Kathleen Howell - Purdue University - West Lafayette, West Lafayette, IN

Professor: Kathleen Howell

Department: Aerospace Engineering

College: Purdue University - West Lafayette, West Lafayette, IN

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: AAE532
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Prof Howell is friendly and lectures are excellent. Review dynamics beforehand. No textbook, but notes and examples are provided. 20+ hours of homework per week, but it's warranted to master the extensive material. ALWAYS provide assumptions, sketches, vector diagrams and units. Exams extremely difficult for time allotted, so manage time wisely!

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: AAE532
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Howell is a brilliant woman whose work deserves respect. However, she is truly one of the most difficult and frustrating professors I've ever had. Homework is unnecessarily tedious and long, tests are impossible, and grading is wildly subjective. She shows little care for her students & is willfully obtuse when asked for help. Avoid if you can.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: AAE490
• 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:

Great professor that really teaches you a lot. However, homeworks are very time consuming. Notes are provided half completed, in which the lectures fills in the blanks. Exams are the most brutal thing I've experienced. You will almost never have enough time to finish it. Partial credit could seem very oddly distributed too.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: AAE532
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Terrible experience. TA's were not helpful at all. The professor was gone for multiple classes. Very sweet sounding, but test grading and volume of work on tests are ridiculous. TA's and prof say 'everything will be taken into account into the grading at the end', but it's not. You will cry for your effort in the class and come back with nothing.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: AAE532
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Awful. She only spends time with you if she likes you personally. Ive had 532 and 440, and without a doubt she's the worst teacher ever. She might be a good researcher, but definitely not a teacher at all.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: AAE532
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Homework is extreme. Spent at least 5 hours a day on it every single day of the week including weekends. Expect to absolutely give up your life during her course, and do not expect your grade to represent your efforts. Tests are nearly as difficult as the homeworks and are expected to be completed within 55 minutes. Avoid at all costs.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: AAE532
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

A very challenging class with very long homeworks every week (20+ hrs) The exams were fair in subject but not the amount of time to do them. Prof. Howell is very good at explaining the material. lectures are perfect. This is a two-body focused class but too much time is spent on lambert arcs; J2+relative motion were not covered. TAs were useless.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: AAE532
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

This class is tough. The homework will take you an incredible amount of time. However, if you put in the effort you will get credit. Exams are another story. The graders seem to give minimal credit for effort resulting in very low averages. The lectures are great, but the drawback is the exams. Dont expect credit for effort on exams.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: AAE532
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Homework is crazy. I mean crazy. Expect to spend more than 20 hours per week on it, easily. Your grades will not show your hard work. Exams are very difficult and there is just never enough time. TA's are not very helpful. There is no text for the class.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: AAE440
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Extremely knowledgeable. Homeworks are intense but you learn a lot. Delivers with good conceptual clarity. Loved the course

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: AAE490
• Grade Received: WD
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Has amazing clear voice and that is it. Has same tone of speech for 50mins. Has habit of closing her eyes for too long. Makes you feel like if she is okay. My first exam average was 40% and I got 19%. My face had lit up like Christmas tree. She has too much of notes. Poorly named and these notes my not in order. Confusing as hell.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: AAE632
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Probably the best subject ever taken. Get to learn the real application of orbit dynamics. Although the course is very tough and intense, once completed you will have a crystal clear idea about space. No examinations but you need to put your blood and soul while completing HW. I did this course parallel to AAE 532, hence it is manageable. Loved it

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: AAE532
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Very good strategy of teaching with half filled notes available to students before class. Absolutely no need of textbook as her notes are very comprehensive. Expect a lot of HW every week. But it is worth the time spent as the HWs are inclusive of all concepts taught in class. By the time you complete your HWs you are thorough with the subject.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: AAE532
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Howell is incredibly knowledgeable and has clearly spent time planning her lectures so that they are interesting and informative for students. Homework assignments take between 10 and 30 hours to complete, but I have no regrets about taking this class; I would highly recommend taking ANY course from Professor Howell

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: AAE440
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Extremely long hw, but this woman KNOWS her stuff. Minimum 10 hours spent on each homework assignment, due every week. Her career, projects, and knowledge are admirable.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: AAE440
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

In trying not to repeat others, yes the homework is long and the tests hard, however, you will actually learn the material. Best professor in aero. Her teaching in 440 and 340 got me through through all my other aero classes as it set the basis for everything. A couple hard classes with her make many others easy. Def worth taking from her.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: AAE340
• 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:

Good lectures - very clear and well organized. Homework is terribly long though...and I mean, unreasonably long! The exams are really tight on time as well.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: AAE532
• 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:

Trust me... She is horrible....

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: AAE340
• 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:

I'll try not to say what has already been said. She makes herself available to students during office hours. There is usually a line to ask her a question, but it is worth the wait as she will challenge you to find the answer rather than just telling you. As has been said HW is long and difficult but you learn a lot! Tests are fair but hard.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: AAE440
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I can just generally agree; really long and difficult homework, but you learn a lot and her lectures are very well-organized and clear.