2.3
Quality4.1
Difficulty30%
Would Retake97
Reviews30%
Would Retake
97
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
15
4
10
3
19
2
25
1
28
What Students Say
“I've made an account just for this teacher, this teacher is by far the worst I have experienced here at Valencia”
ECS1000 - 1.0 rating“The worst professor I've ever seen”
ESC1000 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
90%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.31 avg changeRatings by Course
GLY1001ONLINE
5.0
(1)SCIENEART
5.0
(1)201320ESC1000
5.0
(1)OCEANOGRAPHY
4.3
(3)OCEANOGRAP
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
OCE
5.0
SCISECT
5.0
ENVSCI
5.0
ES1561
5.0
ESC101
5.0
Reviews (97)
test questions tend to be difficult, but should not be a problem if you take good notes. you WILL have to read the text for her class. also, she gives out study guides that outline test material. she has worked in the field/extremely knowledgable.
she has worked in the field/extremely knowledgable; but boring as hell!!! it will be the longest one to three hours of your life depending on when and how many days you happen to have her class.
Very knowledgable, but has trouble expressing her ideas to the class. Relies too much on the use of overheads, diagrams, and group discussions. I often wonder if she is there to teach us, or if we are forced to fend for ourselves. Very nice though!
She is boring! She acts as if shes never taught before. She spends WAY too much time on the most mundane topics and will not allow the class to progress unless everyone answers her stupid questions by ourselves. She's the teacher, she should teach us!
Though I agree her telecourse reviews are a bit scattered, I enjoyed them & the class (my favorite). Be sure to read the material (easy) & go to the two 2-hour reviews. She answers via email no problem. I have learned much from this class.
Someone said in another comment thatn Ms. Beck gives studyguides for her tests. Not in my class! She horrible, goes off on tangents, and is so scatterbrained that she'll gives the wrong info a lot. Terrible!
She is unclear as to what to study for tests and quizzes. She is ANAL and puts you in groups like you are in High School again. I WOULD NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!!!
Although I got a B in the telecourse class, I learned absolutely nothing. It is way too much information to take in with any chance of remembering it. And her reviews, what a joke, talks about things that aren't even on the test and actually admits it.
tests are easythey are from quizzes-she thinks shes an english major though and will grade on english rather than the content of your paper (AND my english teacher said BECKS corrections were wrong)
God help you if you don't do HW- it doenst matter that I had a HIGH A everytest obviously proving i knew my stuff- if you dont do home work you get a low B in the class- I didnt do homework b/c she asked critical questions- it took 1hr to do 5 questions!!
Oceanography? Mrs. Beck gives aweful tests. They are suppose to be Chapter exams, but she creates her own questions...not in the chapters. She is disorganized and vain. Students give the right answer, but she waits and waits and then gives us "
In 3 words: Boring, Anal, Annoying! I don't recommend taking her class. Don't even think about asking HER a question b/c SHE WILL ASK YOU THE SAME ONE!
There were quizes every class.The quizes she gave were totaly out of left field like on stuff that we did not cover in class or in the reading. The Homework packets Sucked, and you got one every class. She is the most boring teacher to lisen too.
She once pointed at a globe for 5 minutes straight and then asked us what she was just talking about.Tests are tough and long. and yes the research paper corrections are bs
I don't understand any of these comments! I thought she was awesome! She didn't give study guides, and her tests are difficult (If you don't read over your notes) I got an easy A in this class. There is a lot of work, but it's straight from the book!
This lady is the worst teacher on the face of the planet. She dresses bad, she acts like she's teaching to Harvard Law students even though it's INTO TO OCEANOGRAPHY. If you need a "C" or better or care to learn anything, DO NOT TAKE MS. BECK.
Doesnt really teach as much as have you read and fill out reading guides and go over them in class. Um..thats not teaching folks, thats laziness. Will never just tell you the answer, will ask questions until you figure it out. This is a 1000 class?
