WHAT I DO
COURSE RATINGS
4.9
ENTHUSIAM
4.7
EFFECTIVENESS
4.7
AVAILABILITY
official boston university course eval ratings
FT310: storytelling for film & tv
role: discussion section leader/TA
The overall rating of this course is:
The course syllabus was comprehensive and clear.
The course syllabus stated the course objectives clearly.
Would you recommend this course to your friends?
Her enthusiasm in teaching.
Her effectiveness in explaining concepts.
Her ability to stimulate interest in subject matter.
Her availability to students outside of class.
Her fairness in grading.
Overall rating of the instructor
Fall 2017
(12/12 Responses)
4.33
4.58
4.42
4.17
4.83
4.50
4.42
4.75
4.33
4.50
Spring 2018
(11/11 Responses)
4.55
4.73
4.64
4.36
4.91
4.73
4.73
4.73
4.73
4.73
*ratings out of 5
STUDENT FEEDBACK
"Clearly a passionate writer and educator."
"Rebecca knows how to fill silence with knowledge, helping us if we don't understand something. Her guidelines for feedback definitely helped me rephrase things that at first weren't very helpful. The way the critique section was broken up (good, needs work, general) really helped me look for the positive about a new draft and helped me to encourage other students, which I feel helped them understand how their script genuinely affected me."
"Setting up a meeting with the instructor was quick, easy, and helpful, and she was very open-mind within the boundaries of what short films allow. She gave credence to comments that the rest of the class was unsure about and was great at explaining ideas and clarifying student comments."
*selected comments from official course evaluations
ENTHUSIASM
Rebecca is so wonderful. She is so passionate about teaching this subject, and that has a positive impact on her class. She does not act superior but presents herself as friendly and helpful. She's open to everyone's ideas. She is pretty much the only reason I enjoyed this course at all.
EFFECTIVENESS
Rebecca does an excellent job at guiding the workshops and getting great contributions out of everyone. All in-class activities are thoroughly engaging and fun. I have noticed the workshopping ability of the class go up as the semester has progressed, and now we are able to hit most of the important points without much guidance by Rebecca. She is an excellent TA.
AVAILABILITY
Rebecca is excellent at communicating ideas. She is highly accessible to students, making the completion of assignments much less stressful. Attending her office hours or meeting with her to discuss a script is incredibly helpful. She has a great attitude toward students and treats them with respect.
ENTHUSIASM
The instructor was very enthusiastic about what she taught which made me even more interested in the material. She also took the time to give great positive and negative feedback on scripts.
EFFECTIVENESS
Rebecca presents things in a fun, concise manner. She keeps from lecturing too much about screenwriting concepts, instead using activities and workshops to illustrate her points. The site she created for our workshop is an excellent, easy-to-use resource.
AVAILABILITY
The instructor was very interested in the material and it showed through her teaching. The subjects we covered were well-organized and the instructor was always available to offer additional help.
STUDENT LETTERS
unsolicited emails
Storytelling for Film & Television
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“[T]hanks so much for a great semester. I had so much fun and I learned so much, and I'm looking forward to writing more scripts over the summer…. Thanks again for everything. I hope we keep in touch, because you were the best TA. I mean it! Like from the survey at the very beginning, I knew you were awesome just because of your response. Most other TA's would have just been like "look forward to meeting you," like a generic response. But you took the time to really like get to know me, and all the others in the class, and I'm sure you know but like the little things go a long way. So thank you, I felt very comfortable in class at all times because it was such a casual and fun classroom environment, and I already miss everything even though I've only been home for a week haha…. I look forward to seeing your Oscar speech, and I'll be sure to thank you in mine.” – J.A.
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“I just wanted to write and say that I really enjoyed your class. I learned a lot and am more confident that writing is something I really want to do. Thanks for all of the help and the great feedback!” – A.S.
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“Thank you so much for a wonderful semester. Honestly one the best TA’s I’ve had at BU. I’ve learned a lot, and really made me want to change my major. Unfortunately, I’m a junior and I’m too deep into my major to change. Haha but thank you for being a great teacher and mentor this semester.” – A.L.
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“Thank you so much for being an amazing teacher. I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a writer and have a better understanding of filmmaking. I hope we’ll stay in touch.” – R.L.
16mm Film Workshop
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Thank you for the wonderful semester. I know it was different from this whole COVID-19, but you did well in keeping me informed of what's all going on. It's amazing to be your first class to teach and I had a really great time. I'm no writer as you know, but I do appreciate learning the screenwriting part which I learn a lot from you about how it interlocks with the production flow of it. Plus breaking down the script was fun too. - C.N.
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Thank you so much for taking all of that time to provide feedback. I really appreciate it all and find it very helpful. Thank you for being such an invested professor. Please don't ever lose that spark. It made all of this pandemic stuff worth it lol! - B.P.
STUDENT-TO-STUDENT ADVICE
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“Participate in the discussion and you’ll learn a lot from it.”
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“Write clear scripts. Ask lots of questions.”
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“Be very flexible with ideas.”
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“Do the reading. Office hours help a lot; go to them.”
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“Practice writing a lot and expect to make multiple drafts.”
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“Don’t expect to be great at this right off the bat.”
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“Be open and comfortable taking critiques and learn from your peers.”
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“Be prepared to critique and be critiqued.”
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“Definitely take [the class]. It's going to help so much.”
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“Plan ahead, work on your script continually.”
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“That you will learn a lot if you apply the concepts to your writing!”
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“They have to take it. It's required for film and tv.”
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“Stay on top of deadlines, do the work in segments instead of all at once at the end.”
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“Be open about participating in the workshop because it is a lot less intimidating than it seems. The more ideas you throw out there, the more helpful it will be for everyone involved.”
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“I would tell them to be ready to give and receive plenty of feedback. I'd also suggest brainstorming a few story ideas to develop over the course of the semester.”
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“Make sure you are ready to put 100% into the class. You'll learn more if you really try to participate in class.”
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“Learn to give and receive constructive criticism.”