoyed the quizzes and polls. They were an easier way to do homework outside of class.

I did all the quizzes and forums and polls and everything else on Moodle and I have a full schedule, just like everybody else, so I don't see any reason why others didn't complete all the assignments. 

I wouldn't change it. You made it abundantly clear what these assignments were for, and I have zero sympathy for those who didn't complete them. The expectation was made very clear in the syllabus and on the first day of class. I'll say it again, the way this class is set up, everything is laid out in front of you all you have to do is actually participate in the class. 

I think that the quiz is a great grade booster, you send out reminders and they are truly not that hard to complete so i think they are a great addition to the grades that we are given in this class. 

I don't really understand why not everyone would do them, they were essentially a free 20% like you said. I can only think that they were seen as not really important, or that they could skimp past them and still get a passing. So I can see the mindset where if anything outside of class is a distraction or higher priority these assignments could be forgotten about. Even then the amount of time to complete them was more then enough so I can't really say. 

Speaking only for myself, my only (poor) excuse for missing a few online quizzes was failure to read the requisite chapter first. Perhaps moving the quizzes back one week so the students take it AFTER you give the lecture would lead to more participation. The way it is currently arranged, students must have read and done the quiz for the chapter in question BEFORE your lecture.

They were fine

Students decide themselves not to put effort forth

I believe that if these assignments were not completed by some, than they most likely forgot or did not have time. I feel that it was very easy to keep up with these things because the due dates do not change and you are given all week to complete them. There are also cases where assignments can be completed early. This assures that you can get everything in on time.

Students should've definitely taken the opportunity to complete the online assignments to earn the 20%. However, maybe some students simply forgot or mixed up deadlines which could be a possibility, and not unwillingness. To add, though, keeping a planner or some sort of reminder would also be handy for any of those students who may of faced those scenarios. 

I found the assignments both easy to complete and helpful for learning/understanding in class material.

I can't offer any advice. I think it was very clear what you wanted.

Maybe they didn't fully realize how much of an impact it would have on their grade or they just didn't care. 

I think the forums were awesome. They allowed me to see how other people viewed the same articles as me. I enjoyed the responses as well as responding to the people in my peer, I thought they were the perfect size. 

I think the forums where a bit confusing at first, so mabye a bit more clarity on how to complete them, or examples of what an active forum would look like might help.

I feel like it should be more loose in discussion, and not so heavily based on the specific materials for the topics.

I enjoy the forums. For me, when I didn't do well on one it was my fault because I forgot to post all 4 of the times I should have. 

It was easy to get and A on it. I just forgot about the due dates sometimes.

I feel like this was one of the harder things for me to do for two reasons: 1. I am a lazy person and trying to keep myself accountable for a full week of consistently making posts was hard. Some weeks I did better than others. 2. I also work late some nights so that was hard to work around, but that's not your fault. 

I honestly kept forgetting about it with more stressful matters to attend to with other classes, if its from an assignment to finishing something up. it always kind of escaped my mind as to me needing to do this. 

Just OK.

I had a hard time with the cartoon forums. I'm a very literal person, so it's hard for me to find the metaphors and hidden meanings within the cartoons that we talked about. The ones that I did choose to write about were ones that presented the information more visibly. 

As the forums went on, I started to notice a pattern: Summarize the work, pick a side, and grab a quote from the textbook and another source provided to prove your point. It felt less like a discussion and more of a routine. I also noticed some people picking the same person to reply to while avoiding others, although I don't think that can be avoided. 

I didn't like the forums overall, I felt there was no connection with the other people which made me very reluctant to add to the forums or comment on another's post. Furthermore, the format was very stiff and sometimes difficult to manage. After posting, it was easier to post again rather then read through the other posts. In order improve the forum, I would probably suggest that the people get a chance to know each other a little better and say that once you post your initial comment, the rest need to be in response to another person's post. 

I liked having topic changes, it kept the forums interesting. The requirements and the deadlines were reasonable. I can't say much for the group size because I noticed the low participation for myself. I think it was definitely worth my time. 

I don't know why I found it hard to do the forum posts. I think they're just small enough to procrastinate and that got the better of me. I think if there was a set number of posts I could do all at once that would be a better way of doing the forums.

