Themes in the BTA T&L dictionaries
Blue Text Analytics (BTA) consists of two components – The BTA engine and the Explorance dictionaries. The BTA engine uses a combination of dictionaries and powerful algorithms that go far beyond simple keyword matching. The engine utilizes natural language processing methods such as word frequency distribution, pattern recognition, syntax parsing and word segmentation, using our dictionaries developed from over 1.8 million student open-ended course evaluation responses. This article explains how BTA uses the Explorance dictionaries to categorize student feedback for further analysis.
Explorance, in cooperation with Provalis Research, has developed dictionaries specifically designed for our higher-education customers. Linguists and domain experts examined over 1.8 million qualitative comments to define the dictionary categories and themes in the teaching and learning domain.
- The 1.8 million comments used to build the BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary amounted to 35 million words.
- Analysis revealed 78,000 unique words, 46,000 of which were unknown. Detailed analysis revealed 35,000 unknown words were caused by misspellings while the remaining 11,000 unknown words were proper nouns and acronyms.
- At the end of the dictionary development, we identified 10,323 keywords including more than 4000 common misspellings to include in the dictionaries. By analyzing keywords based on proximity, frequency and co-occurrence, those 10,323 keywords relevant to higher-education course evaluation improvement feedback were grouped together into approximately 115 themes.
Currently, there are four Explorance dictionaries available for use in analyzing students' course evaluation feedback comments:
- BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary - American English
- BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary - British English
- Sentiments Dictionary - American English
- Sentiments Dictionary - British English
The American and British versions of the dictionary will process comments in exactly the same way, but the American dictionary uses American spellings for the themes displayed in reports and the British version uses British spellings for the themes.
The BTA engine categorizes student open-ended responses, using the following text processing methods combined with a dictionary:
- Text Pre-processing - During text pre-processing common prefixes and suffixes are removed and words are decomposed into 3, 4, or 5 character sequences.
- Substitution Processing - Words are transformed into present tense singular forms ("writing" to "write"), common misspellings are corrected ("consistant" to "consistent") and word derivatives are replaced with the root word ("advantageous" to "advantage").
- Exclusion Processing - Common words like "the", "and", "very" and "really" are removed.
- Categorization Processing - Specific words or phrases are replaced to simplify classification ("bad", "boring", "unpleasant" may all be replaced with "negative").
- Relevance Processing - Finally overused and underused words are eliminated.
Through rigorous efforts by linguists and domain experts, we have created the dictionaries that bring relevant domain knowledge and business intelligence to the BTA engine ensuring that the true meaning of learners’ qualitative feedback is properly categorized. Contact your Explorance account manager to learn more about licensing and availability.
BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary
Soliciting qualitative feedback can yield valuable insights, but even for the most narrowly defined questions the responses can cover a wide range of topics. The BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary has been designed to categorize qualitative responses from higher education students to any of over 100 themes in the current dictionary.
BEST PRACTICE
The suitable open-ended questions to be analyzed using the BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary are related to improving the teaching and learning experience.
BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary Categories
Themes within the BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary are composed of related keywords, their variations, misspellings, etc. A theme is a collection of words and expressions that convey the same meaning. These themes are grouped into three top-level categories:
Attributes - T&L
The category Attributes - T&L is used to identify the students' learning experience, as expressed in their comments. Themes are further categorized into positive, negative, neutral, and ambiguous subcategories:
- Positive Attributes - includes themes like engaging that are generally viewed as positive.
- Negative Attributes - includes themes like disrespectful that are generally viewed as negative.
- Neutral Attributes - includes themes like fine or adequate that are viewed as neither positive or negative.
- Ambiguous Attributes - themes found in this subcategory cannot be easily disambiguated by the Text Analytics engine. Challenging and complex are themes that may end up in this subcategory.
Elements Mentioned
The category Elements Mentioned is used to identify the themes such as professors, guest lecturers, group projects, office hours, textbooks, exams and grading, that are discussed in feedback provided by students.
Possible Alerts
The category Possible Alerts is used to identify themes (such as suicide, mental illness, and weapons) or discrimination (such as sexism and racism) that are expressed in student comments.
IMPORTANT
Due the potential risks, a high number of false positives are likely and expected in the Possible Alerts category, yet at the same time Text Analytics cannot be expected to capture all comments that may concern the health and safety of the staff and/or students. Administrators may want to be alerted to these alerts and proactively investigate to address them, according to an institution’s policies and procedures.