She is a horrible teacher. Although I made an A in her class, I would never take her again. She is SOOOO unorganized. You must read the book to do good. She gives daily homework and daily quizzes. no review before tests and the tests cover so much material. good luck if you take her!
Don’t take this class if don't have to. To much h/w and quizzes she is a nice person but boring to listen to. Dresses really bad, its real **** about attendance and tardiness.
The class was online, but the work load was too big. I liked the material and stuck through it, but many people dropped the class.
I took this class online and ended up dropping it. I could care less about earth sciences, yet I had to memorize retarded facts like what type of volcano Mt. St. Helens is. Dont take her class unless you're majoring in science. She needs to be more liberal with the online quiz deadlines.
Very smart teacher, but very scatterbrained. Her explanations are conflicting, and the only way to truly understand the class is to read the book and work with classmates. Quiz every night, and homework assignment everynight. The only positive thing is that all the grades give you a cushion.
she explained stull clearly but quickly. she did give good aplicable examples on the stuff that was hard to understand. the homework was right out of the book and in the same order of the book. the tests were tuff but just study the figures that were given i got an A and enjoyed it
she is a ****!!!! I hate her!!! she gives too much homework, and hard tests! if you hate science and need credits finr urself another teacher buddy!
Lot's of HW but it's not diffucult- right from the text. Tests are only hard if you don't do the work. She is VERY scatterbrained, defensive, and critical of student comments and participation. She wants to know what you think, but wants your comments and explanations to be her words verbatum.
Ok, there is an understanding that teachers should be tough, but damn, have a heart lady. She doesn't help you with anything! I asked her for some extra help and she refused it. She sucks, don't take her! She shouldn't be teaching at Valencia!
Simple case of a teacher that knows her line of work so well...she figures everyone else should take it on just as easy. To be fair, it's not hard to pass her class...but an A is pushing it. Lots of homework is a good thing, because that's how you're going to pass, the tests are rediculous.
This professor is completely full of herself and is an absolute ****. If you take her class you will be signing up for a semester of meaningless information that she takes way to seriously. Its rocks you pyscho. She is the worst teacher i have ever had.
Nice professor & interesting class. She knows what she is talking about. I had her class the semester before last; not sure why ppl don't seem to like her. Granted there is a quiz each week (online) and does assign homework. Overall, it really wasn't as bad as ppl make it seem. Just read the book!
This class is fun. I liked this class a lot. just do your reading guides, take your online quizes, participate in class, and do good on tests and you should have an easy A.
I took the telecourse, but found Prof.Beck to be quite responsive&helpful to any issue. I'd call her down right friendly.I even pointed out a mistake to her& didn't run into any ego issues, she was always completely helpful.Tests/quizzes were sometimes a drag,I think its due to the material not her.
I took Mary Beck for the Earth Sciences telecourse. She loves geology and that tends to carry over onto how she expects her students to feel about it. She's nice but expects you to know the material. The class isn't that hard, if you read the material and study the questions she gives you for the finals, you should have no problem passing.
She's anal about tardiness-- I've never been more than 10 minutes late to her class, and she's gotten on my case about it. She's also demanding. I will say that she's fairly friendly, but I think she's more of a scientist than a teacher, i.e., poorly organized and overly exacting. Her lectures also tend to expound more than is necessary, giving you information that won't be on the test.
DO NOT Take her! She was very unfair, very difficult to understand!! I studied for all quizzes, final/midterm, and only about 60% of what she said was going to be on the midterm/Final WAS NOT!! She down right lied, and her grading scale was completely unfair!! I should've had a 84 B in her class by the end of the sem. but Didn't. Nuff Said!!
I took her and the class was hard. Do the reading guides, and group work, and Web CT work. Take Class notes and do an outline of the chapters from class. If you show you want to take this class she will help you out. She wants to know why you did not do well on the test. I recomend her highly! She wants to learn how to be a good teacher.
stay away from this class!!! she is way too into this...teaches lessons like it's middle school, and we're all kids...anal to the maximum, doesn't stick with the plans for lessons, scatterbrained, and just plain annoying!
