| PL 24 BIOMEDICAL ETHICS SUMMER 2002 |
| The views expressed here are by students of this course. Their words are unedited. There is material placed in bold by the instructor to highlight certain concerns. |
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OK, here we are at the end of the
semester. What does
Biomedical Ethics now mean to you and why?
Does studying such matters do any good for anyone?
OK,
here we are at the end of the semester.
What does Biomedical Ethics now mean to you and why? Does studying such matters do any good for anyone? Subject: Biomedical Ethics Biomedical ethics to me
is the study of how different people react to a variety of
circumstances. Ethics is whats conciderd right or worng to a person. I
know have a better understanding on how even though I might concider
something morall someone else can justify why it wouldn't be and
vice-versa. I do believe that studying these matters does do good for
everyone because they can understand how people can react differently
but still be right! Subject: Important to all. Biomedical Ethics is the
research on moral questions arising from the complex relationships
among medicine, science and society. Biomedical ethics is very
important because it facilitates our lives by helping us answer
society's most profund questions with sound theory. The study of
biomedical ethics is the new way to go... even the president
has an advisor in this field. Subject: Biomedical Ethics Biomedical ethics has always meant the same thing to me. It is the philosophy surrounding medical issues, some controversial and some not so controversial, which helps us decide what option to choose and whether or not those decisions are ethical. The process of how I think about these issues has changed. I don't think about these issues solely on my feelings. I now have an understanding of the main principles of ethics and how they relate and respond to these issues. I will also be able to solidly support my position. Not always an easy task, but important none the less. Studying ethics is
always important. Ethics help us to make decisions during times of
crisis or dilemma. It helps point us in the moral direction. Ethics
can lead to changes in society. It can help motivate people to change
laws, policies or even the way society thinks about issues and people.
I think it is especially important to study ethics in regard to the
medical field. It is easy for medical issues to be exploited for
political or social gain. It is also easy for individuals to be
exploited or disregarded in the medical setting if ethics are not
used. For example, in the way doctors relate to their recipients of
care. Ethics are a way to make just, fair and sound decisions. This is
especially important in the field of medicine. With the rate
technology is advancing (cloning, reproductive assistance, etc.), it
will be extremely important to use ethical reasoning to decide how far
we should go, who should be served, and which policies and procedures
we wish to adopt. Subject: Ethics Biomedical ethics does
mean something to me it has helped me to understand the different
ideas of different theories. I
think studying ethics in general does alot of good for people it helps
people to understand and appreciate eachothers ideas. Subject: Understanding Having a better
understanding of these topics prepares people for the unexpected. You
never know what's in store for you and it's so much better to be ready
for the worst some of these situations we discussed can offer. Subject: right on Kinberly, I agree.
I have a lot of friends and family that only see their side and
only theirs. To do the
work we have and to try to defend another person's Theory like Kant,
Rawls, Natural Law, etc., by finding reasons to support them really
opens your mind. Subject: Understanding more I have a better
understanding of topics that are often discussed but I never really
pyt much thought into them. I was surprised to see how many instances
that have occurred in my life that have applied to this class.
Biomedical ethics is a the way ethics is applied to medical
situations. Ethics are definatley needed in the medical field since
each person views things differently. Subject: My feelings Biomedical ethics is a
very important issue that exists in our society. Many people are unaware of the injustices that go on in the
field of medicine and how easily one's rights can be taken away from
them or someone they love. It
is important that people educate themselves to these issues so that
they may be prepared to deal with a situation like ones that we have
discussed. Studying these
matters can show people that they need to fight for their rights when
certain circumstances arise where others may try to trivialize their
autonomy. Subject: Biomedical ethics I was always aware that
particular topics in biomedical ethics were extremely controversial (and
still are) and that there was no definitive right or wrong answer.
It's just understanding what the different angles of thinking are
and it means how each principle arrives at its own answer. Studying the
controversial subjects and applying various principles to each causes
people to toss out their own opinions and preconceived notions and
look at things differently -- which is a very good thing in order to
get along with others in this world. Subject: biomed ethics I think that studying
the matters we did would help anyone.
Unfortunately some of us will have to deal with at least one of
these issues some time or another and it is good to know all the
different sides and different ethically viewpoints to help you decide
how to handle them. I
feel that biomedical ethics is a very important topic and deals with
very important issue that most everyone will have to deal with in his
or her own life. It is
very interesting to see all the different viewpoints of controversial
topics such as abortion and physician assisted suicide. Subject: what bioethics mean to me and why I feel I gained a lot of
knowledge from this class considering that I look at certain medical
situations now in a completely different way. To learn what is the
right and what is the wrong thing to do in certain situations isn't
comparative when you experience the situations through a class such as
this. I feel I have a
more open mind towards people seeking health care than I have ever had
before. Just the other
day I was in a coffee shop getting coffee and there was an
advertisement on the wall that I was reading.
