Poling, John  

Poling was a sweet teacher and it is easy to get an A in the class. Just dont go to parties the night before quizzes like I did and just review your notes. Once in a while he will tell a great joke but it is rare. If you take this class, be sure to take poling because he is cool if you are cool with him and you show up to class.

Dr. Poling is a great teacher who cares. I took his class on the Quarter at Sea program so lots of class time was updates on what was going on around the ship and the gossip you couldn't get anywhere else. Which is important on the boat. In terms of the material he makes it very clear what is expected from you and if you study what your told it is very clear. His tests are quick and painless. The best part was going out to observe stars at night, that is what made the class the best.

Dr. Poling is a cool guy. He loves what he teaches. His lectures can get a little boring at times, but hang in there and you will get the whole picture. Take good notes, because you will need to know certain small details for his midterms and final. I found him really helpful in office hours because he knows so much about astronomy, and he can explain it very well, especially on a one-on-one basis. He doesnt make you turn in homework, but he does assign it. I suggest you do it, because his test questions are closely related to his homework assignments. Also, the really cool thing about this class is he takes you out to go star observing. He points out major constellations, bright stars, and bunch of other things too. Overall, this class was a just a lot of fun, and I would suggest you take it with Dr. Poling.

I must say that it's refreshing to have a professor that is so excited about the material he is teaching. I was expecting to learn very little from this course, and enjoy it even less, but I was pleasantly surprised. I feel like I came away learning quite a lot about the basic workings of our planet and solar system. I know many people found his tests hard, but if you pay attention in class and read the homework answers they really aren't that difficult. He also gives you several opportunities to boost your grade with extra credit.

He expects that you know concepts to the degree in which he does, although he wont teach it to this degree and you probably havent been studying it for as many years as he has! He finds it funny that over half of his class if failing and says its because the students have been having it "too easy" throughout their education. The only plus is that he knows his stuff and loves astronomy more than anyone on earth. So unless you dont mind a low grade after you have worked extremely hard all quarter, take this class with somebody else and visit Poling in your free time for a friend to go star gazing with...

what happened to teachers who care?

Great guy, I think he might be leaving soon, but if you get the chance to take a class with him, you wont regret it!

I absolutely loved this teacher. It was so awesome to see a teacher that has been teaching for so long still be enthusiastic about the subject. I felt as if he really explained things well in class. He gave very good examples. There are some things that he tells you to look up in the book example wise but those don't take long to look over. He drew lots of pictures which helped me because I am a visual learner. He did tell some random stories, but I felt as if it was a nice 5 minute mental break from physics. His sense of humor is a bit different, but I liked it. It really helped me be able to concentrate for a longer period of time. His tests are fair. I feel as if you go to lecture, do your homework, and really look over your notes you are well prepared. I would definitely take him again.

I had Poling for 131 lab and he pretty much blew us off. Pretty much every class he'd tell us how studid 131 was and how he was insulted to be teaching such trivial stuff. He's real arrogant. My advice is to avoid him.

Easiest lab teacher ever. No problem solving, nothing but the lab. He explains everthing before hand and gives you an outline showing you what you need to do so you don't even need the lab book. He generally cuts half of the stuff from the book out anyways. I don't think I had a lab take longer than 45 minutes, and you can leave right after you're done. He'll answer any questions from your class too. He does talk crap about how easy it is and how us engineers don't contibute any money to his department, but only once in awhile. Take him and get an easy pass for the lab.

Physics 131 is a difficult class. Poling might not be the best lecturer but he is very willing to help you during office hours. I learned best from doing the homework and looking at his solutions he posts on his website. He doesn't collect homework. His tests are reasonable and he told us what we had to be able to derive for the test. (Like two things). Physics from any professor takes a lot of hard work, but I reccomend him to you.

Dr. Poling is above average, I think. I've had him for both 132 and 133 and enjoyed his classes. I like physics anyway, but he brought in demonstrations and you can tell that he likes what he's teaching. He conveyed the material well and is fairly laid back. He will get you on attendance, if he takes it!

In my experience, Dr. Poling is the best physics teacher in the department. He is friendly and approachable. His lectures are very clear and benefitial for learning the course material. He gives extra credit throughout the quarter, unlike most other teachers at the university. This incentive to work hard and to do the homework is a great idea. He is an excellent teacher that is very enthusiastic and sympathetic to students. Take any course he teaches if you get the chance.

