Instructor Comments

Let me tell you that I am thrilled with my course. Ever since we are using your materials, the course has had stable enrollment even though the total enrollment at the college has declined. This class is so popular that we are now offering a fast-pace session during the winter break — three units in 3 weeks, all online. 

I was looking at my syllabus to figure out how I would do it and if I could eliminate a topic or two, but everything is so interesting that I do not want to remove any. I even asked my students from this semester to tell me their best topic, and no one topic has not been chosen as a favorite.  – Professor Maru Grant, Ohlone College

Conceptual Academy is so helpful for enrichment, flipped classrooms, extra practice, test review, final review, you name it.  I like that the students have multiple learning modalities depending on their preferences (reading, homework and videos).  They could get the same content theoretically by going to YouTube, but it might not fit hand and glove with our Conceptual Physics textbook the way CA does.  My test scores on both my online and seated classes have been optimal the last two semesters since our campus made the full mandated switch to CA as the emphasized learning/review/practice outside of the classroom.  – Professor S. Blake, Ozarks Technical College

I believe I first saw the Conceptual Chemistry videos at the San Francisco ACS meeting in 2001 and was amazed at the quality.  I began using them and the Conceptual Chemistry textbook back in 2001 when it was first published and am still with it in the 5th edition 18 years later. – Professor P. Reedy, Delta College

The videos complement the text to give clear, interesting explanations of the basic physics principles.  I believe the course is understandable and interesting to students at all levels of development.  Some of my students were high school sophomores with no intention of pursuing science careers, others were strong Engineering bound seniors.  The top students didn’t get bored, and the lower level students stayed interested and understood the principles.  – J. Jensen, Physics Instructor, California

For me the videos are most important aspect of the academy.  I like the way that the video and text quizzes force the student to watch the videos and read the text.  – Professor P. Ehrich, Ozarks Technical College

Your book is truly the best one I have found to promote an interest in what I call “chemistry for life” for students who are not necessarily pursuing a science major in college.  The other books/curriculum I have looked at are usually written in a dry and uninteresting manner and also focus heavily on the math! While this is adequate for the very academic learners and those wanting to pursue an education in the sciences, it usually makes the majority of the students hate chemistry (except if the teacher can make it “come alive”). I just can’t quite bring myself to use one of those books again.  Thanks for making the world of chemistry interesting and approachable. – S. Weaver, Homeschool co-op director

Student comments are provided below. But first, thank you for considering the following question: “How might students value a video textbook compared to a traditional textbook?” The following results from a large enrollment (n = 91) state university is typical of what we see across campuses using Conceptual Academy. The video textbook and the written textbook are valuable learning tools that complement each other. Ideally, students have access to both. But if you had to select one over the other, which would be more readily embraced by your students? That most students prefer the video format should not be a mystery. The time for providing this valued resource to students is long overdue.

Student Comments

Below are non-edited and non-filtered comments from students using Conceptual Academy at Weber State University, Fall 2017 semester. Scroll down farther for comments from students at Texas Tech University, Fall 2016.

What is your experience with Conceptual Academy?

Positive Remarks

I think it’s a really great supplement for the class. I have found that reading the book then watching the videos helps me understand the concepts better. The quiz questions also help keep me on track to make sure I’m understanding the basics.

I like CA because it is another resource that I can use over and over. I can watch the videos and read the text. They play off each other nicely, especially because I can really see what’s going on besides just reading about it.

I find it helpful

I like using conceptual chemistry a lot. I like watching the videos to understand concepts.

I think it is a great program. I can say I would learn a lot more from it if I applied myself more. I think it gives a good balance to learning on your own and learning in class.

In the beginning it was difficult to navigate through, but now with an understanding on how to use it, it’s a great program for learning.

It has been a good experience for me because it helps me see visually and more interactive of the things that I am reading in the book and helps me understand better what we are going over.

It helps to watch the videos before class, and I have an easier time understanding when I do.

I have really liked Conceptual Academy. I read the textbook and then watch the videos and do the questions and I almost always get 100%. It really helps to reinforce what the book describes.

