Tom Deden - West Valley College, Saratoga, CA

Professor: Tom Deden

Department: Sociology

College: West Valley College, Saratoga, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: SOC001
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Great, funny teacher! Sometimes gets off track during lectures though. Tests are mostly straight-forward and always multiple choice only. Attendance is required, but you can pass with missing a few.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: SOC001
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I had to put lots of work in this class. He quizzes you on the small, irrelevant details but in the end I ended up with the grade I wanted to receive. Get ready to work hard for your grade.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: SOC001
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

His lectures can be repetitive. It's hard to learn stuff you already know about, & I would often get bored. If you already have background knowledge focus on vocabulary & who the old dead people are & what they did.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: SOC001
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I took his online SOC001 class and it's difficult. I put in many hours a day. He quizzes you on the little things and you have to know everything very well. You have to study around 100 pages before each test. Even though I got the grade I wanted, I wouldn't take him again.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: SOC01
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

There are 3 exams, and 2 quizzes. I read the text book, studied hard, and took good notes (that's all you do in class is coping his notes) and got a C. He uses a lot of sexual references in this class that seemed unnecessary. His notes are printed and displays them on the document camera and talks about each page. He is passionate about sociology!

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: SOC001
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Took his online class. First day he assigns two 50 point quizzes that you are able to retake as many times you want. 3 discussions, 3 exams. the third exam is the final and worth more points. 25 questions per exam and is timed. Exams are very difficult you have to read every small detail in the reading to pass. DO NOT procrastinate with the reading

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: SOC001
• Grade Received: D
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Worst online class ever, DO NOT TAKE HIM. You will have to remember everything you read in your text book which is impossible. He times the test like 25 questions in 20 minutes, like dude chill I need some time to read the freaking question and look at the answers.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: SOC001
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Great professor, gives good examples and explains material well. He also loves to crack jokes.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: SOC01
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Took online course and it went well. He responds quickly. He gives a couple of quizzes at beginning of the class that you can take multiple times until you pass. This is his way of tracking attendance and to familiarize yourself with what you need to know to pass his exams. He provides a clear syllabus.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: SOC001
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Tom is a great teacher! I took his online class in the Spring 2016 and it was an easy A. As long as you read the chapters thoroughly and focus on the bold vocabulary, you will pass his tests. Also, really contribute to the discussion posts, the more you write the better your grade on it. Definitely recommend taking his class!!!

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: SOC01
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I took sociology in high school so i thought taking it in cc would be easy units; i was wrong. Despite already having some knowledge on sociology, this class wasn't easy. He uses every minute of class for lectures, He's cool, doesn't give homework, there's 2 major online quizzes within the first month then 2 tests, 1 final and that's it. STUDY!!!

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: SOC01
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He's not a bad person, but regarding what you do in class is kinda all based on the textbook. There is no homework and although you may find that exiting, don't.. Sometimes homework help you have a better understanding. He makes weird jokes that are irrelevant. He gave us 50 question tests worth so many points. I wouldn't take him ever again.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: SOC045
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Just finished his online, late start Sociology of Human Sexuality class. So straight-forward I wasn't sure if I was reading the syllabus right! Two quizzes, three exams, and an optional EC paper. Read the assigned chapters and there are no surprises. Got 100% on all exams just by doing the assigned work and learned a lot. Thanks De Den!

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: SOC1
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

3 tests and 4 writing assignments. Taken as an online short course. Pretty easy class overall. Everything was based on the text so you must have it. Writing assignments were just find media online that relates to a course topic and write 2 paragraphs about it then respond to someone else. 90% of your grade is from the tests

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: SOC045
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

To take this class, one has to be open-minded and have a sense of humor; otherwise, one might find Professor Deden a bit strange and awkward. He does tend to ramble a lot, but he's sincere, helpful, and caring. Extremely clear about content and tests. However, your grade is only based on exams. No assignments, but exams are easy.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: SOC45
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

A really straightforward and interesting class. Do the work and the path is clear for an A

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: SOC001
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Really difficult to get a good grade in this course. Took it online expecting it to be okay, but his quizzes are difficult and he seems to clearly define guidelines, but even after following them I did not receive the grades I wanted. Don't recommend taking this class, at least not online.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: SOC45
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I took his sociology of human sexuality class and was disappointed. The entire class is one big lecture. All he does is go over, verbatim, what's in the book. Despite that, I always found myself surprised with the content of the tests. Not an effective way to teach human sexuality in my opinion.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: SOC45
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Mr. De Den is a fantastic teacher!! One of the best classes I've ever taken. He's very informative and considerate of students. He's really nice and funny, which lightens up the class when discussing more serious matters. If you attend class, pay attention, and read the textbook, you will get an 'A'.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: SOC45
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Took his 4 week online hum. sex. class; I was nervous b/c the last online class I took was bad, but this guy has his act together. Breaks everything down from the start, so you know what is expected. 4 tests, usually 3 chapters, spaced about a week apart, each test worth 1/4 of grade. Also offers an extra credit assignment. Very good class!