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COMM 2020 Introduction to Management Accounting
Last taught: Spring 2018
73 Ratings
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69 Reviews

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Spring 2015
1.0
Average

Mary Martin Middleton may be my least favorite person that I have encountered at UVa. Not only is she a terrible professor her blatant disregard for student feedback borders on incompetence.

I cannot say much about her teaching philosophy because personally I have been to two lectures since the first exam, and one of them was to take the second exam. I would go to class on days when homework was being collected, hand it in, leave and spend the hour and fifteen minutes of my life in an almost guaranteed more productive manner. I was not alone in this, as essentially two-thirds of the class did the same as me. I cannot even comprehend how she can watch attendance at her lectures decrease, almost exponentially, and make no adjustments to her course policies or teaching philosophy. Her purpose as a faculty member of UVa is to educate her students on accounting, not to act like an entitled and stubborn grouch.

When I did attend a few lectures in the beginning of the semester, I noticed that she vehemently against letting class out early, so when she would run out of material to discuss, she would attempt to impart life lessons on us which included a discussion how exercise is not important, global warming doesn't exist and how women should pick the man who makes the most money as their husband. These "life lessons" are so antiquated and further exemplifies her ignorance as a human being.

I remember she talked about her husband one day, and said he had a very high paying job and she didn't need the money from teaching, she did it because it made her happy. If anyone from the Commerce school is reading this now, I implore you to fire Mary Middleton and give the job to someone who would not make a complete mockery out of the entire accounting profession and would treat the position with the respect it deserves.

Instructor 1.0
Enjoyability 1.0
Recommend 1.0
Difficulty 3.0
Hours/Week 0.0
Spring 2015
1.0
Average

Professor Middleton is one of the more demanding teachers I have had at UVA yet she offers no help at all. She spends half the class talking about her personal beliefs and the other half going over the homework. However, the homework is completely useless. The only homework is the questions at the end of the chapter which are never helpful. She then spends the next day of class going over this homework which still is no help at all because these homework problems are nothing like the ones on the tests. She never actually even teaches the material just goes over the homework. Tests are all multiple choice, yet you don't practice a single multiple choice in class the entire semester. She refuses to give practice problems because of some backwards reasoning of hers.

This is one of the harder classes at UVA, however, by the second half of the semester less than half the class will show up. This is because her classes are essentially useless. If you take this class be ready to teach yourself the entire course, while spending hours on useless homework.

Instructor 1.0
Enjoyability 1.0
Recommend 1.0
Difficulty 5.0
Hours/Week 7.0
Spring 2015
1.0
Average

Middleton should not be teaching Managerial Accounting at this University. I learned everything I needed to know in this class from Tony Bell (youtube channel). As someone already accepted to the Comm school, I think that I can fairly say that she is a horrible instructor without a bias for how my performance in this class reflects my future at the University.

Instructor 1.0
Enjoyability 1.0
Recommend 1.0
Difficulty 3.0
Hours/Week 0.0
Spring 2015
1.0
Average

Middleton is worthless. I'm not going to even apologize for saying that. I shouldn't have to because of how god awful she was as not only a professor but as a person.

She will constantly inject her personal beliefs into lectures. Please, someone PLEASE, tell me what abortion has to do with Activity-based costing. I sure as hell couldn't find anything in the book about what abortion has to do with ABC yet Middleton felt compelled to talk about it. Oh and she attacked Obama and his policies whenever she could. I am all for listening to and discussing politics but in a managerial accounting class? Really?

My friends who got into Comm School think she sucks. My friends who got deferred from Comm School think she sucks. My friends who got rejected from Comm School think she sucks. I'm starting to really think that this isn't just me or other reviewers on this site.

My dad took a graduate level financial and managerial accounting class from a rather good business school. And when he saw what we were doing and how we were learning it, even he let out a giant WTF. I agree dad. I agree.

Instructor 1.0
Enjoyability 1.0
Recommend 1.0
Difficulty 5.0
Hours/Week 5.0
Spring 2015
1.3
Average

The flipped classroom model she teaches with doesn't work for large lectures, but i'll let everyone else talk about that. What I want to focus on, instead, is her lack of approachability. She says she wants to hear what students have to say about her class and teaching methods, but it seems that whatever concerns people present are shutdown. Seriously, there was a kid who sent an anonymous email with his/her concerns, and she spent a large chunk of time in class talking about how this kid was a wimp for being anonymous. Granted, they may have been offered time in class to bring it up, but it seems immature for a teacher to feel the need to publicly embarrass this kid by bashing them in front of everyone.

Instructor 2.0
Enjoyability 1.0
Recommend 1.0
Difficulty 4.0
Hours/Week 6.0
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Spring 2015
1.0
Average

I took stats 2120 with Spitzner, and Middleton was probably a worse teacher. I never thought I would experience the misfortune of having another teacher that ranks 1/10 on every scale. I wouldn't wish anyone the fate of sitting through 75 minutes of her "lectures" twice a week. Her lectures also tend to include an anecdote about how she wanted to "jump into the pants" of some father at her sons elementary school. I used to want to major in accounting, until I realized I would most likely need to take a couple more classes with her, oh well. I guess its just not in the cards anymore.

