2.1
Quality3.4
Difficulty17%
Would Retake325
Reviews17%
Would Retake
325
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
325 total ratings5
22
4
31
3
61
2
90
1
121
What Students Say
“I would never take a class with her again”
PHY101 - 2.0 rating“Online course was so easy”
PHY104 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
49%
Textbook Required
59%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.12 avg changeRatings by Course
PHY104AND105
5.0
(1)PHY106010
4.0
(1)PHY1060
4.0
(2)PHY101102
3.5
(2)GEO106PHY106
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PHY
5.0
PSY151
5.0
EARTHSCIENCE
5.0
F
5.0
PHY112
5.0
Reviews (300)
I hated this class. I couldn't understand a word she said. I am a Physics minor that got 3.5+ in my 200-level physics classes at MSU, but I got a 2.8 in this class. She is a awful prof.
Homework is weekly which forces you to keep up with the material. Generous homework grading. Tests cover the material. Many RUDE people in this class who talk the entire time she lectures. No one can hear anything. I'd be cranky too.
Lectures were OK, but do not represent exam "concept" questions. They are impossible to understand, no matter how long you study! Pay attention to her examples in class because they may appear in similar form on the exam
The material is boring, she is extremely boring (Don't forget to bring a pillow to class). The tests are tricky. She lets you use a page of notes for each exam. There is no cumulative final. Only need to get 50% to pass class.
I was a physics major and this class was hard for me. i took in it spring semester and it was 3 hours of lecture. I dont think she is a bad person. she has homework every day. its a hard class
Professor Castoldi is a grouchy, uptight, miserable old woman. She is very hard to understand and completely inflexible. I strongly advise against this professor.
She is a mean, grouchy person. If you want to hear you have to sit in front of room she is so quiet! A lot of homework, labs are uninteresting. Very unfair grader for a general education course. Would not recommend to anyone, even science/physics lovers.
She is boring, she knows her stuff, but thats it. She can't teach it. Homework and Lecture have nothing to do with the Exams. Although you don't have a final, they are hard....did i mention she is boring...
The homework and lecture does not appear the same on tests. You need spend extra time reading and doing many other problems if you want to do good in her class.
Castoldi is HORRIBLE. No one that I have talked to in class liked her. You can't understand what she is saying. I got a problem wrong on a test and asked her to explain it to me several times. She threw my test and pencil at me. Don't take her class!
I am a Poli. Sci major that got a 3.7 in her class so she must not be THAT hard. You just have to do (GASP) the WORK! It's not that hard. Just show respect and keep up and you will be fine.
Has an accent and is hard to understand. Lets you usue 1 sheet of paper w/notes for quizzes, but the quizzes are still tough because they have nothing to do with the lectures. Her grading is also unclear.
WORST TEACHER EVER. She teaches assuming you know it all. You ask her a question she blows you off. Her tests are not too much on her notes....DONT TAKE HERE...remember tha remix said it...
She's an excellent teacher, very helpful and her tests were not that hard -- I missed half of her lectures and still got 3.8!
Nice person, but her accent makes her very hard to understand. She is a fair grader, and had relatively easy tests. If you can understand the lectures you will do fine.
Vinny says, "I had Castoldi".
Unwiiling to help students if they have a question, does not explain labs clearly!
She is hard to understand and hard to get along with at times. She lets you have a page of notes for the test but that won't necessarily help you.
She knows her subject but it is extremely hard to understand her Italian accent. She does not answer questions without making you feel worthless. Her tests flucuate each time, you do get to use a cheat sheet but they do not always help. Do the reading if you take her. Good luck!
Not the best teacher, that's for sure. She spends so much time on equations and forgets that we need to understand the concepts in order to get the conceptual questions correct. I spend tons of time studying for this class, and my grade does not show it. Don't take her if you have a choice.
Very hard to understand. Not helpful. Assumes you know everything even though it's an intro course. I was excited to take the class and she makes me dread it. I STRONGLY reccommend not taking her!!!
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Oh my gosh. Take any other teacher. She covers 1 to 2 chapters a day, which is about 30-40 text book pages @ chp. Online homework over every chapter. Critical thinking questions, are sometimes very hard; others easy. 3 tests, no final. She curves really well which is the only thing that helps.
Castoldi goes to fast, does not explain much of anything, and most of the time gets an attitude if you ask for help. Too bad there is no other instructor to teach this class. She has very poor people and communication skills. It could've been a fun, yet challenging course.
incredibaly hard to understand through accent and doesn't test on anyhting tought. not to mention one of the most boring class ever.
her accent really isnt that bad but good luck if you have a question. obviously she doenst "belive in no stupid questions" she is very rude and wont help you at all. very tempermental too. she knows her stuff though and makes the class rather easy.
horrible at teaching she knows her stuff terrible at getting it across thick accent hard to undrestand what she talks about is not on the tests makes u feel dumb when you ask ?s and never ansewers them expects u to be amazing at math & astronomy even though it is a intro course dont take her
omg, why did i take her??...she's not a good teacher at all...she dosn't kno how to explain things at all...her accent isnt that bad, but she very unclear...she can come off as a **** at times too...she grades hard...and her tests are pretty difficult...take someone else!!
Awful
Why does everyone dislike her? She is difficult to understand because of a thick Italian accent, but I disobeyed physics and understood what she was saying within the first hour of the first day of class. Her tests for PHY 151 are equivalent to HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICS TESTS!! I recommend her.
OKAY--IF THERES AN UGLIER FACE TO PUT THAN THIS BLUE ONE--THIS IS HOW SHE'D BE SUMMED UP!
she has to be the worst professor that I ever had because one she doe not explain well, secondly she has attitude issues and third she just needs more patience.
AVOID, IF POSSIBLE!
Without a doubt the worst professor I have ever had. I didnt learn a thing about astronomy, I learned a bunch of crap about physics. Dont ask her a question, she will just get even grumpier. If you forget to turn in hw, she will put u on the spot and let everyone know. DONT TAKE HER.
she is doesnt speak well. she doesnt care about the students. and she is not very willing to help. BUT! she does let you make a cheat sheet for each test. THE BEST GRADES ARE THE ONES WHO MAKE THE BEST CHEAT SHEETS. i never went to class. but my cheat were the entire chapter summaries from the book
She is decent lecturer, but she is kinda grumpy and gets annoyed pretty easily. Her accent is not bad at all-you can understand her fine. But this class is very easy. I would recommend taking her, but just don't expect the class to be fun. If you do the work, you will get a good grade.
teacher is bad class is easy
She stinks as a professor. She's not very patient. She has a hard time answering your questions. She just uses her notes in lecture to copy down problems, nothing is wrong with that except without her notes I don't think she knows how to do the problem!
she constantly looked back on her own notes when she did an example wrong, exams were very hard, she was unwilling to answer any questions we had on the homework. she is a bad professor.
By far the worst professor I've had. She's real mean, and refuses to be understanding. She's very bitter and class is very boring and doesn't even cover anything that isn't better explained in the book. This class is terrible, and I know that it changed for the worse for my semester. Avoid her.
I wanted to kill myself in her class, it is impossibly boring! Hard exams. Avoid if you can.
I hate this lady, and there's a good chance she hates you too. It seems like she hates everyone she is so rude. Her bad rating doesn't do service for just how bad of a professor she actually is. She exemplifies everything I don't want in a professor.
