Students'
Comments - Winter 2014
Contents:
- In response to the
question: Why do you want to take this course?
- From students' course
comments:
- Comments about the
lectures
- Comments about the
tours and the assistive technology faire
- Comments about the
projects
- Comments about the
course in general
- Comments about the
instructor
- Other
comments
- From students'
individual reflections
- From students' online
course evaluations
In response to the
question: Why do you want to take this course?
-
Chance to do a CS project with
service.
-
I was excited to be involved in
a project class where the project came from [the] outside community members and
could go on to make a difference.
-
I had never taken a course that
tackled such a needed topic. It also aligns with my interest of creative
technology to help those in need.
-
Cool depth class. Parents are
doctors therefore needed to take an assistive technology
class.
-
I wanted to get exposure to the
idea of designing assistive technology.
-
I wanted to learn about the
assistive technologies on the market.
-
I wanted to take this course
because it's a unique hands-on appoach to biotechnology, which is my HumBio
area of concentration and wanted to learn more about [the] design
process.
-
I've always been interested in
special needs, but never combined it with my engineering
skills.
-
It was an option for my
concentration in STS, but also I was genuinely interested.
-
[I have an] interest in [the]
subject matter.
-
I like design and it fulfilled a
major requirement.
-
I was interested after learning
about the course in ME294 [Medical Device Design], and had a project in
mind.
-
It was a very interesting option
among the STS science-related courses.
-
I was interested in help[ing] to
build products that may have a world impact.
-
I like the topic & it counts
towards m major.
-
It is an important topic and I
enjoyed the design component.
-
General interest in assistive
technology; fulfills ME depth requirement.
-
Seemed interesting and counts
for my major [STS].
-
I'm interested in biomedical
devices.
-
Wanted to hear perspectives that
I didn't typically hear.
-
It was a more human-focused wau
to fulfill an engineering requirement.
-
I wanted to learn more about
assistive devices.
-
Very different project-based
class to broaden my ME scope.
-
Very interesting subject matter,
counted towards my major [STS].
-
I'm really interested in
prosthetics & orthotics as a career.
-
I have been interested in
assistive technolgy for a while and I thought it would be great
exposure.
-
I found it through the Haas
Center affiliated courses.
-
I wanted to learn about ways to
use technology to help others.
From students' course
comments: top
- Comments about the lectures
-
The lectures and tours were
great and eye-opening.
-
I liked the variety of the
lectures. It was also important to see the students applying the knowledge
learned in the course to an actual assistive technology.
-
Really cool! [In response
to: Comment on lectures - The Design and Control of Exoskeletons for
Rehabilitation.]
-
Very inspiring & really
helps other see daily challenges in the eyes of our fellow students. [In
response to: Comment on lectures - Perspectives of Stanford Students with a
Disability.]
-
This lecture was very
interesting & prompted me to consider going into this field. [In response
to: Comment on lectures - Rehabilitation Robotics.]
-
I really liked the variety
of topics addressed by guest lecturers.
-
[I] thought I was able to
gain and express empathy after hearing from my peers. [In response to: Comment
on lectures - Perspectives of Stanford Students with a
Disability.]
-
A great talk, and
well-formatted. [In response to: Comment on lectures - Issues of Human
Interface Design.]
-
Guest speakers were amazing,
intelligent, and encouraging.
-
Enjoyed lectures, especially
demonstrations of technology.
-
[The lecture, Perspectives
of Stanford Students with a Disability], was especially helpful because I
personally know some of them and it is nice to have a greater perspective of
the functionality of their respective lives.
-
These [lectures] were
awesome. Clearly lots of thought was put into the class. Thank
you!
-
I very much appreciated the
presentation by those with various disabilities. Really gave a brave and
interesting perspective.
-
I loved hearing stories from
various people and the project portion of the course.The course went above my
expectations.
-
AMAZING experience. [In
response to: Comment on lectures - The Design and Control of Exoskeletons for
Rehabilitation.]
-
Everyone [lecturers] was
very enthusiastic about what they do.
-
[I] liked the lecture on
perspectives of Stanford students with a disability , very engaging and
eye-opening. [I also] liked the lecture on aesthetics, very informed and
interesting.
