Reviews of professor Rachel Penton

Rating: 3.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Although this class was interesting, the tests were very difficult and Dr. Penton was seldom available outside of lecture. Although she is very knowledgeable on the subject, she was often condescending to students asking or answering questions during class. Use the learning objectives to guide your textbook reading!

Rating: 3.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
This was a great class with interesting material mainly learned through papers and the chance to 3D print a drug and receptor. I loved how Dr. Penton was very accommodating and essentially eliminated grading from her class. However, it is too much work, and Dr. Penton's behavior during the final was extremely rude, graceless, and disrespectful.

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Even if the class was hard, I've had pretty good experiences with other STEM professors at UNC. But with Dr. Penton, she is extremely disorganized and has a "my way or the highway" mindset when working in groups. I feel like I have not learned anything in the class and she is not very considerate toward her students.

Rating: 2.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
I was very disappointed with this class. Dr. Penton would never finish any of her slides in class even though they were extremely rushed through. She also wasn't the nicest to her students. I thought the CREATE Method was a huge waste of time because of how much of the material we didn't get to learn in class. Overall just would not recommend her!

Rating: 3.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
This class is a lot of work, which is comprised of quizzes, writing assignments, class engagement, concept maps, dense readings, group projects, and exams. The grade was 45% on graded components throughout the semester and 55% were exams. This class was not enjoyable online as it was not engaging in this setting, but she is nice and tries her best.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 1.0/5
Dr. Penton is a passionate professor. Her class was interesting and has extremely similar/converging course content to BIOL 455 & Biopsyc. Tests are online and low-stress because of this. There are easy reading quizzes and group projects as well with opportunities for extra credit.

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
I found Dr. Penton to be condescending and not very nice. She was not kind when answering students' questions, which contributed to an unwelcoming environment in the classroom. Her lectures were heavy on group-work and lacked substance; explanations were unclear and confusing. Group project took precedence over class content.

Rating: 2.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
NSCI 221 is unique. Heavy emphasis on group work, including weekend assignments in groups. Dr. Penton would often not finish the slides for the day, and I found the slides didn't prepare me well for tests and quizzes. Dr. Penton does clearly care about the material, but I found the course design did not help me learn well.