John Beaver - University of Wisconsin - Fox Valley

Professor: John Beaver

Department: TBD

College: University of Wisconsin - Fox Valley

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: AST100
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He is really funny and sweet;however, I had to self-teach myself with the textbook because his lectures are not structured and he likes to go off on tangents. Take advantage of his "questions?" at the beginning of class; that's the only time you'll know if you're on the right track. The homework is extensive, but the class isn't too bad overall.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: PHY201
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Hes a great guy not the best teacher tho, makes a lot of jokes which is cool but he's all over the place during lecture. If you do the reading and study the homework then you're fine, I only did the hw tbh and ended up with a C+. Go in during office hours and definitely go over the test with him if you don't understand something

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: PHY201
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Beaver had lectures that made your head spin. It was a board full of Greek, and you were supposed to figure out numerical answers in your spare time. He was not interested in finding realistic test-like answers in class-time. Not unless it was part of discussion. If you have a good grasp of calculus, the class is fairly easy. Labs were pretty fun.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: PHY202
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor Beaver is definitely passionate about the subjects he teaches, and does a good job teaching them as well. His physics courses were well taught, and his exams were very similar to the assigned homework. He gives you all the material you need to be successful in class, as long as you put in the effort.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: PHY201
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Prof. Beaver is a great professor both from a lecture and lab standpoint. He clearly has a passion for what he does. The only downside is that some of the grading criteria on his test are a bit unclear.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: PHY201
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I had physics 201 and it was instructed very well. He would lecture often and it may get boring but if I wrote the formulas on my note card the tests weren't difficult. There were four tests and each one had a somewhat large homework assignment but if you do the homework you will pass the test. His grading of the weekly lab reports is very easy.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: PHY107
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I loved his Conceptual Physics course. He is super helpful outside of class if you just ask. He is very intellectual and has an awesome sense of humor. This class seriously blew my mind and I think just being in his presence made me a smarter person.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: PHY107
• 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:

Cool teacher. I never went and saw him outside of class, but I heard he was very helpful. He answers emails pretty fast when he's at school. That shouldn't be a plus, but some of the teachers take weeks to answer an email.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: PHY201
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

very helpful and has a sweet sense of humor

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: PHY201
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

He provides no useful examples for students. He simply proves thereoms and useless anecdotes about his life. I had to use my textbook extensively to teach myself the material. However, the calculus I used was minimal.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: AST106
• 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:

This teacher used to teach AST 101 and 106. They were both very interesting, although I enjoyed AST 101 more. I'm not sure if he still teaches either of them, but I would recommend taking AST 101 with him, although not AST 106. Overall, he was willing to help you out if necessary, but my overall grades came out to be an A for 101, and a D for 106.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: PHY201
• 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:

All of the other reviews are for basic astronomy classes. If you are forced to take Beaver for physics, be ready for a grueling semester! His concept worksheets take at least 8-12 hrs to fill out and likewise for the EXTREMELY DIFFICULT physics (math based) hw problems. Class is useless bc he doesnt actually give you any useful examples! STAY AWAY!

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: AST106
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I didn't finish taking this class. He is a great teacher, very smart.........just he expects you to be able to do a lot of work in prep for the exams. A LOT. Only one teacher has made me do more. His "worksheets" to help prep for an exam would take an 8 hour shift even though they looked misleadingly quick to finish.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: AST100
• 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:

One of two professors I really remembered for UW-Fox. I liked his lectures, which is rare for me. I aced the tests and homework, but didn't hand in a semester project and he damn near failed me... FYI, pay no attention to reviews by people who cannot distiguish "to" from "too" and complain about college professors being difficult... seriously.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: PHY141
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Beaver is very fun and animated in class, however, he seems very aloof and disinterested outside of class. The labs are poorly run and could be much clearer. Overall, it is a good class, but can be quite challenging especially given his lack of helpfulness beyond the classroom

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: AST105
• 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:

He's a pretty good teacher. His course can be boring sometimes but at least he acts enthused. And in my experience thats not the case with most.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: AST106
• 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:

I would not reccomend this teacher to anyone who is interested in taking a class with him. He talks over your head constantly, assuming that you already know what he's talking about. He treats an introductory astronomy course like a senior level class.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: PHY145
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Hands out alot of homework but gives you enough time to do it all. He is very understanding and willing to help you with any problems you are having with the material.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: PHY201AST101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Worksheets he gives are wonderful guides for tests. They are a pain in the ass, but they force you to study. So save a tree, eat a beaver... or something?

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: AST105
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

His sense of Humor keeps lectures interesting. Test questions are given out on the first day of class as unit worksheets. Very available and willing to help outside of class.