Williams, Brian  

Professor Williams is a cool guy, but he just graduated grad school at UCSB so he's all stoked to teach what his main focus was, not really the class at hand. Astro 102 is suppose to be an easy intro to stars, galaxies, and cosmology, but Williams' main focus in college was cosmology, which is pretty much astro-physics. So instead of taking a class in which I thought i'd learn about constellations, I was pretty much taking an astro physics class. Williams' lectures were kind of pointless because he rambles and the info for tests comes right from the text book and online homework. My advice: read and take notes on the chapters, be sure to sign up for the right edition of the book for the online homework, do the homework, and come to class on the day before break. If you study this class can be an easy B, put in a little effort and you could even get an A.

Professor Williams was an awesome teacher. Really laid back but also enthusiastic about the subject. We learned about things like neutron stars and black holes, which are dope. I was a little worried about this class because I never took physics in high school, but it's pretty basic stuff and the pace is slow. The tests and quizzes are pretty easy, just read the chapter. Go to his office hours and he'll clarify what you don't get. At the end there is a paper about something related to stars, which he grades fairly easily. Take this class for sure

When I took Prof. Williams in the Winter quarter of 2011, he was brand new to Cal Poly. I think he recently got his Ph.D. fairly recently. With that, said I his way of teaching was rough, and it needs some refining. Each 1 hour class consisted of going over example problems, with him putting concepts and underlying ideas in the back seat. I think with time and experience Dr. Williams will improve. He graded on a generous curve for our class, mostly because so many of us butchered our quizzes and exams throughout the entire quarter. I feel that's fair, but still, no one enjoys struggling because of a professor's shortcomings in the classroom. Overall, take this class if you're already familiar with highschool physics - should be a breeze. If you're not, try for a professor with a better reputation. I wish Dr. Williams the best, and I hope he continues to learn and improve.

When I took Prof. Williams in the Winter quarter of 2011, he was brand new to Cal Poly. I think he recently got his Ph.D. fairly recently. With that, said I his way of teaching was rough, and it needs some refining. Each 1 hour class consisted of going over example problems, with him putting concepts and underlying ideas in the back seat. I think with time and experience Dr. Williams will improve. He graded on a generous curve for our class, mostly because so many of us butchered our quizzes and exams throughout the entire quarter. I feel that's fair, but still, no one enjoys struggling because of a professor's shortcomings in the classroom. Overall, take this class if you're already familiar with highschool physics - should be a breeze. If you're not, try for a professor with a better reputation. I wish Dr. Williams the best, and I hope he continues to learn and improve.