She was the worst teacher I have ever had!!!! She was impatient and completely rude. Everyone that asked her questions was made to feel really stupid. She had an accent and got angry when we couldn't understand her. I got a good grade in the class overall but not thanks to her. Avoid taking her, and if you have to don't ask her for help!!
You might as well take lessons from a tree... She can't teach! She can't explain anything, and just does example problems on the overhead! What a waste of cash. The only thing that kept my grades up where the 10-15% curves, and the general gpa curve (73% ~3.0). The solution should have not been a curve, but rather early retirment!
If you read and study a little bit, easy 4.0. I don't know what these other people are talking about, seriously.
ARGH! what a ****! kill me now! how boring can astronomy be?
I agree don't ask her for help, get a tutor, preferably a hot German exchange student that took calculus 3 for fun. You really have to learn it out of the book on your own. The workbook doesn't do much. But her tests are multiple choice.
You cant understand a thing she says and i fell asleep 3 times. That was just one the first day of class:(
She was so easy! not so helpful if you have questions, she does make you feel stupid if you need help, but you get to use and 8 1/2 x 11 paper for all 4 exams, I mean come on!!! How any one could get less than an a I dont understand... Take this class, its
THE PERSON BELOW IS A DUMBASS, THIS TEACHER CANT SPEAK ENGLISH OR LET ALONE TEACH
teacher? she cant teach, i could teach the class better than she could.
Her lectures are very dry which makes it hard to pay attention. Her exams are easy, if you do the homework and read the course book then you'll be fine. She has an Italian accent, but it's not too hard to understand her. She'll answer your questions if you want, but she gets irritated easily. Overall, this class has content that could be interesting, but she makes it very boring.
As a horrible accent. Is not clear when she teaches. Talks to her students as if they were scholar Scientists/Geologists
VERY BORING...I FELL ASLEEP ALMOST EVERY CLASS THIS SEMESTER...IF YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED IN THE SUBJECT IT WILL BE VERY HARD TO STUDY FOR IT.
She doesnt speak english thats all i gotta say. Lousy teacher. I slept, got yelled at, and skipped many times. Found it easier to learn on my own then go to class. She laughs at herself and i dont even kno wut shes sayin. I never kno wut shes doin.
Pnjfgdf g sjdf jsdnfiowe isodfonv idsnfiowne nisod skmdfmkx osdfm. If you can translate that to english and understand it then go ahead and take the class. That's the language she speaks and I've yet to find anyone that can manage her class. There's worthless hw and she's a worthless teacher. Good class to skip but not an easy one to get an A.
ZZZZZZzzz. Boooring and way harder then expected. If you study each night you should do fine, but for a gen-ed, definetly not an easy 4. Her test averages for my class were 68% Not very interested in helping you out if need it either. If you need help catching up on sleep, take this class because its so boring.
This professor is not that hard. You just need to do the work. She is a bit impatient at times but aren't we all?
this prof. is really nice after class for help, if u can catch her, but during class she is EXTREMELY boring!!! most people leave at break when she gives u 5 minutes. homework is soo easy, exams can be tough.
She is one of the worst professors I have ever had. DO NOT TAKE HER. In my case she was the only one teaching, hard to understand, if you ask a question she makes you feel stupid. GOOD LUCK, you can teach yourself more than she will teach you.
Her class is very boring. She is not a good teacher at all. She makes you feel stupid when asking for clarifycation. Astronomy can be very intriguing, but not with her teaching methods. Her test are very hard, homework is easy.
It's true that she is difficult to understand, but it gets easier as class goes on. She doesn't make the class very interesting, but she also doesnt make you learn the impossible math that is thrown in throughout the text! Her tests aren't the easiest, but you do get to have a double sided cheat sheet! She's a very nice lady!
I liked her, too! She can be impatient at times, but in reality she is very amiable and willing to help once you show a genuine interest in the field.
I'm glad I took her class. Her lectures were boring but I was able to miss several classes and stil maintain a 3.2 grade. As long as you keep up with hw & labs, you can get D's on all the tests and still pass.
Funny, love the accent shes passionate about the class & really likes imparting what she knows. Some say they don't like her but shes great. Maybe not the best lecture ever but at all interested in the topics you can learn a lot. Helps to read the book(duh) but its never completely dull readings Easy grade if you're not an idiot & complete slacker
Probably the worst professor I've had... She hates her students & is never willing to help...ever. I'm a 4.0 student & it's not a difficult class, but if you're looking to learn something you might as well skip Castoldi. She's a nightmare. She seriously shows traits of bipolarism. On occasion in a good mood, but that's rare.
Let's be honest, you'll walk away from this class w/ nothing. The only way you'll benefit from it is if you're greatly interested in the subject matter & have a lot of previous knowledge of the course material. 3 tests to cover 25 chaps, HW on each chap, very easy (internet based), w/ "critical thinking" questions on a few chaps, no mid or final.
She's a very boring lecturer, but I had her for another class, so I knew what i was getting into. If you are taking her class, be prepared to do all the reading and mostly learn your info from the text. There is no interaction whatsoever in her classes.
Extremely boring lecturer...poor teaching abilities. Going to class is a waste of time, just read the book well.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS. That's really all there is to say. Her class is a joke...I'm a good student, but I just couldn't make myself care anymore. She is a horribly mean woman....she is hard to understand...and her lectures are just insanely boring. She seems to get legitimately irritated when she has to answer any question. She simply cannot teach.
Worst teacher at Oakland University by far. I have never met anyone soo rude. Can not understand what she is saying. Belittles you infront of the class.
This woman chased me away from Oakland University. She has diabolic red eyes and breathes fire. Classmates will be your only salvation. Unless you know physics very well beforehand, steer clear. She mumbles in a different language too, thinking that you can understand.
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I would rather hang myself than sit through one more of this woman's classes. Absolutly one of the worst, most unhelpful people I have ever met. She treats you like your stupid if you ask a question and her tests are horrible.
DO NOT, i REPEAT DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS UNLESS U MUST
Bad choice. Boring and hard to understand, says words in another language and belittles you for asking a question. Tests are not like hw. Go with someone else if possible.
I found it hard to get interested and found myself leaving half way through. She kind of goes through the book, says we don't need to know some things and they end up on the test. I failed every test and some how ended up with a 3.2--thank god for a grading curve. Do your homework and get good grades on labs.
Whatever you do don't ask her for help.
As approachable as a skunk and as friendly as a hornet.
don't ever have her as a prof! she doesn't help you, treats you like you're stupid and nothing she tries to mumble out in class is even close to being on the tests. she is all over the place. half of the time she doesn't even know what words she is saying. you're pretty much on your own in the class.
FREAKING Awesome. Don't know wat everyone else is talking about... I think everyone needs to stop complaining and actually study! It's not her fault and if you get a bad grade cause you didn't put in the effort necessary...
If you are at all interested in the subject you will probley do fine and will enjoy the class! I enjoy it! The homework and labs are dumb and don't help your grade.tests are easy. come on now, she lets you have a piece of paper to write whatever on. but it is all sorts of true that she is probley the most unapproachable person I have ever met.
If you are at all interested in the subject you will probley do fine and will enjoy the class! I enjoy it! The homework and labs are dumb and don't help your grade.tests are easy. come on now, she lets you have a piece of paper to write whatever on. but it is all sorts of true that she is probley the most unapproachable person I have ever met.
I used to like astronomy, used to, this class has drained me of all the interest I had in the subject. The prof does have a thick accent which gets annoying, but its is not unbearable. Her lectures were SO boring, I dreaded going to every class, and could not pay attention.
