New to JMU, Fall '01.

Mor work than other classes. Grades kinda hard. pretty nice

she makes class entertaining sometimes

tough grader, very nice

Nice lady, tough grader, you NEED to follow syllabus, doesnt announce asgmnts

Nice, bubbly, Tests are easy as hell if you just go to class

Not the nicest teacher, decent teacher, tests are easy if you come to class

Hardest grader, tests not too bad, have to go to class

prepare well for your speeches, tests are easy

nice lady-tests kinda hard, have to read, grades speechs real hard, lots of work

She's really sweet! It's easy if you study hard and practice your speeches!

NICE LADY, IMPOSSIBLE TO DO WELL ON SPEECH...SHE WILL GET YOU IF YOU MISS ONE WORD.....TRICKY TESTS....but she is a good teacher!

Excellent teacher! Very helpful. I did great on my final. Highly recommend.

Very sweet person, always smiling and uses good examples but the tests are tricky-READ the book & write down everything she says. Laid back at first but then goes commando with the work!

She's a wonderful lady, very willing to help, but grades very hard. If you're willing to put in the time, she's a good teacher. It is, of course, a gen ed - and gen ed's shouldn't be this hard.

This class is kinda hard. You have to do your work and take good notes. The tests are extreme and you will fail if you don't do well on them.

She gives great clear notes. Just go to class and it's pretty easy. Speeches aren't too bad, just be prepared and know what you need to say. I actaully enjoyed the class

Fun and interesting class. Tests are straight from her notes. Only 3 speeches. Always willing to meet after hours.

Group paper, some hw, some tests. There is a lot of work for this class, but she is really nice. Expects you to pay attention and work hard, but if you do it's not too bad.

Super nice! only 3 speeches and 2 tests. final is cumulative. just do everything in the speech that she talks about and you'll do fine. learn from her comments she gives on the speeches.

Nicest lady in the world. Explains everything really well and likes it when the class gets involved and cracks jokes. Tests aren't too bad, but the speeches are really hard. If you tave her, work on the speeches over and over. Good class overall.

had her fall semester and did great on the standardized (cumulative) final. i feel she prepared us better than the other GCOM instructors prepared their classes. great teaching style for a gen-ed, she makes it easy for u to remember her lectures.

A pretty good teacher, but hard tests and she grades kinda hard on speeches.

great teacher, great course, be sure to study and practice speeches

She talks very quickly, but the class is not hard. Make sure to practice your speeches and study hard for the tests

really nice lady, it's an easy class but she is basically fair but you gotta do your work, she is nice when you go for help

Dr.Nelson is one of the nicest professors! She is very helpful and flexable. I would definately take her class again. She gets to know her students and jokes with us in class.

pretty easy however the tests you must study for or you will not do as well. shes kind of annoying tho

She's a good teacher and gives good examples that related to the material. Always willing to help you. She does grade pretty harsh on the speeches. I thought I aced the speech, only to get a B-. What a kick in the nuts.

She is an Awsome professor! I thought I would hate the class but it ended up going well. She is very nice and clear about what you need to do to get a good grade. She also seemed honestly & really interested in our presentations! - summary- excellent professor bc she can teach! plus great examples.

Everyone i know says they hate their GCOM class but i really liked mine!! Nelson is great! She does grade speeches kind of hard but she tells you what she expects before. Practice and you'll be fine! Tests aren't too bad! I barely studied and got a B+

AWESOME CLASS. GREAT PROF.

Great professor. Makes lecture fun. Tests are standard for GCOM, but she prepares you well. Take this class. Got a B+ with little effort.

Makes the class pretty interesting. Easy enough as long as you go to class and take notes. Tests come mostly from the lectures so the book isn't really necessary (but it still helps every now and then)

One of the best professors I've had at JMU. Has an attendance policy, which hurt me a little, but her class is worth it. Makes class interesting, even for me, and class rarely interests me. Gives you a lot of time to prepare for speeches, however they sometimes require a lot of work. An easy B for me, but I've heard her husband is easier.

AMAZING TEACHER AND PERSON. Take her over Kimsey for this awful research course that is required for Public Relations. Such a sweet woman and always there to help!

Nice, cool teacher. Grades average, easy B, the A takes some work.

she is so sweet, and means really well. Her grading system is a little screwy, but it will all work out in the end. Go to the books website annd take the quizes there. She really encourages class participation, and tries really hard to be funny annd teach at a level that college students will understand.

