3.7
Quality3.8
Difficulty56%
Would Retake101
Reviews56%
Would Retake
101
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
54
4
13
3
8
2
11
1
15
What Students Say
“The assignments were easy, but the quizzes were difficult”
GEO10 - 1.0 rating“This class frustrated me”
OCAN1 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
75%
Textbook Required
11%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.15 avg changeRatings by Course
GEOLOGYOCEANOG
5.0
(1)OCANLOCAN
5.0
(1)GEOL002
5.0
(1)OCEANOGRAPHYI
5.0
(1)OCAN1L
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
OCEANOGRAPHY
5.0
OCANLOCAN
5.0
GEOINTR
5.0
OCEA1
5.0
GEO101
4.8
Reviews (101)
She used to teach at Stanford I hear, and she's definately hard; but also very passionate. This class is very demanding and not recomended for anyone who isn't REALLY into rocks and platectonics. Super hard, but if you can do it, go you!
All memorization; if you can absorb material and spit it out on the tests, you'll do fine. Material not fascinating, but straightforward enough. Quizzes at start of every week on NEW material, so don't slack on the weekends. Attendance mandatory!
No Comments
This teacher is very passionate and gets you excited about earth science. Her lectures are interesting and straight forward. There are quizes everyweek. If you do the work, its an easy class, if not you probably wont pass.
This was the hardest class ever. If your not into geology then dont take it. She is willing to give you extra help if needed but if you have a hard time remembering facts then there isnt any use even trying. Your grade is based on only quizes and tests. 25% qiuzes, 75% tests. 3 major tests and 10+ quizes. Good luck. You'll need it
Very nice teacher, willing to help if you ask for it. Do the reading, study and you'll do fine.
This class is VERY hard! She seems to belittle and humiliate students when they ask questions that she finds obvious and irrelevant.She's not approachable at all; very intimidating.Her quizzes are very hard--tests even harder.You really need to comprehend the material--or else you're screwed!Cannot slack off whatsoever.Gives no extra credit.
You get what you put in to it. She doesn't take attendance but there is a quiz every week on new material so going to class is helpful although you can find all the info in the book. very helpful and passionate about the subject. you have to study and you will be just fine.
Very interesting class, but very hard. Excellent teaching skills and a Oceanography teacher she is.
She is absolute passionate about her subject and communicates the sometimes highly complex content in a very vivid and humorous way. First, I was a bit hesitant taking her class due to semi-bad reviews, but I personally think she is a great teacher who wants her students to comprehend the material and does her best to repeat important facts.
Katryn's teaching style is straight forward. She sticks to the syllibus, tells you up front what will be expected of you as a student. She gives thorough hand outs, and as long as you do the homework (which is minimal) you will pass her class with ease. She is very knowlegable and excited about her subject, and makes geology fun.
Only take the lab if it is your major! I took the lab because i had already taken her lecture and its a lot of work for only 1 credit. She is very fair but if it is not ur major it will be hard to be interested and succeed!
Very helpful if you ask, lectures are easy to follow and tests are not hard.
she is a teacher with great teaching skill.Quiz every monday about the next chapter. u need to work very hard to get good grade.. by the way someties she talked really fast and i could barely catch up w/ her. well maybe it's because i'm a int'l student, that's why.
Best teacher i've had here at city
She is extremely intelligent, well organized, and upbeat. She obviously loves her work and is always available to help her students. Her class is challenging but her grading is very reasonable. The lab class is a great pairing with the lecture class.
It's obvious she loves what she does, and she's good at it too. The structure of the class really keeps you on top of your game, w/ a weekly quiz and what not. she really engages the class...so if you're like me and hate straight lecture you will love her. ask lots of questions in this class!!
katryn wiese is the best! she should consider a career in motivational speaking, or start writing self-help guidebooks. her enthusiasm and her love of her work is inspiring to say the least. the geology lecture and lab are the two most valuable classes i have ever taken. definitely recommend!
A++++
This class is not easy. Do your pre-readings and study hard for her exams. She can be intimidating at times, but work hard and you'll do well.
