Course: Sensory Brain Date: August 2, 2024 Instructor: Stephanie Lahmamsi Teaching Assistant: Tatiana Carter - Overall Performance Throughout this course, you demonstrated an admirable dedication towards comprehending new concepts, significant growth in lab skills and were able to collaborate effectively with your peers. - Content Proficiency Your understanding of course concepts increased over time as did your note-taking skills. This was especially evident at the end of the second week, during our study of the ear. You were more actively involved in the notetaking and asked, “why does the cochlea need to be shaped like a snail?” This increased attention to detail was evident in the creation of your children’s book project, “Journey of Sound to the Brain.” You made a diligent effort to clearly outline and diagram the steps in the auditory process. - Laboratory Skills You demonstrated a willingness to engage in lab activities, but struggled with following directions at the beginning, which impacted your data collection. In the two-point discrimination lab, for example, an incorrect sequence of steps affected the outcome of your experiments and required you to repeat the trials. During the optics lab stations, you initially confused convex and concave lens properties, skewing your data analysis. However, by the end of the second week, in time for the smell and taste investigation, you showed significant improvement in your ability to read and follow directions, and also in accurate data collection; your data tables were complete and clearly labeled. Additionally, you were actively involved in the eye dissection and could accurately identify the major structures of the cow eye: cornea, lens, retina, and vitreous humor. - Collaboration and Participation You began the session as a reluctant participant in class discussions, seldom contributing positively to group work, but by the second week, you began to demonstrate increased confidence in your abilities and took a more active role in group projects, as evidenced by your role in the presentation on the extraordinary senses of animals. You were able to clearly explain the topic on your own. Also, your group model on skin structure included greater detail than models at the course's beginning. By the end of the session, your assignments were more complete, and you made the effort to ask questions to clarify understanding. - Suggestions and Recommendations To continue improving, focus on enhancing your time management skills and attending to the details of assignments. Your progress over the three weeks was notable, and these efforts will benefit you not only in neuroscience but across all areas of study. Jin, it was a pleasure having you in class. Tatiana and I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.