Student Opinions: Summer 2000 Courses

STUDENT OPINIONS FROM PROFESSOR KEELING'S SUMMER COURSES

SUMMER 2000 GEOGRAPHY FIELD SCHOOL IN BRAZIL

General Comments about the Brazil Program:
Excellent experience. Helps me get into grad school, helps to critically evaluate book knowledge with first hand experience.
I have never in my life experienced something so fulfilling to so many parts of my life. I have learned more in this month than in any given semester about course material, but I have also learned about myself. I have made valuable friendships and have so many memories etched into my brain because I never want to forget what a wonderfully enlightening and educational experience this has been. Thank you so much.
I enjoyed it very much. I am now questioning much of my knowledge gained at [the University].
This is something I will remember forever. I've come out of this with a different perspective towards other cultures and my own.
Far exceeded my expectations and only seemed to get better and better.
Very valuable. This will be a life time memory/experience.
Personally, I have not ever experienced anything like this. At this point in my life I could not have asked for a better education.
Very useful and valuable.
It has made me more aware of how the rest of the world lives. It has opened my eyes in so many ways that I don't know where to start. I am a more experienced, conscious, and wise person for going.
I will never forget this experience. I saw things that opened my eyes to another world. I will use these experiences to help prepare a future career plan.
I think that this has been an invaluable experience for me. Not only has this trip afforded me the opportunity to interact with another culture, but it has opened my eyes to the blatent consumption of a third world country by the U.S.
This trip has been an extremely valuable experience for me. I feel like I have more of a grasp on what being an anthropologist really means.
Absolutely incredible. I am thankful for the chance to learn about Brazil and myself. I have discovered areas of potential study for graduate work, and my appreciation for geography as a discipline has grown.
I think I learned a great deal about geography, traveling, third world countries, etc. It has helped me as a person to keep a more open mind and to be more conscious of my impact on others. I have also seen how good I actually have it.
Most valuable Aspects of the Brazil Program:
Being able to actually see what we were studying.
Cultural experience and relevance to important issues in the world today.
The excursions! The ability to travel about by ourselves. I learned more by looking and observing.
Being in Brazil.
Eye opening experience.
Dr. Keeling's insight about Latin America. Being able to see some of the most beautiful places and receiving an education too.
The trip to Aruana was most valuable and discovering the true reasons why Brazil is developing the way it is.
Impact of humans on the environment.
Learning about Brazil's historical Geography.
Freedom to think about all the processes that humans have on the environment. Discussions and analysis have helped to change the way I think.
Great class.
Professor was excellent overall.
All of the students said Keeling was well organized.
All of the students said that Keeling was very enthusiastic and encouraged the students to get involved.
** All of the students said Keeling was always available.
Least valuable Aspects of the Brazil Program:
Textbooks.
Most of ecopolitics book.
All the bus tours. They were very interesting, none-the-less, but I found myself wanting to read course material rather than look out the window of a bus.
The stay in Goianas. I didn't really get much out of the city.
- ** The Human Impact book.

Grade Distribution: A=6; B=5.

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

Thank you for making stats understandable and, dare I say, FUN! Still a little frustrating at times but fun.
Dr. Keeling is an excellent teacher, not only does he understand statistics but he can relay it to the class in such a way so that it can be understood. He was VERY helpful outside of classtime and he never acted like it was an imposition or bother to help or answer questions.
I would like to see more time spent on analysis -- undergraduate stats did not prepare me for this very well. Dr. Keeling does a great job of explaining the formulas but I needed more explaining or analysis of the results. Has a great sense of humor, good eye contact, very intelligent person. The book needs to explain concepts better -- reading prior to lecture left me lost.
The lab exercises did take out-of-class time, but were EXTREMELY helpful to explain what was being discussed in lecture. It also gave me a chance to work with different programs and functions on the computer as well as the internet (which was desperately needed)!
Dr. Keeling (as always) has somehow made an 8am course worth going to. I feel confident (at least 95%) that I've learned some statistics. I know this course will greatly aid in research and my quest for grad school.
Enjoyed Dr. Keeling this summer. He has a good understanding of the course and explains the material well. The additional exercises helped to provide a better understanding of the material. I do feel that graduate students taking his class should be given a choice in final projects [Professor's response: I don't understand this response. Do you mean you didn't like the article comparison project? I would, however, recommend this class & Dr. Keeling to other students.

Grade Distribution: A=10; D=1; F=1.

Quantitative Responses (score 5 is excellent):
Overall evaluation of Professor: 4.67/5 or 93.4% rating.
Effectiveness of Lectures: 4.67/5 or 93.4% rating.
Significance of the material: 4.0/5 or 80% rating.
Usefulness of the lab exercises: 4.67/5 or 93.4% rating.
Overall preparation of Professor: 4.75/5 or 95% rating.
Helpfulness of the Professor: 4.92/5 or 98.3% rating.
Fairness of the grading: 4.92/5 or 98.3% rating.

If you have any comments, you can email the professor directly at: david.keeling@wku.edu

Last updated on 8/5/00