“Austin is a treasure! He somehow combines being a scientist, folk philosopher, comedian, story-teller, explorer, motivator and the net result is a truly remarkable teacher. This online course is second only to going on a hike with Austin, but even so, it offered some unique benefits like being able to pause, take notes, and rewind /revisit sections as needed. The work that went into putting this together with the sourcing of all the images, videos, links, etc. was very evident in the quality of the final product. Austin was also very generous in providing many extras like downloads etc., and he also regularly visited the Discussion page and answered many inquiries there - and I so appreciated the chance to interact with him there. Truly a wealth of information in this course, and I feel I got more than my money's worth!”

“The most beneficial aspects were Austin's excellent preparation and knowledge base, and his consistent enthusiasm in presenting a wealth of diverse material. Despite the limitations inherent in the online format, he brought life to each topic covered. His honest, sometimes self-effacing style was particularly appropriate for individuals who are new to the field, and who may feel a bit overwhelmed by how much there is to learn. As a SC resident, I was very glad to see Austin feature numerous plants and animals encountered in the State.”

“Dr Austin Jenkins shares the material on entomology with great enthusiasm and excitement making me enthused, excited, and feeling great respect and awe for these insects. I love the online learning making it easier to choose the times for viewing, or reviewing. He is very responsive to the discussion comments made by participants, has very practical "field trips" to show us what is in his bee houses, yard, outside. The supplemental material of PDF files of research , web sites for further identification of insects and you tube videos featuring some of the insects are all greatly appreciated. Story time with presentation of titles related to the insects are also helpful. So this series not only ignites enthusiasm, but gives guidance for further exploration.”

“Austin was engaging; I liked his quirky humor. He did a great job of connecting new information to old n(scaffolding), reviewing, reiterating and reinforcing. Ease of access and ability to select convenient time to watch videos. The time frame for the videos was good - allowed for focused engagement with the lesson without interruptions. The recommended resources were VERY helpful. Great pace for course. I feel I learned a lot but have so much more to learn. I liked the design of the quizzes - i.e. optional, with unlimited time, and three chances (although I only took each once). IT allowed for time to review my notes and even re-watch certain lessons in order to be sure I fully understood. Great way to reinforce the learning.”

“The most beneficial aspect of the program is the knowledge, talent, and enthusiasm of the instructor. Austin did a masterful job in putting this together and in delivering it in a way that instructs and motivates. That is so hard to do when you're staring at a computer camera, but he pulls it off!”

“I enjoyed the entire class. Dr. Jenkins is an appealing and engaging teacher. I looked forward to each lecture. I appreciated the Book recommendations and have ordered several titles, used versions, from Ebay. With my work schedule, the convenience of an online class was ideal. His humor and pleasant personality enhanced the program.”

“Dr. Jenkins is an incredible instructor. He is so knowledgeable about so many topics and his enthusiasm is wonderful. I appreciate the humor and being down to earth. I would love to take other classes from him. The book suggestions were very useful.”

“The readings were extremely beneficial as another means to reinforce the material covered in the online program. The online program was excellent, the slides were excellent and the material was presented in a very logical manner that kept my attention and made sense.”

“The wide range of topics that were covered and how they were organized was excellent for covering so much ground in this course and the instructor was always incredibly knowledgeable and entertaining.”

“Difficult to narrow down. I loved the course, and was completely satisfied. Online learning was great, loved that I could pause, also could read the transcript to better understand, so that was all good. Well balanced regarding subjects. Professor was excellent.”

“I found the online learning had some advantages, such as flexibility of scheduling and ability to stop or repeat. Dr. Jenkins does an excellent job with this format. I feel like more information was presented than I had been exposed to before. There was a lot of information that was new to me, despite being a master naturalist. It was much more in-depth on the fauna that we really can’t see on a field trip. It was the best presentation on snakes of SC that I’ve seen. The “early naturalist” info was all new.”

“This was an extremely fun, entertaining and informative lecture series. I certainly appreciated the amount of work it took Austin to put this together. I liked that I was able to do this on my own pace. I found it extremely helpful that I was able to stop the lecture to take notes and to be able to rewind or fast forward to review information. I certainly hope there will be similar programs in the future. The "Show and Tell" and "Story Time" were very helpful. The quizzes were indispensable in challenging us to review and retrieve our knowledge. I also was very pleased that Austin encouraged us to visit our state parks, heritage preserves and to use our public libraries.”

“Entomology is such a broad topic and covers a vast number of organisms and many orders. The instructor was able to provide a sweeping overview, with quite a bit of detail, to this extensive topic. Course material was interesting and the instructor's gentle humor made learning fun.”

“As someone who isn't the greatest enthusiast of bugs but who wanted to learn more, (and also has a shorter attention span) the enthusiasm, humor, knowledge and passion of Mr. Jenkins made all the difference. Even my dreaded cockroach module was interesting! He was one of the best teachers I have ever had- period!”

“Austin is so dynamic and very comfortable in front of the camera. His sense of humor was fantastic. He really enjoys the subject matter which increased my interest. Hoping he can have a regular program.”

“I truly enjoyed this online class. I had no trouble learning with the video lectures. It was very helpful to see the outline with the terms used. Being a visual learner, I need to see the terms used and that was easy in this format. The classes were aimed at a good level. As a language/education major I had very little in the way of science classes in college. I found this course not so technical that I got lost. It was just right!”

“Hello. Dr. Austin Jenkins was the most beneficial part of the program. The whole online setup was amazing. His routine of show and tell, lecture, and then story time was effective for the learner to know what to expect.”

“I found the presentation to be very enjoyable and a good introduction to the world insects. The lectures were very stimulating and I appreciated the reference to further sources. The evolution was helpful to understand how insects are a part of our ecosystem. Overall a comprehensive intro to insects. I very much enjoyed the access to the lectures on my time and space and the ability to repeat sections so as not to miss information.”

“More than just the structure of the insect but the habitat, relationship to the world about it, and such gave so much more information than I anticipated I would learn. I especially liked the sessions on social insects, reference to host plants, books and other resources, Latin origin of name, comparison such as moth/butterfly and damselflies/Dragonflies, sense of humor (frass....), intro music made Dr. Jenkins 'real', chat room, availability for Q&A. I could go on because it was such a great class. Thank you!!”