STUDENT FEEDBACK
Comments from Former Students
I loved the course! I
think that I learned the most in this one semester about engineering than I
have in the past 2 years. I think
Mike and his knowledge on industry, plus all the hands on experience made this
course the most useful one I’ve ever taken.
Lab was great! I enjoyed all the hands on experience and
being able to apply it by building our robot.
This class was awesome! Most
of the class deals with real life skills that help students more than other
classes.
Class was very well organized. The website was critically important in order
to understand the project.
I really enjoyed this class and I found all
the information very interesting and useful.
I really enjoyed the hands on experience and how the class allowed for
creativity. Although it was difficult at
times to work in a group for an entire semester; I feel that I gained
real-world experience that will be very useful in the future!
It was a great balance between guidance and
freedom. We were given enough guidance
to accomplish our tasks without making it a complete walkthrough.
Great TAs, they push you to do your best!
The lectures and provided homework were good for
everyone. I have had experience with a
lot of the material growing up. I
believe the information should be common knowledge, keep up the good work! The course was a lot of work but very
enjoyable.
Our TA was awesome but not an
easy grader. He expects the best and
when you give your best it’s a good time.
I thought the course was challenging,
yet the TAs and Professor Braddock were very understanding and accommodating.
You got out what you put into
the course. Attending office hours truly
helped in our design and manufacturing process.
The whole class was logical and important. Thanks for everything I really enjoyed the
class!
I never realized how important the lectures
were until I was applying them to my design.
I really enjoyed this class. The lab was a great environment and
resourceful, Mike was a great professor and had exceptional knowledge of the
subjects, and the TAs were incredibly helpful!
Mike Braddock was friendly and easy to talk
to despite the color of the traffic light J. He assisted with group issues and resolved
them and gave solutions. His lectures
were very informative and easy to follow, along with the videos he posted. The lab was safe which made manufacturing fun
and a great experience.
Although this course is very demanding, it has been
incredibly rewarding. Definitely my
favorite class so far!
Thank you for this course. It was brutal at times,
long hours, hard work, and many hours spent working on designs. It made me question whether I want to be an
engineer, and it has strengthened me and my future goals!
I had an interview earlier in the semester
with Lockheed Martin where they handed me a part and asked “how would I design
it?” Before this class I would have no
idea, but I was able to answer it perfectly thanks to what I learned in this
course. I talked about this class and
how I learned how to design around manufacturability and they were impressed. My interviewer actually told me to tell you
what a great class you are teaching and that you are teaching exactly what they
want. He told me to send my friends in
this class to him so he could have more UF interns. Thanks for helping me get my first internship!
Overall I loved the class and wish I had more like
it. I learned a lot about engineering,
building and teamwork. All the
information I felt was given in a good way.
I would change nothing about this class.
I
absolutely loved this course! It is
probably my favorite taken so far here at UF.
Seth was an awesome TA who knew how to test us to make sure we knew the
material as well as challenge us to further expand our knowledge. The lectures were very informative. After most lectures I told myself, “now this
is what I want to do when I enter the industry!” I feel much more prepared as an engineer
entering the real world.
This is one of the most organized labs I have ever
taken at UF.
I really
enjoyed this lab. It was time consuming
and challenging, but it was very fun!
I found the course very informative. Despite having prior experience with all the
equipment used, I learned a lot of things regarding proper use. I feel I can use everything learned in the
course for my future career and education.
I really liked the class for the most
part. The lab time and lectures were
definitely beneficial. However, the
first few labs were a little boring, but I’m not sure how that can be helped
[since they deal with safety, which is obviously important].
I really
enjoyed this class. It is heavily
loaded in the front part of the course, but after going through the course I
realize this is necessary. George was
our TA and I think he did a good job; he knew what he was talking about and
always gave us tips on how to do things more efficiently.
I
really enjoyed this course. The first
few weeks were pretty tough and required a lot of work and many hours in the
library, but it was worth it. I feel
like the hands-on experience gained was invaluable. Before this course I had never even used a
hand drill before, and now I can say I helped build a robot; that is pretty
awesome! I feel that the lectures were
well organized and well presented, and contained information I can really use
later on in engineering. The lab
sessions were a little intimidating at first, but once I got used to it more,
they were pretty fun and very informative.
