2.9
Quality3.8
Difficulty39%
Would Retake92
Reviews39%
Would Retake
92
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
25
4
13
3
13
2
15
1
26
What Students Say
“Dr Novilla is a nice woman but regrettably a TERRIBLE TEACHER”
HEALTH310 - 3.0 rating“She's brilliant and such a wonderful person”
HEALTH310 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
95%
Textbook Required
10%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.65 avg changeRatings by Course
HLTH330
5.0
(1)HLTH423
4.0
(2)HEALTH310
3.8
(6)HLTH310
3.8
(33)HEALTH314
3.4
(8)Difficulty by Course
HLTH001
5.0
HLTH330
5.0
HEALTH310
4.0
HLTH314
3.9
HLTH466
3.9
Reviews (92)
Prof. Novilla is super nice/sweet but her tests are really ridiculously hard b/c she includes stuff on them that we have never gone over in class, and most of the things she talks about in class never come up on any of the tests. By the end i figured out that it did not matter what i studied, that i would stink on the tests no matter what. it was h
I really enjoyed this class although it wasn't the easiest! Prof. Novilla knows so much and really cares about her students. I found this class to be fun and interesting, but not one you can just wing!
She is an amazing teacher. She is challenging but her test aren't hard if you study the slides and use the book as a supplement. She is one of my favorite teahers...if you take her class you will learn so much! She is a definate plus! Going to class is actually entertaining and she teaches really clearly and works really well with her students!
Len is GREAT! She is one of the really good teachers at BYU i think. She knows her stuff and really cares about her students and incorporates the gospel well. Her tests can be a little tricky, but just study slides and go to class. She teaches very well, and i never got bored once in her class. Take from Novilla!
I absolutely love professor Novilla. One of the most brilliant people I have ever met. She let me come into her office and get extra help while I was struggling. It was a HARD class, but I definitely feel like I learned a lot, and I would definitely take it again. If you are willing to work hard, and want to learn a LOT, take her class.
I honestly didn't enjoy this class. her syllabus is 12 pgs long and impossible to understnad. You have to look in 3 different places just to see info for an assignemt. She is obviously really smart but test students on stuff that you would only know having gone to med school. her tests are hard! it should be taught in med school, not undergrad.
This class was excellent! It really wasn't too difficult. Of course if you have a better health background (Bio, Physiology, Anatomy etc) things are going to be easier. I didn't and I still did well. Study! And you'll do great!
An extremely helpful teacher! She is willing to go out of her way to help any student who is willing to put forth effort! Probably my favorite professor here at BYU... don't pass up the opportunity to take a class from her, you won't regret it!
RUN, RUN far, a horrible teacher!
Dr. Novilla is a very knowledgeable professor with a lot of experience. She is excited about the subject she teaches and she is willing to help anyone who needs it. Her tests are hard and confusing, and lectures are a bit boring, because they are repetative. Write on the board,repeat. Despite the difficulty, I have still learned in this class.
This class is a challenge, but Dr. Novilla is an amazing teacher. She is extremely helpful if you ask and she does a good job explaining difficult concepts. Highly Recommend.
It depends on why you are taking this class. If you are going to medical school or dental school then take chronic disease from her - she is an excellent teacher and will prepare you very well.However, its a PUBLIC HEALTH course and so if you want the public health aspect of chronic disease - risk factors, prevention then take it from someone else
my favorite professor in the health science department! She knows her stuff. The class is challenging (like an upper level college class is supposed to be) and really helps you understand the body and diseases at a level so that later you could explain it! tests are not too bad if you study, extra credit quizzes and she is always willing to help!
Such a great class. i think it was a nice balance between anatomy, physiology and life application. there is a lot of memorization but read the book and look at the lecture slides and you are golden. great class. she knows her stuff!
Wow. If you don't have a life, don't have a wife, don't care about your grades, TAKE HER! :) For the rest of us who have a life, stay away. I regret 100% of the time I spent taking this wasteful class. I am sad that people sacrifice so much to receive this quality of education. What a deception.
