David Seaman
L-70: XML in Action: Creating Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) Texts
17–21 July 2013
Detailed Course Evaluation
1) How useful were the pre-course readings? Did you do any additional preparations in advance of the course?
1: I did not actually do all the reading. I tried but could not stay awake for the TEI guidelines. This is easier to grasp hands-on. 2: The pre-course reading was a thorough overview of the lessons to be taught. It was helpful but not mandatory to overall course completion. 3: Brief and fine. A few examples of projects or our letters would have been nice. I’d have liked to have started the transcription earlier (even Monday) and have focused more on mark-up. 4: Yes, the course was introductory and there weren’t too many pre-course readings. For me it was easiest to learn in the classroom. 5: Not really, but they were short and it was somewhat helpful to see XML terminology, even if I didn’t understand it yet. 6: Useful, although I would have liked to see an example of XML and TEI markup earlier and see how it translates. 7: The pre-course readings were very informative and easy to understand. They helped in learning the fundamentals. 8: This course had little pre-course reading, but enough to prepare.
2) Were the course workbook and other materials distributed in class appropriate and useful (or will they be so in the future, after you return home)?
1: I’m really thrilled about the materials we received via flash-drive and will definitely make good use of them. 2: Yes, and I felt DS did a good job handing out information in a method which would not over load the students. 3: Yes, but I think we could have gotten it earlier, either through Dropbox, Wordpress, or Google Docs. 4: Yes, the handouts and workbook were very useful and appropriate. 5: The XML Oxygen Editor we used was useful and fairly user friendly. 6: Very useful. 7: Yes, incredibly useful for future use. 8: Most definitely; they will probably keep me busy for a year and contain all there is to know about TEI.
3) Have you taken one or more RBS courses before? If so, how did this course compare with your previous coursework?
1: No. 2: No. 3: Yes. The topics were very different, so I am unsure of how to compare the two. 4: This is my first course. 5: No. 6: N/A. 7–8: No.
4) What aspects of the course content were of the greatest interest or relevance for your purposes?
1: I enjoyed the mark-up. I wish we had been able to go over style sheets more. I also enjoyed learning about metadata. 2: DS did an excellent job of mixing direct instruction of TEI and XML with talks on project management, grants, funding, background history, and other relevant topics I would not have studied on my own. 3: Hearing about project development (ES planning, grant writing, revisions). Deciding on mark-up choices within an existing project. 4: Actually, everything we went over was relevant for my purposes. 5: Practically the coding itself. 6: Markup itself. 7: The practical application exercises. Examples of project documents were also very helpful. 8: Basics of XML; learning elements, attributes, style sheets. Also, TEI-specific guidelines.
5) Did the instructor(s) successfully help you to acquire the information, knowledge, and skills that the course was intended to convey? Was the intellectual level of the course appropriate?
1: I think I may have come in knowing more than was appropriate for an intro-level course. I felt like we moved a bit slowly on the basic mark-up techniques and could have had time for more hands-on skills. Otherwise, I definitely picked up a lot of great information about archives and project management—and mark-up and documentary editing besides. 2: Yes. 3: Yes. I wish though there was a second class on style sheets and uses of the XML files (GIS, network analysis, maybe?) 4: Yes. DS was very methodical and patient. I feel comfortable taking these skills back to my institution. Yes, intellectual level was appropriate. 5: At times I thought we sacrificed depth for breadth. I think I have learned how much I didn’t know and the resources I can use to help develop my specific project. Overall a decent introduction, but I think we could have moved a bit more quickly. 6: It was challenging but manageable. 7: Absolutely! He was incredible at teaching and explaining tough concepts in simple terms. Very patient and always willing to give examples. 8: Yes, and yes.
6) What did you like best about the course?
1: I loved our projects. Great way to learn these skills! 2: As stated above, DS’s excellent integration of multiple topics. 3: Working within an existing project and actually figuring out how to contribute within its guidelines. 4: Hands-on coding and working on a real project. 5: Correcting each other’s TEI docs. 6: The context for XML and TEI, practicing marking up. 7: Hands-on experience from a highly knowledgeable instructor. 8: Engaging instructor put me at ease.
7) How could the course have been improved?
