2.5
Quality4.1
Difficulty25%
Would Retake89
Reviews25%
Would Retake
89
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
17
4
11
3
12
2
25
1
24
What Students Say
“She's the worst professor I've ever had”
PHIL1301 - 1.0 rating“Not the best teacher for someone who enjoys learning concepts and the reasoning behind them”
1301 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
85%
Textbook Required
92%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.53 avg changeRatings by Course
PHIL2303
5.0
(1)PHILOSOPHY1301
5.0
(1)PHILO0000
5.0
(1)PHIL2306ETHIC
3.5
(2)PHIL2306
3.1
(16)Difficulty by Course
PLILO1301
5.0
PHIL3306
5.0
PHIL1303
5.0
PHIL1
5.0
PHIL054
5.0
Reviews (89)
She had no idea with what she was teaching. She always seemed so lost. She even admitted it's hard to teach. I do not recommend her to anyone. Pick another professor. I ended up dropping the class because I couldn't stand her.
she is the worst instuctor that i have ever had.
She was an excellent teacher. She was very nice and helpful. If you participate in class, which she allows ample opportunity for, you will do great.
At first, the class was exciting. But 60% of the coursework was all done in the last three weeks of the semester. She taught us at a graduate school level, which she later apologized about. I recommend a professor that isn't as high strung as Susan. The only benefit of taking her class is that it doesn't require a textbook.
If you attend class regularly, do all the quizes and surveys ontime, and answer bonus questinons you should be fine. A bit hard to follow along, but she tries to make it interesting by connecting what she is teaching to things outside the class. Does use blackboard alot.
worst teacher i have ever. she speaks too fast, goes over way to much, expects you to be a philosopher when you have no idea what is going on. you have a quiz due just about everyday and they are hard. mid term and finals are crazy hard. dont take her unless you want to suffer.
Worst Teacher ever... is not helpful,speaks too fast, and very anal about how things are done. Either you do it her way or you she prefers you drop the class.. worst teacher!
she told me to drop the class within the first two weeks and i was working really hard. yea that's a quality teacher. HORRIBLE! avoid her if possible.
Anal, high energy, class is overwhelming at first but stick out the first 2 months and it gets alot easier. Just do everything that she wants. Before class you have to read all these different .pdf's and bring survey's in and stuff. If you do all of the things she wants, you should make a good grade. If you blow stuff of, forget it.
Terrible, terrible teacher. Will talk for literally hours about nothing. Talks are never reflected in tests or quizzes, but are mandatory. Horrendously unorganized. Listening to her is like listening to a 9 year old that picks a random word from a dictionary every breath. Actual coursework is very easy, the hard part is dealing with her whims. F---
She does tend to be a little scatter-brained, but she even admits that she gets easily distracted. At first the class is a bit overwhelming, but if you do what she asks (like any other professor) then you will do well. I was about to drop and she encouraged me to stick it out and I got a B. Definitely not a blow off class, you must make an effort.
DO NOT TAKE HER ONLINE COURSE! It is the most confusing thing ever. You take the Quiz before you watch her 100 min video sessions. She will randomly take down the quizzes (accidentally) before the deadline. Her quizzes are fill in the blank and are NOT directly from the book which leaves answers up to interpretation. VERY UNORGANIZED!! Do Not Take!
This is by far the worst professor I have ever had. DISORGANIZED & INARTICULATE! If spelling and proper grammar are her pet peeves, she needs to hold herself to some standards. Doesn't teach or explain, just reads from a text or notes. Then she gets lost & confused which doesn't help matters. Dissappointing. I was really intersted in taking this.
DO NOT TAKE HER 8 WK DL COURSE. The course from hell.. way too much work.. that is unnecessary. Very unorganized and the class does not have a good flow. She's not all there, really,.... avoid this course
It's difficult for me to understand what she is talking about if SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT SHE IS TALKING ABOUT. Refer to her only as Dr., as in "How did she ever earn the title of Dr.?" A diappointing class. I learned nothing. At least I never have to listen tp hear her whinny, mumbled voice drone on about nothing. I pity anyone that does.
