Mortlock, Mary  

Some people said her English accent was hard to understand but i could understand it perfectly. she is kinda tough on grading, especially quizes(theres one a week!). it really is a class you have to keep up with, thats why i got a c, i kinda gave up after a while with all the BORING reading. She also isnt very helpful in office hours, she refers you to things online and kinda blows you off.

AVOID TAKING THIS TEACHER. She seems kind and nice, and she is in class, but when it comes down to business she will stab you in the back. She NEVER gave the class enough time on test days and often 3/4 of the class was still taking the test when she called time. She could never make up her mind whether the test was going to be curved or not, and wouldnt know until after the tests were handed back. She was never clear on hinting what material was going to be on the test and always just said they would be over general concepts and not too difficult -- which was never the case. I compared my tests to those of a friend taking another 218 class and hers were WAY more difficult. Take someone else if you can, I dont even know why this lady is teaching at a great school like Cal Poly.

THIS LADY IS PSYCHOTIC!! all she does is reminiss about her past and talk about how she thought her husband cheated on her( even though the story was somewhat amusing). she's from england so she talks with an accent. GO TO CLASS or she'll remember who you are and hate you. she is not very organized and the labs are a joke. don't really recommend her..unless you get amused by english accents and drama

I had Mortlock for her first quarter in America or Cal Poly... whatever. She was extremely disorganized, changed her syllibus constantly, and gave tests on material she had not covered. Avoid this woman like the plague. She once spent an entire class period explaining how she thought her husband was cheating on her. I wouldn't blame him. There are much better professors in the STAT department than Mortlock, (Like Daly or Carlton). Take them if possible.

God, talk about sitting in class everyday completely lost. Yes, that was me. Her lectures were all over the place, the midterms, final, and quizzes were complete horse shit, and she's kind of a bitch. The only saving grace is that she has an accent that makes what she says somewhat funny and she has a couple good stories, but if you need to pass this class with a decent grade or actually want to learn something, AVOID her.

If you have to take STAT 251 and 252, Mary has definitely got to be the best professor in the department, not to mention one of the top on campus. Her British accent and English background makes her a fun and entertaining person and teacher. The book is not necessary at all and only confuses people, as she provides a course manual for both 251 and 252 that is truly a gift. Look no further than this teacher!! I did not understand Statistics at all and she has helped me sooo much to where I understand everything now in 252. Wonderful person who you will want to keep in touch with after you are done with the class - seriously.

I love this lady!!! She was such a great teacher. I have never been so amused by a professor in my life. He is an english lady with so much enthusiasm. I am taking her right now for Stat 252 and she is great. Her tests can be difficult, but she knows that sometimes people mess up, and she compensates for that with extra credit opportunities or in class assignments. She doesnt design tests so that you are guaranteed to fail, she really wants you to do well. If you go to class, you are golden. She has many many in class assignments, but she does them for OUR benifit, not to be a pest. They help your over-all grade, and they are easy points to boost your grade when or if you blow a test. We have a bunch of quizes too, but they are not too difficult. They just go over the basic concepts we learned that week. These quizes also help your grade a lot. The manual is awesome, and is so helpful. She doesnt make us do tedious problems in the text and gives us wacky fun examples. Maybe she does go a little fast in lectures, but she constantly asks us if she is going to fast, and if there are questions. If people dont speak up and ask her questions, there is no way for her to know to slow it down. She is ALWAYS in her office and is SO helpful. Don't hesitate to go ask her questions. She appreciates the effort. She tries to make Stat interesting, which is very hard to do. I was going to wait until i was done with Stat 252 to do an evaluation, but i was so mad at what the other people said about her. Her 252 classes are filled up with 75% of her students from 251. People make a HUGE effort to get her again for 252... that must mean something. Take her if you can. You won't be sorry.

Professor Mortlock was a great teacher and I learned a lot from her. I would recommend her to anyone taking a STAT class.

mortlock was one of the best professors i have had so far at calpoly. she presented the material clearly, and her workbook helped a lot. i didn't have the book or the correct calcualtor for the class, however i was able to pull off a B. an A is definately possible if you show up everyday. if i took the class over again, i would take it later than 7am. you are able to throw out two quizzes, and she will answer all of your questions.

Mary Mortlock is a terrific person and an educated teacher. She truly has a passion for what she teaches, and is dedicated to making sure her students understand, no matter how often she has to go over a topic. She is incredibly understanding. Middle quarter, I was in a horrible auto accident and unlike some of my other teachers she was very concerned about my health and was willing to do anything in her power to make sure I made it through the quarter. She is a rare teacher to have.

