Shelly R. Spencer

BIOL226 · ANATOMY · BIO226 · BIO125 · 96 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 58/100
RMP rating: 4.0/5
Take again: 72.73%
Difficulty: 3.9

The decision

if you will study daily and can handle a blunt style; async online is safer if her live attitude is a dealbreaker.

Best fit · Effort For RewardTest HeavyPop QuizzesMetacognition Study GuidesPolarizing PersonalityTough Lab Grader

Anatomy and physio stay content-hard, but , and study guides if you put in serious study time.
and funny, others call her rude, loud, and condescending.
Online or asynchronous sections are often preferred because recorded lectures avoid live friction while .

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

42/100

As and Bs are reachable if you memorize her provided materials, but students repeatedly say free As do not exist and .

Both formats agree an A requires serious study; online students stress metacog and study guides, while and picky labs.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

28/100

Anatomy and physiology content is dense, memorization-heavy, and paced like pre-nursing gatekeeping work.

Difficulty reads high in both formats; online does not make the material easier, only more rewatchable.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

30/100

Many reviews mark attendance mandatory or warn that skipping lectures and .

as required; some online async sections reduce live pressure but still push participation and .

Is this professor recommended?

WorthIt

70/100

because strong students keep the material, but personality complaints keep this from MustTake.

Online reviews skew more positive on delivery; warnings.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

48/100

Exams often match study guides and slides, but tough-grader and .

Format shift

; in-person students complain more about lab pickiness and attitude.

Workload

Heavy

32/100

Lecture-heavy, test-heavy courses with labs, reports, metacog practice, and constant memorization leave little light work.

Format shift

; online group labs add friction for some students.

Teaching experience

Good

66/100

Many students praise funny, sticky lectures and support, while a large minority report rude delivery and self-teaching.

Format shift

Recorded or async online teaching is rated more cleanly; live in-person tone drives most negative teaching comments.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

78/100

, and occasional reports carry most of the grade rather than low-stakes homework.

Format shift

Online and in-person both center tests; .

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

34 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

admirers say her humor and high standards prepare nursing students, while critics call her intimidating, rude, and hard to approach.

Main concern

, and a confrontational classroom tone frustrate many students.

What students said

“Unprofessional. Impatient. Rude. Loud. Combative.”
BIO125

“if you get the . She's extremely intimidating at first, but as the class goes on, you start to see that she cares about the students who put in the effort.”
BIOL226

“Prof Spencer is very strict but caring! However in order to pass, make sure you do NOT miss her lectures and please record them”
BIO226

Remote format

Online

16 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

Online and async students often praise clear study materials and rewatchable lectures, while , and occasional abrasive live sessions.

Main concern

Lecture and , and some live Zoom or sync moments feel harsh.

What students said

“She's very different from other anatomy professors due to her giving you a study guide that has the same exact questions on the ”
BIO125

“ and synchronous and she's honestly pretty rude and loud for no reason so I took her asynchronous and it was the !”
BIO226

“Just make sure to really study for the lecture and lab exams because they are the heaviness to the bulk of your grade.”
BIOL226

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams are fair if you study her materials closely, but they are frequent, content-dense, and not described as open-book soft assessments.

Exam questions from slides and study guidesPop quizzesLab examsMemorization heavy

Assessment risk

Standard

52/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

, and lecture tests drawn from slides and prior quiz items.

Pop quizzesTimed lab practicalsRecord lectures for examsFair game slides

“Her exams are pretty straightforward ***you've seen these questions before***.”
BIO125

“labs are 1 minute around each question then 45 seconds 2nd time around.”
BIO125

Online

Online students say lecture and style questions after heavy review.

Study-guide aligned examsLecture and lab examsTest heavy

“all the . I have no complain about this course. If you would like to have an easy 'A', apparently, that is non-existent.”
BIO125

“Make sure to study her metacognition exersizes because the .”
BIOL226

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“Physiology is a tough subject, but she makes it easier to learn. and accessible outside class.”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews across online and in-person sections, , and heavy A&P workload. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

66/100

“Not only is she a very engaging, effective lecturer, shes also a good motivator, student advocate, and a HBIC.”

👍 Recommendation Rate

70/100

“if you get the ... One of the .”

📚

72/100

“giving you a study guide that has the same exact questions on the ”

⚠️ Classroom Tone Risk

28/100

“ . Very condescending and rude makes you feel like you cannot ask questions.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

Her lectures are fun. Physiology is a tough subject, but she makes it easier to learn.
Imagine if Wendy Williams is your anatomy professor.
concise, informative, and a little funny.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

If you would like to have an easy 'A', apparently, that is non-existent.
You really have to work for an A, but you retain the info well after the class is over.
Just listen to her and memorize everything she says... no surprises but its HARD.

Theme 3

🎭 About Personality Split

. !
Unprofessional. Impatient. Rude. Loud. Combative.
Dealing with her during Zoom lectures? Nightmare.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

88/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty detailed reviews span many years and both formats, with , and personality making the signal strong.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 545

4 out of 530

3 out of 510

2 out of 53

1 out of 58

Course coverage

BIO12525 reviews

BIO22614 reviews

BIOL2269 reviews

ANATOMY2 reviews

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

46 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 4 · A 15 · A- 1

B range

B+ 4 · B 9 · B- 2

C range

C 1

D range

No reported values

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

Drop/Withdrawal 6 · Incomplete 1 · Not sure yet 2 · Rather not say 1

Shelly R. Spencer

x x x if you will study daily and can handle a blunt style; async online is safer if her live attitude is a dealbreaker.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

HardWork

Challenging

Mandatory

WorthIt

See how this professor fits your week.

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

In person

Online

See what students actually said.

🎯 Teaching Quality

👍 Recommendation Rate

📚 x x x

⚠️ Classroom Tone Risk

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

🎭 About Personality Split

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

if you will study daily and can handle a blunt style; async online is safer if her live attitude is a dealbreaker.

📚