Online quizzes and HW everyday. Even better she doesn't really have to grade anything because she teaches a distance learning class. As a result, she assigns the same work to her lecture class students and has them watch her DL videos in class too. I'm not sure how she managed a degree, in anything.
I am currently taking an the 5.5 week DL class. I knew a summer class would be fast paced, but this is just an excessive work overload. She challenges us to think, but the grading is very,very hard. I suggest you NEVER take this class in 5.5 weeks online. If you do take it during a full sem. And make sure you have a lot of time on your hands!
This is an intro class in a 5.5 week semester. She came back from 6 months off and keeps making mistakes. Her mistakes cost us. She holds us all to standards she does not live up to. She constantly makes spelling and grammatical errors in presentations, yet she counts off when we do the same. DO NOT TAKE HER!!
She taught online & in classroom. Had to have online students come to review (first one she has ever done). Takes pride in how difficult her classes are instead of actually trying to teach. First 2 weeks in class students watched videos/audio she made for online students. Um we didn't sign up for online. Find a different teacher not worth the $$.
Even though I will make an A, I don't really recommend this Prof to ANYONE. SHe is disorganized at times and is demanding of her many rules with Blackboard. First week of class is overwhelming with RULES and where to go to find assignments. Extra Credits helped me to get my A-. TESTs ARE HARD. "Previews" are very demanding. NOT RECOMMENDED. SORRY.
PROS: SOME EXTRA CREDIT. CONS: everything about this class. I am a 3.7 GPA student and I could not follow this class. Her teaching style did not suit me, but it may suit other students. U MUST ATTEND CLASS TO GET A- Be prepared to work you behind off!!! BEWARE. GOD LUCK...you'll need it
I generally take the negative comments on this site with a grain of salt, but you can believe the posts about this teacher. Save yourself, and your interest in philosophy a lot of heartache and take someone else. She is always making excuses for herself, and saying she is tweaking her lesson plan -- she has a long way to go, give her some time.
OMG! I have better than a 3.7 GPA at ACC and I am a good student.I made an A is this class by the way! So, with that said, DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS WITH ALVARADO! A: She is a bad teacher. B: She has TOO many rules you must follow. C: She is a bad teacher with many crazy rules. How's that for a modus ponens! Oh, Alvarado, is this not in the right form
I agree with all the comments about Alvarado not being the best teacher. I strongly agree and strongly recommend to EVERY STUDENT: TAKE ANOTHER PHILOSOPHY TEACHER. Save yourself the headache of this teacher and class. THIS IS THE MOST FRUSTRATING CLASS I HAVE TAKEN AT ACC. I had a 4.0 GPA before finishing this class. :( :( :(
I usually don't believe everything I see on here, and I did make an A in this class, but regardless...STAY AWAY. She has so many ridiculous rules, and SOOO much work..it was definitely not an intro course. I've never been so frustrated in my life with a class/teacher. Everything is really scatterbrained and I really hated the lectures.
Do NOT NOT NOT take this professor! I never post on this website, but to save my peers from a HUGE headache, please heed my warning! Although I came out of this class with a b (a low one) by the end of the semester I was frustrated beyond belief! Again, you do not want to take this prof, way too chaotic, and the stress is not worth it, especially for an into course!
I don't understand what all these people are complaining about, this was one of the simplest classes I've ever taken. She gives you all the tools you ned to make whatever grade you'd like. All you really have to do is show up to class and do the homework assigned. If you do those two things you're guaranteed to pass.
DONT TAKE THIS CLASS. I cannot stress it enough. The teacher is unorganized and likes to cram tons of work in such as short period of time. Doesnt seem to understand other people have other classes to take. If your interested in philosophy she will change your mind real quick. This class is not worth the time and stress. RUN FOR THE HILLS
Dr. A made us work for the grade. That's the only "negative" thing I can say about her class. Otherwise, I loved it. Her class is the only class I've ever taken that I HATED missing. I only missed 1 day bc my grandmother died. She is BY FAR one of my favorite teachers and I would definitely recommend her. Nothing good comes easy. TAKE HER CLASS!
