Student Comments

Below is a sample of student comments about my teaching.

Current Issues in Crime Control

Great instructor! Taught the material well and had tons of experience in the subject matter. Hadn’t thought of this area as a possible career choice until I took this course.

This is my last semester at the U of M and I can honestly say this has been one of my favorite courses. Sarah designed the course in a way that really engaged me by clearly presenting the theoretical background and then integrating real world examples.

She was super nice and mixed up formats in class between lectures, videos, guest speakers, and other activities to keep things interesting and engaging.

Very interesting class. I learned a lot about a subject that I had never thought much about. Outstanding instructor.

Criminology 

Sarah was one of the best professors I’ve ever had. She was so open and easy to talk to and very approachable. I was actually excited to come to class because I really enjoyed it.

She knew what she was talking about and presented the info very clearly. She also presented the info in many different ways which was really helpful.

The enthusiasm and real world examples that Sarah brought to class made the material make sense and broadened my understanding. One of the only professors at the U that I’ve had that really showed she cared about us and our opinions. Awesome class and awesome professor!

From the first day I felt like Sarah had a connection with me and really valued my thoughts and opinions. That really helped me engage in discussions because I was comfortable talking with her and with the class.

I am only sad that I won’t need to take more classes that could be taught by Sarah.

Sarah is excellent at explaining concepts. She is able to read the class and know when to stop and explain material.

She made effective use of the readings and incorporated power point slides for each lecture which was very helpful. She also had good examples (film, maps, news coverage, etc.) that related to the material.


Introduction to Sociology (lab section)

I liked how she tried to relate things that were happening now to the subject we were learning to help us understand what we were learning.

Did a good, organized job of presenting the material. It was really interactive and felt like I learned a lot.
She was amazing! Willing and ready to explain things and make time for me.

I have had Sarah as a TA before, and she definitely knows her stuff. I enjoyed her section a lot, and wouldn’t miss it for the world!

She provided fun group activities and well designed power points, maps, and videos relevant to the topics.
She made the class fun and did different activities that got all of us involved.


Advanced Social Statistics (lab section)

She was willing to take as much time as we needed to answer our questions and help us understand the subject matter.

Sarah is an excellent instructor who takes the time to become invested in students’ learning. She was always available and helpful, and as a result of her teaching style I feel I learned more than in other classes I have taken of this nature.

She was very open to questions. Her weekly labs were helpful because she laid out instructions in an easy to understand manner and explained most steps in detail.

The lab handouts were incredibly helpful. I will save them for reference on future projects. I learned a lot from them about different ways of doing things quickly and efficiently in Stata and that was very helpful on my project.


Intermediate Social Statistics (lab section)

Created interactive, comfortable learning environment. Fostered relaxed environment conducive to asking questions. Was very available and willing to help via office hours and email.

You always listened to me carefully with all my weird questions and walked me through ideas and answers. Thank you!

She was very clear in her instruction. She did a great job overall.