2.5
Quality3.6
Difficulty35%
Would Retake106
Reviews35%
Would Retake
106
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
18
4
19
3
7
2
13
1
49
What Students Say
“Would not even recommend her to Satan”
MCCUE1015 - 1.0 rating“Quoted saying she rather be "feared than loved" as a teacher”
MCCUE3 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
90%
Textbook Required
2%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.01 avg changeRatings by Course
MCCUE1032002
5.0
(1)MCC1200
4.7
(3)MCCUE003
4.3
(8)MCCUE1351
4.0
(1)MCCUE14
4.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
MCCUE1015
4.5
MCCUE03
4.3
MCCUE1351
4.0
MCCUE1032002
4.0
MCC1000
4.0
Reviews (106)
lectures are chill but grading isn't cuz you don't get the grade you expect even when you follow everything on the syllabus, so gl! reading is not little but do-able if you try.
Prof. Ali is entertaining + very knowledgeable. At times readings were over students' heads, but she compensated with extended discussions in class time. Assignments were typically long complicated papers, but with enough assignments and discussion beforehand to make them manageable. Tough grader, but willing to work with students, I'd say.
Course material was interesting, but readings went over my head and grading criteria for projects was not clear. Projects were fun and creative because of that, but the vagueness was challenging for me. I did not do many of the readings and did fine, but participation is a big part of this course. Prof Ali is funny and relatable, too.
The material is interesting and informative. Additionally, Professor Ali expects you to do all the readings, keep up with them, and also be prepared for pop quizzes on them potentially a week after they're assigned because she can get behind. The projects were fun but difficult. She's very knowledgeable, a boss, and absolutely hilarious.
Prof Ali is one of the funniest, most knowledgable professors I've ever had. She can be a bit short during class, but makes up for it with amazing help and discussions during office hours (def go!). This would've been the best class I've taken at NYU had it not been for her out of this world expectations. Absolutely amazing if you put in the effort
Her tests do not reflect the what the class is supposed to be about. She says she cares more about major concepts and not specific people and dates. You have to know everything. Not exactly fair.
terrible never take, would give her a -1 if i could. the ta's for her lectures are horrible as well. cares more about how they look academically then how the students do in the class. tests are impossible to pass
Horrible horrible teacher
Quoted saying she rather be "feared than loved" as a teacher. Assignments are frivolous yet time consuming, and her first mid-term was 60 multiple choice questions on specific talking points in her lecture - not the broader concepts we explore in recitation. Do not recommend.
assignments are short and easy but the class is impossible to follow. the smallest phrases or comments she makes in lecture are expected to be memorized and appear on tests. grading is unclear and even when everyone in a 200 person lecture gets a C, she will blame it on us not paying attention.
Do NOT Prof. Ali if you can help it. She treats a 20-person seminar like it's an auditorium lecture: she talks nonstop, and even when she does engage with students, she does it by fishing for the answers she thinks are right. Tough grader, and vague about expectations. Her criticism is condescending and usually opinion-based, not constructive.
When you take her tests, you can literally feel your gpa drop. Would not even recommend her to Satan.
I knew I shouldve dropped this class after syllabus week when she started a heavy lecture on the first day. The entire class is a lecture with a powerpoint that has only pictures and no words on it and she just talks the entire class. No technology allowed so everyone is furiously trying to write down info. Tests are impossible even if you study.
How good this class is really depends on the student's accountability and preferences. If you attend lecture and take active notes, you'll be okay. Try typing them up after class; that way you have a "study guide" already. Her tests appear impossible, but you really just need to read each question and answer option carefully! GO TO OFFICE HOURS.
She's a really nice person but that doesn't help the students. Dont know why she thought removing texts from slides was a good idea... my TA was awesome but i realized there is a huge margin between people who understand whats going on in that class and those who don't . dont do it
She's the kind of teacher where they'll be two right answers but she thinks ones preferable depending on her mood. You really cant miss lecture or you wont do well. Readings are insanely long and unnecessary. Her lecturers are lengthly. This class is not thematic like most Media classes, she'll test you on something she mentioned once.
i had a Really horrible experience and I mean it because I would never recommend. She seems like she is very nice and helpful but when it comes to participation it seems like she doesn't agree with most answers. Super tough grader doesn't matter how much time you invest in doing papers she will always find something wrong. THIS CLASS IS NO NO!!!!