-
All lectures are helpful for
gaining different perspective of assistive technology.
-
I liked the project aspect
and the diversity of the lectures.
-
I liked the faire and
lectures where there were demonstrations.
-
Pitch Day was great for
understand[ing] the greater goal of the class.
-
[The] guest presentations
were awesome.
-
The tours were great and
most presentations were great too.
-
I liked the project and some
of the guests were very cool.
top
- Comments about the tours and the
assistive technology faire
-
The lectures and tours were
great and eye-opening.
-
I enjoyed lectures where
tech[nology] was demoed in the class.
-
[The ] Gait Lab was very
interesting & really liked the connections to anatomy /
medicine.
-
I really liked the tours and
would like more.
-
Both tours were exceptional
to see real world applications of class concepts. And driving a wheelchair was
fun!
-
By far the best part of the
class. Great to talk to all those inventors, especially the Beam. [In response
to: Comment of lectures - Assistive Technology Faire.]
-
I liked the faire and
lectures where there were demonstrations.
-
The tours were great and
most presentations were great too.
top
- Comments about the projects
-
The number of suggested
projects was outstanding. Not only that, but they were very
diverse.
-
Suggested projects showed
good diversity.
-
Very good variety -
something for everyone. [In response to Comment on quality and variety of
suggested projects.]
-
I liked the project aspect
and the diversity of the lectures.
-
Great variety even for an
STS major. [In response to: Comment on the quality and variety of suggested
projects.]
-
I liked the project and some
of the guests were very cool.
-
[I] liked the demonstrations
of technology and learning about other class projects.
top
- Comments about the course in
general
-
I liked that the course
seemed very well thought out and that Dave clearly puts a lot of effort &
investment into this course, which is not always seen in many other classes
here!
-
I like how we were able to
learn the design process without it being artificial or forced as it can be in
CS147.
-
It exceeded them. [In
response to: How well did the entire course meet your
expectations?]
-
It was very comfortable to
meet with them. They were very helpful and thus process was efficient. [In
response to: Comment on the effort and time spent on interacting with project
suggestor and users.]
-
It was fun, [the] little
thought provoking tidbits that I enjoyed. [In response to: Please comment on
the value of the pre-lecture items.]
-
Very cool to interact with
community members.
-
Overall, I loved how
holistic this course was, addressing many of the different angles of assistive
technologies. I would like another field trip or two, and felt that the
progression & process of the project were great.
-
Interesting class. I liked
seeing the technology used & hearing people's
experiences.
-
Thank you for a great
quarter. Course is inspiring and super interesting. Best
wishes!
-
I thought it was a very
interesting class, and I wish I had more time to attend different
lectures.
-
Really nice class! Great
collaborative, friendly environment. Excellent focus on bridging students with
the community around them
-
I liked almost every aspect
of the class. J
-
[The course] was a great way
to learn more about the engineering process through a very worthy and
interesting subject matter. Really liked the format of the class and being able
to leave the class with a working prototype and feeling of accomplishment.
Thank you for your help and guidance in this class!
top
- Comments about the instructor
-
It was helpful how available
Dave was to reach.
-
Dave was very
available.
-
Dave was always accessible.
He also cared about the opinions of the students and their project
progress.
-
Dave was great at
responding! [In response to: Please comment on knowledge of and access to the
teaching staff and the quality of the assistance given.]
-
Sign-up to meet with Dave
was helpful.
-
Dave was very responsive to
emails and always willing to assist.
-
I liked that the course
seemed very well thought out and that Dave clearly puts a lot of effort &
investment into this course, which is not always seen in many other classes
here!
-
Thank you, Dave for an
excellent quarter. As a student interested in Assistive Technology, I can tell
that you are too, and that you take this course & your students very
seriously. Thank you for that, and please keep it up. I'll be sure to keep in
touch!
-
Dave was always available to
meet and made it very easy to sign-up for meeting times with
him.
-
Dave was very helpful in
meetings.
-
Dave was so
approachable.
-
Thank you for organizing
this course and making it available to community members. [From a community
member]
-
Great class. It was very
clear that the professor was available to meet.
top
- Other comments
-
I really liked being able to
see and sometimes play with new technology.
