3.2
Quality3.9
Difficulty40%
Would Retake83
Reviews40%
Would Retake
83
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
83 total ratings5
25
4
11
3
15
2
21
1
10
What Students Say
“I love learning Spanish, however, none of my previous courses have prepared me for this one”
SPAN301 - 3.0 rating“I had a very bad experience in this course and wish I had checked this website first”
SPANISH101 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
8%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.76 avg changeRatings by Course
SPAN205
5.0
(1)WRLD203
5.0
(2)SPAN401
4.5
(2)SPAN101
4.2
(12)101
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
SPA300
5.0
SPANISH101
5.0
SPAN201
5.0
SPAN305
5.0
SPAN301
4.2
Reviews (82)
Profesora M is one of the best teachers I have had in college. She is always available for help and you can attend certain events for extra credit. She does give a lot of homework, but it can be manageable. She always tries to make class fun and interesting.
even though there was 937092830 BB exercises, profesora 'm' is one of my favorite teachers! she is always willing to help and really enthusiastic about teaching and she gives people 2nd chances :)be prepared to sing! estuve tuve y anduve pude puse .....produje!
DON'T take her class...yes it can be managable but there are definitely other, better professors that teach this course. She is helpful and will work with you, but she is very unorganized, assigns unecessary amounts of homework Embarasses students in class for being late and other things.LOTS and LOTS of busy work!!!Nice person,bad professor
I took Professor Middlebrooks' Advanced Grammar and Writing 300 level class as a Senior in High School this past semester and was very impressed with the experience. I was pretty intimidated being the youngest in my class, but Profesora "M" made me feel welcome. It was a lot of work, but the assignments allowed for creativity which made it easier.
I often felt intimidated by her and her teaching style. She embarrassed many students in my class, including myself. She is very knowledgeable on the subject; however, often taught us like we were 100 level students. She assigns entirely too much homework and exercises that do not help at all.
Great professor. Very helpful with the material and answers every question you have.
Professora M. is obviously very knowledgeable, but I did not find her to be a good teacher.She does not explain complex concepts well, and does not always allow time for questions in class, nor go over homework. Does carefully edit the weekly essays. Heavy use of text and on-line exercises.Over all, a lot of work .I do not recommend her
Gives way too much homework and gets confused herself in class, which in turn confuses us.
Best professor at VCU. A lot of work, but if you want to learn, you should take her class.
Worst prof I've taken. She requires so much work!She doesn't make herself available by email, you have to call her. Her grading is SUPER strict, and she barely gives you any time to ask questions. She was late returning papers once, and she made it our responsibility to visit her office over the weekend or we would lose points. DONT TAKE HER
Although she's a very knowledgeable prof, she is the worst prof I've taken. She requires so much work!She doesn't make herself available by email, you have to call her. Her grading is super strict, and she barely gives you any time to ask questions. She was late returning papers once and irresponsible.
She's seriously one of the best, if not the BEST Spanish teacher I've ever had, yes her class is HARD, but you will learn so much, she cares about her students' success in every way, if you do the work and ask questions you will be fine!
Seriously THE WORST PROFESSOR AT VCU. You will only pass this class if you have more than 24 hours in your day to do her homework. Informed me after the semester was over that I was failing, and also called me a delinquent. Do not take her !!!!!!!
Professor Middlebrooks does assign a lof of homework, and it's not easy to keep up with them, but now I realize that I learned A LOT in her classn. Take her if you really want to learn Spanish. She is funny and make the class fun. She is very helpful, and os always willing to answer questions,and her explanations are clear.
The second worst professor I've had at VCU. She assumes that we are fluent in Spanish while she herself often has to rely on native speakers in the class for corrections. IS NOT CLEAR at all when assignments are being collected and grades work horrifically. Avoid at all costs; I DO NOT RECOMMEND.
