[{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:54:58.335441+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMzMjM1NTcw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:784772","instructor_name":"Ann MacGuidwin","course_label":"PLPATH123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2020-05-07 23:00:24 +0000 UTC","comment":"She is the worst teacher I have had so far. The lectures are horribly unorganized, she acts like she does not want to be in her office hours, shaking her head at every question, and the tests are hard, only because they just barely relate to what is taught in class. DO NOT take this class if she is your teacher.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/784772","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":5.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:54:58.335441+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTExMjEwNTM2","source_instructor_id":"rmp:784772","instructor_name":"Ann MacGuidwin","course_label":"PLPATH123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2005-12-19 11:38:45 +0000 UTC","comment":"I was stunned by her skills as a prof. First test she had to throw out several questions because there was no right answer on the multiple choice or the questions were really unclear. Lecture is dull and lab is murder (beware the group project!) Save yourself the ulcer...don't take this class.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/784772","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:53:51.943440+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwMTM3MTg4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2428280","instructor_name":"Aurelie Rakotondrafara","course_label":"PLPATH123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2024-12-06 17:34:41 +0000 UTC","comment":"Her lectures were mainly just review from video lectures but were mandatory for participation points. A general knowledge of plants is probably best but it's not too hard to pick up. Three midterms but no final.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2428280","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:53:51.943440+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4MTY0OTIx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2428280","instructor_name":"Aurelie Rakotondrafara","course_label":"PLPATH123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2023-08-14 17:16:34 +0000 UTC","comment":"Lots of work for an intro class, but overall a good choice if you need the credit. She's very nice and accommodating. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2428280","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:53:51.943440+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3MjUzMzAw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2428280","instructor_name":"Aurelie Rakotondrafara","course_label":"PLPATH123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2022-12-28 03:49:24 +0000 UTC","comment":"Dr. Rakotondrafara's class was fun and informative. Most lecture material was review of high school biology and environmental science, yet I appreciated learning about plant pathology, agricultural disease management, and how to be a conscientious consumer. I enjoyed the labs; most were self-directed with a small lab group, and the TA helped too. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2428280","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:53:51.943440+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3MjQ4NjEx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2428280","instructor_name":"Aurelie Rakotondrafara","course_label":"PLPATH123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2022-12-27 05:02:52 +0000 UTC","comment":"Good professor and a fun class. Definitely catered towards nonscience majors, so if you have taken literally any biology class before it will be mostly review and not much work. Labs are often quite self-guided and therefore a lot of fun. The class is not difficult and the professor and TAs do a great job explaining everything.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2428280","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":1.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:53:51.943440+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2OTc5Njcy","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2428280","instructor_name":"Aurelie Rakotondrafara","course_label":"PLPATH123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2022-12-06 00:52:54 +0000 UTC","comment":"I absolutely LOVED Plants, Parasites and People! Professor Rakotondrafara is passionate about the and explains concepts thoroughly. Most of the course is online with 3-5 lectures per week followed by a quiz. As long as you take the time to thoroughly understand the concepts, the quizzes are a breeze and the exams should go well. Take it!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2428280","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:53:51.943440+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2NzgxMjg3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2428280","instructor_name":"Aurelie Rakotondrafara","course_label":"PLPATH123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2022-11-04 19:52:07 +0000 UTC","comment":"The content itself is not that hard, and if you want an easy biology class I'd say take it. But the professor doesn't seem like she knows too much about what she's teaching. It's a hybrid class so a lot of the lectures are online. Many of the concepts are poorly explained and you can tell she's reading off of a poor script. Easy grade, bad class.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2428280","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:53:51.943440+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1NTc2MjQ4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2428280","instructor_name":"Aurelie Rakotondrafara","course_label":"PLPATH123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2021-12-17 18:01:39 +0000 UTC","comment":"Lecture and lab attendance are mandatory. In person and online lectures with a quiz each week. Lectures aren't bad, just redundant and not helpful. 3 in person exams and all lab assignments make up your grade. Opportunity for extra credit, but more work than it is worth. Expect to get no direction in lab and to be left without much instruction.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2428280","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:53:51.943440+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1NTIyOTg4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2428280","instructor_name":"Aurelie Rakotondrafara","course_label":"PLPATH123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2021-12-14 20:57:29 +0000 UTC","comment":"If you do not like biology, this class is a great choice. The workload was practical. There were only a couple of times where there would be lots of work. I joined the class a week late, and the professor was very welcoming. I am glad that I took this class.