FACULTY PEER REVIEW

Instructor: Mike Splane

Reviewers: Rich Burkhard, Stephen Kwan, Leslie Albert, Nitin Aggarwal, Kent Webb, Wendy Wang, Ashraf Shirani, Shai Venkatsubramanyam,

Class: BUS 91L

Fall 2011 Comments:

Mike's syllabus defines the content very clearly for this brief, one unit computer skills preparation class. Mike's textbook contains useful material on the three programs covered in this course, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft Excel.

Mike has devoted the majority of the class materials to learning about using functions in spreadsheets. It seems perfectly appropriate for students in this course.

Mike's organization of the syllabus, schedule, and all course materials, has been polished over a period of many years to accomplish the key objectives of the course. Pacing seems to take the best advantage of the available five weeks allocated to this one unit course.

Mike has focused on this course for many years, and he authored a brief text used by all students in this course. Topics are intelligently chosen to make the best use of the brief time that the course meets. Mike's mastery and knowledge of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, is clearly at an expert level.

Mike is a valuable member of the MIS faculty.

Fall 2010 Comments:

I visited Mike's 91L class on Nov. 10th 2010 in BBC 301.

I have visited Mike's class multiple times before and I was looking for deviation from my experience. I examined his class materials before class and found them appropriate and his examples were very practical and easy to understand. He started the class on time and I observed that he had a plan on what he wanted to cover in that session. He was clear in his explanations and responsive to student's queries. He was also patient and even-toned in his explanations.

I did not see anything that made me change my mind that Mike is a conscientious teacher, knowledgeable, well-prepared, and good lecturer.

Fall 2009 Comments:

91L is supposed to cover Internet Explorer, Word, PowerPoint and Excel. The syllabus reflects the objective of the course. The course includes in class lectures/demos, appropriate homework assignments, and exams that test the skills students are expected to learn in the course. Assignments resemble documents that would be created and used by real businesses, and thus are very appropriate for MIS students

Prof Splane structures the lecture in a very logical fashion. The lecture that I attended included teaching Excel. The required text book used for the class is authored by Prof Splane, and is an excellent choice for this class. All course materials are available on Prof. Splane’s excellent web site.

Prof. Splane uses humor to get the class going. After that using a combination of slides and verbal instructions, he guides students with the task on hand. Students follow along on their computers.

The demo was very clear, and easy to follow. The lecture was paced appropriately. During my class visit, Prof Splane taught the IF and VLOOKUP constructs in Excel. Students were able to keep pace with the instructor.

Prof. Splane clearly shows interest in teaching the course. He listened patiently to student questions and provided good and clear answers.

Prof. Splane is a very good instructor with the knowledge and patience required to teach a course such as BUS 91L. He explained the concepts at the right pace. He made sure that students were with him, and constantly checked to see if any of the students were not able to keep up. He was very responsive to student questions.

In general, students were attentive. Most students were following the instructions on their machines.

The students are expected to do five homework assignments and an exam. The student expectations seem to be appropriate from the point of view of the learning objectives.

Prof. Splane obviously has good mastery and knowledge of the course content. It was clear that he is able to use his vast knowledge of MS Office to teach a high value class.

In general, Prof. Splane is doing a great job.

Here are some suggestions to build on an already great class –

There were a handful of students at the back who were browsing the web. A suggestion would be to use the program available on the instructor’s machine to get an idea of the programs being used by students other than those required by the class. Cold calling may also help in keeping student attention.

Some of the menu items are not clearly visible from the back of the class. Wherever possible, screen shots can be used to help students with locating menu items and other features in the program.

Spring 2009 Comments:

91L helps to prepare students for a major in business administration. The course content, an overview of the uses of MS word, PowerPoint and Excel, is extremely valuable to this student group. Content covered is highly relevant to course objectives and incorporates the most recent versions of MS applications. These topics could be covered in greater detail to the advantage of the students however Mr. Splane uses the limited time available to him in this course (five weeks) to provide students with at least a working knowledge of these applications.

Assignments and course materials are well organized and clearly designed. The course text, written by Mr. Splane, is clear and concise in its explanations and examples. Mr. Splane also provides an easy to use and valuable web site as a learning resource to students. The site provides starting files for assignments, additional helps, and instructional videos. The 91L Syllabus is well designed and offers a clear explanation of course objectives, assignment due dates, exam dates, and point allocations. Exams are comprehensive and require the students to answer questions through hands-on use of the application and skills covered in class.

During the class visit, Mr. Splane discussed Excel charting. He provided a detailed in-class exercise and starting data that allowed students to employ hands-on learning to further reinforce the day’s core concepts. He carefully demonstrated each required step, pointed out alternative options to those that he chose and clearly explained how the current version of Excel differs from prior version. He gladly revisited steps when asked to do so by the students.

