Ayral-Clause, Odile  

Modern Languages and Literatures

3.14/4.00

14 evaluations


FR 101


Sophomore
A
Required (Support)
Jan 2000
Ms. Ayral-Clause is a native French speaker, and she doesn't seem to understand that American students can't pick up a new word or phrase in five seconds without any translation. She is a very nice lady and it is very hard to dislike her, but be prepared to do some serious studying if you want to have a clue about anything that goes on in class.


Sophomore
C
Elective
Jan 2003
Moderated Comment
Madame Ayral is a really, really nice woman. She is probably one of the nicest professors on campus. She's a very sweet woman. With that out of the way, I only have one complaint about her. She always seems to speak in French, even though it is FR101 and none of us have ever taken it before. I can understand why she does it (when you are immersed in a language you tend to catch on faster than if she spoke mostly English), but it is extremely frustrating at times because she assumes we always know what she's talking about. The only advice I can give is to ALWAYS ask about something she says or writes if you don't understand. Otherwise she won't know that you don't understand and will probably never address it. The reason I got a C was because I was taking 4 other classes and this one being the only elective, I had to "sacrifice" this one in order to spend more time on the other ones. The class moves very fast so I highly suggest that you go do class everyday. If thats a problem, don't take the course.


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
Dec 2003
This class isn't as easy as it appears. It does take some effort. The labs were done on your own time and graded fairly. I felt some portions of the test were somewhat unfair because she didn't go over all the material that was on the test. For instance, on the final she wanted us to put adjectives in the right places in the sentences. Some adjectives go in front of the noun while others don't. She didn't go over that in class. Just read all of the blue pages at the end of chapters before a test. Memorize your vocab. Know how to conjugate regular/irregular verbs well. She's not intimidating at all. She does teach most of the class in French, so ask questions if you're lost. We did play some fun games and sing songs. Verb pop quizzes usually happen the day after you have learned the new verb.

FR 102


5th Year Senior
Credit
Required (Major)
Aug 2002
Moderated Comment
real cold-hearted individual!!


Freshman
A
Required (Support)
Mar 2003
Ayral is such a cute lady, she's from France and she tells funny little stories and laughs at them. Good job of teaching a bit of french culture along with the language. I took 3 years in high school so this class was a breeze but it shouldn't be too hard if you havent had any. She's a very understanding lady, grades pretty easy. I really liked her!


Junior
A
Elective
Aug 2003
Odile is quite seriously the nicest teacher I have ever had at Poly. She is such a cute lady...she reminds me of my grandma! As for the work load, this class was cake! She assigned I think 4 homeworks from the workbook...you had to go to the language lab, but that wasn't too bad either. I dont think it mattered if you got any of the questions right, as long as you attempted, you got credit. We had two midterms, a final and quizzes after every chapter. I think the midterms were after every two chapters. If you pay attention to what she emphasizes in class you will do just fine. Ohh, and also pay attention to the captions of the little pictures in the middle of the chapter...she likes to put those on tests.


Freshman
A
Elective
Nov 2004
Madame Ayral ROCKS!! She is seriously the sweetest lady you'll ever meet. I love her quirky stories about France! Go to her office hours--she will totally go out of her way to help you with whatever you need.


Senior
B
Required (Major)
Aug 2006
I don't even know how to pronounce her name... Anyways, she's a hard teacher, but a crazy little French lady. She is very strict. The pop quizzes are mean!! I still don't think i have the passe compose/imparfait down well cuz we went over it so fast. She is VERY forgetful, so if you tell her one thing one day, don't expect her to know it the next day. You have to remind her a million times - I'm serioius. She has a great personality but is a hard teacher. I think she only comes to the US during winter quarter, and then lives in France (or somewhere else) the rest of the year. I loved the French music that she brought in for us to listen to. They are easy to follow and they are popular songs of the time!


Junior
B
Elective
Mar 2009
Ayral's class was HARD - a LOT of work and many quizzes. But isn't that the way a French class should be if you're really trying to learn the language? She keeps you immersed in it. Homework everyday's pretty helpful if you need info pounded into you, but also makes it really easy to fall behind. She knows her stuff (considering she's a native of France) and is more than willing to help if you approach her. But she also gets ahead of herself and seems to forget that none of us are natives of France. A really challenging class but a really great teacher.


Freshman
A
Elective
Mar 2009
Mme Ayral is a very excited teacher that always has some sort of story to tell. She makes the class fun but it does require a lot of work. I had already taken three years of French in high school so this quarter was more of a review for me. Just do the homework and make flashcards for the terms. Study them regularly. The quizzes and exams are very straightforward if you know your stuff.


Sophomore
C
Required (Major)
Apr 2009
She knows her French that's for sure, as said she is from France. She also had all the French stereotypes. Weird gestures/faces, very rude, very judgemental. Ew.

FR 103


Freshman
A
Elective
Jun 2004
She is such a cute lady. Very funny too. She is from France and always sharing her experiences with us. She is able is effectively communicate the course material to us. She doesn't grade that hard and always willing to help you out. Her tests can be pretty tricky at times but if you read your notes and know your verbs especually, you can pass them. Finals are pretty straight forward but a bit tricky. I took 2 years of french in high school so 101-103 was pretty easy. She gives pop quizes unexpectedly, there is a lab packet that should be done on your own and always due on the day of a chapter test. If you really want to pick up the language faster, you'll have to dedicate a lot of time on it. Sometimes, she would speak french and try to make us understand it. It gets annoying at times, but it's easy to pick up. If you are interested in the language, i'd recommend her for all 3 series. She is the best teacher and a very nice and kind lady.

FR 231


Freshman
A
General Ed
Sep 2001
Madame Ayral is a cool teacher. She genuinely takes the time to get to know everyone in her class. She's a nice lady and she's funny. She'd laugh at the weirdest things. Her lectures are clear and concise.

FR 305


Junior
N/A
Required (Major)
Aug 2006
She is by far the best french teacher at Cal Poly...definitely the most understanding and sweet teacher of all! she knows how to teach in a relaxing environment, while learning a lot at the same time...she will no only teach you the language, but the culture as well!

HUM 310


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Apr 2004
I really like this professor but it's hard to know what she wants you to know sometimes. This was a fairly easy class. The readings were not difficult; I really enjoyed reading A Year in Provence. The workload was light, and there was one term paper. However, the tests were more difficult than expected. This professor's lectures often do not flow logically, and it is hard to know what to take notes on. The questions on the midterm and final (both of which have multiple choice and two essays each) were sometimes fairly obscure. But overall I enjoyed the class, the material was very interesting, and I do recommend it.

CM 784


Sophomore
C
General Ed
Nov 2016
Prof cried today.... What a weirdo hahahah get a grip of your life.