2.5
Quality4.0
Difficulty37%
Would Retake105
Reviews37%
Would Retake
105
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
17
4
18
3
10
2
19
1
41
What Students Say
“That's not an excuse for doing bad in her class”
GEO1110 - 4.0 rating“Tests are extremely hard and whatever she tells you to study is never on the test”
GEO1010 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
84%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.28 avg changeRatings by Course
GEOL1040
3.5
(18)GEOL1110
2.8
(18)GEO1110
2.7
(9)GEOL2250
2.4
(11)GEOL1025
2.3
(18)Difficulty by Course
GEO1010
4.3
GEO1025
4.3
GEOL2250
4.1
GEOL1110
3.9
GEOL1025
3.9
Reviews (105)
She's really nice, but her accent makes it kind of challenging to learn from her lectures. It's mostly because when she throws new words at you you have no idea what they are. What I did was take notes from the book before class or during the class, and it helped tremendously when listening to her lectures. She's forgiving on tests and very sweet
Professor Shirmeen is a very kind woman, but her accent is very thick and I struggled with understanding what she was talking about. I think people who are good at science may have a better grade than I got, but I definitely struggled throughout this course. There were 4 exams and then a cumulative final. Lots of extra credit. Read the textbook.
If your're looking for an easy gen ed, this is not the class. She is very hard to understand & just reads from her powerpoint. 4 tests & a cumulative final. There are online quizzes like once a week which can help your grade, but aren't worth as much as tests. She only posts your total grade at midterm and final, so hard to know how you're doing.
Professor Shirmeen is very sweet but she is extremely hard to understand and that makes it hard to do well in this class. Her powerpoint are mainly just pictures and she just reads from them and doesnt explain much. There are 4 exams and a cumulative final which all are 70% of your grade. But she does offer lots of extra credit!
Shirmeen is an overall a nice Professor and is willing to help you. The class itself is pretty difficult the way she teaches. She has a very thick Indian accent and it is hard to really understand what she is trying to say. The only way to understand what is going in the class is to read the book. Her PowerPoints are terrible and dont help.
Prof . Shirmeen is very nice and cares a lot about her students. I was able to understand her well because I was in the third row. I strongly encourage reading the textbook because the powerpoints are not helpful. They're only pictures from the book. There's a lot of extra credit opportunities. 4 tests 70% of your grade. I recommend study groups.
She is a super nice teacher and is really willing to work with students grades (extra credit). Yes, she has an accent. That's not an excuse for doing bad in her class. Yes, you can get an A from studying the powerpoints she posts, but I also suggest reading the textbook.
Go to class, do extra credit, read the book, and go over the previous tests for the final exam. Youll make a B minimum
She is a very kind and easy to talk to teacher. She gives you every opportunity to be successful in her class. She truly wants to see you succeed. Take advantage of the extra credit opportunities, read the book, take notes on the power points, and go to her office hours if you need extra help. She is always willing to help. Overall a great teacher!
I highly suggest taking this course with this professor! She genuinely cares about her students and is always making sure you understand the subject and even offers extra credit to make sure you can get that extra bump in the class! Definitely one of the best professors I've had so far!
Hard to understand, cares about the students but you really have to teach yourself. She gets very upset about attendance and being punctual. Good person I would just recommend taking another professor
Poor communication, lack of material, unclear directions, uploads assignments shortly before they are due, and does not set due dates on assignments. I would not take her course again.
This Professor was very helpful through lectures and emails. Science has never really been my thing and when I needed help on assignments or clarification, she did just that. Yes Professor Shirmeen is a bit on the tough side, but she will help you if or when you are struggling all you have to do is ask.
This class was not bad and is not super work heavy. The lectures are long, but by using your book and the powerpoint you will good in this class. Extra credit is given and make sure to get the textbook, it's helpful on homework.
I don't know if it was due to online classes, but Prof. Shirmeen was nothing like her reviews. She'd ask students for questions, then scold them publicly if she felt like they should already know the answer. She also demands handwritten work, regardless of how impractical or unnecessary it is. For the exam she suggested we all go BUY a printer.
Pretty laid-back class, I was sometimes sent homework reminders before the submission date so those were very helpful.
