Student feedback plays a crucial role in my development as an educator, helping me reflect on what works well and identifying areas for improvement. The feedback I have received throughout my teaching experiences has been invaluable, and I believe it demonstrates my ability to create a supportive and engaging learning environment. Below are a few examples of un-edited feedback I have received from my students:
An email from a student in my Introduction to Astronomy course at Hobart and William Smith Colleges:
“Hi Abhinav, I just wanted to email you to say thank you for such an awesome semester!! I was very nervous to take my first science class since high school, and I was pleasantly surprised when I realized I really enjoyed Astronomy! I looked forward to coming to class everyday and I really appreciated everything you did to help me out this semester. This was by far my favorite science class that I've ever taken, and it was so exciting to see the lunar eclipse last night and actually understand how it was happening. You were by far one of the most engaging and helpful professors I've had thus far at HWS, and I just wanted to email you to say thank you one last time! I hope you have a great summer and best of luck for your future endeavors."
From course evaluations in the same class:
"My professor was easy to reach and showed us all how we all had the potential to succeed. Because of this, I wanted to try and understand topics that I was never interested in before."
"I think the professor did a really good job of explaining science terms to a class full of non-science majors. I feel the passion was to educate about a field none of us had a ton of knowledge on."
"The cumulation of these diverse teaching methods leads to a well-rounded course that any student could succeed in. All components, from the chance to buff ideas out through thought discussions, all the way to the final project, allowed for different ways and levels of thinking to occur."
"My professor was willing to make time for me. He was also understanding of my life outside of the course and supported me in whatever ways I needed in order to succeed."
From evaluations of classes I was a TA for at Cornell University:
"Abhinav is the best TA I have had in any class at Cornell! He is patient, sympathetic, and explains the material extremely clearly. He also goes above and beyond to offer assistance and truly cares about his students' success."
"Abhinav was an incredible TA. He was organized and provided clear explanations to topics that were not well covered in lecture. He made it possible to feel confident about homework and tests. Most of what I learned in this class was from section."
"I loved Abhinav! He's very relaxed but also very knowledgeable about the subject matter. It was fun being able to engage with him in class and learn from him, even though I wouldn't consider myself the best at this course. This guy is going to do great things!"
"Abhinav is an excellent TA. He is terrific at breaking down difficult concepts for students to understand and is always patient when it comes to listening to student’s concerns and explaining the material. He consistently reminds students that he is available for extra help if needed and does his best to meet the needs of his students. Despite the difficulty of this course, he made learning astronomy much more enjoyable. A caring, kind, and knowledgeable instructor, Abhinav is one of the best TAs I’ve ever had."