University of Hartford & Charter Oak State College

Spring 2007 RLC 111

Dana 5/4/07 In a smaller group, the individuals bond with each other and form a close environment, where the students feel comfortable sharing their personal opinions about certain topics. It was exceptionally effective in our RLC 111 class, because the group was so small. I feel like a learned a lot about all the students in the class, and their views and opinions on things they wrote about, and talked about.

Nicholas 5/1/07 I thoroughly enjoyed taking this class because of what we studied and how much I personally learned.

Andrew 9/24/07Prof. Walker, I would like to thank you again for all you have done for me. Your class was fun, interesting and very valuable to me. The recommendation you wrote for me to go to Italy was a tremendous help.

Fall 2007  RPW 110

Shannon  Fri, 14 Dec 2007 I am sorry I was not able to come to class today. I enjoyed it this semester and actually started to like writing because of it. I actually liked the work I did in your class and usually I am never satisfied with the papers I write.

Shannon Dec. 18  2007 The essay Pasadena High School by Mike Rose was my favorite essay. It was well written and I related to it. It made me think of my teachers in high school and how they made the courses interesting and that we had a department where you could learn trades like they did. I used this essay in one of my papers as sort of a reference. This was my favorite class this semester. I learned how to write better than I have. I actually enjoy it now. The class discussions were interesting and I was never bored in class.

Tracey Wed 12 Dec 2007 Thank you for what you have done this semester. I feel as though you put more work into the course than any of us! See you Friday.

James  12/15/07 I believe that this course is crucial in order to survive the college life of writing essays and doing long studious work.  This was a great experience although I’m glad that it is over. This was definitely my favorite class of the semester. The way that Professor Walker identified all the problems in American society today made me think about our society a little more. I also learned how to become a better writer for future essays I do at college.

Nicholas 12/17/07 I learned much about different writing perspectives in this class and it helped me to realize the two sides to every issue and to always have support when trying to write an argument.

Arryn: I used to think of argumentative writing as a very personal opinion-based paper. I did not think of it as much more then being able to have one or two good arguments towards the subject that I personally thought of, and then working more on those arguments. Now I realize that argumentative essays are very fact and knowledge based. There is a lot of research that needs to go into it, for both sides of the story that is. I realized that it is necessary and important to present both sides of the story, but in a manner that still helps your argument. I now see, and realize the similarity between a personal and argumentative essay. Both essays need to include opinions as well as the writer’s thoughts and/or opinions. The personal essay based on something that either happened to me or I went through or just a topic that I am writing about through the way I see it. An argumentative essay is an essay that also includes my thoughts and opinions like the personal, but the difference is it is more based on facts and ideas that have been presented through background information such as websites, books, and other sources of information. I do realize now the similarities between the two.

Kristin: My argumentative writing has improved throughout this course.  I feel I have developed more as a writer.  I am incorporating different people’s views into my writing.  Before this chapter I feel I didn’t really have a clue, but now I feel much more confident about my writing skills.

RPW 110 – Spring 2009

Laura: When I left class Wednesday, although we hadn’t talked much about our individual papers, I felt like I had learned more in one class period than I had in the rest of my combined classes throughout the semester.  I wanted to thank you for allowing us to have such an informative and interesting conversation with the students from other countries, I think it truly opened our eyes to how different the rest of the world is.  Not only did it give us a new perspective, but it allowed us to assess our current situation and it gave me, at least, more insight into how the education systems in the rest of the world work.  While I know it wasn’t necessarily your plan to let us just “chat” for an entire class period, I think it was very beneficial and I really did learn a lot, I left the classroom and called my mom to tell her “I just had one of the coolest conversations of my life,” and I thank you for that.  It’s amazing what one can learn just from hearing what an international student (or 4!) has to say. Again, thank you so much for allowing us to have that conversation.  It opened up my eyes, and I’m sure the other students thought the same thing. As a student in your class, I have learned a lot about myself as both a writer and a person.  In your class, unlike others, I have been able to express myself as both a student and as a person. I did benefit from this curriculum.  I love writing and I enjoy it much more when my opinions can be included in my pieces.  Last year at UConn I wrote 5 papers each 5 pages about books I didn’t even enjoy reading, and it nearly ruined my love for writing.  I really enjoyed your class and the discussions we had were very insightful, I’m glad to have been one of your students. I

Meghann (from France): I really liked your class this semester and I hope I will see you in RPW111 next semester.

Casey: I enjoyed your class and I thought that the materials used (the different movies for example) really helped in connecting with the writings.

Assa (from Mali):Thank you every much for all you did for me. You were the only one to really help me. It was a pleasure to be in your class.

Anna (from Korea)L At the first, I am really thank you for teaching me for this semester, I have learned a lot of skills and various perspectives from your class. I really appreciate you for everything.

Charter Oak State College Connecticut (All Online)

Well-deserved retirement. Thank you for making this seminar a valuable entry way to COSC!

Professor Walker was an awesome instructor. He went above and beyond to provide assistance. The feedback he provided on assignments was awesome and helped me make revisions to achieve a better grade. I was nervous about this class at first however, he made it a great enjoyable learning experience.

Professor Walker, even through an online platform, was an exceptional teacher. He put thought into his questions and made you think, in-depth, about what was being discussed. He provided information above and beyond. The school is losing a valuable member of its teaching staff by his retirement, which I wish him the best in. I hope you enjoy every moment!

