Reynolds, Elizabeth  

"Beth" as she prefers to be called, is a really nice gal with a lot of hands-on experience with goats and sheep. She is relatively new at Cal Poly and it is yet to be seen what other classes she will teach. But as far as her sheep class goes, I would have to say this class is a nice class to take with a high course load or hard course load. Beth reminds me a lot of a lecturer who used to teach here, Brandi Crivello. She is enthusiastic about what she teaches, comes from a large background of the specie she teaches, and makes class fun. The lecture. Being a morning class, it was really tough. The powerpoints were a bit bland and I had such a hard time differentiating between goat and sheep-specific lectures b/c they were constantly mixed together. It made learning about breeds and diseases more difficult than should've been. But it's all powerpoint which is nice and Beth posts the powerpoints online after her lecture so you can easily go back and study them again. I hate the "theory" that posting powerpoints hinders learning. The fact that Beth did this helped with my retention of knowledge. The labs were a bit boring or confusing at times, but I'm chalking that one up to her being really new and not having all the material from the previous professor who just left without much notice. So a bit of credit there. Plenty of opportunity of extra credit, though you will not need it. Online quizzes assigned on Fridays (due Saturday night) and online lab reports assigned Wednesday (due Sunday). I wish she would extend the due dates for the quizzes though. I've forgotten to take one of the quizzes and that hurt me a lot. Most professors give at least 3 days from the date of assignment of their quizzes before having it due. I would like to see that. But the quizzes are alright in difficulty. Definitely make some note cards from the powerpoints or check out the quizlet notecards for this class to help with your studies. Beth is extremely chill, loves to answer questions (though it sets back the lecture and you miss information), and is always helpful. Just don't be afraid to keep asking for clarification.

I had Beth for the sheep class and really enjoyed learning about the sheep/goat systems. Her teaching style is very different; she seems really relaxed about things, which is nice, as long as YOU don't get too relaxed in her class. When you relax (like I did in the beginning) I thought her tests would be relaxed too. Nope. She favors short answer questions with only a tiny bit of (circle a,b,c,d). At least she doesn't require scantrons for her class. The slides were a bit confusing. I wish we could've focused on goats one half and then sheep the other. I kept getting breeds mixed up between species- I do not come from a ag background. Farthest from it actually. So I had to try a little harder than most to differentiate between breed names and their species. Slides really need some work, they were pixelated in a lot of parts and just redundant. Kind of boring. Improvements to the class: better powerpoints (more interesting at least), be a little more confident?, be on time to labs maybe, and consider other ways to grade people. Not everyone is a short-answer test-taker. They may know the knowledge but these types of tests usually require more than just 50minutes to complete without feeling rushed. Just saying.

Oh my god where to begin, she may be very nice but is completely inept when it comes to lecturing. She reads directly from her slides and then tests you on stuff that wasn't on them, rather something she casually threw out in lecture. In addition, her tests are trickier than you think, if you don't put what she wants, regardless of if it is right or not, it is wrong and she has a lot of short answer questions. Lab was the only semi-okay thing about this class. She has no enthusiasm about the material to the point where it seems like she wants to be there less than you. Her class has no structure to it which it makes even less enjoyable/impossible to study for. I cannot count how many emails I have sent her this past quarter asking questions/trying to set appointments since her office hours clashed with my schedule and she didn't answer A SINGLE ONE. I cannot wait to be done with this class. Please, for your sake, take beef instead.

Lecture was pretty pointless. I stopped coming around week 5 bc she reads directly from her powerpoints and posts them online. Most information if pretty repetitive if you've taken anatomy or have any general knowledge of small ruminants. Labs were fun sometimes but Beth is not good on planning time wisely. Many labs had about 45 minutes of down time in the barn while sheep needed to be herded in or electric fence had to be put up. I liked taking this during winter quarter so you can be involved in lambing. Overall easy class and fun when you start getting your hands dirty with vaccinations and lambing. I would recommend this class if you enjoy sheep and goats.

