Students praised this course for engaging students’ critical thinking skills and for giving them the hands on experience with the equipment and methods they would use in future careers. Students issues with the course varied, but some students felt that the course repeated information taught in earlier courses. Other students had issues getting equipment to work because the equipment was old or malfunctioned. Suggestions for improvement included getting additional preparation before performing labs either by having a session to review the concepts behind the lab, or by having some opportunity for students to get further guidance from the instructor. Prospective students should know that the course required a substantial effort and a large time commitment.

Students’ favorite aspect of this course was the way it encouraged creativity. They were least happy with the limited equipment available for pursuing their projects. Students thought the course could be best improved with additional background materials, in particular examples of past projects to help generate ideas. Students also expressed that it was valuable for people considering taking this course to know that it was helpful to go into the course with some ideas for projects and to find people they could effectively collaborate with in groups.