Doren Robbins - Foothill College, Los Altos Hills,CA

Professor: Doren Robbins

Department: English

College: Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ENGL001B
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I took Professor Robbins in an intensive 6-week online course during the Winter(2018). The course itself can seem tough to those who are new to online classes as there is much commitment to the work required. I however found the course rewarding even tough there is a lot of reading/writing but, hey its college. I developed better writing skills.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: 1B
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I took Professor Robbins' English 1B class in spring 2017. I genuinely loved this class. Every one of his lectures were outstanding and gripping. Robbins is charmingly enthusiastic about his field of profession. You will never have a dull moment in this class and you will learn so much from his wisdom. I cannot recommend enough.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: 1B
• 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 was definitely challenging but extremely rewarding. DO NOT take this class if you're not ready to work for it, more than half the class dropped. The professor is always willing to help you, but you can't try to take the easy way out. Prof Robbins is a great professor and I learned a lot from him. A lot of reading and weekly postings.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ENGL001B
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Robbins is NOT a bad teacher. You put effort into the work, make time to read the material, stop being freaking lazy, and you WILL get a good grade. He's also a human being; as long as you're showing that you care about the class, he will respect you and work with you during the quarter. You get what you give - 10/10 would take his class again.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: ENG1B
• Grade Received: WD
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I knew this class was going to be challenging and came in with a determined mindset. However, my morale quickly vanished. Not only is Robbins all over the place, he is extremely condescending. When I emailed him to clarify a post, he was obviously annoyed and still did not help. I never had anyone end an email with such a long ellipses.............

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: 1B
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I actually got a better grade than I thought I would, considering they graded so hard for all of my assignments. I frequently got Cs and Ds on assignments that took me 2+ hours because A. the prompt was unclear and I missed a requirement or B. my writing wasn't as good as they thought it could be.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CRWR39
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

I took his class in spite of the poor reviews, but I could tell the first week that he was "distracted," and in his comments, he made it clear he couldn't remember which class he was teaching. Sad because he had great texts. But it's a writing class, and a writing instructor needs clarity. I dropped the class and would not recommend him.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ENGL001B
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Only 3 major essays throughout the quarter. Great in class discussions. Anyone with a brain would take him.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CRWR006
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Took ENGL1B and CRWR with him & loved both classes. He's fair, cares about students, & gives good feedback. Gives specific examples of writing & prompts to help if we can't think of anything ourselves. Had a full class with very few drops. Responds to questions quickly and checks on you if you don't turn in work to make sure you're ok.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ENG1B
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Professor Robbins is the worst teacher I've ever had. As a straight A student and someone who transferred to a private university, this guy should not be teaching. His lectures don't relate to the readings at all and are focused more on pushing his political agenda. He will crucify you if you're one minute late too. Do not take any of his classes!!

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ENG1A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

don't recommend . high drop rate. hope i could survive . syllabus is wrong. he is tough ! take the class if you want some challenges

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ENG1B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Be prepared to dedicate several hours of time to reading and hw. Changes were often made to hw ass. and sylabus but worked to our advantage like giving extra time. If you put in sincere effort you'll really improve your writing skills with his feedback. He really isn't as bad as others reviewed him and in my experience he was very flexible.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CRWR06
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dorren is an inspiring teacher. His class is not for the feint of heart, or for anyone new to the English language. But if you can bare with him through the random outbursts that are his lecture ,you will truly learn something about writing and about the world. If you write all three portfolios, you will get a passing grade. Simple.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ENGL1B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Robbins is great. Sure his course is challenging and his critiques are harsh but it's only to prepare you for later courses that will be much more difficult. Throughout the semester, I have learned and improved my writing a great deal. His feedback was invaluable to me. He's probably the best English professor I've ever had.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ENGL001B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

His assignments and lectures are practically hidden, and his feedback is extremely confusing. When I dropped the class there were only 10 students remaining. Previous assignment grades that are beneficial to current assignments are given a few hours before the new assignment is due, he is extremely arrogant, and intentionally frustrating.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ENGLISH1B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Mr.Robbins teaches the course as if all his student's are English Lit Majors. He is a poet and takes the course way too seriously, no fun. The topics are dark and depressing and his analysis of your writing is extra-critical.I wouldn't recommend this instructor.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ENGLISH11H
• 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:

Doren is a tough teacher.He wants you to succeed in class but if your political ideologies clash with his, your grade will suffer.If you argue for the opposite side he will mark you down and say "it doesn't make sense" or something like that as an excuse.I wouldn't recommend taking him but if you really want to-good luck just think about your GPA

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CRWR006
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The open ended assignments are extremely frustrating. In a college course I expect more of a prompt than just "write a poem" or "write a short story". Don't take this class if you actually expect to learn anything about creative writing. Waste of my time & money.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ENG1B
• 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:

Ten people (at least) out of 25 dropped after the first week, and our numbers have been dwindling since. I think his goal is to make all students drop so he won't have to teach (he has tenure). Very rude, very harsh grader, hypocrite, very self-important (he wrote his Wikipedia page). Don't bother registering for this. It's a waste of time.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ENG1A
• 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:

DON'T WASTE UR TIME!! if you are taking this class for serious education, then this is wrong class to take. Student drop rate in this class was almost 50% in 2 week & 65% within a month. I wonder how foothill doesn't realize this !!??!!