The best aspect of this course was the very enthusiastic professor who was always open to suggestions from the students. It was an exciting course with enough quizzes to refresh students on al the new information they were constantly learning. The worst aspect of the course was the way the professor taught grammar. Many felt the professor needed to restructure the way she taught Chinese grammar and possibly find a textbook that also better taught grammar. This class could also improve if more exercises were tailored to grammar and students were not made to cram large amounts of information in short periods of time. Prospective students need to know that the course is fun and engaging, but they wil have to study and cram for lots of tests and quizzes.

Students thought that the best aspects of this course included the cultural context used to teach the language, as well as the professor’s willingness to help struggling students. They liked how much material was covered over the semester, and felt that they learned a lot. However, several students felt that varying levels of students familiarity with the language sometimes made it difficult to have conversations, and that it was difficult to absorb so much vocabulary so quickly. Suggestions for improvement included adding more activities and conversational practice to get away from teaching directly from the book. Students also wanted to see more contemporary media examples, such as movies, television shows, and music. Prospective students should have a solid beginner’s understanding 45of the language and be prepared to take the initiative to study the materials. Students should also be prepared to participate in class and study the textbook closely.

Students praised this course for having a small class size and an ‘amazing’ lecturer. Perceived issues with the course largely focused on a belief that the workload for the course was overwhelming with students complaining of multiple hours of homework each night. Suggestions for improvement varied with some students requesting less homework with others wishing that more time could be spent on grammar. Prospective students should know that students found that the course had a heavy workload and required them to spend a significant amount of time outside of class in order to succeed.