Evaluations by students in my Technology in Our Changing Society course, taught at Washington University in St. Louis.

Fall 2006

"… you're a really helpful, insightful, knowledgeable teacher."

"[The course] opened my eyes to a wide variety of topics that help me in my every day life. I like how you offer both sides of the argument."

"[Leaving comments on readings] helped me think critically and find my voice on issues and topics. … Your teaching was excellent since there was so much critical thinking involved in class discussion."

"Exposed to a lot of stuff I had no idea existed or was an issue, so I learned a ton! Very relevant material. … There's so much out there that I don't know that is so interesting & relevant and I gained a lot of new exposure to various ideas/issues."

Fall 2005

"… clearly you spent a great deal of time researching material, & it paid off. I was exposed to things that I otherwise never would have seen. … you have the best balance of structured freedom I've ever had. … Any topic was available for discussion as longs as it pertained in some way to technology. It was a breath of fresh air …"

"All of the readings were interesting … The guest speakers were awesome, and you taught us while you entertained us. … You have a way with getting students to open up and discuss various topics. That's great that everyone was involved. I think the presentations each of us did helped to break the ice and made us a great group."

"I was always learning something new."

"I enjoyed learning about all the new advancements in technology, since I had no clue! … You are very interesting, exciting, fun and comical. I enjoyed the class and will miss being exposed to all the new technology every weeek."

"[The class] has changed my approach to new technology. I'm not afraid to try to learn new technologies or discuss them with IT people or Circuit City sales people."

"… you encourage & initiate in-depth discussion."

"I really like the group discussion format. You asked good, probing questions."

Fall 2004

"Fascinating and well taught. I would also tell [potential students] not to anticipate a technology course. As an example, you may learn how open source software works, but that's strictly incidental to what you'll really learn: why open source software is revolutionary and why it is significant in our society."

"If you want a great overview on how technology is changing our world, take this class. If Scott doesn't know the answer to your question, he shows where to direct you to find the answer."

"I appreciated his command over the technical material, his ability to convey the complexities of technology to a largely naive group of students, his skills in guiding classroom discussion and debate, and, surprisingly, his very high standards for our written work. I also appreciated his passion and enthusiasm."

"Scott's preparation and resources were definite pluses. Outside speakers were excellent."

"There was an abstract, philosophical quality about this course that made it particularly interesting. How is technology affecting free speech? How is technology affecting intellectual property? What is its impact on our social lives? Our lives as consumers? Security? Privacy? This wasn't a course on how to write code; it was a course on how technology is transforming our lives."

Fall 2003

"Fascinating class. Essential for any citizen to be aware of our technology."

"You have to take this course. You will learn some amazing and crazy stuff about technology."

"The teacher definitely knew his stuff. One of the best eye-opening classes available."

Fall 2002

"This course is excellent with a wonderful instructor who understands we were all working adults, but pushed us just enough!"

"You'll learn more than you ever imagined about technology."

"Great class. Scott is an excellent instructor. He is very knowledgeable about numerous technology issues."