2.7
Quality3.6
Difficulty43%
Would Retake89
Reviews43%
Would Retake
89
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
17
4
15
3
13
2
11
1
33
What Students Say
“She don't lecture at all”
AST130 - 1.0 rating“DONT recommend this class to ANYONE”
AST130 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
94%
Textbook Required
56%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.16 avg changeRatings by Course
131
5.0
(1)PHYS151LAB
5.0
(1)PHYS151REC
5.0
(1)PHYS150R
5.0
(1)PHYS131
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PHYS305
4.5
NSCI231
4.3
PHYS130
4.3
NSCI332
4.3
ASTRO131
4.0
Reviews (89)
This lady is awesome. Best lab proctor I've had. Our labs were ahead of lecture so she always taught us the lab from scratch and did an excellent job. Highly recommended!
Environmental Science isn't her topic of choice but she does her best teaching the material. There is a lot of work! She will give you help if you ask. Overall, good teacher but don't expect to get an A unless you attend every class and put much thought into all of the homework.
She was very nice and helpful. Much kinder than most proctors. She seems well educated in physics, and I am thinking about taking her again.
she teaches the class for physics majors not engineering major. very hard and long tests, bad averages around 50. hw takes a lot time and hw grading does not make sense but she will not listen to students.covers a lot of material for each test. engineering majors should wait for anohter prof.
She is extremely confused. She doesn't know what she is talking about half the time. Her grading isn't consistent. She will mark some students off and she won't mark others. Her grading is unfair but the attendance points help. She says that her class is straight scale but if you get 90%, don't expect a solid A you will get an A-
She is always confused and is not consistent. Very Very disorganized!!!! Material is boring and too much for even a physics major! Horrible class not worth taking in a million years.
Best teacher. I had her for physics 150 rec. So incredibly helpful. Especilly when u have Devlin for lecture. We got on her good side and she explained everything u had trouble with in lecture. very easy going. we joked around a lot and she was okay with it. in fact she would joke with us. basically don't suck up, just get on her good side.
This class was repetetive but the prof does the best to keep you entertained. She is very sweet and knows a lot about physics, however she does get flustered/confused sometimes...just ignore that part and you will enjoy the class!
This was one of the worst classes I have ever had. She definitely had favorites. She singled some students out to make them look like idiots while she catered to some who rarely showed up for class. I would not recommend her ever. She was completely unfair in her grading practices. The class was torture. Not even close to interesting.
probably the dumbest prof ull ever meet. she makes the WORST jokes ever. her class is gay. class avg was in the 50's so only take this class if u REALLY need it. i hope she reads this comment coz shes a b*tch.
While she is a very nice person, I would not recommend her as a physics teacher to anyone. After 20 minutes of doing an example at the board she will get annoyed when the answer doesn't come out right, and realize that she has done the whole thing wrong. The class average for each of our tests in the mid 50's. DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR.
I'm in the same class as the previous poster. The average grade was 50% on exams but exams are worth only 30% of your grade. 20% final which is identical to your old exams. 50% on easy quizes, labs, and homework. You can average a 45 on every exam and just come everyday and swing it and probably get a B.
nice person, horrible teacher. As stated below would spend 20 mins on problem only to have it be wrong. Doesn't seem familiar with material.
she is nice person, but she cant teach.. she is not clear.. but if u know how to teach urself. you can easily get an A. EXAMS ARE EASY AND finals are 50% from old exams.. if u get 50% in each exams.that is also class average... you can easily get B.
I would recommend taking this class if you want some simple lab experience. She was very helpful and nice and the class was fun.
OMG! She is the BEST!!!! I hate physics and never understood things until I went to her office. Yes, I was there nearly every lab day, she was so nice and willing to help me every step of the way, even if she had to explain it to me 5 times. She would have other methods of helping me understand the material and really helped me learn. TAKE HER!!!