Mostly quizes and test but if you just take good notes on the power points and listen to her lectures then you shouldnt even need the textbook, she also gives a good amount of extra credit that can be done. Class was fun and interesting.
All we had for homework in this class were quizzes for every chapter which were pretty easy as long as you took notes during the lecture. This class is very lecture heavy and she has an accent, but she definitely isn't hard to understand. She was pretty generous on extra credit and if you needed an extension or help she would always work with you.
She is really mad a nice teacher. One thing is that she has an accent which makes it hard for students to pay attention and especially with a mask on and doesnt not talk loud enough. One thing is she would post assignments giving us only a few days to do assignments or quizzes. She gave us a 140 point quiz before the exam saying this will help us.
Gives good feedback on all assignments and sometimes gives the chance to go back and try to do better on assignments.
Professor Shirmeen is such a kind and gentle soul! She was always giving her best effort in our lectures even when she didn't feel the best and made sure we knew everything we needed to know. She gives feedback on assignments (which there were very few of) so that we can learn from our mistakes. She gives extra credit for participation in class!
She is so nice and seems to genuinely care about her students. The lectures are her going over powerpoints. She gives extra credit opportunities and will work with you if you have any issues!
The professor was very patient and understanding.
Shes super sweet but if you skip class you wont pass. Her accent is heavy but you will get used to it, just pay attention. She gives lots of extra credit assignments and cares about her students. Exams will make or break your grade.
Great instructor. Willing to work with you and answer your questions. Print the PowerPoints for goodness sakes! Its worth it and makes it easy to follow the lectures. Quizzes can be difficult if you dont read. But the reads are very easy.
She was a bit hard to understand in her lectures but she posts the powerpoints and i would just re write everything on there to get in in my head. Then I would use those notes to complete the quizzes. A lot of people complained in my class but if you use the powerpoints and the textbook you should be fine. Take every chance she gives for extra cred
It's an online class, and even though it is video lectures, the teacher cares about the subject. She seems very nice and helpful. I've enjoyed learning more about the National Parks.
Professor Shirmeen is a great professor. It was hard to understand her Indian accent at first, which of course isn't her fault, but it's a fun class. She makes little jokes, is very educated in her field. Encourages students to Google something if she happens to not know the answer to something. Didn't use book much.
Dr. Shirmeen is super sweet and really helpful and knowledgeable! She gives some open-note quizzes and chances for extra credit. You can tell she really knows what she's talking about and she does a good job at leaving out details we don't need to know. I wish I wasn't a senior so I could take one of her classes again!
If you do not do well on exams and know for a fact studying is not your strong suit, DO NOT, take this course. You have three exams, all three making up 70% of your grade. The class isn't finished yet, but the class averages for the previous two exams have been around 58%. She goes fast, so usually, I show up for attendance and teach myself later.
I will say, she is super sweet. However, she is not good at responding to emails and she doesn't give you the correct answers on wrong questions on homework. There are multiple exams and they're pretty difficult. Class averages are typically failing.
If you're wanting an easy geology class, maybe try another professor. Her exams are PhD level. What she tells you to study for is not what ends up being on the tests.
Her teaching methods are inefficient, and her expectations are unrealistic. Her 1hr+ lectures are very disorganized and hard to understand--taking good notes is difficult. The exams are impossible. I've never gotten below a 90 in high school or college and I got a 75 on the last one. No one got higher than an 82. At least she's wholesome
Professor Shirmeen only uses exams and quizzes as grades in her class, there are no homework assignments to help bring your grade up and the exams are PhD level. If you're looking for a class that you will be able to manage this isn't it. If your looking for a class to pass this isn't it. If your looking for a nice teacher don't take this class
Very sweet lady but not engaging. Class lectures are very difficult to follow. I only take notes and study the textbook, not her lectures. Some opportunities for extra credit but only because the class average is extremely low. So far we have only had 2 homework assignments, you HAVE to do well on quizzes and exams to do well in the class.
