April Fong - Portland Community College, Portland, OR

Professor: April Fong

Department: Biology

College: Portland Community College, Portland, OR

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ESR171
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

April is great! Very kind, understanding, and really cares about her students. The hands-on experiences are great. Tests are a bit tough, but they come straight from the textbook, so as long as you study that. Lectures don't seem as robotic as most lecture-heavy professors, which I enjoyed--She actually talks to you. Lots of documentary watching.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: BI101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

April was my lab teacher. In lab attendance is mandatory or you won't pass. She is very annoying though. She's too peppy for my liking and never stops talking. Her mood can also flip so quickly, one second she's happy and the next she's yelling at the class for something stupid.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: BS202
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Engaging, involved, and great to take for people already interested in majoring/working in sciences. Not ideal for nonscience majors. Read all comments for a whole picture. She can seem arbitrary. She also sets Great(!) habits for future lab classes (if I'd had subsequent instructors first? Hah!). Hard class, learned a ton, 100% worth it.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: BI212
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This class takes effort and I learned a lot. April is great and will prepare you for more coursework in sciences. She can be condescending and a little rude. She also cares a lot about her classes and is knowledgeable and invested. Was worth it.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: BI212
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I liked april alot. Dont take bontany if its your first ever science class. Take Bio 101 at LEAST first. Shes very smart, and knows what shes talking about, but can kind of treat you like a little kid and can make you feel stupid sometimes for asking questions. But, if you stay engaged it's really easy to get on her good side. You'll need to study

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: BI101
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

10 hours of volunteer work and a 10 page reflection. quiz every class. Lab time is used kind of poorly.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: BIO101
• Grade Received: INC
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Required 10 hours of volunteer work, asked for 10 pages of writing about it. The volunteer work had no value to the class, she just makes her students volunteer because volunteering. She also assigned a presentation about this volunteer work. So much of the class is focused on something that hardly matters to the actual subject. It's ridiculous.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: BI212
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

There was 2-3x work to do for this class than others i've taken. This class is demanding so make sure you have the time for it! That said, she tries to be fair and is generous with extra credit. April is a very caring person, but a tough teacher. If you do have the time and you enjoy the material, you'll be glad you had her. Very knowledgable!

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: BIO101
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I did find this class very challenging, TONS of assignments outside of what you'd expect, lectures are fast, but April was a very fair grader & actually gives tons of extra points even when you only got a tiny bit of the question. Her tests are very fair. She was ALWAYS there for me & was very nice & supportive & is truly caring & bio-passionate!

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: BIO211
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

You earn your grade. It moves incredibly quickly; expect a quiz every class. In the syllabus it says study 10 hrsweek for an average grade. Double that. Buy the study guide, do the reading, and use the online textbook guide. She has a lot of experience to offer if you pay attention. She works incredibly hard & is always energetic, even at 8 am.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: BIO101LAB
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I had April for lab, and hated my whole term. I got a good grade, however, she is very inconsistent and, honestly, very rude. She will treat you like you are in high school. Also, she gives way too much homework. We had to volunteer outside of class. Working almost full-time and going to school full-time makes a lot of extra work difficult.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: BIO212213
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

April is a teacher who knows her subject very well, but this does not make her a teacher. She plays favorites and will make your life very difficult if you don't play her game. Her lectures consist of a pre-made powerpoint which she rushes to finish, because the other half of her time is spent talking about her life. My love for bio was hard kept.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: BI102
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Very knowledgeable about the subject, but moves very fast through the material. Can be a tough class w/o prior science background. Very happy personality, but tends to treat her students like high-schoolers. Not recommended if no science background.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: BIO101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

WAY too much work for an entry level Biology class. She is a nice enough person but grades REALLY HARD and gives extra work that is unnecessary to the class. Overall, I would recommend someone else as she is far too hard a teacher!

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: BIO101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

She grades like its an upper division course and wants you to go way beyond what she asks for in order to get an A. Her gradings ridiculously hard, and she doesn't budge when you talk to her or improve. Not easy, but learning was clear. Shes funny, knows her stuff. Don't expect an A even if you study for days before tests or quizzes.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: BI101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I had April for lab. April uses smiley faces as a grading system and will ding points from you even if you get all "smiley faces." She doesn't answer questions and treats her students like they are all 16. I got an A, but still felt dissatisfied with the class. Wouldn't recommend.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: BIO101
• 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:

Do not let her smiley faces fool you; she is an incredibly hard teacher. She does not go over all the material that will be on the tests and part of it comes from sources outside the book. On reports, she is unforgiving on the slightest punctuation error. Just go find someone who allows you to learn the material instead of grading for mistakes.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ESR171
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Made us do a bunch of pointless and incredibly time consuming projects that taught us nothing. Not much help at all either.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: BIO101
• 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:

terrible teacher. she takes forever to get to a point, and tries to be overly friendly. Feels the need to "grade" things with a smiley-face based grading system. She needs to calm down and grow up. Get another teacher if possible.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ESR171
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Very hard Grader. Moves quickly, too quickly. Doesn't explain why you got the grade you got. Isn't always willing to take time and talk with you and help you figure out ways to improve. Difficult class. Nice person, great personality, passionate about the subject, but difficult to get along with as an instructor.