Thatcher, Tracy  

Dr. Thatcher is a very straightforward and good teacher. This is my 2nd time rating her and i\'ve given her a lower rating in the past, but I can see that I was just more lazy then. One thing I like about her class is you know what to expect. If you keep up with everything you will do well, but there is a lot to keep up with.

Professor Thatcher is a professional. She\'ll give you respect but not an easy A. So, stay on top of things. Do the readings, the homework, and study for the midterms. Definitely see her to correct all your mistakes because she\'ll be patient enough. She grades hard when you put something that is definitely wrong. I\'ll definitely take her again.

A 50% average on all of her midterms is not a good thing, because nearly everyone would fail the class if she didn't curve by such a large margin. A grading curve is generally only used when the professor is trying to compensate for their poor teaching ability. In this case, the large curve shows that she isn't adequately preparing the class for the level of difficulty that she is expecting on her midterms. Basically, an F is a C in the end. However, you don't actually know what your grade is in the class until its over. The textbook is very theoretical and nearly useless when it comes to the tests and homework. The problems in it are almost nothing like the problems on the midterms.

I loved Dr. Thatcher and had to take her for MANY classes. She explains things with real world examples, creates very interesting test problems that really make you think, always helps in office hours, holds midterm and final prep groups at the office/library... Yes she is hard and tough on you. I think it's good. I look back on college and think fondly and felt like I actually remembered stuff from her classes. She is one of few teachers I felt this way about at Cal Poly!

Dr. Thacher will make you learn, but it won't be easy. I took her for ENVE 309 (Noise & Vibration Control) this winter and it was her first time teaching this class. Thus, her lectures were entirely based on power point slides taken from the previous class (she may have made a few). At times some ideas were confusing, but if you go to her office hours she is very patient and helpful. Her tests are based primarily on the homework and lectures, with most of the test being problems combined with conceptual questions. I felt they were very fair tests. Most people got a B average on the two midterms. As far as the lab portion of the class went, she is very anal about lab safety and using the equipment correctly, so be on top of your game! There were a total of 8 labs, with one field trip to the Cold Canyon Landfill MRF. For each lab there was a typed, memo/lab-report due to her the following week. She was very nitpicky and a tough grader on the lab reports, but there was an outline provided. Overall, Noise & Vibration control isn't a really tough class, but Thatcher did make it somewhat harder than it should have been. The good thing is, she curves everyone final grades, with the average getting a C+, and is a very nice person except for her occasional outburst of rage if you do something stupid.

Dr. Thatcher challenges you in a fair manner. She does not give you anything you can't handle if you study consistently and pay attention in class. She deserves a higher rating on here. Her commitment to your understanding is amazing! She won't just give you answers but will guide your train of thought in the proper direction until you come up with the answer on your own. This class also has surprisingly interesting material. The labs take more effort and time than anything else. It is a good idea to start your lab reports right away after doing the labs, giving you plenty of time to write them and edit them before they are due the following week. Do not procrastinate-- it will be obvious. She is very strict on her grading for the reports, but for good reason. This class will sharpen your technical writing skills as well as improve your excel skills. There is a group lab which will require time management and critical thinking.

outstanding. Great lectures, great office hours, requires hard work on lab reports

Dr. Thatcher is a little scary but still a really great professor. The concepts in this class were pretty easy so she made up for that by making the lab quite a bit of work and by making the midterms tricky. Overall, a good class!

Thatcher is a very nice person and has a passion for teh subject. But this is absolutely the most boreing subject ever! I do not recommend this class if you are just looking to fill your GE requirements!

Thatcher is a very good teacher and a nice person. I recommend her.

Dr. Thatcher's class is going to be hard, but fair. It was way more work than I expected but if you keep up on all of it there shouldn't be a problem. Her weak point is lectures in which she puts a lot of info on powerpoint slides and just reads off of it. Her strong point is office hours which she was incredibly helpful.

Dr. Thatcher was an okay professor. She's not there to be your friend. I thought the class was fairly straightforward. Her quizzes were intense sometimes depending on the material. Some of them also ran pretty long. If I remember correctly, her final was really easy because she basically tells you what is going to be on it. I remember getting high grades on the homework but then much lower grades on the quizzes and I managed to get an A! She's a STICKLER for plagiarism... be sure to have NOTHING similar in your work compared to the site because she CHECKS. Overall, she's a nice person. She's there to teach you, not to be your best friend. She's pretty approachable but sometimes can be a bit intimidating... I'm going to have her for Haz. Waste next quarter and I'm not too concerned especially since I know her teaching style.

Tracy was a very good professor I thought. Overall, her teaching was very effective in my honest opinion. It was a very interesting class to take. The grading consists of: 7 quizzes (lowest dropped), 1 final, 1 debate, 2 field trips, and other miscellaneous tasks. The quizzes were pretty difficult. Make sure to study for each one. They consist of multiple choice, calculation, short-answer and fill-in questions. Make sure to go to each field trip also. The debate is time consuming. In order to do well you need to research thoroughly. The final is basically like the quizzes but longer. Overall Tracy is a good teacher. She makes you learn alot and work hard. This is not an easy class, but I would certainly take it again with Tracy.

Worst teacher ever. So boring - read straight from the Power Points. Talks to you like you're in a 3rd grade class. It's not even that hard of a class, she's just so damn annoying. I basically just hate her.

Prof. Thatcher lectured using powerpoint and posted them on blackboad. She read most of the lectures straight from the powerpoint so it seemed pointless to even attend class. She does, however, work some hw. examples in class so try to attend anyway. There were two midterms and a final. She curves up the ass which was a good thing. She's new to Cal Poly so she's still trying to figure out her teaching style. But overall, I think she did ok.

One of the hardest strictest teachers out there. Definitely do not take if you are looking for an A or a B. Extremely nit-picky about the minutest details. You would think she was teaching to other professors, not to undergraduates. Take only if you must, and in that case may God be with you.

i like her but man is she a hard ass in labs... make sure you dont procrastinate on those suckers and do the reading AND go to office hours those are crucial