History Department Response to Student Feedback
HSTY2667 – Politics and Cultures of United States Imperialism (2009)

Unit Coordinator: Dr Clare Corbould

88% of students agreed that “overall I was satisfied with the quality of this unit of study,” 8% were neutral and 4% disagreed, for a mean of 4.17.

Most students who wrote comments on their feedback sheets complimented the lectures. While many enjoyed the tutorials, this was the only aspect of the course that came in for any sustained criticism. There were a few complaints that the reading was too long, too boring, or not to the point. I will revise the tutorial schedule in future, include more primary sources, and choose readings that will facilitate debate more directly. As for the size of tutorials, something more than a few students commented on, that is beyond my control.

In response to student feedback in 2005 and 2007 (see links to the side), this year I trialled essay questions that followed on directly from tutorial topics. The idea of this approach was to give students a chance to develop oral tutorial discussions into more considered written work, something not a single student commented on. Many students did report that they enjoyed the wide range of topics available on which to write. Others appreciated being able to pick the due date of their essays, while two or three found it confusing and argued that it required too much self-discipline.