I think that people who don't do their work have no right to complain! If you're not stupid, if you actually try, you should do fine.
She uses a different book than you have for the tests and lecture. She's hard and mean. Avoid if possible, if not, suck it up and take the class with a friend.
Good luck, your going to need it. She's mean, don't ask her a question and it's impossible to understand her. She used a competly differnt book for the tests and labs in our class! Defnitally take this class with a friend. You're going to need someone there to hold you back.
stay awyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!
Physics is hard, and for you people who thought all you had to do was come to class, you should probably drop out of college because that's not all there is. I think she was a good professor, especially considering she only had 3 hours a week to teach us 14 chapters of physics. You have to study.
She is the worst professor I have ever had! Avoid her at all costs. The tests are really hard, even with a page of notes. Unless you spend a ton of time doing extra work for this class besides what is required, it is going to be hard-and she is no help, by far the most unfriendly person I've ever met.
Class was relatively easy. Professor's enthusiasm could use some work. Just try to pay attention, read the textbook, and most important the Pre- and Post-tests! Those things will make the exams so easy! Overall not bad.
Professor is very hard to understand-she mumbles a lot, and when she can't think of a word she wants to use, she just moves on. She does give extra credit for going to class the majority of the time, but that doesn't help that much. She isn't willing to help you, and her exams are really hard. Try to take this class with someone else if possible.
Professor very, very helpful and answers e-mails promptly. Hard to understand but not too bad of a class if you go often and do what you're supposed to.
Don't take this class! Seriously. She's impossible to understand and she just scribbles random facts on the board with no rationale. She puts questions on the test that have nothing to do with what's being taught. If you have to take her for physical geology, buy the book Earth's Dynamic Systems.. it's your only hope! (It's her old book.)
Overall good professor. Has slight accent. Most assignments are submitted online. Textbook is not used frequently, and this course can be completed without one. Tests are easy and you are allowed to use one sheet of notes. She is always available to help usually stays late and has her office door open. Best physics prof to get good grade.
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I took this as a freshman and as a senior, I still laugh with my friends about this prof. She's entertaining.. but in an offbeat making fun of her type way. Don't take this class thinking that it's going to be about constellations and such, it's about actual physics and formulas. The best thing about this class:I met my fiance.GOOD LUCK!
she was very degrading when many students failed her class. I was not impressed with her ability to teach
She is one of the worst professors I have ever had. You can't understand what she is talking about and when you do try to listen, its hard to keep your eyes open bc of her montoned voice! She needs to do something better with her time than waste ours! She can turn any class into a nightmare! GET RID OF HER!
Extremely unfriendly teacher, especially on a personal level. She belittles you if you have a question during the test. Her tests are only out of 9 points on average, and she'll usually have about 6 worth one point each and 6 more conceptual (.5) so its very easy to get a MUCH lower grade than you were expecting even if you put time into studying.
this professor is a persons worst nightmare. if you want to waste your time and money take her. you cant understand anything she says and your lost the whole time. the only good thing about this professor was that she was nice. i had to withdrawl from the class because i was just to lost. do yourself a favor and STAY AWAY
This professor is horrible! She speaks in a low monotoned voice over a microphone that just sounds like babble. I want to fall asleep in class. I'd take another professor that goes over concepts and actually talks to the class rather than to herself and goes over concepts not just examples.
Awful. Run away.
Her class was a complete waste of time. She talks monotone and is not very helpful. Her exams are nothing like her lectures or homework problems. Could not stand her!
Unless you already have a good sense of Physics, find another instructor. Her accent is very thick, by the time you processed one sentence from her, she is already trying to explain another point. The textbook was used maybe twice. I think thats the quota between the publishers and schools (lol). Find another instuctor
I'm in her class while writing this. I can barely stay awake. It's extremely hard to follow her lectures. Her test had very little to do with those hard to follow lectures. Prepare to teach yourself!
the castoldi monster was a serious piece of work. i have no idea how sum1 with that thick of an accent can be allowed to teach at a university... but the class itself was pretty easy.. i feel bad for people who didn't have prior knowledge of astronomy tho, they got bum rushed
Do not take this class unless you intend on teaching yourself astronomy. Awful - simply awful.
I went into this Astronomy class with a good prior knowledge of basic astronomical ideas and thank god, because I fear for the other poor individuals who had no idea what they were in for. Incomprehensible and monotone, this professor is doing the field of Astronomy a great disservice. Stay as far away as you can.
RUN AWAY!!!! Worst professor I have ever had the misfortune of taking in my entire life. She speaks in a DEEP monotone, deeper than me, or ANY other guy that I know. She scares me, no lie. She also doesn't know what she's talking about and she likes to blame "stupid Americans" when things go wrong. RUN AWAY!! You will regret it if you don't.
I came into this class with prior knowledge and great interest in astronomy. The homework and labs are easy to ace. You are allowed to use a sheet of notes with each exam but even though I consolidated all of her lecture notes and added info from the textbook I still found it impossible to do better than a D on exams. I don't recommend this class.
I always tend to ignore ratings and hope that the teacher works out once you get to know him/her, but this teacher really did not suit well with me. The homework that was assigned online was almost irrelevant to her tests. Her tests grading had little to no partial credit. Overall I would wait for a different professor.
This class is set up for failure. The labs and case studies are graded soo carefully that the teacher sets everyone up for failure. The tests are unbelievably hard, be sure to copy key terms and add them to your notes for the test- not only will it help you for the tests, it will keep you awake during class.
Professor Castoldi is the worst professor that I have had at Oakland. She doesn't like it when you have a question, her accent is sometimes hard to understand, and she is just seemingly unhappy with life. If you value your GPA and liking for science, I would recommend taking ANY other professor.
She is the absolute WORST professor I've EVER had! She doesn't help you when you need it and will even look at you like your an idiot just for asking, as if your supposed to be an expert. Her exams seem like their from a different version of the book, the wording is totally off!! They are also very difficult even w/ cheat sheet. DO NOT TAKE HER!!!!
Very unclear during lectures. Difficult exams...never got higher than a D. Boring, boring, boring!!!
Learned a ton in her class. I was expecting the worst after reading this list of comments but it wasn't bad at all. Ended up with a 3.8 but studied a lot. All these comments...typical Oakland whining...
Typical Oakland whining? This professor is the worst ive ever had. You cant understand anything she says and the tests are impossible. The class average was like a D
Good intentions, but not a very good teacher, and very hard to understand.
She has a very strong accent, can't understand her half the time, exams have "conceptual" questions which will throw anyone off, overall not a very good teacher, class avg. was a high D
She is horrible. She blames the class for failure not her teaching!..She can't answer any questions. The uncomprehensible person and her class lecture is crazy confusing. Not in it for teaching students in it for the money. If she was in it for teaching she would try to help her students instead of critizing and telling them they will fail!
all those people who say shes too hard or too mean clearly dont understand what this teacher has been through.. of course sum1 is going to be a little rude and harsh on students if they were a spawn of satan, but you have to give her a break and realize its not her fault that she needs to feed off the hopes and dreams of students to survive
Come on people...its a college class and you get a full sheet of paper to use as notes for a MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST. The test questions are the same as the easy questions on the homework(which you get 5 tries to get right).Learn the homework,you'll do fine. If not, go back to highschool.
Prof. Castoldi means well, but she's not a very good teacher. Her lectures consist of her going over a few example problems very briefly. Her tests are very difficult and they do not match up with anything taught out of the textbook. I would not recommend her class.