It’s great to study with conceptual academy

It has been very helpful in giving me a visual aid to what I’m reading from the book. And the quizzes have helped me remember what I read from the chapter.

I like it, it’s just hard to keep up with everything

Good. I like the setup of videos followed by quizzes

The video resources on conceptual academy are very helpful to view at home and are a good study tool when studying chemistry outside of class.

Useful and easy to use

Conceptual acadamy helps me to get just a brief overview of material so that when i come to class i understand lectures and other class activities better.

I like conceptual academy because it helps deepen my understanding of the material. I read the text book and then watch the videos and it helps me out a lot.

I find that the videos are only helpful when I take notes while watching them and after taking the quizzes. Sometimes I feel like I am understanding, but then when it comes time for the test, I couldn’t remember. The second time around I was better at taking notes and paired my study with the book and end of chapter questions. It was very helpful.

Conceptual Academy has been very helpful. I like that you can visually see and listen to the videos then answer the questions.

It’s been good, I’m behind, but I enjoy the videos! So it’s easy to want to watch them.

I like it! Sometimes the questions are a little bit tricky

It’s been an effective form of maintaining an average base level of knowledge to go off of each class. It helps to assure that as few as possible people get left behind with each lesson

It is good for me to learn Chemistry because the videos are using some picture. But sometimes I want subtitle.

It’s good. It’s nice to watch videos and have another explanation other than the book. It’s nice to be able to double dip with reading the book and then watch videos that correlate with what I just read.

I really like it and I think it’s helpful, I just forget to do it sometimes because I’m studying other things or working.

Really helpful resource , only problem the videos seem to load very slowly at my house compared to other video platforms

Ive watched all of the videos, and taken all of the quizzes.

Good way to learn the content in your own time and at your own pace

It has been very helpful. I really enjoy the videos going along with the book. Overall, I’d definitely give the website 10/10

I enjoy Conceptual Academy. It provides a visual tool of what the textbook covers, which helps me to understand the information a little more clearly.

My experience with Conceptual Academy has been great. I love that I can see what you are talking about with each chapter. Reading the book does not help me understand unless I watch the videos. It is fun to watch all of the videos including the ones with Kai and Maile. Everything that I learned here stays with me better than just reading the book.

It took me a second to get it started. I have a lot of work to do to get caught up but so far so good with it.

I love it. It was hard for me to navigate through the website at first, but now that I know where everything is, it is very helpful. I love the videos, the questions, and the gradebook. However, I do not like how the sections for the chapters are set up and how to get to them, it is a little confusing.

I think conceptual academy is fun. I love to watch the videos and I think the three questions is a perfect amount of questions to help the material stick, without overwhelming me with too much information.

I love the idea of having lectures outside of classroom as well as inside the class and having class time more devoted towards studying and fun activities.

I like the videos a whole lot. it has really helped me fully understand the content that is taught in class. Though the visual aids and special effects can be updated.

So far I have noticed that through the videos and taking the tests it has helped me learn. The first test I honestly wasnt really watching the videos and failed the first test. Then when I watched them and started to watch them I got an A. It is a great resource.

My experience is fairly good. I feel like I learn quite a lot through conceptual academy from the videos and the quizzes.

Very helpful sometimes though it feels like there is a lot of videos and I find myself skipping a couple every now and then.

It’s nice. It helps me after I do the read. I like it more than the reading.

I have really enjoyed it. Watching the videos is nice because it gives me something conceptual, and sometimes real, to look at. Sometimes just reading about it doesn’t help me quite understand what is actually happening, but when I see it demonstrated or talked about with visuals, is helps a lot more.

I love conceptual academy since I’m a very visual learner. It helps me learn and remember a lot of material that was difficult within the textbook.

I absolutely love conceptual academy. I find the videos both enjoyable and helpful. Very easy to use.

I think they videos are nice to watch, but I think that there should be more explanations on the experiments. I also think that there should be an easier place to find practice problems and labs, because being told everything, doesn’t always make information stick, but with labs that’ll help.

I like the idea of being able to have a good resource to use outside of class. I wish that class time was used for more lecture and info from CA. The videos are very helpful and I like the quizzes as a way to reinforce the objectives in the chapter.

