STUDENT EVALUATIONS
Summary of Teacher Course Evaluations
Below is a summary of student evaluations completed at the end of each term at the University of Kentucky. I provide the average numerical scores for the courses in my fields I taught as a primary instructor and recitation leader that meet certain criteria such as the “<5 responses threshold”. Students are asked to rate their level of agreement with my performance on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree.
The graph compares my average scores to the mean of the Department of Political Science and the College of Arts and Sciences. The original Teacher Course Evaluations (TCEs) for all the courses summarized are available upon request.
Looking at the graph two trends emerge. First, my teaching is mostly above the means of the political science department and college. This holds true even though my introductory courses attract students with diverse majors who are not always excited about the course material, which tends to decrease overall evaluations. Second, I am very pleased that my ratings are highest on questions pertaining to my teaching philosophy and commitment to diversity including fostering critical thinking, real-world applicability of concepts, effective and quality teaching, and appreciation and respect for the diversity of my students and their views.
Scale: 1= Strongly Disagree 2=Disagree 3=Neither Disagree or Agree 4=Agree 5=Strongly Agree
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Note: the categories in the graph correspond to the following questions in the TCE:
Preparedness: “The instructor was prepared for class”
Teaching Quality: “The instructor provided quality teaching”
Critical Analysis: “The instructor asked questions that stimulated deep consideration of the course content”
Effectiveness /Clarity: “The instructor presented material clearly”
Effective Communication: “The instructor responded to questions in a manner that aided my understanding of the material”
Respect & Diversity: “The instructor treated students with respect”
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Selected Student Comments
“Weiss was a phenomenal teacher that helped prepare me for the model UN conference”
“Professor makes class and inviting and welcoming space for everyone to participate. He is very organized, and always spends time to make sure we understand assignments. He makes himself accessible to students for help outside of class, and is very willing to help accommodate students needs. We can tell that he puts a lot of work into the course and genuinely cares that we do well.”
“His dedication to his students and his respect towards them. He really went to bat for us during the conference. He is easily one of the best instructors I have had the pleasure of having here at the university of Kentucky not only in his teaching style but also his willingness to help his students.”
“Weiss did an excellent job of preparing us with extensive learning about the United Nations and the Model UN conference. If the class was concerned or confused about an assignment, he would take the time to work with us and explain things until we all felt confident in our ability to complete the task. He also incorporated many fun group activities to help us better understand the content. Another helpful aspect of our instructor was that he was great at communicating information with us students, through quick email responses and updating us frequently with Canvas announcements”
"I thought Weiss was a great teacher for Model UN last semester, I especially liked how he stimulated class discussions and made the class more than just a lecture. I also enjoyed how we were able to discuss things other than the United Nations and talked about global affairs in general. His outlook and teaching style was refreshing, he always made time for everyone and answered questions diligently. He was also very kind and understanding to any issues we had and was very fair in his marking I believe. I looked forward to every class because I knew my input was going to be welcomed and each class was very interesting. Weiss has contributed to my learning by getting me to question and critically analyze whatever I am studying/reading. Weiss always pushed us to be our best in class and i appreciate him for that."
“Lectures are always engaging, organized and informative. Professor does a great job of engaging students and getting everyone to participate. The class is always organized and has a good structure that makes it easy to follow and stay engaged.”
"In my opinion, I think professor Mehrabi understands international students like me very well. He knows many cultures and countries and respect them very well. It is easy to discuss your problems and abilities with someone similar to you. It is not always easy to find professors similar to your background."
"I took Professor Mehrabi’s Political Science class as a change in pace from my regular science and pre-med heavy classes and to provide a fundamental basis for any political material I write during my stand-up comedy routines, but the class instead provided me with a perspective I can apply to all my subjects. This was mainly due to the global and inclusive mindset provided by Professor Mehrabi - whether it was making sure everyone was engaged, or making sure everyone’s voice was heard through civil discourse, his class allowed me to approach every perspective in an argument from a place of reason and empathy....”
“Weiss is the best at really listening to students and understanding their ideas and answering their questions. The instructor was very clear with lectures, very understanding, and gave helpful feedback and was always available to discuss class material.”
“.. He is very thorough and no– nonsense. I really appreciate that. No one has time for others to be a distraction and Wais clearly detailed what he expected of the students in the class (respectfully), and should a student decide to not comply, he respectfully called them on it. Especially in a large lecture class with multiple sections, control of the environment is critical. Wais did so with precision and class.”
“Wais was extremely helpful and considerate of his recitation student. He was well prepared for discussion and did a good job at making the students engage with the course material and prompt us to ask questions. He related very well to the students and. was very compassionate and considerate of our levels of intellect and understanding.”
“Wais was great, he presented the material in a way that was easy to understand and at a pace that we were comfortable with. He got to know each student in his recitation class and would constantly say things to us personally to show that he really was putting in the effort to know us.”
“.. He is very thorough and no– nonsense. I really appreciate that. No one has time for others to be a distraction and Wais clearly detailed what he expected of the students in the class (respectfully), and should a student decide to not comply, he respectfully called them on it. Especially in a large lecture class with multiple sections, control of the environment is critical. Wais did so with precision and class.”
“The instructor is easy to get ahold of and is willing to help students who are putting in the effort...He is eager to teach and always willing to answer questions..Got to know every student by name and was very respectful as a professor..”
“The in class meetings to cover content that was presented to us in the textbook really helped with my understanding of the course content. The instructor’s active participation with students also helped to ensure that we were all staying on track.”
“The instructor was very understanding and provided help when I needed it. This is helpful because is makes me feel like I am able to ask for help...reached out to anyone with grades that were not exceptional and he allowed his students to have ways to improve their grades”
“He was always engaging students' thoughts and pushed us to think deeper when we were discussing things in class. He was also very kind and helpful....reached out to anyone with grades that were not exceptional and he allowed his students to have ways to improve their grades.”