Karen Castle - Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, CA

Professor: Karen Castle

Department: Science

College: Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ASTRO110
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

All homework was online with unlimited number of practice attempts. Never even bought textbook. Material was pretty simple. Basic arithmeticalgebra skills required. Tests were kind of difficult since I didn't study (I'm lazy, what can I say) but after having gotten Cs on both tests and done all the hw, I needed a 20% on the final to get an A. Easy

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ASTRO110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Dedicated teacher that knows her stuff. Eccentric and intelligent. You can get a 78% in the class and have an A. Work hard, come to class and it will pay off.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: ASTRO110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

She is kinda kooky, but she's helpful and clear on what is important and will be on tests. She asks multiple times during lecture if there are questions and she is thorough in answering. Interesting class, and not too difficult.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ASTRO110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

She's a really funny and nice teacher, but she is super hard to understand. Her explanations don't really make sense, and her power points don't make much sense either. Also, read the work book. Pathways book is barely used. Study the HW, it is exactly whats on tests and quizzes.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: ASTRO110
• 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:

She talks fast. Lecture can be confusing. However, she is every helpful in making sure going over the math problem in class so you know who to do it. If you do the homework online 10 times, print them out, study the right answer, the test will be easy because they are exactly the same questions from the homework.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: ASTRONOMY110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

she is enthusiastic about astronomy, sometimes a bit unclear but she would do her best to clarify when i asked and helped me early on with struggles in math related problems. as long as you read, ask questions, and have some interest in this class you'll be fine. i attended every class and read mostly everything, that's what it takes to get an A

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ASTRO110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

She will make you feel dumb if you get the wrong answer. She gives you 15 minutes for quizzes which means you are forced to make careless mistakes. Her inability to give straight forward answers makes it very hard to stay focused. She is mean and though the tests are easy, she will make you feel dumb for asking any sort of question.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ASTRO110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

she is really good teacher.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ASTRO110
• 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:

Castle is a really funny teacher, but she's a little disorganized. She makes us do a lot of online homeworks and there are 3 quizes and 3 exams. As long as you do really well on all the homeworks and get decent grades on the quizes and exams, you'll get an A in the class.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ASTRO130
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Astro 130 is a laboratory course, and there is no book. While her lectures are dull, she is extremely helpful for labs. She will stay as long as you need her, even if it far exceeds the end of the class period (which is a hint that some lab assignments are very long and/or hard).

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ASTRO110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Castle is a quirky, funny, woman. Really approachable and helps you to the best of her ability. Didn't need to read the textbook; everything is in the workbook. Online hw is a little tough but if you think your answer should have been right, you can email her (&yes she responds quickly!)

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ASTRO110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

The class itself is fairly interesting, but Castle is extremely scatterbrained and not very clear. Nice lady, but too hard to know what to take notes on because she jumps back/forth frequently. Responds to emails quickly, but if you ask questions in class she's usually not very good at answering - she mostly circles around it and gets side-tracked.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ASTRO110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

The class is interesting, you don't need the textbook at all. She's really easy to contact. Once she replied to my email within 2 minutes. Amazing teacher; however, her classes can get really boring. The guy sitting next to me sleeps everyday , I don't think I've seen his face more than five time. Pay attention in class and you'll be fine ( :

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ASTRO120
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Good teacher, her lectures are all over the place sometimes but she's a fun teacher. She's really nice and she's really helpful too. I would definitely recommend her. She'll take the time to help you if you don't understand and there's also a good amount of extra credit.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ASTRO120
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

She is a nice teacher but she is not very clear at all. She expects you to know what she's talking about & if you ask a question she circles around it. She's all over the place with the way she teaches.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ASTRO130
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

She can be helpful, but don't rely on her lectures to get you through the lab. Get a good group that will show up and work and you'll get an A. She's a nice lady, and definitely is definitely dedicated to teaching. I would take her again.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ASTRO110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

She's not too bad a teacher; I've had worse teachers for any subject, I've had better ones, but overall she's not too bad.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ASTRO110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

While her class is not easy, Mrs. Castle is willing to spend as much time as you need to help you understand. She is very approachable outside of class and is truly passionate about teaching. I would take another course from her in a heartbeat.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ASTRO120
• 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:

AVOID THIS TEACHER AT ALL COSTS. Her online class is poorly structured, difficult to determine what to do and filled with really hard assignments that are accompanied by vague, unclear directions. She is not helpful and she expects way too much work from her students. This class is equivalent to THREE classes worth of work.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ASTRO125
• 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:

Simply avoid taking this class at all possible costs. If you need it to transfer, take it at another school, if you cannot find another teacher. Do not take any class associated with this teacher ever period.