She's nice...kinda querky. (in a good way)

Great teacher. Goes out of her way to help any student who needs it. Lots of office hours + tutoring sessions. I failed the same classes I took with another teachers and with Karla got A's in both. Says something about her quality

Linear Algebra was the hardest class that I ever had. Be prepared to do proofs and spend lots of time studying. It pays off because at the university you will be doing lots of proofs. She is extremely helpful. You will get as much help as you want.

She has lots of office hours for our benefit. If you plan on taking her, find out those hours ahead of time to take advantage of that.

easy and clear, doesnt take attendence, doesnt collect homework, has lots of time to help students

taken this class two times before her, never completed it. With her i got an A, take her if you have a chance because she honestly cares, and wants you to pass the class. And also make sure you do good on the weekly quizzes because they are worth 25%.

THE BEST. she is the most caring professor i ever had at saddleback. She does anything to help. Take the class if u wanna learn calculus and get A

No homework. Quizzes are a bit tricky but easy. Her tests aren't that bad. She is very easy on clarity and requires lots of note taking. But damn her final owned me. Cost me my A :-/

she is an easy teacher, goes in depth in some materials, which is a good thing if u wanna learn. easiest teacher in saddlebak. if u have any problems go to LAP, or office hrs, very caring

easiest teacher i have ever had! made calculus soooooooooo easy! i went through 2 semesters without doing any homework, and its cool because she is in the LAP to give free 1 on 1 help!

awsome teacher, learned so much, for the first time in math

explains clearly, very helpfull

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The best teacher! Karla, was the most helpful teacher I have had. You should take her class. Karla is very nice and will help you with HW. she has great office hours and review sessions for all of the midterms.I took this class 3x before and droped it,this is the 1st time I understood it. Thanks

Great availabilty for office hours. Nice sense of humor, "kept it real" yet taught at a furious pace. Class was difficult but more towards the subject than the instructor.

prepare to read your book for this teacher, she's a hell of a parrot. easy enough to get an A in the class but unclear enough to completely forget whatever she talked about after a short semester's break

She is a hard teacher but good one.I would say dont join this class just because u can prob get an easy teacher. If you want 2 actually learn the stuff then take this class. I dont ever do home work or study for the tests and i have a B because shes a good teacher.

a geat teacher. She is always available o help her students. She will even go over an entire lecture for you if you didnt pay attention. However,her class has a lot of homework. But if youre willing to work, youll do fine

EXCELLENT teacher. Best teacher I had at Saddleback. Take her if you want to actually learn calc instead of getting the watered down version provided by most comm college teachers. She will make you show every little step of work, making learning the material inside and out a must. Very caring, helpful and articulate. She deserves a university job.

She is a tough teacher, but will do everything in her power to help you if you show that you want to learn. She even lets you call her at home for help.

Her teaching is very clear and easy to understand, she explains everything very well. She is also very helpful and likable. Great choice for someone who's not good at math.

The BEST teacher you could have. The material is hard but she is your personal advocate and tutor to help you get through it. She is firm but fair in all of her policies and truly takes a personal interest in each students success. Loved her and will miss her!!!

THE GREATEST! She is so helpful and nice... fair and tolerant, but has a firm hand. I suck at math and pulled a solid B in her class. Just go to class and study and you'll do awesome on the tests! She is truly amazing and explains math VERY well!

Great professor! If you study and keep up with the homework you will do fine. Her quizzes are all take home and she is a very fair grader. Karla is always willing to help students outside of class and she often would stay in her office longer just to help me and other students. Those students that don't like her just did not try hard enough.

Although she is a great teacher, educationally speaking, one of the nerdiest and most annoying women I've ever met. Will spend two hours solving three problems. Acts like her students are still in high school, if not junior high. Granted, work is easy if you keep up, I would much rather have had another, more normal, professor than Westphal.

