Kellie Robertson

This professor has taught: ENGL133, ENGL302, ENGL402, ENGL428Y, ENGL466, ENGL718B, ENGL718C, ENGL718D, ENGL759D, ENGL809

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Kellie Robertson ENGL133 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/28/2025	I do not recommend taking this class. It was way too difficult for a 100 level gen-ed. The readings were pretty long and hard to get through before each class. The midterm had to be curved more than my engineering classes because everyone did so horribly. The writing assignments given are graded fairly harshly with the second writing assignment not a single person getting a 100, which is fine for some classes but this is a 100 level gen-ed. There was no final curve and despite doing everything the class asked along with the single extra credit assignment I am ending with an A-. Kellie was a decent lecturer and I believe if you found the course more interesting you would find her to be a good professor. This would be much better as a higher level English class. My main problem with the class is the TA Niyanta. She made the class miserable and discouraged everyone from wanting to try. Any questions we had were responded to with a question about whether we were putting in enough effort or understanding the readings enough. If you didn't have the same ideas as hers she would dismiss it and be passive aggressive, despite asking us to come up with different ideas about a reading. Overall if you're willing to take the GPA hit for the 3 gen-eds it could be worth it as long as you pick your TA wisely.
Kellie Robertson ENGL133 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/25/2025	Dr.Robertson is a good lecturer and person, I found the class extremely interesting and engaging. With that said, I have a few problems with this course. First and most obvious is that the grading/midterm/final are just way too hard for a 100 level English gen ed, plain and simple. The amount of reading expected was pretty absurd, but I still managed to do most of them. I would estimate that this was taught at the difficulty level of a 200-300 level course. I am very English inclined as a person and honestly I find it sort of ridiculous that I'm ending with an A-, I somehow scored an A in calculus and an A+ in biology which are not at all my strong suits. If you do take this class avoid the TA Niyanta who I thankfully I did not have, all of my interactions with her were irrational and unprofessional. The TA Fernando was great! He really advocated for the students. Overall, the class does knock out 3 gen eds which might make it worth it if you aren't set on a 4.0.
Kellie Robertson ENGL133 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/23/2025	Dr. Robertson is a fine lecturer. Her lessons were often engaging and fascinating, fulfilling the expectations of the course title "Imaging Nature." I took this class thinking it would be your average 100 level English gen-ed, but this is not the case for this class. The expectations for the required readings were far out of line and frankly, not manageable for the average student utilizing this class to fulfill their gen-ed requirements on top of their major classes. While the course material was interesting, it became VERY easy to fall behind with the readings. Additionally, we were given a midterm and a cumulative final. The midterm grades were curved up to ~40% due to incredibly low averages. This was then brought to the students by saying "we were expecting better" and "read the readings more intentionally." As someone who did do the readings and failed miserably on the midterm, this felt impossible at this point, hurting my grade. The final I felt was fair however, given the bulk of material it took an absurd amount of time to review the almost 40 required reading from this semester as well as two novels and a play. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS AS AN "EASY" GEN-ED!! It is very important to me to note how horrific my TA was. I had multiple assignments graded incorrectly throughout the semester and rather than a simple review of the assignments, it turned into a battle via email to get the grade I deserve. The emails I received from my TA were insulting and inappropriate. Not only this, but in order to receive full credit on my participation grade for the class, totalling 100 points, I had to request for her to view the recording of the class lecture to see that I did in fact turn in an assignment that she lost and I was punished for. She arrived late to every single discussion by 10 minutes and immediately upon her arrival berated all of us without cause saying we need to be doing better and reading more intentionally because our thoughts are not strong enough. When asked clarifying questions she often became argumentative. I recall one time asking a clarifying question suggesting a new idea about one of the texts and she immediately shut me down saying "maybe if you had read the text you would know the answer," when I did in fact read the text. My experience with my TA alone made this class incredibly dreadful. I could go on explaining more microaggression but for the sake of brevity, I DO NOT recommend this class.
Kellie Robertson Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/20/2025	Here's the thing: Professor Robertson is a great professor. She lectured well and was able to teach a nuanced subject thoroughly. But, she taught English 133 like it's an upper-class elective. Midterms, writing assignments, and participation were graded harshly with little guidance. If you are truly interested in English, I would certainly sign up for her class, but if you are like me and want a gen-ed to fill space, look elsewhere.
Kellie Robertson Expecting a C- Anonymous 05/20/2025	The assignments over the semester were easy but the midterm and final were impossible, they tanked my grade. The amount of reading expected way too much for a 100 level gen ed class. Do not take engl133.
Kellie Robertson Expecting a C+ Anonymous 05/18/2025	I respect Professor Robertson and the effort she has put into attempting to teach a new course at UMD, but she got it absolutely wrong. The workload is not terrible for the average student, but if you have any large time commitments, you will be absolutely blindsided by the amount of effort needed to grasp what could possibly be on the exams. Without a curve, nearly half the students would have failed the midterm, yet they are trying their best to "not curve" the final at all. I'm lucky that my GPA will balance out because this class is the only abysmal thing I'm taking this semester, but I honestly feel pain for every person who took this class with me. In the end, this is not a gen ed level class, but if you are truly interested in the subject, then it is doable for the right person.
