Instructor’s Name: David Silverberg

Department & Course Number: GEOL 1055

Course Title: Environmental Science, Ethics and Public Policy

Fall, 2000

University of Pittsburgh

Office of Measurement and Evaluation of Teaching

Survey of Student Opinion of Teaching

Unedited Summary of “Your instructor would like to know if there is something you believe he/she has done especially well in teaching this course.”

The enthusiasm for each lecture was great – made learning more exciting, the activities/papers really pulled the concepts together and furthered my understanding.

It has been so animated. It’s great to know how much he loves what he is teaching – it made him so much more effective. He was always available for questions and so helpful. I really enjoyed him as a teacher.

I LOVED the variation of our class learning – this is also the only class which adequately briefed and debriefed me for the countries we visited! I very much appreciate Silverberg’s enthusiasm, dedication and integrity.

His enthusiasm plays a huge role in his teaching. It adds so much more to the class. His text-based seminars were very interesting.

Very enthusiastic – encouraged learning and made class interesting. Liked powerpoint lectures. I really enjoyed the class.

Got the class interested and involved. He has made me think twice about some of my actions in relation to the environment. Upon returning home I may be changing some of my ways.

Great enthusiasm and integration of field knowledge into the lectures and discussions. Silverberg seemed to have been everywhere and to know everything.

You are incredibly exuberant and passionate about what you know/do/teach! That passion is contagious and refreshing!

I thought David was the brightest and definately the most enthusiastic professor on the ship. He was a delight and had a cheery attitude in every class.

Kept students interested in topics. I feel overall everything was done well.  I especially like how outside sources such as journals/magazines were used to gain additional knowledge. I can relate to them better than text books.

Everything was done very well. The relevance of material to things we saw in port was excellent and David’s enthusiasm and expertise were such that I have yet to experience in my academic career.

He made the topic interesting, even if you did not have any background and because of that I have been inspired to learn more and do more – good job!

David is a very engaging teacher, I always felt interested. He was also really good at integrating field trips into the curriculum.

He has incredible energy that inspires students to learn. He uses his knowledge from his personal fieldwork to teach which creates an environment of desire to learn more. Great use of visuals.

His energy levels are great and it makes class more exciting. He is really a great teacher.

He has used his incredible enthusiasm and energy to excite and teach. Your integration of personal experience is especially fun and informative. Explanations are clear and personality great.

Shared his enthusiasm and conveyed the subject matter in an interesting way.

Talk was interesting. Everything was good and also performance was funny. I enjoyed.

You were not boring! Discussions good. Sharing your experiences were great. I will never forget some of your stories you shared with us. You have an amazing life!

Getting the students attention with facts and personal stories. It was quite obvious that David was EXTREMELY knowledgeable in his field and provided a great environmental perspective through which we could view the countries we were traveling in.

Professor Silverberg is one of the best, if not the best, professors I’ve ever had. His knowledge of his chosen field is exceptional and his experience is practically unmatched. I have learned an incredible wealth of information and have picked up much I can apply to my daily life. THANK YOU!

His enthusiasm was excellent and absolutely helped keep interest. He also has a lot of personal experience from which you draw and enrich out learning experience. This aided in enlivening the material and drawing students in.

He conveyed the material in a very enthusiastic and interesting way, combined with stories and examples that were interesting, but educational.

The high enthusiasm of the instructor added highly to my learning because it made the topics seem more fun and there was less of a chance of me falling asleep.

David is extremely enthusiastic and it makes us really excited to learn what he is teaching. His examples and stories are always very animated and they definitely help in understanding textbook concepts. David also really cares about his student’s learning in the course and his fairness in expectations. It is very nice.