Prof. Wiese is an exceptionally talented and engaging teacher. She knows her material really well. Be prepared to keep up with weekly quizzes and work for your grade. You will learn a lot and the subject matter is fascinating!
Took this teacher in 2001 and she is still in my memory as THE ABSOLUTE WORST! She was very bitter about life & taught the class as if it were the major & passion of all the students in class. I got a bad grade & I retook the class over the summer in So. Cal. and I got an A...I CANNOT believe she is still teaching as she really seemed to despise it
Great teacher! She has a great structure to the class with quizzes that make you read, lectures that are clear and easy to follow with handouts and tests that are fair. She inspired me to change my major to geology!
Prof. Wiese is an awesome teacher. She's very passionate about the material and gladly answers questions about topics that are unclear. The class itself is demanding but do-able. As long as you read the chapter and take notes in class, the class can be very fun
I took this class because of all the previous comments.3 classes later I found I was wrong. This class invovles a lot of material. She gives students handouts which contain questions for you to study and prepare for the exam, but she doesn't really stick to them during lecture and always ask you to go to tutors.I prefer a more down to earth teacher
The oceanography lecture is very hard if you're not willing to put in the time, I learned that the hard way. But Wiese is AMAZING and does everything possible to help you out. She's hilarious and lectures are always interesting.
She's a little strict, but she knows what she's talking about. As long as you do the prereading and show up to class for the labs, and study for the exams, you'll do fine. The field trips are pretty fun and interesting as well!
Excellent teacher, passionate about Earth Sciences. Prof. Wiese is extremely well organized, getting through an enormous amount of work in very good order. It's really difficult to fail this class if you do the reading and answer the chapter questions before each weekly quiz and work through the exam. pass sheets. Self-starting is essential!
Professor Wiese is great. Anyone who writes otherwise is talking nonsense. Sure, she is strict and holds you to studying and being prepared, but THAT IS WHAT MAKES HER A GOOD TEACHER. It's really hard for me not to curse right now...reading some of these bad reviews was very frustrating. I think the problem is not the professor, but the lazy, spoil
This was possibly the hardest class I have ever taken. However it's refreshing to have a teacher that actually likes teaching. You have to do your stuff, come to class, and be prepared.Despite that I would take her again she's really helpful and she really wants her students to learn and enjoy her class. If you're willing to put in the effort doit.
I had a mon and wed class. On mon there is a test on what she covered last week and the other half is what she is about to cover this week. On wed she gives you back the graded test. She tells you ahead of time everything you need to do and know for the weekly tests and the 4 exams...It's a great class and an outstanding teacher.
Prof. Wiese gives 100% every minute, every class. She expects the same. Every class has something interactive to get students involved in learning Geology. She is always available outside of class to answer questions and explain concepts. After taking many classes and transferring this fall, I feel she is one of the best instructors at CCSF.
One of the hardest classes in CCSF. Her regular lecture will have weekly quizzes with strong involvement in class. Be prepared for A LOT of work. Her lab is the hardest at CCSF as well (She said it herself). Miss 1 class and you will lose out. I would not recommend this class if you are just taking it for Gen. Ed.
She is knowledgeable and knoes the stuff very well. She is a little bit strict but that's how you can learn. The exam is pretty easy just like what it appears on regular lab. Highly recommended and she is inspiring.
She is brilliant, enthusiastic, passionate, and completely dedicated. Her class is serious, and you have to do the homework, but it's interesting stuff and you'll probably have fun doing it if you pay attention and attend all lectures. She's super helpful, and wants to make sure you get as much as possible out of her class. Highly recommend her!
Great teacher! She makes learning geology interesting and easy to understand. Lots of studying but she makes it clear what will be on quizzes and exams so it is easy to prepare. Easy A if you are willing to put time into studying.
