Student Evaluations 

from students at PSU, UAA, & OSU 

(or check out my reviews on Rate My Professor)

Introductory courses (100-level)

"Literally the best science teacher ever!!! Super understanding about any difficulties and questions students encountered and made geology easy to understand!"

I loved this course even though I struggled with the deadlines. My favorite thing you did that made my understanding so much better was using analogies such as making a fist and pushing it through sediment to describe how glacial moraines. Also the memes! Never lose them!! I found that the way that you described and explained the material was some of the best teaching that I have ever experienced and I am 100% serious, not even trying to be nice."

"Emily Cahoon used different methods to teach her class which I very much appreciated. Having power points, articles, Youtube videos, Podcasts all incorporated kept the class ever changing and more fun. Emily's personality in her teaching is also fun and makes the class more enjoyable. She's not boring and relates the material to every day life. 

I'd recommend this class to anyone."

"Thank you for taking your time to make the class fun while also being very informative. Definitely an A+ rating for the class."

"I really had fun taking this class. The professor did an amazing job organizing each lesson and teaching them in a way where her students involve critical thinking."

"THIS CLASS ROCKED!!!! I would take every class Emily taught if it was in my major track, kinda wished they were :). I was able to research as much as I wanted to and I found so many interesting things. I really loved the racial geography part, I was so excited when I saw that in the syllabus. Thanks for such an amazing class!"

Upper-division courses (300 & 400 level)

"I really enjoyed coming to this class and it sparked an interest in gemology that I didn't know I had. I'd be more enthusiastic about going to school if I knew Emily would be teaching. She is very kind, funny, and super understanding of students. She doesn't make the subject too complicated but not surface level. I really love how she exposes us to information that will be useful in Petrology and future classes. She even put together all of our mineral sheets for our future reference which just goes above and beyond her "job". I think that shows that she cares about her student's education and really thinks about what information will be useful and not just jargony crap for the time being."

"I learned a lot and the instructor using her enthusiasm for the subject along with various teaching methods such as ppts, notes, videos, and articles helped me to get a lot out of it. I enjoyed how the lab was so closely tied to the lecture and helped me to put into practice things we were learning."

"Emily is an excellent instructor. She is extremely passionate about her field and is invested in the success of her students both in the class room and beyond the scope of the class. She is one of the best recourses I have had for transitioning from the academic side of geology into the professional realm."

"Emily shows enthusiasm for teaching, she stays after class to address questions students have, and she shows up to most labs to assist with the lab assignments (which most professors do not do). Emily generates enthusiasm for topics by telling stories about her experience in industry or in the field. She often sends resources to her students about job/internship/graduate school opportunities. It is clear that she is not only thinking about our current learning goals, but also about how she can support our trajectory as we move toward graduation and into industry or academia."

"This was one of the best courses I've taken at UAA, and Professor Cahoon is one of the best professors you have, no question. She is awesome, I was shocked to learn she is so new to teaching, because she is fantastic at it."

"It's obvious you put a lot of effort into making online learning less of a drag. I really appreciate it"

"This was easily my favorite class at UAA so far! You found a way to make online learning fun and exciting and did a great job of adapting to an online course. I really appreciated all of the fun activities you included, it really made the material pop! You were so understanding and kind and I could tell you really cared about the class and the topic. I never felt like I was under pressure in this class and always felt supported and encouraged to try my best. Thank you for being an awesome professor, I hope you have a wonderful summer!!!"

"A very engaging professor brought energy to the class. It was nice not having a dark room quiet lecture style class. I appreciated the quizzes as a way to study and review."

"The greatest strengths of this class have been Emily Cahoon's lectures, and how well she incorporates the topics covered in lectures with the laboratory assignments. She has worked hard to make sure we learn the topics in a variety of different ways."

"Daily quizzes with the 'show up and you’ll do well' format was both helpful for motivation and retention/understanding of the material. Emily has been an eager student, and it shows in her learning-friendly teaching style. One of the most approachable professors I’ve ever had!"

"Emily Cahoon has been one of the best I instructors I’ve ever had. The commitment she has to her students is unmatched. Her teaching pulls from a wealth of knowledge both academic and practical."

"I really enjoyed the mineral project. It allowed me to research a mineral I was interested in. I felt like I was able to be creative and not have to spend so much time trying to sound smart and really dig deep into something I didn't want to dig that deep into. if that makes any sense? I learned a lot from my topic but making people laugh and doing something fun and new was a nice change of pace in my core education. Overall, I really truly appreciated the instructor and the class. I would really love to work for her on any project regardless of the topic because I know I'd enjoy it anyway and she'd be a great person to work under."