Student  comments

Fall 2022

• Dr. Mayhall is amazing! She really knows her Art History! Some of her explanations feel like she's telling us stories from different periods in time. I wasn't interested in Art history and it's still not my thing but I appreciate it even more. She breaks concepts and ideas down making them easy to digest and understand. She cares about her students and keeps an open mind. She's always trying to find ways to improve her class. She does her best to make certain concepts easy to understand. I appreciate her enthusiasm and help throughout the course. I always feel warm and welcome in her class.

• I’ve been putting this class on the back burner and focusing on my more “major” classes. This class is an elective for me.

• Professor Mayhall is a great instructor. She always try to do new things in class. The best thing about her is that she is interested on how we feel about the class, she cares about students. Sometimes students don’t feel comfortable when she asks to form groups for in class activities, but I like it and I believe it’s a good tool for a better learning.

• I am so glad I took this class with Dr. Mayhall. She explains every topic very well and is open to suggestions and understands that this topic might be new to most of her students. Her preparation for exams and paper was helpful, she really cares about her students and makes sure we understand, she teaches in a pace where it does not feel overwhelming with all the new terms and definitions. I have learned how to look at art, and I truly enjoyed her class. I was not expecting to love it this much! Thank you Dr. Mayhall for being such a great professor, definitely the best professor I have taken at Kean.

• This class was amazing! One suggestion I recommend to future students is to save the study guide at the beginning of every unit and use that as a way to take notes and use it like a "fill in the blank" notes paper. This really helped me because I did not always know what to take notes on or how much and I was able to take the correct notes when I downloaded the unit study guide.

• This was a very interesting course and I learned a lot of new things. I had fun in this class.

• I enjoyed this class even though it is not my major it made me venture out into something different.

• The professor is super enthusiastic about what she know, overall I loved the atmosphere of her teaching, it felt very welcoming and calm. One thing that I did not like is that there was no sense of discipline, while that sounds good at first I often found myself forgetting about assignments and putting them in a lower priority compared to other classes. that is the only thing i would want to see improve

• I honestly didn't really notice the impact that this course had on me until I was preparing for the final paper, when I went to the Met Museum, and I felt a much greater respect and admiration for the artwork (especially the sculptures). It was actually very cool. The only other assignments for the class were the exams, but they were definitely doable since we were allowed to use our notes and the chapter. however, I did wish at times that the exams encompassed more of the conceptual material and less concentrated on individual artworks. Overall, I am very happy that I took the course, and Prof. Mayhall was one of the most considerate and laidback professors I've ever had.

• The class was overall interesting wished we do more interactive activities beside her talking mostly

• I loved Professor Mayhall, as she was extremely enthusiastic and overall fun to listen and watch as she taught. I only have about two other professors who are excited to learn as she is. Her tests were very simple, and if I received a bad grade it was simply on me. Overall she is fantastic, she is excited to teach and I loved taking this course as well. She is the best!

• The class was good. She explained classes and what she expected in class. I wish there were assignments like pallets. Besides that she is an amazing professor and i enjoy her class and how she helps and understands.

• Professor Mayhall was great at imparting her enthusiasm for the subject matter to us and made me want to learn more about prehistoric art. I would have appreciated more in-class activities and breakout groups to break up the lectures.

• I feel as though too much of the class is just professor talking. I think more activities are need to get us all involved and not in a group.

• One thing that was really helpful throughout the course was review. Not just before exams but a mini review every class of the subject matter we have gone over so far in a specific unit. For example talking about Ancient Greece starting say a Monday class and the next time you meet is Thursday, Professor Mayhall made a point of giving a brief review of what we went over the previous class before introducing the new material for the day.

• Professor Mayhall is a wonderful professor who has made art history very engaging with her passion and enthusiasm for the subject matter. Would definitely recommend for people to take her class.

