Student Evaluations
English 352: Poetry Writing I (Spring 2016)
“Alyse was clear, concise, creative, personable, and very fair. I learned a lot, grew as a writer, and made more great friends through workshop.”
“Always available and willing to go above and beyond for her students. Explained our coursework with detail, making sure that we were all on the same page. Fantastic teacher!”
“I liked how Alyse completed all of the assignments she expected us to do (readings, workshop responses).”
“Alyse has a great knowledge of poetry and she really wanted students to find their own love for it.”
English 220: Introduction to Creative Writing (Spring 2017)
"I really liked how willing she was to help us. It was a comfortable environment for new writers. I liked the visiting writers and having to go to readings. The journals helped me stay on track with writing."
"[The course] was very flexible. It was helpful not being constrained to one genre at a time. The workshops helped me improve my writing and helped me critique my peers' pieces."
"The instructor had a strong interest in the subject matter of the course and made each class interesting with an unparalleled excitement for the course."
English 210: Introduction to Poetry Online (Summer 2016, Fall 2016)
“The course was challenging and rewarding. The assignments required me to immediately what I had learned in a way that dramatically enhanced my understanding of course material.”
“She did a really good job of leaving comments with every assignment and project that were helpful.”
"This course was incredibly different than any other course I have taken. And that is what makes it great. The amount of work is fair and enjoyable for such a short course. I was able to gain a new appreciation and understanding of poetry and how to go about analyzing it. The instructor is wonderful. She is quick with responses to emails and her announcements that serve as reminders are great. It is easy to keep up with the class and all its requirements."
"The teacher was extremely communicative and graded papers in a timely manner. She offered great and helpful comments. She was always available and responded to emails quickly."
English 102: Critical Reading and Writing (Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015)
“I like how she was always there for office hours, and she was very helpful when writing assignments. The in-class readings and assignments were well planned. I also like the feedback she would give on papers.”
“I liked this course because there were four writing assignments that were all different and touched on different writing processes. The instructor always clearly stated the assignment and explained them thoroughly. She also was always helpful whenever I needed it.”
“This course helped me improve my writing skills. The instructor was very good at providing feedback on my first drafts in order for me to improve later drafts.”
“Prior to taking this course, whenever I would have to write a paper I wouldn’t work on it for more than four hours. This course made me realize that to properly write a paper I must work on it as much as possible, revise as much as possible, proofread, and peer review. Alyse did a great job at interacting with the class. She is a people person, and she obviously knows the material. She was always willing to answer questions.”
“She was always willing to meet with us and really encouraged us to come to office hours. The course was challenging, but not impossible to make good grades. You can tell that she really cares about her students and wants everyone to do well.”
“[She] really let you experiment with writing papers. She was helpful and made class not boring.”
“She is a very helpful and passionate teacher. She is always looking to help her students. The projects are well covered and easy to understand.”
“Alyse was clear, concise, creative, personable, and very fair. I learned a lot, grew as a writer, and made more great friends through workshop.”
“Always available and willing to go above and beyond for her students. Explained our coursework with detail, making sure that we were all on the same page. Fantastic teacher!”
“I liked how Alyse completed all of the assignments she expected us to do (readings, workshop responses).”
“Alyse has a great knowledge of poetry and she really wanted students to find their own love for it.”
English 220: Introduction to Creative Writing (Spring 2017)
"I really liked how willing she was to help us. It was a comfortable environment for new writers. I liked the visiting writers and having to go to readings. The journals helped me stay on track with writing."
"[The course] was very flexible. It was helpful not being constrained to one genre at a time. The workshops helped me improve my writing and helped me critique my peers' pieces."
"The instructor had a strong interest in the subject matter of the course and made each class interesting with an unparalleled excitement for the course."
English 210: Introduction to Poetry Online (Summer 2016, Fall 2016)
“The course was challenging and rewarding. The assignments required me to immediately what I had learned in a way that dramatically enhanced my understanding of course material.”
“She did a really good job of leaving comments with every assignment and project that were helpful.”
"This course was incredibly different than any other course I have taken. And that is what makes it great. The amount of work is fair and enjoyable for such a short course. I was able to gain a new appreciation and understanding of poetry and how to go about analyzing it. The instructor is wonderful. She is quick with responses to emails and her announcements that serve as reminders are great. It is easy to keep up with the class and all its requirements."
"The teacher was extremely communicative and graded papers in a timely manner. She offered great and helpful comments. She was always available and responded to emails quickly."
English 102: Critical Reading and Writing (Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015)
“I like how she was always there for office hours, and she was very helpful when writing assignments. The in-class readings and assignments were well planned. I also like the feedback she would give on papers.”
“I liked this course because there were four writing assignments that were all different and touched on different writing processes. The instructor always clearly stated the assignment and explained them thoroughly. She also was always helpful whenever I needed it.”
“This course helped me improve my writing skills. The instructor was very good at providing feedback on my first drafts in order for me to improve later drafts.”
“Prior to taking this course, whenever I would have to write a paper I wouldn’t work on it for more than four hours. This course made me realize that to properly write a paper I must work on it as much as possible, revise as much as possible, proofread, and peer review. Alyse did a great job at interacting with the class. She is a people person, and she obviously knows the material. She was always willing to answer questions.”
“She was always willing to meet with us and really encouraged us to come to office hours. The course was challenging, but not impossible to make good grades. You can tell that she really cares about her students and wants everyone to do well.”
“[She] really let you experiment with writing papers. She was helpful and made class not boring.”
“She is a very helpful and passionate teacher. She is always looking to help her students. The projects are well covered and easy to understand.”
Sample Syllabi and Course Materials
Below are links to syllabi and course schedules for four courses that I have designed and taught at the University of Kansas.
Poetry Writing I Syllabus + Course Schedule |
Introduction to Creative Writing Syllabus + Course Schedule |
Introduction to Poetry (Online) Syllabus + Course Schedule |
Critical Reading and Writing Syllabus + Course Schedule |