Mortlock is a very interesting teacher...she has some pretty funny stories and a cool English accent, but as far as being a teacher, she is nothing spectacular. You do get a manual with all the notes already in them, which is very nice, but other then that there are no other selling points to her. If you can transfer out, I would, but if you get stuck in her class, don't panic. Just do the homework and you will be prepared for the quizzes and final.

Mortlock is the BEST!!! She teaches clearly and you know exactly what to expect on tests. She has quizzes once a week usually on Thursdays as do most stat classes. My roommate had Daly and Mortlock was way easier when it came to midterms and finals. Also, she makes the class interesting with her accent and stories. She truly tries to get to know you and cares. She doesn't take roll and homework only once a week.

Just alright at explaining things. Assigns homework to be turned in at begining of week, but does not tell you what should be done each day. Overall not too bad, but now I'm in Daly for 252 and I prefer him, and she has a really funny twitch in her chin.

She sucks. Avoid if possible

Professor Mortlock is a really cool lady, she makes the class interesting. She can sometimes go through the material a little too fast, but if you go to office hours, she is helpful. Her tests are fairly hard and missing one problem can really hurt your grade. However, she usually offers extra credit to help you out. Overall, I thought she was a good professor, I took her for both 251 and 252 and would definitely recommend her!

Mary was a great teacher and I took her Stat 252 class in Summer 2002. Her class notes that u can buy from the bookstore is all you need, so don't buy the textbook. Her tests are similar to the practice midterms, so make sure to get a head start and work each problem out. She lets you use cheat sheets and I found them very useful and wrote very tiny and neat with highlights for important equations and ANOVA table formulas. Just don't procrastinate with the practice midterms and I loved the fact that I learned through her great teaching skills. I didn't do any homework problems since they aren't due and just kept up with the lab work, classwork, groupwork, and quizzes. Have fun with her great accent and British jokes. You'll have a blast so PICK HER!!!

Great teacher. A bit fast in the lectures. Makes herself available for questions. Tests are tough, but so is the material. Take her if you can.

If you have to take STAT 251 and 252, Mary has definitely got to be the best professor in the department, not to mention one of the top on campus. Her British accent and English background makes her a fun and entertaining person and teacher. The book is not necessary at all and only confuses people, as she provides a course manual for both 251 and 252 that is truly a gift. Look no further than this teacher!! I did not understand Statistics at all and she has helped me sooo much to where I understand everything now in 252. Wonderful person who you will want to keep in touch with after you are done with the class - seriously.

Mortlock is a good teacher, and she is very nice. Your 2 low quizzes will be dropped (of about 7). 2 in class assignments are also dropped (about 10). And your final exam score will replace your low midterm score if needed. You are allowed a note sheet for the tests. You can add this class too, she adds almost everyone. She even will try to get a bigger room....

Take Professor Mortlock, shes the best. I had a hard time in class and went to her during lab hours and at first you think shes not helpful but then she really grows on you. She helped me so much with the labs. I think she is one of the best instuctors at Cal Poly. If i was a stat major i would love to take a class with her again. Overal great teacher, and funny too. Just ask her about General Patent...haha. You'll understand later.

One of the best teachers at Cal Poly, go to class and you'll get a good grade. The Mini tab labs are gay but other than that this class is manageable. She has a Britich accent like Ozzy it will crack you up

i dont understand why people rave about her so much. she is extremely disorganized, grades very unfairly, and is too anal about your responses on the tests. the thing that adgitated me the most about her is that she would comment on how all of us did bad on a problem and yet she would still deduct the points and would not acknowledge it as a reflection of her as a teacher. in addition, she takes off points like crazy and when you confront her about it all she says is "well its only one point". i dont know, this lady just needs to get her shit together and not teach us the material after we get it wrong on the test.

Her style is different than most Poly teachers, but it was refreshing to have a bit of change. In the beginning I had a little trouble following her, but quickly caught on, and office hours are a big help as well. She is a great person and truly cares about how her students are doing (as long as the students care about how they are doing). The book really isnt needed in the class, except for in the beginning, she gives you a fairly large coursebook but don't let that scare you. Tests are challenging, but if you listen, go to class, and actually care, you will do well. Overall i'd say she was one of the best professors i've had while at poly and completely recommend her to anyone looking for a quality and respectful professor (who also respects you as a student)!

