2.3
Quality3.2
Difficulty32%
Would Retake96
Reviews32%
Would Retake
96
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
96 total ratings5
9
4
11
3
20
2
22
1
34
What Students Say
“For the love of god do not take paula cole”
ECON1010 - 1.0 rating“120 kids in my class, about 70 attend each time, which shows you how bad her lectures are”
ECON1020 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
53%
Textbook Required
57%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.07 avg changeRatings by Course
ECON2280
3.0
(7)FSEM1111
2.6
(9)ECON1020
2.4
(67)ECON1010
2.2
(6)ECON2710
2.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
ECON10204
5.0
ECON2400
4.0
ECON1010
4.0
ECON2280
3.6
ECON1020
3.1
Reviews (95)
Uses a lot of examples in class and isn't too bad of a prof. Relys almost totally on the book, you read and learn yourself, she "touches" more difficult topics in class. If you don't read don't take her, there's much better ECON teachers.
She is a great teacher. Really tough but she makes sure you are prepared for tests. She doesn't let her personal opinion get in the way of her teaching. Very unbiased and a great overall teacher
......
She was a great lecturer and very clear. No need to read the book she basically explains everything in it. She grades way too hard and her tests are difficult. No study guide or guidance at all for the midterm nor final. Only take if you have a grip already on economics..
Not the best teacher out there, but not bad. Lectures were pretty dry and not very interesting. Readings are assigned each class but are never tested.
!! the worst
Professor Cole does a very good job of giving examples to clarify economic terms and situations. I felt like I learned a lot in her class and I'm succeeding in Econ 1030 as a result. I recommend her!
Gives a lot of examples, really understand econ, but it takes her forever to grade things, and is a very tough grader.
Do not take her Freshmen Seminar class, "Diversity in the Workplace" Overall boring class with unrealistic teaching styles and work.
Nice and helpful lady however do not take her Freshmen Seminar class, "Diversity in the Workplace". It take her 3 weeks to grade our first paper and another 3 weeks to grade our midterm.
Uses forever to grade assignments and test, show minimal interest in helping students outside of class, comes late to class and generally not on top of things. Late to post required readings which lead to 13 readings expected for one class. Do not take her!
I had no econ experience and prof cole's class was very confusing and difficult. the notes in class made topics appear easy, but assignments and tests were very difficult and took FOREVER to grade. the grade is based out of 1000 points...400 is hw and 600 is tests.
three words: avoid avoid AVOID!
Takes forever to grade assignments. Has a particular love for feminist economics and made what was supposed to be a labor econ class into half labor econ and half feminist economic. Do not take if you don't have interest in that field or expect assignments back. Also absolutely loves to do group work in class every day.
DO NOT, DO NOT take her fsem called "diversity in the workplace". She talks nothing of diversity, all she talks about is economics and it's not even that good of a lecture She is a feminist and she's a big fan of gender issues especially why men earn more than women. DO NOT TAKE ANY OF HER CLASSES, YOU WILL REGRET BECAUSE SHE IS A HORRIBLE TEACHER
SAVE YOURSELF BY AVOIDING HER AND NOT TAKING ANY CLASSES FROM HER THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE 4 YEARS OF YOUR LIFE AT DU.
Paula Cole is a boring teacher. She knows what she is talking about and does a good job of providing examples, but that does not make up for her very dry lectures. You dont need to do any of the readings (especially blackboard) everything on the test you discuss in class. She is perpetually out of breath and late to class. I would avoid this one.
She knows what she's talking about but thats about the only thing good about her. She isn't the best at explaining things and she is such a boring lecturer its impossible to stay awake.
Good teacher. She made the subject easy to understand. I had never taken econ before and she made the class interesting and understandable. Don't worry about doing the blackboard readings though, they're not tested.
A terrible teacher who knows very little about varying economic schools of thought. Obsesses over groles in society, leaving with no new economic knowledge. You don't want to take any of her classes
Professor Cole took far too long to grade assignments, and once I finally got them back, her feedback was not helpful, and her grading seemed somewhat arbitrary. Additionally, she didn't tie the assigned readings into the lecture well at all. She just assumed that we were making the connections on our own. I wouldn't recommend her class.
Bad teacher. Not clear. She understands the material but is not great at conveying that information to her students.
Paula is chill, but her lectures could be the most boring things in the world. If you study hard for the exams and pair up with smarter students for the online quizzes, you should have no trouble getting an A.
I hated this class!
Very easy grader. If you show up and do the readings you'll be fine. She's not very helpful when it comes to additional help. She also depends highly on her teacher assistant. It's also a very boring class. Her class notes are the exact same as the textbook reading. I felt there wasn't any point to show up to class. She is nice and understanding.
Dr. Cole is really great. She is a little eccentric, but she is a nice lady who is passionate about what she teaches. As long as you show up to class regularly and participate in discussion she will love you. I have taken 3 classes with her, and she has been great every time.