She is very unclear, and does not help one bit, you ask her a question and she tells you to refer to another student. She does not make the class interesting at all. Alot of reading!!! Do not take this class if you are not interested in Earth Science it will be a drag...
DO not take this class ... A LOT of reading and MANY homework ... and all the quizes are unfair ! She is soo boring. I dont recomend this class to anyone
Took Geology online with this professor. She does not provide any additional assistance, when asked. She refers you to another classmate if you need notes. Does not make the class fun at all, nor interesting. Geology covers alot of material and with a professor like this it would be a tough class. DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR..
Too moody. Tries to teach with Socratic method and gets mad when no one answers but then complains at the people who try if they guess wrong. It's oceanography, not philosophy class. Just lecture us. That's why we're taking the class: to learn, not because we already KNOW. Acts like everything is a chore. Really needs to relax.
I would not recommend taking this class if you're looking for an easy A. This is by far the HARDEST class I have had in college yet! There are at least 10 pages of homework every week, and the tests are 15 pages long. She is SO throrough it's ridiculous, and ULTRA disorganized. She knows her stuff, but unless you want to major in geology, stay away
Do not take her class online. She is very disorganized and changes the way she wants things submitted all the time. The homeowrk is ridiculous and takes hours to do, at the same time she gives you group work which again takes forever. She gives you no assistance when you have questions and barely answers your emails. She is a horrible teacher
horrible horribke horrible DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS YOU WILL REGRET IT. worst teacher ever, she does not know how to organize a class. She changes everything in the middle of the semester. You ask a question and she refers you to another class mate or webct help this lady is ridiculous
Terrible. Completely destroyed any enthusiasm I had for oceanography going into the class. Homework was mindless and tedious. Socially inept. Want to learn about oceanography? I wish I could tell you where to go. Want to waste a lot of free time rewriting paragraphs of inane GEOLOGY-based bulls**t out of the textbook? take her class.
Worst teacher EVER. Not only is she so mind numbingly boring that you would chew of your own arm just for the entertainment value, but then she gives you 3 or 4 hours of homework each class. She is difficult if your thinking about taking her class dont.
Everything posted here is true. Worst teacher-didn't have time to learn the material due to exhausting and pointless group projects, just so she can give work and not be involved WHATSOEVER. Administration needs to do something about this useless curriculum, hours upon hours of web searching, hunting and gathering. Waste of my money and time. Sad
I'm not a freak for Earth Science, but I find it more interesting than most other sciences, so I took her online course. If I had to make that choice again, I'd sooner jump in front of a moving train. Many assignments, they're all lengthy, and everything is way more involved than a 1000 level course should be. Group work is a big turnoff esp online
i wouldnt recommend this teacher. she cant admit when shes wrong and shes wrong a lot. she gives you no help and a ton of homework. the tests are soooo hard. lots of silly charts and stuff that you have to do over and over. shes boring but thats not her fault. shes just not willing to help out.
The one good thing about her is that she loves Earth Science. And the biggest problem with her is that she LOVES Earth Science. Unless you plan on becoming a geologist who discovers the next billion barrel oil reserve, avoid her class. Seriously, it would be easier to get an A in astrophysics. I withdrew, wisely.
Ummm... well if you really love spending countless hours doing h.w. and group work.. then take this class... otherwise take an easier professor for an online class. I had an A in the class and my group brought it down to a B due to the fact that alomst everybody dropped out but one, who never turned anything in on time anyway.
Take her if you like to get tons of work but not learn a thing. Take her if you like your quizzes and tests to be so specific that you have to memorize every sentence in the chapter. Take her if you like group projects, you'll need to do about 6 of them. Take her if you like 5 pages of time consuming pointless homework
Ridiculous work load. About every 3 days, an 11 page homework assignment is due. To top it all off, each homework assignment is only worth 5 points!! Plus the group projects don't work well, especially online. Unless you have some serious time on your hands, don't take this class.