I suppose it was hard to remind myself that I needed to post to the forums on any given day. I have to juggle a lot right now and I tend to forget to do stuff. I do have reminders, but sometimes they overlap something else.

I found the forums to be very time consuming and not necessarily a good study tool. Overall I enjoyed the topics but I can say it was definitely my least favorite part of the class, I rather have a face to face discussion. 

I had a hard time having something to write about the topic by the end of the week

...

i dont like the forums, i would rather have a two hour class and no forums than the current class

I think the discussions was a good way for the students to interact with each other outside of class. I think I was a average scoring person on these discussions and It was neat to see the other people's perspectives and agree/disagree on their thoughts. I liked the topics changing each week and the random groups.

I liked the forums. I thought that the materials were very useful and beneifical to understanding the chapters and our class sessions. I like the freedom of choice, so yes I liked the topic chioces that you gave. I liked the requirements to post or reply every other day, it made me want to strive to do better. I feel that maybe have a higher score? With the topics changing the forums weren't boring, along with the group sizes and the random groups made the conversations interesting to participate in. I believe that the forums were worth my time and effect. The more time and effect I put into the forum the more I got out of it.

I don't like that forums, my completion rate on them should be testament enough to that fact; whenever I post to a forum, I feel like it is a incomplete thought and am always unhappy with it.  This unhappiness drives a lethargy to post, which leads to me not posting and missing out on, what should be, easy grade points.  I would much rather just discuss subjects with people in person, I understand that people are shy and wont participate, but I guess that is just the fickle nature of humans.

Starting with something that interests you is always helpful, and allowing the information you acquire throughout class lecture and resources to supplement or alter your view of the issue can be a great advantage in making additional posts when you feel you're out of things to say.

The only thing I have for future students is just put in the effort in the forums.

These forums are very worthy of your time, and effort. On weeks that I had a lot going on I would post less, and that affected my grade. It can be tough some weeks to sit and focus on the forums but they are worthwhile. 

I liked when new materials were given out in the middle of the week. This made it more fun, and gave me more ideas on what I could post.

I enjoyed the discussions especially since I am usually a shy person and won't speak up in class. For me the only complaint I have about it would be the every other day rule. I go to school all day and then go to work from 5pm-1am so it was difficult for me to find time to post every other day on time. I still managed to get it done, but maybe it would be a bit easier for the student if it was a minimum number that you could post. Like say no less than 5 posts. 

I thought the forums were a good way for students to speak their feelings about some pretty controversial topics. I for one enjoyed them and I think they should be incorporated in this class.

I don't really have any issues with the forums, I will say that the first forum week was stressful because I didn't feel like I fully understood what the grading rubric was. After the first week, it was clear what was expected. I will say too that if you can, avoid having back-to-back forum weeks as some students might not up their activity in response to the first week's grade not getting back to them fast enough. That wasn't a problem for me personally, but just something I feel like could be used as an excuse for lack of participation. 

I think that everything about the forum is great and another grade booster, it can be a pain to write because i am never sure how long to make it and it gets frustrating if i miss a deadline but overall it is extremely helpful for grades and if more people took it seriously they could do great in the class. 

For myself the times I didn't participate was just forgetfulness on my part, I don't plan very well and if there isn't an assignment in the moodle calendar and I forget I get complacent, but the material themselves was understandable enough to make the posts and there was enough content to get more than the minimum number of posts required, they were usually interesting as well. 

I dont know that a 'shy' student would feel more confident posting in a common group forum than they would speaking up in class. Perhaps your (instructor) participation in the forums would encourage students to get more involved in an exchange if ideas, as opposed to everyone simply making their own statement. As discussed in a previous answer, perhaps allowing access to others comments before making your own would stimulate more debate or conversation.

I just didn't like them for some reason. I would've rather done an in-class activity. I kept forgetting to make multiple posts.

To help I would maybe give a paper copy of what was expected grading rubric wise to students. The grading expectation online maybe wasn't seen, even though there are two formats.

I feel that I did well on the forums overall. I do notice that I have an issue where I am afraid that I will interpret things incorrectly, and then I will be put on the spot for it. Even though this anxious factor does scare me, I have noticed that if that does happen, people in the forum end up helping me better understanding the topic and are also able to look at to topic in a different way. I do really like having different topic choices as well.