The class is very challenging, yet Professor Wiese does her best to keep the course very entertaining and intriguing. I did well in this class because I read chapters and studied vocabs in advance, and I also went to the study session to work on pass sheets. Science classes are hard, yet I thought her class was doable. Attend every class, & enjoy!
all i can say is, I do have to agree it is a HARD !!! class do your reading!!!study!! do the study question!! I have have to drop her class not because she bad, she is into what she is teaching. have ton of work in my English 961a so i drop it. overall good teacher, you will learn something for sure.
Good class to take if interested in the earth and ocaenography. I enjoyed the use of videos and some experiments. Thought this would be a lot tougher than it turned out as most of the final answers were avaliable if you went to the study session lol
She is one of the best teachers at CCSF, she know what she's talking about and spends lots of time helping the students understand the information. It seemed like no one was really reading the book, so she spent every week making 30-min movies with images, narration, and even a little quiz at the end to make sure you understood. I loved this class
One of the best teachers ever, but I was not done talking when she walked away from me. C'mon, I was mid-sentence, wait until my story is done! Aside from her lack of interest in my conversation she's totally awesome.
She's very motivating teacher that pushes the class to discuss topics and review material together, while demonstrating simple, but effective, examples demonstrating certain concepts. Her classes require a fair bit of effort, but if you manage your time you'll be fine.
This class frustrated me. She doesn't teach much in class if at all! Most of the class is based off of watching videos and taking quizzes based off of them which is not how I enjoy learning! Not only that, but we spend so many sessions drawing/coloring pictures. I didn't realize we were still in high school. Some ways informative, but disappointed
Not Recommend
Don't be scared off by the class warning discussing the hours needed for the class (9 hours recommended). I spent about half of that time. This is a unique class in that we get to watch helpful video tutorials on the material. Get the tasks done, ask questions when needed and you will do fine. Very fun and engaging class!
My first online class--Katryn says you need 9 hrs/week for this course. I initially scoffed at this but it's true. You can't skip the videos; you'll probably have to watch multiple times, or read the scripts. There are two assignments per week, 1-3 hrs each. There's a weekly quiz + forum. Takes TIME, but it's worth it. Interesting & fun content.
Katryn's syllabus is clear and concise, her assignments are easily accessible, and she even provides students with a workbook that you'll need to succeed in her class for just $20. Warning: if you know you can't dedicate time to the class for studying, do not take her. Her classes are very content heavy and require a lot of engagement.
Professor Wiese's class was incredible. She sticks to her syllabus and lays out everything that you will need. There are lecture videos that you have to watch and use to fill out the workbook, and then you go over it and discuss in class. The set up of this class was perfect for my learning style. She is also very nice and funny.
She has amazing information, and makes the labs very interesting. Very helpful and energetic. Hw is easy, just do the reading which isn't always heavy. She gives the answers at the end of the lab so it makes it easy to study for the tests which have no surprises as long as you were in lab and paid attention.
class was super difficult for me. She will call you out in class if you are failing. I know she's a good person at heart she just isn't a people person. If you want an easy class just to get rid of GE's, this is not the class for you. If you are EXTREMELY passionate about oceanography then this is your place to be. Does not treat students equally.
Lectures are all online. Weekly online quizzes required on these online lectures. No real instruction. No real explanation. If you like online learning this class is for you. Be ready for group discussions about homework. Answer key for homework/quizzes sent online. No extra credit offered. No term paper required.
I liked Professor Wiese, however be aware that the majority of her lectures are videos assigned as homework which makes it hard to ask a question when confused. In class you will do group work mostly going over homework worksheets/activities everyday! Also if your under the impression that you can use notes for exams, you cannot do that anymore!
She's really knowledgeable in her field but she's very demeaning towards students. If you don't get answers right she will call you out in class. She doesn't have the right temperament to teach and gets upset if you don't know the material right off the bat.
She might as well make the class online. Majority of her learning is from her Oceanography website. She encourages asking a lot of questions. She's not a very good people person. She tries to be. She has no time for those who cannot keep up in class. She'll even tell them to drop or withdraw. A lot of the work is from her customized workbook.
it's a terrible and boring class with a lot of homework, but on an exam, it's testing which is hard to complete in time, because it's heavy and unclear. If you choose this class to transfer req - I suggest taking something else!