Smart and knows the field really well and seems like a really nice person but not the best teacher. Unclear grading criteria with vague feedback on assignments. Lectures are fun but you sometimes don't really know the point of it which doesn't help when you have to connect concepts. Sometimes there could be multiple answers but she just picks one.
I worked so hard for a B in her class last semester. Absolutely the WORST class I have ever taken at NYU- she removed all the texts from her slides and does not allow laptops or any technology. If she mentions something once in passing- it might be on the test. Students did not have good grades, and her lectures are heavy and confusing
Her lecture consists of one picture and two words and explains that for an hour. Materials are useless and boring. What's most terrible is that certain portion of test consist of fill in the blank, yet with 3 other words in the sentence. Hilarious
Im not sure why Professor Alis ratings are so terrible on here. She is very kind and knowledgable and makes the material discussed interesting. While her tests can be difficult in that its hard to navigate what shes looking for at first, if you make use of her office hours theyre not impossible to do well on.
Worst class I have taken at NYU. Butchered what seemed a very interesting syllabus, doesnt explain essay grades, and likes to argue just for the sake of it. Dont challenge her, youll get points off. Basically, the only way to succeed in this class is to treat her lecture content as gospel, and reiterate her own beliefs/ideas in the essays.
Take extensive notes because even if she says it only once, it will most likely appear on an exam. We had to do a "research project" on the side and it was pointless and not actually graded. One of the assignments was to go to the library and take pictures of books. She did not review for the final exam, she missed a lecture and did not make it up.
Her lectures are very fast and it's important to write down as much as you can. It was slightly difficult to know exactly what kind of questions she was going to ask on the 1st midterm but it got much easier throughout the rest of the semester to know the themes she wanted to focus on. It is not a difficult class if you understand the main themes.
Isra was the only option for my required class, so I had no choice. She's a very good lecturer and is very passionate about what she preaches, but she expects you to be able to memorize every word she's ever said without the use of laptops to take notes. She is available outside of class, but not super helpful and kind of condescending.
Professor Ali is an engaging lecturer-- HOWEVER, her grading standards are absolutely ridiculous. Your grade is widely based on two tests that are heavily multiple-choice, with multiple right answers for each question. So even if you understand the concepts, you could easily still get a terrible grade in the class.
Isra is not nearly as bad as all of these comments make her out to be. Her lectures are definitely dense and you have to attend lecture, but if you take good notes you'll be fine. The exams are mostly multiple choice but as long as you study and understand general themes it's not too bad. It could be WAY worse.
Worst prof I've ever had in NYU. She has tons of things in one regular lecture which gives her 75 minutes to illustrate but usually she finishes within 50 minutes, extremely fast and can't follow. Test extremely heavy and harsh grade. If you are not a genius plz avoid her. Gives us take home exam but adds lots of things one day before the due date
Avoid at any cost, although I think she is the only prof for history of media&comm. Tests are very difficult, I studied really hard to get a B+. I hope you guys go back in person for fall, otherwise you will write a 3000 words final for this class. Don't take this class unless you are mcc major lol.
I am not sure why she has such a low rating. Her lectures were extremely interesting, even funny at times (though that may be bc I'm an MCC major). The one midterm we took was easy if you paid attention in class and took detailed notes. I never did a reading, and I still managed to get an A. The project was pointless though.
Her lectures are confusing. she speaks fast & goes all over the place but somehow wants you to connect every little thing. She expects you to remember every little detail and example too. Went to her for test feedback & she was super rude, condescending, and passive-aggressive. When class moved online, she made class harder with more papers. Study.
I was able to keep up with her lectures but I'm also a fast note taker. She didn't allow laptop use when we were in person but obv that couldn't be controlled when we went online. Her jokes fell flat and were kind of annoying but I give her points for effort. The final was tedious but an easy A if you paid attention in lecture/recitation.
She's approachable, outspoken, but strict when in lectures & deadlines. Material is interesting & she gives examples for better understanding. In exams, multiple choice & open ended responses are trickier than you think (her wording is weird & she's picky when grading) but does review sessions for exams. If you want the A, REALLY work hard for it!