She is an awful teacher. Attendance is mandatory but pointless. You have to teach yourself everything from the book since she tests on minute details. DONT TAKE HER
She is a nice lady but doesn't know how to teach. The exams are extremely detailed, and the class average is often under 60%. If you want to learn about astronomy, take a different professor or use Wikipedia... Dr. Swift is useless.
Do NOT take this class with this professor. You WILL regret it. First, there is a reading quiz every day at the beginning of class. If you are but 5 minutes late, you will miss the points for that day. Second, EXAMS ARE IMPOSSIBLY DIFFICULT. Class average is usually around 60%. Unless you are willing to walk out with a D, do NOT take this professor
This is one of the best science professors on campus! She is very helpful and although she does get confused by some problems, she does end up working them out and will get back to you when she figures it out. I'm not good at math stuff, and she was a great help!!! Take this professor!!!! :)
Be prepared to teach yourself if you take this class. The only reason to attend class is for the daily quizzes which make up a good portion of your grade. Otherwise, it wouldn't be worth going to. The material isn't extremely difficult. I'm a poli sci major and I was able to get an A+. If you want an A, though, you have to study...a lot.
I do not recommend her, class average was a D on the midterm, she is lost without her notes and stumbles throught the lecture a lot. Unless you absolutely need this class, take something else.
Though sometimes not fully prepared for lecture, she is actually very good at explaining the material. When she says you should read the required sections before and after class, she's not kidding. The class has very very difficult concepts. To do well in this class you should make sure you get help on homework and have a small study group.
I have never disliked a class or teacher so much. She goes through the powerpoint slides extremely fast and you end up having to teach yourself. I learned more at 1 SI session than I did the entire month. She has no sympathy for non-physics majors. AWFUL!!!
Dont take this professor. She goes very fast through slides and gives barely any time to complete in class assignments. I've learned more teaching myself then going to her class. Very random about turning in class work. Class average on an exam was a 60% and she wont curve the grade. Very unhelpful as well.
The class and material aren't hard to learn / understand. As a professor however, she is way too concerned with making students work in groups every day. The daily "lecture tutorials" would be more helpful if she gave more than 5 minutes to complete them most of the time. She's also very paranoid about cheating on exams. I recommend another prof.
I really don't recommend taking this professor. She's not all that hard homework wise, but she sets you up to fail on the tests. She's happy if you get a 68% on the test...it means you're doing well. She goes through slides and lecture really fast and tests you on 5 chapters at once. Contradicts herself sometimes and can be slightly confusing.
I had a few frustrations with this professor. She seems to be more concerned with procedure than substance, i.e. seating chart, group work, etc. The class was very easy if you could get past those points and the fact that she sometimes only gives you 5 minutes at the end of class to do the lecture tutorials which may or may not be turned in.
Honestly the worst Professor at UMD. I didn't want to believe the ratings given to her before hand, but honestly,don't take her. She'll destroy your GPA. She sets up the class to fail, contradicts herself all the time, goes through slides too fast, & doesn't explain anything. Not helpful outside of class either. Don't take her. Absolutely horrible.
Her intro class has a lot of homework, so expect to be doing a few hours every week outside of class. The homework does really help you understand the material, and the test questions usually come right from there. It's a lot of work, but I think she's a great teacher.
I had been hesitant to take Swift's class after reading her reviews, but she turned out to be one of the most helpful professors at UMD. I'm not a science person, but she made the material interesting, fun and wanted every student to succeed, even if it meant she stay on campus until 9:30pm. She's clear about guidelines and prepared the class well.
Most assignments given are busy work you learn nothing from. If you do the requirements presented in the syllabus, you will not get full credit. She is impossible to get a hold of. I have contacted her through multiple venues (over the course of weeks), and have not gotten a response. That is EXTREMELY unprofessional.
Constantly changing due dates and requirements forcing you to redo assignments even if you turned in work early. Doesn't post assignments until the weekend. Forces discussion participation and asks that you check the discussions every day. Also make you post the discussions on different days. This one online class is basically a full time class.
