October 4, 2017

Teaching evaluation for Dr. Sarah Sirsat

On October 4, I had the privilege of sitting in on Dr. Sirsat’s Biological Concepts class (Biol
125). This course is geared to non-science majors that plan to enter the teaching
profession. The class was very large with over 100 students filling almost every seat in the
room (Stowell 211). Dr. Sirsat presented a lecture on photosynthesis. I am an appropriate
audience for this because even though I am a biologist, I mostly teach human and animal
physiology, so I can always use a refresher on plant physiology. Dr. Sirsat is an
enthusiastic teacher that works hard to engage students. During the lecture, she asked
many question on applications of the topic (for example, why leaves changes colors in the
fall?) and to check that students were understanding the material along the way. Dr. Sirsat
did an excellent job of putting the material in terms that could be understood by non-
biology majors. I enjoyed both of her analogies for a “wheel barrel” representing NAD+
and NADH and a “game of hot potato” for moving electrons through the Calvin cycle and
the electron transport system. Dr. Sirsat used Powerpoint for her entire lecture and her
slides were simple, colorful, and clear. I noticed several students taking pictures of the
slides, but clearly these were also available on Moodle (the campus learning management
software), as this is where Dr. Sirsat opened the presentation. Opening presentations
from Moodle is a nice touch as it reinforces to students where to find the lecture slides.
The only criticism I had was that perhaps a few more slides could be added and the
concepts could have been presented with slightly more depth. However, this class was
soon after the first exam and Dr. Sirsat had indicated to the class that she was going make
an “adjustment” by going into less depth, so the material could be better understood by
non-biology majors. Regardless, I did have some questions on where and how ATP and
NADH were used in the Calvin cycle and how 3PG and RuBP are involved. I assume
most students didn’t have the same questions, but maybe some did.
Overall, Dr. Sirsat presented an excellent lecture that was well tailored to the audience.
She has only been teaching for a few years, receiving her PhD only last year, but clearly
has become quite competent. With additional experience, both in the number and types of
courses, Dr. Sirsat will surely excel as an educator.

Jason Schreer, Ph.D., Professor of Biology

Department of Biology, SUNY Potsdam
Potsdam, NY 13676
schreejf@potsdam.edu, 315-267-2290