1. Did the project staff provide you with enough information beforehand to organize your packing for and travel to the project?

 

Strongly agree:  6

Agree:  10

Somewhat agree:  3

Disagree:  0

Strongly disagree: 0

TOTAL:  19 answers /19 students

 

COMMENTS:

• Should include rain proof clothing/shoes.

• I felt that a lot of the information was somewhat vague and I had to inquire more in order to receive a solid answer.

• The website definitely needs some cleaning up. Granted all the travel/packing info got me to Odorheiu okay, but the entire time I was traveling here I didn't really know what to expect when we actually got here.

 

2. Was the pickup arrangement made prior to the project adequately seen to by project staff?

 

Strongly agree:  14

Agree:  5

Somewhat agree:  0

Disagree:  0

Strongly disagree: 0

TOTAL:  19 answers /19 students

 

3. Were the living accommodations provided by the project adequate for your needs?

 

Strongly agree:  5

Agree:  11

Somewhat agree:  3

Disagree:  0

Strongly disagree: 0

TOTAL:  19 answers /19 students

 

COMMENTS:

• Unstable Wifi was inconvenient for studying. No shower curtains. Poor upkeep.

• Kitchen was always crowded, larger facilities would be nicer.

• Besides the leaking windows everything was awesome

• It would've been nice to have more reliable WiFi, especially since there were homework assignments involved. When everyone was on the WiFi it was really slow and crashed a lot.

• Hotel provided basic living needs. However for research assignments, better wifi access (especially during peak times) would be greatly appreciated.

 

STAFF REPLY:

• The kitchen and the fridges are a courtesy. The kitchen is not meant to accommodate the daily cooking of the entire team.

• As mentioned in the travel kit that was provided to you and during the orientation session, the hotel WiFi is only meant to check and send e-mails. It is not designed for research, streaming videos and Skype conferences with family and friends, especially when the entire team is doing it at the same time. However, several options and solutions were available to solve the situation. Every restaurant, bar, pub and park in Odorheiu Secuiesc, within 10min walk from the hotel, offers free WiFi. Also, for less than $50, students can  buy a pay as you go modem USB stick that would be more than enough for 4 weeks of research.

 

4. Did you encounter any problems with logistics, food, or travel?

 

 

YES:  0

NO:  19

TOTAL:  19 answers /19 students

 

 

5. Were the formal lectures presented informative and useful?

 

Strongly agree:  16

Agree:  3

Somewhat agree:  0

Disagree:  0

Strongly disagree: 0

TOTAL:  19 answers /19 students

 

COMMENTS:

• I wish I could have been able to spend more time, the weeks just fly by!

• Jon is amazing!!! He truly makes the programme the quality experience that it is. Katie was also and excellent assistant.

• Jonathan did an AMAZING job! The lectures were incredibly informative and I learned a lot!

 

6. Were the formal lectures presented interesting and engaging?

 

Strongly agree:  16

Agree:  3

Somewhat agree:  0

Disagree:  0

Strongly disagree: 0

TOTAL:  19 answers /19 students

 

COMMENTS:

• Jonathan and Katie are fantastic presenters and I absolutely loved listening to the lectures.

 

7. Were the supplementary materials (i.e., handouts, electronic resources, Dropbox files, etc.) useful?

 

Strongly agree:  15

Agree:  4

Somewhat agree:  0

Disagree:  0

Strongly disagree: 0

TOTAL:  19 answers /19 students

 

COMMENTS:

• The White book should have been requested since it was our main go-to book rather than simply suggested, as the manual I brought with me did little good. But the access to dropbox files made up for it by far.

• Soooo many articles in Jon's Dropbox! So cool.

 

8. Did bone quizzes help prepare you for the research component of  the workshop?

 

Strongly agree:  15

Agree:  4

Somewhat agree:  0

Disagree:  0

Strongly disagree: 0

TOTAL:  19 answers /19 students

 

9. Did you find the project staff understanding of osteological terminology and fragment identification?

 

Strongly agree:  18

Agree:  1

Somewhat agree:  0

Disagree:  0

Strongly disagree: 0

TOTAL:  19 answers /19 students

 

10. Did bone quizzes help reinforce your osteological skillset?

 

Strongly agree:  17

Agree:  2

Somewhat agree:  0

Disagree:  0

Strongly disagree: 0

TOTAL:  19 answers /19 students

 

11. Were the instructions provided by project staff in the lab clear and helpful?

 

Strongly agree:  15

Agree:  4

Somewhat agree:  0

Disagree:  0

Strongly disagree: 0

TOTAL:  19 answers /19 students

 

12. Do you feel you gained an understanding of the methods employed by bioarchaeologists (i.e., skeletal inventories, sex/age estimation, basic pathological/taphonomy identification, etc.)?