DON'T TAKE THIS CLASS.Dr. A has no idea what she is doing.she makes you really work for your grade.a lot of the stuff on the quizzes aren't in the lectures.s unorganized and likes to cram tons of work in such as short period of time.She Doesnt seem to understand other people have other classes to take.She has TOO many rules you must follow.
RUN away FROM THIS CLASS! I put in the work and did all the assignments and more to get my A. SHE HAS MANY RULES YOU MUST FOLLOW. She has her own system of how to put a paper together! She doesn't use standard MLA writing. This class is simple enough, just so many RIDICULOUS rules to follow. LOTS OF HW and E. Credit in this class. :( STAY AWAY. :/
TAKE THIS CLASS!The other reviews are absurd. Dr.A cares deeply about her subject matter, and also about the well-being of her students and their views.Modules are EASY homework. EVERY prof has "rules" to follow! Is she bad because she wants u to put things in a binder with tabs?! Who can't do that? Class is uplifting and her humor is awesome.
if you're trying to become a philosopher, this is your class. If you have more than one class stay away. massive amount of work.
Her assignments and work is easy, but this class n TESTS are really hard. She HAS A LOT OF RULES YOU MUST FOLLOW. Offers lots of extra credit. Must attend class EVERYDAY for an A. She has a huge paper assignment at the end. LOTS of research. ThePaper is tough. She has her own way of MLA style she claims is "easier" Not Recommended. SORRY. :(
Dr. A in general is easygoing and her class is fun. However, its a lot of work. I'm talking about at least 4hrs. on each assessment type of homework. I would not recommend her unless you have a lot of time in your hands. Offers plenty of extra credit. Be prepared to receive several emails throughout the day only to confuse you more.
I took her distant learning class. Unorganised, even though it appears very organised. She is extremely demanding for your explanations, however she is scattered in her lectures. She does offer some support. If you don't get it, go to the tutor she recommends. DO NOT TAKE UNLESS U HAVE PREVIOUS PHILOSOPHY EXP.!
Dr.A is a really great professor. The workload is demanding but she has many outlets to help her students even including a twitter account with test tips and hints. She makes the class as enjoyable as possible. The key to passing (and doing well) is attending class and not waiting until the last minute to complete homework. Highly recommended!
This class is really helpful in connecting to other classes. It was relatable to my speech class and my english 1301 class. It helped me to understand concepts in all three classes. I enjoyed the class and would recommend taking these classes together. It is not difficult just time consuming.
LOTS of outside time MUST be given to this class in order to get your "A." She has a lot of demands in rules and how she wants certain things written out etc. The work is not too hard, but there is A TON of work you must do. This class might be cool if your are majoring in Ethics or PHIL. Otherwise, I DO NOT RECOMMEND HER. SCATTER BRAIN!
This class is difficult. Expect to do a LOT of reading. I was very impressed with Dr. Alvarado however, and I am grateful I had her as a teacher and no one else. This was a prerequisite I needed, and I feel I got enough support from her, and she offers extra credit throughout. I won't take another Philosophy class if I'm not taking her class!
Dr. Alvarado is a amazing, caring, instructor. She gives you all the tools needed to succeed. Usually the persons that do poorly, either are not ready for college, or did not put forth their effort. That fact that she is easy to look at doesn't hurt either. If you want a challenge take her class.If you're looking for a "easy A" she is not the 1.
Dr. A is definitely a knowledgable professor. Her class is a lot of work (its philosophy) but she make it very clear and easy to digest. I learned a lot from this class and i would recommend her to all student who likes to challenge themselves and likes to actually learn something. Tips: always communicate with her through appointmt or after class.