DO NOT TAKE THIS PROF. If you want to learn something. She gives a ton of homework and group homework that is useless. Like other say her quizess are extremely hard. She does not ever know how to answer your questions and does not help. The worst thing was for her to become a online teacher cause she can't teach online.TOO much work not enough time
Took her Saturday class in Spring 07. Thought it went well. Boring at times, but it's 8 hours a day of rocks. She obviously has an interest in the subject; there was a lot more to learn in the class than I expected, but I don't recall not getting help if I asked a question. Take the Saturday class - - easiest 3 credits I ever got.
OMG!!! Too much work for an intro course.. Hard quizzes, super hard tests. Every week you have like 5-6 things that are due(quiz, journal entry, self test, assignment, discussions, surveys) plus the ton of pages on online lectures plus the book. Seriously, come on!! DO NOT TAKE CLASS WITH HER!!!.
DO NOT TAKE CLASS WITH HER!Much more work than I could handle..Not an easy prof.
She Gives a ton of work!! If you still wanna work and have a life, DONT take her I repeat DONT TAKE HER!! She does not answer questions. has like 100 page study guides. and has like 3-5 assignments a week including two quizes and not including discussion posts. Horrible Teacher!! STAY AWAY!!
Too much work, and I'm not afraid of work, but it's busy work. I spent about 5-6 hrs. a day on this class. This is the only class I've had that made me physically ill. I loved anything related to Earth before her class, but she fixed that :-(
Man I took the online course, and man!!! She gives you like 3-4 assignments due every week!! She will try to help you, but there is a lot of work. Students BEWARE!!
Good Professor. There is a lot of work, but the syllabus is direct and to the point. I took class online. Take quizzes over to get a 100, have test ahead of time to find answers, journal entry takes a few minutes. The 4 assignments are long, but you can work together and split it up, so you have plenty of time.
Took her online class. Her work is very clear and what is expected of you is crystal clear. Oceanography is a hard subject, so the class wasn't easy, but her grading is more than fair. She responds to e-mails and helps if she can.
This professor was horrible. I took her online class. She gave quiz questions before hand but had trick questions on it! She was very unclear and vague. We were required to do journal entries in which she would take off points for not making it personal. It was more like a creative writing class than earth science! I DO NOT recommend her at all.
So much homework and so much to study. You literally have to learn the whole book. The homework takes at least one full day to complete. Impossible to get everything done if you want to take additional classes. I would never recommend this teacher.
She gave WAAAAAYYYY too much work! I felt like this was an advanced class and I was going to be a geologist or meteorologist or something. You have to read the book from cover to cover and know several details in each chapter. I would not take her again for an online course. This class should have been a breeze. 75% of the class dropped it.
This teacher gave an extreme amount of work. She doesnt answer questions clearly, and decides what SHE thinks is more important to go over, instead of going over what the ENTIRE class doesnt understand. I DO NOT RECCOMEND HER,unless this is the only class your taking. She makes an earth science class so ridiculously hard.Also treated it as a HYBRID
I do not recommend this class at all. The "homework" is ridiculous busy work that involves an inflatable glove, crayons, cutting paper out, and three more hours of complete nonsense that teaches you nothing. It feels like torture more than a science course. (and I love science) DO NOT TAKE
I've never done sooo much work as I have in this class. Not only that, but the work is pretty difficult. Did every single assignment and still got a 79% C. Do not take this class unless this is the only science that's available, even then beware.