-
[I] liked the demonstrations
of technology and learning about other class projects.
-
J
-
Thank you!!!
J
top
From students' individual
reflections:
-
This has been one of the best
classes I've taken at Stanford. The lectures were all really interesting and I
feel like I was exposed to a lot of different topics. The speakers were all
engaging and the topics they discussed were all a joy to listen
to.
-
During these past ten weeks of
this quarter, this course has given me a new perspective about the field of
assistive technology. Coming into the course, I had no idea about how wide and
diverse this field is and how many disciplines it could encompass. I decided to
take this course because I had interest in building devices that would be able
to help people, but I had a limited view of the range of what assistive
technology is. David Jaffe, the guest speakers and tours were able to expand
that range and inform me of the opportunities available in the assistive
technology industry. On top of that, being able to work on a project throughout
the quarter was very instructive in helping me see the design process in order
to design an assistive device.
-
Overall, this class was a
wonderful experience, and I was so appreciative to see the overwhelmingly
positive comments for our final presentation that we worked really hard on. I
am thankful for the support that our instructor, Dave, was able provide and the
attention to detail and process that he shared. It requires a special person to
know all the special people who spoke in our class, and so I am grateful for
the perspective gained from these past ten weeks.
-
I will definitely recommend this
class to friends and classmates. It has a very good mix of engineering and
design lessons in addition to the applications to assistive technology and
helping those with disabilities. I learned a lot more form this class than I
thought I would, and I am hopeful that I can apply my new knowledge on this
topic to future projects and can help teach other people about applications of
assistive technology.
-
It is hard to believe that the
quarter has already come to an end and my team and I have finished our project
for the class, but it has been a very rewarding experience and I am glad that I
chose to take this class. I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated how
well-structured the class was, and felt that every lecture, trip, and
technology demonstration we experienced helped us in thinking about how to best
craft our project, and more broadly, showed us that putting something of this
scale and importance together could only be carried out with the combined
feedback and effort of many different people. All in all, Perspectives in
Assistive Technology is an excellent course and one that I would definitely
recommend to my friends majoring in STS or looking for a course to take outside
of their academic discipline. I was not quite sure [what] to expect going in,
as I only stumbled upon it by looking through the course selections of my STS
concentration, but it ended up being quite the experience, and I learned a
great deal more than I expected from a three unit course. I had taken
design-thinking and prototyping-intensive classes before for digital
technology, but I feel that working with physical/mechanical things gave me a
brand new perspective, and certainly expanded my scientific breadth in terms of
what it means to major in Science, Technology, and Society. Most importantly,
ENGR 110's emphasis is on helping people, which is something I truly care
about. Though I have enjoyed many of the courses I've taken for my major while
I've been at Stanford, I feel that this course truly applies science and
technology to society.
-
All in all, I could not be more
pleased with how this course and project turned out. It is one of my most
rewarding class experiences at Stanford and I can't wait to show off this
project to friends and peers in future years. Thank you Dave for all your
help.
-
Overall, I'm very glad I took
this class. As one of my first hands-on projects, it was an excellent
experience, and we ended up with a final design that we are very proud of,
which is an amazing feeling. I can't wait to take more project-based classes in
the future.
-
My experience in this class and
with this project was positive as well as rewarding. This was my first
introduction to a class that involved not only design, but also the follow
through of producing a functional prototype. Additionally it was my first
experience learning and working in the field of assistive technology. That
being said I learned a great deal of skills that will extend beyond this class
and skills that don't necessarily have to do with engineering specifically.
Being exposed to the many forms of existing assistive technology and hearing
the stories of individuals in our community who have disabilities and use these
technologies, provided a new lens for me to look at a multitude of things in my
life through. For example I feel, after taking this class, that I have a
greater level of sensitivity when it comes to interacting with individuals with
disabilities simply because I have a better understanding of not only their
struggles, but also their triumphs. Also what they are capable of, and not
solely what they are incapable of.
-
The course lectures were always
interesting, and I particularly paid attention to the ones that focused on
wheelchair users. Seeing new and innovative wheelchairs, like the Whill
wheelchair, inspired me to think about how my designs would work with
wheelchairs in the future.
