PUBPOL-294S
POPULATION HLTH AND POLICY
Not in Fall 2026
Term
Overview
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that discussion is a clear strength. Difficulty runs on the high side even without a single dominant complaint theme. Best for students who will actually talk in class instead of sitting silent. The sample is still thin, so treat this as directional rather than definitive.
DepartmentPPS
Terms offeredFall
Typical enrollment11–11
Semesters of data1
3.6
Hrs / week
9
Responses
11
Enrollment
82%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
4.4
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
4.5
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
4.3
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
3.9
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysislow
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 28 comments across 1 sections
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that discussion is a clear strength. Difficulty runs on the high side even without a single dominant complaint theme. Best for students who will actually talk in class instead of sitting silent. The sample is still thin, so treat this as directional rather than definitive.
Student Reports
How hard is the A?
A is doable but not automatic
The signal here is more do-the-work-and-you-should-be-fine than easy-A chatter. Students do not describe the A as automatic, but the evidence also does not paint grading as punishing.
Homework Load
Moderate homework load
Homework load looks moderate. The recurring signal is steady weekly work, but not a course that turns every assignment into a grind.
Lecture Load
Lighter lecture burden
Student comments describe this as more discussion-, seminar-, or workshop-driven than lecture-dependent. The lecture burden itself does not sound like the main source of friction.
Strengths
• Discussion is a clear strength; students repeatedly describe the class conversation as engaging and useful.
• Readings, films, or outside materials come up repeatedly as a real strength rather than filler.
• Teaching clarity stands out; students repeatedly say the material is explained clearly and effectively.
Tradeoffs
• Difficulty runs high even when comments do not settle on one dominant complaint.
Best fit for
Best for students who will actually talk in class instead of sitting silent.
Watch out for
• Most of the signal comes from a limited sample, so be careful about over-generalizing.
• A large share of the evidence comes from one instructor's version of the course, so this may not generalize cleanly.
Student Responses
Demographic methods and measures, social health determinants in context of SES, and health disparities within specific communities.
Fall 2025 · Merli, Maria-Giovanna
I learned how to calculate different demographic rates such as mortality rate, birth rate and total fertility rate. I learned that population health trends can sometimes be nuanced and it is always important to understand the context of each observed relationship. I learned that population health science is extremely valuable for public health and policy, as it often tends to shape policy that can have lasting change on population health.
Fall 2025 · Merli, Maria-Giovanna
- different population health outcomes related to immigration status, gender, etc - quantitative methods to find CBR, CDR, etc - how to read research papers and conduct class discussions on them
Fall 2025 · Merli, Maria-Giovanna
I learned many demographic methods, strengthened my ability to come up with questions and dissect readings, and developed substantial knowledge about population health in the U.S. and other countries.
Fall 2025 · Merli, Maria-Giovanna
1) How to calculate summary statistics such as crude birth rate, crude death rate, and total fertility rate 2) How factors such as socioeconomic status, race, and gender may impact health 3) The advantages and disadvantages of different methods of demographic measurement
Fall 2025 · Merli, Maria-Giovanna
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | Merli, Maria-Giovanna | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 11 |
Instructor
Merli, Maria-GiovannaGLHLTH
Also teaches
GLHLTH-761S DEMOGRAPHIC MEASURES/CONCEPTS4.0PUBPOL-290S SELECTED TOPICS4.2PUBPOL-890 SPECIAL TOPICS4.5