DO NOT TAKE IT FROM HER! Tests are IMPOSSIBLE (study hundreds of slides and study guides for 15 hours, and still fail test), lectures make NO SENSE. Not worth your time. postponing graduation is worth it to not take this class from her. makes you think the class is doable, then changes the game after add/drop week. DO NOT BE DECEIVED!
This class is extremely hard! The amount of work that she requires is ridiculous. The tests are almost impossible to do well on even though you can study for weeks/hours. The class is poorly organized and she often wouldn't even get through the lecture and you're left to learn it on your own. If you memorize the book you'll do decently. use the ta!
Dr. Novilla is very smart and highly intelligent than most people I know. Her class is designed for serious and dedicated medical students. Her test are mind boggling.
Great class for premeds. Difficult tests; some questions don't make sense, but others are great--better questions for teaching than most professors use. Lots of physiology, some anatomy, and tons of very specific material about the diseases studied. A challenging, excellent course with some frustrating test questions. Could be better organized.
Take this course from somebody else unless you're premed. It's really that simple. If you're not premed, you're wasting time. If you're premed, this is for you.
She is absolutely brilliant but DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS FROM HER. She talks way above your head, and it doesn't matter how much you study, her tests are impossible. The highest score on the final was C and she didn't curve grades at all. Completely ridiculous and time consuming.
DO NOT take this class. She has good intentions, but Novilla is clueless about how to structure a class. The class is called chronic disease prevention and control, but she makes you learn the entire anatomy and physiology in addition to prevention and control. The amount of information she expects you to comprehend is absurd!
I have no idea why everyone else is saying Dr. Novilla's class is so hard.. It's really not. If you do the readings from the textbook and pay attention in class, the tests are easy. There are sooo many opportunities for extra credit that you can easily get by preparing for class. Yeah, it's tough, but we're college and it's a 300 level course...
Dr. Novilla is definitely one of my favorite professors, but if your not interested in going into medicine, take it from someone else. She is always willing to help though, and I've never meet a professor that cares so much about their students. As far as difficulty, on a scale from HLTH 100 to CHEM 351, it's about right in the middle.
Dr. Novilla does go into detail of anatomy and physiology but if you're a health major why would that bother you? This is your major! Duh! She is very smart, kind, and helpful. I always look forward to class! She brings treats and plans fun activities. I put easiness as 3 because it's not an "easy A" but it's not that bad at all.
Dr Novilla is a nice woman but regrettably a TERRIBLE TEACHER!!!!! Her class was so difficult and for students who are doing public health (which is what this class is for) just STAY AWAY! her tests are impossible,difficult to understand both because of her accent and because she talks to fast and over your head. Only relevant for MED students.
I have to defend Dr. Novilla. Her class is tough, but she is an amazing teacher and person. She knows her stuff and teaches you well. I learned more in her class than in all of my other Public Health classes combined. The class isn't easy but she will personally tutor you and help you succeed. She'll even give you extra credit for getting help!
If you want to take her class, take physiology first, it will be much easier to understand what she's teaching. She's brilliant and such a wonderful person! But it's a lot of work, and if you're a public health major it is NOT worth it.
Mrs. Novilla is a good and caring professor. Studying her slides and making flashcards can get you up to an A- or maybe even an A. In order to ensure an A you will need to take very detailed notes during certain parts of her lecture. Her lectures can seem unorganized but if you read the slides before class you'll be fine. She offers extra credit
BEST Professor ever! Her lectures are fascinating, albeit detailed. If you are pre-med, this class will be your favorite, if not, you might not like the details as much. I thought it was on the medium difficulty side, but she does offer extra credit! You will need to study for 4 tests, and a final, look at slides and study guides! Awesome class!
Dr. Novilla has been the most kind & genuine professor I've had at BYU. She works hard to make sure each student has a clear understanding of the material. She teaches in detail the anatomy and physiology of chronic diseases - and this is absolutely necessary to truly understand a chronic disease. Not an easy A, but definitely doable.