Some people shouldn't be teachers. Shames students for asking questions responds passive-aggressively and rudely. Flipped Class so she relies on you to teach yourself the material and is hostile when you ask for any claification. Relies on groupwork worksheets and multiple-choice ("choose which apply 'ABCDEFGH'" not "ABCDE"). Worst CCSF professor.
No instruction during class time because you are expected to teach yourself on your own time. She creates a toxic learning environment by berating her students if they have questions. If you can get past being belittled, sometimes shes helpful. She clearly knows her material but is not an appropriate teacher. Wording on material often unclear.
After taking this class I have more respect towards the planet we live on. Katryn does her best to keep class engaging, fun, and relevant to our current world. She also has great stories of her travels that involve the subject. It was a hard class due to the amount of work but you really get something out of it when you finish and feel proud.
Professor Wiese is an amazing professor but dont expect an easy class. She is extremely passionate and inspirational in what she teaches. Amidst the COVID-19 quarantine she put in an immense amount of effort to transition her classes online and continue actually teaching students when many of my other professors couldnt be bothered
Professor Wiese is one of the very few passionate educators out there who genuinely cares about the students and the materials she puts out for students. She takes a lot of pride in her students and the knowledge they take with them from this class. Very helpful. Always available. Oceanography content that she produces is the best you can find
I didn't get the best grade but that was more on me (personal stuff), she tells you everything you need to know and the workbook she gives you covers most of all info you need, She puts a lot of interesting links and and video lectures on her class website, Allows computers/tablets for taking notes and PDF workbook use.
Don't be intimidated by Professor Wiese. She's very passionate about her subject and really wants to see every student pass. Especially during a pandemic, she made extra time to be there for her students and still managed to give the full experience of the class. Be sure to keep up with the readings in the workbook and watch the videos on the site.
If you want to take her class, you MUST have a foundation in geology. She is more like a passionate but rigid high school teacher. It feels like the whole class is clueless except her. Plus, you can't learn just by looking at workbooks and watching videos. No extra credits. Not helpful. Not recommend.
Clear grading rubric; lays out plainly what is expected of you during the course. For HW you watch excellently made and informative videos, then answer questions on the material in a workbook to review in lecture. May be time consuming and challenging but learning any science is difficult and requires effort. You get out of it what you put in!
Katryn is an awesome professor who's passionate about what she does, but her lecture and lab is not for the faint of heart -- both classes together were 5 units but it felt like I was taking 10. These classes were a grind and you have to stay committed. She's very accessible and will more than meet you half way, take advantage of her office hours
She really pours everything into what she does, and you can tell that teaching is what Katryn is extremely passionate about. She works really hard putting together informational engaging videos with all of the material you need to learn. These bad reviews must be from people that leave negative Yelp reviews but only eat at places like Applebees.
Curt, tough, and rigid (and clearly defensive, based on responses to these reviews). Interesting subject, and loved the material, but Katryn ruined a lot of it for me. If you are self motivated, or have a tutor, youll be ok -but stay up to date (like all sciences). Just dont expect warmth or openness to feedback. RMP suggests courses GEO101 etc
Online teaching/learning isn't ideal for any of us, but CoVID happened, so no choice... I think Ms. Wiese has a hard time connecting with students online and can be (accidentally, I'm sure) brusque, then seems confused when people didn't want to participate anymore later in the semester. Overall a fair, reasonable, and passionate teacher.
This class is difficult. I appreciate the effort the instructor has put into all of their videos. Its just really a class that I think youd be successful in if youve taken a lot of science courses. Like at least 2 or 3 in preparation. Definitely not an intro class, I think that needs to be made more clear.
You will pass if you do the assignments. We would have a worksheet, activity, discussion and quiz each week. I sometimes would have to watch the lecture videos more than once to better grasp the material. She is very helpful at office hours! They help a lot. Honestly one of my favorite professors. If you put in the work you will get a good grade
The score is very deceiving, they have transitioned to online class TERRIBLY. This class you have to teach yourself, and will encounter the classic case of the weekly tests having nothing to do with the assignments you'll spend HOURS working on. The "workbooks" will not help you answering the questions either, have fun learning from google instead.