I do hope she gets the opportunity to continue her passion for teaching college students for the rest of her life. At Tech.

Instructor 1.0
Enjoyability 1.0
Recommend 1.0
Difficulty 1.0
Hours/Week 0.0
Spring 2015
1.0
Average

Professor Middleton may have been the worst professor I have ever encountered at UVA. She was extremely condescending, unhelpful and just a poor lecturer and teacher.

After the first 4 classes, I realized there was no point of attending this class. Not only did I have to teach the entire course to myself, but I didn't even enjoy learning the material. It has strayed me away from the Accounting Concentration in the Comm School, so thank you Middleton of ruining my hopes and dreams of begin a CPA.

Her class consisted of going over a total of 1 or 2 homework problems, rather than actually teach the content of the course. There was absolutely no learning in class as no one paid attention since she went on tangent after tangent.

I cannot say this more clear: DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS WITH HER! Take it over the summer or whenever she's not teaching it; take it at home; do whatever you need to but I highly recommend you avoid this course.

Her most valuable lesson was about marriage, which was also the worst advice someone ever gave me in my entire life.

To sum up your teaching Middleton: "what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul." Thank you Professor Middleton :D

Instructor 1.0
Enjoyability 1.0
Recommend 1.0
Difficulty 5.0
Hours/Week 8.0
Spring 2015
1.0
Average

Probably the worst professor at UVa. The material is pretty dense and pretty difficult to teach ones self. I'm not really a person to give a bad review but this class was absolutely dreadful.

Mary would complain about why more than half of her students would not show up to class, but when you go over 2 homework problems over a span of 75 minutes of class time, who would waste their time? Not to mention that she gives out the homework ANSWER KEY prior to the start of class.

Going over homework problems is for office hours, not class time. Class time is for teaching the concepts that can be somewhat difficult to grasp on your own.

Also the homework is extremely tedious and takes a lot of time and its all hand written and there is a good chance you spend 3 hours on the assignment and it does not even get collected. It's all handwritten from the questions at the end of each chapter, just like we all did in middle school.

The exams are pretty difficult and take a lot of time. Basically the moral of the story: AVOID MARY MIDDLETON AT ALL COSTS. If your a pre-comm student, take it over the summer if its offered and Middleton does not teach it.

Instructor 1.0
Enjoyability 1.0
Recommend 1.0
Difficulty 4.0
Hours/Week 0.0
Spring 2015
1.7
Average

Class was dreadful. I went to every class despite coming away with one useful tip every now and again. The way that this class is designed is to teach yourself. You'll read the chapter and do problems out of a book just like your high school math class. Once you get to class, Middleton will pick a few to go over. I didn't find this helpful at all being that she hands out all of the solutions to the problems before class, and therefore, mistakes are self-explanatory.

The most frustrating thing about this course are the exams. They are not representative of what you know. She'll leave you 50/50 on a conceptual problem (choose the most correct answer), make it count as 5% of your exam grade and make it the first question on the exam.

Middleton has quite the ego. Listening to her, I often felt like she enjoyed a stage to gloat on. She believes that she has got life all figured out, but what she needs to figure out is how to restructure her class.

Managerial accounting is far and away more interesting than financial with respect to content. With that being said, I've been turned off to accounting. I'm tired of teaching myself, wasting my time in class and not getting a grade representative of what I know.

Instructor 2.0
Enjoyability 2.0
Recommend 1.0
Difficulty 4.0
Hours/Week 6.0
Spring 2015
1.0
Average

I am sure a lot of students are going to cover her personality, so I will be quick on that end. She is rude and very defensive about her teaching method.

As for her teaching method, calling it teaching is a stretch. Homework is assigned prior to lecture. After handing it in, she would cover a few problems. Middleton never teaches concepts, then makes the tests 50 percent conceptual. Homework answers are made by the book, so it is unclear what she is actually doing for the course...

You learn by reading the book and doing practice problems. Expectations are totally unclear with regards to exams. Prior to the first exam all she told us was it "would be different than the homework problems".

After complaints that the first test had questions which were too long, she responded by shortening the second exam to just 22 questions, but making the questions a little longer. She completely misinterpreted what everyone was saying.

When Middleton asks for suggestions in class, it is best to keep your hand down. She will shout you down. One student asked if she could lecture on more concepts and she said "what does that even mean".

Those moments when she actually would teach were bittersweet. It was like being in the eye of a hurricane. Sure, it is nice, but it was bad before, and its about to get bad again.

I highly recommend avoiding this course. Middleton's personality aside (again, read the reviews), she just has no idea how to teach or design a fair exam. I attended class every day, to the end, and it just got worse and worse.

Instructor 1.0
Enjoyability 1.0
Recommend 1.0
Difficulty 2.0
Hours/Week 6.0
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