Dr. Novilla cares a ton about students. I love that she cares about humanity in medicine. People say her class is too hard, and it's true that taking physiology would make it much easier. If you read, though, you can figure out. Her tests aren't super easy but she prepares you for them.
Dr. Novilla's class had a lot of potential to be a great class but it was so much work and I feel like I didn't really learn anything. Her tests are impossibly hard honestly it's what I imagine medical school exams are like. If you like ridiculously amounts of work without a great grade take her class.
Dr. Novilla is hands-down one of the kindest profs ever. Meets w/ students individually before every test, cares about your life. Class is physiology-heavy, which I liked but may not be your jam. Tests aren't bad if you study (be ready for the essay portions!) Knows literally everything about chronic disease. I've told everyone to take her class.
Dr. Novilla is AMAZING. She is a harder teacher because she wants you to succeed. If you meet with her outside of class hours she literally gives you the test answers. Don't need the book unless you want to study in-depth for the quizzes (I didn't and still got an A) You will love her and the class!!
Great class by Dr. Novilla. It was VERY challenging, but also very rewarding. Tests are extremely hard but she gives lots of extra credit throughout the semester.
Dr. Novilla is one of the best teachers I have had here. She is so caring and she knows all of her students and really wants them to understand chronic disease. This class is really heavy on the pathophysiology, which can be a bit frustrating because this is a requirement for Public Health. She offers A LOT of extra credit, which is very helpful.
Dr. Novilla's class was amazing! She is genuine and caring, and her lectures are very interesting. She offers lots of extra credit throughout the semester but you have to work for it still. Exams based off the lecture and slides are posted on LearningSuite. Some group projects, so better hope you get paired with good classmates.
Dr. Novilla is by far my favorite professor. I have never met someone more selfless and caring than her. She meets with each student and talks about the class every quarter. She offers lots of extra credit. She knows SO much about chronic diseases and is an amazing teacher. Study the slides and go to the TA reviews. I absolutely loved this class.
Dr. Novilla has to be one of the most caring professors at BYU. She always takes care of the students needs and will push back assignments if necessary. The material is needs to be memorized for the exams, which there are a lot of questions that come from lecture and homework, not as much from the textbook
Dr. Novilla cares more about her students than any other I have ever met. She offers INSANE amounts of extra credit. As an MD she offers valuable insights into the anatomical and physiological side of chronic disease. There is a lot of homework, but its pretty straightforward. TA reviews and the concept mastery checklist will help for tests.
I took this course the 1st semester it was offered at BYU so it was a bit disorganized/directions were often vague. However, Dr. Novilla was flexible if u got confused/made a mistake. Great course for future health providers interested in public health. 2 book reports, 1 long-term group research paper which u present a poster on, grand rounds-style
Nice professor. 4 tests and a final in the class. The first test was pretty easy but the rest are really tough. She uses the whiteboard for most of the class and then posts a huge PowerPoint after with a whole bunch of other things on it so it is difficult to really know what you'll need for the test. QUIZZES ARE EXTRA CREDIT! How cool is that!
Course involves 3 book reviews, a semester-long research project, quizzes, and 3-4 field trips. She is very caring and truly wants you to become a better PH practitioner. Her personal schedule sometimes gets in the way with assignments, so deadlines get pushed back. Some assignments don't have clear criteria, but she isn't a tough grader at all.
Dr. Novilla is one of my favorite professors. Shes so humble and kind and funny and Ive always enjoyed her lectures. Shes very knowledgeable. Ive taken a few classes from her and each has been phenomenal. My only complaint would be that there is some busy work but overall youll learn so much.
Professor Novilla really care about her students! However, her class is hard to follow. You can never be sure what will be on the test or what she actually expects you to learn. I would be cautious taking a class from her again because I was constantly stressed about what I should be learning.