Karla possesses all the traits of a good teacher: FUN-she laughs all the time and makes us laugh, HELPFUL- When she's not teaching, she's available in the LAP ready to answer any questions you may have, she'll even let you call her (at a reasonable time), PATIENT-she'll go to great depths to help you understand. I'd recommend her to any student.

First of all, this is not a bashing. I am a student with 4.0 GPA. Currently am getting a 96% in her class. ~~but~~ had I known she treats class like we are in elementary school I would have NEVER taken her class. She does, however, do an outstanding job teaching new material and available to fit around YOUR schedule for office hours

I completely agree. I would have never taken her if I'd known she'd treat us like were ten. Or the fact that she doesn't allow calculators. She does explain everything very well though. My one word of advice, do the homework! That is the only reason why I am getting an A in her class. Don't depend on the lectures to get you through the tests!

shes a good teacher, and shes helpful and nice. does not talk down. one thing i have to complain about is her overemphasis of theory and proofs and not as much the actual execution of a problem. while it does benifit to understand it, sometimes half of the lecture is spent on the proofs.

Karla is one of the best math teachers I have ever had. I took this course as a review for the Calculus CSET (the last time I had taken a Calculus class was in 1982) and I loved it! It is definitely run more as a university level course so it's good prep if you plan to go on to a university. She explains concepts really well.

Great teacher, but if she doesn't know who you are, it could be to your disadvantage She's always around to help a student in need. Her class is a bit hard, so if you don't study and do the homework, even though it isn't required, you could do bad. Her lectures are hard to catch, but find her outside of class. Fair grader but won't hold your hand.

good teacher always ready to help students in the LAP Coarse is really dense so keep up. Ch 16 will make you crazy.

Extremely lively teacher, so only take if you like your teachers that way. She's helpful and has lots of office hours to help you study. Do your homework! Just because it isn't graded doesn't mean it isn't important! I wish I took my own advice, because now I have to retake the class. 3 tests and a final are worth 20% each, plus quizes/labs for 20%

good teacher...makes stats sound somewhat easy. best stats teacher i have had so far!i would reccommend taking her if you don't like stats!

Fair grader,sometimes disorganized,VERY helpful. I will be glad to take her in the fall for Linear. My advice is do very well on the first test, it's basically review and this will make your life a lot less stressful because the tests get increasingly harder. but it is Math3C. Karla has many a practice exams that will help you if you help yourself

We all deserve a good teacher, She is the best we all can get. Even if you think you're impossible to do math, you will learn it the best way and love and enjoy it if you take it with karla.exams are easy, lots of takehome quizes you can check the answers with her before turning in!!!!you can never find anyone better than her. Great Great Great

One of the best I've ever had. I'm a PhD student now at UC Berkeley, and her calc class is one of the reasons why I was able to make it here. If you're willing to put in the work to learn calc, Karla is the best you'll ever get, anywhere. Always available, great at explaining things, and fair tests. She really cares about teaching.

very hard tests. She picks problems that are the most complicated and involve many 'tricks'

The teacher is very lively, offers help outside of class which is rare. Her lectures help clarify a lot of things and she makes it easy to understand. Other students complain about her, but i got my first test back with a 100 score on it, and I am one of 2 people who scored that high, and I am terrible at Math. Math 3A: MWF 10:30-12:00 p.m.

Absolutely the best math teacher I've ever had. The material (calculus) is very challenging but she is dedicated to her students and willing to take as much time necessary to help her students. I have always hated math, but Karla has totally changed my mind. The course does require work (don't kid yourself, its still cal) but take it w/ Karla!

Yay! Karla is the best! Be prepared to sit through lectures without a lot of in-class "hands on" activities. You must must must must must meet her at office hours if you are intending on getting a good grade. Overall-Wonderful! You won't regret taking the class...unless you fail...which you probably will. Good luck ;D

Alright, she decent at teaching, the only problem is that her tests are REDICULOUS. We had a test average of 66 and she didn't curve it because "she thought it was fair". Picks ungodly unfair questions for her tests and expects you to know them. Class started with about 50 students, ended with maybe less than 10. Do not take, A almost impossible.