You can only take the quizzes over the weekend. A lot of the answers to the quiz questions were poorly worded, and some of the questions could have any of the answers correct so you better be good at guessing. The syllabus changes constantly and doing all of the required work on the syllabus is not enough for an A.
I took her for an intro class and it was one of the hardest classes I've taken for an intro class! This class is NOT designed for people who are not science majors. She was not helpful, did not answer my emails, and doesn't care about her students' grades. She also goes through the powerpoints so fast that you barely have time to process anything!
I've never bothered to write a review on a professor until this moment. She is the worst professor at this school. She doesn't answer emails and makes you feel extremely dumb (INTRO CLASS!). The class average on the exam is in the 60% category, but to her that is doing GREAT! Horrible. Complete waste of money. DO NOT TAKE HER!
Swift is a great teacher. Answered all my emails, took questions during lecture, very supportive. Study guides are provided before the tests which are tough HOWEVER there is so much extra credit and homework activities that low test grades don't kill your grade. If you don't get an A in this class you did not put enough effort into it.
Don't take her. Struggles to explain simple physics ideas, then gets upset with class when questioned. Most of the material is better explained with a YouTube video. Personally, I didn't like the class structure either. Group work galore.
I took the class because I am genuinely interested in astronomy. Unfortunately, the class structure and professor make it very difficult to enjoy this class. Struggles to explain in a clear manner basic concepts (Newton's III Law) and the Data Investigations are ultimately just busy work. Most concepts have to be self taught. Do not recommend.
She is an awful professor. For a gen ed class, she assigns more work than my 400 level class. Lecture, in class worksheets, online homework, data investigations. She doesn't teach well, you basically teach yourself. And her exams are impossible because she doesn't go over 90% of the stuff on it with you. DONT TAKE HER
DONT recommend this class to ANYONE. the work is far from introductory. If you arent a science whiz, you will struggle. tests are ridiculous and long. Outside of the classroom you need to read the book, do online homework, and meet with a GROUP to do data investigations that have NOTHING to do with the course material. teacher is rude/condescending
I'm taking this class now and all what I can say is she is making her students' life miserable. Too much homework so be prepared to work on weekends. she is a very tough grader and enjoys deducting points. She doesn't put any effort to explain the material, so basically you will end up learning by yourself. Total waist of time and money.
Love her. Hilarious and very helpful. Very informative lectures. Will work hard to help if you're willing to learn. Mandatory group work :(
This was one of the best instructors I've had. Dr. Swift is tough and makes you work for your grade, but she is compassionate and fun. She has no favorites (very refreshing) and treats everyone in class equally. She just wants you to learn so she does not hand you the answers. I struggled in class at times, but she was always there to help me.
Be weary of this class. Professor is very nice but unorganized and her tests are nothing like the study materials. This semester there was a new program going on and it required meeting in a group for 2 hours almost every week, outside of class, which was annoying. Offers lots of extra credit but it will take a lot of work to pull a good grade.
she is the worst professor I have ever met in my life. She gives too much work without giving good instructions. I don't know why she is the only one teaches this class? that's not fear! I wish I took it at Wayne University instead of taking it with her. the material is easy but her exams are so hard. I don't know where she gets her questions from.
she is so hard!!! I wish that I took it with someone else. I would never take her again. Not RECOMMENDED at all!!!
I don't think she is the "best" professor, but she is okay as long as you work hard. I made this class to be a pass/fail, so I didn't put much effort and I got a B in the class. The exams are based on points you can earn towards your grade, not percentage. I'm not a math/science person, but I learned a lot more than I thought I would.
Professor Swift assigned 7 group projects and they take up couple hours per week easy. Astronomy has been a big part of my life, but I had to work my butt off to get a good grade. Was incredibly stressful--class average on one of the exams was a 67% with no curve and at least 10/60 scored below 40%. Do all the extra credit you can.