Probably the worst teacher I've ever had. She unnecessarily is a tough grader on the assignments and doesn't provide any feedback. Her lectures are plagued with bias and honestly a lot of ignorance. She is extremely left-winged and her course agenda and readings will reflect this bias. Avoid her class.
As a Professor, she is NOT GOOD AT TEACHING at all.
Prof. Cole was really hard to understand and she had a condescending way of teaching. Her lectures were dry and all she did was read straight from the powerpoint. Nothing engaging and the tests were unfairly difficult.
DU seriously needs to let this lady go. She has no clue how to teach, has almost no structure to her class, and can't even answer a simple question clearly. The ONLY point in going to class is the occasional participation assignment. In fact, if someone you know likes her, just let that person fade out of your life, because somethings really wrong.
Class is tough. I would suggest going with another ECON1020 teachers.
Notes on notes on notes. You can get her lecture notes online but she'll do the occasional participation activity to make sure people actually show up. Class is really boring and tests are fair but difficult.
Paula Cole is one of the most inept teacher I have ever had. This includes teachers from as far back as middle school. A majority of the reviews here do not do justice to the in complete incompetence of Paula. Paula wastes time on easy topics, blabbering on about obvious phenomenon. Paula then breezes through more difficult topics.
Cole is easily the worst professor I have had at DU. When you go to her office hours she doesn't even help you, but simply says "Figuratively speaking I can not help you with any test questions" Her lectures are long and boring and she reads directly off the slides. Test are hard and she assigns three quizzes the week of the test. AVOID at all cost
WORST professor I have had at DU. Do not take her, ever.
Best advice: go to both TA office hours for EVERY assignment that is due. Just because you think you understood the assigment and completed it well there is specific things she is looking for. Plus the TAs grade the assignments
Probably the worst teacher I've ever had. She reads directly from her power point. Only reason to go to class is the daily assignments. Few tests, but hard. She also won't grade anything in a timely fashion. Take ANY other teacher for ECON 1020.
If you can do lecture classes, Dr. Cole will really be right up your alley. However, she tends to just give the definition without ever explaining how that relates to you, doesn't grade things timely, and is overall really boring. Would advise against the class, or take it when you'll be wide awake. She's nice, great economist, poor teacher.
If you have to take Econ1020, do not take it with Paula Cole. Unless you like sitting in extremely long lectures where she simply reads off her slides and does not answer questions in a helpful manner at all, this is not the class for you. HER CLASS IS SO BORING AND HARD TO GET AN A... DO NOT TAKE
Take this class if you want to teach yourself everything. It's super boring and she only reads from the power point. The only nice thing about the class is that since it was so large, she didnt take attendence but instead had 1 classwork assignment that youd automatically get 10/10 if you do one/somene writes your name on their paper.
She isn't very clear at all. Dr. Cole has a knack for taking concepts that should be relatively straight forward, and making them very confusing and time confusing. . Overall she was pretty awful at conveying the material. Also slowest grader. During week 10 we still had 150 points still to be graded... some from week 2.
She took too long to grade assignments. Class consists of her reading directly from her Powerpoint presentations and classes feel very long and uninspiring. The textbook is not really necessary. Avoid taking Econ 1020 with this professor
Her lectures are very boring and nothing she teaches sticks.
Don't take this class unless you don't want to know what your grade is until week 8. Also, don't expect to have an unbiased lecture, as her loathing feminist hatred for men will undoubtedly shine through. I've never had a professor that made me wish I never went to this school, but Paula Cole has once again changed my mind
She's miserable, I would do anything you can not to take her class. The lectures consist of her reading of the slides and that's it. She doesn't keep the class engaged, has extremely hard tests, and her study guides do not prepare you at all. This class has caused a massive drop in my GPA, would not recommend her at all
She accuses students of cheating or plagiarism too often. She does not grade papers at a timely matter. I did not know where my grade stood until Week 9. This is not great if you're planning to drop the course. Participation and in-class work is vital to her, however, it is not accounted for in your grade. I really did like this topic, but not her.
Currently week 9 and still don't have my week 3 paper. Make sure to go to office hours.
Google concepts and you'll learn them in 5 minutes, when it takes her 2 hours to poorly explain the same thing. 120 kids in my class, about 70 attend each time, which shows you how bad her lectures are. She also seems weirdly suspicious that everyone's cheating, which is really uncomfortable when she's breathing down your neck while you're testing.
Lectures were long and boring. Had no interest in Economics before, during or after this class. Takes forever to grade, but she did curve our grade at the end of the quarter.
not tough if you try. she gives out review material for tests so put in work on those and you'll be ok. a couple essays which can be cranked out the night before they're due. she gives in class work so you kinda have to be there. its a good idea to look in the textbook
The worst professor I have taken at DU so far!!! Avoid her class at all costs. Her lectures are very long and boring. She basically just reads of the power points, which she copies from the textbook. She takes forever to grade assignments. Go to her TA's office hours if you want to pass her class. She's no help!! Her exams are very difficult.
