http://www.CourseReviews.comCourseReviews.com - Northern Illinois Universityen-usCopyright 1997-2008 CourseReviews.comTue, 12 Aug 2008 00:04 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/u686/review43742/Excellent-Professor-for-General-ChemistryOne of the best chemistry professors I ever had. Teaches the subject with great enthusiasm with lots of real-life examples and also with good sense of humor. I thought that the chemistry is very hard before I started taking this class. Hosmane restored my faith in chemistry subject and I am now thinking of majoring in chemistry. Although I don't like the surprise (pop) quizzes, but they are keeping me up-to-date with my studies. Nice going doc!noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review43742/Excellent-Professor-for-General-Chemistry#commentsHard examsbut a fair grader.2006-03-04T17:54:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review43742/Excellent-Professor-for-General-Chemistryhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review26838/Interested-in-learning-about-mainframes-Take-himI know it sounds nutty, but this guy was one of the best professors I ever had. Don't take him if you don't want to be pushed, because you will. He DOES know what he is talking about and like Dr. Phil, "He tells it like it is." So if you want a simulation of what the real world is like, and it ain't like the MTV show, take him. Just be sure to allot PLENTY of time to his courses...noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review26838/Interested-in-learning-about-mainframes-Take-him#comments2003-05-28T19:05:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review26838/Interested-in-learning-about-mainframes-Take-himhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review23179/Great-Great-TeacherThis teacher is very informative and highly motivational. Keeps the student involved and keeps class very interesting. Brings in a lot of real world examplesnoemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review23179/Great-Great-Teacher#comments2003-01-31T03:34:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review23179/Great-Great-Teacherhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review22248/knowledgeable-professorgood professor. will spend time with you if you need it to understand the course material. lectures good. exams a bit tough (but not impossible) so make sure you study.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review22248/knowledgeable-professor#comments2003-01-08T04:52:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review22248/knowledgeable-professorhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review22247/good-instructorwill definitely take him again if i need a class he teaches. learned much in the class. sometimes goes off on tangent during lectures, but humor certainly helps get through class at night.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review22247/good-instructor#comments2003-01-08T04:47:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review22247/good-instructorhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review22246/Grading-VERY-unfairStay away. Unfair grading, demotivated me, and (for other reasons as well) I am taking a couple semesters off. I was extremely upset with the totally unexpected grade - I calculated a low A from the class assignments, mid/final exam. Ended up with a B. Though I learned a lot it the class, the low 'A' grades I got didn't seem to count - I got a B. Apparently, I could not estimate how much effort I needed to put into the class. After contacting the instructor, he told me I was 1 point away from an 'A'. Nothing short of "cruel". At least he could have kept it to himself. Additionally, it's been far more difficult to follow through lecture & class discussions than a typical class, and there are **LOTS** of reading assignments, a LOT more than an average class.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review22246/Grading-VERY-unfair#comments2003-01-08T04:36:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review22246/Grading-VERY-unfairhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review22243/A-Professorvery educational class. when you do ur work on assigned projects, you can expect to get fair credit for it. learned much and will take him again if he teaches any other class i need for the mba. he's also got mktg660 "branding management" (new for spring 03) that looks like a promising class.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review22243/A-Professor#comments2003-01-08T04:10:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review22243/A-Professorhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review21889/Overall-a-very-good-classDr. May is a challenging professor who doesn't shy away from much. Parts of this class were uncomfortable because of just how much one's opinions (especially opinions related to lit.) and what one takes for granted were challenged. Lecture was the strongest part of the class; do expect to come to if you'd like a good grade in the class. Because this class is the so-called "gateway to the English major" take it as early in your "career" at Northern as possible. It's hard to comment on the grading of papers without it sounding like "sour grapes", so I'll just say that word choice (especially precise word choice) is very important in papers graded by him. You will have to read each and every reading assigned, but you are an English major, so this shouldn't come as that big a surprise. His lectures can be maddeningly difficult to take detailed notes on due to how rapidly he talks and changes topics.noemail@coursereviews.com (NIUEnglishMajor)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review21889/Overall-a-very-good-class#comments2002-12-30T19:50:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review21889/Overall-a-very-good-classhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review21683/A-challenging-and-enjoyable-classAm