Mrs. Mortlock was by FAR the best professor I have had at Cal Poly. She is the only one who truly cares about student needs and helping them. Her class isn't super easy, but go to class and pay attention and you will be fine. I had her for both 251 and 252 and do not regret a second of it. Take her!!! And don't bother buying the book....it's a waste of money.

Great teacher. I highly recommend her because she knows how to teach very well such a boring subject. She is funny and does a good job keeping your attention because she is so funny. I thought she was great.

Talk about overrated. Mortlock is a complete ass, although not a bad professor for this course. I couldn't bear sitting through her incredibly trite lectures with her intermittent stupid British humor. You will either like her personality or want to go up to the front of the room and wedge a piece of chalk up her ass. Just read the rest of these evals...people either like her or hate her and as you can tell I would be a monkey's uncle before I'd take any class within 50 feet of her's. She just has a personality that is really irritating and the problem is you have to go to class 5 times a week with this lady and little things just start pissing you off. The one thing I can say is that you dont have to buy the book which would be a $100 setback and her manual accompanied with lecture notes from the class makes this subject fairly easy. Read elsewhere on her grading...it hasn't changed. Oh yeah one more thing...this crazy lady is a major SEXIST. I mean big time. Usually I wouldn't care about those kinds of things, but I am a guy and I could easily see the way she treated the girls in her class versus the guys. She is snappy and ignorant to guys...another thing that just pissed me off about this professor. If you are a patient person, you might be able to make it though her class because in all actuality it is not hard and you have to put minimal work in to get a B.

Mortlock once spent half of a class telling us a story about how she thought her husband was cheating on her. I wouldn't blame him one bit. She's unprofessional, unorganized, and generally unpleasant. Defintely plays favorites and doesn't like guys too much. The book is completely useless for her tests and quizes. The only way to do well is to try to understand her confused and abstract lectures. I don't know what teachers are like in England, but she is definately below par for a Cal Poly professor. AVOID HER.

Her grading system is terrible. We had labs for homework which took about 2 hours to do and they were only worth about 1% of the grade! The tests are worth a lot of your grade, and the final was really bad because it was on things she said wouldn't be on the final or things she said weren't important. As a person she's nice, and she has a cool accent. Avoid her if you can, try to take Daly!

I really like Mortlock as a teacher, I would recommend her to everyone. She actually wants her students to do well and understand the material. Her stories are funny and keep the class interesting and every once in awhile, she will let you have the day off "to feed the ducks". I learned a lot and really liked the manual. Don't bother buying the book, you won't need it! TAKE MORTLOCK!!!!

If you are a guy, do not take this teacher.

mortlock is straight to the point. no book. no homework. just her stat manuel which everything is presented simply to the point. she babbles a lot about irrelevant nonsense but can be very intertaining. lots of free points are available and her tests are very reasonable. often times her questions are tricky, which means you really have to know the material to get it right, but overall, i think she is the best bet for this class, im actually thinking of minoring in this hated subject!

She sucks it, take Smith.

She's a really nice woman. Quirky and odd. But nice. Stats is just one of those subjects. You can teach yourself and the computer aspect of it is neat. Mortlock would love to have a big stat party so she's definately there for you! Give it a try! Four midterms, no homework. Not to bad.

Terrible humor, but at least she tries to be funny. Just an average teacher, not terrible, not great. Not much homework but is a tough grader on her tests.

Mortlock is an intelligent woman who likes to have fun as she teaches. Tries to lighten the subject of Statistcs and entertain her students so the material is less stressful to learn. Great teacher with a great attitude.

Either you love Mary Mortlock or you hate her. She is a very opinionated person who likes to tell you random things that have nothing to do with statistics. She gives notes to follow along so you don't have to use the book, however, she can not explain them if her life depended on it. She will have you go through the notes in groups and do the problems on your own and then quickly go over them, without explaining any concepts. She also likes to come around and look over your shoulder, critiquing your notes that are for your own good! Her tests are not hard, but she is a very picky grader. There isn't much homework, but that leaves you wondering what will be on the test, so it sometimes is harder. The final was a joke, she told us we weren't going to finish in time! Why make a final so long if your students aren't going to finish???

Don't get on her bad side or your in trouble. If she likes you, the class can be easy but if she doesn't watch out. She is a very picky grader and her grading can very from quiz to quiz and test to test sometimes. I put the same answer as a friend that she like and she got credit and I received -3. She has you do problems in class and goes over her notes but the tests aren't usually similar to the questions you've gone over. I would not recomend taking this teacher at all.