Tests are extremely hard and whatever she tells you to study is never on the test. Each chapter has 150 slides with diagrams to study and you never know which of those she will place on an exam or quiz. studied for 7 days for the last exam and got a 54 and the class average was a 58. Do not take this professor
OCEANOGRAPHY IS NOT ABOUT DOLPHINS AND CORAL. its a lot of water chemistry, outer space, early voyages and just other stuff. Class is just notes from a slideshow. There are a few tests that really dictate your grade and very few other assignments to help ur grade. Only take if you can teach urself with slideshow and the book. she's super nice tho
Important things to know: ASK for a study guide. Make quizlets. Ask questions. Ask about extra credit. Sometimes, she has a hard time approaching the course from a 1000 lvl perspective. Accent can be hard to understand sometime. She's very sweet and caring, but be prepared for anything and everything on the exams. Study groups are your best friend
She is usually pretty nice but the lectures are disorganized and has a lot of random information. The quizzes are like 5 questions and make up a lot of your grade so you have to do well on them. To do well in this class you have to be good at taking exams.
Professor Shirmeen has the HARDEST TESTS I have ever taken, and is never clear on what exactly will be on her exams. We would do study groups for weeks before an exam and still make Cs or less. The only thing that can save you in this class is extra credit. Plus her accent (I know she cannot help it) makes everything so hard to understand.
This prof. made me literally want to drop out. I only made an A because of my serious work ethic, so if you aren't willing to sit in a library for at least 8 hours teaching yourself the material since she doesn't know how to teach, then don't take her class. When we asked how she would study for her test she simply said "Idk I know more than you,"
Pro. Shirmeen, understands Geology very well but is not the greatest at simplifying certain information to where a college student who did not understand the material could understand. Not the greatest at giving valuable feedback on homework or extra credit work so you never know what the right answers are so you can improve.
This is the hardest class i've ever taken. The prof is nice, but her lectures are hard to follow and kind of all over the place, the tests are hyper-specific, and she doesn't give good tips on how to study.
Lectures move very quickly so can be difficult to keep up with her teachings. Sometimes does not elaborate and kinda assumes you understand everything unless you ask questions.
I had Prof Shirmeen two semesters back to back. Per each semester there was maybe maybe three homework assignments, three exams (including the final), and a few extra credit chances here and there. Class is basically just taking notes the whole time, and if that's your thing then this might be for you. Good person, not a Prof for everyone's speed.
everyone that complains about her accent, that's not even the issue, she will repeat things if you need, but she likes to call people out for not listening. I'd say that as long as you review with the textbook before the test then your grades will be fine. But lectures are mandatory and she basically just reads the textbook to you.
This course is quiz and exam heavy and makes up about 60% of your grade with few homework assignments to support your grade. She only gives extra credit to make up for her poor teaching as a way to put a bandaid on failing grades. This course is not exciting and you basically have to teach yourself the material. My class averages for exams were 55%
took her for a gen ed, kind of boring lectures. she likes to call on people so be aware of that. her accent is sometimes difficult to understand, but not too much. homework can be confusing and she sometimes isn't clear on assignments.
Mrs. Shirmeen is a very, very sweet person. However, this is the most difficult class I have ever taken at UTC. I know it is not actually this way, but it feels like this class is designed to make you fail. The class average for our two exams was 55. If you want to avoid unnecessary stress, frustration, and a lower gpa, do not take this class
The class is hard to pay attention because you can't understand her and its incredibly boring. She will randomly call on you and make you feel inadequate if you can't get it right though no one ever does. You get graded on showing up to class and she is terrible at grading work and knocks off points while not explaining a single thing about it.
From being in her Geology class, I learned that what mostly goes on her PowerPoint is not stuff that goes on the exams. Instead, the stuff that goes on the Exams is from the textbook but because she doesn't really tell you what's going to be on there so you have put in so much extra effort into learning stuff that might not be on the exams at all
DOES NOT MAKE TESTS BASED OFF OF POWERPOINTS SHE MAKES IN CLASS
I would literally take any other professor. She seems confused in her own lectures. You get graded on very few things and her feedback is basically nonexistent. Take a different class if you can. Her lectures are awful to sit through and you learn nothing from them. Just read her powerpoints on Canvas.
This professor has a very heavy accent and is difficult to understand. She also talks very fast and calls students out for behavior in front of everyone. Geology 1025 is beyond boring and is extremely difficult to follow. You will fall behind if you look down for one second. I would not recommend this class or the professor.