Attributes - T&L
Attributes - T&L are to identify student learning experiences, as expressed in their comments. They are further categorized into positive, negative, neutral, and ambiguous subcategories. The current BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary identifies 54 T&L Attributes.
Positive Attributes
A subcategory within the Attributes - T&L category, themes within are intended to identify the good traits of a teacher or a course that were mentioned in individual student comments. There are 28 common themes identified as Positive Attributes in the BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary.
BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary - Positive Attributes Definitions
| Themes | Definition | Example Keywords | Focus | Example Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate (inaccurate) | Correct in details | Accurate, precise | instructor, materials, textbook | The syllabus was always accurate. The instructor gave clear, precise instruction. |
| Approachable (unapproachable) | Easy to meet or converse with. | approachable, easy to talk to, good-natured, is open to, open minded, relaxed | behavior of instructor and/or staff. ability to access instructor and/or staff. | The TA was easy to talk to. The instructor was approachable to ask questions. |
| Available (unavailable) | Not busy or otherwise committed. Ready to help. | accessible, always around, always available | behavior of instructor and/or staff. ability to access instructor and/or staff, easy access to classroom resources | She was always around and willing to help me out with any questions I had. The lecture notes were always available online to help doing assignments. |
| Clear (unclear) | Readily apparent. Free from doubt. | accurate, clear, exact, explicit, precise, straightforward | explanation of material, delivery of material by instructor. nature of material delivered by instructor. student's ability to intake material. | I found her lectures to be straightforward. The instructor’s delivery of the lecture was clear |
| Comprehensive (superficial) | Including all or everything. Broad in scope. | complete, comprehensive, detailed, exhaustive, extensive, great depth, thorough | depth of coverage of material, lectures, exams, etc. | The course lectures were extremely detailed and provided great coverage of the topics. He delivered a very comprehensive overview of every aspect of a topic. |
| Dedicated | Devoted to a cause or purpose. | Committed, dedicated, devoted | personal characteristics of the instructor. student's personal feelings towards the course or instructor. | I found her a really attentive and a dedicated Lecturer. We learned from a very dedicated lecturer who knows what student must learn. |
| Easy (difficult) | Posing no difficulty. Requiring little effort. | easy, effortless, manageable, simple, smooth | nature of the material or course. can broadly refer to the entire course or more specific assignments, projects, etc. | The homework was pretty manageable. Even the final project was smooth going. The lecture slides were easy to follow |
| Engaging (not_engaging) | Attracting or appealing. Able to hold attention. | appealing, captivating, eloquent, communicative, enchanting, grabs your attention, keen, motivated, motivating | instructor or materials | When the teacher got really interested in a topic he gave some captivating lectures. |
| Enjoyable (stressful) | Affording satisfaction or pleasure. | agreeable, appreciate, delightful, enjoyed, entertained, entertaining, gratifying, a pleasure, impressive, pleasant, satisfied | instructor or materials. | I enjoyed having him as my teacher. Both of the lecturers made content fun and easy to understand. |
| Enthusiastic | Having or showing great excitement and interest. | ardent, committed, eager, enthusiastic, exuberant, fervor, passionate | personal characteristics of the instructor. student's personal feelings towards the course. | The teacher was so enthusiastic about some of the topics that I couldn't help but enjoy myself. The tutor was passionate about the course which was shown through her teaching style. |
| Experienced | Having knowledge or skill in a particular field | Experienced, years of experience, real life experience | relates to the knowledge and comfort level the instructor has regarding the material being taught. | It was cool to have the guest speakers who are experienced in different topics. Lecturers were experienced professionals with an actual background in their specific fields. |
| Fair (unfair) | Free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception. Not excessive or extreme. | equitable, fair, good faith, impartial, integrity, is honest, objective, principled, unbiased | characteristics of the instructor. opinions about the course material, exams, volume of work, etc. | She always graded assignments with an impartial eye. |
| Funny/Entertaining (disrespectful/rude) | Agreeably diverting. Provoking laughter | amusing, cheerful, comical, entertaining, fun, hilarious, jokes, laughs, playful | the delivery style of the instructor or the course material. | She always had entertaining stories to tell. Humorous lecturer creates the happy atmosphere for every lecture |