Middlebrooks is one of the best teachers I've ever had in some ways, and the worst teacher I've had in others. She's very passionate and you will learn more than you'd ever imagine. But she's also insanely disorganized and a tad-bit hypocritical. She'll refuse to take blame for anything that's her fault. Expect a productive but frustrating semester
If you want to learn Spanish, take Dr. Middlebrooks. If you want an easy "A", don't take her. Tons of work, but you will learn a lot. She speaks Spanish the entire class, which is both a help and a hinderance to learning.
This class is not an easy A! If you are really interested in Spanish and want to learn, then take Ms. Middlebrooks. Yes, she does assign a crazy amount of online homework but if you do a little bit every night it is not so bad. She is very animated and entertaining in class. Attendance is required and you must have documented proof to be excused.
Professor means well and will show up to class with loads of energy. She goes by a week to week syllabus.You will get your money's worth of your textbook. As a Spanish major, I wouldn't say take her class because the student crop we had was really bad. However, she does try to get the class to speak in Spanish for the entirety of class. Very disorg
Excellent professor. Yes she is tough, so if you're in the class for an easy grade, don't take her! If you want to actually learn, be challenged, and feel like you're actually in college, go for it. She expects more out of her students.
I wouldn't take this class. I took her for 102 and she treated the class as if we should be fluent. She got visibly frustrated often and even sat outside in the hall for 15 minutes waiting for an apology once when someone spoke in English.
Mixed feelings. I learned a lot,however, for a 102 class, she teaches it as if it were a 202 level and she expected us to understand way too much. She is nice, approachable and fun, but she is not worth it. DO NOT TAKE HER for 102. I could have learned much more if she would have just spoken more in english. 98% of 102 is spoken is spanish.
Professor Middlebrooks is an excellent spanish professor. Those in 102 complaining about her being difficult just didn't remember what they learned in 101. She uses the immersion technique which I was wary about at first but now I'm so much better off for it. I'd recommend her to anyone.
It's not worth it to take this class if you have other hard classes or a part time job. I found myself cutting down my hours at work JUST to accommodate the homework load. And she grades too harshly, like she will take off a full point for each accent mark you miss. She uses the immersion method, which is fine, but just TOO MUCH WORK.
I really enjoyed this class. She truly wants you to understand the material. She has lots of quizzes which is helpful because you know where you stand in her class. She speaks spanish 100% of the time which makes you learn.
DONT TAKE SPAN 300 with her. She gives SOOOOOOOO much homework and takes points off for ANYTHING. She is loud and annoying and always dismisses class 5 minutes after. She is very unclear and disorganized. She's not a native speaker and takes points off if you do things a different way, even if it's correct and you prove it. DONT TAKE HER
She is an excellent teacher for adults who WANT to learn spanish. Her class is not an easy A, but it' also not an impossible A. There's alot of homework, but ea assgmnt only takes 5-10 min ea. Keep up with the schedule and its easy, procrastinate and it'll take hours for you to do. If you need more help, call her. She will answer your questions.
I would not recommend this professor to anyone. She speaks spanish virtually the entire class, even in 101, and moves very fast so it is easy to get lost and behind. She grades very harshly (1 error, however small, is 1 point off). I had a very bad experience in this course and wish I had checked this website first.
Speak up in class for your grade. She uses online tests for all exams, which are extremely unbalanced grading. A sentence was worth 3 pts out of 75 total pts. Miss one accent and you lost all 3. These exams were way more difficult than my 102 ones. She is wonderful in office hours and to help you out though.
Very tough grader. Allows you to do "test corrections" but even those she grades hard. She is readily available for her students and allows you to call her with questions and replies to emails fast. She knows what she's teaching but I think she grades too hard for SPAN 101.
Pay attention in class and getting an A or a B is definitely possible. Make sure you have some idea of what you're doing ahead of time because she will call you out.
I had her for SPAN 300 and SPAN 301. I plan to take her again for 305. She is tough and can nitpick about formatting things, but if you really want to learn the language, she uses in-class immersion and you will see real progress after just 1 semester. You might struggle learning how she wants things, but once you figure it out, you are golden.