Had better middle school teachers. Reads off her slides and doesn't what she's talking about. No real-life experience.
I had Dr. Cole for my FSEM class and I thought she was a good teacher. She made calss extremely easy because it was service based. I have heard otherwise about her ECON classes however. Beware, she is very lecture heavy and moves quickly. But I didn't have encon w her SO idk. But other than that she is a swell gal and really cares about students
Dr. Coles class was EXTREMELY easy. Every class is either lecture or discussion based. If you miss a class, you won't miss any content. Dr. Cole speaks very quietly and her lectures are quite boring. She takes forever to give you back grades. The only good part about her class was that it was service based which was fun but took up a lot of time.
Avoid taking any of her classes. Her classes are extremely boring, she is an extremely tough grader, and her attitude towards the students is horrible. She feels the need to take attendance on tophat throughout her classes multiple times. There are very little assignments but they are worth a lot!
This is her area of expertise and it is so apparent. She loves the topic and teaches it well, engages students with each other during class and provides videos and other alternate teaching forms than just lecturing.
This is one of the worst professor at DU. If you care about GPA do not take her class. This class will ruin your gpa. She takes forever to grade and she gives small assignments that weight way too much. She takes the longest to grade, and it sucks because it ruins people's grade. I will never take any of her classes again!
For the love of god do not take paula cole. I don't care if you are trying to get out of 8 am's don't do this to yourself.
She only teaches in lectures and does not have a very engaging voice, so make sure you're not tired before class, otherwise you get a nice nap in the middle of the day.
Bland. That's about it. Not hard; just bland.
You'll find yourself laughing at and with her in class and she is relatively engaging. Her homework is fine but its the only thing that will get you by. Her tests would be easy but studying for them is nearly impossible because there are so many concepts but she only puts a few on the test and they are never in a comprehendible way.
Paula Cole is the most boring lecturer I have ever had. It is really hard to pay attention in class because she's so boring. She takes forever to grade, but generally, her class is not very hard. One of the better Econ teachers but still pretty bad.
Very boring lectures and uninspiring overall. There a decent amount of work associated with the class but its not too bad if you stay on top of it. She goes over all the readings in class so you don't really have to do that except for when reviewing. Just incredibly boring and not the nicest person.
Freshman in DCB seem to think any econ class is extremely hard. This is entirely false. Just because they struggle doesn't mean the teacher is bad. Dr. Cole is an okay teacher. The class was not challenging but went over some interesting topics. Take this class for an easy econ elective. She is a nice and is available outside of class.
Stresses frequently the importance of gender economics.
Horrible professor. Didn't grade an assignment from week 3 until week 10. Avoid taking this class with her at all costs. Every class is a long, boring lecture. Not a difficult class, but some of the homework she assigns is unnecessarily long. Overall very poor planned and grading is untimely.
Overall, nice professor. A lot of in-class discussions and free writes. A lot of assigned reading and writing. Just show up to class, add to the discussion, and turn assignments in on time and you'll be fine. Doesn't grade efficiently though, so be prepared to not know how you're doing in class until the end of the year.
Overall professor Cole did a good job of teaching an introductory level economics course. There are some relatively tough concepts that she simplified and taught well. However, she takes FOREVER to grade and makes false promises and giving back assignments. She keeps referring to gender economics when not necessary. Not the most reliable, but fine.
Easy class and good professor.
This FSEM was not at all what I expected. There is a mandatory-service learning component which was not in the description. Although the service wasn't bad, it did take up a decent amount of time. Class is incredibly boring and a lot of what we talk about seems random. The papers are not hard, but they're boring. She takes forever to grade.
Dr. Cole is very good at simplifying the harder to understand topics and knows how to effectively teach the class. My one complaint is that she has VERY strict email requirements, and if you don't follow them perfectly, she will ignore your emails. So be sure to format any emails to her the "right" way if you want to hear back from her at all.
She's not the most engaging in lectures but if you show up to class and pay attention you will pass. She's a very fair grader and gives a lot of opportunities to revise and resubmit work. If you have an issue it may be easier to just go to her office hours rather than emailing.
Paula's a pretty good teacher. Her tests are easy if you pay attention, and you don't really need to read the text. There's three tests and two assignments, but she seems to change her mind on what she wants for the assignments. She's always available for feedback and questions. However, she only gives one viewpoint of econ, not very well rounded.
I love Dr. Cole! She is by far the best professor I've had. She is so caring and helpful outside of class. Also very encouraging when you don't grasp the topic. She wants to help you learn. Definitely would take again!!!
