Professor
Elise Bell
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2022 - This class was okay. However, I really appreciated the grading scheme. 60% of your grade is based on "skills mastery," where you essentially get several opportunities in weekly quizzes (and other assignments) to earn points toward a certain skill. Then once you've earned enough points in a certain skill, you no longer have to take the quizzes for that specific skill. This class does have a textbook but I honestly stopped reading it after the first week because I just didn't find it helpful. So, you could probably do well without it and you'd save a couple of bucks. The two homework assignments are fairly easy, graded for completion, and they can also help you earn some points toward skill mastery. There are also two transcription tasks, and they aren't graded necessarily, but all the points you earn go toward skill mastery. I really recommend spending a lot of time on Homework #2, because it's an easy way to earn points toward your transcription skill (one of the hardest skills to earn points for). I FLOPPED on the first transcription task, but through the quizzes and Homework #2, I was able to get the points I needed and ultimately didn't even have to do Transcription Task #2. The final was super similar to the quizzes. Each skill had a section in the exam with a few questions, for full credit in a particular section you had to earn a certain number of points and the rest would go toward skills mastery. As you can see, you have a ton of opportunities to max out your skills and earn a really good grade in the class. Good luck and don't stress!
Winter 2022 - This class was okay. However, I really appreciated the grading scheme. 60% of your grade is based on "skills mastery," where you essentially get several opportunities in weekly quizzes (and other assignments) to earn points toward a certain skill. Then once you've earned enough points in a certain skill, you no longer have to take the quizzes for that specific skill. This class does have a textbook but I honestly stopped reading it after the first week because I just didn't find it helpful. So, you could probably do well without it and you'd save a couple of bucks. The two homework assignments are fairly easy, graded for completion, and they can also help you earn some points toward skill mastery. There are also two transcription tasks, and they aren't graded necessarily, but all the points you earn go toward skill mastery. I really recommend spending a lot of time on Homework #2, because it's an easy way to earn points toward your transcription skill (one of the hardest skills to earn points for). I FLOPPED on the first transcription task, but through the quizzes and Homework #2, I was able to get the points I needed and ultimately didn't even have to do Transcription Task #2. The final was super similar to the quizzes. Each skill had a section in the exam with a few questions, for full credit in a particular section you had to earn a certain number of points and the rest would go toward skills mastery. As you can see, you have a ton of opportunities to max out your skills and earn a really good grade in the class. Good luck and don't stress!
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2024 - I took this class in the morning, which made it a little hard to stay awake sometimes, but the structure was very manageable, and the professor is genuinely one of the kindest and most supportive instructors I’ve had. She uses a skill mastery system with a clear grading breakdown, and as long as you track your progress using the Excel sheet she provides, you can definitely end up with a low A- or higher. There’s no homework or exams. Instead, you work on a major project throughout the quarter, which was honestly really cool. As long as you stay on top of the checkpoints and due dates, it’s very doable. Technically, you can submit things late without a point penalty, but the trade-off is that your grading and feedback might take longer. That said, the feedback she gives is always helpful and focused on how to improve. Attendance matters for both the lecture and the section. Lecture points come from participating in class or on Zoom, while section points are based on attendance. At the start of the quarter, lectures aren't recorded to encourage in-person participation, but later on, she starts uploading recordings and offers a Zoom option too. Overall, this is a fair, flexible, and well-organized class with a great professor. I just wish I had taken it later in the day when I was more awake.
Fall 2024 - I took this class in the morning, which made it a little hard to stay awake sometimes, but the structure was very manageable, and the professor is genuinely one of the kindest and most supportive instructors I’ve had. She uses a skill mastery system with a clear grading breakdown, and as long as you track your progress using the Excel sheet she provides, you can definitely end up with a low A- or higher. There’s no homework or exams. Instead, you work on a major project throughout the quarter, which was honestly really cool. As long as you stay on top of the checkpoints and due dates, it’s very doable. Technically, you can submit things late without a point penalty, but the trade-off is that your grading and feedback might take longer. That said, the feedback she gives is always helpful and focused on how to improve. Attendance matters for both the lecture and the section. Lecture points come from participating in class or on Zoom, while section points are based on attendance. At the start of the quarter, lectures aren't recorded to encourage in-person participation, but later on, she starts uploading recordings and offers a Zoom option too. Overall, this is a fair, flexible, and well-organized class with a great professor. I just wish I had taken it later in the day when I was more awake.
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2023 - Big Dr. Bell fan and I appreciate her grading style. It's weekly problem sets that are challenging to figure out on your own so I suggest going to office hours if you're stuck. The midterm and final are also a bit difficult but the majority of the grade is skills mastery which you can work on throughout the quarter through the assignments tests and optional quizzes. When I took it in the spring she recorded lectures which was lovely but I do recommend going to class in person since it's easiest to understand everything. Dr. Bell works to engage with students and ensure learning and I love her use of slides and other materials to engage people in the class. It's clear she's passionate about the subject.
Spring 2023 - Big Dr. Bell fan and I appreciate her grading style. It's weekly problem sets that are challenging to figure out on your own so I suggest going to office hours if you're stuck. The midterm and final are also a bit difficult but the majority of the grade is skills mastery which you can work on throughout the quarter through the assignments tests and optional quizzes. When I took it in the spring she recorded lectures which was lovely but I do recommend going to class in person since it's easiest to understand everything. Dr. Bell works to engage with students and ensure learning and I love her use of slides and other materials to engage people in the class. It's clear she's passionate about the subject.
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