“Professor Thompson was the best part of this class. He isn’t the easiest teacher on the planet, but at least he has a great personality. He is just an overall great teacher. Professor Thompson could make me laugh 10 minutes after I wake up…my parents can’t even do that.”
GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY STUDENT
“I like that we were given opportunities to talk about anything we wanted because it is a critical thinking class.”
“Professor Thompson Great man. He taught us a lot about being Critical Thinkers in the world. Class was very interesting, we learned a lot about different issues and stories in the world.”
“Engaging with the whole class.”
“Amazing job well done.”
“KEEP DOING YOU! [YOU’RE] A GREAT PROFESSOR! HOPE TO SEE YOU AROUND IN THE LAST FEW YEARS OF MY UNDERGRAD!”
“You’re doing [a] Great job.”
“I liked the class discussions it made you not want to miss a day in class. Professor really tried to make the class fun with topics faced in real life made the class interesting.”“I like almost everything about this class. I wouldn’t change anything. No advice needed.”
SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY | HUMN 1201: CRITICAL THINKING AND COMMUNICATION [F2F]
“Dr. Thompson had rigorous requirements which made the course very challenging for me, to the point where I have had to budget my time much more effectively. Though it was stressful, I appreciate the class demands, and I will look back on completing this class with pride.”
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS | COMM 400: MASS MEDIA LAW [ONLINE]
“A lot of critical thinking involved.”
“I really learned more on this online than when I took that course on a face to face classroom format.”
“The professor was also very flexible which I appreciated greatly this semester because in addition to working full-time, I had an abundance of personal appointments in the evenings that I don’t normally have scheduled.”
“The course discussions/conferences stimulated intriguing debate and conversation. Also, the case studies enabled you to think critically and learn more about case law.”
“This course encourages students to think outside the box and apply the methods of Comm Law to a variety of situations.”
“I learned more in this class than in most of my other classes combined.”
“Overall this course was a great experience.”
“The professor. Hands down THE best I’ve had since taking classes at UMUC. I felt challenged, and I felt his ‘presence’ in the classroom (something I think is hard to do online based on my past experiences) due to his firm but very fair approach to teaching and grading the work. Always to the point and in a very constructive and encouraging way. Great approach to the online format, I felt really tested and will feel my final grade here will have been well earned.”
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS | COMM 202: MEDIA AND SOCIETY [ONLINE]
“He constantly provides feedback on your work from your citations, to your grammar, while explaining what would be more appropriate.”
“The professor made me use my critical thinking skills and was helpful to point out, and help me to correct, APA formatting issues.”
“I was glad the Professor put an emphasis on proper APA citations, though I’ve been through the UMUC courses in order, prior Professors have asked for citations but what I thought I was doing right, I was actually doing wrong before. So my citations have improved.”
“Prof. Thompson was knowledgeable about the subject matter, and was very helpful. I look forward to taking future courses.”
“Professor is very organized and helpful and that helps a student succeed even more.”
“Professor Thompson is a strong feature in this course on his own. He always encouraged group communication, and I think he did a phenomenal job of bridging the gap between professional and social. He was able to be a wonderful teacher while creating bonds with his students.”
“I think the professor did great at challenging our minds and making us think.”
“The professor of this course graded the work fairly and challenged me; mediocrity was not accepted. The feedback provided by the professor was useful and gave me a better understanding on what I needed to improve in my work. I am glad I took this class and I am more than satisfied with the feedback that I received from the professor throughout the course.”
“The text book was a very important feature, it was, in conjunction with the instructor, the anchor.”
“Very responsive. Awesome class.”
“The professor definitely had an organized syllabus and was very helpful in guiding students towards the expectations of the course.”
“Great professor, clear assignments.”
“This course is one that I will never forget. It forced me to use my thinking cap at all times. The Professor was one of a kind. He was always available to us if we had any questions or concern and he gave straight forward answers. I prefer a Professor that will tell you exactly what it is that you have done incorrectly in order to better yourself and this Professor was one of them. He made us think hard and did not let us slide by the course without putting forth the effort that is required to actually take something from the course. There was no doing the minimum to just get by, you actually had to work and put the hours in and that is greatly appreciated. Need more professors like him.”
“The strongest feature of this course was the interaction among professor and students.”
“I gained new knowledge on writing papers, different types of formats, technical reports, writing strategies, and much more. The assignment that was the most productive was the infographic and the manual. I thought that the course was overall really good.”