The woman stated that she was working to create a better cause
"to create happiness for the greatest number of people".
I laughed and thought, what would I have done without Kant.
When ever a situation arises that I have to think of what is
better, to take care of this person first or that one...I will think
of the situations that I had read and had to answer on and think that
I am making the better decision because of the ethical scenarios that
we have discussed. Subject: Biomedical ethics to me... Biomedical ethics means
more to me now than it did 8 weeks ago. It is the different theorys
and attitudes that people have on specific medical situations. To
learn and study about the issues that are raised is very important.
Our medical status is probably the most important factor of ones life.
To be able to understand the different ways in which the field works
is extremely important, almost necessary in order to comprehend your
choices and rights of what can be done in certain instances.
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| FINAL ESSAYS
Answer each of the
questions below and submit 1. Which of the issues
covered this semester has been the most important and why so? 2. Which of the issues
covered this semester has meant anything to you personally and why so? 3. Why are not more people
aware of these troublesome questions, issues or problems? 4. Now that you have been
educated as to these issues in Biomedical Ethics in what way will they
have any consequence in your
life? 5.
Are you in a better position now to think about and handle these issues
using ethical principles? BE (1)The abortion issue is
the one that had the most significant impact on me. Before the course i have
always been against abortion regardless of reason, i have never looked
into the intricate details and situations. This course has made me
look at this issue on a case by case basis and be able to use one
of the theories to explain why i support it in some instances. I have also learnt that
i am not attached to a single theory, i tend to like to use diferent
theories for different situations. I am not a strict utilitarian, i have a
touch of egoism and a sprinkle of Kantian theory in me. (2)The abortion issue
touched me personally because i have not spoken to a friend of mine for 3
yrs because she had an abortion.... i must have been using Natural law
theory when i refused to support her decison. 3 days after we concluded
the chapter on abortion, i gave her a call and explained what i had learnt
and we can now better understand one another. (3)People are not aware
of these problems because most people dont know what is ethical or not ,
they only know what's 'fair' and whats not. The definition of fair in our
society is not based on any theory. People are aware of the
issues but they do not know how to tackle them, they tend to use something
similar to a roman catholic natural law but it is still not based on the
theory, it is based on folklore. (4)These issues and my
newly acquired knowledge of how to tackle these problems will aid me in my
future vocation in the Pharmaceutical setting... i will have to tackle
human experimentation issues, abortion issues (whether to dispense
abortion medication or not) This is an issue that pharmacists are
constantly battling becuase of their religion and their vocational
responsibilities. Yes, i am definitely ina
better position to tackle the issues that are plaguing my future
vocation. HA 1. Which of the issues covered this semester has been the most
important and why so? The most important
issues for me were abortion and reproductive assistance. Being pro-choice
(and a woman), this is an issue that can
directly affect my life. I believe in choices and options. Although I may
not be willing to accept one of the choices morally,
I still want the option. I think these issues are important because they
are extremely controversial. They have
been given much publicity and the debate seems to center on religious
right-to-lifers. I do not think they should be
the only voice heard. It is through classes like this and open discussions
that the laws can change. It is only
through open forums that these issues can be debated, on solid ethical
points, that I can help to effect change and insure
my options. 2. Which of the issues
covered this semester has meant anything to you personally and why so? Please see my answer to
question one. 3. Why are not more
people aware of these troublesome questions, issues or problems? People are ignorant. I
do not mean stupid, I mean they are uneducated in these issues. For
example, the abortion issue. There is still
debate on whether contraceptive methods should be discussed in the
classroom. How do people think we can lower the
teen pregnancy rate without discussion how to keep kids from getting
pregnant? Abstinence is not the norm these days.
People tend to get stuck in the same way of thinking. The generation that
grew up in the 50's is not subject to the
same societal pressures or trends that the latter generations are subject
to. Society changes; people's views change.
We cannot depend solely on the media for our awareness of the pertinent
issues. The media skews stories and
reports only what the station or newspaper feels is important. Thus, it is
up to others in society to bring these issues to
light. For example, Dr. Kevorkian. He has single handily brought the
right-to-die issue to the forefront. I am not
suggesting his methods are ethical, but it is because of him that this
issue has been brought to public light. I am
afraid that there is a lack of groups or individuals who are willing to
stand on their respective soap boxes in order to inform
the public of injustices. I think people are not more aware of these
issues because they are simply not openly
discussed or considered. 4. Now that you have
been educated as to these issues in Biomedical Ethics in what way will
they have any consequence in your
life? I do not believe this
will have any consequence on my life. I think it has been a positive
experience. I hope I can use what I have learned to
make better, more informed ethical decisions. I still have to decide what
principle I would like to abide by, but I think
I'm leaning towards utilitarianism. I feel like I have been enlightened.