Make your appointments with her, keep up on emails and BLACKBOARD! Communication is key. I enjoyed the Colloquium Project and feel I gained a lot of wisdom from this course. WRITE the DATE on every handout she passes out- it will help you stay organized.
This course requires a lot of work for sure. You have to keep up with everything or you will start falling behind. As long as you do everything Dr. Alvarado says, you will have no problem in making an A in the class. I was never interested in philosophy but Dr. Alvarado turned it around. I recommend everyone her class.
Prof. Alvarado is an amazing teacher. She expects you to put in the effort, but is willing to help you in any way she can if she see's that you are. The will he class itself is interesting, but time consuming. It requires critical thinking skills along with TONS of memorization. Made an A, but it was work! This was my FAVORITE class this semester.
This professor is difficult. I felt like there was lots of favoritism played and that the grades reflected that, I definitely would NOT recommend this professor. Very moody, doesn't follow her own rules she sets in the classroom, a ton of work and outside time needed to do well. If you can take somebody else, do. If not then hope your one of her favorites.
I would not recommend this professor I was so interested in talking this class and she made me want to run away!! She gives way to much work as if she thinks her class is the only class you have and if you have no life! The amount of work is ridiculous you have to put in 5 or more hours a day just to get HW done I had no time for my other class.
Too in depth for an introductory course. Take this class if you already have an interest in Philosophy but want to change that.
I took this course online over summer 2013. Professor was out of the country teaching so we were able to take tests open book. TONS of information but online class was very easy to follow. Do your homework, ask questions and study and you should be fine. I really like the class and would recommend Dr. A to anyone.
Signed up at the last minute to fill an elective, had to drop two months in despite a B average. The material was both boring and irritating and I absolutely dreaded going to class. The way she teaches is just too scatterbrained and intense. Maybe philosophy majors will hit it off better with her but if you're in my situation I would not recommend.
She can be all over the place but over all I learned a lot about philosophy and new studying habits. A lot of memorization work and hrs doing her HW and Quizzes. IF you do as she says you will pass the class. I notice that people that were struggling or dropped were not putting the effort on the work that a challenging College level class demands.
Even though Dr. Alvarado is strict, she's a great philosophy teacher. She taught me how to be organized and to turn our work on time.
Dr. A needs to calm down. She expects you to spend about 45 hours a week on her course alone(Actually in the syllabus). Your grade is based on memorizing literally every piece of photocopied literature that she's posted and remembering everything she's said in the seven thousand videos she posts. Also uses lots of emoticons. Emoticons.
This professor is a MESS. I should not have to fight for my own grade. She expects you to spell everything correctly, but makes a million and one spelling errors. Her assignments have the wrong answers and you have to explain to her why. Her deadlines are all wrong. Very passionate, very ditsy, very frustrating.
Yes! The time required is tough, but equivalent to a normal 16 week course!!! This is college, get with the program! She is passionate, which is IDEAL! She is tough and strict, but it is so clear that she puts in VAST amounts of time to make her course what it is. If you want an easy A, bugger off. If you want quality education, go with Dr. A!
Dr. A is very quirky and passionate about her work, but i feel like she gets class time mixed up with play time and homework time as class time. Expect 40+ hours of homework a huge headache and her smiling while being rude.
Dr.A's Philosophy class proved to be difficult but worthwhile! She was very clear with expectations at the start and responded to questions in a timely manner. Lectures and learning activities were strategically organized so that main points were CLEAR.Tests were especially easy!Set aside plenty of time to REVIEW. Practice makes perfect people :)
Not the best teacher for someone who enjoys learning concepts and the reasoning behind them. She's a grammar stickler, but consistently makes mistakes in her lessons. Her directions for papers and test are unclear. Her online bundles are constructed in a confusing manner. One mistake on homework can mean the difference between an A or an F.
