What can we do to make this course better and why do you think so?
As I metnioned many times a chat room would be a very good idea.  Students could meet at least once a week to participate in the class more actively.  Thanks to that, a given material would be covered in much shorter time interval.
Part 1: What did you like best about this course?
The most exciting part of this course was the ability to participate in class without being afraid to be laughed at.  Our egos in this society are extremly sensitive, and this sometimes doesn't allow us to say what we really want to say.  Thanks to this course,  much more ideas were expressed.
Part 2: What specific things do you think could be improved in the structure or design of the course and learning activities?
I don't think that there was anything to be improved from the structure or design side of this course.  The course was design to fulfill its function and I believe that it did.  However one can always imrprove.  Creativity has no end.
Part 3: How would you improve the quality and participation in course discussions/interactions?
Maybe there should be more precise time intervals, which would make more poeple come to discussion boards.  In addition there could for example be set a day of the week, and exact time where every student would be responsible to come and participate.
Part 4: What changes would you suggest be made to the pacing or sequence of the content and activities for this course? (e.g., were the due dates doable for you? Were the course materials sequenced well?)
Although, I belive that there are busy people, I myself have only one excuse when it comes to the point when I didn't do some homework, and it is so popular LAZINESS.  So I believe that everything is doable only when one wants to do that. 
Part 5: What changes would you suggest be made to the quantity of work required for this course?
None, this question seems to be connected to the one above. 
Part 6: How could the course be improved in terms of my interaction, participation, and management of the course?
Definetely more participation from the teacher means better results in students thinking.  Although I understand the idea of not giving student a direct answer to the question which he/she looks for, but give him some pointers towards that answer, I find hard to look for the answer when I have so much reading at the same time.  
Part 7: What other suggestions, comments, or recommendations would you have for the instructor?
None, I enjoy the class. Thank You. 

What did you like best about this course? 

            Actually, the part I liked best about the course was the sharing of ideas, as well as the often-heated debates that took place on the discussion board.  My gut feeling is that, if this course had been in a classroom, a lot of things that were expressed wouldn’t have been, because we’d all be face to face.  Even though everyone stayed civil, there was a lot of polemics in the debate, which I don’t see happen as much in real classroom settings.  When someone questions you with a bit of force, it prompts you to come back with a reply to the question that you may have just ignored otherwise.

            Even though it was time consuming and could be maddening to have to defend one’s self, or try to get your idea through to someone who is opposed to your view, it was still fun as well as informative.  I learned a lot about how I think as well as how others do too.  In addition, because it’s not “live” you can think out your response – you’re not “on the spot” as in a live classroom, or in real-time chat.  That too, allows for debate without people getting loud and angry.  Again, not having to “see” the people you’re debating with somehow makes you more willing to speak your mind.  Also, it was not a “lecture”.  Most of the interaction was between the students themselves, with the professor throwing things in as he saw necessary.    

 

What specific things do you think could be improved in the structure or design of the course and learning activities? 

            Some of the texts in the on-line book were a little too vague.  It required the professor to get onto the discussion board and point out that we had misunderstood the point and were not really answering the questions.  Also, there were occasionally links that did not work, although they were usually fixed in a reasonable amount of time.  I think stating a little more clearly from the outset that one is going to have to learn a whole new way of thinking in order to stay within the realm of philosophical thought and debate could help.              

How would you improve the quality and participation in course discussions/interactions? 

I would not change too much, myself.  The nature of the questions, the fact that the students confront each other with their different opinions, plus the fact that the professor would “spur us on” by pointing out inconsistencies in our responses made the discussions into real interaction between the participants.  It forces you to defend your view and see if you’ve really said what you meant to say, i.e. what you claim to believe.  Perhaps jumping in a little more frequently to get us off of a tangent that has gotten out of control, (remember the “Eve and all women being deceived” tangent?) would be good.  Perhaps occasionally addressing an individual who is not participating, like one would do in a classroom setting, and asking them to make a response could be helpful for those who don’t do much posting.   

What changes would you suggest be made to the pacing or sequence of the content and activities for this course?

None.  The due dates were “do-able”.  There was plenty of time to do the assignments, as long as one was going to take this class as seriously as they would a traditional course in the classroom.  If you thought that this was going to be somehow much easier than going to a “live class” with a real textbook, you’ll wind up quite surprised.  The pace of the class, i.e. due dates for completion of discussions, as well as for papers, was definitely reasonable.  It kept one organized.  In addition, this is the only class I’ve ever had where you get a “second chance” by resubmitting a paper in order to improve your grade.  I don’t know how many students realized that this was a nice and rare opportunity.