I love it, it’s the best thing I have used it really helps me understand it

I like it so far. I’ve been reading the chapters one section at a time and then going through the videos and quizzes which I think has helped so far…

It’s nice to watch the videos to help explain the situation. My book absorbing skills are rather low so it makes a big difference. The questions are pretty good. It might be nice to get more difficult questions in there.

It’s been pretty good. The videos really help explain concepts from the book. I just need to put more time in watching the videos through out the week.

My experience with Conceptual Academy has varied. The third week I realized that there were more videos. Overall it been a good experience.

I really enjoy it. I do a system where I read the book section and take notes on the important material. It allows me to watch the videos and actually listen to the lesson instead of focusing on my notes. The system is awesome.

Mostly have a problem with the videos loading at a slow speed , most part a great resource to use at home.

I really like it. I get the same information a few different ways, which helps me further understand the material.

 

Negative Remarks

The videos have been helpful. I just wish they were a bit more up to date, in some cases.

I find myself being able to pass the video quiz at the end of the video but I am not learning enough to apply it in class or on the Test

It’s been okay. Haven’t really used it much due to me not knowing how to use it and etc.

Conceptual academy is not my favorite thing in the world I like learning in the classes room first then going home and out putting what i have learned.

i havent really used it much so i cant give you an answer

Helps me for the most part but some of the videos seem superfluous.

It’s not too bad. It’s different.

Compared to other classes, it is not my favorite way to do assignments but it also isn’t my least favorite.

I found initially that Conceptual Academy was hard to navigate and difficult to figure out exactly what was expected of me.

I feel as if Conceptual Academy is a good learning tool and that the videos on conceptual academy do help when studying the material at home. However, I also feel that conceptual academy should not replace in class lectures and that our learning experience would become better if we reviewed in class the things that were on conceptual academy more often.

 


Below are non-edited and non-filtered comments from students using Conceptual Academy at Texas Tech University, Fall 2016 semester.

 