| Helpful/Supportive | Providing assistance or serving a useful function. Providing support. | accommodating, constructive, encouraging, assists, cooperative, facilitates, flexible, fosters, great assistance, help was always there, willing to help, helpful, patient, provides assistance, reinforces, supportive | characteristics of the instructor. opinions about the course material. | The instructor was encouraging throughout the term and always assisted me when I was having problems. |
| High_Quality (Poor_quality) | Superior performance | of a high caliber, good quality, quality of instruction was great/good | instructor or materials. | The textbook was pretty good quality and covered all the important topics. |
| Important (not worthwhile) | Of great significance or value. | crucial, essential, important, indispensable, important, | the value of the course material, including lectures, reading, exams, etc. | Reading the textbook was crucial if you wanted to have any chance of doing well on the exam. |
| Instructive/Informative | Serving to instruct or enlighten or inform. Increasing knowledge or dissipating ignorance. | added to my knowledge, educational, enlightening, informative, instructive, learned a lot | instructor or materials. outcomes of the course. | The lectures were informative. I learned a lot. |
| Interesting (boring) | Excite the curiosity of; engage the interest of. Be of importance or consequence. | absorbing, exciting, fascinating, interesting, inspiring, riveting, stimulating | instructor or materials. feelings and actions/outcomes. | The case studies were fascinating. They brought up some really intriguing concepts. |
| Knowledgeable (lacking_knowledge) | Highly educated. Having extensive information or understanding. Thoroughly acquainted through study or experience. | accomplished, articulate, brilliant, bright, clever, competent, cultivated, experienced, expert, intelligent, professional, savvy, sharp, skilful, smart, specialist, well-versed, wise | instructor's ability to teach or knowledge of the subject. | The professor is a brilliant researcher in this subject. |
| Organized (disorganized) | Methodical and efficient in arrangement or function. | concise, coordinated, good structure, methodical, orderly, organized, structured, systematic, well-structured | instructor's approach to teaching or explanation of the subject matter. the student's need to be efficient and organized. | The instructor was very methodical, he always worked from very simple concepts gradually building up to complex ones. |
| Pleasant/Safe (unpleasant) | Considerate and helpful nature. Agreeable. | adorable, affable, amiable, authentic, caring, considerate, cordial, courteous, friendly, genuine, jovial, good manners, easy going, kind, likeable, polite, sweet, well mannered | personality of instructor. not self or classmates. | The teacher was considerate to my needs when I was struggling in the middle of the term. I felt comfortable speaking up. |
| Professional | Competent or skillful | Professional, professionalism | instructor | this is the true and a professional way to teach students. The guest lecturer showed practical experience as a professional |
| Relevant | Having a bearing on or connection with the subject at issue. | Relevant, pertinent, applicable, germane Relevant, pertinent, applicable,germane | materials, course | Topics were not only interesting but also relevant to students. |
| Responsive | Readily reacting or replying to people or events. | answer my questions, quick to reply, happy to answer, open to questions, receptive, responds to emails, responsive, very prompt, very timely | behavior of instructor. actions of instructor. not behavior of classmates or self. | No matter how many questions I asked, the teacher was always happy to answer me. |
| Right amount | What was provided was the correct amount. | Did not overload, sufficient, good amount, no overload, not too little, not too much, not too many, reasonable amount | course work | The reading is always a reasonable amount |
| Well Delivered (Poorly delivered) | Expressed readily, clearly, effectively. | good at teaching, instructed well, made sense, taught well, well presented, well delivered | course material and delivery style of instructor. | The teacher's examples he used during his lectures really made sense to me. A lot of content to cover in a short time but delivered well |
| Worthwhile (not worthwhile) | Worth the effort. | beneficial, invaluable, rewarding, useful, valuable, worthwhile, worthy beneficial, invaluable, rewarding, useful, valuable, worthwhile, worthy | course | Every minute of every class was packed with learning. I learned so much. |
| Unspecific favorable | Used to capture sentiments that are positive but do not have enough information to qualify for another teaching and learning attribute | Awesome, adored, amazing, cool, appreciated, fantastic, outstanding | any | "AWESOME", "AMAZING", "BEST INSTRUCTOR EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!", "This instructor is absolutely amazing and deserves a raise." |
Negative Attributes
A subcategory within the Attributes - T&L category, themes within are intended to identify the less than appealing traits of a teacher or a course that were mentioned in individual student comments. There are 20 common themes identified as Negative Attributes in the BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary.
BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary - Negative Attributes Definitions
| Themes | Definition | Example Keywords | Focus | Example Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boring (interesting) | Lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness. | Boring, depressing, doze, drowsy, dry, dull, fell asleep, flat, humdrum, irksome, lethargic, mundane, soporific, tedious, uninteresting, yawn | instructor or material. Feelings and actions about the course. | What a dull teacher. The class is so boring, the lectures made students feel sleepy. On the plus side my insomnia is much better. |
| Difficult (easy) | Not easy to hear or see clearly, not easy to get along with, hard to deal with. | Arduous, complex, complicated, cumbersome, daunting, difficult, hard, heavy intense, intricate, laborious, not absorb, onerous, perplexed, rambling, struggled, tough, unbearable | instructor, focused on difficult as a negative trait (does not include challenging items which are classified as ambiguous because it can be positive or negative, depending on the context, and thus we recommend the visual, human investigation.) | It was difficult to hear the instructor from the back of the classroom, he should really speak up more. |
| Disorganized (organized) | Lacking order or methodical arrangement or function. | all over the place, chaotic, cluttered, confused, contradictory, disarray, fumbled, illogical, incoherent, inconsistent, ill-prepared, messy, mishmash, muddle, scatterbrained | instructor's approach to teaching or explanation of the subject matter. student's inefficiency in completing the course. | The professor is a little scatterbrained, he was all over the place. |
| Disrespectful/Rude (funny/entertaining) | Exhibiting lack of respect. Rude and discourteous. | abrupt, abusive, authoritarian, asshole, bitch, bully, contempt, cynical, degrading, demean, derogatory, disdain, disrespectful, flippant, grumpy, humiliating, hurtful, impolite, inconsiderate, insulting, irreverent, is mean, mock, not polite, not nice, offending, patronizing, rude, sarcasm, snippy, turgid, vicious | personality of the instructor. | Dude is seriously grumpy. Needs a girlfriend or something. |
| Expensive | Useless or profitless activity. Using or expending or consuming thoughtlessly. | a lot of money, costly, expensive, overpriced, pricy, waste of money | instructor or material. outcomes or descriptions. | New revision of the textbook is way overpriced. |
| Inaccurate | Incorrect, wrong, providing false or misleading information. | Not accurate, inaccurate, not so accurate | material provided for the course or statements made by the instructor. | The syllabus was not always accurate. The online tasks were often not accurate. |
| Lacking_Knowledge (knowledgeable) | Lacking intellectual acuity. | amateur, dumb, idiotic, ignorant, ill-qualified, imbecile, incompetent, incapable, ineffective, inefficient, inept, inexperienced, nitwit, not able to teach, not bright, not capable, not qualified, not professional, not savvy, not smart, stupid, unable to answer, unskilled, unprofessional, unfit, unprofessionalism, unsuitable | instructor's approach to teaching or explanation of the subject matter. | The TA was kind of a nitwit. I knew more than she did. |
| Not_Engaging (engaging) | Unappealing or unattractive demotivating. | daft, dense, dim, disconnected, disengaged, does not stimulate, fail to engage, hardly lively, insipid, lacks excitement, lack of passing, lose interest, lost interest, not eager, no passion, not excited, not fun, not stimulating, no enthusiasm, sluggish, too slow, wearisome | instructor or material specifically with respect to presentation. outcomes or descriptions. | The teacher completely disconnected during his lectures and would drone on and on without any concern for the students. |
| Not Worthwhile (important/relevant) | Lacking in usefulness or value. | antiquated, complete waste, did not seem useful, garbage, hardly worth, inapplicable, inappropriate, insignificant, irrelevant, junk, laughable, ludicrous, a farce, nonsense, not applicable, not beneficial, not important, not relevant, not useful, not worth, obsolete, pointless, rubbish, trivial, unhelpful, unnecessary, useless, valueless, waste of time, worthless, zero relevance | the value of the course material, including lectures, reading or exams. | Total rubbish. I can't believe that was supposed to be a sophomore level course. |
| Poorly delivered (well_delivered) | Lacked proper skills to deliver engaging course material in an engaging manner. | Badly delivered, executed horribly, goes off on tangent, isn’t good at teaching, too fast paced, yelling, too much memorization, parrot, endlessly regurgitating, rehashed, repetitive | the delivery style of the instructor. | Lectures were rushed. the poor delivery of the course content. Lectures just rehashed what was in the book. |
| Poor_Quality (high_quality) | Undesirable or negative in quality. | horrible, awful, awkward, dreadful, bullshit, horrible, poor, sucked, terrible | instructor or course. | The paper given as a reading assignment really sucked. It’s from like 1972. |
| Stressful (enjoyable) | Extremely irritating to the nerves. Nerve-wracking. | burdensome, distressed, lots of pressure, much pressure, strain, stress, stressful, tension | course material, exams. reaction to the instructor pressuring students. | Exams were way stressful since they consisted of the entirety of our grade. |