The sequence of the course material made sense.  One thing built on another.  It went from very broad – all religions being looked at and defined – to very specific – how do you reconcile things about your religious beliefs (or lack thereof) with the text and it’s questionings of your ideas, along with the questions and challenges posed by your fellow students.    

What changes would you suggest be made to the quantity of work required for this course?

None.  This was supposed to be a “writing intensive” course and it was!  My only complaint is that since I’m a Queens College student and not a Queensborough Community College student, this course did not count as my “writing intensive” course.  I think that is unfair, since both schools are part of the C.U.N.Y. system.

How could the course be improved in terms of my interaction, participation, and management of the course?

In my opinion, you did a good job.  You encouraged debate.  You were gentle with individuals who might be offended at a “sharp” answer or question, and you “smacked” others into doing some thinking – myself included.  I think a professor has to do that or else he/she doesn’t facilitate the learning experience.

 I totally disagree with the idea that you should have been “on-line” more.  That kind of statement seems to me to stem from individuals wanting you to censor other people’s statements – especially when their fellow students challenge them.  It also shows (in my opinion) little understanding of the time involved to read every posting, as well as little understanding of what would be different in a classroom setting.  You answered a lot more questions and addressed more issues specifically to specific individuals than I believe could’ve been done “live” and in the classroom.

What other suggestions, comments, or recommendations would you have for the instructor?

I wish to comment on some statements posted on the discussion board, since they are public, and I feel quite strongly about them:

“Communicating with classmates for a grade should be eliminated. Too often posts consisted of rambling, and such poor grammar or ideas that it was annoying to read (not to mention respond). It is fine to require posting, but a response should be optional.”

This post came from an individual who themselves rambled, used poor English grammar, and posted many an annoying statement.  We all did.  The same thing occurs in a live classroom.  In addition, in a live classroom, a certain percentage of one’s grade is “participation” and “showing up”.  How do you know if we’ve “shown up” or “participated” if we are not required to respond to other’s postings.  Participation is not one on one with you (the professor) alone – that is tutoring.  Participation is with one’s peers also.

"Designated log on days should be required, so that time is not lost on waitng (sp) to read postings. The professor should read all postings and delete those that are irrelevant to the module questions or not written in English. It is too time consuming to have to log on to a post only to find out that it is irrelevant, etc."

This is absurd.  I took this class because I have a full course load and work full time.  I wanted to be able to post at 3:00 am or on Sunday, if necessary.  I don’t recall any postings in foreign languages, and the above quote contains the same “errors” in grammar (in this case spelling) that the individual complained about a paragraph earlier.  The idea of you deleting postings that are “irrelevant” is like you telling a student who gave a wrong answer in the class to “shut up” – not acceptable.  It would also eliminate the opportunity to interact with fellow students.

Part 1: What did you like best about this course?

I liked the freedom of having a 24-hour/ 7 days a week to post or argue any topic in mind. I am currently taking quite a few credits and work full time, this gives me virtually no time to drive to school, and here I can comfortably do the assignments without rushing to school after work. 

Part 2: What specific things do you think could be improved in the structure or design of the course and learning activities?

I am also currently taking another online class and experimented with the virtual classroom, I believe that this might help in acquainting each student with everyone.  I felt that since no one has seen each other, there is some sign of hostility to each other when a discussion does not agree with someone.  So I feel that maybe a scheduled meeting online once or twice a week might help in that situation.

Other than that, the structure of the course is fine: the discussion boards are good.  I have a sister that goes to another school that has blackboard, when I told her of the class and how it works, she found it to be well.

Part 3: How would you improve the quality and participation in course discussions/interactions?

Like I said previously I think that the virtual classroom might help in this situation.  I would be like meeting in a regular classroom, where you can personally interact with every student as well as the whole class.  I do understand that there may be conflicts with schedules, but I would say if maybe on your part you log onto blackboard twice a day, half an hour each to help in the discussions.  If you want, you can also count that as class attendance.

Part 4: What changes would you suggest be made to the pacing or sequence of the content and activities for this course? (E.g., were the due dates doable for you? Were the course materials sequenced well?)

I feel that the sequence of the course material was perfect; after every assignment given, new questions would arise, where the next module would help answering it.  However, in the beginning of this course I felt that there was so much material to cover could not accomplish it all due to the quick due dates.  Towards the end the timing was a lot better, we had more time to study a topic more thoroughly.

Part 5: What changes would you suggest be made to the quantity of work required for this course?

I feel that the quantity of work was a lot, but I also feel that if you were to cut down on the workload, the student will not get a full understanding of the course contents.