Really terrible communicator. Do not take this Professor she is way to invested in her class and wont understand if other things are happening in ur life. Gave me my worst grade ever.
I really don't know why Ali has bad reviews, I thought her lectures were really interesting. If you know how to take good notes and do your work and understand the key definitions and concepts you'll honestly do fine in this class. Put in the actual work required outside and during class and you'll get a lot out of her lectures and material.
Loved the class! Prof Ali was open to students discussion, not a harsh grader at all.
I took History & Social Media Networking with Ali. History: the class is a lot of work BUT it was my favorite MCC class - def worth it. SM Networking: much easier - do the readings and engage & you will do great. Not too much work at all. Also, the smaller class size makes the dynamic super fun and engaging.
I personally loved Professor Ali! she did a great job of keeping recorded lectures engaging and fun (sometimes a bit cringe though). If you pay attention to lectures, take good notes, and actually do the readings class isn't hard. there is a 5 part project that honestly seemed pointless and weekly forum posts but both are just graded on completion
The online lecture format was great and easier to follow because there was a transcript below which made it easy to find things to talk about for the midterm and final. If you watch the videos, take really good notes, and do the assignments ontime it is not difficult to get an A. the lectures are really interesting and I truly learned a lot.
Her lectures are dense and convoluted, and she often will drift off-topic. This is usually not a problem in an engaging in-person class, but in a pre-recorded video, the lectures become far more difficult to get through. Often felt disconnected from the assigned readings. She is also a needlessly tough grader.
Professor Ali's lectures unnecessarily go off-track, making it hard to pay attention. She also does not mention any of the concepts by name making it hard to go back into lectures to find what she's talking about, despite saying that she explicitly mentions the theories and examples. Does not make it clear whether we are learning theories or not
Idk why there are so many bad reviews, I literally never watched the lectures or did the readings and I still got an A. Sure you've gotta do some more skimming come exam time but in an online asynchronous course that's easy. I thought her lectures were quite easy to understand, especially compared to other MCC profs. And she's super nice and fun.
Professor Ali is not as bad as some of these ratings say. Maybe it's different in an in-person class, but online and asynchronously, she makes History of Media & Communication a great experience. There is a lot of reading but it really helps and prepares you well. Her lectures are so funny and she has great energy. She made this class so fun.
Only cares about her own business. Never reply to students' emails. Never read your papers and only gave u tough grade. Never give suggestions.
For History of Media and Comm, You have to go to every lecture because you can't miss anything... she expects you to remember every little thing. I went to office hours to get my midterm back and she was rude and passive aggressive. Thank god for my wonderful TA! Do well on the final. Be specific! When we moved online, she made the final longer.
Professor Ali was one of the harshest teachers I've had at NYU. Her lectures are very unorganized, she goes off on tangents, and overall does not present the information in a clear way. She also has an extreme attitude if you upset her in any way, often times being very passive aggressive and rude. She can be funny at times, but that's about it :(
Does not respond to emails, very tough grader, insane workload that does not consider students' other commitments. Very lecture heavy- zone out for two minutes and you'll be completely lost. Had to withdraw from class two weeks before semester ended to make sure I didn't get the F. Taking again with a different professor.
I wanted to like Ali, but she ended up being angry with the class and started grading harshly. My conference with her was unpleasant for no reason, it seemed as though she wanted us to understand her course the way she did - impossible in a few weeks. The material is interesting but I do not recommend.
She'll play videos for half of the class, and the other half she'll lecture off the top of her head without any notes -- literally just rambles. Don't ever really know where she's going with lectures, there's not really a main point. Tough grader, her essay prompts list 10 different instructions and you don't really know what the main idea is...?
I loved prof ali so idk why there are so many negative reviews. social media practicum is graded by few assignments + a final project but they're all for completion so it's an easy A. as long as you raise your hand once in awhile to ask questions and show up to class semi-regularly she'll love you. i genuinely thought she was funny and caring!
Prof. Ali gets a bad rep from when she taught History of Media but she's one of the best MCC profs out there. She is obviously incredibly smart, classes, lectures, assignments are all planned and organized. She is super accommodating and funny (at times cringe but all good-hearted). Good feedback AND ON TIME!!! The class is also very interesting!!