A lot of people in the class complained about Prof. Swift being a tough grader but I think she was tough at all. You will need to read and pay attention in class though. But if you do those and take good notes, you should pass with flying colors. There are 5 group projects though so just be aware of that.
She don't lecture at all. Teaching science is all about lecturing and teaching students how and what to do! Actually I had to ask my other science professor to help me solve the problem, which was amazed because she didn't bother her self explaining the lesson. Not recommended at all!
The worst instructor ever! NOT RERCOMMENDED AT ALL!!!!!
The worst instructor ever! she is giving us the hardest time in this class. NOT RERCOMMENDED AT ALL!!!!!
she is the worst professor. her class is depressing and overwhelming. she's a very tough grader and not welling to help at all. She don't explain anything . if you want to take her good luck with that, because honestly, her class is a waste of money. if I knew she's like that. I would have save my money and energy and took it with different prof.
Easy teacher. Goes over the material in class and prepares you well for the exam. The group projects do have a bit of ambiguity, but overall, isn't that bad.
everybody is complaining about her teaching instructions. she don't explain anything. defiantly, she a very hard grader and not welling to help you earn your points back. Honestly, she is not inspiring at all. I will always remember what a hard teacher she is. she gives too many hard homework without explaining. run from her class!
Very stressful class because she don't explain. Honestly, she is not inspirational at all! she is one of the professors that makes you hate going to school and you will never forget for the rest of your life because of all the stressful moments you experienced in her class. I will never ever will take her again and cant wait to finish her class
Dr. Swift is a very tough grader. she takes points out of the homework for the smallest reason. Her exams are so hard and more than 90 % of the students are failing the exams. All what she cares about is to finish the book. she doesn't care about her students at all. she don't explain anything I would rather take it with Dr. Hartshorn! stay away!
She goes too fast in the notes and even though she has power points, 'oat of what you need to know is her explanation of the unreadable power points. The exams are hard and She doesn't explain much, but if you're really really dedicated you'll do okay. Attendance isn't graded but there are mandatory in class assignments you can't make up...
Really easy teacher. Show up to class, do the assignments, you'll get an A.
She is AMAZING! I LOVE her! I haven't had a physics class in more than 17 years and I learned it in the middle east where we didn't a chance to learn any physics. I had zero information about physics before this class I learned a lot and she is always there for your help before or after class. I cant wait to take another class with her. Highly rec
Way too easy of a class. If you don't get an A in this class, you dumb.
I don't know who is saying , its an essay class. That is not true, she wont give you a chance to get near A. She is a very tough and not a fair grader, gets a pride of her hard exams and the students can't do good on the exams. she don't care if her students are learning in her class. I would NEVER take another class with her even if I have to
This class was ok. If you did all your homework and went through the powerpoint slides the day before the test, you'l easily get an A
The worst professor I have ever met at U of M. She doesn't know how to teach at all. She don't explain anything. Basically, you are going to pay for this class to teach yourself the whole book and to get bad grade no matter how hard to try. She is not a fair grader and not welling to help you higher your grade. Not recommended at all!
This is the worst class I have ever had. She doesn't know what she's talking about. Exams are difficult. she assigns long homework. Would not recommend.
Worst professor I've ever had. :/ The group projects are awful -- beware! The fact that you will get marked down if projects aren't done in a group is kind of unfair. You will need to attend each class as she has group work each class time, for credit. She claims there are many extra credit opportunities, but I feel it was very minimal.
easy. show up to class and do your h.w
Awesome professor, awesome class!
Easy A
Definitely, not an easy class at all because she doesn't explain anything. Someone else who really knows the material should teach this class. I wouldn't take any other class with her again!
She is the WORST professor I have ever met in my entire life!!!!!!! I don't recommend her at all!!!!!
She states up front that there are a lot of group activities. If you read the book and do the group activities in class, you shouldn't have too much problems with the material. The group activities done out of class were interesting and added to the course in an interesting way. I enjoyed the class and would take another class taught by her.