Part 6: How could the course be improved in terms of my interaction, participation, and management of the course?

I liked how you would help every student understand a topic if necessary, but please don’t take this the wrong way; I felt that some of your comments were harsh, but then again, it could be that since we are just reading it and not hearing it, it may sound completely different.

Part 7: What other suggestions, comments, or recommendations would you have for the instructor?

I really enjoyed this class very much.   It was very interesting, I learned a lot from you and this course.  I hope that QCC stays with this program.  Thank you for all your help.

 1)     I liked: the convenience; anonymity; the opportunity to view religious ideas of others; how assignments are sent through drop box; availability of grades; the amount of information presented; the links; communicating with classmates should be optional and not for a grade; communicating with professor should be mandatory and for a grade; and learning how to do philosophy.

2)     An actual text like Pojman should be required; online text should then consist of the professor’s elaboration of the material; assignment questions should  be different from the module questions; because of time constraints, module questions should be based on the text, not on philosophical thoughts (it takes longer to think about something that one is learning and has a deadline to respond).

3)     Responses of poor quality or irrelevance should be deleted (censored) by the professor; it should be mandatory for posts to be  previewed/processed in Word Perfect first.

4)     Log on days should be assigned; to produce quality responses and to read and reflect on material, module discussion begin dates should 3 or 4 days after module begin dates; because of simultaneous activities, i.e. discussions, links, text, no assignment should be due in one week.

5)     I recommend the Pojman text- it is a explicit and fair amount of reading; considering the links and simultaneous activities, a 10 page, 3 week assignment  is too demanding-quantity may compromise quality; reading and responding to discussions are too time consuming-discussions should be mandatory with the professor and optional with classmates

6)     Just as every test question has a correct answer, all assignments and posts should be critiqued, and timely, by the professor; receipt of assignments should be forwarded via e-mail; grade issuance dates should be designated  

            What I liked best about this course was that I could attend anytime of day, even in my pajamas.  I also liked that I didn’t have to see my classmates face to face, because I felt that it enabled me to be more open with my thoughts.  I tend to be shy in a typical classroom setting, so because I was in a comfortable environment, like my den, I felt that I could be much more open with my thoughts and opinions.  I also am not that quick on my feet, so I had time to think about what I was going to say and I think that I was able to express myself better. 

I thought that there could be more lecture notes, but because you wrote the text, I guess the lecture notes would have been repetitive.  I think that most of the due dates for the assignments were very doable; some I felt were too short.  But overall, I think that we had ample time to do the assignments, but it was very easy to fall behind.  I think that the course was laid out very well, sometimes we got carried away in our conversations and jumped to other topics, but as far as a learning sequence every thing was very understandable.  I think that there was defiantly a lot of work required for this course.  But I feel if you were to take it away, people wouldn’t learn as much.  Even we could’ve learned more because religion is such an in depth topic, it is not possible to cover everything in one semester.  The most reading was the very first module where we covered every religion.  But like I said, you have to expect a lot of reading and writing when taking a philosophy course, let alone philosophy of religion. 

I felt that sometimes I would post questions to the class and no one would respond which made it difficult to carry on discussions.  I understand that you can’t make people answer every post, but I felt that a lot of the time my classmates didn’t respond to me.  I think that you as the professor did go online enough, because as I previously stated in the discussion board, if you were to jump in every time we said something, we wouldn’t have pondered our own thoughts. 

What I didn’t like the most was how almost every module discussion ended up being about Christianity.  I understand that it is one of the most common religions, but if there was a way to expand the discussions so not only did they cover Christianity, but a wider range of the religions, that would help increase our understanding.  But again, that just adds more work.  I also didn’t like how a lot of the people constantly quoted things and didn’t put their own thoughts into it.  I felt like they were not participating in the philosophical aspect of the course.  I am sure that I did the same thing sometimes, but I feel that others did it a lot of the time.  Again, I don’t think that there is anything you could do about that; it’s just something that bugged me. 

What can we do to make this course better and why do you think so?
 
Part 1: What did you like best about this course?
     The part of this course that I liked the best was the interaction with the other students.  I like online courses because everyone had to participate in order to get a good grade.  People shared their opinions clearly and were not afraid to speak what they felt.  It is easier to do this because many people are shy and don’t voice their opinions openly in the class setting.  This course gave everyone a chance to get in on the discussion.

Part 2: What specific things do you think could be improved in the structure or design of the course and learning activities?
     I think that there was no problem in this category.  I feel that we discussed many good topics and that they were presented very clearly.  I feel that the learning activities were designed well. 