Once in awhile she might be a tiny bit hard to understand from her accent, but anyone paying attention can figure it out. She's forgiving on late work and missed assignments, lets you have two pages of notes, and the labs are a snap. Attend class and pay attention and you'll be fine. This coming from a history major.
Best physics teacher I've ever had. Online homework is very helpful. Theres 5 in class labs that are really easy. The tests are just like the homework questions no surprises. You get a full page back and front equation/ notes sheet to use on the test which makes it a breeze. There are problem and conceptual portions of test.
She means well but her tests are very conceptual. in other words you must UNDERSTAND the subject. memorizing a few equations won't help. tests are multiply choice, warning though she has a thick accent and says whatever alot
WORST PROFESSOR IVE EVER ENCOUNTERED!!! She called me a pirate because i had figured out a way to do the homework without the codes in the book. Very hard to understand and voice is terrible to hear. Dont bother showing up to class unless its for an exam. Picks favorites and doesnt talk about the astronomy you think you know. RUN AWAY NOW!!!!!
Yeah, I'm in her class right now, and it pretty much sucks. Might as well get the notes and read them.
I am majoring in mathematics, and i was excited for this physics class because i thought it would be a breeze. She is impossible to understand, and she is completely useless! I missed one class because i was in the hospital, and she never even responded to my email asking what i had missed! She is passionate, however a utterly useless professor.
She teaches well, although she can be hard to understand at first, but i got used to her accent. Her homework is ridiculously hard, but her exams aren't bad. Theres a lot of conceptual questions, but overall she grades you on what she shows in class and is a fair grader. Use the book to practice and go over her notes and you'll do fine.
She has an accent, but you should get used to it.Homework is hard,so use the book.Some questions are examples in the chp and questions at the end of the chp.I suggest reading the chp before class and attending class regularly, if you're not a physics person. She doesn't answer questions clearly in class, but do use her office hours.
utterly useless...homework has little to no relation with exams..difficult to understand..HIGHLY recommend you take another professor!!!!
I took this course online. There was a lot of work and when I emailed her questions about, she never emailed back. She doesn't seem approachable. I'm glad to be done with this gen ed requirement.
Seriously, it was the worst class I've EVER taken... She covered several chapters each class which would have been cool if she didn't speed talk (with an accent) & only leave the visual aids displayed for a max of 10 secs!!! I'm alive though & that's what counts :) I did join "I Survived Castoldi's Class!!!!" on facebook, & it's hilarious!
If at all possible take a different professor for this class! She is a really nice professor and is willing to help her students during her office hours, but it's so hard to comprehend anything she says. Exams make up the most of your grade, which seems like the homework and quizzes dont even correspond with.
If you don't unterstand people with accents, STAY AWAY. She is italian and her accent is heavy. She uses a wack projector that makes you sleepy, she hooks to a microphone that still doesnt help much. Not much homework and 1 good thing is you get to use a page of notes during exams, love that part if yo take good notes.
Mind numbingly boring. By all means take a different professor. Useless to come to class, her accent isn't hard to understand but you're better off reading the book. Just show up for labs (so easy) and tests (u get a page of notes on the tests). Even will all this stuff it was difficult to pay attention I nearly didn't pass
castoldi is a pretty boring teacher, her lectures r long, her notes r straight from the book. if yiou dont go to class you can easily learn the things from the book. her tests r really hard tho, there are only about 8 questions so one wrong and u could be down 16%. she gives no reviews so you must know everything for each test. would not recommend.
so boring, and her tests are very hard since they r only 8 questions u must get atleast 7/8 right for a decent grade. her notes r straight from the book and the hw is pretty easy to get a 90+ on. a 3.0 is a 73% so that is good but its harder to get a 4.0 at 95%. overall didnt like her
The material covered in this class is no doubt challenging. The professor does a great job of explaining concepts and uses visual aids. She makes it a point to tell you that memorizing vocabulary is not important, she wants you to understand ideas which is why you are allowed one page, front and back of notes for tests. Some students have rated he
Highly recommended - the topics are somewhat advanced toward the last few weeks but she teaches from the book so be sure to read the chapter before class for a clear understanding. She is very fair in her grading.
As long as you do the homework and make it to class for the 3 tests and labs you'll do fine. I don't know why she has such a low rating. You do need to put in some effort but this is college!
we are in the class right now and dieing day by day. both failed first exam along with the rest of the class. you cant understand her or her notes. dont do this to yourself
Ms Castoldi is nice,but boring.Most students don't pay attention in class.I went in to visit during office hours & she helped me. Quizzes are online & you can do them twice (or 3 times, i don't remember). Exams are from the info in book, & 1 page of notes are allowed. attendance isn't mandatory, but she does "pop attendance" three times a semester.
She is a nice lady, but very boring. You don't need to go to class. Very, very easy - if you aren't a science oriented person but need to fulfill the gen ed requirement, I recommend taking this. Her tests are straight from her lectures. Not fun at all. But in my opinion, it's better than taking than a difficult bio or chem class.
Her lectures seemed somewhat usefull but she required us to take 2 online quizzes for each chapter we covered which took up a ridiculous amount of time. Also, her lectures and the homework did not prepare me for the exams. We were allowed to bring a page of notes to the exam and I still received 60%'s!
Yes she is boring, but the class is easy. I was terrified to take her after these reviews but she is not bad. If you have questions just e-mail her, she gets back to you right away. You need to go to class for the first half b/c of in class activities. The exams have a lot of questions from the online hw so write them on your cheat sheet.
I hate physics but her class is easier than others i have heard about. She just can't teach. Has 3 exams, about 8 questions: 4 'math' problems. 4 conceptual questions. HW is harder than her exams. Get to have one page formula/notes for each exam. Use it well!! Has notes online but still good to come to class for when she does experiments.
To be honest, I was like most of the class and didn't attend the lecture. However, if you read, keep up on the online homework quizzes and study for the tests (like any other class, I imagine) you would do just fine. Helpful hints: find a friend in the class and work together. It will pay off in the long run with labs & other assignments.
terrible accent hard to understand, very boring and rude. goes off on the class if someone talks, does not help with work and if she does help she has an attitude which makes you not want to ask her questions
This teacher lacks the ability to speak English properly. Exams are not too bad, online homework is okay, but you really won't learn anything from this teacher. She is not approachable when asking questions. You get yelled at if you try to ask a question about the exam.
Took this as an online class. Very hard to communicate with her, and she was never clear on what was expected. Everything was online, except for the final exam which was on a saturday. I would not suggest taking this class with her AT ALL!
Easy class, terrible prof. That pretty much sums it up!
She is a nice teacher. She has a thick accent. sometimes its hard to understand her. 3 exams. and online homework for each chapter. there is some in class work but its all really easy. i never got below a 90% on any of it. keep track of your grades on moodle, twice i had to go to her cuz she entered my grade wrong. all was fixed though.
I took this class online. I thought she was very organized. I always knew what was expected. When I needed help she responded back to me before the end of the day. The one thing that I did not like was the Final was on campus on a Saturday.
Boring class. She's from Italy so her accent makes it hard to understand her. What she lectures in class is exactly what she puts on Moodle, so there is no need to go to her lectures. Her labs and case studies are easy but her tests are challenging. I had her for PHY 106 and I wouldn't recommend it. She is a nice lady but not a good professor.
MY ALL TIME WORST prof. I am a good student and try really hard in my classes and she made this class miserable for me. She was one of the rudest people I have ever met. She refuses to answer questions. She is hard to understand. She gives you all the notes upfront. Easy class but it was so stressful because of her attitude.