“Some assignments were cool.”“I really enjoyed this course being it challenged me to do more writing academically than I normally would. The readings made me feel productive and the activities were always interesting and not normally something I do in any other course.”
“The reading assignments were generally very good for stimulating thought, and allowing true discussion. However, I did get lots of practice writing about various topics.”“I learned to focus more on creativity.”
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS | UWP 101: ADVANCED COMPOSITION [ONLINE]
“This class taught me how to create technical documents, gave me a better understanding of the use of rhetoric and data, and helped me fix some errors I have been making in my writing and APA references. All of the assignments and readings were useful and productive.”
“I gained the ability to write coherent essays where my thesis is easily conveyed to the audience. These essay[s] allowed me to take a stance on the topic, using evidence that support my claims. I learned how to credit the authors and sources from where I found my evidence.”
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS | UWP 1Y: ACADEMIC LITERACIES [ONLINE]
“I learned a lot about academic integrity and APA citation manners. The discussions were fun and very engaging.”
“I enjoyed this course and gained a lot of insight into popular writers and their thoughts on the digital world. It allowed me to reflect on it as well.”
“The course materials are fun and inspiring.”
“I think this course was perfect for students wanting to re-ignite their ability to do deep-reading. After spending a summer grazing through fiction and online books, I’d begun to lose my ability to deep read but this was the perfect thing to put me on track.”
“Discussions and readings were amazing.”
“The course material was intellectually stimulating, and I liked doing assignments. Once I got used to the class’s format, I enjoyed it. Once I met the professor, I liked him. Before that, I was very put off by this class, but ended up thinking it was one of my better classes.”
“I did learn a lot about citations in their matter of seriousness and function. I believe I learned how to properly cite and attribute credit to scholars when I used them in my papers. It was also my first time creating a photo essay and portfolio.”
“Professor Thompson is very knowledgable about the subject of digital communication.”
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY | AS 480: INTRODUCTION TO THE DIGITAL AGE [F2F & ONLINE]
“He was engaging and provided interesting insight.”
“Professor was knowledgeable about trends in digital media and offered several more current articles that we could read on our own time that expanded on the market. Personable and prompt with responses to questions.”
“The instructor was very approachable and created a comfortable environment to learn in. He was available to students and was very responsive via email. I haven’t noticed the same level of commitment from other instructors at this university, especially on weekends.”
“He encouraged feedback between students.”
“He was accessible to the class and extremely knowledgeable.”
“Professor Thompson did a good job moving the course along. He posted great questions.”
“The course material helps pave the way for communication professionals to implement digital tools into their strategic campaigns.”
“Steve was extremely organized, routine and consistent. There were no surprises and I knew what to expect from the course and his grading.”
“Obviously an expert in the field and very welcoming and receptive to feedback.”
“Our professor instilled the values of a true academic paper into us and I think that was very useful.”
“I developed a very effective general research strategy. I became a better writer and now can quickly translate ideas in my head onto words on paper. Instruction was intriguing and informational.”
“The emphasis on concision was important and extremely helpful in improving writing quality. I am now able to structure my arguments in better, more fluid ways.”
“Professor Thompson did an excellent job at both managing the classroom experience overall as well as motivating each individual student. He gives good analytical feedback, concise comments, and sets fair but challenging expectations.”
“Motivated us to really care about what we were learning about. I learned so much that was extremely relevant to everyday life.”
“I think that Professor Thompson really believed that students were capable of developing their own strong academic arguments, so he gave us a lot of freedom in that respect. He also believed that we can use the readings and bounce off each other to create new ideas and that’s exactly what happened.”
“We were given a lot of freedom to write about things that were relevant and important to us. He was always available to help. It was clear that he cares about the success of his students and genuinely wanted us to learn and grow.”
“Professor availability and willingness to engage in intellectual discussions outside the classroom were excellent.”
“I really did not know how the other writing classes ran their classes, but mine was fun and engaging.”“I thought the discussions were very organic and pertinent to the modern day topics of digital media. It was a very open atmosphere and I felt very free to contribute to conversations. I think that this style of discussion should not be changed in any way.”
“The discussions on the course helped students create ideas to incorporate into their assignments. Oral presentation was utilized and helped with the assignments as did in class discussion.”
“My ability to convey my opinion and complex thoughts has definitely improved this term because I always tried to make beneficial contributions to the discussion.”