1: As above, I think I may have come in knowing more than was appropriate for an intro-level course. I felt like we moved a bit slowly on the basic mark-up techniques and could have had time for more hands-on skills. 2: I think it is well structured right now. I think the course balanced the distribution of technical knowledge well. If the course had been more intensive I think it would hurt some students. 3: Have students show their work as we went along. Do the transcriptions earlier. 4: Some technical problems with the projector made the class slow down at times, but there wasn’t really much DS could do about it. 5: Maybe we could have spent more time talking out with the group what our own project needs are, and how they may differ from the example project. 6: I feel that we could have had more time to work quietly on our markup before it was due, without any information being conveyed to us as we worked. 7: It’s a fantastic class, I wish it was offered for a longer time period, or had an advanced or part two session. 8: Perhaps more one-on-one work? Though time was so limited, we’d need another day…
8) Did you learn what the course description/advertisement indicated you would learn? Additional comments optional. Y/N
1–8: Yes.
9) Did you learn what you wanted in the course? Additional comments optional. Y/N
1: Mostly, but I would have liked a faster pace and more on style sheets. 2–4: Yes. 5: For the most part. Again, I was looking for some more depth. 6–8: Yes.
10) How do you intend to use or apply the knowledge or skills learned in this course?
1: Project for digital thesis. Hopefully work one day. 2: I am currently digitizing a collection of published letters. 3: Yes. 4: I plan to use the knowledge and skills to work on a TEI project at work. 5: Directly—to make an edition of a book. 6: I am using TEI for a digital project. 7: Yes. 8: Prepare a digital edition.
11) If your course left its classroom, was the time devoted to this purpose well spent?
1: Yes! 3: I have a grant to build a database in XML (which I can now do) and then display its information in visualizations online (what I need to figure out now). 4: N/A. 5: I personally wasn’t particularly interested in the digitization services trip, but I understand why others in the class were. 6: No—the visit to the digitization lab was not helpful. 7: Plan to take this back to my institution to teach other librarians and use in our future manuscript digitization projects. 8: To digitizing services. Interesting, but felt somewhat like a trip that should have been optional (nonessential).
12) If you attended the evening events (e.g., RBS Lecture, Video Night, RBS Forum, Booksellers’ Night) were they worth attending?
1: Yes! 2: The lecture by Jerome McGann was superb. 3: Yes. 4: Yes, the lectures were fantastic and Booksellers’ Night was fun. 5: Lecture—yes. 6: Yes. 7: N/A. 8: Yes, I attended two and they were.
13) We are always concerned about the physical well-being both of the RBS teaching collections and of materials owned by UVA’s Special Collections. If relevant, what suggestions do you have for the improved classroom handling of such materials used in your course this week?
1–6: N/A. 7: No. 8: N/A—we worked on our personal computers.
14) Did you (or your institution) get your money’s worth? Would you recommend this course to others?
1: Definitely! I just need to keep taking more courses to learn everything I want to learn. So much! 2–3: Yes. 4: Yes to both. 5–6: Yes. 7: Yes, absolutely! Wonderful teacher—wonderful opportunity to learn new skills. 8: Yes, and yes.
15) Any final or summary thoughts, or advice for other persons considering taking this course in a future year? (If you have further praise/concerns, please speak with Amanda Nelsen or Michael Suarez.)
2: Thank you. 3: N/A. 5: DS was really helpful, flexible, and enthusiastic. His ability to handle the diverse needs of the participants was impressive.
Aggregate Statistics
Number of respondents: 8
Leave
Institution gave me leave: 2 (25%)
I took vacation time: 1 (13%)
N/A: self-employed, retired, or had summers off: 5 (62%)
Tuition
Institution paid tuition: 5 (62%)
N/A: self-employed, retired, or scholarship: 3 (38%)
Housing
Institution paid housing: 3 (38%)
N/A: stayed with friends or lived at home: 5 (62%)
Travel
Institution paid travel: 2 (25%)
I paid my own travel: 1 (13%)
N/A: lived nearby: 5 (62%)
Which one category most closely defines what you do for a living, or why you are at RBS? (Please check only one category)
M.A.: 1 (13%)
Ph.D. (humanities): 2 (25%)
Librarian/archivist of digital materials: 1 (13%)
Librarian with some rare book duties: 1 (13%)
College: assistant professor: 1 (12%)
University: assistant professor: 1 (12%)
Museum or cultural institution: 1 (12%)
How did you hear about this course?
RBS website: 1 (13%)
RBS printed schedule: 1 (13%)
Work colleague: 2 (25%)
News or web article: 1 (13%)
Word of mouth: 1 (12%)
RBS faculty or staff recommendation: 1 (12%)
Graduate school: 1 (12%)