• Out of all the professors I had she had to be the best I had this semester. She is very understanding and caring to her students a lot more some of the professors here. She doesn't just see us as students, she sees us as people with lives outside of school and sometimes sometimes things in our personal lives might impact our school life, and I love how she takes that into consideration. In terms of the actually work I think she did a good job with that as well, the collabartive notes were very helpful for those of us that might have missed a class or two. She made sure everyone understood the assignments and had time open for one-on-one help if we needed it. The group chat was also really helpful, it was an easier way of communicating with everyone.

• Very nice professor, made learning the material fun.

• She's very understanding. Super helpful and supportive. Always asking if I need help. Helps me with the work I don't understand.

• Professor Mayhall is the most amazing teacher I have ever had! Her patience and willingness to show students different concepts is admirable. I will truly miss her class!

(once a week class):

• Professor had an amazing personality and genuinely cared about the students and made the subject matter interesting.

• I was impressed to learn how much details art has it! The professor did a great job in teach us with passion, professionalism and love! Thank you Professor for being so inclusive and empathetic! You rock!!!

• For this class, the professor was very helpful to me because she was very understanding that I also work full-time during the school year. While I did turn in all of my assignments on time, she was always checking in to make sure I was ok with the pace of the class. Whenever I had questions regarding an assignment, the professor was willing to meet with me and thoroughly explained the answers to any of my concerns.

• I always loved taking art history courses but it was nice to hear it in a non-monotone voice. You seemed excited about the material which made me engaged and often talk about what I learned outside of class with my friends and family. The only issue I had with the class was the lack of attendance. I really enjoy interacting with the other students and it often helps the three hours go by when more people are providing input. Without that, it seems almost daunting to do alone. The people who do show up have to pick up the slack for those who didn't.

• Art History 1700 by Prof Mayhall was surprisingly one of my most enjoyed and rewarding courses this semester. Though I entered not being extremely interested expecting to just muddle through, I was shocked to find that the subject matter was actually really fascinating, especially in the way it was presented. The use of the mini exams as recaps and having soft deadlines really allowed the class to focus more on the subject matter than the grades, and personally, i think thats what college classes should be. Other than that, the class was fun and captivating, allowing for multiple vessels of expression and opinions. A very fun class that I recommend most take

• Great professor! The enthusiasm and love for this class really shows up and encouraged me to feel the same way for every time I had this class. I would definitely take any other class taught by Prof. Mayhall.

• Very Kind and helpful professor. Very Enthusiastic about the course material.

• This course was very interesting to me. I learned something different each meeting. The professor was very passionate about art history which I loved. The assignments were not easy but not hard. I think they were perfect, it allowed me to think. The thing that helped me the most during class was the images that the professor provided. She took time to explaining the meaning of each sculpture. This course made my notes taking skills improve.

• The professor cares a lot about students and does not want to make them do any unnecessary work which I really appreciate. Though class length started to dwindle post peoples energy. I would rather no breaks and get out earlier. Art history is interesting stuff

Spring 2022

• I loved taking this class with Dr.  Mayhall. I learned so many amazing things and I am now completely obsessed with art history. She is so knowledgeable and really makes the learning fun. I really enjoyed this class and will definitely take more of her courses in the future. 

• Excellent professor, she always was prepared for every class. She cares about her students and provides excellent instruction and class information on blackboard. 

• Very sweet professor, was really understanding made her own textbook online so you didn't have to purchase an expensive one. She really cares about her students and does an amazing job as a teacher. It was excellent. 

• One of my favorite professors. I really appreciate the effort she puts into her notes and powerpoints. They are incredibly helpful and not many do what she does. She also goes above and beyond to make sure we all succeed. She makes the course interesting and fun. I wish I could take more Art History classes with her.

•  Professor Mayhall was a wonderful woman. Every week she was excited to teach and that made me excited to learn. Her PowerPoints and pre-recorded videos were so helpful and allowed me to understand what we were discussing. I feel that this course could be improved if there were more little homework assignments so that when we receive tests we know more instead of having to run back to PowerPoints. 