Getting an appointment for help was very difficult and the help she gave was confusing. Her homework policy was also very difficult to understand. The assignments are not easy, but in-class activities are average. Toughest grader I've met. A lot of homework assigned daily. Will not take late work even if you missed class for a doctors appointment.
Dr. Middlebrooks wants you to learn! I really struggled in her class at first but she met with me and helped me a lot. Don't slack off at all, come to class, participate and you will be fine. She is the reason I majored in Spanish! She wants things to her format and it's frustrating, but you get an immersed experience... You get your money's worth!
She will not hesitate to openly correct you during presentations in front of the class. She has made me more nervous to speak Spanish. I LOVE the language and want nothing more than to become fluent, but she has instilled this fear that I can't seem to get over anymore. I don't mind a helpful criticisms, but her method puts a hurt on confidence.
May be a tough grader, but I loved her class. Super clear when explaining and she does funny charades to help us understand better. If you have a question, definitely stay after class or go to office hours and she WILL help you. Very passionate about the language and helping her students understand it. 5/5 would recommend.
She is very difficult and she assigns a lot of homework and compositions (essays). You will learn the language, however, you will have to work VERY hard for it. I love learning Spanish, however, none of my previous courses have prepared me for this one. I wish I didn't take her. She treats this course as if it's the only course you're taking.
Her tests are really hard and she is such a touch grader. You have to put in a lot of effort and this class will probably take over your life. I tried super hard and I ended with a C. I would not recommend her. She gives SO MUCH HOMEWORK.
She fell way behind on grading , so I was unsure of my grade in the class the entire semester. I recommend taking this class with another professor.
Professor Middlebrooks is one of the worst professors I have ever had. Although enthusiastic, she is completely disorganized and she calls people out and makes them feel bad. She also completely disregards the knowledge that fluent speakers of the language and calls them out. If you like Spanish and are looking to study it do not take her class.
Amazing teacher. Never fails to keep the class engaged. If you do not enjoy spanish or need the class as a major requirement, know that she will work with you and do her best to help you succeed. Very caring and if you try, you can get a B or an A. She is very passionate about Spanish and it rubs off on her students
At first, I did not like Professor Middlebrooks, but I later grew to appreciate how much she pushed me. Best Spanish class I ever took and I learned the most. I made sure to take her again this semester for Span 301.
Profesora Middlebrooks can seem tough at first but you will truly get out of this course what you put in. While there is homework, it is not unreasonable by any means. If you participate in class you will do well. Good knowledge of Spanish required but prof middlebrooks is definitely one of the easier to understand professors.
I took Negocios en espanol & it was a lot of work cuz there's lots of vocab. Very smart & respectful of all students when correcting a mistake that they made. Understands the confusion that native english speakers have & is very good at explaining the answer in a simple way. ONLY USE UD WITH HER. very nice teacher overall & you will learn a lot.
At first I thought I would be getting a nice challenge from which I would learn; instead I got a horrible experience of terrible grading for vague assignments. She takes points off for small mistakes that amount to huge deductions, and her "personality" in class is strange and overbearing, which made myself and others uncomfortable.
She was very available for help. She was able to be reached through text, which was awesome. I really liked her office hours! However, she made me incredibly stressed in class. If you didn't know what was going on, good luck. Her tests were very difficult, and her grading style is very intense. Wouldn't recommend if you're shy or soft spoken.
I've had almost all of the Spanish professors at VCU and she was by far the toughest. You have to work very hard and do ALL the homework to receive a good grade in her class. And don't even think about skipping. Although I must say, I by far learned the most in her class and it helped me with learning the Spanish language and grammar tremendously.
Profesora Middlebrooks is an amazing professor. She gives a good deal of homework and going to class is pretty much mandatory, but for anyone that WANTS to learn the language it shouldn't be any other way. You can tell she puts a lot of time into giving you additional things to help you learn and makes going to class really fun! I highly recommend!