“The professor was very casual and conversational, which really helped contribute to the discussion and style of the class. He was also very understanding and fair with deadlines.”
“The professor was available to meet with students for help on assignments and let the students take control of their essays and be in control of their learning.”
“I liked that the professor during some points of the class clearly explained writing styles that are necessary to follow for the course, as well as writing styles that make for a better writer in general.”
“I looked forward to coming to class, which I think is very important for a class such as this. Our meetings were not dry and solely based on readings, which I think can easily happen with courses of this nature. By integrating other more interesting facets of digital media, and allowing the class to be organic in it of itself, I believe we learned more.”
DARTMOUTH COLLEGE | WRIT 5: EXPOSITORY WRITING [F2F]
“He taught us about technical communication through using examples instead of just the textbook.”
GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY | WRIT 2130: TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION [F2F & ONLINE]
“Honestly, one of the best courses outside of the Engineering courses I’ve taken at GSU. The degree to which he stressed the importance of presentation as well as proper grammar was very impressive, and the amount of fun I had doing his projects cannot be understated. His relaxed environment for the class worked very well with his high standards, and he will make a valuable instructor in the future of GSU. This class was so good it has set a new standard.”
“I liked how the instructor allowed the student to explore at their own pace on certain activities.”
“Everything was hands on, and you really learned from yourself.”
“Rather than exams and quizzes, we applied what we learned to projects and other activities. Dr. Thompson also has a great sense of humor and kept the class interesting.”
“It was a breath of fresh air after my other classes to come here, laugh and enjoy myself. This was my most enjoyed course and professor my entire time at this university.”
“I learned how to use new technology and learned web design techniques. The instructor was very knowledgeable about web design and was willing to help with program/design problems if problems arose. The instructor was also accessible.”
TOWSON UNIVERSITY | PRWR 625: DESIGN, LAYOUT AND PRODUCTION [F2F & ONLINE]
“I actually enjoyed the independence he forced on us; it made me feel even more invested in the class.”
“I learned how to write HTML code, which I may need professionally.”
“It introduced me to computer software I had not used in the past. The professor seemed knowledgeable about the topic.”
“If you are serious about wanting to make effective documents that clearly present information, then this class is definitely one I would recommend.”
“The class took me out of my comfort zone. It wasn’t easy and pushed me to figure things out on my own first. Then I could go to the instructor if I couldn’t figure something out on my own.”
“Learned a lot about technical writing. Good refresher to get back into HTML at the end.”
TOWSON UNIVERSITY | PRWR 623: TECHNICAL WRITING AND INFORMATION DESIGN [ONLINE]
“I have taken online courses before and it has been all busy work. This class the assignments were thought provoking, informative, and not at all a waste of time. This was the 4th online class I have taken at an institution, the first at Towson. It was wonderful, I wish there were more online classes like this one. Many teachers and professors can learn something from Steven Thompson. On a side note, I am looking forward to meeting him in person when I take his classes in the future. He is a great guy.”
“Strong encouragement from the professor to see each student succeed while remaining helpful and constructive.”
“I’ve been a technical writer for 20 years and learned things in this course that improve my work.”
“A necessary and valuable course for both technical and practical writing.”
“I grew to admire the instructor.”
“The professor’s approach was unique in that it required a higher level of self-motivation and direction than I’m accustomed to. The professor did not teach as much as facilitate and provide technical support. This is not necessarily a criticism of the professor. This methodology enhanced my skills by forcing me to do research and learn new things on the fly. I like the amount of new and unexpected knowledge (e.g., how to use html, how to build a multimedia blog) that I would likely not have pursued on my own.”
“Challenging, material was current and applicable to careers today, I was forced to learn on my own rather than spoon-fed information.”
“I had an Ah Ha! moment midway through the course. I finally figured out what he was looking for from each project submission. Then, I found that I put more time into study to get the output that the instructor was looking for.”
“I learned a lot about technical writing that is applicable directly to the workplace.”
TOWSON UNIVERSITY | ENGL 318: ADVANCED INFORMATIONAL WRITING [ONLINE]
“I liked that we partook in projects that were relevant to my current job.”
“It gave us freedom to choose what we wanted to write about.”
“This was an interesting course. It required the construction of many different types of documents. It was a fun take on an ordinary English course.”
“The course taught me a much needed comprehensive look at technical reports. It also required me to research professional writing and persuasion techniques that I was extremely weak in executing prior to the course.”
