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.