3.0
Quality3.2
Difficulty25%
Would Retake99
Reviews25%
Would Retake
99
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
21
4
19
3
21
2
21
1
17
What Students Say
“She reads straight off the powerpoint for every lecture”
ECON200 - 1.0 rating“If you have an alternative, take them”
ECON202 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
98%
Textbook Required
20%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.14 avg changeRatings by Course
BOTHECONS
5.0
(1)ECON112
5.0
(1)ECON202G
4.5
(2)ECON101
4.5
(2)ECON201G
4.0
(6)Difficulty by Course
201
5.0
MICRO
4.5
ECON112
4.0
ECON101
4.0
ECON201MACRO
3.4
Reviews (99)
WATCH OUT!!! she comes off as very easy and fun until the time comes down to the exams and WHAM! they're so hard that people dont pass even with a curve. make sure you do the HW completely correct. boring, elementary class. must read book
will sit in class thinking its easy until hard a** exams come; many people fail even with a curve. Exams are more detailed then wut she teaches and you MUST read the book to pass. Its almost pointless to even attend because you learn more from the book
Mrs. Kotula is a great teacher. She brings her upbeat personality, which helps to teach such a hard subject. Econ is hard no matter who you take it from, but I'd suggest her because she's so cool. :)
easy class, she is very understanding, however, note s are useless, her tests come straight from the book, so you just have to be prepared for book material, not note material, I recommend
Fairly easy class. Attendance policy, but I don't know if it really counts toward anything. Take notes, and go on review day and the tests are easy. Part 2 of the tests are so easy it'll bring your grade up.
I have a really hard time understanding Economics and she has made it a lot easier for me to understand. Her tests are hard, but as long as you read the material and go to class it's a lot easier. The tests are from the book and eassay the notes.
her class is so easy, i couldn't pass zestos' test last semester and this semester i haven't had below a 94! her class is awesome!
She is really good at explaining material. The stuff seems really easy, but you do have to study a little for the tests. She is good about letting us leave early as long as we get the work done. From what I heard about other Profs...she is REALLY great!
Easy teacher. Puts things in simple terms. You dont really need to read, but if u do you would get an easy A. Tests can be rough if u dont study. 3 tests per sem. and a final. 3 very easy hw assignments. Take her and take notes in class instead of sleeping and its pretty easy. Take her. :)
Great teacher...she will help students who want it. Only 2 Exam the sem :( but she tells you what each question is on so it is very easy to study for. Lets you out at least 15 mins early but has an attendance sheet.
Nice Lady, Really Understanding!! Easy class as long as you do the work!
2nd time around with econ 201, but i'm glad i'm taking her! very easily understood. explains things so everyone understands. u can almost guarantee she'll dismiss class early 90% of the time (5-10mins). wish i took her the first time
She is really good at explaining term so you can understand them and she lets her class out early most of the time. You do have to study though but her test are MC so they are not that bad.
gemma is a nice lady, but tired. after having god (steve meyer) for econ 201, she seems hard. i recommend signing up for god's class even if it is an 8 am. trust me, you will appreciate it when you have an A- at the end w/o trying much.
She explains things very well and you learn a lot in her class. All and all her class is not very hard, and im glad I took her. She also lets you out early a lot.
Great teacher! Gives the easiest HW assignments just to boost your grade. Test are difficult but other than that she is a great teacher. I got a B+ and didn't do much
Great teacher, you will never stay for the whole class! She goes over everything fully so you will understand it completely. When its time for tests she goes over each question and tells you the topic of it so you know it exactly. She gives you easy homework assignments and plenty of time to do them in. She is there to help whenever she is needed.
GREAT TEACHER!!! GET HER FOR ANYTHING YOU CAN! she never makes you stay the whole class period and she will practically give you points by letting you do EASY homework for a test grade!
nice lady....HARD TESTS!!!!