-
There were a lot of valuable
lessons to take away from this class and the design process. I think the most
valuable part of the class was working in a group. Life is a team game with
individual results. Success is measured on an individual basis but is
accomplished through the cooperation of many individuals. Being able to
function well in a group is pivotal in almost every walk of life, and this
class offers a superb opportunity to practice the skills necessary to be a
successful member of a group. Having an open and adaptable mind during the
group process of the course will be the greatest lesson I take away from this
class. The lectures were also a great part of the course because of the unique
insight they provided on the field of assistive technology. I am thankful for
the opportunity to have taken this class and will advise my friends to take it
in the future.
-
I would definitely recommend
this class to any future students. The class is an appropriate workload for a 3
unit engineering class. Dave is a great professor and brings in the very
interesting and diverse guest lecturers.
-
Going through the design process
in this class was different from any other class I have taken at Stanford. The
class structure was conducive to creativity while providing perspectives that
could continually be incorporated into the projects as the quarter went on. I
enjoyed the lack of lecture material that is usually expected in
other classes. This gives students the ability to bring in their own design
experience into the class instead of forcing the students to conform to a
prescribed set of expectations.
-
This course was a great learning
experience for me. I was able to do market research, brainstorm, prototype, and
sell a product (through presentations). The market research was
great because I learned what was available in the market for wheelchair
accessories. I was surprised to see the limited amount of options. I had never
drawn designs for a product or gone through with building rough prototypes. It
was very stressful because it was so new to me but once it was completed it was
really rewarding.
-
The journey of this project has
been extremely rewarding. I'm so glad and grateful that I found this
class.
-
I have personally been working
on becoming more empathetic and thought that this class would be a great place
to practice that. I also find learning much more effective when exercised in a
practical setting. This class provided that structure beautifully. I really
appreciated how thorough and prepared Dave was for every lecture and his
summary emails were the easiest emails to navigate and made accessing
information a walk in the park (some teachers make it extremely
difficult!).
-
This research was a great
learning experience for me. It not only helped me hone my writing and research
skills, but also provided the unique opportunity of reaching out to some
outstanding individuals working in the field of accessibility. It is also
gratifying to have been able to come up with a document that can potentially
benefit my community. I must also mention the important role that several
inspiring guest speakers in the class played by constantly motivating me to
realize my vision. All in all, I had a wonderful and enriching experience this
quarter, and I look forward to taking the class again.
-
This quarter has taught me so
much about assistive technology. In addition, I have learned valuable skills
like the use of illustrator, laser cutting, building, presentation skills, and
technical skills. The idea of "learning by doing" rang a bell for me as the
quarter project truly taught me so much and each process, building on top of
the next created our final lap desk. I loved how lectures conveniently
coincided with our project, their examples gave us motivation, ideas and a kind
of model to work by. Research was incredibly valuable, Google became my best
friend as I searched through all kinds of sites, forums and videos. After all
this research talking to professionals at the VA hospital and Dave at his
office really helped us find our final project aim. I loved the fair at the end
of the quarter because here we got so much feedback! I wish we had gotten
something like this earlier because getting so many different opinions really
opened our views.
-
This class was a really great
learning experience. I really enjoyed the lectures, in particular the Ekso
Bionics and Wheelchair lectures. From my undergraduate experiences I had the
opportunity to work designing a prosthetic ankle-foot and found the area of
robotics applied to assistive devices very interesting.
-
As a student pursuing a BA in
the Science, Technology, and Society department, I viewed this course as a
great opportunity to practice design from a hands-on perspective, but was
nervous about the engineering element. I was concerned that the class's
projects would require heavy use of mathematical concepts as well as technical
skills in fabrication. Instead, I found it to be a highly practical experience
that allowed me to immerse myself fully into the design process. Though I do
not have a particularly intense interest in assistive technology design, I
found the field to be fascinating and useful for practicing the processes of
ethnographic research, prototyping, and refining, in that it provided a very
specific set of constraints that allowed me to have a clearly defined
understanding of my target user-group. This class taught me much of the
practical knowledge needed for working on professional project teams and helped
me to have a much better understanding of all the individual concerns that must
be addressed to create a successful final product.