I liked the forums, in that there was a lot of freedom with them. The minimum days to post forums, grading rubric, etc... was all good and fair. I thought the materials were interesting and expanded my knowledge. I can't really add anything new to the mix, as I'm content with the forums. I think those who didn't or briefly participated could've been due to work-related issues, other classes, etc... However, I think it would be important for them to dedicate some time every other day to make a post or reply to earn the 20%.

I found the forum's fine, i failed to meet some requirements but that was my lack of effort not the forum's themselves.

Keep things the same. People who got bad grades didn't take the time to do their end of the workload. You make it clear what you expect on the first day.

I didn't like the requirements of having to have a certain number of posts by specific days, I preferred when you just had to have one post by Monday and post as often as you wanted until the forum closed.

I thought the textbook readily prepared me for the tests, quizzes and forums in this class. I also enjoyed how if you failed to read a chapter of the book, you were still somewhat able to understand what you were teaching in class.  

I felt the textbook to be a good supplement to go alongside the lectures. I felt they where a good jumping in point to give you a base understanding of the topic, with the lectures going into more detail, and clearing up some of the more confusing and dry parts of the textbook.

It was well done. However, I feel like specific online resources may be better than reading entire chapters.

I think the textbook is easy to read and comprehend and integrated into the lectures at just the right amount.

just right for me. it wasn't over whelming.

It was good. Definitely worth buying. (or downloading online for free but you didn't hear it from me. ) 

honestly I didn't need to read the textbook that much, I maybe broke into it like 3 times within the course, a lot of the material is covered through the quizzes and the in class material. 

Textbook is good but I think the lectures should focus more on online materials. 

The online version of the textbook is ridiculous to navigate and use, but that's because of the website you view it on. The textbooks seemed to be much more incorporated into the quizzes, rather than in the slides or in class. It's useful for the midterm and the final though. 

Honestly, I didn't read it throughout the term and still was able to get a good grade. 

I'm very satisfied with the textbook. I plan to keep my copy and read the rest of it.

I find it pretty difficult to read textbooks because my mind tends to wander ,but this textbook did have some interesting content. 

If you were going to take one of the US History courses, don't buy the book. Instead, buy the e-text and save the money. If you are going to take all three courses, buy the textbook. It is a great investment to do so. That being said, I felt the textbook was just right. There were times when I couldn't find information regarding something we learned in class, but overall, it was alright.

just right

It’s good

just fine

it was good

I like the plainness of the text, the different point of views from the makers, and especially the comments from the teacher about the book and its contents.

I don't feel good about buying the book. I feel that my professeor had just the right amount of textbook for the class. The contents of the textbook were sometime hard to understand but having come to the class sessions I was able to understand the contents better.

Very satisfied, it is a good quality textbook, the passages within are not insufferably dry, like some books of a historic nature, and the illustrations are excellent.  You teach the class material so completely that a student can almost get away with not reading the textbook at all; to correct this maybe go into more detail on certain, important, topic while leaving others vague, this, in my opinion, would force student to read the text book in detail.

It felt just right. The textbook provided great information, and being able to focus on the key points in class chosen by the instructor seems like a good way to go about it.

The textbook was very easy to read and was interesting and engaging for me.

I am so glad that I bought the textbook. Some professors waste your money by making you buy textbooks but Escobar doesn't. 

The book can get a little boring, but for the most part it was a good read. This book was incorporated a lot into class which makes this book worth buying. 

I was very satisfied.

Felt good about it

Just right, and I felt satisfied with the textbook. In the majority of my prior classes, the textbook was listed as a priority in the syllabus and seldom used, this was not the case with this class. 

The weekly chapters were a lot but it provided quality information and made sense. 

It was disappointing sometimes to see that some large sections of the book were not incorporated or found to be not important, the blood sports section near the beginning. Then the many many small battles made reading a nightmare, but you gave us warning that were weren't going to have to memorize ever general and battle so at that point understanding what was important and not to the class was clearer and I could assume more comfortably. 

