Home

Feedback

The following is a selection of direct quotes collected after some of my workshops and courses.


Selected comments from informal survey conducted at of COMP 1001: Introduction to Computers for Arts and Socials Sciences (summer 2011):

  • Thank you for having such a great possitive attitude. I never though I would gain any computer skills and I now have a new passion for it.By far this is the best elective I took at Carleton. It was extremely valuable and helpful. Thank you for all the help! I'm looking forward to taking more computer classes or workshops. Not only has this class helped me with computer skills but it has inspired me in many other aspects. Thanks a bunch!
  • It was not exactly what I was expecting but it was a challenge for me because Im terrible with any science, formulas or computers and this course helped me confront that. Im happy I took this class.
  • The course is rich in resources and the prof. very flexible,understanding, kind and encouraging to all and so do the TAs. The prof.knows how to deliver the course and the many quizzes and assigns. were a great help to have a good and in depth grasp of the course. I'm glad I did this course.
  • I like our instructor both she and the last speaker helped me think about computer science as a more attainable area to understand and be a part of.  I enjoyed playing around in scratch.
  • Having a professor who is enthusiastic, approchable and willing to help students was important in making this course less intimidating . I also like the way the course was broken up into manageable components (4 assignments, 5 quizzes) because it is much easier to learn and retain the material that way.
  • Professor is patient and helpful. She keeps up with discussion board and emailing.
  • I liked how we learned a bit of everything ie. programming, word etc.


Selected comments from informal survey conducted at end of COMP 1001: Introduction to Computers for Arts and Socials Sciences (summer 2010):

  • I found all assignments to be useful and interesting :o)
  • The project definitely helped me get familiar with Word and Powerpoint and learn the in's an outs of how to use them. Finding a new piece of software was quite exciting, but I may have just lucked out with mine. It will be something that I will use a lot in the future.
  • I found  scratch rather interesting. You could actually see your product, made me realise that computer scientists arent exactly "nerds"
  • I really liked the professor. Ms. Carmichael was enthusiastic, helpful and was obviously interested in the course material. I learned things in the course, but found it overall fairly easy for someone with computer knowledge.
  • I liked learning more about how computers work and function. As an arts major it is difficult to get into most computer science courses.
  • Overall the course and materials were very well presented and will no doubt be more helpful than continuing with the previous course content.
  • I felt the instructor was knowledgeable, patient and helpful. She did a good job for her first time teaching the course.  I appreciated receiving my marks quickly after handing them in.
  • The prof wanted us to learn what she was talking about. The course wasn't about her - it was about her passion of computer science and she made it look very cool and incredibly relevant to US though we all came fom different backgrounds.
  • The exercise understanding binary was something I will never forget for the rest of my life. Because it was a physical/visual exercise i will always remember how to convert binary to decimal.
  • It seems wayyy better than the course during the year.


Endorsement from the TA Mentor Program Coordinator about my work as TA Mentor:

  • Gail has many qualities that make her stand out. She is passionate about computer science and teaching. She is also incredibly creative and self-motivated, which showed in the workshops she designed and delivered for Computer Science teaching assistants. Gail is also a good person to have on a team or committee because she is able to think outside the box and articulate ideas clearly to colleagues. While Gail was TA mentor for the School of Computer Science, she made significant contributions to her department and to the overall program for teaching support. It was a pleasure to work with Gail and I would be happy to work with her again if the opportunity arose.


Comments from TAs about me as the TA Mentor, from a year-end school-wide survey question on receiving adequate support from our department.

  • TA Mentor was great, as per the last years. Very well put together workshops.
  • Good workshop support, even thought they kept winding up during my classes.
  • Yes, she was very proactive.
  • Yes, she did a great job.
  • Definitely, she helped me with any questions I had regarding TAing, the TA certificate program, and the EDC in general. Also, the workshops were useful.


