James Kakalios - University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN

Professor: James Kakalios

Department: Science

College: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1401V
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

A very solid professor. He wants students to become passionate about physics. I took his class for 1401 and 1402 and he definitely improved the second semester after receiving feedback. Homework can be rather tricky but its always a reasonable amount. The lab is rather time consuming.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1402
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Kakalios is a poor lecturer as he forgets that not all of his class has learned similar material before and teaches way too much in the abstract. His derivations are messy and he makes mistakes in them far too much to ever be remotely helpful. I learned way more the two weeks we had subs because he was gone than whenever he taught himself.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1401V
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Very funny, nerdy dude. Is very good at physics but tends to skim over the math behind concepts so put in work outside of class. Show up to class, he takes participation points with clicker questions. Tests are tough, but not impossible- do the suggested problems on the homework!!!

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1401V
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Kakalios was great- by far my funniest professor last semester. Be prepared to put in extra work outside of lectures- the math is often glossed over so you understand concepts but aren't necessarily prepared to solve problems on your own. DO THE SUGGESTED PROBLEMS. They almost always came up during the midterms/quizzes. Also, he loves superheroes.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1401V
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Kakalios is good at explaining the concepts, but tends to gloss over the math behind it. I found myself struggling with problems not because of the physics concepts, but because I couldn't figure out which equations to use or how to use them. He makes frequent jokes and ties superheroes into the lectures which helps to make them slightly better.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1401V
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Kakalios keeps lectures interesting and covers theory well. However, he glosses over examples, solving one problem per class. His lectures aren't the most useful, but you will be entertained. The worst part of the class was the labs. They took up half of my homework time (for all classes) and were only worth 15% of the grade. Take 1301 if possible

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1P402V
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Just took the final! It wasn't terrible. Too much lab homework. He can be funny in class.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: 1402V
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

His lectures are interesting and his applications of the stuff we learn are very interesting, both in terms of demos and of technology. He sang in class twice and rumor has it he will read your palms if you go to office hours.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: 1402V
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The lab notebooks in the class take hours, but the textbook homework was reasonable. The exams tend to be fairly predictable, but hard to complete in time and not particularly easy.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: 1402V
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He's not afraid to call students out if they mock him. Lab notebooks take a while to do. He loves superheroes and often uses superhero examples in lecture. His demos and explainantions of them are clear and helpful.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: 1402V
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He's funny and hot.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1401V
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He's really funny, by far the most entertaining physics class I've ever had. Honors can be a little daunting but it's not impossible. Make sure to do the practice homework problems, even if they aren't required. The labs associated with this class are the worst. Beware honors physics labs. They were the bane of my existence last semester.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: 1401V
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I took his honors physics section and he was such a great guy. He brings up superheros a lot which makes learning physics more fun. The tests were difficult but representative of what we learned. The lab is the worst part of the class. Easily 10 hours outside of lab a week for barely any part of your grade and it didn't solidify concepts at all.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: 1401V
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

The honors section of this class is incredibly hard. If you didn't take physics in high school, you will be lost throughout the class and fall to the bottom of the curve because most people have taken physics before. Homework is insanely hard and the lectures do not help AT ALL. Labs take roughly 10 hours/week for 15% of your grade. Ridiculous.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1301W
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I took the honors section of the course, but the material and teaching style was the same. Useless lectures, but you need to come for clicker questions. The homework is also ridiculously hard. Get a chegg account. Nothing helps you on the tests.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1401V
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Super funny, knows his stuff. Lectures are simple, homework is insane.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: 1302W
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Kakalios is definitely one of the easiest professors for 1302W. His exams are about 75% directly from the homework, which he provides detailed solutions for. Do all the homework and study the solutions, and you'll do well on his exams. Unfortunately you'll be ill prepared for the common final, so make sure you get most of the points on his exams.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: 1301W
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Lectures were often boring and the material was based strictly off the math of the physics involved rather than the concepts. Kakalios I've heard is better one on one but overall I did not like his teaching style.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1301W
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Kakalios is a really funny guy and his lectures are interesting to go to. However, he has a knack for getting off topic very easily. We spent twenty minutes one class listening to him rave about rubber. He often goes through examples very quickly. His tests are far easier than the other sections, but that can make the final more difficult for some.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: 1301W
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He moves very fast through explanations, that is his biggest draw back, but he tells you what you need to do to pass. Just Do It