She give too little assignment so not enough room to improve your grade. I dreaded coming to her class so much. I can't tell you anything I learned in that class and I was truly paying attention and doing everything I need to do.
Sweet lady but cannot teach. Her Geology gen-ed class is one of the hardest classes I have ever taken. Definitely do not recommend unless you want her to tank your GPA. She posts zero helpful materials for exams so you basically have to read through the entire textbook and pray you memorized the right things. Not concise, helpful, and no feedback.
Professor Shirmeen encourages participation and collaboration. She has been very helpful to me while I have struggled a bit. She wants students to do well and is willing to help outside of class! This course requires effort but it is totally doable if you put in the work, there are plenty of chances for extra credit. I would recommend this course.
I am urging you to reconsider taking this class, especially as a gen-ed. It is lecture heavy, but lectures are confusing, and she never seems to know what is on her slides. Gives homework assignments with very poor instructions, does not give constructive criticism, and tests are not consistent with the lectures. Taught myself most of this course.
She is hard to understand and publicly humiliates students who screw up. She also forgets simple materials and seems to not know what she is doing. She uses a PowerPoint that she reads off of and tests on topics that were not in the slides. I can spend over 10 hours studying for a test and still fail. Do your best not to take this professor.
Do not take this class as a gen ed! Very few assignments, one slip up and your GPA is done. She'll give you a 0 and be fine with you failing the class, if you do not format the homework correctly it's ridiculous. Not to mention that the lectures are super boring. Had a hard time staying awake at all in her class. LISTEN TO THE WARNINGS! AVOID!!!
The effort that you put into her class is what you will get out of it. She truly wants the best for each of her students and is willing to work with you. She gives bonus points for participating in class. Her class is challenging but if you put in the work you will get the desired grade you want. Thankful to have her as my teacher.
If you want to perform well in Professor Shirmeen's class, you have to pay attention to her lectures and read the book to make sure you are on top of the topic. She is very understanding and wants to see you succeeding. Make sure to connect with her during office hours when confused about something, she is very helpful.
She is very sweet and willing to help if needed! She posts the lecture slides outside of class so you can access them to study. Overall the class was very interesting and I would recommend taking it.
Full disclosure, she's giving extra credit points in exchange for 4+ star reviews. I have principles, so I won't be buying that. Trips over words a lot in her lectures and forgets things that she's already explained or not explained often. There were only 4 assignments and 6 quizzes the entire semester. Very tough grader too, don't recommend.
As long as you keep up with the assignments and textbook you should be good. Prof Shirmeen is a very well rounded professor. She is very understanding and attentive to how the class is doing as a whole and offers plenty of opportunity for extra credit.
This class was terrible. Not only did the professor seem like she didn't know what she was talking about, but she made students feel dumb when they asked questions. She is a tough grader so be ready for that. I would not take this professor again. Avoid taking this class or this professor if at all possible!
You have to study for her quizzes and exams. She gives many extra credit points so always pay attention and stay on top of answering questions.
She does well at preparing you for assignments, quizzes, and exams
Allows for many cheat sheets during quizzes and even exams, which is very kind. She also always asks if we need anything such as more time on assignments, more assignments to better grade, etc.
I took professor shirmeen's earth's resources class as an elective geology credit and it was very interesting! She is very knowledgeable about geology and cares that her students do well. I would definitely recommend her class!!
Professor Shirmeen cares a lot about her students! Her class is very lecture-heavy, but all of the slides are posted on Canvas. Be sure to pay attention in class because she writes key things on the board that sometimes aren't on the slides!
This class is awful.The positive reviews are fake(notice how they same the same things).She gives 4 extra points if you give her a good review.Assignments and quizzes are not organized and appear at random.Tests have way too much material and are cumulative.Spend your time visiting actual national parks.Never take any of her classes.
NO FEEDBACK ON ASSIGNMENTS! BORING LECTURES! EMBARRASSES STUDENTS. ACTUAL NIGHTMARE OF A CLASS. I ended up disliking this class so much I might burn my textbook. You know that pit in Pixar's Inside Out where Joy and pink guy almost get forgotten in that pit. Everything I experienced in this class is going in that part of my brain. I hate it here.
