1. The MTS (Mastery TASK System) was used as the primary method of assessment and grading. The MTS is a learning-by-doing approach with continuous assessment using weekly TASK Performances and Revisions. Please describe whether or not the MTS helped your math learning and/or your grade in the course.

The MTS System improved both my math learning and my grade. This is the third time I have taken Calculus. (I took it twice before I transferred here.) The other teachers gave hourly exams and all I get is stressed out and cram and ended up not really learning anything. In my opinion, this way is much better.

The MTS helped my math learning by making sure I knew what was going on in the problem and making me go back in the book if I forgot how to solve a problem. 

The MTS gave a great opportunity to fail, but learn from the mistakes before they could bother the grade outcome. 

The MTS helped my learning, but I thought that it should contain an example with full explanations and all the math worked out. The answers did show some steps, but the ones I usually was confused about were not shown.

I think it works good for people who have never had Calculus. But for me, I didn't really need it. It did make it easy though. 

Yes, the MTS helped both my understanding and grade in the course. 

MTS definitely helped my learning as well as my grade because many times I learned from my mistakes, and at the same time, I had an opportunity to improve my grade. This gave me incentive to review and correct my mistakes. 

I believe this helped my learning. I have never had any Calculus, anything like this, but all the examples made it very easy for me to learn. 

I enjoyed this system. Sometimes it got difficult, but I learned more (I think). I was always challenged to learn.

It helped when I understood what I was doing and why I was doing it. 

The MTS helped so much. I'm a kinetic learner, so learning by doing (and seeing my mistakes and how to correct them) was the best thing for me. 

I liked the MTS because it provided many examples and I was able to really learn. I thought it also explained a lot, just in case you forgot something. I believe that it did help my grade a little and allowed me to learn. 

I believe it helped my learning because if I got it wrong the first time around, I got a second chance to figure it out. This also helped my grade and motivated me to work harder on problem areas.

Yes, I think it helped because if you didn't do so hot you get a chance to make it up and learn from your mistakes.

I believe the MTS method helped me to learn the material better. I liked trying to figure the material out, and then going over the material in class. 

Select a Question:  1. , 2. , 3. , 4. , 5. , 6.  or 7.

2. This course is called "CKM" (Calculus for Kinetic Modeling) since most of the math concepts are introduced, explained, and exemplified using material developed and drawn from chemical, enzyme, and drug kinetics. How important was this kinetics approach to your learning, understanding, and/or remembering the math ideas? Did it help or hinder? 

Since we are all going to be pharmacists, I think that it is a good idea that we get the basic concepts of this down. 

I think it is very important because it gives us physical evidence such as a graph that tells us the amount of drug in the body, both minimum and maximum. 

Helped greatly--math and Calculus don't seem useful until they can be applied; chemical, enzyme, and drug kinetics are most likely to be interesting to pharmacy students especially. 

? 

It helped. (But it was a little confusing at first.) 

I can't really say how it helped my learning, but it was very nice to have Calculus geared towards Pharmacy. 

Helped--relates Calculus to something I am interested in and might be useful in the future. 

It helped me remember because I had some context to put it into. 

It helped. I was able to see the stuff happen--visual. 

It wasn't that important to my learning. 

I liked seeing how the equations and formulas worked for real things. It definitely helped when using integrals. 

It was helpful through the graphs, but it was difficult to understand at times.

It was important and it helped me a lot. I thought the modeling was very interesting--a new way for me to see Calculus.

I think it helped. It seemed like it had something to do with Pharmacy.

I enjoyed learning the "kinetics" of drugs; I believe it introduced the concepts that we may use in later classes at StLCOP. I also enjoyed viewing the kinetics in the computer lab.

Select a Question:  1. , 2. , 3. , 4. , 5. , 6.  or 7.

3. Please describe whether or not you felt that using the interactive computer text and CCWs (Computer Classworks) in the lab provided a helpful way to explain new concepts and/or visualize the math ideas. 

Once I got used to the computer classwork and MAPLE, I liked it. 

It helped visualize but didn't explain. 

I feel that they helped me; I accepted this new kind of ("new" as in I never used computers in the classroom in high school) with much enthusiasm. 

It helped visualize, but the computers did not help explain that much. 

Yes, it made things easier. (I can always check my work.) 

I did not learn well from the CCW however it is a useful resource in checking your knowledge.

The movies [animations] in lab helped. 

I don't think it explained, but the visualization was great. As they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words."

Sometimes it did. 

The pictures helped me put what I was doing into perspective. I could actually visualize and understand. 

CCW's were different (I'd never used computers to help me learn). It helped reinforce the principles taught. 

