Novak, Matthew  

Since this class was online, I really can not say to much about it. Novak was there to solve all of the online problems that the class had, including me when my final was erased. I don't know if I could of handled this class in a classrom, but online it was great. Novak seems like someone that would keep a person entertained in a class.

Novak is AWESOME. Picture this: he walked into class the first day wearing a Budweiser shirt. He is very easygoing, and friendly. Novak doesn't normally teach English core classes, which was great because I think some of the professors have been teaching the same subject a little too long for anyone's good. The class sounded pretty scary at first, he had four short papers, a mid-term, a long paper, a final, and several unannounced quizzes on the syllabus. However, the short papers are just that - 300 words on simple subjects like a day in the life of a Londoner in 1700. He ended up cancelling the mid-term, and for the long paper we were allowed to choose our own topic. His quizzes turned out to be announced and consisted of objective questions that related directly to class discussions. I haven't taken the final yet, but it is also multiple choice questions and passage identification, and sounds pretty fair. The best thing about Novak, besides the fact that we spend an average of 15 minutes per class watching a video of Tom Jones, is that he brought coffee and doughnuts to class - TWICE! Oh yes, and saltwater taffy. So if at all possible, take Novak. He's fun, fair, and brings great treats.

The past review was someone in the same class as I was and we each had completely different takes on Novak. While he did shower the class with taffy, cancelled three classes, and eliminate the midterm, he failed miserably at stimulating the students. He would read the assignment line by line, instead of assuming we had all read it, and tell us what each line means, even if it was simple and irrelevant. There was no literary analysis, just summary. He assigned three one page papers about topics that could have easily been thesis papers, like the role of nature in the 18th century, irony, and marriage in Pride and Prejudice. While he may seem like an ideal professor, class is a waste of time because you don't think. After he would tell a joke, he would stop his lecture to wait for someone to laugh. I expected to be challenged, instead I was pampered and thus belittled by this class. If you are not an English major and want an easy A, by all means, take Novak. If you want to be intellectually stimulated, avoid him. This review is not out of bitterness. I received a high grade for what little work we were assigned, I suppose he just fell short of what I expected.

Novak is awesome. Even in a class of 240 students, which I usually hate, he was very clear and made each lecture interesting and exciting. The topics always touched a personal aspect of everyone's lives and dealt with the daily world in which we live. He was hilarious if you caught on to his jokes and made you want to go hang out in a bar with him and just talk for hours. Two thumbs up to Novak!

Great Guy, Great Class. Good reading and a real eye opener. I get crappy grades, but this guy is interesting. Also, he spent 13.5 years in a federal pen, so you gotta respect the guy. Calls on hot girls and makes them stand when answering. I didn't finish the reading in class, but for once I wish I would have.

Dr. Novak is the best teacher I have ever had in my life. All you have to do is look at some of the other evaluations here, and you will see why I say this. I have never seen people go to this length when rating a professor. All I can say is that these comments (the positive ones) are very true. This class was extremely interesting and it opened my eyes to many ideas and perspectives that I had never before considered. I Highly recommend that any student needing a C-4 GE take this course. The course is also quite easy, and only two multiple-choice tests and a few online black board postings go into the final grade. The only person I know who didn't like this professor is a student who got an F, and he is obviously a complete idiot.

Dr. Novak is extremely easy. Think of the easiest class that you took in high school. It's easier than that. He says you should read the books before coming to class...you don't have to. We read them...TOGETHER during class. and he interprets everything for you in "modern day talk" (for example if Romeo says something, he really means "Hey honey I totally want you"), so you understand Shakespearian language. Also he's got a good sense of humor and he's really nice. he's one of those teachers that likes to have fun. Oh, and we didn't even get to "Twelfth Night" so he said that he would pay for our books...all we have to do is give him our address and he'd reimburse us for what we had paid....DAMN that is just way to nice. and we're having a pizza party. =D So overall, try a little bit, and get an A+. good way to boost your GPA

Novak is awesome! Definitely take him, he is so laid back and has a really good sense of humor. I am not really into shakespeare but he made it fun and interesting. He really cares about his students and wont fail you if you try and make an effort.

Teacher did not present himself nor the class material in a professional manner. At times, he would get hostile towards certain students and displayed favortism to a select group. His lectures did not cover the material on the exams. Overall, I would not recommend this teacher to anyone, unless they were looking to learn nothing.

This was one of the best courses I've taken at Poly, and I found Novak to be a very fine teacher. He knows the material well and presents it clearly. He has a wonderful sense of humor. There is an awful lot to read in this class, but Novak makes it fun. I thought that I would hate a class that met on Tuesday nights from 7-10, but Novak made it interesting and fun. I would recommend him and this course highly.

I've taken several courses from Dr. Novak and found him to be one of the finest teachers I've ever had. Whether it's a tech writing class, Shakespeare, or humanities, he's been magnificent in each. He is very funny, intelligent in a way that is sometimes scary (he knows so much about so much), and very friendly to everybody. I would encourage everyone to take a course with him--it'll be worth it. I found the humanities class (402) especially interesting and useful, especially Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

A class everybody should take upon entering Poly. I know I should have taken it as a freshman. This course taught me to think about things in a way I never did before and this is due to Novak's ability to challenge the students and make us think about important things: like thinking itself! He is very good. You'll have to work hard (and read a lot), but Novak's very fair and has a good sense of humor about things. I think you'll enjoy taking this course. I also think you'll enjoy the teacher.

HUM 402 was one of the best courses I've taken at Poly. I found Novak to be a marvelously fine teacher, blessed with brilliance regarding the material, and he is a most talented teacher as well. I had heard excellent things about this class and I wasn't disappointed. I give HUM 402 and Dr. Novak FIVE stars*****!

In this course you get to be tutored by Dr. Novak, whom I found to be a man of unusual intelligence and dedication who worked very hard to help me to become a better, more professional writer. The tech writing program is the best thing we have going at Poly and Novak is the biggest reason why this is so. He does a lot of teaching one-on-one in many of this program's courses. He is a very patient and diligent teacher, writer and editor who taught me more than I can ever delineate in this brief note. Dr. Novak is also a very fine lecturer in his other, regular, classroom-type courses. Very much worth taking.

Dr. Novak made me a much better writer through his intensive work with me in this practicum class. He was very patient and thorough and gave me lots of good advice. Plus, he's a very nice guy. I enjoyed meeting with him and just listening to him talk. If you want to improve your writing, take this course with Novak.

Prof cried today.... What a weirdo hahahah get a grip of your life.