Kellie Robertson Expecting a B- Anonymous 05/16/2025	Please save your grade. Do NOT TAKE THIS Professor, the worst class and professor I have had in my entire college time. YOU have to do 150 pages of reading for the exam, the average for the exam was a 50, all that for a 100 gen ed class. I would take mv calculus over this. (engl 133)
Kellie Robertson Expecting a B- Anonymous 05/16/2025	For engl133: I really wanted to like this class. Kellie was very kind and her lectures were interesting, but it is asking far too much for a 100 level class that many are taking as a gen ed requirement. The midterm was rough and I expect the final to be similar. The TA I had was really cool, but discussions were kinda pointless and didn't contribute to me learning much. There was a LOT of reading that tbh I did not do because I didn't have the time! If you can memorize things from her slides you should be good to go for her tests, if you can't, you're screwed. Theres a lot of similarly themed readings that are easy to mix up. It felt like the midterm was designed to trick you. I didn't even know that the midterm was curved because there was no announcement, I got a 92%. I was not a fan of this class.
Kellie Robertson Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/15/2025	Writing for engl133 its a new class this semester with no grade data, Honestly, if you're just trying to get a gen ed and are okay with a B, then this is a pretty minimal work class, but don't let its silly title fool you. Only about 8 assignments spread over every 2-3 weeks was a very light workload. However, if you want an A, you're going to have to put in lots of effort. The writing assignments are all fine, and attendance is a solid chunk of your grade; however, I believe the midterm was relatively unfair. Especially since all the questions were select all that apply, but they do not tell you which ones only have 1 answer, as well as the quote identification having text that can easily be confused with other excerpts. I kind of felt like it was trying to trick you on purpose. The level of difficulty is more akin to a 400-level class rather than a gen-ed. Not impossible to do well, but it is nearly entirely memorization. The professor herself is nice, and I love the TA, but grades seem very subjective. There was a very large curve for the midterm, however, but I still found it kept me from being able to get a solid A. All in all, I would recommend it if you just want to pass, but there are far easier gen-eds
Kellie Robertson Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/15/2025	This is for ENGL133. It was a mistake taking a chance on a new gen ed course that's being taught by a professor who has never taught a 100-level class before, which shows in the course work and structure. There's only 8 assignments in total, but the amount that you need to know for the midterm and final is ridiculous. You essentially have to know and be able to differentiate between every text at a very extensive level (which there are a lot of and they can be pretty long), along with the terminology associated with them; it's even harder to do this when you're not interested whatsoever in the content of the texts, and she kind of assumes you are. The first midterm had a very generous curve since everyone did so bad, and I doubt people will do well on the final either. If you're into morals and indigeneity and stuff like that, this course could maybe be for you. But if you want to succeed, you really have to immerse yourself in the various texts throughout the course, and most people won't do that. Dr. Robertson is nice and very passionate about her content, her TAs are wonderful and want you to succeed, but it's not an easy A and the content is not as whimsical as the name "Imagining Nature" suggests. Find a better triple gen ed course if you can.
Kellie Robertson Anonymous 05/13/2025	Kind person, but does not seem to understand the fact that most people taking her classes are only doing it for the sake of Gen-ed satisfaction. Takes her classes too seriously as though it were a 400 level class, way beyond the extent in which a level 100 gen-ed should be. Like I said, a very kind person who just so happened to be stuck teaching bad classes– I almost feel bad for her. I think she might honestly just be at that age where shes just one of those lonely old lady that wants people to talk to about "nature throughout literature" and the "little green children" because her only 21 year old daughter left home after being fed up with her shenanigans but doesn't want to have cats and become a werid cat lady... Retirement home, maybe? Just a thought.
Kellie Robertson ENGL302 Expecting a B- Anonymous 05/12/2025	This course is way too hard and literally destroyed my GPA. A 50 percent curve had to be put onto the midterm because everyone did so bad. She proceeded to tell us that it was our fault when it clearly wasn't if everyone did that bad. She refused to take responsibility for it and now has made the final the sam formal plus an essay and told us she's not going to curve it this time. Do not take this class unless you want your GPA to be ruined.
Kellie Robertson ENGL466 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/06/2024	Dr. Kellie Robertson is a fantastic professor. She is an entertaining lecturer and cares about her students and their input; lectures had a lot of discussion and she was very responsive in email. She does not post grades on Canvas but returns assignments and exams (temporarily) to you with a grade and feedback. The class: - There is a lot of reading: often 100 pages or more per class (twice per week). The readings were interesting, and you can read summaries if you are short on time for some classes. - I knew next to nothing about Arthurian legend before the course. It was not approached in an intimidating way, and I learned a lot by the end of the class. - The class material consisted of five books (to buy/rent) and some shorter material accessible online through the Canvas page. - Pop quizzes: there were (supposed to be) occasional pop quizzes on the readings. Our class only had one, but this might change in the future. - Exams: there are 3 midterm exams. They were not cumulative, and the grading was fair (even generous). There is no final exam. - The final: the final was a presentation. It was a Pecha Kucha (timed presentation) on a topic of our choice that connected one or more readings to scholarly research. I would highly recommend taking Dr. Robertson!