That I now have a secret understanding of
controversial issues. Now I need to perfect my understanding and share my
knowledge. 5. Are you in a better
position now to think about and handle these issues using ethical
principles? I am definitely in a
better position to think about and handle moral dilemmas. I have been
given the tools; it is now up to me to use them. MM 1. Which of the issues
covered this semester has been the most important and why so? I think module 7 – Human Experimentation was
the most important to me because it has to deal with a lot of issues that
society is currently facing right now.
Cloning, Gene sequencing, DNA research is all up and coming stuff
and I think it was important because it is one of the more divided issues.
There are so many different fronts to the issue, you have the
church, science, ethics, and so many combinations of the three that no one
really has a stance on the issue. Most
people like the future benefits of all these new technologies but how do
you go about testing them out, considering a lot of the early trials have
no had that much success. Anything that had to do with reproduction because my brother tried for 10 years to have a child and never could and just recently adopted a little girl. So the module on a abortion touched home because so many people can't have children, why go kill yours off when you can just give it away. Or the module on reproduction also meant something personally because of everything my brother had to go through.
Personally I think most people are ignorant of the world around them and choose to live in their own private little disconnected happy lives. If one of these situations have any effect on them then there is no desire to learn about them. Most Americans follow the model if it aint broke don’t fix it or out of sight out of mind and if the issue doesn't touch home they don't give a damn. Granted this is just my opinion here. Plus you have to factor in that not everyone is college educated and not everyone that is, has a biomedical ethics course in their course plan. It was just pure luck that I saw that Suffolk had this class and it filled my DEC requirement that I needed, otherwise I honestly wouldn't have that much knowledge about it either.
Honestly it won't.
I believe in science and the benefits that can come about because
of it. I think after taking
this course my personality best fits around utilitarianism and my ideas
and thoughts usually revolve that kind of mentality.
Keep in mind when I graduate I am going into Investment Banking and
there is no such thing as ethics in that field of business, its basically
just one big competition where everyone try's to overthrow the next guy to
get the most recognized, sort of like King of the Mountain.
I mean I am sure one of these issues will crop up later on in my
life but I doubt they will have consequences, more so just making me more
aware of the situation and giving me more knowledge to handle it. Most definitely. I have learned a lot of information in this course about different issues that are going on right now. I definitely know more about ethical principles then I did before hand, to be honest I didn't know any ethical principles before this course. I think that is a definite bonus. I am sure I will be able to take the information I learned in this course and apply it to other non-biomedical issues that will crop up in my life time. KB
I think it is hard to say which issue covered this semester has
been most important to me. I think that the issues related to patients rights has been
important to me. Mainly
because I'am a sickly person who has many doctors and I sometimes get
confused on my rights and the rights of my health care providers.
I think know I know more on how the health care system works, and
how to get more positive help from it.
The issues covered this semster that has meant something personally
to me is the understanding of all of the ethical theories, and their
principles. This has made me
open my mind up to knew ideas, while also making me able to understand the
ideas of others even when they are different then mine.
I personally think that most people are not aware of these issues,
are because most people are very involved in themselves, and their lives.
Most people do not care or pay much attention to thinks that do not
affect them directly. Although
these issues do affect everyone at some point in their life.
I think most people try not to look at problems, and like to avoid
troublesome problems.
Biomedical ethics I think will have one main consequence in my life
being that of realizing my own ethical principle of being an egoist.
Which will not help me solve any moral problems with others.
Overall I do think I'am in a better position now to think about
and handle issues using ethical principles.
I have learned how to appreciate, and understand all of these
theories. MB 1. I think that
the issue that was the most important to me was probably the idea of
genetic cloning. This was
important to me because in many ways I am opposed to this sort of
experiementation and manipulation of nature.
I am glad that the topic was covered and I was able to share my
opinion about the matter with others.
2.
The issue that has affected me in a personal way would be the
debate over care for the dying. My grandfather recently died after a battle with cancer that
claimed his life. I am just
so grateful everyday that his wishes to discontinue treatment and just
receive medicine for his pain were regarded because it was so diffcult
seeing him in the pain and suffering that he was in.
I am glad that I was able to share my feelings about this matter
also with others. 3.