| Superficial (comprehensive) | Concerned with or comprehending only what is apparent or obvious. Not deep or penetrating intellectually. | didn't learn a lot, lack of depth, lacked depth, not as detailed, not comprehensive, scratched the surface, superficial | a lack of depth of coverage of the material. | Seems like the course barely scratched the surface. I thought we would go more in depth with topics. |
| Too much or too little | An improper amount of time spent on topics throughout the course. | Excessive amount, insufficient amount, never good enough, overwhelm, so little, need more | the time allotted to a topic by the instructor. | The lack of class time spent on solving these types of problems made it a struggle to gain a solid grasp on information |
| Unapproachable (approachable) | Discouraging interaction or reserved. | aloof, chilly, detached, didn't care, distant, frigid, haughty, heartless, indifferent, intimidating, not easy to talk, overbearing, standoffish, stuck up, taciturn, too formal, unapproachable, unresponsive, unsympathetic | behavior of instructor. ability to access instructor. | What a heartless dude. He wouldn't budge an inch. |
| Unavailable (available) | Not available or accessible or nearby for consultation or access. | few hours available, inaccessible, never available, lack of assistance, not accessible, not available, no office hours, never at office hours, not easily reachable, unavailable, unreachable, zero assistance | behavior of instructor. ability to access instructor. | Never once saw him in his office during office hours. |
| Unclear (clear) | Poorly stated or described. Not clear to the mind. | ambiguity, ambiguous, baffled, confusing, bewildered, blur, cryptic, enigmatic, vague, foggy, fuzzy, hazy, illegible, imprecise, in the dark, incomprehensible, inconsistent, lack of clarity, lost, muddy, not detailed, not explicit, obscure, opaque, puzzled, unclear, not well described | explanation of material. delivery of information or nature of material delivered by instructor. | His explanations were incomprehensible most of the time. |
| Unfair (fair) | Not fair. Marked by injustice or partiality or deception. | arbitrary, bias, discriminated, unfair, dishonest, favoritism, hypocritical, inequity, injustice, is partial, lack of honesty, one-sided, partisan, played favorite, prejudice, showed favorites, tricky, unethical, unequal, unfair, unjust, unwarranted | the characteristics of the instructor. opinions about course material, exams, volume of work. | She's got something against guys and definitely played favorites. |
| Unhelpful/unsupportive (Helpful/supportive) | Assistance provided to solve a problem was not appropriate and did not improve the situation. | No help, irrelevant, not supportive, hardly helped, lack support No help, irrelevant, not supportive, hardly helped, lack support | the ability of the instructor to respond to issues encountered by the students. | teachers aren't supportive enough to students like myself who work full time or in rural areas. |
| Unpleasant/unsafe (Pleasant/safe) | Lacking kindness. Offensive or disagreeable. Causing discomfort or unhappiness. | abrasive, affront, aggressive, antagonism, arrogant, bad attitude, belittling, big ego, brutal, condescending, cruel, disagreeable, disgust, ego-driven, get over himself, harsh, hatred, horrid, hostile, impatient, judgmental, nasty, not nice, not caring, not kind, not friendly, obnoxious, offensive, outrageous, patronizing, pompous, presumptuous, pretentious, repulsive, rudely, shocking, sour, tasteless, threatening, too strict, unpleasant, verbal abuse, make me feel stupid | personality of instructor. | He's a repulsive, arrogant SOB. TA explains in a way that would make students feel stupid |
| Unresponsive | Does not respond to external stimuli. | Not prompt, didn’t answer, fails to respond, no answer, rarely respond | the ability of the instructor to respond to students | Very disappointed in the lack of response regarding the TA and lack of the school addressing the issue of the TA |
| Unspecific unfavorable | Used to capture sentiments that are negative but do not have enough information to qualify for another teaching and learning attribute | Absurd, appalling, awkward, bad, disappointing, disliked, not nice, wasn’t fantastic | attributes of the course or instructor | "It was absurd.", "Appalling bad and terrible, the worst ever.", "Depressing." |
Neutral Attributes
A subcategory within the Attributes - T&L category, themes within are intended to identify feedback that is neither positive nor negative but is simply neutral. Only one theme is provided to capture neutral comments. It is expected that the majority of the comments will be more appropriately placed in a positive or negative theme.
BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary - Neutral Attributes Definitions
| Themes | Definition | Example Keywords | Focus | Example Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral | Not having any markedly negative or positive characteristics or features | cant improve, no complaints, keep as is, nothing to recommend, wouldn't change a thing | materials, instructor, resources | The class was fine, I have no complaints about it. |
Ambiguous T&L Attributes
A subcategory within the Attributes - T&L category, themes within cannot be identified as either positive or negative due to the nuance of language. Comments classified in ambiguous themes should be examined manually to determine their true meaning.
BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary - Ambiguous Attributes Definitions
| Themes | Definition | Example Keywords | Focus | Example Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Challenging | Higher level of difficulty that is difficult to master, advanced concepts to fully grasp. Intellectually demanding, invitingly provocative | Challenging, challenging enough | material or coursework | Challenging and interesting class: I learned the most from him this semester. |
| Complex | Complicated with many details. | Complex, difficult concept, difficult materials, complexity | material or coursework | It is a really good way to learn a difficult material. |
Elements Mentioned
This category identifies elements mentioned such as professors, guest lecturers, group projects, office hours, textbooks, exams and grading, in student comments. There are six subcategories under the Elements Mentioned Category – Comprehension, Course Elements, Interactions, Learning Atmosphere, Persons, Placement, and Teaching Methods. The current BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary covers the 41 Elements mentioned.
Comprehension
Comprehension is a subcategory within the Elements Mentioned category. It hones in on comprehension related elements
BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary – Elements Mentioned - Comprehension Theme Definition
| Themes | Definition | Example Keywords | Focus | Example Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehension | Understanding of new material. | Comprehension, Understanding, familiarity, knowledge, insight, fully grasp | Students | Tests look for actual comprehension not memorization of definitions. |
Course Elements
Course Elements is a subcategory within the Elements Mentioned category. Course Elements hone in on particular aspects of a course mentioned in students’ qualitative feedback.
BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary – Elements Mentioned – Course Elements Theme Definitions
| Themes | Definition | Example Keywords | Focus | Example Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessments/Grading | A series of items used to judge the understanding of a subject. | Grade, marks, rubrics, method of evaluation, points, appraisal, assessment, evaluation, rating, marking criteria | instructor | An official assignment task sheet with marking criteria was of helpful. a clear grading scheme might be useful. |
| Assignments/Exams | Coursework and evaluations that contribute to the students grade. | Final exam, mid-semester exam, homework, assignment, quizzes, | materials | The assignments were sometimes giving unclear instructions. The professor provided us exam tips |
| Assistance | Help or support. The act of helping someone. | advice, help, guidance, support, extra assistance | materials, instructor, resources | She was always willing to help out if I had a problem. |
| Attendance | The act of being present at a place. | absent, attending, show up to lectures, stopped attending | students or instructor | I feel sorry for the instructor. I know the class covered some pretty boring material, but by the end hardly any students were showing up. |
| Classes | A course of instruction. | class, class atmosphere, lecture room, class environment | physical aspects of the classroom | The class was always freezing Monday morning. |
| Concepts/Topics | Information and ideas related to the same thing. | Concept, notion, topic, idea, terms, theme, subject, research | course | I learned a lot about a topic I did not previously know anything about. The class covered lots of really important topics. I thought that this course was very interesting, especially for being a course on research methods. |
| Content | Add definition | Content, learning materials, information, lecture materials | course, materials | Provide more comprehensive learning materials. online links to access materials in discussions and homework. |
| Course/Subject | A number of lectures or other matter dealing with a subject. | Course, subject, module, unit, paper, upper year course | course structure | A bit basic for a 400 level course. I thought it was pretty much a repeat of ACC 315. |
| Discussion | Talking about something with a group of people. | discussion, debates, class discussion | student or instructor | We ended up having some great discussions in class. The students really got into some of the debates. |
| Examples | Real-world data provided by the instructor. | Examples | materials, instructor | The worksheets in class did help but the students need more examples before given the worksheet |
| Expectations / Objectives | Goals or outcomes desired and planned for/on. | Achievement, expectation, completion, learning objectives, learning outcomes, goals, intention | course, instructor | the assigned reading did not match up with the learning objectives. The instructor set really clear objectives for the class on the first day. |
| Explanations | Detailed information provided by the instructor in reference to a question. | Clarification, explanation, | instructor | He does not explain things. She always explain things in tutorial very thoroughly |
| Feedback | Comments provided by the instructor based on the performance of the student. | Assessment feedback, assignment feedback, comments, feedback, exam feedback, constructive criticism | instructor | Feedback provided was not timely |
| Field trips | Traveling places outside the classroom to facilitate learning. | Class trip, excursion, field visits, field trip | course, instructor | Provide more field trips for students |