“It challenged me to think differently about informational writing. Prior to take this course, I never paid particular attention to the audience (which is a critical component when writing papers /presentations). The course made me realize that there are other aspects to writing than grammar.”
“I liked that the course was more self-taught, and simply served as a refinement course. While I did not learn a whole lot of new material, I definitely improved as a writer.”
“Even though it was online, the professor was always available for questions and comments.”
“All the assignment that i did in this class, i can keep that with me and i can use that for other purpose in my life. That was really a cool thing about this course.”
“I liked learning how to write technical documents.”
“I liked how this course taught you things that will be beneficial in the future. It helps prepare you for a job and provides methods to use in future careers such as how to construct a great power point, resume, prezi and more.”
“I liked the final project that the instructor assigned.”
“Laid-back teaching style, individual feedback on work.”
“The teacher taught a lot of interesting things. Great Teacher!”
“I liked the different projects we did.”
“The instructor challenged us to go above and beyond the call of duty. I learned a lot from him.”
“The class was fun, interesting, and I learned a lot. I feel I will be more successful in life for having taken this course.”
“Teacher taught the class in a very refreshing manner.”
“Helps improve document creation skills, work can be used later in a portfolio.”
“Intellectual professor and easy going on mistakes.”
“Teacher was very fun with the material we covered.”
“The knowledge that I gain from Professor Thompson I feel I will be able to use in the future. I am using it now at work and among friends.”
“Great course, great instructor (Steven Thompson), you won’t be disappointed and you’ll be better off for having taken the course.”
“The teacher was very willing to help you succeed.”
“Just a good course to help with making your projects look best.”
“Graded fairly and had sympathy for any technical issues that may have been problematic.”
TOWSON UNIVERSITY | ENGL 317: WRITING FOR BUSINESS & INDUSTRY [HYBRID]
“I learned a lot and the instructor was very willing to work with you outside of class.”
“Mr. Thompson knows a lot about technical writing. He knows a lot about computers and computer programs, which was very helpful. He is very personal and likes to interact with the class.”
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY | ENGL 314: TECHNICAL WRITING [F2F]
“I feel that the teaching methods were very good. The methods were much different than I was used to, but I felt that I learned more under these methods than most used by other professors.”
“He was a very good instructor, down to earth and worked well with myself as well as the other students in the class.”
“The teaching methods were different from the usual lecture format, which I am more accustomed to, which in turn allowed me to be more creative. I learned how to develop a website, which I never thought I would be able to do. The project helped me gather ideas and put into wording all the work I have done during my undergraduate studies so far.”
“Offers insight into how to produce professional and effective technical documents. Has had experience with the subject in his career.”
“Laid back, graded fairly, class was enjoyable and taught useful skills in web design, very well taught.”
“Fun to work with, low stress, casual classroom environment, grades actually reflect work put in.”
“I enjoyed the projects in this class and learned a lot. The midterm and final project were useful as they helped me prepare a portfolio I will build upon for graduate school.”
“I think he interacted great with the students and pushed everyone to speak publicly. By having a conversational setting, the classroom became less like an intimidating stage for speaking and rather a forum for conversation.”
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY | COMM 250: PUBLIC SPEAKING [F2F]
“Steve is extremely good at communicating with his students. He was always fair in his grading, and he gave grades back in a timely manner. Steve was good at making class interesting and trying to stir our thoughts for speech topics.”
“Mr. Thompson was an interactive and engaging teacher.”
“The instructor did a good job of making me think outside of the box and including current events within the classroom.”
“I think he did a great job interacting with everyone and I thoroughly enjoyed the class and topics we discussed. He really made everyone think and brought up a number of intriguing concepts and ideas I had never come across.”
“He kept a very positive relationship with the class and kept us up to date on our progress, clearly explaining what was expected.”
“He’s great. One of the best teachers I have had at Clemson. Very interesting person.”
“Steve is a great professor. He knows his stuff, and he had a great relationship with his students. He likes for his students to get involved in class, which benefits everyone.”
“Our teacher always had a positive interaction with his students and always made us feel relaxed and calm before giving us a speech. He was very humorous and always made the class environment very comfortable so people did not get as nervous presenting their speeches.”
“Professor Thompson is a wonderful professor that really wants students to do well and succeed. Loved him!”
“The instructor was very caring and attempted to create a well-rounded classroom for all students.”