Many people find ignorance an easier and less painful way of living
their life rather than seeking to educate themselves about difficult and
controversial issues that they or someone they love may one day face.
It is almost easier sometimes to deny that these problems exist
than to deal with them head on. 4.
Now that I am educated about these Biomedical issues and have heard
the opinions of my classmates, I am not so quick to jump to conclusions or
make rash decisions about how I feel about them.
I was pretty set in my ways before I took this class as to what my
beliefs were. After hearing opinions of other people that were different
from mine and realzing that not everyone thinks the way that I do, I am
much more open to new ideas. 5. The ethical
principles provided such a solid framework to see why certain individual
make decisions the way that they do.
The principle provided many broad views about how people look at
life and what morals are important to different people.
It is also much easier to analyze these medical issues and come
to an understanding of why different people support some vastly
different opinions. TM 1) The issue that was most important to me was abortion. I am
stongly against abortion and it was interesting to hear others opions on
why they are for it or against it. I wish that we could have maybe
discussed that a little more. 2) The issue that I
enjoyed the most was about making choices about a love one when they are
ill and how much insurance came into play. This part was important to me
because of my little brother. When he was diagnosed with brain cancer my
family had to make a ton of choices and we realized that insurance didn't
cover the best doctors. We wanted the best and thats what we got
reguardless of how much the insurance company would pay. 3) I beleive that people
aren't really aware of the troublesome questions and issues because they
are really never spoken about. People today really only care about
themselves and what's going on in their lives. If they feel that it has
nothing to do with them, most people wont even bother wondering about
them. 4) Now, before I make a
choice in life, I will know about the differnt concequences for each
choice. I will be able to make an educated choice now, not just on a gut
feeling, but on knowing about what I learned in this class. I can also
educate others about the different problems out there! 5) I am definatly in a
better position now to think and handle issues using the ethical
princables. I mean I know that I will still make mistakes, but as time
goes on I will learn more and more and be able to use the princables
more and more. PR 1. The most important topic to me was the module about nurses
rights. I never realized what nurses endure each day as they face
important choices such as turning in a doctor if he is drunk or
over-medicating. From that I realized how nurses deserve so much more
respect than they recieve. Each day they are faced with making important
decsions that can have an effect on their career. It opened my eyes to a
lot of things I did not know even exsisted. 2.
The module that personally effected me was euthanasia and the allocation
of resources. I just lost a very good friend to brain cancer and when I
read in the text all that's involved in donating organs I realized how
difficult it must have been for his family to go through that. I relaize
what a wonderful thing it is to donate organs and how many lives are saved
by it. Wit6h such shortages of organs for people it's truly amazing how
one person's passing can really affect the lives of some many other
people. 3.I
don't know why people are not aware of these topics. I thinlk it's purely
ignorance,lack of interest and minimal amount of resources available to
learn more about these topics. I do not know if I would have ever been
aware of these topics to this degree had I never taken this class. That's
sort of scary since most people are really not prepared for these
situations when they arise. 4.
It's already affected my life. I feel more confident to discuss these
topics. I feel more aware of what's going on in the news in relation to
the topice we discussed. I now feel like I have a voice to argue about
what's important to me. It's a good feeling to learn about things you were
never really interested in or aware of. I am happy I took this class for
that reason. 5.
I am definately more capable of handling issues now that I can apply
certain ethical principles to situations. I do believe I am not strictly
infavor of just one principle. I like a little of what everyone has to
say. I feel that with each decision and choice life offers me I will
tack;e each one differently with all the different ethical principles I
have learned. I think they will be very helpful in that way. I am
thankful for learning about all the different topics and principles. I
find myself passing them along to others in my life. KG 1. I really felt that the modules concerning abortion and
physician assisted suicide were the most interesting and helpful.
I have always been very torn on how I feel about each of those
topics and it was good to get actual ethical and moral viewpoints.
2. I feel that the care
of dying module and even the physician assisted suicide modules were
personal or could be personal. Even
though I have never had to actually deal with the death of a loved one in
that way, who knows what may happen one day with my parents or siblings.
It is definitely a hard thing to think about how to deal with a
parent?s or loved ones death but one day it might happen and it is good to
know ethical points of views and see views other than mine that I can
respect. 3. I think that a lot of
these issues are things that people don?t want to think about and hope
they never will have to deal with. A
lot of these issues have to deal with ending someone else?s life and no
one wants to think of themselves as a ?murderer? or ?killer. So thinking about abortion or physician assisted suicide is a
hard topic to really think about how you would react in that situation and
you hope you will never have to know how you will react. 4. I think that this
class has really opened my eyes on different viewpoints of all the
different topics. I wouldn?t
say that I was a closed minded person before but I just never really took
the time to think about other sides of abortion or health care etc.
