Edward Ousselin - Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA

Professor: Edward Ousselin

Department: Modern and Classical Languages

College: Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: FREN341
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Doesn't use canvas at all. Low expectations for us as American French speakers. Corrects your French but doesn't make fun of you. Lectures are so dry and his only classroom visual aids are scribbles on the board and occasional use of Wikipedia and other web pages.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: FREN341
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Not actually a hard grader and treats you like you don't know any French but expects you to know the history of the world. Admits he plays "guess what I'm thinking". Sitting through his class is unbearable. A lot to deal with for a relatively easy grade. Doesn't connect with students at all. IMO worst French prof at western.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: FREN302
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

His style of teaching is backwards: you learn at home and then he teaches it in class which makes it difficult if you learn it wrong the first time. You get called up to the board in class to translate difficult phrases that most students do not understand. He is willing to correct papers though and give you feedback.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: FREN301
• 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:

Quizzes (unannounced) and tests are open book, fill in the blank and translating phrases. He only takes 4 highest quiz grades so no big deal if you miss some of them. The way he explains grammar might not be the best so I'd recommend seeing him during his office hours. He never made fun of anybody's mistakes or funny pronunciation.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: FRENCH301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Ousselin means well. However, he is not great at knowing how students are doing in his class, and expect way too much from them. He has us do assignments before he even teaches us the concepts, and when he reviews them he rushes through everything and expects it to be perfect. I feel like many in the class are struggling.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: FR301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

The class was structured completely backwards. There was homework every night on material we hadn't yet covered, and every class was spent going over homework. No real lectures, teaching, or participation required. I feel like I didn't learn anything as a result, and nights spent looking at homework I didn't understand were really frustrating.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: FREN341
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Ousselin has good intentions, but the class was practically incomprehensible. There was no lecture structure, and he went on rambling tangents about different subjects, so I was never really sure what to study for. He also gave completely useless answers to student questions and would expect us to know information he had never taught.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: FREN203
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Ousselin... oh my. He can be rather pompous and snobbish but if you ASK HIM QUESTIONS he will be helpful. Don't take his criticisms too seriously. Study for exams and expect to use skills not necessarily covered in chapter. Overall, not the worst thing I've had to endure but he won't kill you if you try your best and participate.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: FREN203
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Ousselin is a good professor, not great. He talks way too fast and doesn't have any intonation in his speech. Homework is always assigned, but never checked. His exams are entirely short answer and ALMOST impossible. You really need to confidently know the language to take his classes.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: FREN301
• 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:

Ousselin is a good professor but very challenging and his handwriting is bad, and lecture pace is a little bit difficult, but I would take a class with him again.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: FRE401
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

No offense but Ousselin isn't very interesting, or clear in his teaching style. I've taken 2 of his classes. Lectures seem to last for eternity and his grading is not fair. You can tell its curved on whether he likes you or not. Compared 2 identical papers where one was a letter grade lower. Honestly, I'd avoid taking any of his classes if you can.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: FR302
• 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:

Pretty helpful if you seek help outside of class. Homework is easy, hard but fair grader.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: FRENCH203301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Ousselin is not as "easy" as the other French profs. He certainly makes you work for your A, not that it's unobtainable. You don't need to do the HW so long as you can write the answers on the board when asked to. He is super helpful outside of class:if you bring your compositions to him outside of class he'll correct and fix everything.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: FR340
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

The readings and lectures can get boring, but not always his fault. Open book quizzes and tests, so they're not too bad. Ousselin was intimidating but fair, and not a hard grader. I'd rather take other French profs, but since the dept is so small, I'll probably have him again for the next few quarters. Not a bad guy, though, just not my style.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: FRENCH340
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I had to work hard in this class, but I feel like I really learned so much. Not a bubbly personality, but very kind, super organized, pays great attention to details, so you can count on being corrected (reasonably)when necessary (essential for learning). Can't wait for next in series. Low key, but cool. Hey, I think I like French literature!

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: FRENCH340
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

No Comments

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: 340
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

His lectures are very boring but he seems like a good guy. He's a very demanding teacher, though, and expect to spend time on this class. You go through the gamut in this class... grade is based on a combination of midterm/final, a presentation, compte rendu, vocab quizzes, and participation.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: FRENCH301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

No Comments

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: FREN460B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This class was great and he was a great guy to teach it...HOWEVER I had him for 3 classes the quarter before and thought the exact opposite. He can be very belittling and definitely plays favorites and lets dumber people slide. But overall he is extremely intelligent and effective at what he does. But his lectures can be dry, so be prepared.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: 200
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Very helpful and easy to talk to. Has a good sense of humor and makes the class interesting. One of my favorite profs at Western.