http://www.CourseReviews.comCourseReviews.com - California State University - Long Beachen-usCopyright 1997-2008 CourseReviews.comSun, 14 Dec 2008 02:14 ESThttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rssdylan.feed@coursereviews.com (CourseReviews.com)dylan.webmaster@dylangreene.com (Dylan Greene) hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review43231/Awesome-InstructorMany-thanks-Freidoon-MatinMany thanks to Dr. Stephani who gave me a chance to get into the E.E. Masters degree and also for allowing me to work for him as the Graduate Advisor while attending school. I always got straight answers from him weather while I was working for him or taking his advance Control Systems course. He is an awesome instructor, sharp, organized and to the point. He is by far one of the most honest people I have met in my life. Ask an intelligent question and you shall have an honest answer. A word of advice... Ask him only for a letter of recommendation if you were a good student of his. In my days, many people in industry knew him well and took his recommendations very seriously. I got a job offer from Lear, only because of his letter of recommendation. Many of the above are also true for Dr. Berry Shahian who later became my supervisor as the Graduate Coordinator. I strongly recommend that you purchase the book titled Design of Feedback Control Systems by B. Shahian and Dr. R. Stephani if you are majoring in EE with emphasis in Control Systems. noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review43231/Awesome-InstructorMany-thanks-Freidoon-Matin#comments2006-01-02T18:42:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review43231/Awesome-InstructorMany-thanks-Freidoon-Matinhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review42030/Dont-Take-His-ClassUnfair teacher. His notes are not clear, not forcus, never used and never related to the test. You better study by your own. His lectures do not help for the test at all and very boring. Try to make friend with him to get a better grade.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review42030/Dont-Take-His-Class#comments2004-01-15T18:49:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review42030/Dont-Take-His-Classhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review42029/One-of-Best-Teacher-in-Computer-Department-In his lectures, you take most of the times for writing little examples, but they are very clear and straightforward to the exam. You don't need to read the book, just understand all his notes, and can do his tests easily. He is also a very nice and fair teacher. I want to take all his classes.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review42029/One-of-Best-Teacher-in-Computer-Department-#comments2004-01-15T18:30:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review42029/One-of-Best-Teacher-in-Computer-Department-http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review40528/VERY-VERY-BADMaybe he's changed in the past few years and just doesn't care about teaching anymore. That's what it seems like. He always goofs around in class, wastes lecture time, then assigns some insanely difficult project without any help or assistance. He leaves the labs early so he can't help you, then marks points off when you screw up (which you will, since NOTHING he teaches in the lecture actually helps in lab). His tests are also very difficult, and he puts stuff that he DIDN'T EVEN LECTURE ON onto the tests!!! I've heard Bob Ward is way better, I've already taken Hill twice and failed twice. The guy SUCKS, avoid him at all costs!!noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review40528/VERY-VERY-BAD#comments2003-12-18T20:09:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review40528/VERY-VERY-BADhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review40089/Good-if-youre-already-GoodCool guy. Teaches well in class but he goes over materials really really quickly. THere are no reviews for your test once you've taken it. Tests are relatively hard. He tricks you because he'll tell you the test is straight out of homework when ITS NOT. He drops one exam though, so it's not that bad. He doesn't have office hours. You can see him for the 15 min. break he has between classes. Final is cumulative. He told our class that questions are from all previous tests, but i don't trust him. He grades hard on the tests too. If you miss a minus sign, that's automatic 2 points. He's ok if you're good at math, expecially your algerbra. He doesn't really go over algerbra because he expects you to know it. Easy A if your basics in math are intacted, otherwise, work for a B.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review40089/Good-if-youre-already-Good#comments2003-12-14T20:15:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review40089/Good-if-youre-already-Goodhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review40088/Excellent-TeacherCool teacher. Unlike most teachers who requires you know 90 percent of the stuff to get an A, this one doesn't. She goes by points. For instance, in this class, there was a total possiblity of 110 points you could earn, as long as you earn 83 points, it's an A. Midterm and final is easy. Open book and notes. Assigments are done via net. She'll assign you to email the whole class and tell them what you're majoring in (for 2 points!). Midterm and final just 12 points each. You don't even have to take it if you don't want to, so long as your happy with your grade (it won't be marked against you). Always availiable via email, office hours, and after class. Really good teacher that is more than a fair grader. You'll love her class.