Karen Pihl - Las Positas College, Livermore, CA

Professor: Karen Pihl

Department: Biology

College: Las Positas College, Livermore, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: BIOV02
• 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:

i hate science, and she made it okay. I read reviews and thought it was going to be horrible going in. I received a "B" in the class. She drops one test, and a few quizzes here and there which really helps. I thought she was relatively easy just make sure you attend lab and read her lecture notes for tests.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: BIO31
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

This is my first and only rating on this website. I saw she got a low score, but, I love Bio, and I am good at it, SO, I took her..... She is the WORST teacher I have ever had. Her grading is ridicules, her "powerpoints" are picture. Her test have trick questions. Her labs are pointless. DO NOT TAKE HER!!! 14/36 students dropped...

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: BIOL31
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Mrs. Pihl is a great teacher. Her exams are straight from lecture and are not difficult if you listen and take notes. Labs are hard because they are separate so she lectures at the beginning of them leaving little time to finish. Lots of stuff to do every week. Never opened the book and got an A.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: BIO31
• 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 a real nice lady, but all together she is just not a good teacher. She doesn't have a very affecting teaching style, but she does give extra credit opportunities. You really have to teach yourself in this class to learn. Most of the time we wont finish the slides but we are still tested on them, and you must be good and memorization too

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: BOT1
• 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:

Lots of memorization. So many quizzes that add up and the lecture exams are hard. gives away lots of extra credit but grades it hard. ask her for help..it may help you. i like plants but this class was boring, labs are pointless and u just fill out a lab manual. Do good on lab quizzes n exams n do all extra cred n u shuld be oky

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: BOT1
• 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:

Ok, end of semester and this is the worst teacher I've ever had. She said she was going to curve the grades at the end but that didnt happen. Her idea of curve is 5 points. When the test average is a (D) this should tell you there are major problems. I've never had a C in college but because of her now I do. DO NOT TAKE PS very nice lady.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: BOTN1
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This class was ridiculous. Lectures were monotonous and Pihl did nothing to enhance the learning experience. Labs were boring and pointless (should be hands-on experience - ended up staring at slides and dried up plants.) Tests were full of ambiguous and trick questions. Her grading is unclear and bizarre. She treats you like 2nd graders. Stay away

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: BOTN1
• 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:

completely agree with the comment about her being a cool person but not a great teacher! her class is HARD. gives tons of ridiculous extra credit assignments but grades them hard and even after completing all of them, getting an A is difficult. her tests are too long and too hard for the alloted class time. a plus is that she posts outlines online.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: BOTNY1
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I love Biology and everything that comes with it but this teacher is way past her prime. If you can avoid her please do so. As a person she is wonderful but as a teacher I wouldn't recommend her for one second. If you do take it don't let her class change your view on science.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: BOT1
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I'm a 4.0 student and her class has destroyed my GPA. Please for your sake DO NOT TAKE ANY OF HER CLASSES. She is a nice person but other than that her teaching style is horrible. Take the advise I didnt take.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: BOT1
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

this is the worst class I've ever taken. I'm a 4.0 student and her class has destroyed my GPA. Please for your sake DO NOT TAKE ANY OF HER CLASSES. She is a nice person but other than that her teaching style is horrible. Take the advise I didnt take.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: BOT1
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

this is the worst class I've ever taken. I'm a 4.0 student and her class has destroyed my GPA. Please for your sake DO NOT TAKE ANY OF HER CLASSES. everything in her class is about trying to memorize everything not actually learning. She is a nice person but other than that her teaching style is horrible. Take the advise I didnt take(prior posting)

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: BOT1
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

This is one of the worst classes that I haved ever taken. Her test have like 150 questions for only one hour. Everything is just memorization for her and also spelling counts a lot more than any thing else, even if you get your point across.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: BOTN1
• 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:

I try to be non-judgmental in writing these, but I had a serious issue with this class. The slides in the lab practicals were almost always indistinguishable blobs to my mind, and you have to memorize a ridiculous number of life cycles, most of which you'll never be tested on... One useful trick was to bring a camera to take pictures of the slides.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: BIO31
• 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:

she makes you jump thorugh a lot of hoops and keep track of a million assignments. but if you're organized and study regularly (all about MEMORIZING) you'll do fine. she is a bit spacey at times so you will have to remind her of stuff. i think she has been teaching the class for a while

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: BIO31
• 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:

she was the worst teacher i ever had. i was sick for a week and i had doctors notes and she still wouldnt except my absences to make up my lab.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: BIO31
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Teacher is absolutely the worst teacher I've ever had. She repeats things like we are in 2nd grade, she's annoying to listen to and she gives a lot of lab work as homework because she spends to much time talking...which I don't think anyone wants to hear

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: BIOL31
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

pihl may be one of the harder teachers, but it is definitely not impossible to get an A in the class. i highly recommend seeing her during her office hours, and doing the extra credit she offers just so you're not scrambling to do well on the finals at the end of the semester like i was. i thought she was a reasonable teacher overall!

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: BOT1
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

very difficult. class is centered around rote memorization. no actual learning/critical thinking involved. her grading is extremely unrealistic, tests are insane. when the avg class grade is a D, that's an indication that your teaching style doesn't work! attendance to lecture isn't mandatory, but labs are. if you can avoid taking her, do it.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: BIO31
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

YIKES!