You can always send your drafts to Professor Ali before submission. Gave me very detailed feedback. go to her office hours before submitting your work, read the prompt carefully and you'll be fine.
A completely different teacher in-person than online. Was not a big fan of her history of media, then took her for social media practicum and inquiry seminar in the same semester and she was excellent. flexible with due dates, easy grader, and gave great guidance feedback.
One of the worst classes I've taken. She talked in circles all class and the assignments are extremely vague to the point of having no direction. When you ask her for help on the final project she's passive aggressive, rejects every idea and will make you even more confused. Plus sides are she doesn't care about late assignments or attendance
Lectures are boring and never related to the readings. On a usual week, there are "expected" readings that can be up to 90 pages long (i doubt anyone did them, but you need to skim them and quote for papers). No guidance nor good feedback for grading and every grade is either a 100% or a 20% with literally no in between. Prof is also pretentious
Awful. For 30 minutes she just asks us about her day and then covers no topics during class. She doesn't assign homework or talk about the readings, but just expects us to know about them and write about them despite never acknowledging them in the first place. Also just really strange and weird assignments. This class is a joke.
Awful. Every class she just asks about our weekends and talks about nothing. Her lessons cover nothing and have no basis. She assigns readings but does not even acknowledge or talk about them during class. Her paper instructions are poorly made and she has the strangest assignments. Should be an easy A class but is made weirdly complicated.
i had prof ali a few years ago and would mot have given the same rating, but this time around she easily became one of my favorite professors. caring, understanding and knowledgeable, and more important unpretentious unlike many other academics.
was so afraid to take her due to such terrible reviews. so glad I gave her a chance because she is such a gem! hilarious, accessible outside of class, and her TAs were all fantastic.
I was a little worried because of some of the other reviews, but I did NOT need to be! Professor Ali explained the material (which could get complicated) in a way that was clear and easy to follow--and she was also really funny, I loved her stories and illustrations from personal experience. Grading criteria was always clear as well.
Usually easy to get a good grade but she is so confusing and I don't think she even knows what she's looking for. Everyone in the class is always lost because she changes the directions for things constantly and it seems like she's just making up random things as she goes along.
Awful professor! Talks A LOT without saying anything. The whole semester was her talking about unrelated things. Gives no clear directions for Final project. I went to office hours multiple times and left more confused. Should stop teaching atp.
Someone send her this site link because she needs to entirely change her teaching style. She is the WORST professor I've had at NYU. Lectures are boring with no substantial material. No clear instructions on assignments. Leaves students feeling more confused and offers no clarity in office hours. straight up AWFUL. please pick a new profession
Professor Ali gets a bad rep, she is not a bad lecturer the only thing is that she does talk fast, however, you can just tell her to repeat herself and slow down. the tests are pretty straightforward with 6 readings and 6 class examples for 4 questions in 2 paragraphs each. The ta's did most of the work but history was way better than intro
strict about attendance but she's really understanding and caring about genuine circumstances when one misses lecture. Easily accessible in office hours and fun lectures. The exams are really easy with questions given in advance out of which 4 come on the paper. Overall, she's really sweet and chill just go for lecture and you'll be fine
really love prof ali i would take her again if i could. hers is the only class i take notes in because her lectures are so engaging. the exams are a lot to prep for but they really make sure that you know the material so i appreciate it. she's so smart and doesn't speak that fast. overall very knowledgeable professor who enjoys teaching love her sm
i promise she's a great prof if you don't take her for the required mcc lectures
Professor Ali is funny and charming at times but not super lenient & genuinely impossible to reach outside of class. Lectures are interesting most of the time but make sure to take notes because exams are basically about regurgitating information from class and the assigned readings for homework.
Prof. Ali is an amazing lecturer, she is able to keep her students engaged into the lesson. However, just be aware that your grade in this class will be very dependent on your TA, as they do all the grading for the 2 midterms, final, and a couple other assignments. Easy class to do well in overall.