She's awesome. SOO helpful and clear. Take her if u can. The class is required for PR & eventhough it's a lot of work, she makes it bareable.

great professor, extremely nice and helpful. has an attendance policy, but its pretty lenient in my opinion. she was the only professor i had last semester that actually learned my name, so that was cool. highly suggest taking her for gcom. easy B.

I loooove Dr. Nelson. She knew everyone's name by the end of the first class (a good thing in my opinion) and she always made lectures interesting. the class has been very interactive, and i definitely looked forward to going to it, which is amazing since GCOM's a gen ed. i highly recommend her.

Amazing teacher! Gets you involved, and makes you want to talk and discuss. She's always available....hard attendance policy, but being there is more than worth it. I learned more from this teacher than I did from any of my others this semester. Get her for GCOM, if you have to take the class! She's incredible!

DR. NELSON IS DA****! AWESOME... BETTER THAN MY GCOM TEACHER LAST SEMESTER... ended up taking this class again cause my teacher last semester was a TOTAL **** trying to hit on da girls...so I never went to class. BUT THIS CLASS IS WORTH TAKING EVEN IF ITS A GENED! Dr. Nelson is da BEST!!! She knows what she's teaching. Takes attendence! GREAT!!

Dr. Nelson is great! Survey research is a LOT of work and she will push you almost to your breaking point, but she goes out of her way to help you. Three tests plus a cumulative final(not that bad), labs, and the big survey research project. She is fun and easy to engage, really loves her students and loves survey research! Take her if you can!

Dr. Nelson is a great teacher, always willing to help and support you! I would really suggest her for scom 280 :)

Professor Nelson is great! Her class is really fun, she's the sweetest professor ever! Take her! Prepares you for the tests and speeches well, always, always, ALWAYS willing to help!! Easy B, A takes a little work

Pretty easy class if you actually read the book. I haven't read at all and I struggle with the exams. The group speech is very time-consuming and just sucks. She's a pretty easy grader and is really sweet. Attempts to make the lectures interesting.

I really enjoyed her class. she really tried her best to relate with us, and that was really great. i had a lot of fun and met tons of cool people. its based on 3 midterms, the final, and 2 speeches, one individual and the other group. if you do well on the tests, you do well on the final. she gives study guides. i would recommend her, definitely!

I'm halfway through the semester and find it so much easier than I thought! She is always there to help and although she goes fast through material,if you just read the chapters you can get 100 % on the tests. The research project is not as difficult as it seems if you just keep up with the work. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

If you have the chance to take Dr. Nelson (in any class) TAKE HER. She genuinely cares about her students and is fun to be around. Her 386 is a lot of work, but she helps you every step of the way. Wouldn't recommend taking with another class that's really intensive, it would probably be too much to handle.

Prof. Nelson is just a really great person. She's really cute and considerate, and makes sure she knows everyone the first day. She's very helpful, and makes a pretty boring subject very interesting. She wants you to do well and will help you as much as she can. It's more work than some other sections, but not a ton. I'd DEFINITELY take her again!

Dr. Nelson is a great women and teacher. She really is passionate about her teaching, which is really helpful when you are forced to take gcom. She makes the class interesting and fun. The only downside is that she's a pretty hard grader for the speeches, so you have to make sure you do EVERYTHING the way you're supposed to. But otherwise, GREAT!!!

I'm an SCOM major because I hate math, but Prof Nelson made the statistics involved in this class seem like simple arithmetic. She's so nice and helpful, and you can really tell that she LOVES her job. I'm taking her for as many classes as possible!

If 280 is required for you- TAKE NELSON! She is fun and helpful. She really guides and assists you thru the required year long project. She makes class fun and would add activities to typically boring powerpoints. Started out not as not such a fan but she turned out to be one of my favorite teacher's this semester.

Dr. Nelson is so nice and genuinely wants you to succeed in her class. Her lectures are interesting and she loves when students participate. It's a pretty easy class but you definitely need to study for tests. TAKE HER, you won't regret it!

She is a fantastic professor! Always happy to be there and always willing to help you. She gives lots of resources and really wants to see you succeed.

Dr. Nelson is a really nice lady, does her best to make sure you do well. Emails back quickly and is friendly and flexible. The speeches suck, and if you hate GCOM it definitely won't be your favorite class, but if you have to take it, take her. Bottom line: great professor, boring subject.