Poling is a decent lecturer, though if you don't love the text, you'll hate his lectures. He acts like a supplement to the book, adding little insight and mostly derivations and examples. If you're into that kind of thing, I suppose lecture can be interesting, but I had to resort to drinking caffeinated beverages before class. He's good at clearing things up in office hours, and is a pretty nice guy in general. Sometimes he does a demonstration in lecture for a welcome change, or goes off on interesting tangents. No matter what, however, he will never stop talking. He isn't one for class participation and his lecture is basically an hour-and-half rapid-fire monologue. You listen, take notes, and chew bubblegum. My one and major complaint about Poling is his exams. They are incredibly difficult, and you will be hard pressed to pass them even if you do homework and have a good grasp of the subject matter. They're just too long to finish, though he fortunately does react to student's complaints. The final word is, he's not a bad professor, but if you want to get a good grade, find someone else.

I had this professor for lab, and it was excelent. I left early from every lab, as he cuts down the workload a little. He grades fairly, and even lets you miss a lab (unlike most prof's). The demonstrations are performed well, and his commentary is informative and humorous. I recommend him for the lab section of any course. (didnt have him for lecture so I cant say anything about that)

Poling is a good professor who doesn't surprise you with a lot of extra stuff you wouldn't expect on an exam. He assigns problems for homework which are slightly modified on the exam, and should be no problem for those who did it. He is very friendly and jokes around in class, though his humor might leave something to be desired. Poling taught our class well and didn't swamp us with more information than we could handle. I recommend taking him for PHYS 132 and would take him again if he taught 133.

This teacher is good. He understands the material and will help quite willingly if you ask for it. He won't help if you don't - which I like, because it doesn't waste time where you don't need it. He is getting a bit on the older side and often comments on how long it has been since he was our age, but he's cool and funny. He is perfect for a lab teacher - competent and available. P.S. ~ His website is a great tool. He does every homework problem out step-by-step and writes down his reasoning and posts it all on his site.

His lectures consist of deriving equations and going over each section of the book. Who the hell cares HOW to derive them, but it is good to know where they come from. It's an engineering based class, we can look up the equations in the books in the real world, and he doesn't do any examples in class, ever. So basically, if you can learn from the book and hw, take him. If not, then don't take him. His tests are hard and he expects you to reproduce the freaking derivations.

Poling is a very caring professor who cares about his students and how they perform in his class. In office hours, he's extremely helpful and nice. Had him for 131 and 132 and wished he was teaching 133. Cant go wrong with him. You will have a good time.

Dr. Poling is an awesome professor. He draws all sorts of diagrams on the chalkboard to help clarify concepts that he explains. He is very encouraging during office hours and is really interested in the success of his students. He prepares you for the midterms and final very well. On top of everything, he's a nice guy and has a goofy sense of humor. I had a good experience with this class and learned a bunch.

Professor Johnathon Poling is absolutely wonderful. Do not be fooled by the slight monotone of his voice, this man loves you, and physics too. Actually he loves physics a crazy ammount. crazy. He is crazy cool. And smart and good looking.<------ Ladies. Poling is a great man, just take him, his test are straight forward and pretty easy unless you're dumb. Do the assigned homework and you should be fine.

I have mixed feelings about Professor Poling. At first, I hated him. Then I realized he's really not that bad - he does care about his students, and he does enjoy the subject, he's just not very good at demonstrating it. He does take attendance, but then gives you points for it. He doesn't collect homework, which I found to be a problem because I was less motivated to it regularly. His midterms are long, and a little hard, but not ridiculous. The biggest problem I had with Poling is he doesn't give examples. All he does every day is derive equations - which you don't need for the homework, and hardly need for the tests. This makes for a very boring class. Overall an average teacher. I wouldn't avoid him like the plague, but I wouldn't take him again if there's a better choice.

Dr. Poling is absolutly WONDERFUL! He test you on exactly what he tells you he is going to test you. I t always easier to try hard in a class that you feel the teacher is trying hard in, and dr. poling tries hard. He cares about how u do and wants you to do well. He also has a great sense of humor...if you can take him!