While Mortlock's lectures are sometimes confusing, she overall is a good teacher. She writes her own manual and you hardly use the book--which means there is little homework, but it is assigned at the end of the unit sometimes. My class had about 48 people it was hard for her to explain everything because we were in the computer lab, but she always explained everything much more clearly in her office hours. Office hours are the best way to succeed in this class; it only takes her a few minutes to make everything crystal clear. In the end, she ends up offering a lot of extra credit through daily attendance and being present for all the mini quizzes in addition to dropping a few low quiz scores. There are three midterms, a weekly quiz, and in-class "mini-quizzes" (easy points!). So there is ample opportunity to bring your grade up-- I did!

Ugh. She seemed so cool. Nice lady to talk to, but her teaching was just stupid. Lemme put it like this. Suppose you learn the letters of the alphabet. That's all you've ever been taught. Well, test day comes around and she asks you to spell words and write sentences. Now of course you have no idea how to do that....This is similar to the antics which she pulled. Everything seemed to me so easy when she presented it, but come test day...forget about it. She said if you know what you're doing on the final, you'll be fine and have no time problems. Well, out of 40 people, not 1 finished early. I heard she curved the final about 4 whole letter grades. Insane huh? She's VERY disorganized and will bash Republicans from time to time. Maybe she should take her British act back to Britain. I studied way to damn hard to pull a C+. Try to take this class at Cuesta since all of the Stats teachers can't teach worth a crap.

Mary Mortlock made Stat 252 a breeze. she was easy to understand and addressed the material in an organized matter. she never wasted my time with useless work. best teacher for stats.

AVOID AVOID AVOID. no joke, she is terrible, cannot cearly answer any questions and you come out of the class more confused than you entered. Math is ususally a really strong subject for me, but this class proved otherwise & I 90% blame it on her lack of teaching abilities

I just want to say something about the idiots who have posted negative feedback for Mortlock...1) they have no idea what the hell they are talking about. 2) did you go to class? did you pay attention? did you do any labs? because her tests and quizzes reiterate everything she teaches you, word for word. 3) did you ever take the time to talk to her after class, or go to a single office hour? because this lady really knows what she is talking about. Mary Mortlock has got to be one of the most understanding, helpful teachers I have had in my college career. Hell, you get a CHEAT SHEET for every single test. If you think she graded you unfairly, and have a legitmate argument, she will add the points just cuz you care. Her motto is: if you try, you pass. Who wouldnt love that? and another thing, in no way shape or form does she pick favorites. you try, she respects you. you show up, she respects you. you turn stuff in, she respects you. I came to class late every day (well the days that I actually DID come, which wasn't all that regularly) but she realized that I got my stuff done, and graded me accordingly. her tests are relevant, her manual is the bomb, and her accent and stories are hilarious. TAKE MORTLOCK. i had her for stat 251 and 252 (after a failed attempt with Walker) and would recommend her to anyone. p.s. word to the wise: if you are gonna be late everyday and show up carrying a starbucks cup she does get a little irritated, so for the record she takes her coffee with milk, no sugar.

This was my first quarter at Cal Poly and I would have dropped stat 252 if it was not for Professor Mortlock, I thought I was doomed to fail and I think I will end up getting a B. She is a fair grader and will grade a lot of assignment out of more points than they are worth, which is her way of giving you extra credit. The class does not require a ton of work, just make sure you do all of your labs and you should be fine on the quizzes and tests. I e-mailed her all the time to the point she now has my e-mail address memorized. In the beginning I was in her office all the time and she was very understanding and helpful. She's a really neat person to be around and will amuse you with her stories and English accent... and she doesn't do anything funny with her chin.

You will not find a better statistics professor at Cal Poly. I was so relieved to have a stats teacher that can actually teach, after having Smith, who is as pathetic as they come, and deserves to be teaching "potty training for slow learners." The class is a lot of work, but if you go to class everyday, and turn in your work, you will be in great shape. If you don't go to class you will fall into a tailspin, and probably end up dropping or failing it. She does have her british accent and personality, but its not distracting. just joke with her about it, she can take it. Her test grading can be tedious, but thats par for the course with math classes. Its always frustrating to get a math test back, because you rarely do as well as you thought you did. I will say that she does not go out of her way to make the tests difficult, the hard part is making sure you finish in time, while answering all of the questions. my advice would be to look at tests from previous quarters, and take them as practice, so you can get a feel for how much time you have. Don't second guess yourself, and don't double check all of your work, just the stuff you know you usually make mistakes on.