Kotula did a good job teaching. It was apparent that the only trouble students in our class were having was because it was an 8 am class. Other than that she is very helpful and understanding. She dosn't teach directly from the book, but alot from her own knowledge, which is good since it means she knows her stuff..and bad cuz its hard to follow
she should be an 8th grade teacher. she baby's the class big time. her tests are a bit tough but she gives tons of easy homework to bring ur grade wayyy up. basically gives u the answers to the homework, some are worth over 100 points. i definitely recommend her!
Really nice. Kind of spacy at times. Can be frustraing because she just gives you the notes directly from the book, but attendance is mandatory. She goes fast during the notes, but you can always ask her to repeat. Nice enough and not bad at all
she is such a nice lady, but her tests are hard as crap. This was my second time taking it, and no joke, the only way I passed was by doing the software that came with the text book. its not enough just to read her notes.
Atrocious. One of the worst teachers I have ever had. She apparently hasnt heard of technology yet, as she brings crumbled up legal pads to class every day and just copies her crap on the board. I went to her office hours for help on a test...she explained it worse than a 3 year old could. I don't know who to tell you to take, but its not her.
Very good teacher. Relied mostly on her own notes. One time she forgot her notes so there was no class. Likes to end classes a little early. One quiz per week and two exams for the entire semester (this includes the final exam). Do the work and the homework assignments and you will do fine. Most of her notes are right out of the textbook
She is a good teacher. You take a quiz every week and the lowest 3 are dropped. The tests are difficult but all Econ tests are difficult.Thats a matter of fact. She gives you several EASY homework assignments and all of them averaged together equals a test grade...which will really help your grade if you do them correctly. I want her for ECON 202
Class was fun. Great teacher. Quizzes every week as long as you pay attention you'll be fine.
She's alright. She is nice and tries to personable with the students, even though at 8:00AM, students aren't very responsive. Her tests were all multiple choice, so there is rarely any dispute between the student/teacher on grades. Take good notes and pay attention, because it is not easy. However if you go to every class & study you should do fine
Great teacher! It's refreshing. It's a tough subject, but she is there to help you! I would recommend her. Nobody likes an 8am class, but she tries her best to keep you interested. Tells silly, funny jokes that are cute. Make sure you pay attention and keep up with your homework! She makes it easy, if you try to do well!!
She teaches to fast
did not really make the class interesting to me. if you are a fast learner when it comes to this this kind of stuff then she is not the teacher for you, as she seemed to move extremely slow. and to me she was also hard to follow
Econ isn't the easiest of topics for most students, and Kotula does a good job of making it comprehensible during class. Plus, she's super nice. However, the tests are much harder than the caliber of her lectures and you basically only have 4 exam grades for that class. Otherwise, I recommend this class, esp. over the other horrible Econ professors
She is a good professor. She's in charge of ECON here at CNU too I believe. The problem is this: She has great examples and uses flawless things to get her points off well, but when someone questions her further asking for clarity, she can't come up with words. She knows her stuff, but I wouldn't recommend her unless you want to take econ/grasp it.
Solid professor, I have no complaints. Very nice and always ready to help. Taught a lot from the text then explained everything in class, so provided you read you'll do just fine. Class wasn't too bad, 50 minutes went by pretty quickly. Exams weren't too bad either. I liked her.
She's the best. As long as you read and take notes, you'll do fine.
She is a nice lady. But, she is very vague on what she wants on a hw assignment. I asked her specifically what she wanted and when I did that she counted it wrong on my paper. Tests are tricky and meant to trip you up. She also goes through the powerpoint very fast.
HORRIBLE professor. Her tests are RIDICULOUS and the answers that are "correct" make NO sense. Nearly everyone failed the first exam and she just wouldn't budge. Seriously do not take her. Her voice is very annoying to listen to as well.
Terrible professor. I am also in the Micro class this semester and have understood NOTHING. She teaches straight out of the book, there is no added info. When you ask her a question she can not seem to find an answer. The tests are ridiculous and make NO sense. If you don't do well on her tests you are basically screwed.
Kotula is a nice lady. If you can learn a lot by your own, take this class. There isn't too much to it besides just studying for the tests. The tests are difficult, but do able. Micro is a hard subject, be ready to work for an A.