I can relate to some of the things said about Beth's classes and instruction, like yes she reads off of the powerpoints and she may not seem that engaging during lecture but I don't think her ratings should be as low as they are. At least not for ASCI 223. I can't necessarily speak for people who take her holistic's class but personally Beth is a really cool person. She's laid back and a little corny at times which I think is reflected into her teaching style. I've heard so many people complain about how she tests students on material that she only covered in class that's not on the slides but I just have one piece of advice for anyone who says it's unfair: GO TO CLASS. And if you're sick or just don't want to go to class just get notes from someone who went or even her office hours. It's not like every single one of our professors spoon feed us the material and always post every single piece of information that we will be tested on. She's so willing to help everyone out as long as they seek the advice and she wants everyone to actually understand the material not just know random facts about animals. I have a feeling people go into her classes a lot of times underestimating the knowledge you should have for her exams and having the mind set that its the easiest class ever but straight up if you just keep up with the material and get used to her teaching style you should be fine.

I don't understand why her ratings are so low. I loved this class! I had little to no knowledge regarding sheep or goats prior to this class, but after only one quarter I am now considering a large animal veterinary concentration as opposed to the companion animal part of vet med. Beth is incredibly knowledgeable and very experienced with the animals and really exemplifies the "learn by doing" slogan. The only reason I could imagine that she would have a "lower rating" would be that she seems a little uncomfortable presenting in front of the class, but I think that dissipated as the quarter progressed. She is SO invested in her students and the goats and sheep. I always felt comfortable asking her anything during lab and class and she was always happy to help with a great explanation. Overall, a fair grader, great person, and knowledgeable instructor. I will miss this class (especially the lab) so much this next quarter! I might have to sneak back to the unit to see the animals again.

Beth is a great instructor for ASCI 223 based on her knowledge and experience in the field. She is a kind, witty, and understanding teacher. I enjoyed ASCI 223 with her and highly recommend taking it because the class requires minimal work and the labs are fun!

Beth is a freaking awesome professor. Please ignore all the other reviews from like three years ago because they're completely inaccurate for this point in time. Beth cares a lot about her students and is willing to talk with you not only about lecture-related material but also life things in general. She is passionate about both sheep, and goats, and if you're interested in learning more outside of class she will provide you with opportunities to be out with them. 10/10 would recommend taking 223, just pay attention and actually study a little bit and you'll be fine.

Beth is a great person who loves the subject she teaches. She is shy, quiet, and reserved but when you get her talking about experiences and hands-on working, she opens up. Her tests come DIRECTLY FROM THE SLIDES. Her exams are fair and reasonable as you don't need to do extra reading and no questions on the exams are from another source other than the slides. For our class in particular she offered up to 25 extra credit points. Some from just showing up on a low attendance day (Fridays) and an end-of-the-quarter extra credit opportunity that does involve personal time outside of class. What I would suggest to make the long early morning labs more bearable: Participate, be hands on, and if she asks for help with something don't drag your feet or think, "Someone else will do it so I will stand here." Standing there is far more boring than getting involved and keeping your mind busy with tasks. On the plus side, if everyone participates and doesn't drag on the time themselves by being inactive/stubborn, you get out up to an hour EARLY. TLDR; Beth is a great professor who is very knowledgeable in what she is teaching. Everything is from the slides and is extremely straight forward. Extra credit is offered. If you fail it's only on you and no one else. Plus you get to pet Gracie the dog-goat and her actual dogs Lily, Shay, and Keeper.

Beth was amazing. She genuinely cared about how her students did. She taught you so much more than you will ever need to know about sheep and goats. She made me look forward to class every day. It is extremely clear that this is her passion. She did get a bit flustered at the beginning and admitted she was nervous but she quickly got comfortable with the class. She is so funny and will always take student feedback on anything to do with the class. Her labs are always interesting (and the lab reports were basically for credit - if you did them and answered the question you got 100%), there was rarely any homework, and her tests were literally based off of the presentations she gives in class. It was not hard to get an A in this class and I wish she taught more classes at Cal Poly.

Okay, so I admit. I wrote a really scathing and heated review of this professor prior to deleting it all and submitting this. I have to take into consideration that it is her first year teaching. I was just severely....severely disappointed in the way she taught this class. I hear its not different much from how she teaches her sheep class. Here's the problem I have with Prof. Reynolds: she always seems unsure; afraid to commit to an answer or response; there is a hint of timidity when lecturing. I can't stand it. I know she knows her $hiT I just don't know why she doesn't think that. When asking her for clarity, answers or explanations you get more of this non-committal responding. It leads to more confusion. I constantly am seeing her credibility decline because I see her as a professor but...she doesn't? I don't know. For this class it was extremely disappointing because I can sadly say I didn't learn anything really meaningful and if anything, Holistic Management has become more discreditable in my eyes. It is not what I imagined it to be at all- or at least what other people told me it was a year ago when the other professor taught it. I really had high hopes and came in with a more than willing mind. Now I hate the class, and I'm just trying to get it over with. The problem was that this course was basically theory and pictures vs a couple decade's-worth of evidence from traditional rangeland management sources. It was very hard for the professor to put things in perspective. Don't take at least Spring of 2015. Hopefully she'll get it down by then. Two exams, one project, group assignments. Definitely subject to change. Don't take this class at least until

