Login: cs61c- Please provide your login so that we can check you off for this part of the lab. As with the mid-semester survey, your responses will be 100% anonymous and completely detached from your login by the submission script.
PART I. About lecture and webcasts
There is a movement afoot to use lab-centric instruction (1 hr lecture, 5 hrs lab, 1 hr discussion) instead of the traditional form we used this year (3 hrs lecture, 2 hrs lab, 1 hr discussion). We will be running CS61C in the lab-centric mode (where it will be called CS61CL) in the Fall of 2008. What is your feeling about what should be taught in the Spring of 2009? CS61C CS61CL Either one
In general, if we cannot simultaneously offer both CS61C and CS61CL, what should we offer in future Fall and Spring semesters? One each of CS61C and CS61CL to give students a choice CS61C both semesters CS61CL both semesters
Have you experienced a lab-centric course in EECS yet? Yes No
If you answered yes, what was your experience? [1=hated it, 10=loved it]
Any other comments or preferences on the 61C vs. 61CL decision?
Which sentence describes your lecture attendance? (If you typically watch the webcast, count that as attendance) I never went to lecture. I went to lecture but not very often. I often went to lecture but missed one here and there. I always went to lecture.
By "attend" lecture, I mean I typically go to 2050 VLSB and watch the lecture. watch the webcast live. watch the webcast later. (No answer, since I never attend lecture OR watch the webcast)
Does the convenience and availability of the webcasts negatively affect your attendance? Definitely! If it weren't for the webcast, I would probably (have to) attend a lot more. A fair amount. If it weren't for the webcast, I would probably (have to) attend a fair amount more. Not really. If it weren't for the webcast, I would probably (have to) attend just a little more. Nope! The webcasts do not affect my attendance at all.
Which sentence most closely describes your experience with the webcasts? I've watched every lecture on webcast I've watched most lectures on webcast I've watched some lectures on webcast. I've watched no lectures on webcast.
We are in the process of providing a CS61C webcast "Greatest Hits". It will contain what we believe to be an archival selection of the best (most effective, engaging, etc) delivery of the course from years past. It will contain the webcast supplemented by synchronized slides, which means that the slides will auto-advance at the appropriate time. It will also include a "topic tree" which will let you watch just as much lecture as you need. E.g., clicking on the root means you'll watch all CS61C lectures as one seamless 40-hour movie, and clicking on a leaf will allow you to watch a 5-minute demo. How much do you think you would use this free resource? Quite a bit! A fair amount. A little Not at all.
Please add any other comments you have for the webcast staff (e.g., focus on the instructor more/less, show audience reaction more/less, buy a scan converter so that you can do picture-in-picture and don't have to FILM THE SCREEN, etc):
Would you like more/less "active learning" sessions where people play the roles of the various parts of the computer (like what the TAs did during the pipelining and cache lectures)? Love it! Do more of it. You used it in appropriate places, it was just about right. Do less of it; the time could be better spent.
Any other comments about the active learning activities?
We tried a new thing this year -- top students explain how they answered the midterm during lecture. What do you think about this idea? Love it! Make sure to keep it in the future. Would have preferred to see the instructor answer it instead. Let's not use lecture for this, it's best done in discussion.
PART II. Coverage of Material
Which topic in the course did you feel was covered the best? (ie. Was interesting, you really understood it, the presentation was compelling, etc.)
Which topic in the course did you feel was covered the worst? (ie. Wasn't interesting, you didn't understand it from the lecture and reading, the presentation of the material did not help you learn it effectively, etc.)
PART III. Projects, Homework & Labs
Here you are going to rate the relevance and difficulty of the projects.
Any constructive criticism about projects?
Pick your favorite and least favorite labs from this list
What is your opinion of giving 1 extra point to individuals that complete labs in the first hour? Is this something that should be continued in the future?
Any constructive criticism about labs?
PART IV. CPS
Did you usually bring a CPS to class (either your own or a borrowed one)? Yes No
If CPS devices were free, should we use them? That is, do you gain enough from the experience (thinking about a problem, giving the instructor real-time feedback, calibrating your understanding with others, teaching and learning from others) to justify the five minutes of class time? Yes No Neutral
If we cannot find the funds to make them free, should we continue to use them (provided the software kinks are worked out)? Yes No Neutral
Do you have any other comments, critique, or suggestions for how CPS should work?
PART V. Logisim & Visualization
Do you have any general comments about the features or interface of Logisim?
Was the use of Logisim in this course useful to you?
More generally, is the use of visualizations of complex systems (CPU design, VM, cache...) in 61c useful in building understanding?
PART VI. Instructors
What is Dan doing well?
What can Dan do to improve?
If you mentioned anything about the rate Dan speaks in your answer above, please comment why you didn't slow him down when you felt he was going too fast right then and there with the hand gesture. Is there a better feedback mechanism?
Who is your discussion TA (or whoever you interact with the most)? Ben Brian Casey Dave Keaton Matt Omar
What is your TA doing well?
What can your TA do to improve?
PART VII. General Comments
What should we definitely keep the same next time we teach the course? (i.e., what works?)
What should we definitely change next time we teach the course? (i.e., what's broken?)
Any constructive criticism about the course in general?