Again, the hands-on experience was fantastic. My group’s TA was great. At the beginning I had trouble grasping the
idea of how to move the axes on the mill and Sean was patient and helped me
out. I also liked that even though I was
the only girl in my group (and my lab section), he treated me no different and
expected the same out of me as anyone else.
I realize that’s how it should be, but this being my first engineering
intensive class, I wasn’t sure how it would be.
Overall, this has been my favorite course this semester. I learned valuable lessons with regard to the
design process, engineering, and working in groups. Most importantly, for me, I am able to walk
away from the course feeling as though I really accomplished something. I really can’t think of any thing to
criticize, or anything to be fixed. But
I would like to say thank you for this opportunity.
Our TA (Jeff Simons) was awesome! He was incredibly helpful and very
knowledgeable. He was great about
helping me better understand how everything worked together, since I came into
this classing knowing absolutely nothing!
I really enjoyed this course this semester. I worked for Harris Corporation this past summer as Design Engineer for Space Structures and everything we did in this class would have been useful and applicable to my internship. I utilized CAD software, wrote design reports, made presentations, made drawings for the machine shop to manufacture my parts, and managed Harris’s machine shop for the last part of my internship. Seeing for myself how applicable this course is to the real world allowed me to really enjoy it and work hard at it. DML is the most relevant course to real-world engineering I have taken thus far at UF.
This class is very beneficial for preparing engineers
to work in industry. It is one of the
few opportunities we have to get hands-on experience. Even those who will never work in a shop can
use this knowledge as designers. Make
sure to pay close attention in the first third of the class, as that hands-on
experience makes it easier to take ease of manufacturing into account.
I
really enjoyed this course. At first I
was intimidated with all the hours required and the challenging task. Yes, it was a lot of work but it has really
opened my eyes on how the design process actually works. It has been a lot of fun and hopefully a
great feeling when the competition is over.
Seth was a great TA and I felt lucky to have him. He was always energetic and helpful. We saw him in the library and he came over to
make sure we were doing alright and answered our questions.
This course
was the most time consuming class I have taken but I learned the most in this
class over any other. The facility was
very impressive and always organized, and Seth was the most helpful and nicest
TA I’ve had in any class.
Our
TA was brutally honest and fair; he pushed us to do right and it was reflected
in our grade. I enjoyed machining and
creating the robot. I also found the
lectures informative and interesting. I
have nothing but good things to say about the course and how it was taught.
This was by
far the most beneficial course I’ve taken at UF so far and it gave me a preview
of what a job in engineering might entail.
The facilities are unbelievable, the lectures were very beneficial and
everything we needed to do was clear.
Sean was a great TA; he really helped us finish our robot when we hit
some big time road blocks. The only
suggestion I have would be to make the homework assignments due on days when
reports are not.
I
really enjoyed this course, lecture and laboratory. The lecture was extremely informative and the
ability to apply our knowledge in the lab was great. In general all of the TAs were extremely
helpful and always willing to offer advice.
The first seven weeks were very busy but I wouldn’t say it was too much
work. After that the class was very easy
and exciting when building and competing with the robot.
I enjoyed the lab for the most part, although I felt
overwhelmed at times by the amount of new things expected of us. The experience was helpful and useful, but it
seemed like everything was suddenly pushed on us. However, I really enjoyed every lecture, all
the content was interesting and I liked how the course was setup.
I
liked the course as a whole and felt I learned more in this class than any
other so far. The workload at the
beginning was honestly a bit much, … but not ridiculous. The videos in lecture were good and really
kept me interested.
I loved the lab sessions and lectures were very
informative. Lab taught me a lot and I
definitely hope to do something along these lines in the future. Ryan was a fantastic TA!
The class was very effective in teaching me
the principles and skills of designing functional and cost effective parts.
I really enjoyed the manufacturing and lab sessions of
the course. What I didn’t like was the
amount of work and poor nights sleep I got during the first seven weeks, but
overall it paid off and I loved the class!