You can't answer her questions unless she opens her fist. If you study the test guide for a WEEK, you still won't be ready for the test. This is the only class I have ever been asked to stay 45 minutes behind after the time alotted is overwith (and if you don't stay, you don't get the needed info?). Made A's and a B in every class except hers....
I had to drop this class. I was really interested at first but her teaching lacks much to be desired. I had a solid b in the class until I had to get surgery, all my other teachers worked with me while I was out, she refused to email me back and told I could either drop or be dropped. Do not take this class, she is an awful teacher.
Go to class, participate, use the learning lab to print lecture notes if you didn't take your own, use office hours for help clarification if you need it... and you'll do fine(A) There will be homework- duh! this is college. She makes all her expectations known upfront. Easy to communicate with- fast responses via email and office hours helpful
She is an amazing Professor with a big heart. Yes she is strict, but you are in college not elementary school. She has a great personality and really tries to help out when needed. Put your big girlboy panties on and get used to doing college-level work. Wish she taught more classes so I could have her as a professor more often!
She's rude when you email her, and ask for help or clarification. Expect to read. read, read!!! She's clear at what she wants form you which is nice, but good luck on tests. If I were you, i would keep searching for a different professor.
Classes like these are normally really hard for me, but she actually does a really good job of making sure you succeed. You read and do reviews and activities called "bundles," and then I would screenshot everything I did. From those screenshots I would use them on the review and 99 percent of the time I had the answers. The were like the test.
She's the worst professor I've ever had. Philosophical? No she's the most condescending and hypocritical person Ive ever met. I really don't know how she has a PhD cause from experience it seems she doesn't even know the english language. Drop her class if enrolled or avoid it if possible. You're welcome
Although this class is very easy and she gives a lot of extra points and the exams are given to you straight out of the reviews, this class was not what i expected. You spend most of the time learning everything online. And although she says she won't say if shes a christian or not the whole class is about religion. VERY HARD GRADER ON THE PAPER.
Don't know why her ratings are so bad, I thought she was a great, caring teacher. Do the work (which is minimal), actually put in effort, and do some extra credit, you can easily walk out with over a 100 average (I did). She is sometimes a bit scatterbrained and unclear but funny, and she clearly delineates her expectations for tests and HW.
This professor was amazing, she never lectured more than 10-15 minutes. We did lots of group assignments in class. She was very upbeat and kept the class interesting. She will keep you for the allotted amount of time but never kept you over. I have now taken 2 of her classes and would take more if they were provided. She really tries to make it fun
Worst professor I've ever had. Unclear, all over the place, and expects things from you that she can't even to do herself (such as correct grammar, etc).
Took her two semesters ago & I loved her class. So much class discussion, she really wants to hear opinions/strong-clear arguments from the class. Not an easy A but if you put in a little effort & do the extra credit opportunities (many) not hard to get an A. My class didn't even write any papers. Study your notes & study guide & you'll do fine
This class is ONL. Info not available until reg. was closed. On the syllabus I find that you can only take her tests FRI, SAT, or SUN. I take online classes because I work 55+ hours a week with no control over my schedule. I work 14 hours a day Thurs-Sun, but I can't drop the class or else I lose my financial aid. No choice but to fail. Beware
Amazing professor, has her classes set up to help people, really tries to help and understand. If you don't talk to her and let her know you have issues she can't help you. Helped me out a lot when I was dealing with my father being in and out of the hospital. Would take again if I needed more Philosophy classes.
Honestly, was not my favorite class. I couldn't keep up with how unorganized she was. There wasn't much learning as much as memorizing her notes precisely in order to get a decent grade. And when I say precisely I mean down to the last word. She's funny and class isn't a complete bore, but I defiantly would not take her again.
This class is very tough, but Dr. A will help you stay on track. The book is horrible but her lecture notes are easy to follow.