Honestly, I can't get over how bad of an experience I had in her class. She is super rude to everyone and then makes excuses why people don't deserve basic human respect. She does not feel bad whatsoever about how hostile her classroom is. (I might even go so far as say this kind of stuff is normal for her). Least favorite teacher of all time.
A ton of work and if you miss class or don't read every detail, you will fail. She grades by her own homemade work book and the wording can be difficult to understand. The doesn't feel very entry level and many times i spent time just staring at the book, rereading to try and understand the assignment. Even the straight A student will struggle.
Worst class I've taken in my whole time in college. Her material is unorganized and doesn't match up with notes. Grading is ridiculous, if you don't the whole answer right forget getting full credit . If you have any complaints don't bother talking with her she will just turn it around on you. If you don't keep up she'll just recommend you to drop
I fell behind on assignments, but she recommended coming in to office hours, gave great feedback, and explained what I needed to do. If you put in effort, use the resources and communicate, you can excel in the class! I LOVED taking both her Geol. Lecture & Lab courses, learned a lot, and am leaving with a new sense of appreciation for our Earth.
Ive taken Geo1 and Ocean1 on Zoom. Her workbooks and videos that are clear and well written. She knows the material backwards and forward. Attending her biweekly hour office hours were extremely valuable. Or she will gladly set up a personal conference call. Kathryn is one of the best teacher/lecturers I have studied with. Jim, PhD Chemistry
By far my favorite teacher at CCSf so far. I took both the Ocean lecture & lab online. The course was very organized. She provided video lectures every week in addition to the notes in the workbook. Heavy workload but assignments were not challenging, just time consuming. Content was very interesting! Very helpful and respectful, would take again!
Professor Wiese is amazing! She made her office hours very accessible and was so open to answering any questions to make sure you understood the material. Her videos are so amazing, and really pack in a lot of information. She makes sure there are lots of resources, and links for extra learning. She's so happy to help you learn if you ask for help!
Organized class. Homework can be time-consuming but it's well-designed. Workbook provides a clear study guide. Like most earth sciences, it's a lot of content, but if you have a solid science and geography background you'll be fine. I've heard stories about her going the extra mile for struggling students as long as they go to office hours.
This professors give you her own text book she made. Rules are super unclear and her arrogance shows when you dont understand a question. She also takes geology way to serious.
Professor Wiese is very passionate about her area of expertise and wants you to get excited too. In and out of class she's very responsive/open to helping you work through problems. This class is not easy but easier if you have an interest in geology/earth sciences.
I would not take a class with this professor. Tests and exams are not clearly aligned with the material.
Incredibly rude and justifies her behavior by acting like students deserve her behavior. If you ask her questions she will be very mean to the point people just stop asking her stuff halfway through the semester. It is hard to look forward to her class, it was the worst part of my week for 18 weeks. The class is hard but dealing with her is harder.
The assignments were easy, but the quizzes were difficult. I felt that the quizzes were purposely created to have a student fail. She made the questions so only she understands them. The amount of studying to do for each section was lengthy. I spent countless hours trying to understand the material, but I brain dumped it anyways! Stay away!
She does not offer extra credit and does not allow for late work. Her quizzes do allow 2 attempts but she does not keep the highest score she averages them. She talks down on students that ask questions. She does not make you feel supported, even though she has that written on her syllabus. Horrible experience horrible teacher. Would not recommend!
Hands down the worst class I ever took in college. She is extremely cold and condescending. For an introduction class, it was extremely dense and overwhelming (especially as this class was in the beginning of the pandemic). Avoid.
I think Prof. Wiese has a very unique teaching style that's definitely hard to get used to at first. However, after the first few weeks, I found myself able to get in the groove of the class. There's a lot of work involved, but as long as you're willing to ask questions about it, the prof will always try to help you understand it.