Strengths listed by the Lead TA Mentor after observing my TA Mentor workshop Techniques for Teaching Computer Science Concepts:

  • Your presentation skills!! You are a very engaging speaker, great tone, pace, volume, very clear, great eye contact and very enthusiastic!
  • You have a great rapport with your TAs and you are very knowledgeable and passionate about improving teaching in Computer Sciences!
  • Great idea for a workshop, I think the format worked really well! I also think it was great that you used the fact that I was there, so that the TAs would have to teach me (a non-computer scientist) their topics.
  • Some of the TAs seemed a bit reluctant or maybe a bit scared of the assignment at first, but they really warmed up to the challenge. I think a lot of that had to do with you walking around, talking to them about the teaching approach and making sure they were okay with the teaching subject. Great job!
  • The assignment handout that I saw is great, I love the format: General Tips, Background for the teaching method and then the assignment itself. I think this made the instructions for the workshop clearer.


A few comments from grade six to eight girls who participated in my Girls @ Virtual Ventures workshops:

  • Before, I knew nothing about computer engineering, and thought it was, essentially, like the stereotype: being stuck at a computer. Working 12 hour shifts. But computer engineering is actually an awesome job, and I am now really interested. You work with numbers, and I love numbers, as well as everything else. I thought computer engineering would be boring. It’s actually AWESOME! I loved it.
  • I liked the activities she made us do and the power point presentation she made.
  • I learnt many things about computer science such as when you work in computer science you don't always need to be on the computer.
  • I was surprised on how many other opportunities there are when you study computer science.
  • I liked the fun and interesting way she explained the things she was telling us.
  • All the things you can do with computer science has much more variety than I imagined!
  • …the mentors used simple, direct language with good explanation on professional vocabulary.
  • …computer science really is interesting.


From the counselors of the Girls @ Virtual Ventures camps I did my workshops in:

  • Gail had prepared a wonderful presentation which entailed many aspects of the computer science field. This includes how it is to be a student in the program, the opportunities available as well as the gender ratio difference within the field. In addition, there was a good mix between presentation time, video clips and in class activities. She was able to relate well with the children and kept their interest throughout her presentation. By having her participate, it enriched the girl's experience and provided them with a good role model. We were very happy to have her participate within our program. (2010)
  • Girls@VV is a summer camp that focuses on promoting female involvement in engineering, science, and technology. For several years now, Gail Carmichael has been a valuable mentor in this program. Gail is consistently enthusiastic and generous with her time, preparing and delivering numerous presentations to our campers throughout the summer. Gail’s presentations are always well-received: she has a great rapport with the campers, and continually adds new content to keep her presentations fresh and relevant to the audience. Girls@VV sincerely appreciates Gail’s continued support of our program: she is an excellent mentor who adds tremendous value to our program. (2011)


From one of the volunteer supervisors of the IBM EXITE camp for girls:

  • On Wednesday, August 11, Gail Carmichael spent the day with thirty 11 to 13 year old girls who were participating in the IBM EX.I.T.E camp. The goal of EX.I.T.E is to expose girls to information about science and technology, and the university field trip is an extremely important part of our line-up of activities. This was the first time that I attended the Carleton trip as one of the volunteer supervisors and I came away thoroughly impressed.

    Gail gave the girls a great overview of the field of computer science and highlighted the wide variety of careers open to a computer science grad. She ran two activities: the first was a pirate map game designed to teach the girls about finite state machines and the second was a battleship game that illustrated various methods of image representation and searching. In addition, Gail participated in a lively discussion with the girls about the basics of university life, scholarships and the importance of course selection and getting good grades in high school. She was approachable, enthusiastic, engaging, and highly entertaining. Gail's passion for computer science and for higher learning was contagious and sent an truly powerful and important lesson to the campers.


Selected comments from a survey filled in by the girls at the end of my week-long mini-course Computer Science and Games: Just for Girls! when asked what they liked best:

  • It revolved around a subject that I like.
  • The part I liked best about this course was learning all about 3D, AI, how they made Avatar. Basically all the information we learned. It was all so interesting. Also, learning how to use Scratch, and design & make our own video game. I Loved It ALL! =)
  • Learning about the different softwares and what they do, about how a lot of women are involved in computer science.
  • I loved how we got to get our games to come to life it was a really great time!
  • I had a Blast! Thanks so Much! =D