Very pleasant, but her class is very hard. Sometimes you think youve got it and then BAM!! you are back to square one. Her grading policies are based alot on effort and group work. Working with someone besides yourself will help you pass.
Does not teach the class at all. Sits at her computer while you and your table read the book and answer questions. You basically have to teach yourself. Quiz on canvas everyday. Dont take this teacher if there are other options
Class is very dependent on how well you work with your group and understand the material. If you come to study sessions and actually pay attention during activities then you'll do just fine. There are 2 online quizzes a week, but they are barely worth any points and they're pretty easy. You are allowed one skip, and after that she takes points away
The class is great and and she teaches all the material needed to know. The problem is that she flys through her PowerPoints and when asked a question, answers a completely different question and move on. Lectures will mostly be on the exam, she makes small jokes during lecture which are kinda funny but at some points it gets hard to stay awake.
I was told this class was going to be an easy A. Yeah right, If you skip good luck you're going to miss 5 points every day. On top of that, she reads strictly from her Powerpoint slides. The class was very hard to stay awake let alone take notes because the slides change extremely fast. I would stay away unless this is a requirement.
Professor Swift is someone trying to teach high school students in a college setting with adults. Her rules such as no cell phones or laptops and her attendance rules are quite juvenile and annoying. The whole semester is basically completing the workbooks and then taking tests on them. This is all done in a group setting.
Lots of workbook points - basically right your name and you get credit. Quizzes due every Sunday over the week's work - I have friends who brag about playing overwatch while taking the quizzes and still getting 70%+. She is very accommodating, and she genuinely cares about her students. Exams are rough though, my highest was 67%. But most is EZPZ
Awesome professor. Not an easy A. Teaches the material in a very understandable way. Don't skip,lecture is vital and you almost always do an assignment at the end of class to turn in for points. The way she structures her class makes it not boring, and goes by quickly. No study guides for exams but she allows XC,study sessions,and is VERY helpful.
Worst Class Ever. Prof. swift didn't do a good job teaching it at all. Only because she barely taught us anything!! Very tough grader.
Lecture cans be boring at times; however, the class has many opportunities to receive points so you can easily receive a good grade.
Astronomy was not my thing, but Carrie made me love the class. She is a sweet lady, but makes you work for your grade. Nothing is handed to you in this class, but if you put in the work, your grade will reflect it.
Dr. Swift is a good lecturer who knows how to get the point across by not just reading from slides. There are in class exercises almost everyday for easy points and reading quizzes for easy points. Her SI holds review before the exam, where he basically tells you what's on the exam. She only grades out of 1000 points instead of the 1090 assigned
Professor Swift is a middle school teacher with a professor's job. No cell phones or laptops allowed in class whatsoever, so if you take notes on a laptop good luck. She's very condescending and rude to students who ask questions and the workload is INSANE. This class will stress you out more than all of your other classes combined.
Carrie Swift is a crazy old woman who loves a good scarf statement. The class itself is easy because all you do is group experiments. What's hard is that you have 2 quizzes a week that ARE graded. Tests/quizzes that go over things that aren't in class. Doesn't tell you if what you do is right. BIG projects are not useful.
She just throws the work at you and hopes you can figure it out. She does not check if you are right or wrong. This class has quizzes every week that are counted toward your grade. They are not easy either. She doesn't even help you or talk about the quizzes in class. You do all group experiments. You also do two big projects that are useless.
This class was a waste of time. The group projects were pointless, her tests were made to trick you and her grading sucks. She doesn't care that much about the students and if you have a question, she won't tell you if you are right or wrong. It should not have been this hard to get an A in this class, but for some reason, it was. Good Luck
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
94%
Textbook Required
56%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.16 avg changeRatings by Course
131
5.0
(1)PHYS151LAB
5.0
(1)PHYS151REC
5.0
(1)PHYS150R
5.0
(1)PHYS131
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PHYS305
4.5
NSCI231
4.3
PHYS130
4.3
NSCI332
4.3
ASTRO131
4.0