Speaking on the tests they do weigh a lot and I do not have the best grade with a C right now but I am also not the best test taker. Everything else in the class has been hard but also helpful in improving my understanding on the subject. The final exam is also a lot but by the time you take it she prepares you enough to where it is not a struggle.
She is a solid teacher. The only things that I would mention would be the importance of attendance and reading the textbook. Often her slides are not very useful when trying to study the material because of the lack of information that they have, so it is really important to use and read the textbook in this class.
I'm breaking my review into parts to help save students from these classes.GEOLOGY BY TAHMINA, PART 1: ATTENDANCE. Attendance is required and worth 5% of the grade.We had our class in an auditorium & passed the sheet all across the class.She got mad when people left early and said that was 'distracting' but passing that was way more distracting.
GEOLOGY BY TAHMINA:PART 2, DECIETFUL. She once got upset that people had their laptops out (because that's an odd thing for college students to do). Also she's self-aware of her incompetence as an educator, hence why there's so much extra credit and curves. It's also why she gives people extra credit if they give her 4+ ratings on this site.
GEOLOGY BY TAHMINA: PART 3: "MAKE ME ANGRY = 0 FOR YOU!!! >:(" -Tahmina, 2024 We once got a pop quiz because people were on their laptops, after that almost a 1/3 of the class dropped out. She gets REALLY angry about attendance. She likes to call out students, BY NAME, for any sort of reason. Goes on rants about leaving class, attendance, etc.
GEOLOGY BY TAHMINA, PART4 WORKLOAD/GRADES: Getting an A in this course is ALMOST impossible. There are hardly any assignments or quizzes, and they appear at random. Vague syllabus. The syllabus is just "[national park] - Week X".Be prepared FOR ANYTHING.Grading policies are dumb.Does not provide feedback,she circles things with no context.
GEOLOGY BY TAHMINA, PART5, CONTENT: If you want to learn about National Parks save your tuition and spend that money to visit the actual national parks. It'll be a better investment. There's WAY too much content and most of what is taught isn't on exams, homework, or quizzes. Playing russian roulette is easier than studying for this classes exams.
GEOLOGY BY TAHMINA, PART5, CONTENT: Even if you ignore the amount of content most exams were primarily focused on rocks. This isn't a national park class it's a rock class. We even had rock-of-the-day. Most questions were "Which rock has a 1/16 mm cut?" "If you're in space and have an oculus rift select all volcanoes that contain limestone!"
Amazing professor, she helps you understand information you did not get and is good at emailing back to your questions. She does give extra credit. The lectures she gives hold all the information you need and they are accessible when you need them. I would defiantly take again.
GEOLOGY BY TAHMINA PART 6: FINALS. The final was 100 questions and the test is worth 100 points (or 1 question per point and less than 1 minute for each question). We got a cheat sheet. The mean for my class was 44, the highest was an 81, low was 0. That says it all really.
GEOLOGY BY TAHMINA PART 7: FINAL THOUGHTS. On the first day of class, the professor said that students loved this class so much they majored in geology. That HAD to be a lie because there's no way a studious or lazy student would take this class and go, "Wow, that was great, I want to do it again!"
GEOLOGY BY TAHMINA PART 8: THE GOOD. There's extra credit (which is necessary to pass this class with an A btw), all lectures/presentations are posted on Canvas, attendance counts as a grade (so if you go everyday that'll be a grade boost).
GEOLOGY BY TAHMINA PART 9, THE GOOD (PART 2): Does offer office hours (never been tho), occasionally accommodates grades if you were absent, learns your face and name.
GEOLOGY BY TAHMINA PART 10, EVERYTHING ELSE: Boring and long lectures, little to no assignments, unorganized,vague syllabus/Canvas, spiteful pop quizzes, and jump-scare assignments. This class is read-the-book simulator, rock chemistry, CHEMISTRY/geology of national parks. Don't be fooled like I was. Don't take this professor for any class.
I literally cannot stand this class. All she does is lectures and reads from powerpoints and the powerpoints do not even help when taking quizzes. i literally just bombed my midterm after taking 6 pages of notes. she in very unclear of what you need to know for an exam and there is NO exam reviews.