I took her for micro and macro and they were both very hard classes. A lot of studying and paying attention to powerpoints during class. She is a very sweet lady and has good intentions but can call you out on a lot of stuff if you frustrate her. She is hard but one of the easier economics teachers.
One of the worst professors in my career at CNU
Terrible Professor. Absolutely useless.
If you have an alternative, take them. Kotula is an alright teacher, but she's very sassy. She gets angry if you don't ask questions, but gets frustrated when you finally do. Doesn't make sense. I've gotten decent grades in both Macro and Micro with her, but it requires SO much studying. She basically reads of the powerpoints.
Kotula is a great woman, but her teaching style needs work. She generally has very long slides, so it's not a possibility that you'll keep up if you're writing down the notes at the same time. She also isn't very clear when she explains certain concepts that you learn and you'll struggle to understand it clearly.
I would recommend taking someone else's class. Her notes and the homework are simple, but the tests make no sense. The questions are confusing and there doesn't ever seem to be a correct answer, whether you know the information or not. She is a sweet lady, but not the best at teaching.
First time taking an Econ class and I really struggled in this class. Had us buy an account to an online website for $100 and we only used it 3 times. Gives a few opportunities for extra credit, but it won't help your grade substantially. Was in a 96 person class and she still took attendance. Try to get a different instructor if possible
- Online access code was used a total of twice. - Failed to provide clear and coherent presentations and material in class. - Tempermental. - Questions asked on tests and quizzes were worded extremely poorly.
She wasn't terrible, but the class was hard for an introduction to Econ. The final was ridiculous as well.
Nice person, but not the best at teaching. She's more helpful explaining one-on-one, but the most frustrating aspect is Kotula's tests are extremely confusing. Her multiple choice answer choices often seem very similar to each other, makes it feel like a guessing game (even after studying A LOT). I'm an AB student, and got a 54% on the final, js.
I would not recommend having Kotula as a prof. Her tests are ridiculously difficult for an intro level class, and she doesn't often throw out her confusing questions. She might curve it a little, but its not by much. Do yourself a favor and choose another professor, your grade will thank you.
She's nice, but very boring and a hard teacher. would not recommend her for econ 200
Class wasnt too hard, but the tests are realllllly hard. The only was to get a A is to understand vocab, and to study for like a week.
This class is probably my hardest this semester. You have 2 tests and a final, with little homework grades and online quizzes (which do almost nothing for your grade). I managed to do alright in this class, but I'm not really sure how. Also she takes attendance every class :(
Econ201 was incredibly difficult with hard tests that require a deep knowledge of the material. Her lectures are very detailed but she goes fast, so you may need to catch up on scholar.
Very difficult teacher, tests are very hard. I do not recommend
Her tests are insanely hard and many of the questions on her test have multiple right answers.
Professor Kotula makes this class 10x harder than it has to be. Lectures seem simple , but questions on tests have 4 right answers and you have to know everything about economics to know the answer. You pass this class by knowing how to decipher her writing of questions. Had to study triple the time I did for any other class. DO NOT TAKE
Professor Kotula was a decent professor, she was clear on most things and always offered her help. Her tests are difficult, but as long as you study hard and put the effort in you'll do fine.
Professor Kotula doesn't appear to care about students as individuals and sees them only as numbers in her large lecture courses. If you really want to succeed, read every chapter along with attending lectures. Definitely not an easy A or B.
Her lectures are very informative (and we have yet to use the "main textbook", we mainly use the Miller book for group projects but that's it) but her tests questions are really tough and too detailed. She makes this class, which is supposed to be an intro to general econ, way too hard and doesn't explain questions well. Very picky for group work.
Kotula is very specific in what she wants for answers on the test. Most of the answers on tests are all the same with one word or two changed. I would not recommend at all. She contradicts herself in lecture and is very strict on rules. Avoid this class and take it at a community college for credit.
Lecture class with about 90-100 students. She gets off topic a lot and does not teach the course material very well. I found that I had to teach myself the majority of the course on my own. Also her test are multiple choice but her wording on her test are very confusing.