5.
I am definitely in a better position of making ethical decisions.
Even now in day to day life I kind of think in many different
viewpoints like an egoist view or utilitarian etc.
PM1. I would have
to say the issue that has the most importance to me is the start of the
course where we had to train ourselves not to call people seeking health
care "patients." It
completely changed my perspective on health care.
If all HCP would do the same I think there would be more compation,
more sencerity, and intrest in the people seeking health care.
Calling "Joe" a patient is like saying, "ok, number
124, the doctor will see you know."
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PL 24 SUMMER
2002 CULMINATING
EXERCISE BE Part 1: What did
you like best about this course? The
course material and case presentations were the best. The case
presentations and the decision scenarios gave us a good idea on how these
theories work in real life every day situations. The theories would have
been much harder to grasp withuot the scenarios and discussions. Part 2:
What specific things do you think could be improved in the structure or
design of the course and learning activities? Modifying some case
studie into group case studies will really bring a lot of ideas together,
it will allow the students to interact abit more, in a cooperative format. Part 3: How
would you improve the quality and participation in course
discussions/interactions? By removingthe 1 quality
point system, People should freely discuss their ideas and not fel like
they are forced to reitterate what their colleagues have said. Part
4: What changes
would you suggest be made to the pacing or sequence of the content The sequence was great
and the pacing was very workable(especially with the saturday due dates).
The pace is not impossible to keep up with but it will involve serious
time management especially if one works two jobs. But it is possible to
complete. Part 5:
What changes would you suggest be made to the quantity of work
required for this course? My problem at the start was taking
another class and working long hours. Part 6:
How could the course be improved in terms of my interaction,
participation, and management of the course? Interaction i believe
was the best quality... when we did not explain our ideas using the
theories..... your response to us was very direct and to the point with
questions like: RESPONSE by: Philip Pecorino (06/22 03:58
PM) Subject: Patricia: natural law in the future in these discussions start
out with a statement of the principles of the ethical tradition you are
assigned and then apply them. You misstate the natural law theory. It
is not about doing what an individual feels is natural but about what the
laws of nature are. Now in this case it is natural for people
to die and it is also natural for people and all living things to struggle
to survive. So this is the moral dilemma here What would make it GOOD under natural law
to allow her to die? Why? This puts us right back on top of it. Part 7:
What other suggestions, comments, or recommendations would you have
for the instructor?
HA Part 1: What did
you like best about this course? The
part that I liked best about this class was the written assignment.
English tends to be my best subject so I am better with writing papers than other
with other tasks. It was easier to form opinions and to support those
opinions in a written form for only the professor to
read. These questions also tended to make me think more about the subject
at hand. The questions were also helpful in
determining how the theories actually worked. You had to first pick a theory, apply the theory and draw
conclusions about that theory. Somehow it seemed easier in the written
assignment than in the modules. I guess that's
because I tend to be wordy and I didn't want to post too much information
in the discussion threads. Part 2:
What specific things do you think could be improved in the structure or
design of the course and learning activities? I think that you should
end the discussions by giving a more definitive answer as to how the
theories apply. I know that would probably require a ton of
effort on your part but I think it would be extremely helpful. It seemed
like there was a lot of debate on some topics (like
organ donation) on how the theories would apply. At the end of the discussion, I don't feel there was always
a resolution. This sometimes made it difficult to apply the theories to
other discussions. Also, I found some websites
that suggested the individual theorist had made conclusions about how
their theory should be applied to a given
situation. It seems like this should end the debate of a subject, but we
were not given access to this material. Maybe that
was on purpose in order to get us thinking. However, sometimes the book was unclear on how to apply the
principles and I think this information would help. Also, I think more
examples of how the theories work should be given in
the ethical theories module. It was a lot of information to process and it seemed like it took some in the class a
long time to pick up on how the theories worked. I think if you sited some hypothetical situations and then applied
the theories it would be easier to "catch on." I also think the
natural law theory needs to be more fully discussed.
Much attention was given to the Roman Catholic view but not much was given on the natural law theory alone.