Other than those the text and class lecture came together well. I feel taking more notes from the text and then the more specific lecture notes gave me a wide safety net for mid terms. So the book was definitely needed.

Nearly all textbooks are overpriced, this one is no different. This book was very relevant and besides the chronology being all over the place, easy to understand.

There was great book incorporation. 

Just right, all of it

I felt that this text was easy to read and understand, as well as easy to find online for pretty inexpensive.

I was pretty satisfied, regardless of some of the flaws the textbook had. Some issues they either went in too little detail of, or too much detail, which was annoying. However, I was satisfied with the textbook's incorporation into the class. It was certainly worth the purchase in order to succeed in this course, rather than have an electronic version.

The textbook was good and easy to read, some things felt out of place but over all it was good.

Very satisfied. Joe was too satisfied at certain points.

I did like the materials in the book and having a physical copy helped me solidify the information better. 

I would say that Joe does a great job at using your time effectively. I would also mention the grading "gifts" he gives us throughout the term. 

I would recommend they take this class, not alot of people know much history outside of the basics learned in a freshmen history class in high school. and you make history fun and interesting to lean about.

Good teacher, know the subject matter, and is willing and able to talk about material when asked too.

Yes! Professor Escobar has a very clear passion for not only history but his students as well.

He is a wonderful teacher. His class online is a little hard when it comes to the forms but easy over all. He is willing to answer any questions about the lesson during or after class. I can tell you that he wants you to pass and get your money's worth.

He clearly cares a great deal about the subject and his students, and I like how critical of the world around him he is. Not everything that is presented to you is always clear and right, and I like how he points that out. He is also very thorough. 

Overall great class 9/10

if you are interested in history I would recommend taking the course, the course is not very time consuming but you got to remember the stuff you need to do. 

Take it if want to learn someting. Don't take it if you want to get easy credit.

If you like lectures, online quizzes and forums that will make you think, and an approachable instructor who's tough but fair, then take the class. The majority of the class does require internet access, so make sure that you have that at the ready. 

What I have said before if that you are very knowledgeable and a good lecturer. You are very familiar with assigned material and most are relevant to the subject being talked about. I liked everything about this course except the forums, to the very point that I would not want to take this course again with the same format. 

I would say Joe Escobar is a very good instructor. Joe is thorough and he does not muddy the waters of history. He keeps to the facts.

This course has a very good instructor and I learned a lot. So I recommend this course.

Definitely take the course. You learn so much in this class then you ever did in the past 13+ years in school (coming from someone who went straight into college after high school). Joe is an amazing instructor who will take the time to help you understand the material before any test. He is thorough was his material and is a blast to learn. 

If you are very interested in history this is the class for you. If you just want to check a box, you'll hate it.

They Should take it

yeah it's an easy pass 

they should take it

This teach is a good teacher. He is very active in his lectures and uses power point slides. He even brings to the class his own visits to historical sites.

I would say that this professeor in s very knowledgeable and that if you put you time into he class then it will be an enjoyable one. 

Yes, but only if you can make it to class every day.

I would recommend your class as a straightforward and factual course with an instructor who is passionate about the topic and does a good job of focusing on all sides of the spectrum of beliefs related to the time period.

Take it Its a good class and it is set up for the student to succeed if they just put in the effort. 

I would say that I absolutely loved this class. I took all 3 classes that Escobar teaches because I enjoy him as a professor that much. There is never confusion about assignments or deadlines, Escobar always emails reminders which is very helpful. I wasn't overwhelmed by the amount of assignments, it felt just right and even low on how many assignments there were. This is a college course though, the forums can be tough, so if you don't want to put in effort then this probably isn't for you. I personally loved this class, and I wish I could keep taking it for credit. 

If you like History then I would suggest this class. I don't think someone would enjoy it if they didn't like history. It was very obvious that Joe was passionate about what he was teaching and that made it fun. However he is also very honest. Some people don't like that. He will say it how it is and I can see some people being offended by that. I, however, really appreciated that about him.

I would recommend this class to a person who is interested in learning about our nation and how it evolved over the years.