This was my first class as an econ major and the course actually made me consider switching majors. Get ready for dry lectures, make sure you remember to take all of the quizzes and ask her about the homework. This class was difficult but you can get an A as long as you do everything to the best of your ability. I recommend reading the text book
For a general economics course (non-major), it was good. Kotula is very knowledgeable and does her best to make jokes, go over material thoroughly, etc. Worst parts of the class were exams (only like two and they are MUCH more challenging than the entire course) and the fact that there are only a few grades for the whole class. Study & show up.
When you tour CNU your tour guide will tell you that 95% of the professors have a PHD in their field. Mrs. Kotula is the 5% that doesnt. She will just read from the PowerPoint instead of explaining herself. She makes the tests ridiculously hard.
Good teacher if you have to take macro. Coming to class is a big part of the grading system. There were only three test and quizzes are online. She is probably one of the better econ teachers in the department. Very passionate about what she teaches
Dry lectures. Online quiz and physical test questions are written to try to trip you up- read them carefully because if you have an argument about a question she absolutely will not consider it . Only reads from power-point slides and overall a really really boring class.
Shes awful. She reads straight off the powerpoint for every lecture. She doesnt prepare her students for tests or quizzes. She gave me a C on a powerpoint and the only thing she wrote on the rubric was that I still didnt take it seriously. When I asked her what she meant, she said it was because I smiled during it.
Kotula is a good prof as long as you have a sense of humor and aren't offended by being corrected. Fridays are group project days and often get side tracked with excited back and forth discussion. If she doesn't know the answer to something will look it up and follow up to you later via email. A very dry sense of humor she's a real gem
If you're fine with taking notes the entire class then this is the right choice for you. The tests seem to be much harder than anticipated and homework is counted for a lot of your grade.
Worst professor I've ever had. Made me want to drop out of school. Mean, very unaware of basic economics, confusing grading criteria that changes based on how she feels.
Worst professor in all of Christopher Newport. cannot teach to save her life, I learned more from students asking her questions, and from her not knowing the answer, than I did reading all 500 words on her slides that she scrolls through every 5 seconds.
While her lectures may be dry and very boring at times, Kotula knows what she's talking about. She's actually very nice and helpful if you talk to her. She has good knowledge on the subject and can answer pretty much any question. Make sure to stay engaged in class and pay attention for at least half the time and you're grade will be above a C.
reads right off the powerpoint. if a question isn't on the powerpoint she doesn't know the answer. no matter how wrong she is, she has to be right. some answers on the final didn't have a correct answer at all and when confronted about it she didn't know what to say. she writes her test terribly. book doesn't match up with the powerpoint. terrible
She's a nice woman and her tests are very "straight from the textbook" kinda questions. I passed the class without ever opening the textbook but if you don't know econ well you're gonna have to do a lot of reading outside the classroom. A lot of the grade comes from take-home tests and only timed quizzes. They' all easy points.
Goes way too fast on lecture presentations. Can be confusing on certain points, but overall not terrible. Isn't very clear on complex topics, sits and just reads off of the slides, can be difficult to learn this way.
Gemma would fit better in a high school standard Econ class kind of setting.
Professor Kotula is just fine as a teacher for the class I took. She can come across as angry, but I think she just has a unique tone of voice. She is actually quite approachable, even if she is prone to the occasional frustrated outburst. These are intolerable from anyone, of course, but she is a fair grader who will pass you if you try.
She isn't the greatest teacher because she just reads off of power points every class As long as you pay attention and do the homework you will be fine. I would take from her again.
Professor Kotula is nice and is available to help students. However, I took this class online which made it even more difficult, and I barely pulled an A after I studied like crazy. There are weekly quizzes and the tests are weighted heavy. Macro is super hard at CNU, so I would recommend taking an easier class if you can.
Professor Kotula is a good professor for an intro level class. She is very knowledgeable on the subject and elaborates on difficult material to help students better understand. Show up to class, participate, take notes, and you will do well. I enjoyed having her and would take her again.
This online Econ class is incredibly easy. She is a great professor who is always willing to help. Would definitely recommend taking from her!