More of a lecturer than an interactive professor. Course code of 105 doesn't mean this is a blow-off intro course. Work is expected in this class. Do your work, pay attention, and be engaged. Prof. Castoldi won't coddle or spoon-feed, but is fair. Don't expect glossed-over Discovery Channel specials.
This professor caused me all sorts of pain and tears over the semester. Granted,I am NOT a math person, however I tried incredibly hard in this class. I atteneded SI and tutoring but ended up with a 3.4, and needed a 3.5. I am generally a 4.0 student. Castoldi would not help me out with any extra credit or test retakes. Update:She is now limiting w
I took this class online. It was extremely easy. She is very organized and makes it clear what's expected. She responds to e-mails quickly and is always willing to help you.
avoid at all costs.
I'm not a physics person, but I AM good at math. I couldn't comprehend anything. I did all of the homework problems, and still did poorly on the exams. You do get a cheat sheet where you can write formulas on it and use it during exams, but it didn't help much.
Lectures are worthless but she gives quiz things that she says aren't grades but yet she grades them? Still confused about those. 3 exams, online hw&lab. Lab&hw is easy. Exams are hard even w cheat sheet. You need to PRACTICE problems and read conceptual stuff& basically teach yourself everything but it's do able. Grading scale is curved 73=3.0
If you can get past the slight accent and manage to stay awake through a dry, boring lecture, it will not be worth your time. She is very condescending and not helpful. Her office hours are 30 mins at a time and overlap with SI. I went in once and asked a question and she couldn't figure out what I was asking. DO NOT TAKE HER CLASS!!!!! I'm failing
This class was all on my own. Her lecture taught you stuff not on her exams. Online quiz answers were online. No extra credit. and if you use a Mac Its hard to do HW. I lost 15% because her direction were different for Mac users
This class was online, and all the answers to homework and quizzes were easily found online if you looked. Got an A even with failing the final. She's okay...
This is the easiest science credit. Exams are only 50% of the grade and there are 3 of them. They are impossible but thats why you have the other 50% to pad your grade. You will not understand this lady through her accent. Her grading scale is generous though so doing well in the class is not difficult. Would take this for a science credit!!
Awful class, don't take it if you don't have to. Teacher has hard accent to understand and she lectures for about an hour most classes. You should go to class because there are graded activities each class but don't worry if you're late to class. Homework is easy, tests are easy, just read the lecture notes online and you'll do fine.
Professor Castoldi IS as bad as they say. For a Gen Ed class DO NOT take her! I'm an A student and got a B- in her class because her tests are the worst! Nothing she says has to do with what is on the test. I read the book & STILL had a hard time! If you registered for her class GET OUT!!!
I did not like this class at all. I was so stressed out and I studied forever for the tests and still did awful! It was very discouraging. I got all A's in every other one of my classes. I got a C- in hers... I don't get grades like that. I couldn't understand her, she wasn't very nice, and it was extremely boring. DON'T TAKE IT!!!
This teacher did not teach this subject very good. I always studied for the tests ans still did horrible. Her class activities do not correralte with the test. Take another science credit if you can, avoid her at all costs!
Required to be in groups for all homework. I took the class to work by my own schedule, but instead she forces you to work by the other peoples schedule. The way she does it puts part of your grade in their hands.
Worst science teacher I have ever had. She is rude and cold. Do not try to ask questions, she does not appreciate a lack of understanding. It is pretty simple to get a good grade in this class, but you have to have a good partner. She requires you to work in pairs... no matter what.
This professor is very smart and knows what she is talking about.This class is very simple and gives the students the opportunity of working in groups. There is no reason why someone should fail this class;accept for shear lazyness. Professor Castioldi is a good professor and deserves credit for making the class simple for her students.
If you can get past her extremely thick accent, you'll probably do okay in this class. Don't ever try to correct her on anything though. The exams are pretty hard and you definitely need to read the textbook. Class attendance is pretty mandatory since she does in class activities at random.
Professor shows great interest in her subject, which increased my interest and the book was also interesting. However, the homework activities in class were more tedious than helpful. When taking this class, be sure to read the textbook, look at the online lectures, and participate in group discussion. STUDY.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. No in class lecturers, but instead useless assignments with a partner. Test questions are based on random small details that you would never think to study. So boring. After each class you have to read one chapter in the book(about 15 pages) and watch the powerpoint of notes. Has a strong Italian accent. Nice lady.
Each assignment does not help with the exams, which matters the most. You have to do the assignments, labs, and case studies with a partner every class so make sure you have a good partner to work with. Exams are very challenging. My advice, take this class with either a different professor or at MCC or OCC. The set-up of the class is difficult
TAKE HER CLASSES ONLINE. I have taken her for Phy 104, Phy 101, and Phy 106. She is not very helpful, but her online classes are pretty easy.
AWFUL! DO NOT TAKE HER. Impossible to understand and incredibly rude
DO'NT TAKE. I took it online. Everything is with a partner and the prof picks them. The assignments are tedious and useless. The exams are 50% of the final grade and there are such specific questions that I can't even find them in the book next to me. The chapters are 40 pages long with way too much detail. She grades nothing, her assistants grade
I took this class as a gen ed, It was very difficult considering it was a 2hour lecture and she has a thick accent. The assignments are all with a partner, I grouped up with other pairs and we did all the assignments together. She HATED us. DONT TAKE!
super easy class. everything is online and pretty much all the answers can be googled. i got and A so far and i havent read sh!t. TAKE IT!
Professor gives a ton of homework and has multiple graders that do all he grading. A lot of the instructions don't make sense or aren't clear. I wouldn't recommend taking this class! You can Google everything but its still time consuming with all the work.
I had her as my lab instructor, and while TA's conducted and graded the labs, she was very helpful and understanding when it came to grading and late/missing assignments. Would highly recommend as a lab instructor.
I didn't have a problem with her accent like so many others. At any rate, she can't change that. Read the book and look at the PowerPoints. There are no lectures but there is plenty of in-class work with a partner so get a good one! I can't emphasize this last part enough.
Was forced to take her again after a miserable experience in earth science. She is just as bad in this class. Really wish there were other portions for physics as she continues to prove herself as the WORST teacher I have ever had!
Never saw her so it depends on the TA. There are two open manual quizzes and you have to buy the manual. The lab is an easy A.
Took her spring semester. Was a little nervous after reading reviews, but this class was a breeze. The material is not difficult. Only downfall is the exams are out of a small amount of points so it's easy to drop percentages. I took the lab with it and that was beyond easy as well. Class mandatory because of random activities. Not useful. Go to SI
This class was not bad except for the exams which were worth between 12 and 14 points so if you got 2 wrong your grade already dropped to a B. She is also extremely rude and was not approachable at all. Made class mandatory since there were in class assignments.
Wish I would have took online. Good demonstration, she was very distracted a lot of the time. We told her things were unfair and nothing she taught was on the 12 point exams. Grade fairly easy on exams. All exam questions can be found on chegg. But not always the correct answers
Rude, unclear, and unwillingly to actually read an email highlighting her mistake.
Points on exams were minimally distributed, that means if you got 3 wrong on a 10 point exam that drops your score to a 70%. She does not curve individual exams, our first one had a class average of 54% she wouldn't curve because one student out of 110 in the class got a 100%. She isn't very helpful, she is very judgmental to those who work. Bad!!