SHE IS SIMPLY THE BEST.Loved all her classes

She is by far the best math teacher I have ever had. Calc is a hard subject, but she makes it very easy to understand. She makes the tests before drop dates in case you don't do well. Tests are very similar to the practice exams. Study those and the notes and you'll do great. Overall, do the work and you can get a good grade. Karla is the best!

My FAVORITE math teacher! I had her for trig and Calc A. Extremely clear, wants you to succeed. Knows you're an adult. I would go out of my way to take her classes. Best teacher EVER!!

I only recommend taking her if your going to continue into in Math for your major. She requires a lot of work, and effort. If you study and do the HW you can get a good grade, but more importantly you will really understand the material. If you don't care about understanding Math... THEN DON'T TAKE HER! She is hard but very fair.

I had Karla for math 3ABC and linear algebra.She is the best math teacher ever.she will do anything to help you succeed in her class. OH are extremely helpful, you can also make appointments with he.BUT yes she is hard and she is demanding but she will prepare you for her tests. take her and you will learn math like you have never learned before.

Great Professor. Extremely Helpful and dedicates her time to helping the students to learn calculus. Very enthusiastic about teaching, which keeps you focused.Has take home quizzes which is open notes/book/friend. Do all the homework, and go to the LAP to study/ask questions and you will pass the class.

GREATT teacher! she is so helpful and spends alot of time outside of class helping her students. you get take home quizes and she will even correct them!!! she really wants you to understand the material. three test and a final. tests are hard at first until you understand how she words them

Her class is tough but fair. She cares immensely about the subject and about her students and will always make time to help you. If you really want to learn and are ready for a challenging class, she's great. If you're more worried about your GPA, you should probably consider taking someone easier.

Great teacher! She Dedicates her life helping and teaching students! I took math 3a and 3b , and she helped me so much that I could get an A in the class. It is your loose if you don't take her

Very helpful and nice. Takes time after/during class to help you with anything. Quiz every week but they are take home and she will help you on them. Homework is manditory, turned in on day of tests. Drops 4 lowest quiz grades! Tests are a little hard but study the hw and practice tests and you should be fine. Notes are super clear & easy to follow

Quizzes and tests are pretty difficult. I struggled to get an A in this Class, the teacher assigns a TON of homework (make sure you stay caught up) and it's not even worth that many points. She's kinda weird, but pretty friendly and as long as you stay caught up and attend class you should as least get a B.

Super funny lady and means well. Extremely intelligent and offers lots of after class hours if you're struggling. Lectures were sometimes insufferably boring so I reccomend taking the hour long class and not the three hour long one. Overall I would reccomend her.

Great teacher! She's passionate about math and really wants to make sure everyone understand the material. Before exams she adds more office hours. She is very approachable if you need help. Her humor can be seen by some as weird but she is just a very nice lady. Statistics can be a hard class, but if you do all the work you'll be fine.

Extremely passionate about what she teaches. Do the homework after every class and make sure to check the quiz with her before the due date and you will do a great job. Fair class

Karla is a good professor and is very helpful during her office hours. Her tests can be very hard if you don't study and/or practice. Overall, I would recommend her.

One of my favorite teachers. She really cares about you doing well, and is willing to work with you until you understand it. Not very technical, and sometimes uses analogies I had a hard time understanding, but that's more about my personal preference. If you have a chance, take one of her classes!

She definitely cares about her students and makes it possible 4 evry student to get an A.Requires effort.HW is due by the test.3 tests and 1 cumulative final.gives u study guides.Easier to keep up with the hw, always accepting questions-hard to catch up.quizes ervy wk but takehome, she'll happily chek it b4 it's due, no excuse not 2 get full credit

Karlas not that bad. And actually looking at other teachers practice tests and old exams, karlas exams are cake compared to other teachers. Wish i could take her for 3b and 3c. Homwork is optional, but i would highly recommend it. Overall shes a decent teacher. She wants you to understand the material so she goes through long explanations of proofs

she is the best

I do not understand why she does not have a 5/5 score. You really would be slacking or have to be forgetting your Algebra to get a bad grade in her class. The reason is because her tests are very fair and she is extremely helpful in her office hours. Office hours are the key to passing her class, I Promise you!