-
Overall, I think actually
building the device was the most rewarding component of the class. I really
appreciated being able to put my knowledge to practical use, and coming away
from the experience with a somewhat working prototype makes me feel very
proud.
-
Overall, this course was a
unique experience, unlike many of the large, lecture-style classes I have taken
at Stanford. I sincerely appreciate the time, communication, and individualized
attention that Dave puts into this course, as I feel this is a component
missing from many other classes I have taken at Stanford. I feel very thankful
to have been a part of this course this quarter. Thank you, Dave, for designing
a fulfilling course!
-
It is VERY comforting to know
that you, David, are so passionate about the subject matter yourself. This has
a very positive effect on any given student's outlook on the course, but also
provides them with motivation to try his/her hardest. I think that the most
important idea presented in the class is that the class is not meant to simply
be a general education requirement or to fulfill a major requirement. Rather,
the course is meant to not only exercise our individual creativity and critical
thinking processes, but to also consider how our designs could one day benefit
others. Ensuring that students understand the course is meant to promote public
service and involvement ultimately results in well-executed and thorough
designs and presentations.
-
I'm glad I got the chance to
take this class because I know experience with the design process will be
invaluable later on. No matter what direction I take my career, I will have to
know how to identify needs and interact with users to build a better product.
Moreover, this experience has really impressed upon me the importance of
prototyping early and often.
-
I learned a lot from the class
not only through lectures, but I also learned by doing. I learned by building,
interviewing, and testing. I also learned from my classmates, and I had a lot
of fun watching their projects develop. The broad range of projects and the
exploration of each project made me feel as if I was along with all the other
teams as they learned through the design process of their own projects. I look
forward to using my experiences in this class to shape how I view and even how
I might, in the future, design assistive technologies.
-
This group project was a
highlight of this quarter, and I definitely found myself putting more time into
this project than other classes because I was more interested and passionate
about the work. This course overall truly helped me develop my thinking as an
engineer and focus my interests.
-
My experience in the class
definitely did not disappoint, and being able to put together a successful
project in addition to hearing from well-spoken professionals each week made
for a very worthwhile quarter and class.
-
This class was easily the most
collaborative class that I have ever taken at Stanford. It was incredible how
involved students got to be with a community that stretched beyond
Stanfords campus. These interactions put the class in the perspective of
real world people and projects, and made the learning much more fulfilling and
applicable. Overall, this class provided incredible perspective through its
promotion of interaction with fellow students, companies, hospitals, and
community members. The interactive learning that occurred through creating the
project, interviewing people who were disabled, and the technology faire was
truly unique. This class not only opened my eyes to the full spectrum of
disabilities and the needs that come with them, but also promoted
interpersonal, experiential learning, which I now believe is
invaluable.
-
Overall, this quarter in ENGR110
taught me many lessons in the value of team-work, in conquering my fears, in
believing in myself and my ability to rise to any challenge, and of course in
the value of assistive technology.
-
I think this course has given me
a different perspective on what it means to make a difference in the world. I
know that whatever career I do in the future, I would like to do something that
helps people. And this class has helped me to see different ways that people
are trying to help others everyday.
top
From students' online
course evaluations:
-
1. Please comment on the individual
instructors with regard to effectiveness and attitude toward
students:
-
Very accessible, friendly,
super organized
-
Tried to engage with
students and community
-
Very clear that he likes the
material a lot.
-
Great guest
lecturers!
-
Great
speakers
-
Dave clearly puts a lot of
time and effort into this course, which is something that I don't see often
enough with classes here, especially big lecture ones. He was also very
available and willing to meet with us outside of class.
-
2. Please comment on the strengths
and weaknesses, if any, of the textbook(s) and reading(s).
-
Great website and suggested
readings, videos, etc. Super organized.
-
Outside presentations were
very interesting
-
3. Please comment on assignments
and exams.
-
Project was
great!
-
The assignments were
fair
-
4. Do you have any additional
comments on the course over-all?
-
Fantastic course, I love the
hands-on aspect and the great topic with such potential impact. Definitely
lived up to my expectations!
-
The class topic was
interesting
-
Great course overall. Guest
lecturers and tours were fun.
-
Great
class!
top
From students' and
community members' emails:
Previous years'
comments
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