Dr. Poling is one of the kindest professors I have ever met here at Cal Poly. He truely understands what college students have to go through and is sympathetic to the difficulties we have to undertake. He rewards us with extra credit for attending his lecturers, allows you to reschedule tests if you have a reasonable excuse, and above all lectures at a down-to-earth level. His lectures may put some students to sleep should it go beyond an hour (mine was 1 1/2 for 2 days a week) but stay awake and take good notes. Do the assigned homework (not worth points but show up as similar problems on tests) and make good use of the 3 by 5 notecard that you get on every test. Go to his office hours and you will find yourself not only making a good impression on him, but getting lots of very useful help (and hints to as what's on the upcoming test). Bottom line, Dr. Poling is very under-rated and I strongly recommend him over any other physics professor.

Dr. Poling lets you bring a notecard to both midterms and 3 for the final. My reccomendation: get a .3mm pencil form el corral and you can fit the entire class notes onto the notecards. The first midterm is pretty easy, the second is tougher, and the final is basically a third midterm and a review of the material that was covered of the first 2 midterms. and when i say that, i mean the same problems with the numbers changed. Dr. Poling can be pretty monotonous during his lectures but he's a nice guy. As for the lab, they're all easy and usually take about an hour or so. Homework isnt collected, i looked over it briefly before each test and ended up with an a- in the class. i recommmend taking poling for 132.

He presents the material very clearly and his tests are incredibly straightforward. If you know the stuff, you do well on the tests. He allows a notecard for equations, which is plenty big. I never could use up all the space. Just being graded well for a decent grasp of the material was a welcome relief after Panunto last quarter. He also gives extra credit for good class attendance, but doesn't mark you off if you never show. Not collecting the homework was great for me, because it allowed me to get behind during crazy weeks in other class, then catch up when I had time. Go to lecture, do the homeowrk in a timely manner, study a little for tests, and you'll do good in his class.

great guy great lab get out in about an hr n 30 every time juss follow the guidelines and pay attention to the demo n the lab in itself should take like 30 minutes.

Polling was a good teacher... Even thought he looks just like the little guy from princess bride. He covers a lot of information everyday, so being sleepy at 8 in the morning is kinda dammaging. The way he grades: 2 midterms worth 70 points each, a final worth 150 points, and what ever you lab grade was is worth 0 to 8 points depending. Sadly, that's the whole grade, BUT if you go to class everyday ( I think you can miss 1) then you get 12 extra credit points. He assigns homework, but did not collect it. He flat out tells you that if you do the homework, you will get an A on tests, but if you don't then you will fail. All of his solutoins are online. I saw a number of people fail, but I followed his advice, even if it meant staying in on a friday night to finnish it all, and it payed off. Most of the problems on the test come directly from the homework. The midterms always have some conceptual questions that he mentions in lecture, and some problems to work out. The final has two parts, the first part is like another midterm on all the new material, and then the last part he has another midterm format of all problems that he gave on previous midterms (he may change the numbers), so study those before the final. I learned a lot, and he was very fair, very prepared, and an interesting guy.

John explained/demonstrated the labs and pointed out things to watch out for. You complete the lab reports in class and it is fairly easy to get a good grade from him. He tries to help you complete the lab as quickly as possible and encourages students to get help with understanding the materials from lecture in the time remaining after the lab.

I would say poling is one of the best physics teachers. Believe it or not, this was a pretty low stress class, the easiest of the 130 series. The labs are so easy it's a joke. I had him for chain lec-lab, though. homework is not due, but there is homework quizes every week, which is just a homework problem with the numbers changed. All the homework solutions (with procedures) are posted online. I really didn't do much for this class (which would explain my grade) and barely missed a B-. I would take him again.

I don't know who all these other students had for 132, but I'm not sure that we're all talking about the same guy. Poling seems like a nice old guy and he is a fairly decent teacher, although not as talented as others in his department. His 132 class was pure torture for me, a person in a major who has to take this class to check off a box on an evaluation form. I see the value of thinking through complex problems and learning more about the world, but that's not what we do here. Poling doesn't seem to realize that the class doesn't consist entirely of Physics majors, but mostly engineers instead. Poling does plenty of derivations, which engineers could care less about--they want examples, not theory. He seems to really like Optics, so much so that he spent half the class on it. And it wasn't just problems, either--the first two weeks were problems. The other three were myriad applications of the wonderful world of optics, and they varied from sort-of interesting to soul-crushingly boring. That would have been fine, if it were a "by the way, did you know that..." sort of knowledge that was just for our benefit, but a full third of the optics test was based on knowing every little detail of these applications, plus being able to reproduce derivations. Like his contemporaries in the older generation of teachers, Poling seems to believe that having students memorize these things will allow them to learn them better. He's wrong, and I have decades' worth of research on my side. In all fairness, he does allow a 3x5 notecard for each quiz and test, but how can you condense 20+ pages worth of notes onto one notecard? Memorization doesn't help with the learning process, it's just more time-consuming, and I got every problem but one right on one test but I still only got a C because of those damned conceptual/application questions. Poling doesn't know his audience, and his self-stated desire to return to the glory days of education, when America ranked among the best in the world in teaching, ironically leads to some mediocre pedagogy. Ultimately, he's too static a presence to be an effective teacher, and if something doesn't work he probably won't change it. He's a physicist's physics teacher--all knowledge for knowledge sake, and if you like the material a lot, you should take his class. If you couldn't give a damn if your life counted on it, then try Van Wyngaarden or someone else who realizes that this is an introductory class taken by non-majors.