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review40088/Excellent-Teacher#comments2003-12-14T20:03:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review40088/Excellent-Teacherhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review29504/Fantastic-InstructorI have to say that Birte is a fabulous instructor! Those who think poorly of her are the people who come to class expecting an easy ride. If you are willing to work hard, you will benefit tremendously from her expertise in the field of history. She is funny, interesting and she listens to the needs of her students. This is not an easy class, but college is not supposed to be easy. If you are lucky enough to have Birte as a teacher, listen to what she says and put your best effort into your work--- you will be grateful. She is also 100% willing to help anyone who asks, so speak up if you are struggling. Cheers!noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review29504/Fantastic-Instructor#comments2003-09-05T23:57:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review29504/Fantastic-Instructorhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review28388/Incompetence-and-Unprofessional-with-IS-DeptThis instructor is incompentent, unprofessional, unethical. This is the best I can do without going overboard. Thank you for understanding. Take any of his class and you will see what I mean. Have a nice day before you meet him because you will not afterwards. I am very serious.noemail@coursereviews.com (whoneedsreviews)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review28388/Incompetence-and-Unprofessional-with-IS-Dept#comments2003-07-19T04:20:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review28388/Incompetence-and-Unprofessional-with-IS-Depthttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review26926/nice-but-mediocreHe didnt really teach much.... But he graded the papers like he told us what he was looking for...which he didn't. NIce enough guy, but I didnt learn a darn thing.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review26926/nice-but-mediocre#comments2003-05-30T02:26:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review26926/nice-but-mediocrehttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review20091/AwesomeA wonderful teacher. Very interesting. Brings up interesting points. Exams are fairly easy if you read and listened to his lectures. He's pretty fun at times.noemail@coursereviews.com (shynnsw33tx)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review20091/Awesome#comments2002-11-24T19:48:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review20091/Awesomehttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review20090/BoringHe is awfully boring. And gives a lot of books and likes to have class discussions but he's okay. He's so boring that I either ditch the class or fall asleep in class. I couldn't concentrate because it was so boring that I dropped the class.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review20090/Boring#comments2002-11-24T19:44:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review20090/Boringhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review20088/You-get-a-lot-out-of-his-classesHe speaks very clearly and is really interesting. He gives a lot of vocabulary and is a really really hard, but a wonderful teacher. You get a lot and learn a lot. I do not recommend him if you want to take the easy way out because she is not easy.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review20088/You-get-a-lot-out-of-his-classes#comments2002-11-24T19:39:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review20088/You-get-a-lot-out-of-his-classeshttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review20087/Great-Teacher-not-an-easy-teacherShe's the kind of teacher that challenges your mind and really educates you. She is really really hard, but a wonderful teacher. You get a lot and learn a lot from her classes. I do not recommend her if you want to take the easy way out because she is not easy.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review20087/Great-Teacher-not-an-easy-teacher#comments2002-11-24T19:35:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review20087/Great-Teacher-not-an-easy-teacherhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review20027/average-grade-on-tests-is-80Good teacher, cares about students lectures nice most of lectures are group activities tests are easy and quizes too.noemail@coursereviews.com (malke)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review20027/average-grade-on-tests-is-80#comments2002-11-21T21:24:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review20027/average-grade-on-tests-is-80http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review20025/An-awesome-teacherrealy good teacher you won't be sorry for taking the class, there is no homeworks one group project and group presentation which is realy easy to be done and you have plenty of time to do it. tests are easy and lectures are simple.