I don't understand how anyone could not get along with Mortlock. Probably the coolest person teaching the most boring subject. Let's face it, stats is about as much fun as a fleet enema and a root canal but she makes it tolerable. She likes to reward hard work, understands that shit happens, and is willing to compensate for both when appropriate.

this is most frustrating teacher i have ever taken, everyday she teaches you something new, and she only explains how to do it, she doesnt explain enough to allow the students to grasp the concept behind why we are doing it. the entire course is basically examining computer printouts and doing hypothesis tests. i know how to do every different kind of hypothesis test, but i don't know what the hell is going on, its like my brain is a robot. but i got an A when i thought i was gonna get a C. for our class, she dropped the 3 lowest scoring labs and the 2 lowest scoring homeworks, so that will bring you grade up alot. oh, and be careful on the tests, she is really nit-picky about everything, if there are two ways to do a question, and there are no instructions, and you pick the wrong way, she will mark it wrong even though you arrive at the same answer. on another note, she's nice, we all laugh at the lameness of her jokes and not the joke itself. i am reluctant to recommend her, but i do...in hindsight, her class is good, but if you are suffering in her class right now, just know that it will all be better soon.

First, you have to understand that Stats 252 is the hardest support class you will have to take. Many people fail the class or struggle to get a C. Keeping that in mind, Professor Mortlock doesn't expect a whole lot from her students. Yes, she didn't explain the material very well at all, and her grading was EXTREMELY inconsistent, but she is very nice and willing to help. She always answers her emails promptly, and will go over confusing material in class if you ask. I wouldn't necessarily recommend her, but I wouldn't be pissed off if she was my only choice either. Her class is no where close to impossible, and with a little bit of work it is easy to do well in.

TAKE MORTLOCK!!!!! Ok so let me just say that Mortlock is a great professor! Going into this class I was scared because I had heard how difficult it was, however, Mortlock taught the material really well. Sometimes her notes are a little unorganized but if you pay attention you will understand what she is saying. She is a fair teacher and wants her students to do well. She likes to tell stories about her husband, kids, and things that are happening in England. Even for having this class at 8am, her accent and jokes kept me awake. If I had another stat class to take I would defenitely take her again. One more thing, its not realy neccesary to buy the book because we only used it once or twice, so you can just borrow or go to the library.

mortlock is a decent teacher. she sort of skips around when she teaches and doesn't use the textbook so it can be confusing at times. basically dont overthink it and ask yourself why you're learning something, just do it. its a regurgitate what you learned method that will get you the A. her quizes aren't that bad, but you'll need to study for the midterms. its definitely a do-able class, just study your very very few hw assignments.

I LOVE PROFESSOR MORTLOCK!! She is so great and makes Statistics really interesting. I had Mortlock for Stat 251 and 252, she is a great teacher and knows her material very well. She is a very fair teacher and is one of my favorite teachers ever. Take Mortlock for Statistics because she is so funny and is such a great professor. I wish she taught more Stat classes so I could continue having her for a professor!

Professor Mortlock is great. She's funny, entertaining, and a good teacher. The tests are resonable and she's there to help. I did find the final quite challenging though and you do have to do these lame labs on Minitab each week. I'm a horrible math student myself, but if you know stats she is definatley the professor you want for 252

she was the worst teacher that i ever had...that is when she came to class. two weeks before the final she left and did not come back but still held us responsible for the material we wernt taught (and in a stat class that is not easy!)i know she was going through a hard time and i am sympathetic twords that, but she could of been more considerate towards her students.

Mortlock was a nice enough lady and actually pretty funny but she is probably the worst teacher I have had. I heard shes not too bad for 251 but as for 252 i would stay away from her if possible! Theres not point in going to class because you never learn anything.

This is the third stat teacher ive had so far (p.s. i failed 251 with carlton and passed 251 with kent smith- which wasnt a breeze but do-able). she was by far the BEST teacher ive had too. basically, stat sucks and its hard. i wouldnt suggest taking it as a freshman- wait till you get used to college because its one of the hardest subjects ever (well, unless youre an engineer or something) anyway, she gave quizzes almost weekly which kind of helped my grade, they werent to hard- 10 pt. quizzes- and prepared you for the midterms. we were always allowed a page of notes for tests and she curved. i had the class at 6:55 AM 4 days a week and honestly she was so nice i always wanted to go to class- i only missed twice due to illness. although i got a C (im not the brightest crayon in the box, ill admit), this is probably the best teacher you could take for the subject. if youre on top of things you can pull a B or an A.

What else is there to say? Fine person, nothing interesting. Class was meh... Blah, blah, blah... Fine person.