Karim Diff - Santa Fe College, Gainesville, FL

Professor: Karim Diff

Department: Physics

College: Santa Fe College, Gainesville, FL

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: PHY2048
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Grade sources are diverse. 55% of grade is from tests. Very mellow personality and wants you to do well. There is no attendance policy but you HAVE to attend class to do well because of labs, in class activities and seeing examples worked out. Only issues - difficult to reach by email. One of the tests had a question we didn't see before

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: PHY1020
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He is a very succinct teacher. As long as you go to lecture and take notes on his powerpoints AND class activities, you will get an A. He posts video solutions for practice exams which will guarantee you get an A if you learn from these video solutions. Exams come directly from lecture material and class activities.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: PHY2004
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Diff is a great professor. I was in a particularly challenging class that was very slow to learn the material, but he was still very patient with us. He presents material in a way that makes it easy to learn, lots of in class demonstrations, and labs to tie everything together.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: PHY2048
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Sometimes a monotonous delivery and lectures seem to drag on but overall he prepares you very well for his tests and lets you bring your own cheat sheets for the test. I did very little of the homeworks and barely got an A so you'd probably do best to keep up with your assignments. He did not grade anything on Canvas until a week after the final.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: PHY1020
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

10/10 recommend!! Prof Diff is great, he's kinda monotone at times but his lectures and fun and he makes sure you have a great time. Due to hurricane Irma he replaced our paper with an online assignment that was super easy. He wants you to do great and is always available if you need extra help. Got high Ds on his test and still passed with a highB

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: PHY2048
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Doctor Diff is an excellent teacher. Despite having a Phd, he is very approachable. He allows notes on the tests, which are not hard if you come to class and take notes. He also posts plenty of practice material online to prepare from.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: PHY2048
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Where to start... he is a great professor. Professor Diff is an easy and fun teacher. His exams really are not that hard (others probably just didnt study). I would highly recommend him.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: PHY2049
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Where to begin.. To give you some background on the guy: He's got a phd in theoretical physics and he has a twitter account. In class he teaches theory. Notes are all over the place. Hardly gives you example problems and practically no homework. Loves conceptual stuff verses practical. Overall I have not enjoyed his class, and would not recommend.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: PHY1020
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

It was pretty easy to get an A because the grading scale was so weighted against the exams. The exams were hard, not much of what you learned in class, mostly just random applicational questions. The lowest exam grade is dropped, which can include the final if you have an A. VERY disorganized with canvas and grading, but he's a nice professor.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: PHY2049
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He spends the whole class explaining how to get the formulas. He doesn't teach examples. The quizes and hw are super hard since the class doesn't help you to understand anything. He thinks you already know the material. For ex: he just gives you the lab manual and expects you to know how to work with circuits. His tests are really hard

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: PH2048
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Diff is a smart man. But his class felt really disorganized. For ex, it's been several days since the final and he has yet to post one grade onto canvas. That means, I don't know forsure what my grade even looks like until all final grades will be posted. Also, his tests are extremely difficult. Study hard or you won't pass.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: PHY2049
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Physics 2 is a hard class. His test are really hard but he weighs them low enough you will have a good chance to pass with a C if you do the other work. Don't skip class and buckle down for a lot of studying. That seems to just be the nature of college physics. He is a good professor and I would recommend taking him if you must take this class.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: PHY2049
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Proffesor Diff is extremely smart and will always take time to help you out and answer your questions, in or outside of class. Tests are open notes so if you take great notes and are organized you should have no problem getting a good grade. Very enthusiastic and has a clear teaching style. Highly recommend, going to his class is never boring.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: PHY2010
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Very nice guy. he has no problem explaining if you don't understand. Take very good notes. The tests are open notes. though he doesn't take attendance make sure you show up to take notes. No textbook needed. easy class if you take good notes and pay attention.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: PHY2049
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Diff has an engaging teaching style which encourages and expects participation in class. He expects logical and analytical thinking, rather than just number-crunching. In addition to homework and quizzes, the labs and study aids he provides are on-topic and very relevant to the book and lecture material. He expects much but is fair.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: PHY2048
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

No textbook required. Class is meant for non-physics majors. You couldn't really miss class. The power points were a little helpful. Test is open note, they weren't that easy. Homework/Class Assignments were easy. Quizzes weren't that bad. Paper due towards the end of the semester. Take really good notes and you'll be fine.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: PHY1020
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Make sure to take good notes because you can you use them on your tests. Also make sure to attend class so that you never miss out on any homework assignments that may given out. Pretty easy class. He wants everyone to be able to pass his class so it isn't super hard.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: PHY2053
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Prof Diff is a good teacher. He teaches a bit slow but he is clear. He goes over some things a little more than he should (such as math skills you should have already acquired before taking this class) which takes time away from the lesson. Other than that, tests aren't that difficult if you study concepts and understand. and it's open note!

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: PHY2010
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Although I am not a physics major and this class was designed for non physics majors I could tell he expected us to understand a good basis of physics beforehand. He assigned no books making it mandatory to show up every class. His lectures and power points did not clarify the material at all. This was the first class ever that I almost failed.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: PHY 2048
• 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:

Prof Diff doesn't cover adequately the material you are tested on. Prepare to spend tons of hrs studying and teaching yourself the material . Tests are a large part of grade and even with notes they are difficult. He assumes you will have an advance background in math and doesn't like to review. I do not recommend him.