  • love it!!! super helpful when studying for the test
  • it is helpful in some ways like the reading check
  • I really like using conceptual academy and i absolutely love how you do videos along with the lesson. I tried at first to read the book and not watch your videos, but now, i depend alot on your videos !!! they are super super helpful in learning the material
  • Conceptual Academy has honestly been a huge help. I am a visual learner, and the fact that experiments are done in conceptual academy also helps a lot. I have noticed that after doing these MY GRADES HAVE IMPROVED.
  • Conceptual Academy is definitely working for me. I enjoy the FYI documents because they really help me, and I feel they are good practice before the exam. I dont feel like Conceptual Academy needs to be tweeked.
  • I like using the conceptual academy videos because of the visual models of what we are learning, however, I think I learn best from the book just because I am such a visual learner that reading the information myself works best for me.
  • Conceptual Academy offers a limited amount of examples, therefore I feel I am only confident in answering questions that are similar to the examples given, however the examples in class are more complicated and vary. I do like the available access.
  • I use it as a self check and review for after i read the chapter
  • It’s a great way to learn it’s just hard to continously remember to watch the videoshow. You don’t realize that u didn’t watch a video till ur on the way to class and it stacks up.
  • I’ve actually really enjoyed it. I have found that I learn really well by watching videos and following along that way. Lectures are really not that useful to me so I’m glad we have the option.
  • It’s cool. I learn a lot of stuff that helps me prepare for the tests
  • The best thing about conceptual academy are the videos explaining the chapter. The video quizzes are not my favorite but I know they are suppose to help
  • I like Conceptual Academy. I think when used properly it is very very beneficial. I like the video aspect and that the quizzes give instant feedback as to some basic comprehension.
  • The videos and quizzes have helped me understand chemistry more effectively.
  • It did a great job of explaining terms and visualizing how things worked.
  • Conceptual Academy has helped me understand certain concepts from the book a whole lot better through your explanations in the videos. It is also easy to keep up with.
  • It helps
  • My experience on conceptual academy has been getting more explanation from what I read in the book and understanding the content more.
  • I like it because you can go at your own pace
  • I really like conceptual academy. I think it’s very helpful and it works well. It’s cool because you can do more then just multiple choice questions. It doesn’t glitch as much as I thought it might.
  • The videos helped but some of the assignments were due over the weekend and I forgot to do them which caused me to lose points.
  • I think it’s good but the wifi isnt working right now so I have to be on my phone’s wifi which is using up my data
  • Conceptual academy is good to use but with all of the videos they get kind of boring to watch. And by having to have 600 points it is hard to stay on top of the material when you have other co-curricular teams that you are on. If the points were more then it would be better.
  • The videos are really making a positive impact while studying.
  • It helps in addition to learning from reading the textbook. I think the video check questions could be more in depth instead of just picking out specific parts of the video and ask more about the subject itself. Overall though it is beneficial to learning alongside the textbook.
  • I think conceptual academy can be very helpful if you are able to learn from the videos. I think it is nice to have the quizzes at the end as well. Overall it can be a good study tool if you are able to learn that way!
  • I like that you put review ew questions and chapter summaries on conceptual academy. The videos are nice to because they give a summary of the chapter section.
  • It’s helpful for knowing what I need to study and what I already understand.
  • Its good but the dates recently have been off. I wish the videos themselves were just one instead of having 5 twn minute videos condense it into 1 twenty to thirty minute video
  • Conceptual Academy is helpful at times, you really have to focus on the videos and make sure you don’t miss anything. Sometimes you talk to fast so I miss material and Im constantly have to rewind the videos. But other than that it has been a positive experience
  • i enjoy that the videos are short and informational. It makes me feel better about this class.
  • I like conceptual academy because it helps to prepare me for the tests… especially the practice pages.
  • I enjoy watching the videos. I think it helps me espeically on the day of the test being able to go back and rewatch you explain things that I dont understand and work out problems as you do. The questions are super straight foward and helpful in learning.
  • good experience, I keep up with it pretty well and take notes from the videos. I like the reading quizzes, it makes me actually read the textbook.
  • I like it for the most part, I would like more powerpoints and worksheets
  • Conceptual Academy has helped me learn the information before it is presented in class. I think the quizzes have really helped me learn the material.
  • I enjoy it, but I with the points for video questions and reading questions weren’t on separate pages
  • I somewhat learn from it. Sometimes I miss stuff from the videos and having to watch the videos again to look for missing information is kinda tedious