Nice, sweet, old Italian woman. If you aren't interested in Geology, don't take this class. It's interesting to learn about how and why the planet we live on acts the way it does- there's mandatory assignments every class, so show up. You work with a partner every class, so choose wisely. She is there for help, and is great to talk to about Italy.
Didn't exactly enjoy the class, but for having to take it, she pretty much made it impossible for you to fail. If you show up and do your work, you will be fine. You HAVE to come to class. You have an activity, case study, or lab every day and you work with a partner, so choose wisely. Tests are hard, there is no doubt about that. Very nice prof.
The class is obviously hard, but Castoldi tries her best to make it as easy as possible. The tests got easier as the semester progressed and she offered up to 3% curve to your total grade. Webassign and in class group activities are easy points. Wish she would teach PHY 102. Does require studying though as expected. TAKE HER.
She has a foreign accent when she speak and she has a sleepy voice during her lecture. I highly don't recommend this professor because her lectures easily can make anyone to sleep. No idea why OU keeps this types of professors. I wish there was more choice for professors for Phy 101. very disappointed after transferred to OU.
Tough teacher, but took this course as requested for my major.
Take it online. You'll be fine, but expect to be frustrated by all of the different places and people you have to submit your assignments to. I also found her callous and somewhat insensitive to students' needs, and completely incapable of admitting to personal error. I had to fight for my grades on several occasions.
This professor is a sweet lady, but asking questions to her usually will not get you a direct answer. The labs and case studies aren't hard, and most of the material covered in tests is the material presented in the online quizzes, which are usually taken twice a week.
Hw (every wk) and exams (3 total) are on Webassign. Exams are very hard and don't expect to find answers online. Also exams makes up a large portion of your grade. TA grades everything and answers student questions. There's also a wiki question you have to do on Moodle as a group but it's not hard. Labs can be confusing so don't wait til last min.
Took this class for a gen ed and wow, I hated this class so much and the prof just made it worse. Not only are there daily group activities but online quizzes due daily. The prof didn't answer any questions clearly (TA was more help) and all of her lectures were long and boring. Definitely won't be taking her again.
Expect to read a lot and have everything self taught. There are 3 examssem. , hw (web assign), activities and group Q due every week. Exams make up a large portion of your grades so be sure to do well. Teacher wasn't much of help because she always directed all student questions to her TA.
I took her lab, not lecture, so the only time I would encounter her would be during office hours. The TAs that I had however were very helpful and very easy. Also, since it's a lab of course there was a lab report due every week. Other than that, the labs were simple. You also have to purchase the lab manual.
She is from Italy, but is easy to understand. As a teacher she is one of the best Ive had at Oakland. She understood when something came up in home life and gave chance to makeup. DO YOUR ASSIGNMENTS. Seriously if you do you will get a good grade. Attend. isn't man, butTheres a "lab" packet every class, i never missed a packed came out with a 3.9.
I really liked this class! It was super straight forward and I learned a lot! I don't understand why everyone gives her such low reviews. Easy class!!!
The class is a lot of work each week but most online classes are and it wasn't too hard. Expect to still be assigned homework even if there are holidays which is a little annoying. She was very rude whenever I would e-mail her and group work with an online class is the worst idea. I will never take a class with her again.
Hard professor to understand; Accent is strong. Group work after every lecture so you can't miss a class. What was on the powerpoints were NOT on the tests. I would not recommend taking her classes.
This is one of the easiest classes I've taken at OU, mainly because it was online. I never once listened to the lectures or read the notes. There's a lot of work that goes along with this class: online quizes, weekly group projects and online learning simulations. If you do all the work you'll get a 4.0
Tests are very wordy and sketchy. It seems like the questions are meant to trip you up which isn't right. Graders also do her work and there are many mistakes made. I know tons about astronomy but the assignments and grading suck so it knocks my grade down. Not at all impressed.
Although the class had a lot of work (web assign, individual activities, and group activities, most of it was straightforward. Barely touched the book, and had a horrible group member that she ended up kicking out of my group thankfully . Not a lot of help when emailing, but she did always reply. She directed most of her questions to the TA.
This is a lab, so it really depends on your TA. My TA was a stickler, but I got a 3.8 GPA.
She is very hard to understand sometimes and her lectures are long and rarely clear. She is a very intelligent woman but has a hard time communicating that intelligence.
Castoldi was not a good lecturer due to her heavy accent and her tendency to mumble a lot. I noticed she also moved quickly in class, not allowing you to write notes as you'd like them. She provided a lot of online resources for her students, which help.
Terrible professor, her graders make a lot of mistakes and she is very rude. You would be very lucky to find decent group members for group work
Had her before for a class on campus but now taking her online class and it is way easier to understand. Just read the book since the quiz online are pertaining to them. Quick read and easy to understand. Google helps if there is any issue. Assignments due every week so stay on top of it.
Online is a solid choice for this class. Her lectures are helpful and there is a lot of homework but it is not difficult just time consuming!
Have to be at every class because there are in class assignments. Homework is ridiculously hard. You get a cheat sheet on exams but there are so few questions that even one wrong tanks your grade. No extra credit
Online course was so easy. As a finance major, this has nothing to do with my major so I found 95% of the answers online. Easy 4.0 if you are okay with looking up answers. Questions throughout the course that aren't super easy, but you work with a small group. Just make sure to do your work and you're golden
The tests are only around 10 questions so it's hard to get a good grade. She is very rude when people ask questions. Very unhelpful and always has an attitude. I would never take a class with her again. The class is passable but she is very bad at teaching, you have to teach yourself.
This is more about the class than the prof. The class is a lot of busy work, but it isn't too hard, you are placed in a group of three to do some of the assignments with, so the only thing that can make the class challenging is if your groupmates do not feel like putting in the work, but you do have the ability to switch, so that's not even bad.
The class isnt impossible to pass but, there is a lot of work that goes into it. The grading seems odd as in (on assignments that are similar) you will get 100 on one & then 60 on the next with no explanation. A lot of quizzes & not enough time allotted for exams. She is very rude and doesnt seem like she wants to help when you contact her.
Take this online it's fairly easy, just a lot of work. With my work schedule and distance from campus online is best for me, but this course requires you to be in a group of 3 people and she expects you to 'meet' with your group every single week. This resulted in me doing 90% of the group work all semester because they didn't care. Easy online A
This professor is unprofessional. She will call out a student when sending emails to the entire class. Her videos and homework are nearly ten years old. Information is very dated. Refers all work to her grader.
If you are looking for an easy A, i highly recommend her online astronomy class. You won't learn anything, but all the answers are on quizlet so every quiz will be passed with ease
This review is more about the class than the professor because this class was ran by TAs; she never made an appearance. I struggled to pass the lecture portion, but the lab is an easy A, provided you actually turn in the reports. This is coming from somebody whos awful at physics. TAs were pretty solid and fair.
WORST professor I've ever had. ruined my perfect 4.0, not because the material is hard, but because she sucks at teaching. lectures & tests are the exact same as they've been for YEARS and the averages are a 60% , you would think she'd change how she teaches, but she instead blames students' lack of effort. she's inconsiderate, rude & doesn't care
I took her online course for physics 1. She posts video lectures and assigned us groups to work with. She is very intelligent, but she has an accent and sometimes struggles with getting her point across. I got an A by mostly teaching myself with outside resources like khan academy etc. An easy online course to pass if you put in the time and effort
The professor does not grade a single thing in this class, her TA's do all the work and homework/ exams are online. She expects you to complete all assignments in your group every week which basically resulted in me doing everything the whole semester. Class was way more work than it was worth for a gen ed, her voice over lectures were way too long
She is the best professor there. I will be taking her again.