Very nice teacher.

Professor Nelson is FANTASTIC! She made what I thought would be a boring gen-ed into a fun and interesting class. She has a way of lecturing that feels more like talking to a friend than listening to a professor. She is super helpful and approachable. LOVED HER AND THIS CLASS!

Is a lot of work! Takes a lot of time preparing the speeches, reading the textbook, and learning the terms. But she's a good professor and knows what she's talking about! Is super sweet and take advantage of her office hours because they're extremely helpful

LOVE Dr. Nelson! She's a very nice lady, but she means business. If you're not willing to take GCOM at least mildly seriously, this class isn't for you. BUT, if you can put in the time it takes to prepare for speeches and tests, then she's a great pick for a professor. She's very easy to talk to, and it is obvious she wants students to do well.

Dr. Nelson is a great professor. She is very funny and knows all her students by there full name. Her lectures are very interactive and she always has a powerpoint. Speeches are easy if you put the work in and you get a lot of feedback. Her tests are tricky but I definitely recommend this class with Nelson.

Dr. Nelson is a great professor! Her lectures are nearly word for word for what you need to know for the test(easy and only 2 not including final). I hate public speaking, but her lectures were very enjoyable. Only downside is she makes you do 3 speeches, not 2 like most other teachers. Speeches are majority of grade. Defiantly recommend taking her

Dr. Nelson is the best GCOM professor. Lectures are fun & the speeches weren't bad. She makes you feel super comfortable & encourages class unity & support. She loves teaching & will do everything to help you succeed if you ask! Go to her before speeches, practice, & study before tests and you will do fine. Bonus you don't have to read the textbook

She really takes the time to get to know the students and gives great feedback for your presentations. The tests can be difficult but if you pay attention in class and skim the textbook chapters it's not too bad. Great woman, I would take her for more classes if possible!

Dr. Nelson is one of my favorite professors this semester. She is so friendly and will help you with your speeches. As long as you put in just a little bit of work, you will do fine on your speeches.

Professor Nelson is awesome! I was never good with public speaking but she made me feel completely comfortable. Her lectures are interesting and interactive and her tests are easy as long as you study. She is always willing to help her students with anything they need, and she just really seemed to enjoy teaching every class.

She honestly cares for each one of her students. If you ever have a problem, stop by office hours and she is more than willing to help you out. She is one of the sweetest people I know. Her lectures aren't boring either.

Dr. Nelson is a really sweet lady, and she's also really kind and caring. She was always willing to look over speeches before we gave them to make sure they were on the right track, and she graded pretty generously. Really enjoyed her class.

TAKE THIS CLASS!! She is one of the nicest professors on campus, she genuinely cares about all of her students and about how she can make the content relatable to them. There are clear expectations are set at the start of the semester and if you put effort into your speeches and tests, which are vocabulary based (gives study guide) you'll do fine.

Nelson is awesome! She gives explicit hints in class about what will be on the tests. There is stuff on the tests from the book that she won't go over, but the book is an easy read and can get answers from skimming. Do the study guides and you'll be fine. I felt very comfortable doing speeches. TAKE HER!!

Nelson's lectures are very energetic and her examples are very interesting. She is a fair grader and gives good feedback on your speeches.

This is not an easy A! Dr. Nelson is SUCH a nice lady, but she will make you work for your grade. The tests were fairly difficult, but that's with all SCOM because its such a weird subject and they all seem right. There's a lot of work for speeches, but its entirely doable. She doesn't give many lectures so you have to read, but only for tests.

Dr. Nelson is a professor who really cares about her students. I constantly was struggling to turn in assignments in on time and she was able to form a plan for me to turn in these assignments. She is more than willing to help and loves a good conversation!

3 speeches and 3 exams throughout semester. attendance is taken and powerpoints in class are important for success in the class. very funny, understanding, and caring professor.

Dr. Nelson cares about her students. Individual SCOM was nerve wracking, but she is there no matter what you need. I have not had a better professor for anything at JMU yet.

Dr. Nelson is the GOAT. She provides you with helpful online lectures and quick feedback on assignments. I would absolutely take her again for another class.