Genuinely terrible. She is nice and funny sometimes, but she grades so inconsistently and horribly. She is all over the place, and nothing she teaches makes sense. She goes on rants, and doesnt stay on topic. Doesnt give good feedback, except 'good work'. Doesnt seem to care at all. If you want to take this for an easy A save you're time.
maybe i'm biased because i had TAs grade all my assignments but ali's class was really enjoyable. it wasn't easy but her lectures are fun and she's pretty good at responding to emails. the tests were hard. it was 8 questions beforehand with 4 of them being on the test and each answer had to reference 2 readings and 2 lecture examples.
Prof Ali is kind and her social media practicum was not difficult; I stopped doing the reading halfway through the semester and was fine.
no lecture slides or notes, nothing, very bad
Unironically one of the worst educators I have ever encountered. Horrible lecturer, no shows her own office hours, and when she does decide to grace you with her presence she's unhelpful. If given a grant I would dedicate hours of research to finding out if she and her TAs possess kindergarten level literacy.
I changed majors because of this class. I genuinely wasted so much time and energy on both her and the course material. She doesn't have proper slides, goes on irrelevant tangents, is not lenient, and does not seem to care for her students. I would highly suggest avoiding any class taught by her for your sanity. So not worth the headache and time.
I went to her office hours but I didn't learn anything at all. She expects you to know the materials before you go find her or else she's just gonna ask you a bunch of questions and expect you to know the answers to them. She won't teach you afterwards but tells you to go back and read the assigned readings again.
Professor Ali clearly is a knowledgable person but she is a terrible instructor. Her lectures are hard to follow and she often goes on tangents. Her "slides" consist of literal screenshots of tweets or single words with no explanations or content. Your grade in this class is reliant on your TA so pick wisely. Studying for her tests is a nightmare.
Dear prof, humble yourself. You're not nearly as good enough of a lecturer to teach 200+ students lets be fr. Every single time you speak, I wonder what in the actual world you're trying to say. If you're going to be genuinely terrible at public speaking, then at least make your exams based on other stuff, not just your lectures.
I don't get how she hasn't been fired yet.
While the lecture's aren't well structured, professor ali is a really sweet professor who's accessible outside of class and is willing to help if you're struggling. The exam questions are given to you in advance and it's easy to prepare for them even if you've missed readings or course material. The slide's aren't very informative so take notes
Make sure to pay attention in class since the lecture slides are super vague. Can tell this professor really cares about this info, it's just super boring sometimes. Your grade will really depend on your TA, but tests are manageable as long as you take the time to prepare and pay attention to lectures and readings.
The worse professor ever, if you miss lecture you will get so behind. She somehow expects us to know every single thing in exams and doesn't make what she wants exactly clear. IF YOU CAN AVOID HER PLEASE DO IT FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
your grade in this class heavily depends on your TA! Prof Ali's lectures are unorganized, fast paced, and hard to follow, but the class was interesting overall. I'm not a fan of the lecture-heavy exam content (you have to cite lecture examples), but it wasn't the end of the world.
RUN!! NOT A PROF U WANT IF U GET TO PICK
Lecture's are SO hard to follow! You never know what's important and what's a tangent. THE SLIDES DON'T HAVE ANY WORDS!! So you have NOTHING to go by if you zoned out for a second. You MUST use only lecture examples in the exams so the lecture is essential but it's literally so hard to pay attention. Also if you miss over 3 classes points are lost
Isra Ali is getting coal for Christmas... Lectures were done without a microphone and only vague images on slides, so if you were in the back of the class you were screwed. There were 3 exams based on memorizing and regurgitating info from lecture and readings since questions were given in advance. This course left me and my friends frustrated.
Professor Ali was one of the best professors I had here at NYU, she was very kind and caring and understanding outside of class. She knew my name and always checked in with me and is very funny. Her lectures were good but there is always stuff to takeaway from it. Just sit in the front row and you will definitely pass with ease.
class was incredibly boring. ali herself was a funny person but the lessons were a drag. be prepared to do your readings because that's what you're going to need for the exams
I think she changed her curriculum since last semester because previous ratings don't match my class experience. I found this class so interesting. Workload is not bad and exams are open-note. The lectures are very entertaining but her slides are literally JUST pictures... take detailed notes bc there's no way to re-study.