The only reason this professor is still here today is because she is probably tenured. Coming from a household of engineers some of this professor's labs and activities have math and problems that are just plain wrong. You will be doing labs with concepts that are incorrect. The graders aren't much better as they grade harshly on a small mistake.
The grading criteria for her lab was very unclear to me. Be very aware of sig figs. It's the details that kill you. Add as much as you can to lab reports. I took her class as an online lab. She doesn't really care about the students in my opinion-- it's a job for her. I never used the book, so don't buy it! Instruction via voice-over power points.
I would NOT recommend taking online astronomy. She is not a good professor by any means. The quizzes are fine, but the exams and labs are SO hard. Especially the labs. Labs are nearly impossible, I was only able to complete them by hiring advanced Tutors. Seriously, avoid her.
Took her for lab. Very rude over email. Doesn't consider what the student is coming to her with. I don't know how a professor cannot acknowledge when they are in the wrong. Her TAs were good and helpful, but she is something else.
Extremely inconsiderate to students. Not helpful. Homework heavy, labs and tests are near impossible. Took this class TWICE for a gen ed and nothing changed between them. She is not a good professor, I wouldn't take her again. DOES NOT CARE ABOUT STUDENTS. Assigned homework over spring break. Does not care about student success by any means. 0/10
Awful professor. Unfortunately the only choice for introductory physics lab.
Unfortunately the only choice for introductory physics lab. Unfortunate is an understatement.
One of the rudest professors I have ever had. Lectures are recorded from 2012 and she's just a nightmare. Don't bother emailing her for help because she will just sass you out.
Not about prof, more about class. Never met or saw her, her TAs ran pretty much everything. TAs were pretty great. Lots of grammatical/spelling/conceptual errors in her lab manual. This lab was more difficult than it needed to be, to be honest. There could be more clear instruction, for sure. Manual needs updating ASAP, and should be free.
She never once showed up in the lab. It was solely run on TAs who are also students. So you pay her to teach, but the students do all the teaching which is a gamble because they're aren't professionals and may or may not be helpful or nice. She was timely in responses to emails and putting in grades, i'll give her that.
One of the most frustrating experiences I have had thus far in college. She lacks communication. When emailing you get rude responses and no help what's so ever. The amount of work made this class even harder and the way exams are created are extremely difficult. The work for each week does not correlate to the exams. You will be confused.
Beware: this class has a lot of homework, & the lectures are LONG! I am not a physics person, so this class was not the easiest for me, & at times it was exhausting. They really need to update their lectures, as this was done online, & should have been a zoom-lecture format. You're expected to go at your own pace, but I fell behind out of boredom!
One of the strangest classes I have ever taken. I did like half of the work and still managed to pass with a C+ because all of the homework and exams could be looked up online. Literally just do the online homeworks and the labs and exams (and maybe 2 of the tutorials) and you'll pass. Also don't try emailing her about stuff, she's not talkative
I don't think this class was as difficult as people made it out to be. There were a lot of assignments and the work load was a lot which was tiresome but the exams were strictly online and she isn't a tough grader. There was little to no communication between me and the professor and I barely watched the lectures but still got an A.
I took this class as a knock off bc it was a Gen Ed. It required more work than any other class i've ever had. It was so time consuming i couldn't focus on my important classes. she was not very lenient and her lectures were 60-100 slides. The labs were hard. group work every week. Dont take this unless astronomy is your major. it's not a knock off
The slideshows often exceeded 100 slides, and there was frequent labs and homework assignments. Use quizlet, for help if needed. Class was not super difficult but very time consuming.
The worst professor I've had at Oakland.
This professor is hard to understand and lacks communication, big time.
She was horrible. I took this class online with asynchronous video lectures. I would email her telling her I didn't know where to start on a homework problem, and she responded saying I can't help you until you show me some work. She didn't have to tell me how to do the problem I just needed her to point me in the right direction. She was very rude
Does not care about students. Asked about a cengage homework question and basically told me it wasnt her problem. Lectures are nonsense and not helpful for exams. Class average on exam 1 was a 50% and then sent the class an angry email and blamed us all for not doing well. Take her if you want to do poorly and not learn what you need for exams.
1 month between exam 1 and 2. 4 chapters worth to study before second exam. lecture notes alone are around 12 pages long and it doesn't help it just gives you formulas and examples. her in lectures is awful you can't hear her or she will mess up like change up what she said two minutes ago which confuses you even more. can't type more save yourself
As posted by students recently, she doesn't care for students, she doesn't care if they fail. Class average for exam one was 50% and yelled at the students for the poor grade. Exam two was horrible and didn't match homework AT ALL. My current grade is failing, I gave up on this class and never showing up. I' going to retake it online diff teacher.
Physics 1 Lab was pretty rough. Never came into contact with Castoldi, and instead the class is taught by TA's. One TA was great, and the other one was awful, and grades on lab reports reflect that. Labs are very doable and not as much work as those in chemistry, however TA subjectiveness can kill your grade, which I don't find fair.
I was sick at the beginning of the semester and unable to do my coursework, and she was very rude when I contacted her about making up what I missed. She essentially told me that I shouldn't have put my health above school and then demanded a doctors note and said I could only make up part of the work. READS THE FIRST SENTANCE OF EMAILS, THAT'S IT.
The lectures were very boring and slow. Watching each lecture + taking good notes took at least 2-3 hours per lecture. There were so many problems at the beginning of the semester including the wrong book being listed SEVERAL times on OU website and troubles with the online course (Pearson). Definitely stay away from taking this course online...
I’m surprised to see such bad reviews for Castoldi. She is a tough professor but her exams were not bad at all. Her lab was super easy for me that had no background in a physics class. She has a lot of work in her class like activities, group work and hw every week but if you put your work in you will be fine!
Unsure about the professor, as TAs did literally all the work. Grading is very tough, averaging about 2 hours of homework each week (to finish labs). 2 random quizzes, but mostly just lab reports and experiments.
Geology. Did not like this class at all. I learned nothing. Had no clue what I was reading most of the time. On top of that, geology is just super boring. ENTIRELY online class so not really sure what she is like. I misread when choosing my classes and thought this was gonna be astronomy. I learned nothing so waste of time and $$ Useless gen ed.
Have a tutor handy, because she does not teach, I self-taught myself this entire course. and am lucky as to how I ended up with the grade I did. 96+ is an A take at Wayne or MSU, better professors and a more forgiving grading scale, a 96 is insane. If you are taking this class and expect to retain any of the knowledge definitely not the move.
The TA's teach the class. One of them grades the lab analysis questions really difficult, and a bit unnecessary in taking off points. He grades them like it's a Discrete math exam. I wish i took a different section of the lab. there are 2 quizzes and almost 10 experiments.
Gets annoyed when you email her questions. Had to do one experiment online due to covid, and the instructions did not match the data. Told me she has other classes to teach so I could not email her with questions. TAKE SOMEONE ELSE :)
She is the lead of physics labs and never helps with anything. She wants students to fail and does not try to assist in any way even when you ask. She is one the hardest graders I have ever had, which does not make sense cause its just a lab class and not a lecture. DO NOT TAKE WITH HER!