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review20025/An-awesome-teacher#comments2002-11-21T21:09:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review20025/An-awesome-teacherhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review18799/Go-Notre-DameDr. Stefani: Electrical Engineering Probably one of the most organized professor! Always come prepared to class. Very clear and easy-to-follow lectures. Excellent hand writing and notes complete with color-coded dry erase pens (for sketches) for maximum visual, illustration and concept clarity. If Dr. Stefani asks whether any student has any questions and nobody asks, then he will assume that all students know it already. If a student asks a question about a particular old topic, it better be a damn good question because he will tear and humiliate you infront of the class and will not help you. If the question really needs answering from Dr. Stefani, I suggest you visit him during his office hours. You will still be harshly critized but it is much better to have no audience witnessing it. Go Notre Dame! Well, you'll find out what this means when you take his class!noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review18799/Go-Notre-Dame#comments2002-09-29T18:06:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review18799/Go-Notre-Damehttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review17870/Great-ideas-new-view-of-historyInteresting Lectures, her summer course is very easy, her homework is minimal, she listens to the students, and tries to get them involved, even the apathetic ones.noemail@coursereviews.com (gundamw)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review17870/Great-ideas-new-view-of-history#comments2002-07-24T17:42:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review17870/Great-ideas-new-view-of-historyhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review15545/A-horrible-instructorI whish I could say he is an overall F, but that would not be true since he has some qualities. However, he is not the right instructor for any upper-division class. He does not have a clue on how to assign projects and homework with a reasonable time period. His project are huge (which is not bad) and the time is very short to get them done (which makes every project impossible to finish). He his the most lazy of all instructors I have ever met. His notes are just a copy and paste of other peoples' notes. His test are totally unreasonable since he may lecture topic A for 2 months and topic B for 20 min, and suddenly the final cover 90% topic B (what is he thinking????).noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review15545/A-horrible-instructor#comments2002-04-12T12:29:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review15545/A-horrible-instructorhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review15537/An-awesome-teacherOne of the few best instructors I have ever had in my life. He made a subject that I have never considered in my life important, one of the most interesting subjects that will pursue in my future educational goals.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review15537/An-awesome-teacher#comments2002-04-12T01:58:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review15537/An-awesome-teacherhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review12036/Knowledgable-and-thoroughWhile there may be dissenting opinions, I enjoyed Afshin's approach and his class. I learned a great deal from him, and I thought that he made a thorough and conscientious effort to present the material in a clear and concise manner. I do know that the class (Methodology of History) was a new one at CSU Long Beach, so there were no established guidelines for the material. This, I think, meant that there was some inevitable uncertainty about the syllabus. In addition, it seemed that he didn't want to get bound by a predetermined lesson plan. As a result, those students who needed a more structured environment may have had problems, but I found his approach enjoyable and enlightening.noemail@coursereviews.com (pwsalay)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review12036/Knowledgable-and-thorough#comments2001-09-13T17:18:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review12036/Knowledgable-and-thoroughhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review11742/Passionate-teacher-committed-to-helping-students-learnHe is very animated in class and has a very wry, joking demeanor. He assigns challenging projects that can be really frustrating, but that creates a real sense of accomplishment when you finish them. This class is a requirement for the major and some students resent his jokes because this class stresses them out. I found that it helped him seem more approachable and personable. He is always willing to answer questions in class and encourages class participation, rather than passive note taking. His tests are drawn from lecture and assigned homework, so attendance is important. He will emphasize in lecture what he will test you on. You cannot get a B in his classes without attending class regularly. While his mischievous personality makes people who prefer a dry, superior "man of letters" uncomfortable, he is deeply committed to helping students learn and never condescending. His unwillingness to assume a paternalistic, condescending role with students is a result of his desire for them to assume responsibility for their own education. My only problem with him was that he would represent projects as being very difficult and I would stress out over them when I had trouble with them. He initially represents his grading standards as being very rigid and ruthless. In fact, his expectations are clear, and taking the time to read his requirements for labs and homework is a good investment of your time.noemail@coursereviews.com (Sebastian)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review11742/Passionate-teacher-committed-to-helping-students-learn#comments2001-08-12T05:17:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u175/review11742/Passionate-teacher-committed-to-helping-students-learn