Spiller, Robert  

Animal Science

3.69/4.00

40 evaluations


PM 121


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
Apr 2003
He was a total sweetheart that loves chickens he means the best but he is a little dorky test were pretty easy very easy to get an A

ASCI 145


Sophomore
N/A
Required (Major)
Mar 2003
Dr. Spiller's class was pretty interesting, and very easy... go to class and lab, take the tests and quizes, and youre set.


Graduate Student
B
Required (Support)
Apr 2003
Dr. Spiller is a really fantastic instructor. His depth and breadth of material is phenomenal. He is organized, energetic, generous with grading, and mentoring all along the way. With Dr. Spiller you get both a lab and lecture teacher, rather than either or, which is the case in many classes. I highly recommend him for students wishing to have a strong introductory class and may take him for a more advanced class


Junior
A
Required (Major)
Aug 2004
"Hey sports fans!"

PM 145


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
Aug 2001
Dr. Spiller's PM 145 class is interesting and informative. If you go to class and pay attention it is VERY easy to get an A. Quizzes are easy and the final is not that bad.


Sophomore
B
General Ed
Feb 2001
I really enjoyed his class. He was very knowledgeable about the poultry industry. Lecture was interesting. He was always aswering questions if you had any. He has a quiz just about every week. Lab is cool just didn't like the smell. Word of adivce, if you do bad on the quizes do all the extra credit that he offers. I had a "D" but brought it up to a "B". Everything in the final is from lecture and things you did in lab. So if you go to class and lab you will be set. If I take another PM class I would like to have Spiller as my professor.


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
Feb 2002
I really liked Dr. Spiller. He was really friendly and explains the course material very clearly. Not to mention it being a really easy class. I know that most people don't like chickens, but there is no reason why you shouldn't get an A in this class.


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
May 2002
If you ever get a chance to take a class from Spiller the chicken killer, sieze the opportunity. You won't be disappointed. He will teach you more about chickens than you ever wanted to know and will give you a deeper understanding of the ag industry through his class.


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
Sep 2003
Dr. Spiller was a great teacher in this course. He goes over everything about 3 times. If you go to class and take notes on the handouts he gives you, it's a cakewalk. Yes, handouts! He gives you giant packets of all his overheads, and you write a couple things down that he mentions. He's kind of cheesy, but in an endearing way. He gives you several quizzes throughout the quarter, which are cake, and the midterms and final exam are just like the quizzes. I don't see how anyone could not do well in this class.

ASCI 225


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
Apr 2004
Dr. Spiller is a great guy. He is so sweet and is really helpful. He knows a lot about the subject and tries to make the class as interesting as possible. Read over the packets he gives out in class and you should do fine on the tests. Go to lab and take notes because lab and lecture are tested together and you need to remember what he spoke about in lab. He really is a great guy and teacher. I wasn't too interested in poultry before I took this class and I finished the quarter with way more respect for people in the poultry industry.


Freshman
A
Required (Major)
Mar 2008
Dr. Spiller is an extremely ignorant human being. He is a horrible teacher-he fills in the blanks on an overhead for a lecture and all the information is at least 20 years old. He is extremely bias towards the commercial poultry industry and tries to sway students away from organic farming and free range practices supported by animal rights groups. The class is easy, but a waste of time.


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
Mar 2008
the only reason people like Spiller is because he is easy


Senior
A
Required (Major)
Aug 2009
Yes, you will hear "Okay sport fans" alot. Dr. Spiller is a awesome man. He is a very open and caring man who genuinely cares about his students. He loves his job and gets the short-end of the stick when it comes to the department. I feel he is very under appreciated by the department head and deserves alot more respect. Despite what he goes through personally he remains positive and comes into class everyday with a smile on his face. He loves students to visit his office and will do whatever it takes to help his students out. His tests are straight forward, just attend class and you will pass. I highly recommend Dr. Spiller.


Senior
N/A
Required (Support)
Mar 2010
Spiller is awesome! I would highly recommend this class if you need an animal science eletive. He really knows his stuff. There are 5 quizzes, no midterm, a final. They really aren\'t that hard as long as you look over the material. Extreme studying is not necessary. The lab is nice too. There aren\'t any quizzes, and you get full credit just by showing up. Just an FYI you will process a chicken in lab (take live bird all the way to a whole body carcass that you see in the store). Its not so bad but I wouldn\'t take this class if you won\'t be able to do that.


Freshman
A
Required (Support)
Feb 2012
Bob is probably the best teacher that I've had. Bob is one of the nicest guys you will meet who really wants the best of his students. The class consists of 5 homework assignments that he goes over in class before it's due (they are simple math problems that take 5 mins to do), 5 tests that are kind of like quizzes, no midterm, and no final. A trip to Foster Farms was probably the highlight of the class and it was worth a test grade just for going. Don't freak out if he comes in class with a little bit of chicken blood on his face. If I could I would take this class again!