Holy crap, just took her final. and i take back my old review of her not being that bad. Her final is cumulative, and she does not give you the slightest hint in what to expect. On top of that it was harder than any homework or exam question we have had previously.

Took Karla for DE. As usual, 4 exams and take home quizzes make your entire grade. Can get quizzes checked before turning in to assure full credit. Karla always seems to have office hours. If you can't pass, it's your fault not hers. She teaches upper division math - DIFFICULT SUBJECTS. Work hard the whole semester, you'll do fine!

Karla is an amazing stats teacher! TAKE HER! She genuinely cares about each of her students. Attendance isn't mandatory but STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. Miss one class and it's like you missed a week of material. Stats isn't hard unless you're lazy. It takes alot of practice but Karla is always there to assist you!

Karla is amazing. She's so sweet and a total hipster. I really loved how she taught, she was very good at teaching math. Homework and quizzes were so easy. Math205 with her is an easy A if you just try.

Karla is by far the absolute best math teacher I have had at Saddleback. She is dedicated and honestly cares if the student learns or not. The class is not exactly easy, you have to work hard, BUT she will help/tutor you as much as she can if you don't understand the material. She helped me actually learn the material!

A difficult teacher. She has lots of office hours to clarify material. Will not give guidance for what to study for tests. Tests are very difficult. Doing homework and going to office hours is essential to passing the class. If you don't mind working hard and spending lots of time in office hours, you'll be fine. If you slack a little you wont be.

Karla is a really great teacher. She really loves maths and you can see that during the class. She tries to make the classes as interesting as possible. There is a lot of homework though so you really need time to commit to it.

Best math professor I've ever had. She is not afraid of the subject like many professors are and she will give you a good understanding of the material if you pay attention. She is funny and her lectures are never boring. Tests are easier than the homework and are graded very fairly.

She's a mathematician's mathematician. Knows her stuff and is super helpful in office hours. Will even help you if you're not in her class. Very fair when it comes to partial credit. Quizzes are take home. Will mark you down for forgetting things like dropping the absolute value sign without justification. Must justify everything you do.

Vary vary good MATH teacher. If you're not interested in mathematics, don't take the class!

Karla's very helpful during office hours. Lectures could be hard to follow if you don't preview the materials. Types of problem on tests are mostly from HW and lectures notes. If you try to understand the concepts and finish as much HW problems as possible, the tests are not hard.

Hands down the best Math class I have ever taken! If you are lucky enough to find one of her classes open, sign-up! She is also in the LRC 4 days a week and can easily discover your learning style!

Honestly, Karla is an excellent teacher but her tests are difficult given the massive amount and difficulty of the material. 3 exams, each worth 25% of your grade??? Ridiculous, especially for those who suffer from test anxiety as I do. I studied frequently for this class, ending with a grade I feel I didn't deserve and suffering in other classes.

Karla is the best math professor ive ever seen. she has office hours to help before tests and final, she is also there to repeat stuff for u if u missed class. expects u to do the hw yet doesn't check it, but u HAVE to do it to pass. my grades got up with her help from 83 to 97 on the final. definitely taking her for 3B. I JUST LOVE KARLA

She is the best out there !! I loved math ever since I had her . I took her for 3A as well. very helpful and caring !! tests are tough yet if you pass a calculus class with westphal , you should know ure one of the best students

Karla is an incredible teacher as well as person. She is amazingly helpful and truly cares about her students and will go out of her way to help you even beyond her many office hours. That being said she is by no means an easy teacher. She is a math oriented person and expects you to be near perfect if you plan to earn an A. However it is possible!