 

Strongly agree:  16

Agree:  3

Somewhat agree:  0

Disagree:  0

Strongly disagree: 0

TOTAL:  19 answers /19 students

 

13. Did you feel actively engaged in all aspects of analysis in the lab?

 

Strongly agree:  16

Agree:  3

Somewhat agree:  0

Disagree:  0

Strongly disagree: 0

TOTAL:  19 answers /19 students

 

COMMENTS:

• Analyzing dentition was difficult; I could have benefited from a brief overview of what different dental abscesses and carries look like so I could identify them with confidence.

 

14. Did you feel overall intellectually engaged and challenged with your work?

 

Strongly agree:  17

Agree:  2

Somewhat agree:  0

Disagree:  0

Strongly disagree: 0

TOTAL:  19 answers /19 students

 

15. Was the project staff able to adequately answer all of your questions?

 

Strongly agree:  19

Agree:  0

Somewhat agree:  0

Disagree:  0

Strongly disagree: 0

TOTAL:  19 answers /19 students

 

16. Would you recommend this project/workshop to your peers?

 

YES:  19

NO:  0

MAYBE:  0

TOTAL:  19 answers /19 students

 

COMMENTS:

• If the professor is anyone besides Dr. Bethard, I would research them extensively first. If it is Johnathan, go for it! Also, consider the level of intensity that you can handle, this is an incredibly intensive program so be sure it is what you want.

 

17. Please provide us with your thoughts on what you found most rewarding about your bioarchaeological experience on the project:

 

• Hands on experience and solid scholarly and academic advice.

• Bein completely immersed in osteology really helped to reinforce my skills and what I have learned.

• The material was challenging, but I feel like I have learned more in this session than any one class in college.

• My expansion of knowledge in osteology and the hands on learning

• Working with Jon and Katie was really amazing. I feel like they are the best part of the program. Having access to so many real human remains was also really great and was something I wouldn't have experienced at home

• That I can identify bones based off fragments. The university I go to doesn't have any osteology courses so this was very beneficial to me. Also I have never been out of the United States and being introduce to a new culture is amazing experience.

• The ability to be able to ask Jon and Katie questions about anything and everything was really helpful.

• Meeting new people who shared the same interests educationally that I did was really wonderful so that we could all bounce ideas off of each other. Even though this workshop was a lot of work, it did not seem like school or a chore. I thoroughly enjoyed learning the material

• The experience working with such a unique collection will be invaluable for my future endevours. I loved the taphonomical challenges.

• It was amazing to do hands on research/skeletal analyses with peers and I feel a lot more confident with identifying fragments and pathology/taphonomy now!

• I feel that this workshop has substantially helped me in deciding my primary research and career interests.

• Analyzing the skeletons and understanding all of the terminology

• Can't explain how much I loved this project and how is has prepared me for the future. John and Katie are very frank concerning what is necessary to succeed in this field, and help you prepare to handle it.  They will also help you realize if this field is actually for you, all in all, very helpful.

• I thought the variety of topics that were touched on via research or lecture were extremely helpful; I was introduced to new fields and disciplines I'm not sure I would have heard of otherwise.

• The staff is absolutely amazing and I'm so happy to have been presented with opportunities that I had no idea existed. It also gave me beneficial information regarding grad school that I was completely unaware of.

• Having encouraging and enthusiastic instructors helped the learning process. All my questions were answered thoroughly and I have learned a lot.

• I found the bone quizzes to be most rewarding. They were challenging, and definitely helped with the bioarchaeological analysis later in the program.

• Gaining experience with osteology, meeting people currently working in the field, and making connections with future colleagues in the workshop, and gaining a better perspective on the trajectory I hope to take in my own career was rewarding beyond measure. I also love that we as students are making real contributions to the field in our analysis that will be used by future researchers.

• Being able to gain a better understanding of osteological applications in the real world from a personal level.