LING311 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Tonia Bleam LING311 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/13/2024	The actual subject matter of this class isn't actually super difficult to grasp once you figure it out, but it is taught in a ridiculous and confusing way. Professor Bleam is very knowledgeable and does the best she can with the way the structure of the class is, but the actual structure of the class needs necessary change. There is no consistent way to access information on your own, there are no slides you can get information for and the textbook is only used to cover basics (the readings for the actual hard material of the class isn't provided for the textbook). This means that if you're someone who does most of your learning on your own rather than in class, then you're essentially screwed. There are handouts that are like half-completed in class, and if you don't understand the rest and don't come to office hours/try to figure it out on your own, once again you're screwed because she doesn't post any answers to anything online. Even after the assignment is due and you can't submit anymore. Not to mention there are homework assignments after every single class, so if you need help on them there's literally no way to get information online for help. The closest/best thing you have is a student-run archive google doc where every class she picks two students to take notes on what is happening in class, but since this is student run it's often confusing and not the clearest way a student should be learning difficult content for this class. There needs to be a more official way for students to get information. Overall, this class could benefit from a consistent and clear way to access information from home so students who are learning at home can get clarification on things that are not clear in class. Also, daily slides that cover the big topics covered in class (that are posted after class) would prove to be extremely beneficial. Not a super difficult class, the professor is great, just needs to be taught more realistically.
Anna Grabovac LING311 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/12/2023	Dr. Grabovac is a knowledgeable teacher. She clearly has a solid understanding of modern syntax, but her teaching style can be dry and monotonous. The class involved a lot of group interaction which was fun but didn't help us learn much. She is relatively new to teaching and did improve a lot after midsemester reviews, which is a good sign for people taking this in the future - ultimately a very nice and reachable professor, just not a stellar lecturer.
Tonia Bleam LING311 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/21/2022	Definitely one of the best professors I've had at UMD. She teaches the material in a very engaging manner, and she is very responsive to students' concerns. She makes sure you get the foundations of syntax down before building on them. She also seems to genuinely care about her students. One thing to keep in mind though is that there is a lot of homework for this class, but doing it does help you internalize the material.
Tonia Bleam LING311 Expecting an A Anonymous 03/07/2020	Dr. Bleam is an amazing and very down-to-earth person. She keeps class interesting and is accepting to a lot of different ways of doing things.
Tonia Bleam LING311 Expecting an A- Anonymous 11/19/2017	I love this course and love this professor. Her teaching style is incredibly helpful and interesting and the assignments she gives really supplement my learning instead of making me feel like I'm wasting my time.
Tonia Bleam LING311 Expecting an A ShellHypothesis 11/19/2017	Dr. Bleam is terrific. I have no criticisms (incredibly rare for me, even for professors I really like). She’s extremely friendly, she’s very good at explaining things, she’s helpful in office hours, her tests are very fair, and she’s incredibly organized. Easily the best professor I’ve had at UMD.
Tonia Bleam LING311 Anonymous 05/13/2009	I like her but she makes things sound harder than they actually are.

Tonia Bleam
LING311

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/13/2024

The actual subject matter of this class isn't actually super difficult to grasp once you figure it out, but it is taught in a ridiculous and confusing way. Professor Bleam is very knowledgeable and does the best she can with the way the structure of the class is, but the actual structure of the class needs necessary change. There is no consistent way to access information on your own, there are no slides you can get information for and the textbook is only used to cover basics (the readings for the actual hard material of the class isn't provided for the textbook). This means that if you're someone who does most of your learning on your own rather than in class, then you're essentially screwed. There are handouts that are like half-completed in class, and if you don't understand the rest and don't come to office hours/try to figure it out on your own, once again you're screwed because she doesn't post any answers to anything online. Even after the assignment is due and you can't submit anymore. Not to mention there are homework assignments after every single class, so if you need help on them there's literally no way to get information online for help. The closest/best thing you have is a student-run archive google doc where every class she picks two students to take notes on what is happening in class, but since this is student run it's often confusing and not the clearest way a student should be learning difficult content for this class. There needs to be a more official way for students to get information. Overall, this class could benefit from a consistent and clear way to access information from home so students who are learning at home can get clarification on things that are not clear in class. Also, daily slides that cover the big topics covered in class (that are posted after class) would prove to be extremely beneficial. Not a super difficult class, the professor is great, just needs to be taught more realistically.

Anna Grabovac
LING311

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/12/2023

Dr. Grabovac is a knowledgeable teacher. She clearly has a solid understanding of modern syntax, but her teaching style can be dry and monotonous. The class involved a lot of group interaction which was fun but didn't help us *learn* much. She is relatively new to teaching and did improve a lot after midsemester reviews, which is a good sign for people taking this in the future - ultimately a very nice and reachable professor, just not a stellar lecturer.

Tonia Bleam
LING311

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/21/2022

Definitely one of the best professors I've had at UMD. She teaches the material in a very engaging manner, and she is very responsive to students' concerns. She makes sure you get the foundations of syntax down before building on them. She also seems to genuinely care about her students. One thing to keep in mind though is that there is a lot of homework for this class, but doing it does help you internalize the material.

Tonia Bleam
LING311

Expecting an A
Anonymous
03/07/2020

Dr. Bleam is an amazing and very down-to-earth person. She keeps class interesting and is accepting to a lot of different ways of doing things.

Tonia Bleam
LING311

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
11/19/2017

I love this course and love this professor. Her teaching style is incredibly helpful and interesting and the assignments she gives really supplement my learning instead of making me feel like I'm wasting my time.

Tonia Bleam
LING311

Expecting an A
ShellHypothesis
11/19/2017

Dr. Bleam is terrific. I have *no* criticisms (incredibly rare for me, even for professors I really like). She’s extremely friendly, she’s very good at explaining things, she’s helpful in office hours, her tests are very fair, and she’s incredibly organized. Easily the best professor I’ve had at UMD.

Tonia Bleam
LING311

Anonymous
05/13/2009

I like her but she makes things sound harder than they actually are.

Reviews for LING311