She did not teach you how or what to write your speeches on which was frustrating. Shes a nice lady, but her niceness got annoying sometimes

Professor Nelson was the best professor I could have asked for in this course! Her classes are lecture heavy, but she tries her best to make them interesting and engaging. Her class consists of three speeches, and as long as you follow the rubric, you'll do well! Study vocab for exams and it won't be hard to get an A! Such a sweet lady, take her!

Amazing professor. Really knows the topic and cares about her students. My dog died the day before I was supposed to give a speech and she was very understanding. Responded to my email right away and let me give the speech the next week. One of the most caring professors I have ever had. Keeps students interested and engaged.

Dr. Nelson is an amazing person and professor! She genuinely cares for her students and wants them to succeed and improve on speeches. The material can seem obvious at times, but she is super funny and tries to make class fun. She knew all of our names and made us all feel really comfortable in the classroom.

Dr. Nelson is a great professor! She is super picky about speech outline notations and grades speeches fairly tough. Despite this, she makes herself available to provide feedback on speech outlines beforehand and really wants her students to succeed. She has great lectures, but I definitely recommend reading the textbook.

Loved Nelson! She can be a picky grader, but she is an amazing woman who cares about her students. Attendance is mandatory, but you get 4 absences before your grade is deducted. Tests are all MC. Do not procrastinate! After the first speech, you get a lot more freedom with deadlines on the steps before, so try not to wait until last minute.

Dr. Nelson is the sweetest woman ever. She cares about her students and talks to us like we're all friends of hers. She so kind, helpful and funny too. Her grading is very clear and she is helpful at creating a comfortable public speaking environment. She talks fast in her lectures but you can always ask questions. only 2 exams, just study!

Dr. Nelson is the absolute best choice for 242. She cares for all of her students like her own kids. She's super kind&understands public speaking is stressful. You won't be disappointed taking ANY class with her. I absolutely love her& she truly cares about students. 242 has 5 speeches but you get to pick your topic and her feedback is helpful

This class feels like high school! My classmates and I have all become friends thanks to Prof Nelson's friendly environment. She makes public speaking painless. 5 speeches & 2 tests including other small assignments. She also gives encouraging feedback and is a kind grader. I love this class so much def take her :)

She's great! Lectures can be a bit boring but she's very knowledgeable about what she teaches and is a very caring professor. Definitely grades papers a bit tough, but always willing to help with assignments.

professor nelson is by far my favorite professor in the scom department :) her classroom environment is so fun and engaged but only if you want to participate! if you pay attention her exams and papers are easy. the two papers that we did have were fun!! love her

This class is wonderful. Public speaking can suck, but she helps it suck a bit less. The environment is relaxed and non-judgmental. You really get to know your classmates. She provides great feedback and tips about public speaking. Obviously, speeches take time to practice to be good, but that's true for any speech class. She teaches speaking well!

Dr. Nelson is a great professor. The course content is very boring, but that isn't her fault. Our class got so close by the end of the semester. Great atmosphere and class culture. Overall, solid choice for SCOM 242. I became so much better at public speaking!

Prof Nelson is my actual favorite professor at JMU. She really cares about her students and getting to know them. I was scared of presentational speaking but she made me feel like I could do it and made me better at presenting. I absolutely adored her and would take her class again. TAKE HER she will amaze you!!!!

My favorite professor at JMU. So nice and makes class fun. TAKE HER! Class environment was really good and made presentation days not as nerve-racking.

MY QUEENNNN TAKE HER SHE IS AWESOME

If you want an easy A, take interpersonal with Dr. Nelson. Tests are online during class time, theres one group presentation, and you have to present one small thing for the study guides. The most confusing part of the class was the study guides, but after the first one its really easy. Learned a lot and even enjoyed class!

The professor is great - she makes public speaking less daunting and cultivates a friendly, supportive class environment. Though the content can be dry, the professor's feedback is invaluable. unstuck AI was a game-changer for my speech prep.

Ms. Nelson is awesome—super funny and connects really well with students. There are 5 speeches, and if you're not ready, she'll let you go next class. She's not a tough grader and makes you feel comfortable. There are 2 online exams at home. Overall, she's the best teacher I've had and makes class fun every day.

She is awesome. I'd argue her attendance policy is a little unfair as you're given 4 absent days before you lose 5% of your final grade per absence, but she makes up for it by being extremely genuine and caring about your success. Presentations can get a little overwhelming if you wait till the last minute but course work is manageable.