Dr Novilla is super sweet, but I feel like she rarely remembered what she taught us in class. The TA's did basically everything for her, and I felt I was in better hands with the TA than with her. Her tests were moderately hard and she had a lot of free response questions. The quizzes are extra credit which was a life saver.
She is INCREDIBLE. I've never had a professor make her class so applicable to the real world, and she is so willing to help and meet outside of class. She wants to get to know each student, and is willing to help with networking and other opportunities for resume building! Not an easy class, but 100% worth it!
Dr. Novilla is one of my favorite professors. She is so knowledgeable and so kind. Her lectures were very informative and indicative of what would be on the test. She offers a lot of extra credit and opportunities to meet with her outside of class. The course content is also very interesting. I definitely recommend this class!!!
Talks the entire lecture, SOOOOO MUCH BUSY WORK and projects, and it's simple information that I feel like could be taught a lot better in a different way. This is the first rate my professor rating I've ever left. I know she means well, just not my favorite style of teaching at BYU.
LSuite is confusing, hard to find the right readings. Get ready to be constantly reading a book/study for this class. The weekly quiz description doesn't match what's actually being tested on in the quiz and the quizzes are SUPER specific. There's too many TAs for the class; Len doesn't do anything besides lecture. The TAs actually run the class.
The class feels incredibly disorganized and you will never feel like you know what you are supposed to be learning. There is an enormous amount of information she dumps on you with no guide to help you know what to remember. There is a ton of extra credit so getting an A is not too hard, but a very stressful class, I would take from a diff prof.
Honestly, will probably end up with100% in this class, mostly from extra credit, but still hate it. Wanted to love it, but feel so much stress & uncertainty. Guidelines for assignments are scattered & unclear. Lectures are long & heavy & there's no student participation during discussion. TA's seem very disconnected from the prof's expectations.
ALL BUSY WORK! I spent more time doing meaningless/time consuming things for this class than ANY OTHER CLASS ! "easy A" class but you will spend HOURS on assignments that have NOTHING to do with the exam. Yes, you will get an A, but the amount of stress over all 40000 assignments is not worth it. HUGE WASTE OF TIME! If you have a life, do not take!
Wow, this was seriously the worst class I have ever taken at BYU. Dr. Novilla was so unorganized and it was clear that the class was a complete afterthought. The TAs basically do everything. She would not take any feedback from her students and was condescending. So much of lecture time was wasted so that we really weren't learning anything. Awful.
Least favorite teacher of my life. 75 minutes class includes wasted 30 minutes of spiritual thought and 45 minutes of her talking nonstop. she just reads nonstop, doesnt respond to emails. Assignments are hours and hours of reading that you never get quizzed on. Once, my answer quoting the CDC was counted wrong bc it wasnt on her 90+ slide PPT
Waste. Of. Time. 75 minute classes, and I couldnt tell you what we were taught. Whether it was a day literally nothing actually was taught, or a day where she just read her 75 slides+ lectures. Her lectures are worth nothing. All you get is this is what you need to memorize then she moves on. For a class that teaches about hypertension...
Im not on this website a lot, but finals start next week and guess what Dr. Novillas TA sends us in an email a few hours after class? (Note, the email came from her TAs who do all the work, not her) hey class, we forgot to tell you and its not on learning suite but your exam 3 opens tomorrow. Itll be on ... well do a review soon
This site doesnt let me give her a 0/5, dang. Every class feels like a waste of time, but is required to attend. Doesnt teach anything, just tells you what you learn on your own and its NOT at all whats on the test. I dont think she/the TAs know whats on the test, seems so separate from the class
Very nice person, WORST PROF AT BYU. She does not teach what is on the exams. The lectures are a monologue of mostly wasted time. Lots of busy work assignments that also are not what you are tested on. Confusing and clustered slides. Incredibly disorganized and confusing LS page. Very poor at explaining/teaching concepts for exams. JUST DONT.