Freshman
C
Required (Major)
Jan 2013
Professor Spiller was a good teacher. Just make sure you don't miss any classes, because you will get screwed on the quizzes even if you miss one day.


Junior
N/A
Required (Major)
Nov 2014
Spiller is one of the kindest animal science professors you will meet on campus. He is approachable and always open to explaining things or just chatting about poultry. If you miss a day in class or don't understand the material he will gladly walk you through anything. Definitely would recommend him!


Sophomore
B
Required (Major)
Feb 2015
Pretty chill teacher. No midterms just short quizzes every couple weeks. Final wasn't to bad similar to the quizzes. Never went to class and ended up getting a B+ so I highly recommend this class.


Senior
A
Required (Major)
Nov 2015
Spiller is a really cool teacher. He has been doing this a long time and you can tell he loves it. I love his stories and his passion for poultry. Its awesome to go and hang with him and chit chat or get help on course content. his tests are super straight forward, he gives you note packets....wow how nice.... and they basically tell you what is on the test. Really cool class, dont avoid this class because its about chickens, you learn so much, fun labs and learn about industry alot.


Sophomore
B
Required (Major)
Dec 2015
Dr. Spiller is awesome. He can go on tangents and is sometimes repetitive but he really knows the material and is passionate about both the subject and making sure his students succeed. He WANTS you to not only get a good grade but really learn. Attendance is not taken during lecture but the info given is really crucial for tests and quizzes. Attendance for labs is huge and labs are fun and hands on. Study your notes and take notes during lecture in addition to the packets he gives. If you go to class on days when lots of people skip he will give you extra info and let you know whats on the test. Overall, I loved the class.


Freshman
A
Required (Major)
Mar 2016
I absolutely loved having Dr. Spiller for a professor. He knows so much about poultry and is eager to share that knowledge with his students. He is a fantastic teacher. For 225, he makes fill-in-the-blank lecture outlines that are a lifesaver when midterms and finals are approaching. Participation is important, as well as remembering key concepts within nutrition, lighting programs, etc., which he usually emphasizes in lecture. Dr. Spiller is such a fun and knowledgeable teacher, and I am so glad I got to take his class.

PM 225


Senior
A
Required (Major)
Nov 2004
Dr. Spiller is a wonderful teacher. He knows his stuff and is a very respected man in the industry. Many people don't like chickens, but if you go in the class with an open mind, you will learn something. He also gives you packets of notes to fill in, so the class is super easy. Talk to him after class sometime, he really is interested in student success and informs you of opportunities.


Senior
A
Required (Major)
Aug 2005
Talk about awesome teachers....Mr. Spiller is the best and man do i wish i could have him teach all my ASCI classes...repeats himself several times throughout the course so that you KNOW for SURE what is on the exam and in life. Of course, you will pick Mr. Spiller for all your Poultry class whenever he is open to teach it...I sure will.


Senior
A
Required (Major)
Jan 2006
for the longest time, I thought Dr. Spiller was a janitor.


Junior
A
Required (Major)
Mar 2006
Spiller is such an awesome professor. It's important to go to class everytime b/c he goes over so many notes but his 5 mini quizzes are so basic and easy. I aced all of the mini midterms and the final after only studying for about an hour for each one- sometimes less. He repeats the important things that you need to know so many times that it sticjs in your head and theres almost no need to study. He can be a little unorganized but he gave our papers back in a resonable amount of time and went over the quizzes when we wanted him to. Overall, Spiller is an awesome teacher and i would definately take him again.


Junior
N/A
Required (Major)
Jun 2006
Spiller is awesome. Easy class, easy tests, and you learn a lot of info about birds in general. FOR SURE go to Foster Farms. It's worth the drive and a great experience in general.


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
Mar 2008
all my other asci classes i got a C or worse. i went into this class pretty discouraged but i really started enjoying his lectures and did really well. hes a bit old so you might hear some of his "back in my days when i worked at sun valley farms" rant a couple times but yeah very interesting and easy. highly recommended~


Senior
B
Required (Support)
Mar 2008
He is actually a really nice guy. Even with classes on Friday you can pull out a B or even an A. I am not interested in poultry at all but some of the information was actually pretty interesting. If you miss a lab or class he is super easy to talk to and you can easily get it made up. Don't worry about not doing so hot on some of the quizzes, you do extra credit in the end. Also, definately go to Foster Farms because it is a once in a lifetime thing.


Junior
A
Required (Major)
Jun 2008
Dr. Spiller is a good teacher, though a bit repetitive. He uses the overhead and fills in the blanks of the handouts he gives you. The tests are easy as long as you study, and he'll try to help out those who actually come to class by strongly hinting at what will be on the tests (of which there are five, totaling 500 points. The final is worth 300 and cumulative). My main suggestion is that if you're really into animals, DON'T go on the Foster Farms field trip. It can be upsetting, Also, there is a lab in which you process chickens, so if you'll be disturbed by the sight or sound of chickens being "sacrificed," I suggest you skip that lab and make it up later. Still. Good teacher, good lecture with a very hands on and informative lab. I'm not particularly interested in poultry, but I'm a little more so after this class.