This made it very difficult to interpret the theory and apply it to
situations. It seemed like the basis for the theory was
not explained until the latter portion of the modules. This explanation seemed to contradict the previous
interpretations. If we had been misconstruing the theory all along (by
assigning the good to objects and the like) then it
should have come up earlier. Part 3: How
would you improve the quality and participation in course
discussions/interactions? I think the way the
points are set-up could be better. I don't think quantity should be given
such a high priority. One post could contain a high quality answer
and I don't think we should be penalized because we could not respond to more posts. A lot of the posts contained
the same view point and there was nothing to debate. This also proves to
be a problem for the quantity criterion. I
think more emphasis should be given to ensuring students check over their posts. Many contained fragmented
sentences or incomplete thoughts as well as misspelled words. This also
made debate difficult. I think you could
respond more when the class is going off track. For example, in one module
we got hung up on a discussion you said we
should have posted in the chat room. This should have been brought to our attention before the module ended. I also
think that you could respond more when there is a heated debate or if we are applying the theories incorrectly.
More emphasis should be given to making posts in a timely fashion. It is
hard to respond to someone if they make a post
on the third day at 11:30 pm. Although we have the option of further discussion after the module closes, given
the pace of the course we simply do not have time. I also think more emphasis should be given on applying the
principles in the modules. A lot of posts did not contain this
information. They were either unclear or opinionated.
It is hard to constantly try to "push" students in the right
direction. It seemed like some either didn't have the
time to put in or were not given the course their full attention. The
result is the incomplete posts that do not seem to
answer the question at hand. This places the other students in a difficult postion. Part
4: What changes
would you suggest be made to the pacing or sequence of the content I think the time frame
was sufficient. You warned us that this class required a lot of effort. If
you aren't willing to put in the time, you should
drop the course. I'll admit it was sometimes difficult but it was not
impossible. I think I would use less case studies.
Some subjects were hard to research or hard to obtain quality ethical
standpoint sources. It may have been helpful to
suggest one or two topics (per module) that could be researched. Maybe you
could require the students to give only a
certain number of case studies. Meaning, of the 8 listed, the student is
responsible for 5. The case studies then would
be contained to the chapters the student feels he/she could find a
sufficient topic to research . Part 5:
What changes would you suggest be made to the quantity of work
required for this course? The only change I would
suggest was stated previously. There should be less case studies. Maybe
you could allow students to research the individual
theories on the web and let them make a case study from there. That might
help us to better understand the theories. Part 6:
How could the course be improved in terms of my interaction,
participation, and management of the course? I think you should step
in when we are getting off track. I also think that you should step in and
settle debates. It would also be helpful if you would
explain at the module's end how the theory should be applied. That would
settle any doubts we may have had in the
application and maybe help alleviate some of the confusion. It would also
be helpful if you stepped in to help
perpetuate debate when we have stagnated. As I have said previously, a lot
of posts contained the same information so it was
hard to interact when we all agree. Part 7:
What other suggestions, comments, or recommendations would you have
for the instructor? I had a lot of fun with
this class. I actually discussed a lot of the topics and theories with my
friends. That also made it more interesting
because it generated a discussion outside of the classroom. Personally, I
felt like some of the students were
argumentative. Especially in the mid-course evaluation in regard to the
asking of questions. The students that weren't
asking questions or posting the best applications were criticizing those
who did ask questions. They also seemed to
suggest that people were asking these questions for the sake of quantity.
I think you could've stepped in and made some
sort of comment. I also think the points allocation could be improved.
Quality is definitely better than quantity.
Although I agree there should be a minimum of how many posts to make, it
was difficult to always achieve the four
posts. It seemed like there were only a couple of us that consistently
posted quality answers. Also, a lot of those
quality posts contained the same information so it was hard to debate. In
the abortion module, I lost a quality point. I
posted like I did for every other module. I guess I just don't completely
understand the allocation of
"quality" points. Overall, it was a great experience. I am glad
I got to take the class online. It was a good learning experience
that proved a quality class did not have to exist only in the classroom. MM Part 1: What did
you like best about this course? Disclaimer:
Just wanted to give you a heads up that all my answers are coming
from a Dual Major business/economics student. 1. The
best part of the course that i liked are the discussions although the
summer session really didn't permit me to enjoy them as much as i did.
It takes me a few weeks to adjust to a class and with a 7 week
summer session it really doesnt permit me much time to enjoy myself.
I think in a full semester though i would of enjoyed the discussion
part a lot. 2. No
exams - Makes life so much easier Part 2:
What specific things do you think could be improved in the structure or
design of the course and learning activities? Module 2 should be spilt
into 2 modules. Module 1 -
the intro is fluff and should have some of module 2 in it.
Take the easier of the principles of module 2 - egoist,
utilitarianism and have it in the intro. Part 3: How
would you improve the quality and participation in course
discussions/interactions? Have more professor
interaction, especially in the beginning of the course.
Granted the quality is dependent on the students as well and i
think the professor needs to step in direct the class more.
