Doug Copely - Sacramento City College, Sacramento, CA

Professor: Doug Copely

Department: Science

College: Sacramento City College, Sacramento, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: PHYS420
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

The training wheeles are off. hope you did well in Calc III you will need it for Gauses Law in the begining of the semester he flyes through it. I talked to a lot of other students and they dont like him

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: PHYS420
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Contrary to what many people say, Copely's tests and quizes DO follow what he gives in lecture and HW. I was part of the class that did every HW problem and attended every class and I was pleasantly surprised every quiz. Sure the HW takes some time, but its expected of higher level classes. Copely is probably the best physics prof at Sac City.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: PHYS420
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

He bases exams after discussion work, and the final off of past exams and grades them very fairly. The only reason you wouldn't do well in this class is if you never pay attention to lectures, or never go to discussions. I really enjoyed this professor and would recommend him.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: PHYS420
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I took Copely for both physics 410 and 420, and wish I could have taken him again. He has energy and is passionate about the subject. He is very friendly and approachable and really tries to assist students. He is a generous grader and that really helped my grade since I usually understood the material but messed up the answer

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: PHYS420
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Does not prepare students adequately for tests. He says the quizes are dirrectly from the homework but they aren't, some of the problem weren't even for the lecure or textbook. He says "some you will familliar with and some you wont be familliar with". Then talks down to the class about failing it.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: PHYS420
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Lectures dont explane anything more than the textbook. Homework consumes all of your time, so no time to review and the quizes are very. He talks down to the class like we are all lazy students who must not have studied. Other students have told me going to his office is a waste of time. I get some help out of it, but still fail but the quizes.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: PHYS410
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Copely is a nice guy but he doesnt seem to convey any interest in helping you succeed. His teaching style works for a very small subset of people and if you arent one of those people then you will need to look elsewhere for help. He says he is always available in office hours but seems to get impatient and rushes people out.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: PHYS410
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Avoid this professor. His lectures are fast and not clear. His exams are very difficult. He writes his own HW problems, and does not use the textbook.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: PHYS420
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

His lectures are amazing, very helpful & inspiring. The hw isn't collected, but pretend it's being graded for accuracy or you won't do well on the biweekly quizzes. Carefully re-read every example in the book, the hw, & the discussions prior to each test. Don't take it with 10 additional units of 400 series math/science courses: you won't get an A.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: PHYS430
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

His teaching makes you excited about physics & is very clear. But there are mistakes in the textbook answer key & he forgets he didn't assign reading. I got an A by going to office hours weekly then re-reading every example in the book, homework assignment, & discussion notes before every test, & memorizing all the week's formulas for the quizzes.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: PHYS420
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Copely is heavy on integration techniques and expects you to be able to derive a specific equation given little information, however, this makes you understand the material on a deeper level. He is willing to help outside of class and if you pay attention in class and actually work on the homework the class wont be too hard. Lab att. is mandatory

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ASTR310
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

There is barely any homework in the class and your entire grade is based off 3 midterms and a final. Do not take this class unless you really do feel like spending a large portion of your time studying. But if you take good notes and pay attention to the syllabus you will do well.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: PHSY410
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I got an A by re-doing from scratch every homework assignment, every reading assignment, and every discussion assignment that was fair game for the test before every test and making sure I 100% understood every problem and reading assignment the first time too. That's pretty much what you have to do for an A. The reading is hard. Also, VERY fun :)

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: PHYS410
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I got a hard-earned A. His discussions are much more helpful than his lectures to prepare you for his VERY difficult exams. My study method helped me a lot: I picked out the hardest exercise problems I could find in the textbook to try to solve them. I highly recommend using the solutions manual for aid.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: PHYS410
• Grade Received: D
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Pretty good professor, but hard as hell. There's no BSing this class. Do your homework, do the reading, study your ass off for tests. His labs and discussions are a piece of cake, so you don't need to sweat those.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: PHYS410
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

The hardest class and the most fun class I've ever taken. Great prep for upper division: My friend from an ivy league school says it's just as rigorous as the ivy league version. You have to really know the material going into tests as you have zero time to get stuck, so never skimp on homework. I became a physics major because of this class.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: PHYS420
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Great professor on a very, very tough subject. Lectures are clear that you can (almost) get away with not reading the textbook. Eager to help you outside of class (during office hours). Tests are extremely hard, even with allowed index card of formulas. You must do (& understand) homework if you want any chance on tests. Tests based on homework.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: PHYS410
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Professor Copely is a great teacher who is willing to help if you ask. Yes, it is a challenging course, but that's due to the material and not Prof. Copely. If you show up to lectures, discussions, and labs you shouldn't have any trouble passing and even excelling if you study the material. Takes some test questions from homework and discussions.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: PHYS410
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Avoid him. His tests are extremely hard. We had 86 people start this class. With 3 weeks left in the semester only 58 students remain, and some of those are still failing. They just have not dropped. Only two students hold an A. For the effort you put in, what would get you an A with another professor will have you struggling for a B in his class.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ASTR310
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

If you're not good with short answers you will struggle in this class. Some of the short answer Q's on the test come from the homework (especially if it's a compare/contrast question). You need the book for the homework and studying but the reading assignments are pointless if you take good notes in class. Overall, he's a great teacher. Goodluck.