E303 S99 Assessment

Student Evaluation Summary: Spring 1999
ECON 303 Money, Financial Markets, and Economic Policy

ROBERT F. MULLIGAN
College of Business
Western Carolina University

This report presents results of a student questionnaire administered with the final exam of ECON 303 Money, Financial Markets, and Economic Policy. Twenty students completed the survey out of 23 who completed the course.

95% of students self-reported attending 80% or more class meetings, with 70% self-reporting attending 90% or more. 75% of students felt adequately prepared or better for the academic requirements of the course, with 25% highly prepared or better. 25% described their preparation as poor or very poor.

Most students felt they had applied an appropriate effort to learning course material: 100% described their effort as adequate or better, and 35% described it as high or very high. Most students felt their effort had resulted in learning the course material: 95% responded adequate or higher, with 30% responding high but none responding very high. Only half the students acknowledged the validity of test grading, 50% rating it adequate or higher. Only 15% felt test grading was highly accurate. 40% rated the accuracy of test grades poor, with 10% rating it very poor.

Grade expectations and desserts were not dramatically incongruent - 30% of students expected to receive As, but 35% felt they deserved As. 55% of students expected Bs, but 60% felt they deserved Bs. 15% expected Cs or C+s, but only 5% felt they deserved grades in that range. No respondents expected a C- or lower, and none felt they deserved a grade in that range.

No student expected a much higher grade than they felt they deserved. 10% expected a slightly higher grade than they felt they deserved. 65% expected about the same grade as they deserved. 20% expected slightly lower grades than they felt they deserved. 5% expected to receive much lower grades than they felt they deserved.

40% of ECON 303 students gave the instructor an A or B. 25% gave the instructor a C or C+. Only 35% gave the instructor a C- or lower.

25% felt very poorly prepared for the NCES writing assignment, 30% felt poorly prepared, and 45% felt adequately prepared or better. It is clear students felt the writing assignment enhanced the overall rigor of the course. 45% reported a very high level of effort on the writing project, with 75% reporting at least high and 95% reporting at least adequate. Students appeared to have been justifiably proud of their efforts on their NCES papers. 80% acknowledged the paper provided an adequate or higher contribution to their business education. 90% acknowledged the paper made an adequate or higher contribution to their written communication skills.

70% acknowledged the NCES paper provided an adequate or higher opportunity to demonstrate their effort and success in learning course material relevant to the forecasting project. 75% rated supporting course materials, including handouts and the course website, adequate or better. 75% felt the instructor provided adequate or better assistance with written expression. 85% felt the instructor provided adequate or better assistance with technical, theoretical, and/or economic issues.

Students had received final grades for their written projects and presentations before completing the survey. 95% felt they had deserved an A or A- for the paper. 5% felt they deserved a C or C+. Students were asked to provide the instructor with a letter grade for administering and directing the writing project, and a grade to the project itself. 15% gave both instructor and project an A. 60% gave both a B or higher.

Three students (15%) reported their partners worked significantly less than they did. One student (5%) admitted to slacking. 70% reported approximately equal effort by their partner, suggesting free-rider problems were minimal. 15% preferred partners receive separate, not necessarily equal, grades for the paper. 50% preferred partners receive the same grade. 35% had no opinion.

20% indicated the writing project should be retained without modification. 50% indicated the project should be retained with some modification. 25% indicated the project should not be retained.

Student End-of-Course Questionnaire
ECON 303 Dr. R.F. Mulligan

20 students responding out of 23 in attendance at the end of the semester.

1. What percent of class meetings have you attended, as well as you can estimate?
a. 0%-59% b. 60%-69% c. 70%-79% d. 80%-89% e. 91%-100%
0% 0% 5% 25% 70%

2. Before starting this semester, how well prepared do you feel you were for the academic requirements of this course?
a. very poor b. poor c. adequate d. high e. very high
10% 15% 50% 25% 0%

3. What level of effort have you applied to learning the course material?
a. very poor b. poor c. adequate d. high e. very high
0% 0% 65% 30% 5%

4. How well has your level of effort allowed you to learn the course material?
a. very poor b. poor c. adequate d. high e. very high
0% 5% 85% 10% 0%

5. How well have tests accurately reflected your effort and success in learning the course material?
a. very poor b. poor c. adequate d. high e. very high
10% 40% 35% 15% 0%

6. What final grade do you expect to earn in this course?
a. A or A- b. B+, B, or B- c. C+ or C d. C-, D+, D, or D- e. F
30% 55% 15% 0% 0%