Very awful class with a ton of unnecessary busy work. Ive never done a review on here but she was so bad I had to write one. The TAs literally run the class but they dont know what they are doing half the time. Dr. Novilla either needs to retire or change her mentally completely because shes an awful teacher.
Although she is really nice and gives you opportunities to meet with her outside of class, I will not be taking another class from her. Classes are a waste of time and she expects you to learn all the material on her own. LS is very disorganized along with her powerpoints. Tests are very stressful because she expects you to know EVERY little detail
NEVER TAKE HER CLASS!!!!! Dr. Novilla was the most disorganized teachers I have ever had. Her lecturesawful- she just blabs on for an hour without teaching. She just throws up all of her knowledge and uses words and phrases you have never learned. She isn't specific about what is on tests underprepared. Id say worse but Im out of characters now.
I agree with pretty much every rant on here. I didnt learn a single thing from her, it was all just grinding and memorizing outside of class. Waste of time.
Its just one of those situations where you put put the right answer on the test, but the professor decides that on that data its the wrong answer because the full-half-moon woke up on the wrong side of computer keyboard and the hard-working TAs cant explain why you got it marked wrong. not worth the frustration, stay away
Dr. Novilla is an extremely busy woman with a ton of responsibilities both at BYU and outside of BYU. However, she cares about her students and is always accessible. Lots of group projects so make sure to get a good group. Overall, she was the right person to teach our capstone class due to her extensive knowledge and experience of PH and PC.
So the class itself is not terribly difficult, but her organization is all over the place and you won't get a clear answer out of her for what to study for. Basically, the TA's will save you, email them ask them to have test reviews and they will go over the actual specifics of what you should be studying for.
Dr Novilla has a kind heart and wants every student to succeed! She loves her students and makes every quiz and exam are straight forward. the class has super interesting material and is about the right amount of work for a 3 credit course. I will definitely take more classes from her!
Literally, never take a class from her. Such a waste of time. I agree with every other rant on here, I learned nothing and her lectures had no direction they were just ramblings that had nothing to do with the tests. Just avoid taking HLTH 314 from her, it'll save you so much time that I wasted. I wish I could rate her and this class with a zero.
Dr. Novilla is THE BEST professor at BYU. I was reading the other ratings and I want to debunk the idea that she is unorganized. She is so organized and very knowledgeable. She is so sweet too and made me feel so safe in her class. She only gives reading quizzes and she gives you two chances for them, and then credit quizzes for extra credit.
Dr. Novilla is an AMAZING professor that really cares about her students. She gives lots of extra credit opportunities to help you get a good grade in her class and is willing to work with you through pretty much anything if you reach out. The material can be challenging, you just need to keep on top of everything and you'll be fine.
Dr. Novilla is one of the nicest people I've ever met but I did not enjoy her class. Her lectures were redundant and her tests were brutal. 12 page study guide for each test. Tests had questions about even the smallest details. I spent tons of time memorizing random facts because it would be on the exam. Lots of extra credit saved my grade.
Dr. Novilla does care about the students but gives lengthy lectures. They give lots of information but she doesn't always answer your questions in a way you'll understand. She offers a TON of extra credit that will save your grade. Tests are lengthy, study guides are LONG, and sometimes filled with information that isn't on the test. Good class.
Literally the NICEST person ever, get to know her outside of class, DO THE EXTRA CREDIT, exams are hard, but again she is the nicest soul. Powerpoints and readings are excessive and not super nessecary, but the group worksheets have a lot of the test questions.
Dr. Novilla is a super sweet and caring professor. She is very compassionate to her students, however, the class itself is chaotic. Very disorganized and you frequently do not know what is going on.
Dr. Novilla is super smart, but a terrible instructor. She would go off about random medical tidbits (and even include them in her slides) and then after about 20 minutes hit us with "But you don't need to know all that." It made it impossible to figure out what was actually going to be tested, and overall, I just would not recommend her at all.