I believe it helped a lot! It's nice to actually see what is going on. It's one thing to write it, but see it! 

It was helpful in visualizing, but I think explaining new concepts was easier in the classroom.

They helped a lot.

I think that the computer lab was fun, and helped me to visualize the concepts; however, many times the computers were not working--that was annoying.

Select a Question:  1. , 2. , 3. , 4. , 5. , 6.  or 7.

4. The one thing I liked most about this course is:

I liked the MTS, and I liked the movies that played on MAPLE. 

Ability to put my past knowledge into something useful such as computing amount of drug in the body and being able to tell someone else what's going on. 

The textbook/workbook written by my own instructor; I would recommend it, including the computer programs for other Calc. courses. 

I liked the fact that Mr. Pais would answer our questions readily and was willing to repeat explanations. He showed great patience. :) 

Using the computers, the teacher. 

I enjoyed this course. It kept my attention and seemed very short in comparison to my other classes. 

Opportunity to learn from mistakes and chance to improve grades. 

The grading system gave us all lots of chances to do well and not many chances to do poorly. Also, the instructor is quite enthusiastic. 

Instructor was always willing to help and was fun. 

I don't like Calculus, but Dr. Pais made it interesting enough that I actually learned how to do something. 

That the student was always given the chance to correct work. 

I really enjoyed the course overall! 

Ability to try again if we made mistakes, and the different approach for teaching Calculus.

The computer lab.

It was fun, interesting, and Dr. Pais made difficult concepts easily understandable.

Select a Question:  1. , 2. , 3. , 4. , 5. , 6.  or 7.

5. The one thing I woud most liked to see changed is: 

I think the group work was really helpful. Some more of it might be useful too. 

I know you can only teach so much in a given time, but maybe it might be hepful to show the proof of some of the equations you gave us in class. 

? 

Not as much computer-related homework, especially the questions about the "movies". 

Why did I buy the blue book? Make it all one book. 

A more straightforward midterm and final. 

Some of the working of the problems is not easily understood. 

Maybe more grades. 

Nothing. 

The assumptions that we know certain things. (What's magnitude?) 

? 

I think the final was a little too difficult. 

You still need to discuss the topic in lecture thoroughly.

The final. I believe the final was much more difficult than the material we had done and had discussed in class.

Perhaps more diagrams explaining what all of the equations, rate constants, etc. mean and how they relate.

Select a Question:  1. , 2. , 3. , 4. , 5. , 6.  or 7.

6. Reflect on whether or not you feel that you gave your best effort in the course. What do you think you might have done differently that could have improved your math learning? 

At first I was really dreading this, but I liked the way this course was designed so I did try harder. 

I gave about my best effort. I enjoy math a lot but am lazy sometimes and probably should study more. 

I gave my best effort most of the time. At some points I lagged because I didn't use my time wisely. 

I know that I did not give my best effort in the course. My other classes and my job prohibited me from studying as much as I should have. 

I think I did my best. 

I should have done more practice problems. 

I could have put more time into the class, but I have a heavy course load, and math wasn't my priority. 

I think I gave my best effort. 

I think I gave my best effort. Maybe taking a little more time to completely understand something instead of memorizing a system. 

I love math, and I can honestly say this was my favorite class this semester. I worked! Maybe I could have improved more if I studied a little more and asked more questions. 

I believe I could have worked a little harder. I started to slack a bit! 

I believe I gave my best effort. 

I think I did ok. If I would have studied harder I could have done a little better.

I gave a good effort in the class, however I do not believe it was my best effort. Last semester I was quite stressed out, maybe if I had "less stress" I might have presented more effort.

Select a Question:  1. , 2. , 3. , 4. , 5. , 6.  or 7.

 7. Any other suggestions for improvement, regarding the instructor, course content, or structure? 

The incentive of a higher grade at midterm was a good idea! 

Good Teacher--understands the subject very thoroughly. Give us real life stories of what went wrong with drug kinetics. 

Nope. 

Mr. Pais is a good instructor! Hope to have you again. :) 

No, the instructor was good. 

None. 

None. 

Sometimes we moved quickly but that is sometimes unavoidable. Overall, the class was fun and I learned a lot and it brought out stuff I didn't think I knew. 

Do only computer stuff in lab. It's too hard to pay attention.

Again, I learned new ideas more easily in the classrooom on the board as opposed to the lab, BUT, the lab was very helpful AFTER being introduced to concepts, to help me visualize them better. 

None. 

Other than the Final, the class does not need any improvement. I believe the quizzes, homework, and tests were fair, and fun to learn. 

 Select a Question: 1. , 2. , 3. , 4. , 5. , 6.  or 7.