To retain the anonymity of students, their names are replaced with initials.
“Hello, Dr. Potnis! I am a student in your INSC 542 Social Informatics class. I have sincerely enjoyed watching your lectures. It is clear the passion you have for information and how it relates to society and technology. I really appreciate (and am very impressed by) how you have an example for every concept in every lecture. It has really helped me to better understand the topic because if I am being honest, I had no idea what the term “social informatics” meant before taking this class and now I am interested in taking more information sciences classes as a result of this one! Go Vols.” – AA, August 8, 2023
“Thank you, Dr. Potnis! I want to express my gratitude for such a wonderful semester. Your lectures were amazing, and I wish more online professors would dedicate the time you have to teaching students! This was my final class for my master’s degree, and it was a true pleasure!- AB” August 8, 2023
“Good Evening, Dr. Potnis! I just wanted to say that I find it very helpful that you break the lectures up by topic so that the concepts are a bit easier to digest. I also like that you ask probing questions during the lectures. Even though we are not able to directly reply, it does help me continue to actively listen, and encourages me think about the concepts you are discussing because I automatically try to answer the questions when you ask them. I do not have any suggestions at this time, but thank you for asking for earnest feedback! Respectfully, CR” – September 14, 2022
“Dr. Potnis, Thanks so much. Thank you as well for always getting back to my questions so quickly. I appreciated how you organized and designing this course. It was easy to follow and you always gave such good feedback on all assignments. Thanks again, WL” – August 6, 2022
“Thank you, Dr. Potnis. I’ve really enjoyed this class and found the asynchronous video lessons format ideal for learning, especially in short segments. I really appreciate all you’ve put into organizing this course.” – LL, August 6, 2022
“Hello Dr. Potnis, Thank you for the positive reinforcing words. I am really enjoying your class. We are in the final quarter and need to finish strong. Sincerely, EB” – November 5, 2021.
“Good afternoon Dr. Potnis, I have greatly enjoyed this class and, as I have mentioned before, taken the opportunity to dive deeper into the topics you have covered. Thank you for everything you have provided in the way of instruction, patience, and grace. This class has inspired me to do even more.” – RB, Email dated May 7, 2021.
“Dr. Potnis, Just wanted to let you know that I have completed the evaluation for your course. Thank you for a great semester. Sincerely, E” – Email dated November 30, 2021
“Hello Dr. Potnis, Thank you for the positive reinforcing words. I am really enjoying your class. We are in the final quarter and need to finish strong. Sincerely, B.” – Email dated November 5, 2021
“Hello Dr. Potnis, I have completed ODB 4B. Thank you so much for this semester! I have learned so much and appreciate the flexibility you have given everyone. Hope you can enjoy the nice weather and the next few weeks ahead! Best, HK.” – Email dated May 7, 2021
“Good afternoon Dr. Potnis, I just wanted to write and assure you that I am working on completing the last couple of outstanding assignments I have for you. I have greatly enjoyed this class and, as I have mentioned before, taken the opportunity to dive deeper into the topics you have covered. Thank you for everything you have provided in the way of instruction, patience, and grace. This class has inspired me to do even more. Sincerely, B R” – Email dated May 7, 2021
“Hello Dr. Potnis, I have completed ODB 4B. Thank you so much for this semester! I have learned so much and appreciate the flexibility you have given everyone. Hope you can enjoy the nice weather and the next few weeks ahead! Best, HK” – Email dated May 7, 2021
“Potnis, I trust you are doing well today. Thank you for an engaging and interesting class! I have enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about social informations through the blog posts and online discussions, and I appreciate your regular communication, flexibility and feedback throughout the semester. Thank you again. I hope you have a nice day and a good weekend! Sincerely, C.” Email dated April 30, 2021
“Good afternoon, Thank you for the incredible experience in this asynchronous Social Informatics course, Professor! Regards, CN” – Email dated April 25, 2021
“Good afternoon Dr. Potnis! I hope this message finds you well. I have been thoroughly enjoying this class so far, so thank you for all you’ve done to make this content interesting and useful while encouraging critical thinking. Best wishes, G” – Email dated March 31, 2021
“Hi Dr. Potnis, I am greatly enjoying this course and the content within. It’s actually one of the most relevant courses I’ve taken in my collegiate career. This is only my first course I’ve taken as a masters student at UTK, but I’m incredibly encouraged with my decision to enroll in this university after taking this class on Social Informatics. – C” Email dated March 20, 2021
“ Potnis, Good afternoon. I have a question about the peer assessment of blogs for INSC542. Do you want us to nominate based off of a single blog post, or would you like for us to nominate based on a cumulative view of the blogs? Thank you for your guidance! I’m thoroughly enjoying this class. – JB” Email dated March 20, 2021
“Good evening Dr. Potnis, I hope this message finds you well. I want to thank you for an excellent conversation on Monday. I am thankful we had the opportunity to meet. I also really appreciate your interest in speaking with my mother. I forgot to mention to you that she teaches English as a second language to a Cambodian couple on Saturday mornings. All My Best, AF” – Email dated March 18, 2021.
“Hello, I hope your weekend went well! I wanted to send a quick note that the open due date policy has been extremely helpful since I work full time. While I am a little behind it gives me peace to know I can catch up and ensure I succeed in the course l, so thank you for implementing this and thinking about your students that are working full time and completing this program. Kind Regards, M” – Email dated March 7, 2021
“Dr. Potnis, Now that the semester is over, I hope you’re able to get some rest and enjoy the Summer. I know it won’t be a typical one due to the current pandemic but hopefully you can enjoy some relaxing family time. Now that my time at UT is finished, I’m going to miss having class with you and the freedom of expression you afford students. UT is truly lucky to have you as an instructor. Thanks for everything! Sincerely, J” – Email dated May 16, 2020
“Hi Dr. Potnis, I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that your class has already really helped me in my career. I’ve been able to use some things I’ve learned already for this job and I wanted to share. I using what I learned about creating podcasts and screencasts to create some videos for my participants. Here’s my latest: [link to YouTube video]. I don’t know if you have to report successes like I do or anything, but just in case, here’s an example. Thanks for the great class. It really has helped me a lot and I wanted you to know that. Stay safe, AD” – Email dated April 8, 2020
In April 2019, I received the following note from an undergraduate student who took my INSC 451 course in spring 2019: “Professor Potnis, I would like to thank you for a great semester. There have been very few classes at UT that I’ve taken so far that I feel have not only helped me become a better student, but a better person all around. The video that resonated most with me was an earlier one about self reliance and accountability. While I tend to do well with this in school, sometimes I fail at this in my personal life. You mentioned that you must hold yourself accountable 100% of the time because if you only do it 99.8% of the time you will likely fall into the same habits. I have incorporated this philosophy into my daily life and have seen great changes by being more honest with myself. I’d like to thank you for being such an eye opening professor not solely in academics but a guide to bettering ourselves as a whole. – AN” – Email dated April 29, 2019