• Professor Mayhall was an outstanding professor. She was clearly passionate about what she was teaching which made the class much more fun to take. She went out of her way to make sure that we were alright, given the pandemic that has happened. She would often speak with us on issues that were occurring to students during the pandemic at the beginning of class and often asked for our input. This made me feel like she truly cared for us and what we had to say. The work that was given was just right for the course and she gave us plenty of time to complete it. This was an immense help as I was able to complete the work when I had time and not have to rush to get it done. She also provided us with feedback on our exams and with writing our final paper which helped me see what I did well on and what I could improve. Art History is not a topic I am very interested in and prior to this course, I had never taken such a class as this one. However, Professor Mayhall's instruction made it all that much easier to enjoy what I was learning and stay interested in the material. I can definitely say that I am now more interested in this subject than I was before and I hope to continue learning more about it on my own. Overall, the course had very interesting material and Professor Mayhall was an amazing professor to have.

• I am not a big fan of history classes but I really enjoyed this class. Professor Mayhall made this class fun and interesting while also making sure we are understanding all the material being presented. The professor also made sure we understood everything that was going to be on the assignments. Overall I really enjoyed this history class with professor Mayhall.

•  Professor Mayhall's use of different technologies for learning was some of the best I've ever seen. I personally would read through the textbook she put together on her own to allow for greater access, which made classroom discussion all that much easier to follow. Having had no art history experience previously, this was an incredibly enjoyable course and I will continue to look at art differently moving forward. 

• I like the classes of my minor and professor implement important details that help me in the future. I am happy with her. 

Fall 2021

• Professor Mayhall was an amazing professor. She was always making sure that her students were understanding her lectures. Also, collaborative notes were super helpful for midterms.

• This class is interesting in learning on new subject, there is no real concerns for this course since even the notes are helpful in going though the harder assignments.

• Prof. Mayhall is so genuine and really cares about her students. She is passionate about the content and always makes sure to check in with us on how we are all doing. There was a time when I was going through a lot and she helped me catch back up on what I missed. I'm very lucky that she was one of my professors! She is absolutely spectacular! :)

• Class was fine, art history is just not my thing. Don't get me wrong Dr.Mayhall's lectures were all fine, she went over everything that would be tested on and doesn't rush through her lectures. Overall class was fine.

• I really enjoyed this class I definitely feel like I learned something.

• What I liked the most is that I get to know several different cultures and the terminology they use. As I get to learn about new terms and several periods of ancient art. As I got to know about terminology I haven't heard of. What was my least favorite part is how some terms don't get explained before the quiz, as we had to make guesses on what the actual definition is. This could be resolved by giving an explanation to some of the terminology of art history before the quiz. This course can be improved by what was mentioned before, giving an explanation to certain terminology that weren't told before the quiz. Other than that, this is all of my feedback I can provide for this course.

• Very professional professor in her field of career and as well, she has some good opinions about other subjects. She cares about her students and is very organized mostly. I would recommend her to everyone in art majorers.

• Professor Mayhall has been an amazing professor. She is very understanding and wants every student to do well in her class. You can tell she is very passionate about her job and makes sure to ask her students if they need extra time on an exam. Professor Mayhall's way of teaching is also very easy to understand because in her PowerPoints she makes sure to add in lots of images and details. Her idea of group note taking is something that has never been done before in any of my classes which I believe should be done because it is extremely helpful because not only do you take your own notes but if you want to add in extra notes in the group notes you can. I really liked this idea because every student takes notes differently and might write down something that stood out to them that no other student has which could be helpful when studying for an exam. Not only that but Professor Mayhall often checks our group notes and provides feedback on whether we need to add in more information. Overall, Professor Mayhall is a great professor in which I really enjoyed her class and felt that I truly learned.

• Professor Mayhall is outstanding at connecting with students and teaching effectively. She is very passionate about the subject matter and the success of her students. She bases the way she teaches on research about learning as well as student feedback to ensure that her course is the best that it can be. Although history can be an intimidating subject for me, I truly loved this course and felt I learned a lot of information that I will continue to use as a graphic designer. I even found myself referencing the material when speaking with family members and teaching others about it. Overall, a great course and a great professor.