The TA was helpful and he made us make everything correctly.
I
think the course is extremely time consuming in the first weeks but once
manufacturing began it became a lot more fun!
It’s good because now when our other classes are so stressful, we are
done with this one. The lecture was very
informative but at times boring. Our TA
(Jeff Knox) was very helpful and harsh on his grading of our 2nd
design report; this helped us get a great grade on it (60/50)!
The facility and TAs were great. They are always willing to lend a hand and
are very approachable. I think this course
should have another day in the week making it a 3-credit class. This additional class can be used strictly
for group work allowing the group projects to go more smoothly.
The
class was a great experience and I have never learned so much in on class. With the combination of lecture, lab and HW,
the material was covered in great detail.
Our group’s TA (Akeim) was AWESOME!
He was always there to help and give suggestions. We never could have done what we did without
the guidance of Akeim! Great class
overall; not much room for improvement.
This course
provided the best “real world” engineering education of any course I’ve taken
at UF. I brag about this class to all my
friends because hands-on opportunities like this class provides are rare in a
typical college. I especially liked how
we were taught to use the shop tools and were allowed to go off and make our
parts as needed. The time commitment was
pretty heavy as you predicted, but I believe a good design is important. The only thing I would say could be improved
about this course is another semester of it!
Our TA (Sean) was awesome and very helpful with anything we needed.
At
first, I would have said this course had an amount of work far in excess of
what should be expected of a 2 credit lab.
In retrospect, however, I realized the work was entirely necessary and
helpful later on. The TAs and Professor
Braddock are willing and eager to help whenever possible. Fun class!!
I thoroughly
enjoyed this course. I loved doing
something hands-on and completely relevant to my major. I was challenged in this course but was given
everything I needed to succeed. You
[Mike] and the TAs were always very accessible, approachable and helpful. Every assignment had a purpose, so I never
felt like I was wasting my time. I
learned a lot in this class while having fun at the same time.
The class was fun and helped prepare us for
the real world. I would not change
really anything with the class, except allow the students to work even more on
the equipment!
I thought the class was great in every aspect. It was the best class I have taken thus far
at UF. I think it’s essential to
continue having this class and teaching it in the same manner. The lectures provided information that will
help us in our engineering careers and the hands-on application of this
knowledge put it over the top. Our TA
(Luther) was excellent. He was helpful
throughout the design and manufacturing process. He was always there to answer questions and
provide feedback.
Our TA (Luther) was always helpful. All his ideas were excellent and we
incorporated many of them! The course
structure was well planned; although it was hard in the beginning, I understand
it was also necessary. Mr. Braddock was
a good instructor.
Overall the course is setup very well. One thing I would like to see changed is to
allow each lab to have a demonstration or lecture showing the teams what
material is available in lab. Having
this first hand knowledge would help.
Our TA (Luther) was very helpful and professional.
This class is great! Ryan was a really good TA and the hands-on
experience was incredible. I would not
change anything.
Certainly
some lectures were more interesting than others but I thought overall the
material covered in lecture was applicable as well as neat. The TAs were a huge help and a big reason why
we did so well in the class because certainly this is a class where more than
necessary guidance is necessary. To be
honest, at first the course, the lab, the material—it was all very overwhelming
but I did feel as if by week number 3 or 4, there was a set expectation and I
knew what I had to do. A very good
class—a lot of work no doubt, but the reward is a good one.
Our TA (Andy) was excellent and did a great
job explaining everything and helping! I
loved the class; it has taught us a lot about working with others and designing
projects. The lecture also did a great
job covering the things we couldn’t do hands-on.
The lab facility was above my expectations. Seth was an awesome TA and very helpful and
informative. The class was a great
experience and I learned a lot of information that I know will help in the
future.
All in all I really enjoyed this
class. I feel it gave me a lot of
practical experience in designing, planning and building a prototype.
I absolutely
loved the entire class. The lectures
were always relevant and very interesting.
The work we reviewed in the homework was very helpful when we applied it
to manufacturing. The TA’s were always
very knowledgeable and friendly. Bill
Hollon was a great TA. He took his job
seriously and was always prompt to answer e-mails.