Freshman
N/A
Required (Support)
Jun 2009
Spiller is the nicest teacher I've had yet at Cal Poly. I went to a lot of office hours and he helped me so much to prepare for his quizzes. He presents the material so well and there aren't any real trick questions on his quizzes. He is also really flexible about your schedule so if you can't make it to the field trip he lets you do another assignment, or if you miss a lab he lets you make it up without losing any points. Nicest professor ever.


Freshman
N/A
Required (Major)
Mar 2010
Spiller is a good enough teacher - the whole class is pretty much based on \"fill-in-the-blanks\" on the outlines he hands out. Just show up to lecture and you should do well enough. Oh and there is math in this class, not too hard, but you do have to remember formulas to calculate mortality and all that poultry-related stuff - you\'ll have math questions on each quiz and the final. Oh, and theres no real midterm in the class, just about 5 quizzes, though each one is about as big as a midterm. Also, he\'s apparently a very busy man and usually isn\'t in his office hours when he says he\'ll be - so you\'re probably better off just talking to him right after class. And for fun, just watch him in lecture, he ends up erasing the marker off the overhead and rubbing it all over his face.


Senior
A
Required (Major)
May 2010
Spiller is a great professor who really cares to see his students do well. The class is broken down in basic sections for each system of poultry operations. Just go to class everyday and take the quizzes (I studied for about an hour before class and always got an A or a B) and you will be fine. Lab is really neat and you learn A LOT if you have a desire too. Otherwise you can sit there and be bored if you zone out. Spiller knows his stuff - he is also great to talk to about life / the animal science dept / college drama etc LOL - oh and GO on the poultry field trip - even if you have to miss another class and make up work. It was an amazing experience and you will not likely get another.

PM 230


Sophomore
C
Required (Major)
Oct 2004
Participate in lab - it's fun! Make sure your really study the diseases (I didn't and dropped from an A to a C after the final), but other than that it's not hard.


Senior
Credit
Elective
Oct 2005
Spiller is a little crazy but engaging and most of the time interesting. If you have a previous knowledge of the subject the class may be a bit boring. I would ask questions to take a topic deeper and he would stop me and say this is an intro class, lets leave it simple. Finally I changed to C/NC grading so that I could kind of shrug off the class and I did fine. I think I still would have had an A even without, since the tests are exactly what he says they will be, almost verbatim.

ASCI 255


Freshman
B
Required (Support)
Dec 2012
Prof. Spiller has a very boring lecture class, but he is a great teacher. He really knows what he is talking about and is very informative on the information he presents you. He is also very passionate about chickens, which explains why he knows so much about them. Like I said, his lecture class is very dry and I skipped a lot of classes, but I was still able to finish with a B+. He is also quite possibly one of the nicest people in the world, and you'll really see this if you go in his office hours. Overall, his class is not very difficult.

PM 330


Senior
B
Elective
Feb 2002
Professor Spiller by far is one of the best professors, if not the best professor that I have had since I have been at Cal Poly. Professor Spiller goes out of his way to help his students in any way or form that they may need. He, unlike certain other professors at Cal Poly, is very understanding, quite down-to-earth and has a great passion for teaching. While I was taking his class, I found the class information that he presented to be very interesting. I first took his PM 145 class and was so impressed that I decided to sign up and take his Spring PM 330 class along with a good amount of my fellow PM 145 classmates. Basically, to sum things up, if you are looking for a good teacher take Professor Spiller.

ASCI 342


Junior
A
Required (Major)
May 2013
By far, the most professional, respectable, and kind professor in the animal science department. He is the only professor I have ever had at Cal Poly who can say my name right. He is very funny and extremely helpful. Dr. Spiller is awesome!!


Senior
A
Required (Major)
Mar 2018
ASCI 342 (poultry business management) was one of the best classes I have taken at Cal Poly. The name of this class is deceiving, it is not very poultry based but, rather uses poultry as a means to teach you how to run your own business/ essential business skills. Very happy I took this class to learn these essential skills which will help make money in the future. It is also an easy A if you show up to class and pay attention. Not much outside homework, or time required. Spiller really cares about his students and wants everyone to learn and succeed. 10/10 would definitely recommend!!

PM 490


Junior
Credit
Elective
Aug 2008
I took the laying hens enterprise. I thought it was a lot of fun. We basically did maintenance when class met, and each person checked the chickens once a week. Pretty easy and straight forward. Do this if you don't mind working!


Junior
Credit
Elective
Nov 2008
Okay, so I know poultry sounds completely retarted and boring, but take it anyways! I took the chicken class then decided to do an enterprise with spiller because I liked the class. I did the egg collecting enterprise...Completely worth it! This is not that hard, but you learn a lot of things that you would never have thought of otherwise, plus this is hands-on and as long as you fulfill the requirements you will get credit while playing with birds!Definitely a "Learn by Doing" thing, Cal Poly should be proud!