  • i enjoyed watching the videos after reading the chapters because it explained the material a little more indepth. however, i wish we could have seen some more mathematical problems worked out (when applicable). I tend to struggle with remembering the correct steps to take so seeing it done a few more times wouldve been helpful
  • I can follow along in class, take notes, and study the practice exams we take and still make a 40 on the test. I dont know what I am doing wrong. I think I just get anxiety about taking the test and over think evrything.
  • Watching the videos helps me better understand what I have read in the textbook and goes into more detail on topics I may not have understood reading.
  • i use conceptual academy when needing to understand a lecture again I’m just terrible at remembering to do the quizzes
  • Conceptual Academy works for me when I read the book, answer book questions as I watch the lectures.
  • I really think it’s helpful. I like that it prepares you for class and you can always go back to the videos for reference!!
  • conceptual Academy does help me, it just helps to review all the material here in class. Ive realized sometimes we don’t really go over all the material in class and it leaves me wondering with questions. I like that you touch on everything on conceptual academy. I like how clear you are and how the videos are not so long to bore us to death.
  • I like that if you dont have the time to watch the videos then you can use þe book on the quiz because they follow
  • Good
  • I love that I can move at my own pace. I like being able to take notes with your videos because I can pause the video if I get behind on taking notes or if I don’t understand something the first time I can go back and rewatch the videos. You can’t do that in a lecture class of 350.
  • My experience with conceptual academy is great. The videos are very helpful and they prepare me for the test. Conceptual academy is also helping me with things that I do not understand.
  • I thought that it was a pretty good experience and the videos helped with the course too.
  • The information on Conceptual Academy is beneficial; however, peronally, it is hard to stay tuned some of the time. It’s easy for me to zone out when watching the videos.
  • If you watch the videos before the class date it is an extreme help. It is also very helpful when reviewing for the tests. Some of the Kai and mailey videos seem like they do not help, but once you apply them to what you are learning then they mostly do
  • I like conceptual academy. Using it along with notes from the book can thoroughly cover the course material. I do however wish that SOME of the practice quizzes at the end were as hard as the in class questions
  • Conceptual Academy has been helpfully in reinforcing material from the text and also reviewing material.
  • it’s super helpful and very easy to follow. I hate how I can’t see how many points i have
  • It has helped me understand certain concepts and helps me stay on track.
  • Watching the videos help a lot.
  • I like how learning catalytic provides detailed answers to problems.
  • watching the videos really help me grasp the concepts better than just reading out of the book. It acts as another lecture, but with this lecture i can go back and rewatch it if need be
  • The more visual the better! the video with the power points with definitions and more descriptive are fantastic! I like that it makes me read the book. I dont benefit from the kai and mili videos.
  • The video and reading check questions have helped me a lot.
  • Im starting to like it better! I most of the time have the quiz up and the video up at the same time. However i dont like the sometime out of place dates that fall on days that we dont normally have hw on that day like a random sunday because i forget to take it.
  • It helps in some ways but it would be better if you could write out the words going on in the video because I often would get confused and have to re-watch the whole 10 minute video to find answers.
  • I like conceptual academy but sometimes the answers to the questions can be a bit tricky to find and then retain for the questions. I have answered almost all questions but have gotten a lot wrong and I pay attention to the videos and do my best. Maybe some different questions would help
  • Like the videos. Very informative. The point system is weird. I thought I would easily reach 600, but that is not happening even though I keep up with the video quizzes and reading quizzes.
  • alright, hard to concentrate sometimes
  • conceptual academy works well. the only complaint is that some of the videos are so long it is hard to focus and you can miss an essential detail to the quiz
  • the questions after the mini video lectures help me use what I just learned to help put it in my memory
  • My experience in Conceptual Academy has been getting more explanation from what I have read in the book and I love how the vidoes explains to us a little more
  • I will say I like the material, however the “due” date is an issue for me. A lot of nights I don’t get home until late so that midnight cut off for points has me put off.
  • I love the online videos because I can go back and rewatch the lectures if I don’t understand something. I was taking the video quizzes wrong I thought there was only one video quiz for each lesson so I missed out on a lot of points. Learning experience was great!
  • Being able to go back and review the lectures before tests helps more than anything. I love how passionate you are about teaching and I can tell through your online and in class lectures.
  • Its been very explanatory and helpful when I am struggling certain subjects in chemistry. It really helps to watch and listen to these videos, as well, while going along in the book.
  • It is a great learning tool. However, It’d be beneficial to add a feature where questions could be asked, or perhaps incorporating a frequently asked question per section.
