Facility. All but one of the participants felt that having the Institute away from campus is "a good idea." Only one person felt that the Institute would have been better had it included overnight stays; seven participants commented that such a format would have excluded them. St. Benedicts was given high marks for atmosphere, and many participants rated it as above average or excellent on "Comfort," "Snacks," and "Meals."

Organization. Twenty-two of 23 participants felt that the combination of large group presentations, small group discussions, and individual time was the right degree of organization; one felt there was not enough organization. Thus, the overall organization is quite successful. Twenty of 23 felt that eight large group sessions was "about right." Eighteen said that four small group sessions were "about right," and fifteen felt that five blocks of individual time were "about right."

Overall Evaluation. The overall section included five True-False items, as follows.

Evaluation of Individual Accomplishment. Every participant reported that participating in the four-day Institute will favorably impact on his/her teaching. Many participants reported that they reflected on and developed or revised the objectives they are pursuing in one or more of their educational activities (curriculum, lectures, laboratory courses, case studies). People reported "a whole new world of ideas about my syllabus," "work on developing course goals and objectives," "making some definitive plans for my course," and gaining "good ideas on re-formatting my course." Many also said that they identified resources they could use in working toward their objectives. Participants reported developing or revising specific laboratory, writing, and group projects/assignments they will use in their course. A group of faculty involved in a BIG (Biology Interest Group) spent their time developing ways to better integrate the three classes that comprise the group.

All of the participants commented on how much they learned from the presentations, small group discussions with colleagues and facilitators, conversation, and the materials that the Teaching Academy provided. Several commented on the value of meeting in a retreat-setting with colleagues. One person said "Thank you so much for letting me know that I am not alone in my desire to improve undergraduate instruction at UW-Madison."

The Institute facilitated the work of the BIG group (four persons), a group of three and a pair of persons who are or will be teaching together. All reported substantial progress in developing a shared understanding of their projects, and in some cases made substantial progress in developing specific cases, assignments, and evaluation devices. Several said that the intensive retreat setting provided by the Summer Institute was essential to this progress.

Especially satisfying are the comments of several participants who felt that the Institute affirmed their personal commitment to teaching and learning, and gave them a sense that their past efforts had been "on track." One participant said that participation in the Institute provided "a good learning environment that reinforces what I do and teaches me new things - Thanks!"

Those who are interested in other TASI evaluation results can also read about TASI 2004, 2002, 2001, or 2000. Site visitors may also access responses to our December 2001 follow-up questionnaireof both 2000 and 2001 TASI alumni in html or pdf.