# Karen Best — Courses & Reviews | UW–Madison [View on UW Courses](https://uwcourses.com/instructors/KAREN_BEST) ## Dataset ### revision e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349 ### repository twangodev/uwcourses ### schema version 6 ### importer version 7 ### projection id 52a78527ff09011d88cb04c7d43867d9fbfec2930bf1dd2ec359ebd2844e0b07 ### observed at 2026-09-07T15:55:43.033547+00:00 ### built at 2026-09-10T19:50:42.743001+00:00 ### courses 8951 ### current instructors 5754 ### limited false ### terms * 1272 * 1264 * 1262 * 1254 * 1252 * 1244 * 1242 * 1234 * 1232 * 1224 * 1222 * 1212 * 1204 * 1202 * 1194 * 1192 * 1184 * 1182 * 1174 * 1172 * 1164 * 1162 * 1154 * 1152 * 1144 * 1142 * 1134 * 1132 * 1124 * 1122 * 1114 * 1112 * 1104 * 1102 * 1094 * 1092 * 1084 * 1082 * 1074 * 1072 ### term 1272 ### departments | subject | count | | --------- | ----- | | AAE | 90 | | ABT | 20 | | ACCTIS | 36 | | ACTSCI | 14 | | AFAERO | 10 | | AFRICAN | 87 | | AFROAMER | 71 | | AGROECOL | 21 | | AMERIND | 53 | | ANAT\&PHY | 7 | | ANATOMY | 2 | | ANESTHES | 8 | | ANSCI | 57 | | ANTHRO | 95 | | ART | 125 | | ARTED | 10 | | ARTHIST | 121 | | ASIALANG | 129 | | ASIAN | 109 | | ASIANAM | 28 | | ASTRON | 38 | | ATMOCN | 69 | | BIOCHEM | 51 | | BIOCORE | 10 | | BIOLOGY | 14 | | BIOMDSCI | 18 | | BME | 66 | | BMI | 41 | | BMOLCHEM | 10 | | BOTANY | 69 | | BSE | 44 | | C\&ESOC | 73 | | CBE | 48 | | CHEM | 101 | | CHICLA | 52 | | CIVENGR | 133 | | CLASSICS | 47 | | CNP | 10 | | CNSRSCI | 50 | | COMARTS | 137 | | COMPBIO | 15 | | COMPLIT | 11 | | COMPSCI | 138 | | COUNPSY | 78 | | CRB | 19 | | CS\&D | 71 | | CSCS | 40 | | CURRIC | 193 | | DANCE | 93 | | DERM | 8 | | DS | 88 | | DYSCI | 35 | | ECE | 155 | | ECON | 145 | | EDPOL | 114 | | EDPSYCH | 97 | | ELPA | 70 | | EMA | 53 | | EMERMED | 17 | | ENGL | 206 | | ENTOM | 40 | | ENVIRST | 148 | | EP | 15 | | EPD | 67 | | ESL | 16 | | F\&WECOL | 60 | | FAMMED | 22 | | FINANCE | 50 | | FOLKLORE | 40 | | FOODSCI | 43 | | FRENCH | 63 | | GEN\&WS | 145 | | GENBUS | 72 | | GENECSLR | 17 | | GENETICS | 60 | | GEOG | 113 | | GEOSCI | 83 | | GERMAN | 82 | | GLE | 48 | | GNS | 38 | | GREEK | 27 | | HDFS | 41 | | HEBR-BIB | 13 | | HEBR-MOD | 10 | | HISTORY | 233 | | HISTSCI | 56 | | HONCOL | 13 | | ILS | 43 | | INFOSYS | 9 | | INTEGART | 7 | | INTEGSCI | 22 | | INTER-AG | 18 | | INTER-HE | 11 | | INTER-LS | 22 | | INTEREGR | 16 | | INTLBUS | 21 | | INTLST | 50 | | ISYE | 83 | | ITALIAN | 53 | | JEWISH | 56 | | JOURN | 88 | | KINES | 128 | | LACIS | 26 | | LANDARC | 61 | | LATIN | 24 | | LAW | 120 | | LEGALST | 48 | | LINGUIS | 35 | | LIS | 89 | | LITTRANS | 78 | | LSC | 52 | | M\&ENVTOX | 7 | | MARKETNG | 62 | | MATH | 153 | | MDGENET | 8 | | ME | 130 | | MEDHIST | 43 | | MEDICINE | 60 | | MEDIEVAL | 32 | | MEDPHYS | 39 | | MEDSC-M | 29 | | MEDSC-V | 41 | | MHR | 68 | | MICROBIO | 45 | | MILSCI | 16 | | MM\&I | 22 | | MOLBIOL | 6 | | MS\&E | 59 | | MUSIC | 165 | | MUSPERF | 126 | | NAVSCI | 20 | | NE | 44 | | NEURODPT | 11 | | NEUROL | 7 | | NEURSURG | 4 | | NTP | 11 | | NURSING | 111 | | NUTRSCI | 65 | | OBS\&GYN | 18 | | OCCTHER | 39 | | ONCOLOGY | 14 | | OPHTHALM | 5 | | OTM | 43 | | PATH | 34 | | PATH-BIO | 29 | | PEDIAT | 26 | | PHARMACY | 31 | | PHILOS | 77 | | PHMCOL-M | 11 | | PHMPRAC | 45 | | PHMSCI | 60 | | PHYASST | 37 | | PHYSICS | 88 | | PHYSIOL | 3 | | PHYTHER | 37 | | PLANTSCI | 52 | | PLPATH | 35 | | POLISCI | 192 | | POPHLTH | 58 | | PORTUG | 33 | | PSYCH | 101 | | PSYCHIAT | 22 | | PUBAFFR | 54 | | PUBLHLTH | 23 | | RADIOL | 11 | | REALEST | 41 | | RELIGST | 90 | | RHABMED | 9 | | RMI | 24 | | RP\&SE | 102 | | S\&APHM | 17 | | SCANDST | 73 | | SLAVIC | 89 | | SOC | 149 | | SOCWORK | 87 | | SOILSCI | 46 | | SPANISH | 83 | | SRMED | 21 | | STAT | 94 | | STDYABRD | 52 | | STS | 8 | | SURGERY | 25 | | SURGSCI | 33 | | THEATRE | 91 | | URBRPL | 60 | | UROLOGY | 5 | | ZOOLOGY | 89 | ## instructor ### instructor uid instructor\_e23250ea960e99f34ace1f05 ### source enrollment ### source instructor id kebest ### identity basis netid ### identity status source\_identified ### name Karen Best ### email KEBEST\@WISC.EDU ### first observed at 2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00 ### last observed at 2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00 ### ratings #### review count 27 #### quality 3.56 #### difficulty 3.44 #### quality count 27 #### difficulty count 27 #### profile id rmp:1241202 #### source url #### match basis exact\_name #### observed at 2026-09-07 16:27:37.449418+00:00 #### courses ##### course 44c96673fa1edf356243e374 ###### review count 17 ###### quality 3.71 ###### difficulty 3.59 ###### quality count 17 ###### difficulty count 17 ##### course a319b770172ebff195dab987 ###### review count 1 ###### quality 1 ###### difficulty 2 ###### quality count 1 ###### difficulty count 1 #### bayesian quality 3.6024194823602533 #### prior mean 3.6596857835465957 #### prior weight 20 ### current true ### courses | course\_uid | course\_id | title | credits\_min | credits\_max | gpa | | -------------------------------- | ---------- | -------------------------------------- | ------------ | ------------ | ----- | | course\_ad384f78dbc379a7337fc5ec | ENGL 515 | TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS FOR TESOL | 3 | 3 | 3.806 | | course\_afb52dda211f6124cb653b8b | ESL 116 | ACADEMIC READING AND VOCABULARY SKILLS | 3 | 3 | | ### revision e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349 ### instructor url /instructors/KAREN\_BEST ## history | term | course\_uid | course\_id | title | | ---- | -------------------------------- | ---------- | -------------------------------------- | | 1272 | course\_ad384f78dbc379a7337fc5ec | ENGL 515 | TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS FOR TESOL | | 1272 | course\_afb52dda211f6124cb653b8b | ESL 116 | ACADEMIC READING AND VOCABULARY SKILLS | ## timeline | term | courses | | ---- | ------- | | 1272 | 2 | ## term 1272 ## courses ```json [ { "course_uid": "course_ad384f78dbc379a7337fc5ec", "course_id": "ENGL 515", "title": "TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS FOR TESOL", "credits_min": 3, "credits_max": 3, "gpa": 3.806, "badges": [ { "id": "lecture-size", "label": "Small lectures", "tone": "neutral", "evidence": "Fall 2026: median 9 enrolled students across 1 recorded lecture section. Small means 30 or fewer; large means 100 or more. Enrollment at scan time, not capacity or typical historical attendance.", "sources": [ { "label": "Sections and enrollment", "href": "/courses/ENGL_515#schedule" } ] } ], "description": "ENGL 515 provides supervised practice in teaching English to speakers of other languages using current techniques and materials.", "discovery": { "term": "1272", "offered": true, "history": { "counts": [ 73, 9, 9, 1, 2, 0, 0 ], "count": 94, "gpa": 3.797872340425532, "topShare": 87.2340425531915, "firstTerm": "1224", "lastTerm": "1264" }, "instructors": [ { "course_uid": "course_ad384f78dbc379a7337fc5ec", "uid": "instructor_e23250ea960e99f34ace1f05", "name": "Karen Best", "quality": 3.6024194823602533, "quality_count": 27, "instructor_url": "/instructors/KAREN_BEST" } ], "instructorHistory": { "counts": [ 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 ], "count": 0, "gpa": null, "topShare": null }, "courseComparison": { "counts": [ 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 ], "count": 0, "gpa": null, "topShare": null }, "claim": { "citations": [ { "course_id": "ENGL 515", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "section_number": 1, "source_course_id": "d5261349-e18c-31f1-9776-f638f672665f", "source_record": { "entity_id": "d5261349-e18c-31f1-9776-f638f672665f", "file": "tables/observations.parquet", "kind": "grades", "source": "madgrades" }, "table": "section_grades_latest", "term_id": "1254", "type": "grade" }, { "course_id": "ENGL 515", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "section_number": 1, "source_course_id": "d5261349-e18c-31f1-9776-f638f672665f", "source_record": { "entity_id": "d5261349-e18c-31f1-9776-f638f672665f", "file": "tables/observations.parquet", "kind": "grades", "source": "madgrades" }, "table": "section_grades_latest", "term_id": "1262", "type": "grade" }, { "course_id": "ENGL 515", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "section_number": 2, "source_course_id": "d5261349-e18c-31f1-9776-f638f672665f", "source_record": { "entity_id": "d5261349-e18c-31f1-9776-f638f672665f", "file": "tables/observations.parquet", "kind": "grades", "source": "madgrades" }, "table": "section_grades_latest", "term_id": "1264", "type": "grade" } ], "text": "Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=10 letter grades); Fall 2025: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=6 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.90 GPA, 90.0% A/AB (n=10 letter grades)." }, "reviewFiles": [] } }, { "course_uid": "course_afb52dda211f6124cb653b8b", "course_id": "ESL 116", "title": "ACADEMIC READING AND VOCABULARY SKILLS", "credits_min": 3, "credits_max": 3, "gpa": null, "badges": [ { "id": "rated-teacher", "label": "Highly rated instructor", "tone": "positive", "evidence": "Fall 2026: Alejandro Azocar (4.09/5 adjusted; 16 ratings). At least one assigned instructor qualifies. This describes instructor reviews across courses, not a course rating.", "sources": [ { "label": "Alejandro Azocar", "href": "/instructors/ALEJANDRO_AZOCAR" } ] }, { "id": "lecture-size", "label": "Small lectures", "tone": "neutral", "evidence": "Fall 2026: median 16 enrolled students across 8 recorded lecture sections. Small means 30 or fewer; large means 100 or more. Enrollment at scan time, not capacity or typical historical attendance.", "sources": [ { "label": "Sections and enrollment", "href": "/courses/ESL_116#schedule" } ] } ], "description": "ESL 116 teaches academic reading and vocabulary skills, focusing on comprehension, speed, and summary writing.", "discovery": { "term": "1272", "offered": true, "history": { "counts": [ 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 ], "count": 0, "gpa": null, "topShare": null }, "instructors": [ { "course_uid": "course_afb52dda211f6124cb653b8b", "uid": "instructor_c67d3b54dce72fb8055d99e8", "name": "Alejandro Azocar", "quality": 4.0864921019703315, "quality_count": 16, "instructor_url": "/instructors/ALEJANDRO_AZOCAR" }, { "course_uid": "course_afb52dda211f6124cb653b8b", "uid": "instructor_51398207a7cc98a1cdf7f5f8", "name": "Parthy Schachter", "quality": 3.8433411361414676, "quality_count": 29, "instructor_url": "/instructors/PARTHY_SCHACHTER" }, { "course_uid": "course_afb52dda211f6124cb653b8b", "uid": "instructor_d91be261486bbc4c92e4856a", "name": "Danielle Scheffler", "quality": 3.7235102700443767, "quality_count": 1, "instructor_url": "/instructors/DANIELLE_SCHEFFLER" }, { "course_uid": "course_afb52dda211f6124cb653b8b", "uid": "instructor_e23250ea960e99f34ace1f05", "name": "Karen Best", "quality": 3.6024194823602533, "quality_count": 27, "instructor_url": "/instructors/KAREN_BEST" }, { "course_uid": "course_afb52dda211f6124cb653b8b", "uid": "instructor_e84e22541101a9864d0fa4cd", "name": "Shauna Crowther", "quality": 2.9553825108214826, "quality_count": 42, "instructor_url": "/instructors/SHAUNA_CROWTHER" } ], "instructorHistory": { "counts": [ 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 ], "count": 0, "gpa": null, "topShare": null }, "courseComparison": { "counts": [ 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 ], "count": 0, "gpa": null, "topShare": null }, "claim": null, "reviewFiles": [ "/data/e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349/reviews/course_afb52dda211f6124cb653b8b-0.json" ] } } ] ``` ## reviews ### items ```json [ { "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:27:37.449418+00:00", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTQwNzg2MDUz", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:1241202", "instructor_name": "Karen Best", "course_label": "ESL118", "course_id": "ESL 118", "course_uid": "course_44c96673fa1edf356243e374", "review_date": "2025-03-18 22:01:28 +0000 UTC", "comment": "No free mind, No enough feedback, surprisingly low grade. Rises your expectations and then let you down.", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1241202", "quality_rating": 3, "difficulty_rating": 4 }, { "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:27:37.449418+00:00", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTM5MzQ0Mzcx", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:1241202", "instructor_name": "Karen Best", "course_label": "ESL118", "course_id": "ESL 118", "course_uid": "course_44c96673fa1edf356243e374", "review_date": "2024-05-02 19:56:49 +0000 UTC", "comment": "1", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1241202", "quality_rating": 1, "difficulty_rating": 5 }, { "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:27:37.449418+00:00", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTM1Mjk4NzAy", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:1241202", "instructor_name": "Karen Best", "course_label": "ESL349", "course_id": "ESL 349", "course_uid": "course_a319b770172ebff195dab987", "review_date": "2021-11-24 21:20:23 +0000 UTC", "comment": "worst ESL teacher in UW-Madison", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1241202", "quality_rating": 1, "difficulty_rating": 2 }, { "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:27:37.449418+00:00", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTM1MDY2NTY0", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:1241202", "instructor_name": "Karen Best", "course_label": "ENG100", "course_id": null, "course_uid": null, "review_date": "2021-09-09 03:14:40 +0000 UTC", "comment": "Prof. Best is amazing! She is so talkative and considerate to her students. We never had lecture, she would just discuss with us during section. She knows her material very well, so she can give clear and respectful feedback. She doesn't make you feel terrible when she grades a paper. My course was online, so I'm sure she is better in person. :)", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1241202", "quality_rating": 5, "difficulty_rating": 2 }, { "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:27:37.449418+00:00", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTM0OTkxMzc5", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:1241202", "instructor_name": "Karen Best", "course_label": "ESL118", "course_id": "ESL 118", "course_uid": "course_44c96673fa1edf356243e374", "review_date": "2021-07-28 15:59:06 +0000 UTC", "comment": "Nice instructions and useful feedbacks. I recommend her!", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1241202", "quality_rating": 5, "difficulty_rating": 2 }, { "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:27:37.449418+00:00", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTMwOTU2Njc4", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:1241202", "instructor_name": "Karen Best", "course_label": "ESL118", "course_id": "ESL 118", "course_uid": "course_44c96673fa1edf356243e374", "review_date": "2018-12-10 23:12:36 +0000 UTC", "comment": "She's the best ESL instructor. I highly recommend her!", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1241202", "quality_rating": 5, "difficulty_rating": 3 } ] ``` ### total 27 ### page 1 ### courses | course\_uid | course\_id | | -------------------------------- | ---------- | | course\_44c96673fa1edf356243e374 | ESL 118 | | course\_a319b770172ebff195dab987 | ESL 349 | ### matched true ## social Image true