I had Dr. Cole for my FSEM and honestly the class was great. It wasn't exactly what i expected when i signed up for it but it ended up being a fine class. I learned a lot, and she's super nice about grades so as long as you turn stuff in your grade will be fine. also, don't be scared of the required community engagement (service) bc its easy to do
Pretty easy class if you do the work. Nice teacher and relatively easy grader.
lectures at the screen the whole class we never do anything engaging
While Dr. Cole's lectures can sometimes be a bit boring to sit through, she is always willing to answer any questions you have. She is an easy grader and gives plenty of opportunities to make up work and to even get work done in class. She is willing to extend deadlines and provides extra credit opportunities. Easy A if you do the reading.
As a student who participates this is by far one of the most obnoxious professors I have ever had. If you do not agree with her liberal views you will be shunned. She is deeply rooted in her beliefs even though they are not factual. In addition to this she is very sarcastic and condescending. I would avoid if possible despite an easy class.
Professor Cole never contributes anything but her woke agenda. She pushes political narratives in otherwise non-political classes. She is an awful grader and takes weeks to grade even the smallest assignments. I have seen high-school substitutes more effective than her. Would highly recommend you do not take this class.
Paula is a terrible prof! She goes on about feminism and liberalism. Nobody cares and it doesn't relate to econ. That said, her TA grades the work and you get makeups. So if you don't finish the course with an A, you didn't put in any work. I didn't learn a single thing in this class, but the easiest A you'll ever earn if you sit through her crap.
The lectures were very boring and unengaging. Didn't learn much about economics but very easy class. Don't recommend buying the book for this class, look up online and save your money the readings are "required" but not really. Grade depended mainly on 2 essays that were fairly easy and then a reflection for the final. The Final was asynchronous.
Dr. Cole does not respond to emails or attend office hours. She pretends to care about students but does nothing to help them outside class. Very little lecture time, it is almost all group work where students present. This would not be an issue if she were available outside of class bur she is not
Awful class, very lecture heavy but no actual substance taught. Did not even come close to covering some of the material I learned in high school economics. Class of 45 would regularly be around 10-15 during class.
Professor Coles's econ class is essentially a joke. We talk about the wage gap and her personal opinions for basically the entire quarter. The only reason I would take this class is you actually don't have to show up to class AT ALL. I have an A and have gone three times lmao.
Just lectured at front about random economic theory's. Did not go into any depth and was extremely dry. Avoid this professor as much as possible.
Dr. Cole is very nice, but I don't think that I learned a thing in class. We painted an elementary school playground and none of the lectures referred to what the topic of the class was. Very easy class though, with barely any homework, and only one final paper which was a group report talking about the painting. Every class took the whole 2 hours
Terrible class and teacher. I like economics and the material covered was so baselevel we covered it in one day in high school. Avoid class and teacher at all costs.
Professor Cole is a very nice person but the class is so boring. It's all lecture for two hours. There's no exams or quizzes which is nice, and we only had three writing assignments which aren't graded harshly. It's a pretty easy class overall.
I was actually interested in economics when I registered for this class. Prof Cole. Seems uninterested and tired as she gives a lecture. This is a 50-person class and averages a 9-person attendance. Take another Econ professor. Paula is a pretty terrible professor.
Dr. Cole is a nice person, but not a good teacher. Class is EXTREMELY boring: 2 hour lectures of her reading off of her computer in a very monotonous voice. The class is mainly graded on 3 writing assignments. Also, Dr. Cole didn't show up to office hours sometimes??? This class is extremely boring, but it is also pretty easy so don't rule it out.
Boring lectures, but an easy A if you just show up. Textbook is mostly skippable - use unstuck study and a few key resources instead. Overall, a painless class if you don't mind the lack of depth.
Cole was a really easy teacher, there are participation activities that add up to a total of 100 points and shes a really easy grader for the 3 writing assignments that we have, the writing assignments are also really easy. Attendance is supposedly mandatory but she never takes attendance and the whole lecture is posted after class.
Dr.Cole is a great professor, and you can tell she knows what she's talking about. Her lectures are sometimes as dull as they can get, but so is economics. Her assignments are easy if you pay attention, but she has few assignments, so if you don't turn something in, your grade will take a hit. I would take another one of her classes.
Easy class. Mostly reads the slides. Does know what she's talking about. Participation points can be earned, and can be done outside of the classroom. Most of the time, there were only 5-10 students in the class since she didn't take attendance. Don't buy the required book; really easy to find online.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
53%
Textbook Required
57%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.07 avg changeRatings by Course
ECON2280
3.0
(7)FSEM1111
2.6
(9)ECON1020
2.4
(67)ECON1010
2.2
(6)ECON2710
2.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
ECON10204
5.0
ECON2400
4.0
ECON1010
4.0
ECON2280
3.6
ECON1020
3.1