12 students submitted evaluations for this course.
86% of the students enrolled in this course submitted evaluations.
| Zero | One | Two | Four | Four + | |
| 1. Approximately how many times were you absent from this class since the beginning of the quarter? | 4 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| I wasn't absent | Time Conflict | Illness | Did not deem class attendance worthwhile | Other | |
| 2. What was the usual reason for your absence? | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Never | Rarely | Usually | Always | Other | |
| 3. Indicate how often, on the average, you read the assigned materials prior to classes. | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Strongly Agree | Agree | Neutral | Disagree | Strongly Disagree | |
| 4. This professor stimulated my interest in the subject matter of this course. | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5. The assigned readings were valuable to my understanding of this course. | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 6. The professor covered the course material in depth. | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7. I found this course to be well organized. | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 8. The professor held my attention in class. | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9. This professor is always prepared prior to class. | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10. This professor was willing to assist me outside of class. | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11. This professor was responsive to my questions. | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12. This professor makes good use of class time. | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 13. This professor taught the class at a level that challenged me. | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14. This professor effectively communicated the content of the course to me. | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 15. I would recommend to others that they take this course. | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16. This professor motivated me to do my best work. | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17. I was able to keep up with the work load for this course. | 3 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 18. I would enjoy taking another course from this professor. | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Positive and Negative comments about the professor: | Positive and negative comments about the course materials: |
| Professor Thomson is engaging and knowledgable. He is a seasoned litigator and definitely has a lot of practical experience to add to the class material. I would recommend to anyone that he take this class. He is extremely responsive to emails and questions and it is apparent that he genuinely cares about his students. The class is extremely beneficial to anyone interested in litigation as a career. | I liked the book a lot - it was practical and had a lot of good information instead of just being packed with case after case. I will keep it around for reference purposes after I start practicing. |
| He is among the top professors at this university. | |
| His enthusiasm for the subject was infectious. Also, he clearly has extensive real world experience with discovery which is essential for any good professor. | The materials were particularly useful for the examples of documents they contained. |
| Excellent professor, presents practical knowledge while discussing the material thoroughly. | Good course for basic pre-trial knowledge; good hands-on experience gained from drafting motions, taking depositions, etc. |
| Good discussions of real-world use of the discovery rules. He helped give good context for the rules. | The book was helpful and I will probably use it in practice. It seemed like I got a ton of handouts from this class. I have a locker full of miscellaneous stuff from the class. I seemed like a little much for me. |
| Take this class! Anyone who wants to learn about litigation and practical strategies for civil cases should not hesitate to learn all they can from Professor Thomson. He is extremely professional, cares about his students, and also really makes an effort to make the class useful. The class and experience is every bit worth having a class on Friday afternoons. I am so grateful that I took this class - one of the the best learning experiences in law school. Professor Thomson is amazing. | I didn't use the book as much as some of my books for other classes, but I am certain that I will refer to my completed writing assignments as templates for the first few years out of law school. |
| Very good mix of class instruction and real-life experience weaved througout the teaching. | The book for the course was so-so... not enough "template" examples (although some were provided as handouts to compensate) for each type of motion, order, etc. |
| Prof. Thompson is the best professor I have had at this school. Not only does he teach well, but he also is a genuinely caring and compassionate person. I appreciated how much time and effort he put into the class as well as how easy it was to interact with him in the classroom and out. I plan on taking him again for admin law. | The course materials and exercises where great first run exercises. The depostition exercise was a great first run to get the bugs out. I feel I can competently take or defend a depo now in real life. |
| Professor Thomson is a jewel to the DU law school professors. He is extremely caring, knowledgable and helpful. I would recommend taking Professor Thomson for any class. | The Discovery Practicum class is a very worthwhile tool for any future litigator. |
| The exact requirements of the assignments were unclear at times. A more structured way of giving assignments would probably be helpful. The professor was very dedicated to the class. He was enthusiastic and interesed in the materials and the students. I feel that I learned a lot and that most of his teaching methods were very effective. This was one of the better (and more practical) classes I've taken in law school. | |
| Outstanding. It is good to see that Professor Thomson is branching out and teaching substantive courses next semester. Up until now, he has only taught LP which is good for first years but a poor utilization of an excellent "teacher" of law. Take this course from this professor even if you are not interested in litigation. You'll learn the important parts of civil procedure and feel confident in your ability to pre-trial litigate virtually any issue that comes into your office. First Rate! | The book was ok...students; you do need to buy it for the course. A Colorado CLE binder on discovery might be more useful for the student whose goal is to practice in this state. That being said, the book is adequate. I highly recommed reading "The Buffalo Creek Disaster" as a starting point for this course because it will get your mind focused on pre-trial issues. It is a quick read and well written to boat. |
| Professor Thompson did a great job incorporating experiential learning and book learning into the class. Great professor who strikes a good balance in being professor and being a mentor to future lawyers. He has found an appropriate way to relate with students as future peers that I wish other professors would model. | It was very helpful to go through a mock case and prepare all the documents as if in discovery. For someone who does not have any civil experience, it was great. I highly recommend the course. |