Mr. Splane began the class with a thorough review of the homework assignment due that day. He took the time to address each problem of the homework, offering suggestions to students’ answers and restating the value of different answers. By providing numerous potential solutions Mr. Splane illustrated how core concepts can and should be applied in various contexts. Mr. Splane presented by working directly in Excel. He also used a handout, his website, and the white board to effectively communicate the day’s lesson. The pace of assignment review and lecture were appropriate and students did not appear to have any difficulties following along. In fact, the pace could perhaps be increased without losing students and then allow Mr. Splane more time to cover additional materials.

Mr. Splane’s lecture was very easy to understand. He possesses excellent voice clarity, enunciation and projection. It is clear that he enjoys teaching and includes different approaches .examples and materials into his lectures to assist his students in understanding course materials. Mr. Splane is also very effective in incorporating humor to keep the students engaged.

Mr. Splane maintained contact with students by frequently requesting answers from the class. He also called upon less interactive students by name to encourage their attention and participation. The pace of instruction is good and the instructor uses a very positive tone with students.

As often is the case in lab-based classes, several students were watching YouTube videos, chatting online with friends, etc. However most of the class remained involved in the class and showed interest in the materials. Students appeared very comfortable asking questions due, in large part, to Mr. Splane’s approachable nature.

Exams and assignments are very appropriate given the nature of the course. If the course were longer and the instructor given more time to cover concepts in greater depth, more challenging materials would be expected. In addition to grades, assignments are discussed at length during class, giving students ample opportunity to learn from their mistakes and better understand core concepts.

Mr. Splane’s mastery of course content was demonstrated by his ability to offer multiple correct solutions to student questions and assignment problems and to clearly explain the benefits and drawbacks of each of these solutions. Mr. Splane’s extensive knowledge of the MS applications enables him to illustrate the differences between, and benefits of, current and previous versions of the MS applications covered in his class.

2008 Comments:

I have reviewed the material for BUS 91L, Business Productivity Tools by Mike Splane, and found the contents to be very useful and relevant to our students. Following are some key observations and some suggestions.

Observations: Office applications have greatly enhanced the productivity of business professionals, yet it is said that 80% of the features of the productivity applications go unutilized due to lack of awareness or training. It is important for business students to familiarize themselves with productivity tools early on in the semester. This is not just useful for their careers but also for their progress as business students. Mike clearly explains this to his students in the syllabus.

Mike has breadth of knowledge in using office productivity tools which he likes to share with his students and colleagues. He has authored a book on business productivity tools using Office 2007 which is an updated version of his previous book using Office 2003. This is a reflection of his commitment to teaching and his desire for student excellence.

In summary I found Mike’s course material to be comprehensive, objective, and current.

BUS 91L is an introductory class. Given the objectives of the class, Mike has organized the contents of the course very nicely. I find there to be a natural flow from one class lecture to another. Since features in office productivity suites are mostly repetitive, Mike ensures he spends his time wisely demonstrating the key and unique features of the application.

Mike also maintains a comprehensive website which contains data and cases used in the class.

Mike uses case studies to work on real life like problems. Mike has developed his own fictitious company, Java Juice, which he uses for his problem solving. Mike’s final exam is fairly comprehensive and sufficiently challenging. I do believe that Mike is able to achieve or exceed the stated objectives of the class very easily.

From the review of class material and from my own personal experience attending Mike’s seminars, I have found him to be very helpful and motivated professional. Mike often stays back after class hours to help overwhelmed students catch-up with class discussion. He also encourages students to ask questions and work with other students to solve problems.

Mike has intricate knowledge of the working of the productivity software like MIS Office. His book is clear, concise, and loaded with the most important features that the students will need. His mastery of the course matter has resulted in him being appointed to overlook the transition to Office 2007 project and also the accessibility project.

Overall I feel that a lot of thinking and effort went into preparing course material for BUS 91L. The course material, syllabus, and tests provide for an all round development of the students. Mike’s material is challenging enough to stimulate the brain cells while entertaining enough to keep students interested.

2007 Comments:

The BUS 91L instructors have cooperated very well in insuring that their classes are consistent with the goals of this computer lab. Mike Splane has been a leader in developing content and has designed a very effective and extensive web site that all of the instructors use, while allowing for some individual personalization of the instructor’s material as well.

Mr. Splane has developed a workbook for his lab that fits the teaching goals of giving the students practical training in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. In addition, a very detailed web page used to support the class provides the students with a great deal of information without the high costs found in some of the other lab classes in the department. This is a very significant contribution to teaching of the students and I applaud Mr. Splane for his efforts.

Class opened with a distribution of previous exams, noting a few students were missing. A short overview of the material for the day was presented; perhaps a little more extensive outline would help set the stage. As the presentation continued, there were numerous forward references to tie concepts together; references to material that would be covered that day and to material to be covered in future class meetings. Mr. Splane was careful to talk about alternate ways of using the Word Drawing Toolbar (the topic for the day) and efficient approaches that were available.