If you have the discipline to show up and participate in the class and can commit to studying before exams, it'll be a very easy class for you. It's an easy class to take notes on, the lectures are clear and concise. The online resources are very useful, and the workload isn't bad at all. I would definitely recommend this and the 201 or 203 courses despite not having taken them as I feel like I can safely assume they're similarly structured. 

I would say yes because it is both educational, interesting and it is not hard to do well as long as you are willing to put in the time it takes to do the weekly assignments. 

If you just complete the readings and videos, take the 'freebies', show up all the material from the textbook and lectures (material that isn't will be cleared in class or told isn't needed), will end up on quizzes and tests. There isn't anything that will surprise you during tests if you read and showed up. The forum posts are easy usually interesting and its not something that will smother you in work. The lectures are a good support of specific stuff in the text, Escobar shows that he cares about the lectures its not something where they monotone talk at you, questions and being more open isn't seen as interrupting the slides are neat to look at and are relevant. The videos are max 1hr or so long too of cut content with only the important bits in. 

Pretty good.

Absolutely, whether as a requirement or simply to expand your understanding of current events

Yes, he is a really great instructor if you are interested in History.

Yes they should take this class

I would suggest taking the class but I would let them know that it is a lot of reading and it can be a bit confusing at times. This makes reading the textbook even more important.

I would say to take it. That the instructor knows what he's talking about, explains it in great depth and is clear on what he's talking about. He gives very good explanations to students who ask questions in class. The grading system is fair as well with online material and he offers good opportunities to earn good grades with it.

If you are able to balance you time this class is great for learning true history.

You should definitely take this course. Id highly recommend this course to anyone.

I would tell them to take this course because the material is very interesting but be prepared for a decent amount of work.

I didn't change anything in moodle. I thought the way it was already preset was perfect. 

I didn't but I found the moodle interface easy to understand and navigate.

I didn't do much with moodle or anything online.

I linked my student email to my phone to ensure I didn't miss reminders from the professor. 

nothing really

n/a

I did not use any other source for information, just the book and class notes. 

I prefer paper but not questions. 

Opening new tabs is a lifesaver, especially if you have the online version of the textbook. When taking a quiz, have a new window open with the textbook, minimize it so it takes up about half of your screen, and put that to the right while the window with the quiz is on the left, also minimized to take up about half of your screen.

Honestly, I found the computers in the classroom really distracting because the students were not using it to take notes, but rather to text other people and work on other assignments for other classes. If you were to implement more technology into the class I would suggest using the clickers or perhaps as a research time. 

I took the time to check moodle everyday from my laptop.

No I'm fine with the current set up 

I didn't use anything else besides Moodle.

Having a physical copy of the textbook is so important. I did not have one the first 3/4 of class and it made studying hell. Just have your email on your phone, go to class, and do the assignments and you should do well. 

No

...

i didnt do anything with moodle that was different

I don't have any websites to recommend, but I really liked Moodle. I like your idea on having a internet based flash cards. Once again, I enjoyed using your clickers.

I do not have anything that helped me besides being a be e to message the porfessor. 

I am no the most technologically savvy guy, so no I have no ideas.

Moodle in itself was sufficient for my needs in completing this course.

nothing that I know of.

I found a couple flash cards online that were helpful for an online quiz question that I didn't know. Other than that I don't have any tech tips.

I didn't do anything. I'm not very tech savvy

I think just doing the quizzes a bunch of times helped me out tremendously. 

I check moodle so frequently that I didn't feel the need to do anything special to help with this specific course. I will say that it would be kind of interesting to play a game of "Kahoot!" before the exams to test students' knowledge with the winner(s) receiving small prizes. It would probably require more class time on those specific days. I had an anthropology class that did that before every test and it always felt like a good review tool, and I enjoyed the competition. 

n/a

The only things I used outside moodle in this way was StudyBlue, they more than not have relevant stuff but I just used drive docs to take notes I guess too or organize forum posts.

not really

I made quizlet flashcards for the midterm.

None

One thing I found very annoying was how many emails I would constantly get (multiple, daily) from people posting in the forums. Every time, I would think I was getting an important email and find that it was just a forum post from another student. I did go out of my way to unsubscribe, but you have to do this for every topic in every forum.

I didn't do anything like that, just received notifications via email. Can't really think of anything other than what you said with texts or Facebook updates.