She gave too much work. She was very unorganized. I hated the class, but I received an A for this class. I barely studied. I was looking for a class to get an easy A. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS, unless you like teachers that think they know it all, or if you if you want an EASY A!
i took her class about a year ago and got an A. she's kinda crazy and really strict about being ontime, but overall a good teacher. she really wants ppl to understand the material, and durring her office hours she'll work w/ u as long as it takes. dont take her class if ur looking for an easy A. lots of work, but she makes in class projects fun
Took her class online and the amount/size of assignments were huge. Many, many problems with her uploads for testing, as well as course material. This class could have been very interesting, but had to fly thru all assignments to meet deadlines everyweek. Good Luck...
This is my first rating I have ever made for a teacher. I feel as though I could not, skip giving my input seeing how this was one of the worst classes I ever took along with AP Art History in highschool. She literally gives you an assignment of homework for each day of the week. There are many errors in her test, that literally have the wrong answ
This class was extremely difficult. I took it online and the Prof uses PPTs and other websites in conjunction with the book. The test are difficult, the homework and quizzes get multiple chances to get right before submitting. The Mid&Final are on campus (ALL tests use Lockdown, print the PPts b/4..)and getting a hold of her for q's is hard. -.-
This teacher was horrible! Way too much work! everything is so unclear, 7 hours a day spent on her work alone. the tests are faulty, even if you answer right it will still be wrong! DO NOT TAKE HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Way too much work! if you are taking this clas because you have to, please do not take her. She is looking for meteorologists and science experts. Extremely time consuming. problem sets and self quizes are the worst. Tests are unclear and difficult. 'I have not learned anything, instead i have adapted to her deadlines and testng process.
Online class. Good text and helpful PowerPoints. Number of weekly assignments and tests excessive and difficult. Midterm and final taken on campus are long and take a lot review. I do not recommend this class unless you have a lot of time on your hands and can work well on your own.
I had little to no interest in Earth Science when I began this class online, but it opened my eyes quite a bit to some interesting concepts that I had not previously been exposed to. I'm not going to lie, there was a lot of busy work, and some of the instructions were unnecessarily detailed, but you will get an "A" with a little effort.
I highly recommend this class for students that want to learn from a professor that really wants the students to learn. The work load is high, but all assignments power points,tests and quizzes are open book. It’s all about learning.
Professor Beck was one of most nice and helpful teachers I have had in my collegiate career. She is truly out to help you succeed and is very competent in the material. If you are just interested in an easy earth science class, do not take. However, if you are interested in truly learning geology like myself, then this is the course for you!
One of the worst Teachers, I've ever had. She gave a huge work loud out, and cares nothing of your personal life. She expects you to divulge 100% of all your free time to her class. Gives field trips, with mandatory attendance, and rushing you along with very vague and difficult projects that are poorly done. She throws out to sea, without a paddle
AVOID AT ALL COSTS! Class was extremely disorganized and confusing. You have no idea what is going on from day one because she does NOT follow the syllabus at all. Quizzes and exams are insanely hard, so hard in fact that she gives you the questions a week in advance so the class doesn't fail miserably. The final however, will be in class. Nope!
This is the hardest class I have ever taken. Only take this class if you absolutely have to & HATE SATURDAYS! I would literally spend 8 hours a day working on this class and it still would not be enough. GOOD LUCK finding the answers. You have a better chance of winning the LOTTERY!
She give tons of work, however she also gives tons of extra credit opportunities (at the end I received 53 extra credit points). Tests and Quizzes are not hard if you study for them and take good notes. Homework is weighed at 30% while tests are 40%, quizzes are 20%, and 10% for participation. Do not shy away from this class.
Do not take this class unless you want to be overworked and confused! I asked if help or tutoring was available but she said no it's not and couldn't help me. The tests are confusing and impossible to understand and since someone cheated the tests were not open book after that.
For someone who knew they'd have issues with their science credit, this was the best class to take. The tests are still "open book", every single one. The homework is assigned every class but it's easy if you get on a routine. The mineral area is where it gets confusing but she's great with giving help. Never thought I'd pass with an A for science!
