Anonymous Student Evaluation Comments
"She furthered my love of chemistry."
"I was encouraged to learn by the atmosphere she creates."
Teaching assistant supervision
"The teaching tools you taught are invaluable. I was just thinking about that because in the anatomy labs we do teaching activities between groups and I was using things like asking the others what they thought a structure would do and to use logic to determine the source of the nerves." - Blair Warren (TA)
General chemistry undergraduate student - March 30th, 2016 reference letter
Holly was my first year Chem 101 Lab professor. From day one I felt comfortable in her class. Ultimately, comfort is what every intimidated first year student is looking for. She teaches her class in a way that if, or when, a student is struggling they’re not afraid to ask a question, and when you ask that question she will not blankly give you the answer. I had plenty of questions with every lab report, and we sat while she guided me in the right directions until I ultimately found the answer, and if I didn’t she would walk me through all the necessary steps making sure I understood before moving on.
Holly is able to create a relationship with her students; I witnessed it first hand in lab class. She walked around assisting during the lab, watching over to answer our questions. All the students were comfortable cracking jokes, and getting on a serious level with her. Those are the things we as students look for in a professor. I unfortunately was not able to attend her lab course this term, but I still go back to her office hours for help because of the way she continues to help me grow as a student and help me learn. It is obvious that the way she teaches works for me but it seems like I am not the only one who looks to Holly for guidance because when I’m in need of help, there always seems to be a line up of students waiting as well. This goes to show that her teaching skills are not just set for a single person but for all her students. I recommend her as a lab professor to anyone who is planning on taking University chemistry courses.
Holly has a great balance between being a professor, and yet still being a fellow peer to her students. Her classes are enjoyable, and she makes difficult concepts more interesting with her willingness to teach. As a person and as a professor, Holly looks at what is best for the students, and aims at the goal of helping us succeed. Holly is an exceptional professor.
Best Regards, Manelle Farrage
The students’ references below have been collected over my past eight years of teaching post-secondary general and organic Chemistry. I created the Wordle by inputting anonymous student comments from my course evaluations at MacEwan University and the U of A. The Wordle, the anonymous quotes, and the undergraduate student letter demonstrate I strive for an inclusive and safe learning environment where students’ needs for physical, social, cultural and psychological security are supported and that I have respect for my students’ human dignity. It also supports that I establish, with different students, professional relationships that are characterized by mutual respect, trust and harmony and that I work towards helping my students have “ah-ha” moments on a regular basis. The additional quote from a teaching assistant that I supervised at the U of A demonstrates that I promote a constructivist approach to learning and encourage students to think at a higher level of Blooms Taxonomy.
"Holly helped you to think through your problems and assisted you in figuring out the more complex labs."
"I cannot remember a time where I enjoyed being in a laboratory more than when Holly was my professor. She encourages me to work hard and grades my efforts very fairly. Holly knows exactly how to speak to students in order to help them to understand exactly what is going on and what is expected of them."
"Holly comes into the lab with energy and excitement and appears to really enjoy what she is teaching."
"She wanted us to do well."
"Elle est vraiment passionnée par ce qu’elle enseigne. Elle essaye de nous transmettre cette passion."
"Holly rendait l’environnement de laboratoire confortable pour l’apprentissage, et elle répondait très bien à nos questions."