Part 3: How would you improve the quality and participation in course discussions/interactions?
     I think that there is no way to improve the quality and participation in this course, because people will do what they want to do.  Just like in the class setting, students will participate if and when they want to.  In order to have good and meaningful discussions you have to have dedicated and willing students.

Part 4: What changes would you suggest be made to the pacing or sequence of the content and activities for this course? (e.g., were the due dates doable for you? Were the course materials sequenced well?)
     The due dates were fine, they gave you enough time to look over all required readings and get the answers to all the questions.  The course materials were sequenced very well.   I liked how everything was broken up into small part because it was easier to learn this way.  I always learn better when the material is broken into small parts.

Part 5: What changes would you suggest be made to the quantity of work required for this course?
     I think the quantity of work required for this class is more than is required for a class setting course but I feel that it has to be because we are not meeting and the students must be challenged to get to see their full potential.  All grades have to be based on written assignments and discussion because there is no tests, therefore the workload must be greater because there are only a small amount of things that we are graded on.

Part 6: How could the course be improved in terms of my interaction, participation, and management of the course?
     I feel that the instructor participated enough.  If you participated anymore it wouldn’t have made us figure out the answers by ourselves.  I feel that your amount of participation was enough because it gave the students a chance to discuss the topics on our own first.   This is a better way to learn because it challenges us to try to find the answers by ourselves without you chiming in every time to help us.  Students tend to learn better when they have to research materials on their own in order to find the right answers, by you participating anymore it would have stopped us from learning some things on our own.

Part 7: What other suggestions, comments, or recommendations would you have for the instructor?         

What can we do to make this course better and why do you think so?

Part 1: What did you like best about this course?

What did I like best about this course? The thing that I liked the most about this course was the interaction. Not just the interaction between people but also the type of interaction. I have a mild fear of public speaking. It takes some time for me to put ideas into words and I have to keep going over those words to make sure that the words I choose do not contradict each other. This is a little easier when people are not staring at me, waiting for the next word to come out of my mouth. Also, this group interaction kept everyone focused on the subject.

Part 2: What specific things do you think could be improved in the structure or design of the course and learning activities?
            The areas that I thought needed a little improvement were the assignment questions and the online textbook. Both were good, but at times, did not blend well. There were some assignment questions that needed elaborate answers, answers that could not be found in the textbook. Maybe I just didn’t try hard enough but, to this day, after a whole semester of getting used to the text and the links, I still cannot do assignment #2. We were to compare six different religions. Some religions had more than enough information. I found other religions were very difficult to write about or find information on. The online textbook could use a little improvement in some areas. Specific answers to specific assignment questions that can be found in the online text would help a lot. 

Part 3: How would you improve the quality and participation in course discussions/interactions?

            I don’t think there is a way to improve the participation in the course. The people that participated did so because of their own strong feelings about religion. To improve the quality of the discussions, you would need to make sure that the participants do not stray away from a philosophical perspective.

 

Part 4: What changes would you suggest be made to the pacing or sequence of the content and activities for this course? (e.g., were the due dates doable for you? Were the course materials sequenced well?)Some modules had different sections in the discussion board that opened and closed on different dates. It was sometimes hard to move on to the next section of the discussion. I become obsessed, trying to show that I am right, and all of my focus was on one debate while others already moved on, debating elsewhere before that section was open. Maybe if the students were not allowed to enter into another section of that module until the specified date, there would be more sharing of ideas in each section.

Part 5: What changes would you suggest be made to the quantity of work required for this course?

The quantity of work was fine as long as all of the assignment questions had answers. The work shouldn’t be in trying to find the answer that is hiding in a link. The answers should be obvious to the students that read the textbook.
Part 6: How could the course be improved in terms of my interaction, participation, and management of the course?
            I do remember reading something in the beginning of the course, saying that we might have to change the way we think. I’m sure that many students forgot that this was a “philosophy” of religion course. Making sure that everyone remembers that is very important. 

Part 7: What other suggestions, comments, or recommendations would you have for the instructor?

 1.               I really enjoyed learning about all the different religions.  I also learned how people view religion differently then I do. 

2.               I do not believe that the structure or design of the course should be changed.  Everything was well organized.

3.               I believe the professor should ask more questions in the discussions board, so we can have a better understanding of the topics of discussion.

4.               I would not make any changes.  I was able to finish my work on the due dates.   

5.               I believe that the quantity of work was fine. It was not hard for me to finish the work on time.

6.               I suggest that the professor should check the discussion boards more often.  If questions take a long time to be answered, it slows down the process of the assignments.

Overall it was a great experience, it was an interesting course