Linda Rinaman - University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Professor: Linda Rinaman

Department: Science

College: University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: NROSCI1000
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Rinaman's lecture are sometimes great, sometimes boring. Always go to lecture though due to the iClicker bonus points (major grade booster). Tests aren't necessarily difficult but can be tricky (she uses "all of the above" and "none of the above" scenarios heavily as well as T/F, so you have to know your stuff). Would recommend to anyone.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: NROSCI1000
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Clear and organized -- can be very funny -- easy to talk to, very helpful outside of class. Tests are not easy but they are fair.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: NROSCI1000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

She gives extra credit via iClicker questions in class, which really helps your grade. She can come off a bit condescending when you ask questions but she does try to give clear explanations for your questions. She has a lot of office hours so she's very acccessible. She records lectures and posts the audio online!

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: NROSCI1000
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

She gave so many extra credit clicker points so make sure to go to class. I had around an 88 test average but I got an A in the class because of the clicker points. Also, her lectures were very boring and I often fell asleep but she posts the audio online so it's okay as long as you are awake for the clicker questions. Do not buy the textbook.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: NROSCI1000
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Gives a little extra credit and drops the lowest exam, which is nice. However, her lectures were extremely boring. Also, it wasn't very clear what she expected us to take away from the lectures, which made exams tricky. She wasn't terrible but I wouldn't take her class again.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: NROSCI1000
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor Rinaman is a good professor, despite some boring lectures and difficult exams. She does present some pretty fascinating material and you leave the course with a firm understanding of neuroscience. Very much recommended, but expect to know the material.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: NROSCI1000
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

all her lecture slides and audio are posted online, so it is very easy to go back to find any missing notes if she went too fast. her exams are 50 questions, 30 multiple choices and 20 T/F. there are bonus clicker questions so def go to class because that can add 13% to your end grade. the final is optional and there are 3 exams.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: NROSCI1000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

She is a very nice lady and very accommodating. However, I found the lectures to be extremely boring with no structure; it was difficult to follow along for a person who has a strong science background. The audio files she puts online to listen to have an irritating background noise that make it hard to focus.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: NROSCI1000
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Professor Rinamen was a pretty good professor. Her tests are all multiple choice with an optional final. Professor Rinamen is fair in that the exams only deal with material that she explicitly covers in class. The in-class clicker questions are a huge grade-boost and render class attendance essential.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: NROSCI1000
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Professor Rinaman was an overall good professor. Her tests were usually fair, even though some of the questions were designed to trick you or nit pick about very specific facts that didn't relate very much to an overall concept, but her clicker questions during lecture pretty much saved my grade. She's also fairly helpful during office hours.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: 1000
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Some people don't have the best opinion of her but I didn't find her class to be bad. She gave a TON of clicker points for bonus that basically saved everyone's grade. If you're like to learn neuro, this class won't be hard. Tests are A, B, C, all the above, and none of the above, but not the worst. I didn't even touch the book. Not a bad class

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: NROSCI1000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Rinaman is a wonderful professor. Her lectures are engaging and she wants her students to succeed. She told us the first day she's not here to weed us out. However, her testing style takes some time getting used to and makes sure you actually know your stuff. I would take another class with her in a heartbeat.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: NROSCI1000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Class isn't too difficult. Not an "easy A" akin to a gen ed but cramming can definitely get you an A as long as you attend class (bc bonus clicker points added 8% to my final grade) Textbook is thick and wordy but I ended up not even using it. Personally, she is a very funny lady, keeps lectures interesting and seemed pretty nice.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: NROSCI1000
• 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:

Dr. Rinaman is one of my favorite professors at Pitt. Her lectures are entertaining, and gives extra credit clicker questions. The only part of the class I didn't like were her test questions because some of them were just unnecessarily tricky (ie changing the number of a cranial nerve in an answer choice to make it wrong).

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: NROSCIE1000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This is not an easy class but Rinaman definitely wants you to succeed. Tests are difficult but fair and she gives extra credit clicker questions so attendance is a must. The textbook sucks but it is necessary to do well in the class. Rinaman is easy to approach with questions and also provides suggestions for better study habits.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: NROSCI1000
• 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:

Dr. Rinaman did an excellent job of teaching this class, not only because she put trust in her students by posting the lecture notes AND audio files of the lectures online, but also because she was clear, but not overly easy: she did expect her students to be able to think beyond what was just purely given in the lectures.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: NROSCI1000
• 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:

Dr. Rinaman is a good teacher who wants her students to succeed. Bonus quizzes help your grade and her lectures are usually clear. The exams aren't super easy, and they aren't supposed to be. As long as you review a each day and don't cram, you'll get a good grade. The material on the exams is all from the lecture, so focus on the lecture notes.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: NROSCI1000
• 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:

If you want a professor who can't teach and expects you to know things that weren't anywhere near what she taught, then by all means take her. Not accommodating, and not clear at all. Avoid at all costs.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: NROSCI1000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

DO NOT TAKE! She teaches the class like brain and behavior but tests it like a bio class and expects you to know everything she was thinking. Not very helpful outside of class either. Do whatever you can to avoid her. I studied for two weeks for the third exam and got a B, and I knew the front and back of the notes and lectures.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: NROSCI1000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Rinaman's class is very clear. She post all the lecture online, you can listen to it. However, it would be good if you go to the lecture, cause she use the pop quizs which can only help you boost your grade. Overall, great teacher