Alicia Tigchelaar - Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI

Professor: Alicia Tigchelaar

Department: Languages

College: Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: SPAN201
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

She kinda treats you like your in Kindergarten, but then the tests come around and they're actually hard which is very annoying. She is very nice but is so boring and I felt confused in the class.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: SPAN203
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Overall, she is a great teacher who cares about her students. However, sometimes she was difficult to follow in her lectures.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: SPAN202
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Very confusing professor, I felt as if I understood Spanish before I took this class, but now I feel like I understand nothing. Will not have her as a Spanish prof again.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: DCM24
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I took her for her DCM Catholic Reformers in the Hispanic Spiritual Tradition. She is a poor teacher and leaves most of the work to uncomfortable small group discussions. She does seem helpful, but the discussions and material was very mystical and spiritual. She uses lots of bs academic-speak like mileau, paradoxically, dialogical, fullsome, etc.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: SPAN203
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Very friendly and nice but talks kind of quietly and gives a lot of homework. Her tests are also pretty tough and have a lot of exceptions/irregulars.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: SPAN203
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

She was not helpful, was very confusing. I felt like I had a good grasp with Spanish before coming here and she makes me feel stupid, and even when I answer questions right she says I'm wrong. Talks way to much in English, I feel stupider taking her class.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: SPAN203
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Prof Tigchelaar is very understanding and willing to work with you as you try to understand Spanish. The class can be tough but it's spanish. The class is idea and discussion based which is good.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: SPAN203
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

She's super caring for her student. I honestly don't know why she has such a bad rating. Her accent was a little difficult to understand at first but it got easier to understand into the semester. But she's extremely approachable and you can tell she wants her students to succeed.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: SPANA
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

She's a great prof really, she speaks softly and with a spain-accent spanish, which makes her difficult to understand sometimes, but it's usually not too big of a problem. She is willing to help if you ask her for it and is really kindhearted--you can tell that she really cares about her students. SPAN 203

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: SPANA
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

She's a great prof really, she speaks softly and with a spain-accent spanish, which makes her difficult to understand sometimes, but it's usually not too big of a problem. She is willing to help if you ask her for it and is really kindhearted--you can tell that she really cares about her students.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: SPAN203
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I think she was a great prof. She was always very ready to help and really encouraging. She moved at just the right pace. Sometimes her accent is hard to understand, but I think she's one of the better Spanish profs at Calvin and definitely the best for 203.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: SPAN203
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

She speaks with a Spanish accent which was hard for me to get over at first. I think she is a very kind and smart women but she may be too smart. She often says "That's just the way it is" rather then trying to help us understand better. She speaks only in Spanish in class which makes it harder to understand a new concept.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: SPAN308
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Had Tiggy for Span 308, which is basically an interdisciplinary study of Hispanic culture (too broad of a topic for one semester, if you ask me). My biggest complaint was that her fake Castilian lisp, layered over her thick W. MI accent was extremely difficult to understand. I think she's too smart to be teaching at Calvin.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: SPAN203
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

The class is very easy, however Tigchelaar is NOT helpful. Asking questions in class will get a blank stare and an unhelpful answer. She will answer your question as if it were a dumb question.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: SPAN203
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I didn't really learn anything new in this class just a few little things. Class was really boring, but that may be a result of the easy content. This class did not require much work. All workbook assignments are due at test. 4 or 5 short readings that are covered on the tests (which are easy). Not good, but not bad.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: SPAN203
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

She is a great prof that actually wants her students to learn how to converse in spanish. She made it easy as she could to learn the spanish language. Easy tests

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: SPAN308
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I've heard good things about her from lower-level classes, but I don't think she is qualified to teach high level classes. Has an annoying Spain accent.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: SPAN203
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I loved her!!! She was so much fun. You really have to study the material she gives out because she will not teach it to you like a little kid. She is so helpful though and very understanding. I would recommend her in a heartbeat!

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: SPAN203
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

i think i benefited more from this class than from all 3 years of high school spanish. if you speak up a lot, she will like you. plus she cares for her students- when i told her i was interested in a spanish major, she offered to talk to me about it any time. i definently recommend her.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: SPAN203
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I don't agree with many of the other reviews. I think that Tig is a very good professor and is very helpful. Being a Spanish major, her class helped me to learn Spanish in a way that set me up for success in the harder courses. I learned alot from her and really like her as a person as well. I never experienced her to be unwilling to help or mean.