There is ALOT of work BUT its very doable. The bundles she assigned had a lot of "give me" points while there were other times, I HAD NO CLUE how to answer some of the questions. Tests were mostly 60% REVIEW from PRIOR exams and 40% new content. Stay on top of the old info those are easy points on exams and "use your college-level writing skills :)
An educator should never ever discourage students from asking questions , but she does. She starts off most assignments and reviews with don't ask me a question unless. Horrible people skills, disrespectful and self-absorbed. ACC you can do better- find someone to teach that reflects the integrity of your institution. Sorry to those stuck with her
DR.A is not the nicest person. She almost never responds to emails, she is rude. Her assignments are not very clear. Her test are super hard Miss class you won't pass I would of honestly dropped her class if it wasn't for her amazing Assistant CHARLYNNE !! She was honestly the reason I passed that class. She helped a lot!!!
She seems very unorganized. She tells you to study one thing for a test and then ends up asking something totally different on the test. Would NOT recommend her.
Her instruction from syllabus to reviews is unnecessarily convoluted. She told us in the middle of the final that she had not decided on grading criteria. She will set you up for failure and blame you for it. She is the most inaccessible teacher I have ever taken. Do not bother emailing her, she will only insult you for asking a question.
After having a rough start with this professor, we had a pretty good report after I spoke to her. Beware, she would rather you reach out to peers if you are missing assignments. She doesn't mince words. The course is very interactive for an online class. An "A" is impossible unless you are exceptional and she lets you know that! Syllabus is clear
The way she runs her class is a bit disorganized. Her test reviews are nice, but sometimes she doesn't update them according to the next exam. She is really picky on how you contact her and what you do for assignments. She also takes a while to get back to you on grades and emails. The class is doable, but not without frustration at times.
I have never met such an unapproachable and unprofessional individual. She makes things more complicated than it should be. Feels like she is trying to compensate for her lack of knowledge. She expects "college writing" when she cant even spell things right or follow good sentence structure. Syllabus: tons of attitude. I should have known better.
difficult to understand, a lot of attitude during the semester. she is too passionate about philosophy and expects u to learn with the same passion. the most unapproachable teacher ever, make sure u have GOOD AND HEAVY reasons to contact her, or she will ignore u. I DO NOT RECOMMEND U TO TAKE THIS CLASS OR BETTER SAID DO NOT TAKE SUSAN ALVARADO'S
This was absolutely the worst class I took at ACC. Such a pompous teacher and you will not learn anything. Complete waste of time. You will spend a lot of time matching terms but you won't remember any for use later on because they are unimportant. This is not a class to take if you want to learn. Busy work does not equal education.
This is the only class I have taken at ACC were I spent the whole semester lost. This class is beyond hard, I tired to stick with it and killed myself and still didn't pass. This teacher is beyond a bad term for a teacher, I asked for help many times asked questions I was ignored every single time. She is not nice and treats her students crap.
This class was great. I learned so much and was always very excited for class but also new that class time would be spent working thoroughly! A lot of outlines and assignments but they all prepare you for the test. Which in my opinion are not hard. Take this professor if you want to learn and earn your grade.
The class seems difficult but if you just sit down to work through it, you won't have an issue. It seems like info over load the first week but after that its pretty straightforward what the assignments are and when they are due. There were 4 tests and great feedback in the 8 week online section. Teaches you how to think objectively and clearly.
Just do the work and you will pass. Class felt like it's been recorded and professor just pushed play. Makes it very clear that she hold you to a very high standers when it comes to grammar, clarity, and penalizing you for it. While at the same time finding several mistakes on her end. Does not give test back so that you learn from them.
She has really bad hand writing and she grades for accuracy, yet struggles with spelling herself. I would not take her again for there is a quiz every time you go to class.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
85%
Textbook Required
92%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.53 avg changeRatings by Course
PHIL2303
5.0
(1)PHILOSOPHY1301
5.0
(1)PHILO0000
5.0
(1)PHIL2306ETHIC
3.5
(2)PHIL2306
3.1
(16)Difficulty by Course
PLILO1301
5.0
PHIL3306
5.0
PHIL1303
5.0
PHIL1
5.0
PHIL054
5.0