He was very considerate if I did not understand something and it took me longer than the assignment due date. Prof. Walker was great. Very engaging

He was there for us to succeed and also wanted us to do well, very helpful!

He is knowledgeable. He always encouraging students to read. He goes above and beyond for his students. He found many resources materials for his students individually.

Unofficial Final Forum Student Evaluations Spring 2018

Toni response: I am not a good writer myself. It is not something I enjoy unfortunately. I do know how to use the programs for the most part so that did help. There were a lot of examples given and extra sources so that did help with assignments to help understand them. I do think Professor Walker did a super great job! I hope all my professors going forward are as easy to learn from and quick to respond as he is, one can only hope! 

Nikki: I would venture to say that the challenges I encountered throughout this process are what made my successes so great. I grappled with the daunting idea of compiling a research paper from scratch on a topic I had not yet felt competent in. This was my first experience in writing a research paper, which made it an extra challenge for me; now I look at it to be a great success as not only did  I complete it but I also enjoyed the process as well. I encouraged myself to try my best and sought help and advice when necessary. I validated my own concerns and took the advice from my Professor seriously. I tried to use each milestone throughout the course as an opportunity to develop my skills, in order that the next milestone would be a bit more manageable!

Toni: I think as far as successes I handle time management well.  I did learn a lot from this class and to be honest, I didn’t think I would. The things I did know coming into this class; it was a nicer refresher since it had been so long. 

Marion: Overall, I feel like my challenges and successes are the same list, as there weren’t many problems I had that remain unresolved.  While I have some atypical challenges, I also don’t have some very typical challenges such as kids at home or a 40 hour work week so I figure it kind of balances out.  I’m fortunate to have a strong support system and to be pretty good at articulating what I need.  I’m also lucky to have had a teacher I get along with so well for my first class back!  (Go ahead, minus ten points for brown nosing.) Using online texts was kind of a pain, so if I’m given the option in future classes, I’ll choose a physical text whenever possible.  That’s a good thing to know about myself!  The limited engagement of smaller classes (not this one, my other class) also makes things less interesting, so I’ll be looking for whichever class is the most full!  My recommendation to future students is just to take the time to check in with yourself.  How are you feeling?  Pressured?  Impatient?  Inadequate?  Adjustments can be made so that learning, while perhaps not *easier*, is a more joyful process.

James M response: I’m with you when it comes to online text books.  I usually prefer to read from physical materials.  I found myself printing out a lot of the reading assignments for this class.  Probably not the best use of paper and ink.  I also found your point about doing work while on the road interesting.  I didn’t have that challenge for this class, but I know I will for some future classes, and I have definitely been thinking about that.

James L: Reflecting on my experience in this class I would say that it was like other online courses I have taken but placed much more emphasis on collaborative work. This was both a challenge and a relief considering one of my fears about online college was giving up the social element of a classroom. I found that some of my success in this course came from the regularity of the schedule of assignments. This allowed me to figure out which days were best for me to study, write or do homework.  Despite  challenges, I find that the professor was very helpful and attentive to the class. I have never been in an online class with a professor that was so hands on before. This is encouraging, as I hope that my next classes are just as well guided. The key to this class and any other online course is time management. I can’t believe this class is over already! I had a great time learning and preparing for my journey at Charter Oak. I hope you all find success in pursuing your passions, finishing the first class is always the hardest but it gets a lot easier from here. Thank you!

Carolyn response: I agree that reading the syllabus ahead is good advice.  Knowing what is expected enables one to manage his or her time effectively in order to complete all the needed tasks.  I believe I learned as much about time management through this class as I did from the material itself.  I agree that the professor was very engaged in the class and he answered questions quickly as well.  Overall these past eight weeks have been a profitable journey. 

Kim: I have had several successes during this course. First I have to say one of them was my ability to manage my time in order to complete all the required assignments. This was a challenge for me and a significant adjustment to my weekly schedule. Working full time, raising two children and going back to school is a lot to manage. This was my first course coming back to Charter Oak and entering the last week is a huge success for me. I was very nervous returning back to school, as I was concerned about my ability to meet the expectations. I was able to prove to myself that I can do it, and it’s such a wonderful feeling. I feel more confident and I know what to expect as I move forward.

Kim response: I agree Carolyn that has been my experience as well. It’s nice to know that other other classmates have similar experiences as you and I do. Its a good feeling to know that we can meet the requirements with good time management. Returning back to school is a lot of work especially with a career and other duties as you mention. We are very busy, I can’t believe how fast the weeks have gone by. 

Carolyn: My biggest success is completing the work for this course as well as the other course I am taking. Although I admit I still have a little more work to complete. I believe I learned a great deal in the process and would consider this to be a success.  There are many aspects of this class that will prove profitable in future classes.  It had been some time since I took classes and finding the time to complete my work while working full time and juggling my home duties was my biggest challenge.  At the beginning of the class I knew I could do the work, but I was nervous that I would not have the time to complete it to my satisfaction.  I addressed my challenge of juggling numerous duties by time management. 

Marion response: I’m not a list person, but what I did was write each assignment on a post it note in my planner, and throw it away when that item was complete.  It was like “IDS 750w study habits”.  Just enough so I knew, oh, I have an hour, I can probably get… this thing done, but not that thing just yet.   I agree that this class was a great refresher.  These skills sure can be “use it or lose it” and I was definitely rusty.