7. What final grade do you feel you will deserve for this course?
a. A or A- b. B+, B, or B- c. C+ or C d. C-, D+, D, or D- e. F
35% 60% 5% 0% 0%

8. Which of the following is correct for you?
a. I expect to receive a much higher grade than I feel I deserve.    0%
b. I expect to receive a slightly higher grade than I feel I deserve. 10%
c. I expect to receive about the same grade as I feel I deserve.   65%
d. I expect to receive a slightly lower grade than I feel I deserve. 20%
e. I expect to receive a much lower grade than I feel I deserve.     5%

9. What final grade would you give the instructor for this course?
a. A or A- b. B+, B, or B- c. C+ or C d. C-, D+, D, or D- e. F
10% 30% 25% 25% 10%

10. What final grade would you give the course itself?
a. A or A- b. B+, B, or B- c. C+ or C d. C-, D+, D, or D- e. F
5% 50% 25% 10% 10%

Questions 11-25 refer specifically to the writing project.

11. How well prepared do you feel you were for the academic requirements of this course's writing project?
a. very poor b. poor c. adequate d. high e. very high
25% 30% 35% 10% 0%

12. How do you rate your level of effort devoted to completing the writing project?
a. very poor b. poor c. adequate d. high e. very high
5% 0% 20% 30% 45%

13. How have your efforts in completing the writing project contributed to enhancing your overall business education?
a. very poor b. poor c. adequate d. high e. very high
10% 10% 50% 30% 0%

14. How have your efforts in completing the writing project contributed to improving your written communication skills?
a. very poor b. poor c. adequate d. high e. very high
0% 10% 70% 20% 0%

15. How well has the writing project provided an opportunity to demonstrate your effort and success in learning relevant course material?
a. very poor b. poor c. adequate d. high e. very high
10% 20% 45% 20% 5%

16. How helpful did you find the instructor's written directions and supporting materials for the writing project, including handouts and webpages?
a. very poor b. poor c. adequate d. high e. very high
10% 15% 45% 20% 10%

17. How helpful did you find the instructor in providing special assistance with written expression?
a. very poor b. poor c. adequate d. high e. very high
10% 15% 35% 25% 15%

18. How helpful did you find the instructor in providing special assistance with technical, theoretical, and/or economic issues?
a. very poor b. poor c. adequate d. high e. very high
5% 10% 75% 10% 0%

19. What grade do you feel you deserved for the writing project?
a. A or A- b. B+, B, or B- c. C+ or C d. C-, D+, D, or D- e. F
95% 0% 5% 0% 0%

20. Which of the following is correct for your writing project grade?
a. I received a much higher grade than I feel I deserve.     5%
b. I received a slightly higher grade than I feel I deserve.   10%
c. I received about the same grade as I feel I deserve.    75%
d. I received a slightly lower grade than I feel I deserve.   10%
e. I received a much lower grade than I feel I deserve.     0%

21. What final grade would you give the instructor for administering and directing the writing project throughout this course?
a. A or A- b. B+, B, or B- c. C+ or C d. C-, D+, D, or D- e. F
15% 45% 10% 15% 15%

22. What final grade would you give the writing project itself?
a. A or A- b. B+, B, or B- c. C+ or C d. C-, D+, D, or D- e. F
15% 45% 20% 10% 10%

23. If you worked with a partner on your writing project, which of the following is true?
a. my partner did significantly less work than I did    15%
b. my partner and I applied approximately the same level of effort 70%
c. my partner did significantly more work than I did      5%
d. not applicable - I did not have a partner     10%

24. Should partners receive separate (and not necessarily equal) grades for the writing project?
a. yes         15%
b. no         50%
c. I have no preference or opinion      35%

25. Do you feel the writing project should be retained as a part of ECON 303?
a. yes, without modification      20%
b. yes, with some modification      50%
c. no         25%

Student Comments: "Dr. Mulligan is very familiar with forecasting. The paper's standards are very high and in reaching for those standards, I learned a lot. Of greatest commendation, Dr. Mulligan drops everything to spend time with a student and that's where the true learning takes place. Much was explained via the website he has." "He explains everything. If you need help you can go to his office. It cleared some things up for my other classes." "He knows the material well and is extremely approachable. It covered basic material I hadn't been exposed to." "I think Dr. Mulligan did an effective job and was always helpful outside of class." "Yes, he did an effective job. [This course] gives the student a comprehensive knowledge of the financial markets and policy that shapes them."