| Group projects | Course work that must be completed as part of a team of students. | Group activities, group cases, group research, group study, group work, group project, team projects, team work, work in teams | students, course, instructor | Provide the criteria for group projects. She need to explain more about group projects. Group projects makes the course fun. |
| In-Class_Work | Assignments and other activities intended to be done during class time. | activities, learning activities, practice, worksheets | course material | Some of the activities we did in class were too easy and we had far too much time to complete them. |
| Instructions | A direction or order. | Guidelines, instructions, indications | materials | Very clear goals and instructions for assignments |
| Labs | Hands-on class where students can apply what they are studying. | experiment, lab, lab work, lab report | course | The lab experiments were awesome. Fire. Fire. Fire! |
| Lectures | An educational talk directed at students. | lectures, lecturing, video lectures | course, instructor | Damn those lectures were long and dry, Professor Ham could drone on for hours. |
| Lesson plans | The way in which the instructor breaks apart the course into manageable chunks. | Curriculum, lesson plan, learning plan, outline, syllabus | materials, instructor | He needs to manage the lesson better. |
| Meetings | More than one person gathering to discuss a topic. | appointments, interviews, met with students | instructor | She was always late whenever I scheduled an appointment with her. Seemed she pretty much had no respect for my time. |
| Notes / Handouts | Materials provided by the instructor to supplement the course learning. | Notes, personal notes, lecture notes, handouts, | materials, instructor | I found it hard to study with the lecture notes. Lecture notes are very clear and provides detailed steps. |
| Office hours | The periods of time when an instructor is available for students in their office. | Instructor office hours, office hours, help hours, TA office hours, virtual office hours | instructor | Dr. D was always available to answer any questions and also virtual office hours were constant which is very helpful. A lot of assistance was made available during the course, including on-campus office hours, virtual office hours, etc. |
| Practical aspects | Elements of the course that relate to actual situations in the real world. | internships, case studies, real world, life situations | course, materials, instructor | I liked all the teachers examples from his past career life. He had some wild adventures. |
| Presentations | Material provided by the instructor to the entire class. | Presentation, class presentation, oral presentation, lecture slides PowerPoint slides | materials, instructor | The professor took time to create a PowerPoint presentation for every class. The instructor asked each student to do a PowerPoint presentation. Most students were not clear in their presentations which made the listeners confused. |
| Questions/Inquires | Inquiries made by the students or the teachers of a class. | inquiry, questions, specific questions | students, instructor, course | The teacher barely knew what he was teaching. He was pretty much unable to answer questions unless it was directly from material in the book. |
| Readings | Text assigned to students covering course topics. | reading, novel, text, textbooks, journal article, chapter | materials | Some of the case studies and articles we had to read for class were incredibly dull and out of date. |
| Skills | Ability related to a specific subject. | practice our skills, techniques, strategies, learning skills | students, course | We had lots of opportunity to practice our skills. |
| Technology | Various resources used by students and teachers. | blackboard, emails, Facebook, Youtube, podcast, television, video, feedback from mic, chalk board, white board, desk, etc., computer, laptop, printer, software, lights | course, materials, instructor | The projector sucked it was almost unreadable. |
| Textbook | The book or books that covers the course topics in the course. | manuals, textbook, book | materials | We barely touched the textbook and it cost $150 bucks. |
| Tutorials & Workshops | Shorter one off classes or study periods | Tutorials, workshops | materials, instructor, course | She makes me look forward to tutorials every week. Workshop style is good, as it allows the subject to be delved into deeply so that we can have a better understanding. |
Interactions
A subcategory within the Elements Mentioned category.
BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary – Elements Mentioned – Interactions Theme Definition
| Themes | Definition | Example Keywords | Focus | Example Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interactions | Reciprocal action or influence. | communication, interaction, activity, discussion, interaction styles | instructor, students | Classes were always very interactive and lively. Her style of teaching and my style of learning suits quite well. |
Learning Atmosphere
A subcategory within the Elements Mentioned category.
BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary – Elements Mentioned – Learning Atmosphere Theme Definition
| Themes | Definition | Example Keywords | Focus | Example Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learning atmosphere | The pervading tone or mood where students are learning. | Atmosphere, class atmosphere, class environment, learning environment, | instructor, students, facilities | He created an excellent learning environment. Amazing atmosphere for learning and teamwork |
Persons
A subcategory within the Elements Mentioned category. Themes within the Persons subcategory attempt to identify the subject mentioned in a comment when the subject is an actual person or a particular role.
BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary - Elements Mentioned - Persons Theme Definitions
| Themes | Definition | Example Keywords | Focus | Example Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advisors/Counselors | A person trained to give guidance. | counselor, supervisor, adviser | advisers not involved in the daily teaching of the course | My adviser had me drop this course. |
| Guest Lecturers | A person who does not normally teach or attend the course that has been asked to present a topic during one class. | Guest lecturer, guest professor, guest speaker | special experts that may present during a class | I think that having so many guest lecturers is lazy on the lecturer’s part. |
| Professors/Instructors | The teacher of the course. | instructor, instructors, tutorial instructor, professor, scholar, teacher, prof, doctor | instructor | The prof was all over the place zipping from one topic to the next. I could barely keep up. |
| Students | A person who is studying and is enrolled in the course. | I, we, us, as a student, myself, classmates, students, undergrad, peers, fellows | the person providing the feedback and the people participating in the learning experience. | I didn't study very much, but still excelled. |
| Teaching Assistants/Tutors | A person who's job it is to assist the primary teacher with administrative duties like grading exams | TA, teaching assistants, tutor, Lab TA, Teacher assistant, tutorial instructor | people employed by the instructor | Teaching assistant came prepared to every discussion. I suggest having a teaching assistant who knows more about the software and could help more. |
Possible Alerts
Possible alerts are included to capture feedback that refers to possible health-and-safety issues that a school official may want to review manually and address on a case by case basis.
IMPORTANT
Due the potential risks, a high number of false positives are likely and expected in the Possible Alerts category, yet at the same time Text Analytics cannot be expected to capture all comments that may concern the health and safety of the staff and/or students. Administrators may want to be alerted to these alerts and proactively investigate to address them, according to an institution’s policies and procedures.
There are two subcategories under the Possible Alerts Category – Possible Health & Safety Issues and Possible Discrimination.
Possible Health & Safety Issues
BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary – Possible Alerts - Possible Health & Safety Issues Theme Definitions
| Themes | Definition | Example Keywords | Focus | Example Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aggression | Violent or intimidating behavior or actions. | murder, homicidal, harm, killing, deadly, slaughter, terrorist | any mention | You’re a terrorist, that’s why I am doing this to you. |
| Alcohol | Any drink containing fermented sugars such as beer or wine. | Alcohol, beer, booze, boozing, tipsy | any mention | The instructor drinking alcohol during his recorded lectures, recorded on campus- this is disgusting and should be stopped! He turned up late, and smelled of alcohol. |
| Drugs | An illicit substance that has an effect on the body or mind when ingested. | acid, hashish, LSD, marijuana, cocaine, cannabis, drug, heroin, pothead | any mention | I felt like I was having acid flashbacks the whole course. |
| Mental Illness | A wide range of mental health disorders that may affect your mood, behavior, or thinking. | crazy, delusion, insane, psychosis | any mention | Dude he's insane. |
| Sexual | Relating to physical attraction or intimate contact between two or more individuals. | sexism, macho, sexist, aroused, sex, seduce, penetration | any mention | That blonde TA was mighty fine to look at. |
| Suicide | Intentionally killing oneself. | kill myself, suicidal | any mention | If you fail me I'm gonna kill myself. |
| Threats & Bullying | Actions whether physical, verbal, or virtual that may intimidate someone | bully, menace, threat, fulmination | any mention | I wasn't very happy with the way the teacher bullied us into changing our opinions. |
| Weapons | Items that can be used to harm persons or property. | gun, knife, shoot, explosives | any mention | If he keeps mouthing off he's gonna get shot. |
Possible Discrimination
BTA Teaching and Learning Dictionary – Possible Alerts - Possible Discrimination Theme Definitions
| Themes | Definition | Example Keywords | Focus | Example Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender Sexual orientation | prejudice against someone because of their sexual identity | Anti-gay, homophone, lesbo, queer | any mention | I had anxiety going into his classroom because I was nervous he might spew more of his homophobic ideals to the class. |
| Racism | prejudice against someone of a different race | Anti semite, antiblack, bigot, racist, | any mention | Myself and my colleague were rather offended at this blatant racist remark. I am scared of her: She is also racist. I found people in this University to be incredibly sexist and racist. |
| Sexism | prejudice against someone on the basis of their sex | Macho, bitch, sexist | any mention | I found people in this University to be incredibly sexist and racist. He needs to stop making sexist comments |
Reports in Blue Text Analytics can be set up to analyze student comments by one or more categories.
Sentiments Dictionary
Reading the underlying subtext of a comment to determine how a respondent feels about a particular topic comes naturally to many readers but poses an incredibly difficult challenge for most automated systems. The Sentiments Dictionary contains just two categories:
- Positive
- Negative
The Blue Text Analytics engine harnesses the Sentiments Dictionary to quickly discern whether feedback reflects a generally positive opinion or generally negative opinion regarding the improvement-related open ended question being asked.
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