  • The videos are extremely helpful and I like that if I dont catch something the first time, sometimes I can re-watch the videos to get a better understanding or help connect them to the next lesson.
  • i enjoy conceptual academy, but the videos longer than 8 minutes are way too long!
  • It is alright!!! There are sometimes a lot of videos for one section!
  • I’ve found the videos very helpful and take detailed notes on all of them. That is my main way of studying.
  • It helps a lot but I am having trouble gaining points even though I do almost all of the quizzes.
  • wonderful i have learned a lot throughout the course the videos were very helpful and i could relate with it more since it was my teacher conducting the videos
  • I like conceptual academy because it introduces me to the material beforehand. It also helps because if I am ever confused on a topic, I can go back and rewatch the videos to help understand the material. I feel like the videos go more in depth than the book and the questions at the end make sure you are actually retaining what you learned.
  • I like using it.
  • I do not like conceptual academy. it’s hard for me to watch a video and remember what I just learned on the video, also I’m not very good at paying attention for long so I tend to zone out during the videos. But the quizzes are helpful
  • I forget to do this a lot. But when i used to remember to do it i thought the videos were helpful.
  • It’s a good idea so that we get more practice in class.
  • Its pretty rad, bro
  • It was helpful when I needed to go back to review something before a test but i didn’t like how we had to rely on the videos to learn everything rather than coming to class to learn.
  • Sometimes the quizzes help me out, but at other times I wish the stuff we learned in the videos were learned in class instead, so we could take notes. But if we’re just going to keep using conceptual academy then I think it works fairly well and teaches enough.
  • Love It and helpful
  • It’s helpful.
  • I like working with Conceptual Academy. The documents you post on FYI pages with reviews are very helpful, although I feel as if many students are not taking advantage of them. I am not sure if that is because they do not know they are there or if they just do not feel them necessary to look at? Overall good experience!
  • For me, it was hard to pay attention and learn from it. I have ADHD and try to not use medication to focus and computers easily distract me. I learn better from hearing it and practicing what I learn, like in the lecture
  • It’s good to use the videos as extra information from the text book to get more knowledge
  • The videos are pretty good but the quizzes are hard to keep up with like I didn’t know during the past two units that each video had a quiz.
  • Its a great tool to help better understand what is going on in class. It is also a great study tool to re-watch the videos before an exam.
  • i like coneptual acedmeny. I slack sometimes with it and I wish the videos were combined a little more but i like being able to replay if i dont understand
  • It’s very helpful. Also comes in handy when studying
  • conceptual academy is somewhat helpful. I feel as if it’s sometimes hard to gain a better understanding rather than reading from the textbook.
  • I wish it was more in depth. But I like the videos for extra information. I wish the questions were a little harder and more like the l exam. But overall I’ve enjoyed the website.
  • I don’t watch the lectures anymore because they don’t help me at all..I did a lot better on the second test without watching a single lecture, but the quizzes and reading the book help the most and just re-reading when I study.
  • It is very helpful with teaching me the information for the course.
  • I like it. I like how the videos explain and add on the info in the textbooks. The Kali and maile videos are not my favorite.
  • I like the point system and the videos.
  • I think it was a good tool to use, maybe just add some more questions o it for more output experiences for the student
  • I personally really benefitted from it because I could always go back and watch them if I needed clarification.
  • I like it. It helps me understand while I read the book.
  • I really like conceptual academy because it helps explain everything in a setting where I can go back if I didn’t understand something rather than stop the professor and ask them to repeat something. I also like how it wants you to read the booo too. I feel like that pairing is helpful
  • Its good i like how you can go back and listen to past chapters and the fact that you dont have to just read the book
  • Extremely helpful, probably wouldn’t be doing well without it. I love that i have access to the lectures at all times, but I hate that ours
  • The video’s are clutch, thank you for putting in so much effort to making Chemistry a interesting experience for everybody!
  • I like how it goes into further detail for me, not a biggest fan of the reading quizzes because they do not come from our videos
  • its a useful tool that allows me to better understand certain concepts
  • I find it very knowledgeable and I’m great at learning visually, but I find it hard to continually go online every other day to watch videos over and over again. The one thing that frustrates me is that some videos have three or four videos along with it instead of it being a certain number.
  • It is helpful and helps me learn
  • It really helps me understand the concepts. But sometimes it closes earlier than the day of the class and I’m unable to get points for the quizzes.
  • conceptual academy is a great study tool and can really help you out if you need a new technique for studying and a better understanding of things.
  • I think it is a very good program, I just forgot pretty often to go on the night before class and do the work for it. If it was open up until the start of class, that would be GREAT!!!
