“Professor Mazumdar is not only instructing students in crucial writing and critical thinking skills, but also broadening their horizons. She is a kind professor who dedicates ample thought and care to her teaching.”
Prof. Caroline Hellman, Fall 2019 observation report
In the chart below, click on a reviewer’s name to view their report.
* For all semesters except one, the observation report asked for an overall evaluation of Unsatisfactory, Satisfactory, Very Good, or Excellent. In Fall 2013, however, the form only offered the options of Unsatisfactory or Satisfactory.
Monique Ferrell | Fall 2010 | ENG 1101 / 5323 | Excellent |
Nina Bannett | Spring 2011 | ENG 1121 / 5421 | Excellent |
Annette Saddik | Fall 2011 | ENG 1101 / 5379 | Very Good |
Mark Noonan | Spring 2012 | ENG 1101 / 5354 | Excellent |
Juanita But | Fall 2012 | ENG 1101 / 5404 | Excellent |
Jane Mushabac | Spring 2013 | ENG 2001 / 1240 | Excellent |
Aaron Barlow | Fall 2013 | ENG 1101 / D386 | Satisfactory* |
Richard Hanley | Spring 2014 | ENG 2000 / D532 | Excellent |
Kate Falvey | Fall 2014 | ENG 3401 / D554 | Excellent |
Monique Ferrell | Spring 2015 | ENG 3401 / D570 | Excellent |
Carole Harris | Fall 2015 | ENG 3401 / D554 | Excellent |
Julian Williams | Spring 2016 | ENG 3401 / E270 | Excellent |
Mark Noonan | Fall 2016 | ENG 1101 / LC85 | Excellent |
Caroline Hellman | Spring 2017 | ENG 1101 / D377 | Excellent |
| Nina Bannett | Fall 2018 | ENG 3401 / D614 | Excellent |
| Caroline Hellman | Fall 2019 | ENG 3401 D614 | Excellent |
| Monique Ferrell | Spring 2021 | ENG 3401 / OL09 | Excellent |
Pat Rudden | Fall 2021 | ENG 2001 / OL25 | Excellent |
Monique Ferrell | Spring 2022 | ENG 2001 / OL33 | Excellent |
Excerpts from Observation Reports
Prof. Monique Ferrell, Fall 2010: “Dr. Devers’ students appear to hold her in high regard. They seem to enjoy the course, level of instruction, and they showed an enthusiasm for the course materials.”
Prof. Nina Bannett, Spring 2011: “Prof. Devers is a thoughtful and engaging composition instructor who is invested in helping her students become more invested in the writing process, and is providing them with valuable guidance.”
Prof. Annette Saddik, Fall 2011: “The syllabus illustrated a well-thought-out plan for the semester, and covered a variety of interesting essays and topics. Dr. Devers guided students and used appropriate terminology, defining terms that she thought might be unfamiliar, and directing discussion toward comparison of the two points of view presented.”
Prof. Mark Noonan, Spring 2012: “Professor Devers is a superb teacher. Her comments are always helpful and to the point, and it is clear that the students appreciate and learn from her enthusiasm for teaching writing.”
Prof. Juanita But, Fall 2012: “The class was focused and dynamic. Professor Devers effectively helped students understand the lesson and engaged them in class activities.”
Prof. Jane Mushabac, Spring 2013: “Professor Devers is impressive in every way, on everything she addresses. She brings out the best in her students, and they respond consistently at a high level with great interest.”
Prof. Aaron Barlow, Fall 2013: “Professor Devers engages with her students in a way that combines the personal and the professional. That is, they clearly understand that she cares about them individually but respond to her as a professor and not as a friend.”
Prof. Richard Hanley, Spring 2014: “Professor Devers used a variety of methods and media to present her materials. Not only did she lecture, she had her students do writing, group work, and critiquing. She also used the chalkboard, the screen, and handouts. She was adept at keeping the attention of the students as she and the class made their way through the lesson.”
Prof. Kate Falvey, Fall 2014: “Professor Devers is a dynamic, engaging, thoughtful facilitator, with a seemingly effortless way of remaining in charge of her classroom. There were clear class routines and expectations for professional behavior and courtesy – such as papers being turned in complete with staples, respectful attention paid to peers, the use of the course’s Open Lab site to present material, and the use of power point for the well-organized, informative student presentations.”
Prof. Monique Ferrell, Spring 2015: “Professor Devers used her time well. Each portion of the class transitioned seamlessly into the next. Students appeared comfortable with the course content and time devoted to discussion and classwork.”
Prof. Carole Harris, Fall 2015: “This was a satisfying lesson that demonstrates a high level of learning in the classroom. Students were engaged with each other and the material, and Professor Devers is modeling for them approaches to analyzing literary texts that can be applied to current cases involving social justice and the law. Clearly a lot of thought went into planning the syllabus for this course.”
Prof. Julian Williams, Spring 2016: “Through her use of technology, Professor Devers is an active-learner revolutionary—a professor who juxtaposes the interdisciplinary course title while, at the same time, makes sure that the college’s mission of utilizing technology is the main stream of communication.”
Prof. Mark Noonan, Fall 2016: “Professor Devers is particularly skilled in presenting material in a clear, student-friendly, up-to-date manner. She offers a wide range of useful documents for students including self-reflective grade sheets and questionnaire sheets for complex articles. Particularly impressive is her innovative use of pedagogical technology. While most professors ask students not to be on their cell phones during class, Professor Devers asks her students to take theirs out and to actively respond to questions she posts on the readings for that day. She is truly bringing the composition classroom into the 21st century in a meaningful, helpful way that inspires engagement and zest for learning.”
Prof. Caroline Hellman, Spring 2017: “Prof. Devers clearly had substantial grasp of the material she presented, discussing complex subject matter (cultural displacement, diaspora, dialects). She was able to deftly balance the fun, energizing the students with a competitive exercise (the scavenger hunt), and the necessary, drawing students’ attention to the ways in which an author builds an argument.”
Prof. Nina Bannett, Fall 2018: “This was an outstanding class, among the best I have observed in my fifteen years in the department. As one student said during Jeopardy, “This is awesome.” I have to agree.
Prof. Caroline Hellman, Fall 2019: “Professor Mazumdar is not only instructing students in crucial writing and critical thinking skills, but also broadening their horizons. She is a kind professor who dedicates ample thought and care to her teaching. City Tech is very fortunate to have her. I observed Prof. Mazumdar several years ago and she was excellent then; it was a pleasure to see the ways in which her teaching has evolved. She is truly an extraordinary professor who is a role model for both her students and colleagues.”
Prof. Monique Ferrell, Spring 2021: “Without question, Dr. Mazumdar has thoughtfully designed materials on two Distance Learning platforms. Her Blackboard and Perusall sites reflect an attention to detail, ensuring course materials, those routinely taught in a physical classroom setting, are easily transferrable to the virtual world. Each tab is clearly labeled and navigable and, most importantly, reflects the outline of the course syllabus and its learning outcomes.”
Prof. Pat Rudden, Fall 2021: “Prof. Mazumdar is well versed in imaginative literature, and fluently discusses themes, techniques, characterization, use of language, and other aspects of literature. Her choice of the theme for this course, the Fiction of Displacement, is wonderfully congruent with our students’ experiences, and student comments on Perusall and in the discussion fora allude to how their lives mirror what they are reading. The readings for the week I reviewed are contemporary, which can make them more accessible, but a theme like this can also be used to study some more historical texts for variety.”
Prof. Monique Ferrell, Spring 2022: “This is an excellent course. Professor Mazumdar is an excellent Professor. The department remains lucky to have her as a member of its faculty.”