Very tough class but definitely the best professor for this course. Extremely helpful in office hours and good at clarifying concepts when you have questions. Reviewing the quizzes will prepare you for tests. Getting used to 3D is hard in the beginning but stick with it, it gets easier after a couple chapters! Would definitely take her class again!

Karla is overall a great professor. She can spend a bit much time on concepts and not on examples but if you're willing to put in the work it's a great class!

She is super nice, willing to help, and awesome at lecturing. I took her for 3A 3B and 3C and got As all 3 semesters. She's not easy but you will learn the material. I would recommend her to anyone

Very accessible and caring professor. This class is difficult, but if you put in the work and come to class you should have no trouble passing. Make sure to get a textbook and do all of the homework as a lot of test questions are similar to homework problems. Weekly take home quizzes are similar to exams. Posts the previous semester's exams.

Karla is a very sweet and patient woman. She'll try to be there for you as much as she can, a real gem. Has extensive office hours (aka tutoring sessions). Test material is very fair, no surprises, and is straightforward if you make sure you know all the material (easier said than done). This class was hard, but not as much as it could have been.

I'm not really a math person, but I enjoyed Professor Westphal's class! I wouldn't say she was easy or hard. As long as you make sure you understand the material in the lectures and take really good notes, you should be fine without having to do the optional homework she assigned from the textbook. I would definitely take her again.

I love the way Karla explains topics during her lectures. She gives plenty of examples but goes off on a tangent pretty often. Her tests are reasonable. She assigns a lot of homework that she doesn't check but it's honestly for your own benefit. She's also very helpful during office hours which she offers a lot of!

Any calc class requires attendence it's obvious! Skipping lecture for any teacher is not a good idea. Karla is so caring and really good at explaining everything. Quizes are take home and she will work on with you. Do the quizes, show up to class, ask questions and do the HW and you got an A. She is also hilarious so lecture is never boring!

Karla is a great teacher. She is a very helpful professor and really cares about how her students are doing. She does assign a lot of hw, but it is only there to help you, so just do it. She also assigns take-home quizzes every week. To help study for the tests she posts last semester tests as a guide. If you put in the effort, you will get an A.

I don't know why Karla has so many bad reviews. Math class is very tough especially if you don't put on effort. She may give a lot of quizzes and h.w. but they always are related to the topic, & the exams are fairly easy if you did those. She may be funky at times but she really cares for her students. She helped me 2+ hours past her office hours.

Professor Westphal's exams are challenging, but the questions are straightforward. She frequently stays past her normal office hours and cares about her students understanding of the material. This also results in explanations that can be too in-depth for the class.

Karla tries to be available to her students all the way. At the college level, I can't explain how important it is. Even during COVID-19, she made videos, provided clear feedback on exams and quizzes which allowed us to really learn the subject! It is easier said than done if you're teaching a lot of classes. Fair tests if you do homework.

Great professor. Homework is optional, so you can practice what you feel like you need to instead of grinding out repetitive problems. Works out an office hours schedule with the class at the beginning of the term to make it the best it can be for everyone. Definitely a picky grader, but an A is definitely achievable if you put in the effort.

Karla is a quality professor and she knows her stuff. Such a breath of fresh air after having several incompetent teachers at Saddleback so far. Yes the class is hard but her recorded lectures are well organized and her explanations are clear. This is the first class I've had in a while where I haven't had to resort to Khan Academy or Youtube.

Took her 3C class when everything was online for corona, she was the best at adapting to online. All the lectures are prerecorded so I was able to fit it around my schedule. As well, does take home quizzes that she'll give feedback on. She's very accessible outside of class through office hours and email. Overall super caring and undestanding

She is a great choice for 3C. The lectures were long, but you finish the course with an understanding of the material. I personally found the hardest part to be the HW, but I imagine if you don't do the HW diligently you will struggle on the exams. Westphal always responded to my emails with enthusiasm and was eager to help me learn the material!