  • It’s really helpful! It breaks down the readings into easy to understand lessons and the quizzes solidified what we just learned.
  • Helps me understand the materials in class by explaining in more detail.
  • I enjoy the book the most. I haven’t utilized Conceptual Academy as much as I could have but I wish I did.
  • it is hard to be diligent in watching long videos outside of class. The 4 minute ones are okay, but I find myself avoiding the 7minutes. The experiment videos are kinda cheesy. But the format is nice.
  • CA is working for me very well. I take notes on the videos and quizzes, which in turn helps me to learn and study. I also feel as though it keeps my in check with the class.
  • It has helped out a lot with learning the material. The worksheets have helped guide me in learning the material as well.
  • Conceptual Academy is very helpful with the lectures. The questions help show whether or not you have a clear understanding of the material being presented. When I miss question on conceptual academy, it lets me know the areas I need to focus on more and study.
  • I really like conceptual academy and being able to look back at lecture videos to review concepts.
  • The program works great. I just wish our grade was not based partially on conceptual academy.
  • Great, I love the videos and the practice exams
  • It is very helpful learning the videos at home and then going over the material in class and it also allows you to go back and rematch the videos
  • I honestly didn’t complete as many points as I should have but for the ones completed so far, I enjoy how you are explaining everything through videos. It makes me feel like another lecture session at home
  • I like it! I feel like it would be easier if you would get emails reminding you of an assignment you have due that day on there
  • its so good!!! i love it
  • i enjoyed using this program, when I took chem 1305 last fall they used a different program and I wasn’t able to learn as much as I did through this program.
  • I like getting to go back and review the lectures before exams.
  • I’m learning a lot more with the videos and when i read along with the textbook its even more understandable
  • I have overall enjoyed the experience. I think that it works very well and would love to use it more for the final with questions to review. I wish we could go back and view all of the conceptual academy questions as a review
  • Conceptual Academy has help a lot with visual learning and looking at examples. I like how I can pause and go back as many times as i need to understand the concept.
  • I like the videos but the quizzes are not very representative of the information in the video. I think more questions that go from easy to hard would be best. some units have a lot of videos too which deters me from watching them. So maybe a short fast review for every topic would be best
  • It’s working really well for me! I like watching the videos and coming to class prepared for the class.
  • The videos are a good resource for studying and are easy to follow.
  • good
  • Conceptual Academy only works if you actually use it. I have heard complaints about it, but those are from the people who don’t actually treat the videos seriously. However, i do prefer a more typical classroom setting with notes. The lack of homework is appreciated though
  • I like the way it mirrors the textbook. It is very helpful. I would like to see more questions on the reading exam.
  • It works really well and combined with the reading of the textbook it is a good study tool to have, in order to prepare for the exams.
  • I like it a lot because you can watch the videos at your own pace and go back whenever you need to. You can’t rewind an in class lecture. I like the chapter review summaries a lot and all of the doc share papers. I find I learn best when I’m testing myself so that helps a lot.
  • I like the videos but some of the questions do not make sense
  • Like conceptual academy because it gives me a summary of what I read before watching the videos. It let me sees what I still need to study or don’t need to study.
  • Conceptual Academy has proven to be a good way for me to receive lecture. However I cant solely depend on the videos, rather I feel that reading the book afterwards serves its purpose well.
  • One huge problem I have with it is that sometimes I go back to the quizzes AFTER I take them to see the questions for review, and it shows that I haven’t taken them. Like it doesn’t always save the quizzes!!!!!!
  • Its great I just don’t always have time to do it. But the extra points in class have been great because I come to every class and still need a 100 points
  • I Like the videos. They are very helpful. I wish every class had Conceptuademy
  • Some of the video questions are not about the actual information but about minor details in the Kai and Maile videos. I would rather be tested over important information about the videos. Other than that the videos are easy to follow and helpful.
  • I think Conceptual Academy provides a good experience to learn the material. Hoever, the Kai and Maile portions are my least favorite, as they seem silly and don’t always resolve the question, especially when students do not have those materials in dorms or apartments. Sometimes the videos are a bit long, but I think they are good for covering the material.
  • I have a hard time with videos teaching me chemistry. They are helpful with some questions, but I get more out of you explaining in more detail in class
  • I really like conceptual academy. Having the videos is helpful because I’m able to pause and write notes or back tract. The quizzes are helpful as well because they make me think about what I just learned from the video.
  • It has been a great way of learning the material. I enjoy the videos and I learn better from them.
  • I wish that the explanations were so difficult to understand.