NA

You gave us all we needed for our success. May i add that you might want to add a couple exams one midway  between the midterm and one midway through the final. So 2 exams and 1 midterm and 1 final.

I made a Quizlet for the midterm and am planning on doing the same for the final. This website/app allows you to create flashcards and it also has a test-taking option that made studying easier.

I have no recommendations for improving this class. I thought you not only used class time efficiently, but also sparked an interest in history that I never knew I had. You were one of the few classes at Lane that I actually enjoyed attending. I'm really looking forward to taking more classes with you. 

With all this self isolation and social distancing I think I'm going to miss the in-class part of this hybrid class. 

I'd be wondering to see if you could make a fully online version of this class.

I think the survey covered everything!

nope I liked the class as it is

n/a

non applicable

Midterm and Final can be replaced by papers.

Student should have more opportunities to express their own idea about history. Although we can probably remember all questions from exam and test, we still don't know if they are the truth. 

Take the class. Be prepared to think. Don't slack off. Read the textbook and take those chapter quizzes. The midterm and final are tough, but if you studied hard enough, you'll do fine. Message the instructor if you have any questions, for he'll get back to you promptly with a thorough answer. 

I didn't enjoy the forums and if I would take this class again, I wouldn't want the forums, or at least would not want it to be graded. As nice as attendance would be not to count, I would still give it at least 10% because as much as I enjoy history that is not the case for many and in class instruction is very important. If attendance wasn't counted, I would provide incentive by perhaps giving a couple tests questions on random days or those with perfect attendance be given full credit for a missed quiz or late reply on the forum. As this is a hybrid class, technology is important so perhaps do some integration in class, but limit it so that its not a distraction. 

I don't have any questions or recommendations. It was a great class.

Use those red clickers more. I was pretty hyped for those and you never brought them back.

I do not have any at this time.

got em all

Idk

….

nothing

No questions need to be added.

Maybe some more in class activities, but besides that I thought it was a wonderful class to have been apart of. 

On question 29 the image failed to load, so I don't know what the options were, in response I answered in a neutral manner and am reporting the problem down here.

I think you covered everything. I was unable to answer the question regarding the weighted grade categories because the image did not load for me.

I think that class is set up very well and that there, not a lot that needs to be changed. 

Having us post to the forum every other day put more pressure on us, instead of having us post whenever we want. The requirement also meant that I didn't wait until Friday to start making a bunch of posts so I think I preferred it this way. 

I can't think of anything

I think you pretty much covered everything here! I thought this was a well taught class and I can't really think of any suggestions off the top of my head. 

I liked the structure of the course. However, I would make one change. Allow one singular make-up activity for missing a day of class or missing an assignment or anything. I only say this because it can be difficult to make it to every class, especially when cold season hits. Allowing one make-up activity would be like a mulligan for any participation points they missed. 

While I'm at it, for the first forum, and only the first forum, show examples of A+ forum participation to allow students to see the expectation. I would show varying levels of depth and analysis in those examples as well. 

n/a

The image for question 29 doesn't want to load so I don't know if that's just me. But your grading system was easy to understand at least I never felt like it cheated me or anything.

There is an app callec "poll everywhere" that my economics professor John Price used here at LCC. Using this instead of your clickers may be easier

N/A

None

The main suggestion I would make is to try to work with students a bit more to make sure they are really understanding the material. This class felt very fast paced and if you're not able to keep up, it can get very confusing. I feel that having a few more extra credit opportunities would have been nice, for those who want to put in the effort.

I can't think of any questions right now that you forgot to ask. A recommendation I have would be about question #32, about longer videos. The Divided Union was very informative and educational and helped to understand what we were learning, but I would only keep such a long video limited to about 1 or 2 per term. Student schedules can get overwhelming with other classes or work, and finding the time to sit and watch a plethora of hour+ videos would be too much. Online forums and quizzes, along with the current video schedule is already good enough (at least for me personally), but I imagine for a lot of other students as well, so I don't find a need to change that.

None, the class is great.

You covered it very well. Joe thank you for making my learning experience better.

Besides making the lecture slides, not just images, available I don't think that there is anything that I can think of to improve the class.