Middlebrooks is a super tough grader. She's also not the most organized prof either. The tests were wicked hard and she definitely takes points off for EVERYTHING. The book is a necessity and she isn't the best at letting you make up missing class... All in all, not my first choice and I don't think I'd take her again for anything harder.
Professor Middlebrooks is a great teacher however very unorganized. A lot of assignments were given back late or given back but not put in the grade book so we had to give them back again. She knows the language and is helpful in class plus very available through text/phone call. Overall, a hard grader but will make you a better student.
This was Dr. Middlebrooks first time teaching SPAN 311 and I do not recommend her. She is very unorganized and seemed to come to class each day and make up the lesson plan on the spot. Overall, I didn't learn a considerable amount and feel I was graded unfairly. Assignments were not clear and neither were her expectations for exams or in class.
She is EXTREMELY knowledgeable about Spanish, and if you go to her office she WILL help you. She wants to see students succeed, and she is available thru texts and calls. With that being said, she is STRICT, and gives ALOT of homework, but your Spanish will improve GREATLY with her! Do things EXACTLY the way she tells you to though! She's funny
One of the best professors I have had at VCU. Just put in the effort and care about what you are learning. Always willing to give feedback and go the extra mile for students. I wish she was teaching 102.
Very kind, but knowledgeable professor. Harsh grader on tests, which make up majority of grade, but she lets you do test corrections to learn from your mistakes! She really pushed me to try my best and I learned a lot.
Your spanish will definitely improve with Profe M. but her teaching style is somewhat abbrasive and eccentric at times... One class I accidentally addressed her with the tu form instead of usted and she screamed and pretend fainted onto the floor. She also tried to force us to chose a spanish name instead of using our own prefered names in class.
Great professor, really cares about her students. Sets many different office hours to make sure everyone can reach her. No textbook, just a novel we read a chapter of each week. Very manageable workload.
Very nice person, very accessible. There is no textbook. She has very easy hw. Tests have 2 chances, and you can see correct answers after 1st chance so basically everyone gets 100. PARTICIPATION IS GRADED. All you gotta do is show your face in class and answer at least 1 question. easy A guys, and you really do learn Spanish.
She can be a hard grader, Difficult with virtual, very demanding with a Spanish 101 course. not super condedrate.
By far my easiest and favorite course this semester. I'm not sure if this class had mandatory attendance but there was a participation grade given out at the end of the class so make sure to share out your thoughts, she'll really appreciate it. She's very passionate about her job and that made the class very enjoyable. Such a sweet & caring women!
I took her course online and Im having to withdraw now. She teaches everything from a google doc that is about 100 pages long and so difficult to navigate. Got my participation hurt because of the quality of my wifi. Was told in order to pass I had to come to her office hours every week. If you arent conversational in Spanish, dont take
Senora Middlebrooks is so nice. She is very passionate about teaching and is super understanding. If you want to learn Spanish TAKE HER! The class is not hard but you will need to put in work. Rarely ever had homework 3ish exams with 2 changes and 2 oral exams. You get graded on participation in every class out of 3 points. She is amazing.
Laura seems like a very nice lady, but the class was very disorganized. We didn't use a textbook because she wanted us to save some money, but I feel like I didn't learn anything. Everything we did was on one google doc. Every assignment, announcement, classwork, participation, question. I felt like I never knew what I was doing.
Super harsh grader and she will call you out in class. My issue with the class was that she would never clearly tell me what was wrong with my work and she used a super complex corrections code system. I couldn't figure out what I needed to fix to pass, which made me fall behind, so I had to drop the class.
Too much homework; every night, homework had to be completed even on the weekends. She doesn't like it when you speak in English, she wants the class to only speak in Spanish. If you spoke in English she would ask the class to say what you said in Spanish. She is not a terrible professor, but she's also not good.
She does not like it when you speak English in class, if you want to speak English you have to ask for permission. She uses VHL where most of the assignments are due. Sometime she will randomly assign homework for worksheets and can be unclear as to when they are due. She is nice and caring and will go back to review with you if you are confused.