I enjoyed this class with Professor Kotula. She adapted very well to the online format and the lectures were very easy to understand for non econ students. There are two textbooks, one which I did not use (you still have to buy it to access the online learning platform for tests) and the other you can find free online, which you still barely use.
She's very knowledgable about economics, but her class isn't very engaging or entertaining. Maybe that was just because my class was online but still. The textbook is expensive but you need it to complete assignments on Cengage.
Kotula is a nice professor who clearly cares about her students, but overall the class was meh. The PowerPoints she used were VERY wordy, often with paragraphs, and it made it very difficult to follow along with her lectures. By the third week, I stopped taking notes and paying attention in her class. Easy A class but you won't learn much.
She's on okay person, but her class is just her reading entire paragraphs from a powerpoint with little to no explanation or clarification. She gives quizzes once a week and occasional homework. Overall, she's not very helpful or effective.
I hated this class. Dr. Kotula is extremely boring and her classes reflect that fact. However, it's an easy class and you'll do find if you take her, just be prepared to be bored out of your mind.
Professor Kotula really is nothing special. I did will in her class not because I paid attention but because I taught myself the material outside of class. She was bad at putting grades in for me, and even accused me of cheating on an in person test. Her class is boring but shes not a horrible professor, just be ready to work for that A.
I would avoid taking this class with Kotula. Shes insanely boring and just reads straight off the powerpoint. She is very knowledgeable in economics but is very lazy. Her tests arent easy and she shows no mercy. There are weekly quizzes and if you miss, she does not do anything to help you. Not the easiest class for someone who isnt good at econ
Kotula often would input her own opinions into her lectures and wouldn't admit fault for anything. I once asked her a question about something on a quiz and she literally had no idea how to answer it.
This is the worst class, you could not pay me money to take it. everyone does horribly. 2/67 people got above an 85 on the first test and only 4 above an 85 on the second and she blames the students. She Is so mean and yells at students. stay away from her.
DO NOT take a class w/ Gemma. She constantly puts things on tests that were not gone over in class. You take quizzes outside of class, and if you forget, tough luck. She is not helpful in ANYTHING. Attendance is mandatory, and her slides and teaching method are terrible. If you take one of her classes, get ready for the worst semester of your life
She isnt approachable at all. She is condescending when answering questions. Avoid taking her class but if u have to, get an Econ tutor ASAP. Her lectures were just reading off the slides and didnt try to use examples. Lectures were also soo boring. She made an already hard subject even harder. She seems knowledgeable in the subject but is lazy.
Kotula lectures every class and is so boring. Tests are very hard so make sure you study.
As a person, she was not very compassionate towards students. As a professor, she was tolerable, but not my favorite. The homework was fairly easy, however the tests are rather difficult.
Not sure if it's the same for every class but we weren't allowed to use computers to take notes during lectures, fine. Whatever. However her lecture slides are SO wordy and she goes entirely too fast to keep up with taking pen and paper notes. Most classes I gave up taking notes after a few minutes. Not many people do well. Boring and uncaring.
In my opinion, I think people over hate Kotula. She's a sweet old lady but her class can get pretty tough at points. Definitely need to attend all of her classes to understand the material, and she only has a few grades per year. Go to her office hours and get to know her; she's really nice outside of her lectures.
Gemma has changed my life with her excellency. I have love for this woman I never thought I could harbor for a professor. She is amazing, she is charismatic and you can tell she loves what she talks about This economy may upset her but she yet to upset me, beside my C on the first exam that did upset me. Despite that, Gemma brings IT to the table.
Professor Kotula is okay. She presents to you all of the information that you need to know and the quizzes and tests are fair; however, her slideshows are not structured well so you genuinely have to pay attention if you want an A. If you pay attention, do your work, and study for tests, you will be fine!
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
98%
Textbook Required
20%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.14 avg changeRatings by Course
BOTHECONS
5.0
(1)ECON112
5.0
(1)ECON202G
4.5
(2)ECON101
4.5
(2)ECON201G
4.0
(6)Difficulty by Course
201
5.0
MICRO
4.5
ECON112
4.0
ECON101
4.0
ECON201MACRO
3.4