The TA was awful. Yelled at me when I asked questions and marked me wrong when my partner got full credit for the same answer. I had to discuss this issue with her and she actually agreed the TA was grading me too harshly. His accent is so thick, just read the lab manual by yourself prior to class.
Professor is very rude and unprofessional when you email her. I find her quite insulting to students. The TAs for this lecture are the same way. I do not recommend taking.
She was good for PHY1100 online lab. Easy class. Although I did not have much interaction with her because the TA graded everything, she would send emails throughout the course of reminders on due dates, and when grades were published. I can't speak for how she teaches in the lecture room, but the online lab was doable and relatively easy.
Take this online its so easy
She was bad at communicating with her students about her standards and expectations. Incredibly harsh grader who would take half points off for leaving off one or two words in an explanation. 45% of your grade will rely on group work where answers cannot be specifically attributed to you and will be judged and graded as a whole. Take anyone else
Dr. Castoldi was great. She is very responsive and respectful if you have questions. She responds in less than 30 minutes via E-mail. TAs grade classwork and can be tough but they also will work with you and let you redo assignments. I would definitely take her again.
She could care less about her job. You're kind of at the mercy of her TA, so hopefully you get a good one. The exams are so easy but worth a smaller portion of the grade relative to other science classes. Just do all of the homework and youll be fine.
Completely inaccessible and everything is graded by a TA. Homework is on Cengage so all the answers are available online, same with the weekly chapter questions. The chapter questions and three case studies are all done with a group, so I'm really lucky I got paired with reliable people or I would've been screwed.
Her TA graded all of the assignments. The assignments were done in groups, so if you're not paired up with good reliable people, I can imagine you'd have a harder time with more work to do. I was paired up with good people, so it was a very easy class for me, and you can find all the quizzes and exams online for this class.
Terrible professor. This was an online class but the powerpoints and lecture notes did not help with the assignments given in the class. Weekly group assignments, activities, and homework on webassign. The grading is harsh and everything is graded by the TA, not the professor.
The professor can be hit-or-miss, but if you stay engaged and use helpful tools like unstuckstudy ai, you can succeed. The TAs grade harshly, so be prepared to put in the work.
Castoldi is clearly writing positive reviews of herself here. Every student says how terrible she is, never admits her answer key has an error, is rude, and very lazy. Review after review here was terrible, but now suddenly she starts getting a 5 star review (that's way too grammatically correct) every other post? That's pretty sus if you ask me
It is nearing the last two weeks of the semester and I have very little chance of passing. The exams cover nothing that is on the homework, she moves so fast with material and does not give many examples. Graded harshly and hates if you email her with questions. You will need a tutor, but I suggest avoiding her class if you can.
Dr. Castoldi requires you to buy the more expensive, online version of the textbook so that she can assign the work already created by the book. She is not easy to reach and feels disconnected from the actual course. The content itself was fairly easy, but the work load was not.
Attendance is mandatory because she gives activities in class it's worth 20% of the grade. Exams are hard to follow since most of the information is not from lectures or homework. Class averages are bad and she blames us. Says most of the questions are extremely easy when in reality they are not as more than half of the class has failed. Don't take
People are being really dramatic she's not that bad, you just need to try. I had never taken a physics course before and it was hard, but I finished with an A. GO TO THE EXTRA CREDIT REVIEWS the questions are on the exam plus you just get a point just for going. The hw is harder than the tests and her tests aren't cumulative.
At this point I'm rating the lab and not the prof. because she didn't come to lab once. It was all ran by her TA's. So this lab really depends on your TA but it was very simple and I found the concepts were easy to understand and to actually learn from. Ask questions in lab and you should be okay.
Physics is a hard class, but if you really put in the effort to read from the textbook and do extra practice exercises, you should be good. She offers extra credit and has flexible office hours. Really work hard on understanding what it's all about and you'll be okay. She's a good professor, you just have to really work hard to get a good grade.
This prof is one of the worst I've ever taken. Emails back in such a rude manner. Homework makes absolutely NO sense and makes you want to cry. Puts you in groups on a online course just so the grader doesn't have to do more work. Now you are each expected to complete the work separately and compare. I took online so I don't have to meet on zoom in
I took an online course so I don't have to work with other people or do a zoom but you are expected to complete the work separately from an assigned group and then compare and turn in one sheet for the 3 of you. Makes you re-send emails if the subject is wrong. She is the definition of thinking everything is a dumb question. DO NOT TAKE!!
This class is absolutely horrible! 3 group assignments per week a long list of tutorials quizes that each question has 5 parts plus mid terms email group work only no breaks or easy weeks must spend 16 hours per week at minimum to pass your grade relies on group work $300 book can't access work without book very rude no announcements about work
I'm not sure how she is even still a professor here, all these terrible reviews are not lying. she is truly a terrible professor and not the nicest person through email either. no teaching goes on what so ever. please just get a tutor and teach yourself. only take her for physics if you absolutely have no other choice. she's really that bad !!!!
I don't have this professor yet but I have reached out to her multiple times and she is very rude in her emails. Upon reading the reviews I don't plan on taking her now
These reviews are not lying and it's so unfortunate. learning absolutely nothing in this class. semester is almost over and this class has felt like such a waste. so many group projects and for what? everything is graded by the TA, almost impossible to get in touch with her through email, and when you do she is rude. avoid this class if possible.
I would only take this professor again as long as it was an online class. weekly hw, individual activitys and group questions. also 3 case study's. It takes hours to do all the assignments so be prepared to have no life. exams are on webassign and straightforward. Don't take this class in person, everyone ik in person is failing.
So, I took her online lab. My experience is based off of just that: It was so easy and straightforward and it was great to work on lab at my own pace and level of understanding. Also, she posts a lot of extra video examples and help. TA was helpful too. I hope we can continue online labs since they're so convenient with schedules!
Doing group work for an online summer class is insane. There is also SOOO much homework due. Everything is graded by TA, who was also rude and unfair. Asked generic questions on assignments that you can only answer so many different ways, but the Professor and TA accused the class of cheating and using AI... unfair to those of us who don't.
Might be the worst professor at OU. She is extremely rude and doesn't even do her job. You submit everything to the TA, and the TA does all the grading. The only time the class heard from her was when she threatened to make the final in person for an ONLINE course. Make the right choice and steer clear.
Listen. every single negative review on this professor is not illegitimate, she literally is THAT bad. If you are pre-health professional track applying to a higher level program, avoid the class unless you have NO other choice. Your grade will depend on what TA is assigned for your class, and that may be enough to screw you over. Go to MSU/WSU.
Highly knowledgeable
Since everyone is mentioning TA's can anyone at least say the names of which Ta was in their lab and lectures?
Save yourself
doesn't teach, gets mad when class does bad when it's her fault??? when asked questions she acts like we are stupid
When asking the professor for help, she simply gets upset when you don't understand the concept and is no help. Basically had to teach my self this course. She makes attendance mandatory as you have an activity everyday that you can't do by yourself and has to be with one other person. Would not recommend taking a course with her!
Ok so I had her for the lab and lecture. Lab was whatever, never saw her, your grade was at the hands of the TAs. For lecture on the other hand, terrible. The first exam average was about a 50% and got mad because “she doesn't understand how we can't do simple math”. I tried asking questions but she would get annoyed and not help. Stay away
I personally didn't have a bad experience - especially with the little amount of effort I put in. There is group work every week which is tedious but just make sure you communicate with your group. I had a gc with mine and we divided who did what. The workload isn't that bad, honestly if you had to, you could do it all yourself in one day
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49%
Textbook Required
59%
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