Professor Ali is incredibly cold and unsympathetic, honestly evil. I missed a deadline by two hours due to my terminally ill dad being hospitalized, and she gave me a zero. Later, despite approved absences, she failed me for attendance. I had As on everything else. Avoid her if you expect basic empathy and human decency.
She's not as horrible as the review says she is!!! Yes, there's no bullet points or words on her slides, but that ensures that you actually pay attention to what she says in lectures. Just write down everything she says in lectures, and she also gives you the questions for the exam in advance.
Honestly don't let the reviews scare you. I was going through the trenches the semester I took her class but she was extremely understanding and honestly let me off the hook way more times than she should have. Her class was rather enjoyable and the assignments were a nice change of pace from the usual essays we have in MCC.
She is NOT helpful. Her lectures are mostly just her yapping and hopping from one irrelevant topic to the other. You can't properly take notes since her slideshows provide no context. And despite my best efforts, she's never given me an A+ due to her EXTREMELY picky and biased method of grading. And zero extra credit assignments. Just horrible.
As long as you take detailed notes and pay attention to the examples she gives in lecture, the class is super approachable and straightforward.
Has a way of talking that is so confusing and completely unclear, genuinely impossible to follow. The TA's carry this class entirely. Midterm and final exam essays are tedious and memorization heavy. Unfortunate that she's the only one who teaches History of Media & Comm
Ali can be funny yet she shows no respect behind close doors. Both me and my friend went to her office hours and she literally traumatized us into depression throughout the semester saying how horrible we are. She only do that to certain students she like and some students told me they paid her an insane amount of money so she changed their grades.
RUN FOR YOUR LIFE. The material itself isn't hard, but she makes exams unnecessarily difficult to understand. She has no empathy for the students and doesn't take student circumstances into account. Missing an assignment puts you in a worse position than literally failing exams. Does not accept late work AT ALL. She straight-up gives you 0.
Just awful. Does not take any late work even if it's one minute. Went to her to review an exam so I could improve for the next one and she said if she were my TA she would have given me an even worse grade. Lectures consist of photos and that's it. Also speaks like she narrating a movie??
took during the summer so it was pretty fast-paced, TA grades all the assignments and takes off points for lowkey no reason, super lecture heavy and she kinda just makes the same jokes everyday
Lectures are extremely disorganized. The “slides” are just random images with no structure, and nothing on Brightspace is helpful. Exams are very detailed, yet no study guide is ever provided... Readings barely matter early on but become essential for the final. Expect unpredictable tests and unclear expectations...
This course felt chaotic! The slides are just some pictures, so you must create all the structure yourself. No study guides for any exams, including the cumulative final. MC questions are vague with multiple plausible answers. Recitations don't help. Heavy workload but unclear teaching. Run as quickly as possible
I walked into this class hopeful and walked out questioning my entire academic life
Honestly, I was really surprised by the negative reviews. The class gives you a solid foundation for the major and Professor Ali is enthusiastic, funny, and genuinely kind. I didn't study as much as I should've, so my grade wasn't what I wanted, but she really puts in the effort. PS. Don't listen to people who fail the class; they're just salty.
Prof. Ali is quite humorous, and I can tell she genuinely loves teaching. But honestly, her teaching style feels pretty chaotic to me... I don't think she's a very organized professor. I only managed to survive this class thanks to having a great teaching assistant.
Do NOT take if you want to keep yourself sane. Talks like Eminem rapping and expects notes based responses when she rewords her sentences 5 times. And EACH explanation is a new one. Words her exams like she wants you to fail. Question would be about the most random thing she mentioned in lecture. Makes you giggle but, preferably, save yourself.
having taken Ali for both History of Media and her Inquiry Seminar, i can say the latter is definitely where she shines. she makes herself accessible outside of class, gives helpful feedback on projects, and is really quite hilarious during class discussions. a far better experience definitely don't write her off.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
90%
Textbook Required
2%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.01 avg changeRatings by Course
MCCUE1032002
5.0
(1)MCC1200
4.7
(3)MCCUE003
4.3
(8)MCCUE1351
4.0
(1)MCCUE14
4.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
MCCUE1015
4.5
MCCUE03
4.3
MCCUE1351
4.0
MCCUE1032002
4.0
MCC1000
4.0