For example for the first half of the course there should be more (thats
a good response and that just suked) so we have a better idea of what you
are looking for. Part
4: What changes
would you suggest be made to the pacing or sequence of the content Part 5:
What changes would you suggest be made to the quantity of work
required for this course? Part 6:
How could the course be improved in terms of my interaction,
participation, and management of the course? MORE MORE
MORE....granted i know its the summer and know one wants to be home typing
away at their computer doing school work.
But i definitly think there should be more interaction.
More announcements at least 1 every 2 days, only if its meant to
say hi. More discussion
participation especially things to provoke responses among the students.
Actually go out of your way to step on toes just to see where the
disccusions go. Part 7:
What other suggestions, comments, or recommendations would you have
for thenstructor? SS Part 1: What did
you like best about this course? The
discussions are interesting. They
can be a lot better if we have more time to discuss the issues.
Case Study is also another interesting assignment.
I am a relative novice with computers, and my research skills are
getting better because of this. The
summary of the chapters are usually very useful.
Part 2:
What specific things do you think could be improved in the structure or
design of the course and learning activities? This course runs best
during the regular school year. I
feel being rushed to discuss without thinking my reponses thoroughly.
We can also use some good samples to improve our grades on the
writing assignments. The ones
provided with the case studies work wonders for me.
Part 3: How
would you improve the quality and participation in course
discussions/interactions? Part
4: What changes
would you suggest be made to the pacing or sequence of the content and
activities for this course? (e.g., were the due dates doable for you? Were
the course materials sequenced well?) The sequence of the
course is fine. But due dates
can be a little more flexible if possible.
Part 5:
What changes would you suggest be made to the quantity of work
required for this course? The quantity is fine.
Part 6:
How could the course be improved in terms of my interaction,
participation, and management of the course? You did a lot in helping
us to understand ethical principles during our reading assignments and
discussions. Thank you. Part 7:
What other suggestions, comments, or recommendations would you have
for the instructor? I learned something
important this summer. Thanks.
Have a good summer. MB Part 1: What did
you like best about this course? My
favorite part of the course was the material associated with the class.
I was honestly very intrigued and interested to discuss and learn
about these controversial issues and also to hear what others' opinions
about these issues were. For
me, the subject matter was very fascinating.
Part 2:
What specific things do you think could be improved in the structure or
design of the course and learning activities? Perhaps a more directly
interactive element could be added or implemented that would allow the
students to speak with each other. Part 3: How
would you improve the quality and participation in course
discussions/interactions? It is difficult to
improve the quality and participation of people who are trying to manage
different schedules and responsibilities.
I believe that it is set up as best as can be expected for an
online class. Part
4: What changes
would you suggest be made to the pacing or sequence of the content and
activities for this course? (e.g., were the due dates doable for you? Were
the course materials sequenced well?) I think that the due
dates were easy to handle and that space between these dates (three days)
was very convenient. The
course material flowed very well and the pace was as rigorous as to be
expected for an online class. Part 5:
What changes would you suggest be made to the quantity of work
required for this course? There were a lot of
reading assignments but when there is no classroom atmosphere, I believe
that this is the only way that one can ensure that they are learning the
proper material. I would not
make any changes to the quantity of the work. Part 6:
How could the course be improved in terms of my interaction,
participation, and management of the course? I thought your
participation and monitoring of the course was above average and really
couldn't be improved in too many ways. Part 7:
What other suggestions, comments, or recommendations would you have
for the instructor? This is a very
interesting class with rigorous subject matter and a demanding schedule.