I went into this class with no prior knowledge of trigonometry! I didn't think I'd be able to do it, but Karla's teaching style really helped me understand everything I had either forgotten or never had the chance of learning beforehand. Her online lectures were helpful and she is more than willing to assist students outside of class.

Took during covid and she had pre recorded lectures that were easy to follow. Lots of office hours and take home quizzes each week she gives feedback on. Tests were difficult but no surprises on them. The hw is hard, but optional but she'll sometimes pull hw questions into the quiz or the test so doing it can be helpful. Responds to emails fast too

had her during covid, fantastic professor who made great lecture videos. i've never understood the material of a class as well as I did in this class. super helpful and accessible, even allows you to submit weekly take home quiz early for feedback. one of my favorite professors ever.

Great professor, homework is not mandatory but you will need to complete it if you want a good grade. Sometimes takes HW questions and puts it on exams. All quizzes are take home. Extremely consistent with her policies, which is a good thing.

I loved her! I took Pre-Calc in high school so most of the information was review for me. She does pack a lot into her lectures so pay attention and ask questions. Do all the homework and go to her office hours if you do not understand something. Reach out to your other classmates if you are struggling still! She is very sweet and funny as well!

Karla was the most supportive teacher. She is always available to ask questions and does her best not to let any students fall behind. Attending class is extremely important, and her class requires a solid pre-calc understanding. I would definitely recommend taking her for Pre-Calc especially.

I took Math 3AH with Professor Westphal last Spring, and let me say; I had fun! The class is definitely challenging. However, she genuinely cares about her students. If you take her, make sure you go to her office hours as much as possible. They are very informative and helpful, and they helped me get an A in the class. Overall amazing Professor!

Like any saddleback calc this is a very test heavy class with NO extra credit. But if you pay attention during the lectures (and do the old practice exams she give you) you'll be fine. Very straightforward and easy to understand. I had a hard time in precalc a few years back, this class seems easy in comparison. Will be taking her again for 3B.

I took this class in the spring. She moved quickly through the material but made it very fun to understand. Go to her office hours if you are struggling at ALL. She can break down material even further with you. Ask her to check your take-home quizzes and DO YOUR CHECK-INS. Just keep up with the material as best you can and you'll be okay!

I really liked Professor Westphal, and I think that as long as you attend classes, it's not hard at all to get an "A." I noticed that if I missed one or two classes, I would be pretty confused about the content for the week, so keep that in mind. Attendance doesn't matter, and she has online videos if you miss a lecture.

She's actually a very nice person, like a genuinely good person. However, her course is formatted so that if you miss one lecture or even look at ur phone for a few minutes, you genuinely may be screwed and lost. Attendance not mandatory, but you really should go otherwise u will be lost easily. Take home quizzes, open note/everything. 2 exams,hard

Very caring and nice professor, has office hours after class and on weekends nearing exams. HW from online free textbook is optional, but can be helpful in reinforcing topics alongside the weekly take-home quizzes and short Canvas check-ins for every topic. She posts previous exams so you can take and self-grade them, also has all lectures online.

Calc 3A is a challenging course, but Professor Westphal is supportive. Attend lectures, use the textbook, and try Unstuckstudy for extra study prep - it really helps. The tests are tough, but with dedication, you can succeed in this class.

Maybe her teaching style just suits me, but she the way she lays out her exact expectations for exams helped me know exactly what to study to do well. She has great office hours, take advantage of them for take-home quizzes. Missing lecture can be pretty rough though so don't make a habit of skipping it if you want an A.

Information dense, but fascinating and engaging lectures. In the math dept. she is renowned for being PICKY and takes it as a compliment, but the exams are beyond fair and focus on conceptual understanding. Test heavy, but gives an easy cushion of 20% through homework and takehome quizes. If you understand most of the lecture, you will get an A.

Tough grader but she has great lectures. Avoid her if you are not good at math or if you dont have the time to attend her office hours.

She gives you so many resources to succeed, its almost ridiculous. The best way to study is to pretend the ungraded homework is actually graded. She's very approachable, especially if you show respect and interest. Love her!