Professor: Rakowski Course format: Lecture Number of respondents: 169 Total Enrollment: 257

Class Composition Froshs: 41 Sophs: 50 Jrs: 80 Srs: 86 Concs: 20 Non-Concs: 120 Don't Know: 25	Instructor Average: 1.55 Course Average: 1.67

"The U.S. Health Care System" is an introductory course designed to give students an awareness of fundamental elements of the U.S. health care system, including "parallel" systems such as the VA and Indian Health Service. Professor Rakowski expressed his hope that after taking BiCo 31 students will be able to read and evaluate articles in the news media, and also be able to plan for their own health insurance needs.

Respondents described Professor Rakowski as a clear lecturer who was sensitize to the level of understanding of the class as he was not loath to stop in the middle of the lecture to answer questions that students may have. He was also willing to vary the pace of the class to accomodate the input of students. Class members noted that the professor had an assistant write all the notes on the chalkboard while the lecture went on which made note-taking quite easy and painless. Professor Rakowski mentioned that he was "awed" and motivated by the student interest as a hundred more people than expected took the class.

The workload included three in-class exams and a final which were all multiple choice. Students reported that regular lecture attendance and doing the reading assignments all but guaranteed stellar performance on the tests. If anything, the main thread of complaints was to the effect that the course was too simplistic and that it lacked in-depth discussion of controversial issues. The weekly reading consisted of bout 60-100 pages and most students spent about two to three hours a week on this course although some required up to eight hours to finish the work.

Virtually all the reviewers noted that they learned the basics such as terminology and structure of the health care system, although, again, some wished they could have gone beyond the mundane to more juicy topics. Overall though, students found little to complain about since the professor more than adequately fulfilled the course goals. So for those who wish to gain a basic understanding of our health care system and want to learn it in a low-pressure and relaxed environment, BiCo 31 will definitely do the trick.

View BC/0031 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.