Actual worst teacher I have had at VCU. If you have the option to take any other teacher please please please do so. She is rude, unhelpful, and all around does not care for her students in the way she claims. I know her course evaluations were absolutely awful and she deserves each and every one of them!
I understand why Profesora M's style isn't for everyone, but if you want to improve your Spanish, take her class. She can be theatrical, but it's for demonstrative purposes. You will get used to using the usted form! Also, Spanish immersion is king. Assignments are challenging and frequent but as long as you try your best, she's very flexible.
She is an overwhelming teacher. She gives homework every night on supersite along with projects weekly. She grades you on participation, so don't miss class! She is very disorganized and teaches class on a google doc that is 50 pages long. She is very sweet but not the best teacher. You can join on zoom or go to class so that was a good thing.
If you like Spanish class then go crazy but this is the 3rd class I've taken that made me hate the subject. Super homework heavy, isn't clear about the mid-term and final, and is the only teacher I know that gives tests on Saturday's. At least she has Zoom open for each class, but don't miss class because participation is super important.
Hardest spanish teacher ever
There was so much homework in this class that it was actually insane. For an elective class, the amount of work I had piling up (including on Saturdays and Sundays) was so overwhelming. She is also very nitpicky with grading. This class made me want to NEVER take a language course at VCU again.
Profesore Middlebrooks is helpful and answers questions that you have. She is very thorough though. There is A LOT of hw through VHL. You will have multiple hw assignments due every day but Saturday. Many opportunities for corrections and extra credit. However, she takes a long time to update grades.
This class was very heavy on work. If you wanted an A you would have to spend countless hours on correcting your work. She allowed you to correct most work but most of the time you would only get one point back for an hour worth of corrections. She is a very sweet person with lots of energy but the structure the of class work is terrible.
Benefit of the doubt is that she did come in to our class halfway through the semester. But she changed the entire layout of the course. Participation is graded and you can not speak in english at all unless you ask or else you will lose points. She is definitely better suited for higher level classes. Passionate about language but not empathetic.
DO NOT TAKE! Very nice at first, but she is least empathetic professor I have ever had, she is very judgemental, and will doubt your knowledge in the language! The workload is insane for a 200 level class. Spanish is my minor, she made it feel like a major. She provided a good opportunity for us to communicate with natives which was the best part.
Her lectures are more practice rather than actual teaching. I understand that practice is necessary for learning, but he notices us making the same mistakes and still doesn't teach us. She directs us to the textbook and assumes we know the material. She assigns homework every day. If you want this class as an elective like I did. It's not for you.
She's passive aggressive and doesn't actually give good feedback.
intense and passive aggressive demeanor
She is passionate but passive aggressive. Her correction system is complicated and hard to understand at times, so it is hard to learn from your mistakes. Her presentations are a bit disorganized, and she is a VERY SLOW grader. Otherwise, if you participate in class, practice outside of class, and don't speak English in class, you will do well.
I took Professor Middlebrooks 202 class this past spring, she personally was one of the worst professors i've had. She is the only professor that teaches 202 for VCU and uses google doc, which is extremely disorganized and unhelpful. If you need the credits for this course I would recommend doing a transfer credit to avoid taking her class.
I took this class because it was required for my major, but let's say I wish I hadn't needed it. Attendance is mandatory, and if you don't show up, you will not pass. There are tons of homework every day on a site that doesn't even work sometimes. Participation matters, and if you don't raise your hand, she looks directly at you.
She is a tough and strict grader. You will have homework due almost every day. I learned a lot from her lectures, and you can tell she's passionate about the material. She goes above and beyond for her students! While it was a difficult course, I ended with an A!
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
8%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.76 avg changeRatings by Course
SPAN205
5.0
(1)WRLD203
5.0
(2)SPAN401
4.5
(2)SPAN101
4.2
(12)101
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
SPA300
5.0
SPANISH101
5.0
SPAN201
5.0
SPAN305
5.0
SPAN301
4.2