"Taylor’s preparation and organization were evident in his delivery of course material and facilitation of class discussion. Taylor showed clear command of the learning materials, providing clear explanations of course concepts and engaging students in discussion with well-timed questions. His presentation was peppered with personal examples (e.g., a previous budget analysis he had done), which he deftly used to explain and apply course concepts." - Classroom Observer

"Taylor accessed several web-based resources (e.g., local government budgets) to illustrate points (structure and content of budgets). Taylor also used popular culture to engage students in learning: for example, he cued a Youtube video of comedian John Oliver to make a point, with humor, about how budgets align with elected officials’ values and priorities. Because the example was critical of one political party, Taylor offered some quick political balance by noting that the same issues occur in Republican and Democratic administrations. The class was also presented with examples of questionable/wasteful local government spending (e.g., pig races and bobblehead dolls) and how those represent both spending tradeoffs and the need for transparency and accountability. In sum, Taylor used a variety of learning tools to connect effectively with students." - Classroom Observer

"I observed Taylor to be an enthusiastic and inclusive instructor. He moved around the front of the classroom, made eye contact with students, engaged them in dialogue, and used his voice (tone, pace, inflection) and body language to exude energy and excitement. I noted that students felt comfortable spontaneously asking questions and, when prompted, answering them." - Classroom Observer 

"The Moodle page was arranged by semester weeks, with learning blocks for each week clearly labeled. Impressively, Taylor augmented the course’s student learning objectives (SLOs) with weekly learning objectives, which were linked to the course SLOs." - Classroom Observer 

"My overall assessment is that Cody Taylor is an effective teacher. He has prepared and is delivering a carefully designed course that aims to meet clearly defined student learning outcomes" - Classroom Observer