Betty Schellenberg - Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC

Professor: Betty Schellenberg

Department: English

College: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ENG104W
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I would say your marks are all depended on your TA. Here I just want to address Maya,my best TA this term, always provides help and is super nice. Betty lectures well, but her stressful 10 minutes in class writings are not fair. Especially her super tough marking scheme.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ENGL114
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Your mark depends on your TA, lectures are just good to go to for in class writings worth marks. Had Rawia as my TA & she was absolutely amazing I couldn't believe it was her first time TA'ing! She had great office hours, was very helpful, genuinely cared, and was a fair marker. She prepared us well for each essay & is super approachable !

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: ENGL114
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

90% of lectures were useless, I showed up only bc there are random in class writings for marks which is ridiculous bc it only tests you ability to write fast and under pressure in less than 10 minutes?? Your mark is based off 2 essays, midterm (worth 5%), final, tutorial mark, and than small things like preparation etc worth 10%.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ENGL114W
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Very enthusiastic about content, and a lot of grading depends on lecture material.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: ENGL114W
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I get more and more bored each lecture not gonna lie but it's a fairly easy class other than the two essays you have to write but it's a W course so that's the norm. I debate on skipping lectures but you go over some interesting things sometimes in relation to your readings and sometimes you'll have an in lecture assignment to do. Midterm was easy

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: ENGL114
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Amazing teacher. Readings were always interesting and informative, presenting a wide view of the world rather than zeroing in on the straight white male perspective. Lectures were very interesting and I learned a lot. Her class was the highlight of my semester.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ENG320
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Lots of readings and difficult to complete since you only had two days to complete it. i found her syllabus to be rather borring she is very informative and easily accessible outside of class. Overall would not take again as it lowered my GPA significantly

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ENGL420
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Gives a very heavy reading syllabus, and is a very tough marker. She's highly respected with an international research pull, and this shows. Not the most approachable prof, but kind once you get to know her. Only take her if you're willing to work, because if you succeed she'll recognize that.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ENGL205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Betty does not use Canvas or any technology, it's all done on a projector during lectures. Her midterms and exams are more history-based than literary based. A lot of her assignments are fit for 3rd or 4th years, not 2nd year classes.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ENGL205
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I took this class because nothing else fit into my schedule. Overall I found the class quite boring and the lectures droned on. Following Betty's lecture notes was confusing because she was all over the place. I also found her intimidating and judgemental which caused me to refrain from participating in class.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ENGL322
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

SHE IS TOUGH. SHE WILL NOT HOLD YOUR HAND. BUT YOU WILL LEARN A LOT IF YOU PAY ATTENTION. She IS incredibly helpful and caring. Speak to anyone in the department, she's the most respected one (nationally/globally) out of all of them and she could go to any university she wanted to. Take her class if you actually care about the craft.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ENGL205
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

She is a nice lady. Her office hour is quite useful if you have any questions with essays. She will give you useful suggestions on essays. The midterm is not that hard, but the final exam and the second essay are difficult. Get ready to read.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ENGL205
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I really enjoyed this course. Betty chose a wide range of readings that kept lectures interesting. The grading criteria is clear, and the Midterm and Final are fair (based on materials talked about in lecture). Paper topics were interesting to write about. Overall, if you do the readings, and attend lecture/tutorial, you will do just fine.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ENGL322
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

She's such a sweet professor (if you go talk to her in office hours).. but.. sigh. Readings/quizzes aren't great. Welp, I hope I do well on the final. Read the comment below.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ENG322
• 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:

This class is incredibly hard and complex. Betty is a very sweet lady but she expects way TOO much from her undergraduate students. Having a night 4 hours lecture has never been easy but this one exceeds boredom. She is a very though grader. Also, the class is supposed to be about the 18th century authors and we never discussed about them. Awful.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ENG104W
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Betty ran a difficult first year English course. There were many short readings, and lectures were confusing at times. She points out kids at random to answer questions in class, so sit close to the back if you are not confident with the material. Tests, quizzes and papers were marked fairly, but you must put in the time to achieve a high grade.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ENG104W
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

She and her TAs are tough graders. For a first year English course, she assigns a lot of readings and expects way too much from her students. She does not give out proper notes and her explanations are confusing. As a lecturer she is dull, awkward and lacks passion. However, she does provide good feedback on writing assignments.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ENG322
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Betty is a good prof. Her curriculum can be sort of inflexible, but she is a fair marker and gives really useful feedback. You can tell she cares about the students.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ENGL320
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

The four hour class on 18th Century Literature consisted of short quizzes and writing assignments that had nothing to do with the readings. Her "mini-lectures" of authors and writings might very well be from wikipedia and she is not open to discussion but prefers to have students echo her own beliefs. Waste. Of. Time.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ENGL322
• 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:

She is way too hard on her students, expects too much, and there is too much reading. In addition to the long novels, there are long articles which, for the most part, have nothing to do with the focus of this course. She focuses a lot on city versus country. Will never take another course with her again!