I don't have enough space to write everything I want to in here. So all I'm going to say is take this class from literally anyone else. It took me 6 hours to complete my weekly Monday online lecture and there were super in-depth quizzes about the material before she even went over it, that were closed notes. Never again taking a class from her.
Dr. Novilla is so kind and sweet and she is the smartest professor I have ever had, but this class was very difficult. You will easily get a good grade because there's a million extra credit assignments but all of the exams are long and difficult. The study guides are dense and this feels more like an MCAT prep course than a 3 credit HLTH class
The TA's tried their best, however the tests were so difficult and trying to simple things like environmental factors or social factors felt more subjective than concrete. When she taught it was so confusing and hard to know what was going to be on the test. The homework took so much longer than it should've. Shes nice! Take it from someone else.
I have never had a worse experience in my undergrad. Her class is disorganized to the point that it is difficult to succeed. It feels like she wants to teach a regular lecture-based class and a project-centered class at the same time and they conflict on a daily basis. Expect to pick up a lot of the class's mess with your own out-of-class time.
An extremely disappointing end to my undergrad in public health. It's like she expects every health science student to be pre-med, and for someone who isn't, the class just feels completely pointless and frustrating. She can't decide if it's a project class or a lecture class. Learning Suite is never up to date and I never know what's going on.
Genuinely, she is the worst professor I have ever had during my time at BYU. Novilla wants to teach about medicine rather than public health and does not focus on the integration of public health within healthcare. If I were BYU, I would have her teach a pre-med class instead of this one. Very disappointed this is the last public health required.
She is kind and sweet but the class itself is awful. I have never been in a more unorganized class. Learning suite is never updated and TAs don't really know what is going on. Like other reviews have said, she wants both a project and lecture based course, but it simply doesn't work with the format. Disappointing end to my public health undergrad.
This professor is literally the worst professor I have ever had in my life, I can literally not think of a single good thing to say about her. Horrible that I have to take it from her and only her.
Dr. Novilla is super nice, however, she often has content on the quizzes and tests that was not in her lecture or in the readings. She is both lecture heavy and project heavy. On the projects and assignments there is very little instruction and no rubric. If you can take the class from someone else I would highly suggest doing so.
Dr. Novilla is a great person; very kind and she has something nice to say about everyone. However, this class is a lot of work and pretty disorganized. There's no other choice for HLTH 495, so just check learning suite often to make sure you're not missing anything.
If you are reading this before taking this class, I am sorry but you are probably too late to change your emphasis. This "capstone" honestly makes you wonder what the heck is health science in public health, really regret keeping this emphasis and this class is just super sad to have as a final hurrah for public health
This class was such a waste of time and was so time consuming. But if you are reading this, you probably have to take it anyway. Just pray that you get a good group because you will be working with them the whole semester. Pick a community partner that is easy to work with. 1 midterm, a final paper and some other random assignments/quizzes.
Not sure why she has many bad reviews. She cares about her students and offers lots of extra credit opportunities; one of them includes consulting with her throughout the semester (very helpful). There is a lot of content, but she can simplify it along with her TAs. She is very understanding and is willing to you if you ask.
Very kind professor. Difficult content load but its all relevant and good stuff.
Very nice, but not great at communicating at all. Super boring classes that felt meaningless. Spent most of the semester learning about how to be a good team player. A mandatory class, but oh my goodness was it boring. Also weirdly kind of rude to students.
She is super nice, but not a good teacher. We focused a lot on content that in my opinion doesn't matter. Felt very repetitive of all the other PH courses. Most of the semester is working on your capstone project. Very boring lectures that don't seem applicable. Like I said though, she's super nice.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
95%
Textbook Required
10%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.65 avg changeRatings by Course
HLTH330
5.0
(1)HLTH423
4.0
(2)HEALTH310
3.8
(6)HLTH310
3.8
(33)HEALTH314
3.4
(8)Difficulty by Course
HLTH001
5.0
HLTH330
5.0
HEALTH310
4.0
HLTH314
3.9
HLTH466
3.9