I the only one who thinks "personality" is a weird category? Anyway. There really isn't anything more I can say about this class (I think how I graded it speaks for itself), but I will say this: you will take this class. You will like this class. You will either think Dr. Macdonald is just about the best teacher you ever had or you will be in the tiny minority that, for some reason, dislikes her teaching style. She answers email quickly. If you have any problems with this class, my advice would be to email her and schedule an appointment. She respects honesty. ENGL 318 is a mix of lecture/media and a sort of Q & A; Dr. Macdonald knows how to let people ask questions without getting the class too sidetracked. Her tests are quite difficult but certainly not impossible and her grading is objective. Her lectures cover a lot of material and you probably won't be able to take extremely detailed notes, but fret not, she uploads important stuff onto the class's webboard. Also, I recommend going to see her if you need English major advising. noemail@coursereviews.com (NIUEnglishMajor)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review21683/A-challenging-and-enjoyable-class#comments2002-12-23T10:51:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review21683/A-challenging-and-enjoyable-classhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review18566/Beware-beware-bewareThis professor consistently fails the majority of his students. While this may be considered normal for low-level "weed-out" courses, it is not for upper level courses. This professor is very egotistical in his approach to teaching, unclear in his explanations, unresponsive to questions, unreceptive to comments, unfair in grading, and disrespectful to students.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review18566/Beware-beware-beware#comments2002-09-09T19:08:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review18566/Beware-beware-bewarehttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review14304/BoringThis class has been disappointing. Dr. Stoddard stays on a lecture topic for a long time. For example, the scientific method and creationism vs. evolution took nearly 2 weeks. We spent a whole week on craters alone. You get bored when you cover a subject for so long. Stoddard takes a long time to cover subjects because he answers so many questions in class. Whenever someone puts their hand up, he calls on them. And sometimes 6 people may have their hand up. What is worse is that he will give the person a complete and thorough answer, even if their question is not relevant to the topic under discussion. If a person asks a question at the end of class, he will answer it and goes over the allotted time for the class. This is not good if you have a class immediately afterwards. You cannot just leave because he tends to say something important. Dr. Stoddard's exams are difficult despite the fact they are multiple choice. The questions can be quite specific. However, he does allow you to bring in an 8.5 x 11" sheet of notes with you to use during the exam. I suppose that is his way of getting the students to study for the exam. Writing up a sheet of notes is a good way to go over all the notes and textbook readings. Dr. Stoddard requires a book for the class that he wrote. The book is a work in progress, but it is useful for studying for the exams. Since he wrote the book, he only put in what he thinks is important. Overall, the class has been disappointing. It has not been a lot of gee-whiz astronomy stuff. It has been more of a historical view of the solar system and study of the structure of planets.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review14304/Boring#comments2002-01-28T09:40:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review14304/Boringhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review13173/Not-your-normal-fact-based-memeorize-the-material-kind-of-historyI agree with the above evaluation. This would be a great upper level course. Prof. Feurer is a very intelligent woman and a good teacher. This class will open your eyes to the world around you. You MUST think critically in this class, you have to do a TON of writing.The entire class is based on discussion, EVERYDAY! This gets really old, because many times the topics become really obscure and unrelated to the subject. This is also difficult because it's a very large class. It would have been a much better class had we gone to formal lecture some days and had small discussion groups at other times. No formal "tests", you write papers instead. Be prepared to re-learn history as you know it!Prof will tell you very alarming things about our goverment,foreign policy, etc. An eye opening class.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review13173/Not-your-normal-fact-based-memeorize-the-material-kind-of-history#comments2001-12-06T19:45:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review13173/Not-your-normal-fact-based-memeorize-the-material-kind-of-historyhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12644/Great-teacherVery fun and challenging class. Dr Newman was very energetic, and friendly. Assignments were intriguing, and she is very apporachable. There is no mid-terms or finals because its basically a writting class. One problem is that don't expect to get A or A+ on papers because she is a hard grader(even she admits it). Other than that its a good classnoemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12644/Great-teacher#comments2001-11-13T21:08:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12644/Great-teacherhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12630/A-student-teaching-studentsHad Brad as a TA and instructor for this class. Brad brings enthusiasm to the subject. His lectures are interesting and SO easy to understand. He makes good use of overhead transparencies. In lab, he is very helpful and willing to give individual attention.