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2428280","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:53:51.943440+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM0MzE2OTky","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2428280","instructor_name":"Aurelie Rakotondrafara","course_label":"BOTANY123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2021-01-26 15:00:52 +0000 UTC","comment":"I took Botany 123 and it was such an easy A. We were online this semester and lectures were asynchronous. As long as you watched the lectures and took notes, you were guaranteed an A. The weekly quizzes were easy and the exams weren't very hard either. I would definitely recommend you to take this course .","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2428280","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:53:51.943440+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMzOTQ4MDIx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2428280","instructor_name":"Aurelie Rakotondrafara","course_label":"PLPATH123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2020-12-04 06:38:30 +0000 UTC","comment":"I loved Aurelie! She is hands down one of my favorite professors, period. She always showed up with a smile and you could practically hear it through her lectures. She is very passionate about the topics she teaches, which makes it all the more fun to learn about. The course format is very digestible and easy. If you can take PLPATH123, DO IT!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2428280","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:53:51.943440+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMxMDY5MTY1","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2428280","instructor_name":"Aurelie Rakotondrafara","course_label":"BOTANY123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2018-12-17 21:45:14 +0000 UTC","comment":"This class is by far the easiest class I've ever taken at UW. The concepts are very similar to a high school biology class and you would be especially fine if you took AP Bio. The TA's are all so nice and host review sessions before the tests. The exam average was a 94 or so on 2/3 exams. The lab is ok and requires group work, but very easy","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2428280","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:50:14.953830+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5NDYzNzEw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1005102","instructor_name":"Caitilyn Allen","course_label":"PLPATH123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2024-05-14 22:30:41 +0000 UTC","comment":"Professor Allen is an excellent and experienced lecturer and does a great job conveying biological processes to students who are not studying plant pathology. Lab was easy but there were a lot of lab reports which take time. Lecture participation is graded. Very few readings/work outside of the lab(~33% of final grade). ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1005102","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:50:14.953830+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5Mzk0MTAz","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1005102","instructor_name":"Caitilyn Allen","course_label":"PLPATH123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2024-05-07 19:34:09 +0000 UTC","comment":"Easy content, but participation is graded & lectures are on paper, not posted online. Labs are 30% of grade, exams make up the rest--not difficult, but TAs look for specific answers, which isn't always clear in questions. If you're looking for an easy A international studies, look elsewhere unless you test well & know you have time for lab reports.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1005102","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:50:14.953830+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5MjUyODgx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1005102","instructor_name":"Caitilyn Allen","course_label":"PLPATH123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2024-04-24 17:38:11 +0000 UTC","comment":"Plant Path 123 is a great course if you need a Bio credit or International studies! The lectures were pretty straight forward and had tons of relations to other subjects that were not science. The exams are difficult, but extremely fair. Professor Allen has a contagious passion for science!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1005102","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:50:14.953830+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3NjYwMDEw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1005102","instructor_name":"Caitilyn Allen","course_label":"PLPATH123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2023-04-19 01:21:28 +0000 UTC","comment":"Lectures are easy but worth going to: frequent in lecture participation checks AND they're just good lectures. Labs are pretty fun, lab reports every few weeks and a semester long project. Over all fantastic class, and I hope to have Dr. Allen again as I start taking higher level Botany/Plant Pathology classes for the major. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1005102","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":1.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:50:14.953830+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2ODY1MTg4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1005102","instructor_name":"Caitilyn Allen","course_label":"PLPATH123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2022-11-18 21:44:10 +0000 UTC","comment":"Great if you're not a huge fan of bio. Ties concepts to historical/social contexts, making the course much more engaging. Tests: relatively easy if you pay some attention in lecture, and don't need much rote memorization.\n\nHonors-optional project is easy & flexible: basically just design any project that dives deeper into a course concept.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1005102","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:50:14.953830+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTI3Njk5MTE4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1005102","instructor_name":"Caitilyn Allen","course_label":"PLPATH123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2017-01-09 11:48:29 +0000 UTC","comment":"Prof. Allen is my favorite professor here at UW-Madison. She is so knowledgeable, genuinely cares about her students, keeps lectures interesting, and is, in general, a super cool and accessible person. She is happy to meet with you outside of class and she hosts exam review sessions! I honestly wish I could take Plant Path again next semester.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1005102","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:43:11.707280+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTE1NDQ4MjI=","source_instructor_id":"rmp:326397","instructor_name":"Doug Rouse","course_label":"BOTANY123","course_id":"BOTANY/PLPATH 123","course_uid":"course_5f5ed7de88af3629fa7ac938","review_date":"2003-12-21 23:54:36 +0000 UTC","comment":"Great professor, very sweet guy, reminded me of Conan O'Brien...  He knew his stuff and was always excited to teach and did his best to make things interesting.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/326397","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":1.0}]