Alexander Stecker - Utah Valley University, Orem, UT

Professor: Alexander Stecker

Department: History

College: Utah Valley University, Orem, UT

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: HIST1500
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Alex is a true professor. I highly recommend him if your up to a challenge. He speaks/writes about 13 different languages, 4 of those being dead languages. If you can't find anything to learn from this man, you need to reassess what your doing in life. He is not an easy A, but he will inspire things in you that go far beyond taking a mere class.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: HIST1500
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

It's basically a lecture class. He's interesting, funny, SO SO smart and quite the character. Not a conventional teacher. Someone said his tests are borderline insane, that is correct. He's getting old, not sure how much longer he'll be teaching, but he's very helpful and generous. I'd recommend for at least the experience of knowing him.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: HIST1500
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

It Is not an easy class and he is not an easy teacher but he simply wants your best. Don't let the tests scare you (they border insane); his curve is beyond generous. Do your best on the paper - I poured myself into it and was academically rewarded for it. He's fair, helpful, kind, brilliant and interesting if you engage and participate.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: HIST1500
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Stecker is an awesome guy/teacher. Yes, he likes to talk and he doesn't always talk about the text verbatim, he takes awhile to explain things and I'd get lost, so my note taking was poor and my tests suffered. I don't test well so I worked hard on the term paper and got an A on it which saved my grade. Learned a lot and enjoyed it though.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: HIST1500
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

A very difficult class, but he grades on a curve. If you turn in your term paper early, he'll bump you up a half grade which helps a ton. A difficult class, but the grading on a curve really helps. Just do the study guides and you should be fine. You'll feel like you bombed the test but so did everyone else, so your grades usually ends up being ok

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: HIST1500
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

hes alright. alot of what is on the exam is what he says so things are really hard to keep track of. But he doesnt believe in comprehensive testing so thats pretty legit

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: HIST1500
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

You have to go to class and read the textbook because his test questions come from both (but he grades on a curve). The only problem I had was the term paper. It's big, it takes a LOT of time, and I spent hours trying to figure out Chicago Style. Plus, I was afraid to approach him. He just seemed...unfriendly. I would recommend him.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: HIST1500
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

LOVED THIS TEACHER! He is extreamly smart hedosn't speak english as his first language so some times he can say somthing off the wall. his class is NOT EASY! i got an A and got a 40 on all his tests. If you skim the book, pay attention in class, he is a great teacher! i was late on a paper becuse of computer problems and he was very understanding.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: HIST1500
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I HATED this professor AND class. It was really hard and the teacher is ridiculous. His lectures are pointless and boring and half the time, you can't understand what he is saying. He is a good guy and all, but a terrible teacher.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: HISTHIST
• 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:

He's an odd duck for sure, and he does love to brag about all that he's done, but he has done a lot, and really loves the subject, the tests are impossible, but he grades on a huge curve so it's ok. I'd take another class from him for sure.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: HIST1500
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I had a class on the opposite side of campus immediately prior to his. I was always a minute late because I physically could not make it on time. He told me that he would dock my grade for tardiness. When I explained my situation he said that it was my own problem, not his. His narcissistic lectures distracted from my interest. Glad I dropped!

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: HIST1500
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This teacher is a great teacher. He is very knowledgable?&very smart.He is Funny &smart witted. I really like his disscussions because he makes history come to life and more interesting. He grades fairly and always praises his students. He makes me want to try hard& he lets us know that we are smart.He is always willing to help us get better grades

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: HIST1500
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

I don't know what makes me more mad, His hour long lecture every day where he brags about all the universities he has been to, or the fact that the university is paying him to do this. I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere for a better teacher, cause simply, this guy sucks

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: HIST1500
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He is the worst teacher I have ever had. He stands in front of the class and lectures for over an hour and writes nothing on the board, everything he says is ambigous and doesnt help for the tests, and he writes lame jokes into his lecture that sound rehersed. His test are super hard. Just read the book, you will learn more than going to his class

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: HIST4100
• 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:

A great teacher, totally riveting. I would also like to write his memoirs. If some people think he is incomprehensible, that's a little true, but I think only because he speaks/reads so many intense languages that he has a hard time remembering that we only know english. Love Him!

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ARCH1100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I want someone to write his biography. His knowledge of the subjects is crazy. I've taken both Hist 1500 and Arch 1100 from him, and I'm glad I did. Test wise, STUDY! GO TO CLASS! And keep in mind, his tests are curved. I've never gotten below a B+ on a test with the curve.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ARCH1100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I'm a Science major with a 3.9 GPA. I am familiar with the concept of study. There is no amount of study sufficient for his exams. The questions are unpredictable, and often he disagrees with the text or even his own lectures... so you cannot possibly know what he wants.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: HIST1500
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Teaching style is wildly abstract. Long mandering lectures and no work to qualify what you are learning until the impossibly hard tests. There is also a giant research paper. Stecker is a good man but his teaching style is not for the faint of heart. You must be independent to even think about taking this class. I wouldnt recommend this class.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: HIST1500
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Great teacher

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ARCH1100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

People keep saying his tests are "hard" but nobody is mentioning that they are this way because THE MAN CANNOT CONSTRUCT A SENTENCE. Completely incoherent. I kept looking around the testing center and almost wanted to say out loud "Am I being Punk'd?!?!" Also, he managed to BORE me in a subject I love. UGH!!