3.1

Some fun student comments

Professor Clark Elliott
DePaul

I hear back from students often, sometimes years later. Once in a while I think to save the comments. Here are a few that I enjoyed, and which paint a picture of my class style. -ce

Dr. Elliott,

Thank you so very much for this class. Your pedagogical techniques are superb. I love the toolbox. I don't think I've ever worked harder in any class in either my undergraduate degree or my other master's degree. But it was well worth it. The Blockchain assignment was a killer, but now I find that I am in demand everywhere because of it. Plus, it was really fun. I see now what you mean about graduate school being not only about the content, but also about how to learn how to learn—just so we can keep up. I am smarter and better for having been in your course.

Dear Professor,

From all of us online students: THANK YOU. You are the first professor that ever learned my name, or talked to me through the microphone and camera. It kept me on my toes, and made me feel like I was part of the class. And, I have to say that the 3,000!! postings from my classmates on the discussion forums made all of us OL students first class citizens for the first time. I can't believe that you seem to answer questions there twenty-four hours a day through much of the quarter.

Dear Dr. Elliott,

Thank you for a profound and visionary class. The capabilities of the human brain are, as you say staggering. Who would have thought so much power is present in so humble a container? You've changed my thinking about myself and what I want to study. The computation of cognition is fascinating.

Dear Dr. Elliott,

Class is over so I can say THANK YOU. It really meant a great deal to me that you reached out to all of us online students. I can't believe that you were talking to me through the camera every week, and that you knew everyone's name, and something about us from our biographies. You are the only professor that ever did that. I think you are also probably one of the best experts on the material at DePaul, although I've had some very good other professors too. But the extent of your knowledge leaking out all over the place is not only entertaining, and helps to keep us awake as online students, it is also really useful information. It helped me to make so many bridges to my other classes. Great.

Dear Clark,

As you know I am progressing in the PhD program at [...]. Thank you for checking up on me from time to time. Studying with you was the best thing that ever happened to me at school. You made such demands on me, not only to think, but to think on my own. You really brought home the point. I will always remember you saying to us, "The rule is: DO GOOD WORK. You will know it, and I will know it". I hated hearing that at first. I wanted you to just tell me what to do. I was always a good student that way but you made me think on my own, to learn to ask the questions I was interested in and be confident in my pursuits. This was a major change for me but I felt you were right there with me every step of the way. Thank you for making me the scholar I never realized I could be. You see the resutls.

Best class ever. You are a hoot! Man did I have to work hard to keep up, but it was worth it. I thought the DIA project would kill me, but now, looking back I see how much it has helped me at work. People see me different, like I know what they don't. And it's true!

Wow did I work hard! The hardest. Learned the most. Programming assignments the most useful. Best professor. Best class. Thanks.

Hey Professor,

Thank you for a great class. The assignments were very tough for me, but I learned more from you than I did in any one of my other 10 classes in the De Paul program. This is the first time I felt that I REALLY understood what I was doing. Your explanations were so perfect. Maybe we just think alike. The newsgroups helped me too. It was the first time I ever connected to the other students. I am shy, but you made me do it! Now I have friends.

Dear Professor,

I thought I was taking a computer class. I didn't expect to be thinking so much about the meaning of life, where computer science is headed, and the profound computational powers of the brain. You've turned me into a philosopher. I was highly motivated to work on the assignments because they interested me in ways I did not see before. I am so glad I took your class, and have told ever friend I have to take it next year.

Dear Professor Clark,

I so much needed this job. I reviewed my study log and my NG postings before I went into the interview. I had answers for every question, and those I didn't nail I still had very good general answers because I know how it all worked. Bigger buffers! I got the job because of your class last year. Case closed.

Dear Dr. Elliott,

Thanks for being so sensitive to my hearing problem. I am sorry that you had to take this into account. I have to say that I am amazed how you managed to remember this ALL the time, and make so many things clear to me in the special ways I requested. Your handwriting is not very good (ha ha) but your detailed explanations of the concepts in class were excellent. The imagery and examples you provided were very useful.