I'll tell you what...Holistic Management is a tough concept. Primarily because it does not have much evidence/studies performed to support it- like traditional rangeland concepts. So the paradigms out there really work against student's having an open mind about this stuff. Some of the people in class tried to be annoying and ask purposefully impossible or irrational questions to try and make holistic management seem more confusing. Maybe it worked in converting some people, but to others it made them look annoying and childish. BUT, there are questions/things about holistic management that I do not agree with and found really hard to make believable. Beth is an alright instructor. An absolute sweetheart of a lady though. Unfortunately, the class is just lecture, two tests and two group projects. If she assigned homework or quizzes on the reading, she would definitely make things easier ("understand student needs"). But to her credit, she already does a good job with that. She postponed our tests a couple times via class consensus. She is a first time lecturer/first year so maybe that's why things are a bit rocky. What I like: she posts the powerpoints online, just wants you to participate, always available to help during office hours, and gives the class a very relaxing vibe; relaxing so you can ask even the most ridiculous questions (don't be afraid to ask them). She actually likes to elaborate more because when you ask questions it shows you're paying attention. So ask her questions! What I don't like: it takes her a while to post grades, the tests were not very well explained (what she was looking for), and her grading method is very forgiving BUT her questions are worth multiple points. The smallest was 1pt, the largest 40pts but average 4pts, need better/more exciting labs.

This class could be interesting... if "Beth" wasnt fucking stupid. She cant write a test to save her life. She is terrible at lecturing and is always unprepared. Her tests are graded unfairly and the questions seem as if a 3rd grader wrote them. If you want to talk about goats 24/7 then this class is for you. Oh dont worry theres extra credit but she changes the point value to less points after youve completed it. Dont take this class. Reynolds is a dipshit

Beth is one of the worst agriculture professors I have had at Cal Poly. The entire quarter is based on a topic that has no scientific backing. She lectures maybe twice a quarter with her own material. The rest of the time she shows videos about how horrible the agriculture industry is. Her teaching style is very relaxed and she does not display much confidence in herself. Because she acts unsure, it is hard to take her seriously. The entire class is a waste of time.

This class is completely pointless. The entire class is made up of bullshit infomation and movies. None of the material presented to the class is hers and she finds material and YouTube videos off the internet that is not back by any research or credible researchers. So basically everything she teaches you the entire quarter should be forgotten since nothing was credible or proven. But this is a class supposed to be based on agriculture and all she does is bash convential farming, provide incorrect information that she "heard once from this article on line" and present theories that are not helpful to anyone who plans to live and farm in California. This was by far one of the worse classes I took at Cal Poly and I've had multiple classes with this professor and it's always the same unprepared and pointless. I wouldn't recommend this class if you actually care about agriculture. Take something more beneficial and substitute it.

I wish there was a substitute class for this class. I personally liked the concepts of holistic management, they were different and amusing. Beth can't seem to lecture for shit. She comes to class and doesn't want to be there, which makes us not want to be there. She gets mad when we don't show up? I don't know what's her deal, but this class is a waste of time.

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. Worst teacher I've had throughout my entire 4 years. Beth isn't ready to teach, let alone an upper division class at Cal Poly. I wish I got more out of an area F class. Stick to selling goats Beth.

I don't think I've disliked a professor at Cal Poly this much, ever. She failed me on the final because I had to take it early and she "didn't have time for me" at office hours. Complete joke of a professor. I've never received a D on my transcript, and you bet it's time this teacher gets a formal complaint through the university. Waste of time, both the lab and lecture. Labs you end up doing something she probably didn't do for her sheep unit job. Lecture she reads off the slides and then tests you on some bullshit information she somehow expected you to know. Don't take this professor for any animal science class. Save yourself the time and take it with someone who actually wants to be there and teach.

No, just no