She's knowledgable in her field, but it's difficult to get a grasp on the course without a fundamental understanding of the topic which you are enrolled for. Students would ask her a question, which would result in a roundabout "answer"; test Q's often wouldn't align with what was taught. Very dense and overwhelming material for an intro class.
Had a wonderful time with this course and professor! I recommend taking her class for the lab as well as the lecture. The lectures/lab classes are absolutely integral to taking this class, use them to your advantage! Sometimes I found that she can misunderstand questions, or answer them in a roundabout way, but when clarified this was no issue.
She's knowledgable in her field, but can't even teach well!? She expects you to learn the course all by yourself! Even in the first day of class? like what?! Seriously? WE know nothing about this field, that is why I am open to learn in this class. She also is cold and unsupportive. Grading? No mercy or consideration. Horrible teacher! AVOID.
Very knowledgeable but teaching-wise though not so great. Quizzes and assignments usually don't align with readings for some reason, which is frustrating. If you're genuinely interested in becoming a geologist/paleontologist or something in this field then take this class. Otherwise, I believe that there are better professors out there for credit.
Took a short interesting 3 day lab (GEOL 21B - not listed here). I liked all the lectures/info online so irl time was spent well. Qs were sometimes answered by her directly, but usually reflected back at the class to try to come up with answers ourselves. She seemed happier with "actual" Geology students - may be better in high-level courses only.
This class requires you to follow video tutorials/read quite a bit of material to prepare for class. If you keep up with the material provided, the class is not difficult. Professor Wiese did a good job explaining topics in a way that I could understand, especially when asked classes & after attending office hours.
Easy class, took for fun. Weekly quizzes had answers provided in the readings and videos. Take notes or pull up tabs of all the readings before starting the quiz and various Ctrl+Fs should do the trick. For the exams, make a good reference sheet and it's an easy B. The homework, weekly quizzes, etc. should carry the overall grade to an A.
Very rewarding class. You're not only learning the material through online presentations but you're also seeing and interacting with the the things you are learning about. If you only do the minimum to pass, you won't get much out of it BUT if you put in an extra effort you will never see the rock outcrops around the bay in the same way again.
All of the considerable workload is done independently. Grades depend on weekly assignments/quiz. The professor is happy to answer any questions during office hours or in class, and is clearly very passionate about the subject. Nothing difficult if you study and reach out if needed.
I was so impressed! She presents the information very clearly and in a way that was totally engaging. I would love to take other classes with her (especially field trip classes!)
She makes geology fascinating! Textbooks have been incorporated into easy to follow explanations with great visuals. She's makes herself very open for questions/review. I cannot speak more highly of her as a professor. Even though the course could be considered rigorous (because there's a lot to learn), I'm so grateful. Great teachers are the BEST!
Professor Wiese curates lessons and explains things well, providing a great exercise book full of information. She may seem intimidating but she's willing to discuss ideas and ultimately wants to teach you if you want to learn. Field trips and hands-on learning activities were the best part and helped me figure out what I wanted to study.
Easily the best instructor I've ever encountered at CCSF, and in fact the best instructor I've ever encountered ever in my (long!) educational history--which includes an Ivy League undergraduate degree. She REALLY knows and loves her subject, and runs a tight ship in the classroom; those who are there to learn (like me) will find her class a joy.
There is no doubt she is very knowledgable and has a passion for geology. I think the issue comes where she is very irritable and rude. It makes the atmosphere of the classroom awkward at best, and she seems very inconvenienced by anyone that doesn't have a type A learning style. Not very flexible or understanding.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
75%
Textbook Required
11%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.15 avg changeRatings by Course
GEOLOGYOCEANOG
5.0
(1)OCANLOCAN
5.0
(1)GEOL002
5.0
(1)OCEANOGRAPHYI
5.0
(1)OCAN1L
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
OCEANOGRAPHY
5.0
OCANLOCAN
5.0
GEOINTR
5.0
OCEA1
5.0
GEO101
4.8