The lecture was conducted in the computer lab BBC301. Mr. Splane made good use of the computer demonstration. Students in the class were following along at their computers. Everyone seemed to be paying good attention and all computer monitors were apparently being used for the lab presentation, rather than surfing the internet.

The presentation in the lab was easy to follow, even from the back of the room. Mr. Splane points to parts of the screen using both his hand and the cursor. Throughout the presentation, alternate approaches for achieving some of the computer goals are explained. Special issues related to using the tools are also clearly explained.

Mr. Splane speaks clearly and is easy to hear throughout the lab. He has a kindly, helpful tone to his voice that helps establish a comfortable learning environment. He does a good job of maintaining eye contact, although with the lights down in the lab (so the overhead projector can be easily seen) this is a little difficult.

Students follow along through a well organized but spontaneous demonstration. Mr. Splane occasionally walks back through the lab to see if anyone is having trouble. The appropriate pacing of the presentation keeps the students from becoming bored and surfing the internet. Students are encouraged to provide information about their own knowledge of the tools being demonstrated.

Students felt comfortable to ask questions. All of the students were engaged in working through the examples on their computers. Questions from students were more limited to those working in the front of the room, but it seemed that the clarity of the presentation was good enough to keep almost all of the students working throughout the lecture. Toward the end of the class a few students would briefly multitask over to the internet, but not enough to be an issue.

Exams are carefully designed to measure progress. A very thorough web page has been developed to help the students with their lab work and to provide access to class schedules, outside information, and grading criteria. There are a number of good lab assignments that Mr. Splane has developed. This variety of assignments provides plenty of feedback for student progress. Practice exams are also supplied.

Examples related to homework assignments are presented in class. This helps keep student attention since they know they will be responsible for completing an assignment. They are interested in following the presented example since it will make it easier for them to complete the homework assignment.

Mr. Splane is very knowledgeable about the material he is presenting in class. The classroom demonstration was done on the basis of an outline, but materials were developed through the lecture, often in response to student questions. Alternate ways of doing computer operations were discussed, and Mr. Splane often explained what the easiest or most effective approach would be. The demonstration was not only good technically, but playful and entertaining for the students.

Mr. Splane is doing an outstanding job teaching this lab and there are really no improvements needed. Presentation, testing, course content are all very good. I am particularly impressed with how well the 91L instructors are cooperating to make this a successful course under Mr. Splane’s leadership.

2006 Comments:

Mike is a very sincere, warm, and patient individual. He has a passion for teaching and desire to help students excel. His attitude is well reflected in the course that he teaches this semester, 91L. 91L is a hands on lab course that teaches office applications. The skills that students learn in this course are very important for their university education and future career.

I visited Mike’s 10:30 class on April 4th. The impression that I got was quite favorable. Mike demonstrated the assignment at the podium, and students followed him on their own computer step by step. I noticed that Mike was quite sensitive to students’ needs. He paced his demonstration well and constantly asked for feedback. And students had been paying a lot of attention to him. The handout that Mike gave was well thought out and clear. The only suggestion that I might have for Mike is that, if he can add more energy in his voice, it will be even better. Overall, I think Mike has done a wonderful job in teaching this course.

2004 Comments:

Mike presented the topic of adding notes to PowerPoint slides. He also distributed PowerPoint and Excel handouts. Mike then explained the concepts and techniques of how to add notes with the help of examples from a restaurant’s opening hours and menu. The subject matter and difficulty level of the material presented were highly relevant to the course objectives and were presented in a very effective manner. The lecture and demonstration were done using the most current technology and versions of the Microsoft software. I am confident that students would benefit greatly from this experience and use what they learned in many other courses.

Mike presented and discussed the topic with the help of an overhead computer projection system. He began his lecture with a quick review of the material discussed the previous week. The PowerPoint slides that Mike presented were expertly done and well organized.

Mike first introduced the topic and the new terminology that was to be presented that day. He spoke clearly and enthusiastically – and asked and answered questions in a cogent manner. To maintain student attention, Mike interspersed his lecture with humor and examples of interest and familiarity to students.

The lecture, discussion, and software demonstration were lively and clear. Mike frequently interacted with students. His intonation and presentation style were very appropriate.

Students followed the software demonstration by working hands-on using their computers. Mike paced, paused, and demonstrated, as necessary. He maintained students’ interest by asking questions and prodding them to share their own experience relevant to the topic.

Student participation was fairly good. Given that this was a computer lab with students working at varied pace, Mike patiently handled many difficult questions.

I have reviewed the syllabus, examples of homework assignments, exams, and handouts that Mike gave to students in this course. These documents are sufficiently rigorous and reflect objectives of the course very well.

Mike is very competent in all aspects and components of this course.

Mike is a talented instructor and prepares well in teaching this course. I am convinced he is doing an excellent job.