Presented here are the most recent available (Spring 2013) comments regarding my teaching performance obtained through the Rutgers University Student Instructional Rating Survey for the General Biology 102. I taught this course for four years and was responsible for two sections of up to 24 students per semester. Students’ comments are unedited.
Students' Comments:
1. The instructor is very approachable and helpful in explaining material and providing “real life” examples, connection with previously learnt material.
2. The instructor was excellent and clearly loved the material he was teaching, which encouraged me to love it too!
3. The instructor helped me to feel more confident in my understanding of the topics. He also encouraged me to appreciate the material more and to explore beyond what was being studies in class.
4. Great TA. He seemed a little bit intense at times but I think that is exactly what this watered-down, babied education system in many schools needs.
5. The comfortable environment helped me to be more vocal and ask the questions I had instead of just not bothering to ask.
6. The teaching method was quite effective. I would particularly like to commend the powerpoints that were presented at the beginning of each lab. The lab instructor was excellent in explaining the concepts that may not have made sense in lecture.
7. Always asks us questions, encouraging everyone in the lab room to think and answer.
8. Yevgen is very knowledgeable so he inspires me to know just as much as he does.
9. I like the way carefully explained slides. He told us what we needed to know mainly with a few extra information on the side. He was very detailed which helped me learn in the class.
10. Yevgen was an incredible TA he always added extra helpful information and really explained concepts fully to ensure everyone understand. He went above and beyond the description of a TA.
11. Yevgen has taught a lot more than just the lab manual.
12. The instructor was well prepared & showed a great deal of interest in teaching. It definitely helped me learn a lot. His teaching methods + attitude towards the course lab has encouraged me to want to pay attention and learn. Overall, the TA was amazing! I liked bio lab only because of him.
13. Yevgen made lab & biology in general much more fun & interesting to learn. He was very engaging & knew how to make up laugh. He made things fun & sometimes made jokes. Yevgen made the tone of the room feel less serious (in a good way).
14. Yevgen Nazarenko is the best teacher I ever had at Rutgers. He diserves a pay raise.
15. The TA really presented the information well during his powerpoints. Our instructor helped us during the labs to be more hands-on which helped in understanding.
16. He answers questions if asked and helps explain everything thoroughly before moving on.
17. The instructor always included relevant implications of subject material & concepts and encouraged students to think about material independently.
18. Mr. Nazarenko was great! Very smart + hardworking.
19. The way he taught helped keep things retained in my head while studying for the exam. Went more in depth to teach things when I didn’t understand. Offered help outside of Bio.
20. Lab was very interactive. It was easy to learn and stay involved. Always answers my questions. Never a lack of effort in his response. Very knowledgeable and relates my question to other material to broaden my conceptual view.
21. He added humor and outside knowledge to the subject.
22. The material is presented well through PowerPoint presentation. He was very positive throughout the process. He was definitely one of the better TAs in the course.
23. Yevgen is so interested in Biology along with his humor make the course very enjoy. He made me enjoy lab even though it is something I dread. He has shown me that you must have passion for what you do to be good at it. He has a passion for Biology and shows it every lab.
24. The TA encouraged group studying and collaborative work.
25. What I like best about this course is the hands on interaction with what we are learning. Hands on experiments with the material such as the pig dissection. The instructor asks a lot of questions that reminds me of concepts and is very helpful in what to study for exams.