  • I personally like lectures better. I focus more in class than watching a video on my computer. However, I do like the examples you show. I don’t like the kai and Maile vidoes. I feel they are unnesecary to watch
  • The videos are great and very helpful! I rewatch them before every test and I have felt good on every test. I like how the videos get you thinking.
  • I found it very helpful, and enjoyed the videos
  • Helps me understand the lesson before I even come to class. I like how easy it is to be able to earn points. Makes the lesson easy to understand.
  • I believe that the conceptual academy concept is good but I believe that the format of the website could be improved and having worksheets for each section would help
  • Sometimes the dates don’t add up to our class dates which is confusing and annoying because I’ll miss points. I really enjoy the videos but sometimes I’ll cheat and pull up the quiz on a different tab and not even pay attention to the video.
  • Good
  • I really like the lecture videos on there. I don’t feel like the questions afterward really help for studying the test.
  • I enjoy watching the lectures and being able to go back and review them. I do not enjoy the quiz questions after as much because sometimes they confuse me about the lecture. Even though I enjoy watching I wish there were more definitions and lengthier explanations, including some work out problems.
  • I like the videos but I wish we could get points for quizzes we missed before the final so that we may have the chance to see more related questions.
  • It’s been alright, it doesn’t really help me understand what the topic is and the kai and Maile parts don’t help at all either.
  • I like the videos, but the in class lectures are what help the most for me. I like the question quizzes because if you understand the material, you will, most of the time, get the questions correct.
  • I enjoy it, but watching the videos even when I watch it I sometimes get the questions wrong during the quizzes
  • I don’t feel like i am learning as well on Conceptual Academy as I would during a lecture based class or by just reading the book
  • Its a good place to start and it goes along really well with the book. It helps prepare you for class, however if you miss one its very very easy to fall behind and can be hard to stay on top of.
  • the video quizzes really keep me on track with not getting behind, the FYI page always helps me gather a better understanding
  • conceptual academy is decent. it helps to me to review a small but but wish the videos went into even deeper detail.
  • It’s good
  • I love it! It’s so convenient and the videos are great!
  • The lectures are easy to watch. Sometimes I wish they had more definitions and more clearly relayed the information from the textbook. Sometimes it’s hard to relate the review to my notes from conceptual academy.
  • i like it
  • I think the videos really help but having them due every single class is sometimes a struggle to watch on top of all our other homework when we could be learning some of what are in the videos in class. I just think the videos should be condensed and more time should be spent talking about the videos in class.
  • I really like conceptual academy, I am able to go back and rewatch the videos before the exams and that really helps. I also like that it’s broken down to the dates of class. The only thing I wish we could do is set a reminder that went to our calendar.
  • I enjoy conceptual academy overall.
  • It helps me understand more of the conceptual questions thAT I don’t really understand in class. I understand the questions that you really have to think about and understand the material to get because of conceptual academy
  • It was not my favorite. I find that personally it’s harder for me to learn from videos vs learning from a lecture.
  • It helps me to understand this class a lot better. The videos give me a visual I can watch over and over again.
  • Conceptual academy’s videos explains the problems and questions I have very well. Anytime I don’t understand something I go back and watch the video again to get a better understanding.
  • Watching the videos before class helps a lot.
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“Again, thank you so much for working with us and providing better ways for our students to be successful! I have been receiving very positive feedback from students using the videos!  Today, one student commented that seeing the videos for the light chapter and then starting the chemistry unit (which builds on the concepts just covered) really was, as he said, “quite cool” and he was “getting the ideas”!  His input was very encouraging since he usually has negative responses  due to poor success in the past (he is a repeater of the course). Again, thank you for your time and all the efforts you have made to help students and instructors make learning and teaching a great experience!”

Linda M. Bates, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Chemistry/Physical Sciences, South Arkansas Community College

I just had to write and share this with you. I did a “practice” pyramid format exam with my students today, and I was blown away by their reactions! This has been a pretty quiet, non-interactive group, but WOW, was it different today! I got reactions that ranged from “this is a neat way to take a test” to “I can’t WAIT to take the test next week!!!” Umm, did I hear that correctly? They were very interactive with me and each other, and their correct answers drew cheers. The hardest part was for me to keep my mouth shut as they debated and discussed. The bottom line….THANK YOU for creating this book, course, and Conceptual Academy. It is phenomenal, and I can’t remember when I’ve had so much fun teaching a class!

Diann Thomas, Ph.D.

Director, Chemistry Laboratory Technology Program, Ozarks Technical Community College

Sample Video: The Periodic Table

 

 

 

Sample Video: Glaciers