Joseph Ragan - Auburn University, Auburn, AL

Professor: Joseph Ragan

Department: Engineering

College: Auburn University, Auburn, AL

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: MECH2220
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Ragan does a great job teaching the material and forcing you to apply it practically. I imagine this class would be very difficult if you can't pick up Matlab quickly. Quizzes and assignments were directly from the lecture, however the final was a very poor representation of the course material and was drastically different in format for no reason.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ENGR2010
• 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:

Professor Ragan is definitely not a professor for everyone. I was one of very few students that enjoyed Ragan's class, but if you don't study, you wont pass. His tests are just too hard to pass without studying and doing the homework. But outside of class, he is very willing to answer questions and go over homework when needed. Overall great Prof.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: ENGR2010
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

His class is definitely one of the more difficult at Auburn, but if you do your work, study, and apply yourself you will survive.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: MECH2220
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Ragan is a terrible professor, he doesn't care for his students or their success. I believe he truly finds pleasure in failing students. If you are in Mechanical Engineering you have to take him, but otherwise avoid him at all costs.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: MECH2220
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Ragan is a tough professor, he tells you off the bat, you are in training to become a professional. He gives plenty of tasks and expects a lot. However, if you truly attempt the material and try to understand, but still can't, he will help as much as he can. Largest downfall: unpredictability. May have a quiz, may not, may be graded, maybe not.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: MECH2220
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The class was hard, but he was an amazing professor. He can be intimidating, and the random quizzes were stressful at times. But it made you really understand the material. Go to his office hours, and he will help you. The homeworks took days to do, so do not wait until the last minute. Study, actually do the work, and you will be fine.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: MECH2220
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Homework is long, but stops when the project starts at the end. I heard his thermo is hard but the Comp aided class was fine for me. might be hard if you can't code. I found him to be funny and he cares. Grading isn't really consistent. has random quizzes. His examples are usually comical. Just pay close attention near the end of the course.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: MECH2220
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Ragan knows his stuff. Really smart guy who expects a lot. He can be a bit intimidating the way he calls students out in class but he truly cares. He will prepare you for tougher classes by making you buckle down a s understand the material.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ENGR2010
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

there were rumors going around that he cares more for students in his own major than for all students, and this was definitely held true from personal experiences. At the end, even if you got a good final letter grade, he still changed them based on what he thinks you deserve, and I know so many people that lost scholarships because of this.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ENGR2010
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

this definitely was the weed out class for engineering majors, but I think he took it too far. He was sometimes borderline rude to students, and said that he would rather let them fail even though they knew the information. I realize that it's important to know what you're doing but he just took it to another level.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ENGR2010
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

I would like to say that all of those here who are complaining about joe simply did not give the time or effort needed in his class. The father made it very clear that this class is not little chem 1 or physics 1, but that it was big thermodynamics. I got an A in joe's class because he taught me virtue. Joe is the greatest man I have ever known.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: MECH2220
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He's your only choice for Computer-Aided. However he's not a bad teacher. If you have little to no experience with coding, it's gonna be a long semester. Group project and Labs can help your grade in the end, but the final is an unforgiving one question. Overall tough class, but good teacher.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ENGR2010
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Very condescending tone when asked a question. After each test he always said that if you didn't score high enough then you are not worthy to move on in his eyes. On tests if you get a beginning question wrong you will automatically lose points for the rest of the problem, even if your method was correct. Would never take again.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ENGR2010
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Doesn't bother to read the work on a test and only looks at the final answer. Tough you argue points back. Teaches better at review sessions than in lecture. Assumes you completely understand the material from just reading the textbook, and 2/3 of the semester was him creating scenarios about thermo. Doesn't care if you fail the class.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ENGR2010
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

3 tests, all on which I received minimal to no partial credit. Emails back after 1-2 days and is hard to find on campus. Completely forgot that I'm in the class even though I sit in the front row. Hard to get points back on tests. Written homework often hard to read and usually messy. I learned more from going to a review session than a lecture.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ENGR2010
• Grade Received: F
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Joe is as hard as they come, and his class isn't much different. You'll be working long hours on his coursework, but he'll make up for it. Go to his office hours, that's where he'll make a man out of you. On his tests, he says to "grab the low hanging fruit," but we know it's not all academic. Taking Joe's class was the greatest decision of my life

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ENGR2010
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Ragan treats his thermo class as a true weed out class. With that being said it definitely is do-able but you will have to put in the work for the grade you want. As a chemE, I expected more phase and reaction concepts but he's a mechE guy so he avoided them. His lectures are laid out in a way that anyone can understand them so make sure you go

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: MECH2220
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr Ragan is fantastic. With that being said, he's not going to to GIVE you anything. He expects you to put in work. If you have a weak work ethic, you WILL struggle in his class. He's always available in his office. He will ALWAYS sit with you until you understand what you came in for. He gives you his personal cell / email contact. Great teacher.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ENGR2010
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Joe goes above and beyond to make sure his students understand the most fundamental concepts of thermo. That being said, you will still need to put in many, many hours into this class if you want an A. If you are in the mechanical engineering program than I would highly recommend Joe. You will definitely be prepared for thermo 2.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: MECH2220
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Joe can be condescending, and sometimes will chastise you for asking questions. He's disorganized, and a challenge to get a hold of outside of class, so any questions you have ask as soon as class ends. He knows his stuff though, and he gives an opportunity for bonus at the end of the semester.