Ms. Beck is a joke. Her class is decently easy but she is by far the most unorganized teacher I have ever seen in my life. She talks like she knows a lot but doesn't. Her in class assignments are unhelpful and pointless. Her online tests are from material not from class. She takes field trips that are supposed to but don't count for credit. Waste!!
beware! Must have internet access... Homework took me 3+ hours a week online Test every week yes, you use learnsmart which is (i know it, i think, not sure, dont know) etc classwork is 40% grade The book linked to learnsmart sucks when it comes for helping on hw most Test questionAnswers can be found on google word for word
I vote Professor Beck to be the worst Professor that stepped foot on Valencia Campus. She gives students way to much homework and on top of the homework you will have in class work. The finals is like a ship sailing at night because it will take you all night to complete the finals. Do yourself a favor and keep clear of this class.
I've made an account just for this teacher, this teacher is by far the worst I have experienced here at Valencia. The amount of work she gives you per week is overwhelming. You are assigned a chapter a week, survey questions (66-131), homework with multiply parts, quiz, and a test. The first and last week, you are get 2 chapters.
Don't take it if ur not willing to do the work. There really isn't interaction with her at all, nor is there much help from her on work. All homework/quizzes/test and the book are done through/on the connect website which u need an access code(over $100 dollars) for. To Ace the class is not impossible, but u must have a game-plan and self-disipline
The worst professor I've ever seen. I took this class as face to face but I felt like it was online. Homework, quizzes, tests are online and even the chapters are online. Every week you have to read 6 pages long to understand by yourself a chapter (which is hard) then you need at least 4 hours to complete the homework test and quizz EVERY WEEK.
Professor Beck is good if you can keep up with your work. Homework she gives out is started in class and if you can't finish it all,then can be done with your group or submitted separately next class,HOMEWORK IS 40% OF GRADE. If you mess that up then your gone. Besides that tests are open book online. Textbook is online. Final is in class,Grouptest
I never had contact with her outside the few announcements she added to the online class at the beginning. Everything is through learnsmart/smartbook; it's all automated. She doesn't grade manually or require group discussions, which I liked. Not the prof's fault, but if you don't love earth science take something easier/more interesting than this.
Professor Beck is an okay teacher, but the class and material itself is boring. There is a lot of work for the online part which makes it feel as if your'e doing an online class. The thing is that the group class assignments ARE WORTH 40% OF YOUR ENTIRE GRADE.
While Professor Beck is a nice person, her class was unnecessarily difficult for a 1000-level course. Every week there is a homework, practice quiz, exam and reading assignment due before the class begins. This took me over 2 hours every week. Her classes are boring and in-class work counts for 40% of the grade.
Not exactly an "easy" A but if you put the work in, you can do it. A LOT of reading & assignments each week. 75-100 Qs during thru the reading, then homework, then a practice quiz (around 20 Qs) & then a test (also 20 Qs). SELF PACED tho, so you could finish in about 3-4 weeks. I enjoyed the topics & like the teacher.
Professor Beck's class was extremely easy. Took it during Summer A online and it was a breeze! 1 chapter due every Wednesday and Saturday, which contains the book activity, homework, quiz and test. Will take 3 hours to complete a chapter's work load. Highly recommend her for online, never took her live class!!!
Having this as an online course was manageable, but only if you make a conscious effort to stay on track. Every single week a chapter was due which includes a Learn Smart (70-120 CORRECT answers), a homework assignment, a quiz, and a test. Be prepared to take A LOT of notes. She does allow many attempts, but you must leave yourself enough time!!!
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
90%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.31 avg changeRatings by Course
GLY1001ONLINE
5.0
(1)SCIENEART
5.0
(1)201320ESC1000
5.0
(1)OCEANOGRAPHY
4.3
(3)OCEANOGRAP
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
OCE
5.0
SCISECT
5.0
ENVSCI
5.0
ES1561
5.0
ESC101
5.0