Overall I think all the little pieces of this course
summed together nearly flawlessly.
Lectures were interesting and engaging through examples like
videos. Lab sessions were clear cut and
enjoyable. My group’s TA was tough at
times, but that’s exactly what we needed to push us in the right direction so
our project would end successfully.
I enjoyed this course very much. The lectures were very informative and always
kept me interested and attentive. The
lab sessions were my favorite part of the course; I loved being able to use
what I learned to manufacture parts for the robot. The facility was always clean and organized
and is the perfect size for the amount of students in the lab. The TA (Bill) was extremely helpful and a
great teacher; he always challenged us and help high expectations of us. I would have like to see more emphasis placed
on manufacturing using the CNC machines.
Also, having homework due the same day as the design report made it
difficult for me to complete it because all my focus was on the report, not to
mention the added workload due to one of my group member’s limited performance.
However
you train your TA’s, keep doing the same!
Our TA (Ryan) pushed us do more than we thought we could. He always provided constructive feedback in
an honest, yet non-condescending manner.
After listening to him, we received a 100% on our second design report
and had one of the most successful robots of the semester! Although the feedback from our TA felt tough
at the time, looking back we can see he really was invested in our success!
The course was extremely valuable to my skills as an
engineer; it was interesting, challenging and rewarding. I believe there needed to be one more extra
lab period because of the amount of time requested from groups to test. We were unable to test our robot, and one
extra lab session would be perfect! Our
TA, although strict at times, was very helpful in our manufacturing process.
Lecture was very informative and always
interesting mostly due to the videos and class discussions. Our TA was very strict about the details in
our reports, but because of this we did very well on them…
Thank you for being one the best professor
I've had at UF so far. The class was challenging, thus very rewarding when our
robot worked in the competition.
I also wanted to say thank you for a great
year. This was probably my most favorite class that I have ever taken in high
school and college because of the amount of information I learned pertaining to
my major and the amount of fun I had.
Thank you so much for the opportunity and
I had an absolute blast the entire semester. Watching my team's robot perform
was like watching my first born take it's first steps :)
I want to express my
appreciation of all your effort in preparing my class for the practical work
ahead of us in the engineering industry. Thank you for dedicating yourself to
creating and keepinga Design and Manufacturing course at the University of
Florida . Practically speaking, I know I have learned more this semester than I
did all my previous semesters combined. Once again, thank you for the
opportunity. Keep up the good work.
I thoroughly enjoyed this course and I
appreciate the work that you put in to make it available to students.
I would also just like to say thank you
for teaching a very engaging and interesting class/lab. At the beginning
of the semester, the amount of brand new material was somewhat overwhelming;
however, as the weeks progressed the class came into perspective and easier to
understand. With that being said, it really was a great class and I thank
you for being a great instructor.
Thank you very much for teaching this
class; it was without a doubt one of the most useful classes I have taken at
UF.
I believe that this class will help me in
industry in the future and as a matter of fact I mentioned this class in every
single one of my interviews for summer internships. (I received two offers out
of the three that I had) Anyway, thank you for everything.
This course seemed to be an
extraordinary amount of work for two credits.
I think it would be hugely beneficial to have separate class time with
the TA in order to work on the design process or fit extra class time that
would allow more time to work with your team because it is extremely difficult
to coordinate meeting times outside of class with conflicting class, work and
extra-curricular schedules.
I also want to thank you for such an
amazing semester. I don't think there has been a class I've had with such
hands-on experience and such a wide array of new knowledge. After most of the
lectures, I was fascinated with the teaching and thought that's exactly I want
to do when I go into industry. Thanks for such a great learning experience.
I can easily say this has been the most
challenging yet most rewarding class I've had since I've been here at UF. Well
done!
This class has been a great learning
experience and I hope you continue to teach future classes with the same
dedication and enthusiasm.
Even though this was my most challenging
course at the beginning of the semester, in the end it was the most rewarding. Thank
you!
I just wanted to tell you that EML2322L has been the most interesting class I have taken so far at UF. It was extremely rewarding knowing that all our effort paid off at the end.