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12630/A-student-teaching-students#comments2001-11-13T10:22:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12630/A-student-teaching-studentshttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12629/Good-lectures-but-tough-grader-come-exam-timeDr. Loubere is a good guy. He is a very effective professor because he makes good use of the chalkboard and overhead projector. You do not have to go nuts trying to figure out what to take notes on because he writes everything that is important on the overhead or chalkboard. The lectures are pretty interesting too. He understood that everybody in the class was not a Geology major. Unfortunately, his labs were not enjoyable. The directions were confusing and not very clear. He was a tough grader on these labs, as well as on his tests. He does curve his tests though.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12629/Good-lectures-but-tough-grader-come-exam-time#comments2001-11-13T10:19:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12629/Good-lectures-but-tough-grader-come-exam-timehttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12628/Fun-dynamic-effective-professorPhil Kendall is way cool. He looks like David Spade! About his teaching...it is very good. This was the easiest and most informative math class I have ever taken. His examples are very easy to follow and understand. Very practical examples. He has a sense of humor as well. He makes sure we understand the material before he moves on to another topic. He is a young instructor who is wise beyond his years.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12628/Fun-dynamic-effective-professor#comments2001-11-13T10:13:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12628/Fun-dynamic-effective-professorhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12627/Good-professor-teaching-an-okay-classShe had awesome slides to show during this introductory physical geography class. The lecture material was over concepts that should have been learned in high school, but Dr. Rigg did not have control over that. She did manage to make such easy material interesting though. She used her wealth of travel experience in her lectures.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12627/Good-professor-teaching-an-okay-class#comments2001-11-13T10:09:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12627/Good-professor-teaching-an-okay-classhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12626/Friendly-and-outgoingA very friendly and outgoing professor. She seems to know what it's like to be a student. Dr. Rigg concentrates on plant geography. Therefore most of her examples and experiences relate to plant geography which can be sometimes frustrating. Continuous examples related to plants gets old, but her examples are clear and helpful. Just would be nice if she would use examples from outside plant geography. She is very accessible and helpful outside of class. She has lived in and studied in countries around the world.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12626/Friendly-and-outgoing#comments2001-11-13T10:05:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12626/Friendly-and-outgoinghttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12625/Top-notch-professorDr. Wang is a great professor. Very friendly and helpful outside of class. His lectures are also very interesting and informative. I will warn you though, his exams are tough. Usually 5-6 essay questions, from which you pick 4 to answer. He is a very fair grader though. If you don't know your stuff, he will give you a bad grade. If you are able to provide a coherent answer, he will reward you with a good grade. Dr. Wang is one of the better professors at this university. He is well worth taking, despite the tough exams.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12625/Top-notch-professor#comments2001-11-13T10:01:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12625/Top-notch-professorhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12624/Whats-my-gradeFirst, many students had a problem with Dr. Ervin's grading system. He did not use the normal 90/A-80/B-70/C grading system. He did not seem able to explain his grading system either. It appeared to be based on the high and low exam scores. This grading system made it impossible at the end of the semester to figure out what you needed to get on the final in order to get an A, B, C and so on. Second, Dr. Ervin seemed a little condescending. It wasn't obvious, but sometimes he seemed a bit pompous. His lectures were so-so, occasionally boring, occasionally ok. However, his incomprehensible grading system changes him from an average professor to a mediocre professor.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12624/Whats-my-grade#comments2001-11-13T09:56:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12624/Whats-my-gradehttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12623/Nice-guy-so-so-professorDr. Luo is a nice guy, but uninspiring as a professor. His lectures are boring, consisting solely of PowerPoint slides that he reads for the class. He never brings in personal experiences...just reads the PowerPoint slides. What's worse is that the slides are derived right from the textbook, sometimes using the same identical example of a concept as is used in the textbook. I did not learn very much in the portion of this course which he taught.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12623/Nice-guy-so-so-professor#comments2001-11-13T09:49:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u686/review12623/Nice-guy-so-so-professor