Benjamin S. Low Teaching Evaluations

Excerpts from Student Course Evaluations
(originals available upon request)


Greek Grammar Review and Composition (Fall 2004 - 1 student)
	"The prof was very dedicated... No weaknesses, he presented the material well."

The Romans (Summer 2004 - 15 students)
	"[The major strengths were] the different ways we learned: reading, discussions, field trips to museums, movies, research, & group presentations."
	"The responses we did for nightly readings helped out and allowed us to analyze what was going on in our books."
	"The nightly writing assignments were thought-provoking and allowed for a lot of personal opinions. The in-class discussions were easy to participate in and interesting to follow, and the strong point in the course."
	"Insightful discussions, very informative... no wasting time."
	"I loved the reading that we had to do, and the way the lectures were presented made it all so interesting. I loved the course overall... I really enjoyed the course and the professor and it was a very good experience. I learned a lot."
	"This was the most I've ever learned in 3 weeks. My understanding and interest in Roman civilization has skyrocketed. It was a pleasure to have a knowledgeable and well-prepared professor."
	"I loved the whole experience. This was one of the most informative and fun times of my life."

Intermediate Latin: Introduction to Latin Literature - Virgil's Aeneid (Spring 2004 - 15 students)
	"Ben is one of the best professors that I have had at Brown. He definitely goes above and beyond to help students."
	"Ben deserves recognition for his performance in Latin 40. Not only did he accommodate students' learning needs, but he also accomodated students' schedules. He held sight reading sessions twice a week so that scheduling problems would not hinder translation practice. He was also kind and approachable, and was dedicated to helping students learn Latin. When Ben completes the graduate program and seeks a teaching job, I am sure that he will continue to be a great success."
	"I enjoyed the course more than I thought possible... Ben Low is a phenomenal teacher!! I really cannot think of any weakness. He was always willing to answer questions and meet outside of class, as well as offer review sessions for exams. I would take another class with him. His knowledge of the material was evident and he added interesting facts that made class more interesting... I never translated Latin poetry before and feel confident about doing so in the future."
	"Ben was great. He was extremely knowledgeable and would go at any pace to help us understand anything. He provided self-made vocab and literary figures supplemental lessons/packets. He made himself very available with office hours and sight reading sessions. He did a great job as instructor. No weaknesses."
	"Excellent instructor. Good, dry humor. Open to questions, good at pacing class, a subtle motivator, clear explication... It was a great course."
	"It's easy to be interested in whatever Ben is saying. He keeps it interesting and fun... He entertained all creative ideas during translations and always told us clearly what was good or bad about those ideas."
	From the Critical Review (for full report see: http://www.brown.edu/Students/Critical_Review/): "Class members gave very positive reviews of graduate student Benjamin Low, calling him clear, engaging, efficient, and very sensitive to their needs. Students reported that in addition to keeping regular office hours, Professor Low also held optional sight-translation sessions, and made helpful guides to clarify confusing concepts throughout the course. Members of the class also noted that Professor Low was very open to questions during class, and that he always responded clearly and thoroughly... If you have the opportunity to take the class with Benjamin, you should definitely enroll."

Essentials of the Latin Language II (Spring 2003 - 6 students)
	"He is very helpful and insists [on going] over difficult areas."
	"Very good; very clear and knowledgeable... I am very pleased with the amount of Latin I've learned."
	"Ben's expectations were very high, and he made sure that we kept up with the syllabus... I feel that it paid off in the end."
	"Ben was a very good instructor willing to answer questions and spend time outside of class."
	"His help with translations was great. I never felt too intimidated to ask questions... I plan to continue on the Latin track."
	From the Critical Review (for full report see: http://www.brown.edu/Students/Critical_Review): "On the whole, Benjamin Low, the graduate student who taught the course, was reviewed as a good instructor. Respondents praised him as clear, concise, and available for assistance, even though his class thought he may have assigned too much work. Mr. Low's students thought he was very knowledgeable and understanding, but that at times he moved too rapidly through the material. However, he provided thorough explanations and did not mind reviewing pieces which gave people difficulty."

The Idea of Self (Fall 2003 - TA for Joseph Pucci - occasional section leading and writing tutorials)
	"He too seemed very familiar with the texts and maintained the open exchange of ideas established by Mr. Pucci."
	"He was friendly and available to offer help, especially around the time papers were assigned."
	"He was very helpful when helping put together one of my drafts for a paper."
	"He was very knowledgeable and easy to talk to and discuss with."
	"He readily gave comments on papers and led section well."
	"Very informed, had good points... We all enjoyed his sections."

Mythology (Fall 2001 - TA for David Konstan - 2 sections of 25-30 students each)
	"He was very good at prompting us and then letting us discuss the material... He was very knowledgeable and was able to answer all of our questions about the texts. He also asked thought-provoking questions during section to facilitate the discussion. He was specifically encouraging to me, because I don't like to talk much in class. He wrote encouraging notes on my essays each week and helped me participate more in section."
	"Ben was always helpful and willing to meet with students... This was one of the better sections I had. Ben encouraged discussion but always let students express their own ideas."
	"Ben was great. He did not use the time to force his opinions on the class. Rather, he asked good questions and aided discussion. He was very knowledgeable."
	"This was the best section I've ever had in a humanities class... The TA was very good at facilitating discussion."
	"Ben is a great TA - the discussions were lively and interesting. He would be a good prof. He asks good questions and is understanding of how different all his students were in ability and goals."
	"The TA always posed interesting questions, challenged us and encouraged participation. Written comments on papers were helpful and work was graded fairly."