I was very impressed with the stature of this class and I would
recommend keeping the course the way that it is, as a
challenge to the students who enroll in it. PR Part 1: What did
you like best about this course? I
enjoyed learning about these topics since these topics come up often in
discussions. I hated sitting on the sidelines without an opinion. Now I
can speak up and actually feel like I know what I am talking about. I am
now more confident with the knowledge I have accumualted from these
topics. Part 2:
What specific things do you think could be improved in the structure or
design of the course and learning activities? I know it was a lot of
work but I have a sense of accomplishment now. I juggled it all and made
it through quite well. I think those case studies could have been
elimanted. The work laod was very heavy and when those were added I really
stressed out. I think maybe the assignments could have been worth 1 more
point in order to not have case studies. Part 3: How
would you improve the quality and participation in course
discussions/interactions? I think if the teachers
logged on a little more throughout the day it could be more helpful. I
know for me it would have helpled at times. I would only be able to do
this when my baby was sleeping or had a babysitter so I had limited time
and needed answers a little faster than I was getting them a few times. So
I guess if there was a way to get info faster that would be more helpful. Part
4: What changes
would you suggest be made to the pacing or sequence of the content and
activities for this course? (e.g., were the due dates doable for you? Were
the course materials sequenced well?) It was fast paced but
acceptable. Sometimes I needed longer but I somehow managed to get it
done. I think I will be prepared for a full semester on line class and it
will seem a lot easier than this due to the amount of work we did in 7
weeks. Part 5:
What changes would you suggest be made to the quantity of work
required for this course? I guess anyone would say
there could have been less work, but that would come with any class. I
would just eliminate the case studies. I am glad I got to learn how to do
them but I felt the workload alone was huge and zthen those were added and
I felt like I was going to lose it. Somehow I manged though, this class
challenged me a lot and I haven't had that feeling in a log time. Part 6:
How could the course be improved in terms of my interaction,
participation, and management of the course? Your
interaction was good just maybe if you logged on several times a day would
be more helpful. We all have different lives and need answers at different
times. You always answered the questions to the best of your ability. If
your'e not able to answer questions when we need it there should be
somewhere we could go to find help with the course, but I do not know how
that could be done. Part 7:
What other suggestions, comments, or recommendations would you have
for the instructor? I am glad I hung in
there. There was times I did not think I was going to make it but I did. I
am so proud of myself !!!!! Thanks for not letting me give up. It was a
tough class and now I think I am ready for school again. It was a real eye
opener. After this class I think and hope I can handle the others I am
signed up for. TM Part 1: What did
you like best about this course? The
thing that I liked best about this class was being able to read differnt
peoples ideas and thoughts and being able to respond to them. Part 2:
What specific things do you think could be improved in the structure or
design of the course and learning activities? Honestly, I still truly
feel that there should have been more time between assignments. Maybe just
do the things with a higher importance, or only recemend this class for
the more week package. Part 3: How
would you improve the quality and participation in course
discussions/interactions? I really wouldn't
improve anything about that aspect of the course. I thought that the
participation and discussions went rather smoothly. Part
4: What changes
would you suggest be made to the pacing or sequence of the content and
activities for this course? (e.g., were the due dates doable for you? Were
the course materials sequenced well?) Like I stated above, I
would have gotten more out of the class had it not be so squished
together. I really felt like I was rushed, once I finally was like,
"I get this" or "Finally I am done with that one",
there was something else right around the corner! Part
5: What changes would you
suggest be made to the quantity of work required for this course? There was a lot of work,
so maybe next time cut out somethings, or just make the number of weeks
longer so you can get the true meaning of the class. This class was very
interesting, but at the same time I didnt have a second to enjoy it
because I was so worried about when the next assignment was due. I know
that I could have done better. Part 6:
How could the course be improved in terms of my interaction,
participation, and management of the course? Sometimes I just felt
like you focussed and emphasized on the negatives of our work. You could
have done that as well as commending us on how we were doing well.
Honestly, I stopped writting the essays becuse I just felt that no matter
how hard I tried, I always did borly and also there were always comments
on what I did wrong, but never on what I did correctly. Part 7:
What other suggestions, comments, or recommendations would you have
for the instructor? Hmm.
I really don't have anything else to say, I think I covered everthing
upove, KG Part 1: What did
you like best about this course? Just
reading about the different topics and different viewpoints that I would
of never thought about. Also
I like reading the different scenarios, some of those were crazy. Part 2:
What specific things do you think could be improved in the structure or
design of the course and learning activities? I really felt that the
case studies were a waste of time. Not
that they took that long but it was usually the last thing I did and I
just felt like I wasn't learning anything new and I never wanted to do it. Part 3: How
would you improve the quality and participation in course
discussions/interactions? I really just didn't
like the whole quality point?s discussion section. I felt that by the end I was really getting into the
discussions and readying everyone else's and still did not receive all the
points. It was frustrating. Part
4: What changes
would you suggest be made to the pacing or sequence of the content and
activities for this course? (e.g., were the due dates doable for you? Were
the course materials sequenced well?) I really didn't mind the
course load or due dates. I
mean they were one after another and it did cut down really learning
everything deeply but I did still learn a lot and understand everything. Part 5:
What changes would you suggest be made to the quantity of work
required for this course? NO more case studies or
quality of discussion questions. Part 6:
How could the course be improved in terms of my interaction,
participation, and management of the course? I felt that it was fine.
I felt that everyone discussed pretty well and everything was fine. Part 7:
What other suggestions, comments, or recommendations would you have
for the instructor? I thought that the course was very interesting and set up well. I felt that you were a little harsh on some of the assignment grades but were reasonably fair. |
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