Don't take her 1040 class or probably any other class that she lectures.
Holy frick guys. I am a usual straight A student. Professor Shirmeen is actually no joke. I sat in the 3rd row in a huge lecture hall and still barely passed the class. This class is insanely difficult for being a gen ed. Im a marketing major. I dont want/need to know the chemical formula of a quartz. DO NOT TAKE HER unless you're a rock major.
She lectures the whole time and goes extremely fast. She expects you to retain everything she is saying and when she notices no one paying attention she tells us to take a minute and ask our neighbor some questions. Everytime I left that class, people stood outside in clumps and would say: "do you know what just happened?" "not a clue"
She was extremely difficult to work with.
Professor Shirmeen genuinely cares about her students' success in her class. She gives students the PowerPoints from class so students can use them to study. Paying attention in class and taking notes on what she said was very beneficial because she explained in detail what was on the slides. Overall, I would definitely take her again.
Awful. I had thought attendance was mandatory until the week before finals. Because on canvas she grades your attendance and then takes it off last minute. For our final we got one page of notes. The MEAN test score was a 37, and the high was an 84,that alone says a lot about her. She is not clear on what you need to know for the exams. DONT TAKE
Drop this course and find a new teacher if you get this professor. She never puts anything from the slides on the test. Nothing she teaches will be on the test. The tests are all formulas and rock traits NOT NATIONAL PARKS. Her good ratings are just here for the extra credit she gives out to help balance out her rate my professor. DON'T TAKE CLASS
This is the worst class with the worst professor I have ever had. She didn't tell us that attendance was not required until THE LAST WEEK! She said she just kept track for "data". NOTHING you see on the power points will be on the test. We were allowed cheat sheets, and still it was as helpful as blank paper. The final test average was a 37...
I have a love for the national parks so learning about the parks was fun. attendance is not mandatory I highly recommend going. The stuff she puts on the board is crucial for tests. One of my favorite study resources is a YouTube channel called "National Park Diaries". The class is not overall hard, just attend lecture, and homework is light.
Professor Shirmeen cares about helping her students do well in her course. Her course is lecture heavy, but as long as you study the powerpoint slides you will do fine!
You cannot understand her, and nothing she discusses is on the tests. The only way I passed was because half of her tests were online, and our class had a group chat. There was no test that she didn't curve because our averages were always a failing grade for in-class tests. If you can avoid this professor, please do.
-Very lecture heavy and hard to understand -Reads straight from slides -Does give extra credit opportunities - Didn't round my 89.45 I would recommend choosing another teacher if possible
I personally found the class very boring and hard to listen to. She is a good professor, but struggles to explain things and usually her responses to student's questions often missed the point.
I don't understand why people give Prof. Shirmeen such horrible ratings. As long as you go to every lecture and listen and review all the slideshows before your exams, you will do good. There were very few homework assignments and she was such a nice teacher, she doesn't deserve all these terrible reviews. Just do your work and you won't fail.
She's a great person and is really passionate about teaching, but her lectures are her mostly reading of the slides the entire class with some extra information. Her TA is a harsh grader and doesn't do much except grade our (few) homework assignments. The tests are hard, and her study guides don't help prepare you at all.
Sweet lady, but this class was horrible. Lectures were her reading off the slides (that made no sense because of the wording). Her TA is awful and is a harsh grader. 4 exams, some quizzes, and only a couple of homework assignments, so the exams are really important. No one ever knew what was going on, and the study guides given do not help at all
She gets a bad wrap, but Prof Shirmeen is so kind! She covers a lot of material so there is a lot to learn, but you get so many extra credit opportunities. She super silly, so participating in class makes it so much more fun. This is a very doable class if you need a natural science credit, but don't want an easy A.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
84%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.28 avg changeRatings by Course
GEOL1040
3.5
(18)GEOL1110
2.8
(18)GEO1110
2.7
(9)GEOL2250
2.4
(11)GEOL1025
2.3
(18)Difficulty by Course
GEO1010
4.3
GEO1025
4.3
GEOL2250
4.1
GEOL1110
3.9
GEOL1025
3.9