2 Midterms worth 70 points, and one cum. final, which contains a 3rd midterm (70 points) and a final (70 points) (70+70=140 points total). Lectures were NEVER by the book. Lectures always would make u come out and be like WTF? And you teach yourself that class at times. He is very anal with grading so good luck if you take him, because if u bomb a final, you are finished. Don't take this class if you cannot take tests. LABS: The labs were graded anally.. if it isn't done EXACTLY it will get a 3/4 even if everything was correct. Also, you will get a 3/4 if your data is off by more than one significant standard deviation. REMEMBER THIS. You may have to retake data. I would usually write out the lab while he lectures and talks in the lab, so that way, when the lab starts up, i already have everything written down. All i would need to do is write the experimental data and do calculations. WAIT UNTIL OTHERS ARE DONE IN THE LAB AND CHECK TO SEE IF YOUR ANSWERS ARE CORRECT.

Make sure you take good notes. Likes to ask conceptual questions on tests. Homework helps to prepare you for the problems on the tests.

Prof Poling is a nice person and a decent teacher, however his lectures can be boring and he grades very strictly.Homework is not collected. Your grade is based on two midterms 70pts each, eight 4pts lab, one 15pt lab quiz and 140pt final. His test are challenging and doesn't give much partial credit. He gives lots of conceptial questions on the test as well. Overall you learn some pyhsics and interesting side info but they are much easier teachers to take then Poling.

I thought Poling was an excellent lab instructor. He began the recitation by presenting a tricky problem to us and allowing us time to solve it on our own. These problems would be designed such that the unaware would fall into a trap and get it wrong. He would go over the problem and point out common mistakes, the idea being that its better to make mistakes now than on a test--a philosophy I highly agree with. Poling would step us through the experimental procedure, pointing out any gotchas or things we should be careful about doing. I felt this may have helped me learn better than some other lab instructors who just set us free and let us struggle. At least, it was easier. Some words of wisdom: check your lab data with other groups! (don't worry if they left; Poling will let you see their lab reports). You'll get marked off for data beyond a standard deviation, missing units, and incorrect # sig figs. Be sure to get this right, because points are scarce in this class. I was literally one point away from an S+ to S (which translates to 90% to 70% in my lecture class with Harfenist--ouch). Fortunately, Poling doesn't waste your time with formal lab reports and lets you follow his own procedure. No need to even buy the El Corral lab manual. My only complaint is Poling sometime deviated from my lecture class or the book. This could be confusing at times, but I can see the value in learning alternate ways of doing things.

Knows his stuff, but watch out - he is not very easy. Picky about lab reports.

At first, Poling seems pretty chill guy, but by the end of the quarter, you just get really tired of his shit. Hes really monotone, tells ou straight up that you will not do good on warm up problems, and is just kind of a grumpy old man. He would come in late and bullshit for 20 minutes on how hes hiring new professors for the dpt, I dont give a shit!!! So thats kind of annoying, but the labs are quick and not too bad. there is a lab final though which is really lame.

His tests were all pretty reasonable. As long as you review the lecture notes, then you should be fine. Doing the homework also helps a lot, because the problems on the homework are harder then ones you will see on the test. He allows one 3x5 card (both sides) for each of the three midterms (third midterm is grouped with final), and three 3x5 cards for the final. And, yes, he does look like Mr. Garrison from South Park (I thought I was the only one who thought so!).

make sure you know the derivations well.. put them all on your index card that you're allowed on the midterms and final. he'll go over what's game and what isn't but make sure you take good notes throughout lecture. hw is optional, but i recommend looking at the solutions manual to understand how to do it and then trying to reproduce the same right before the midterms and final. if you do the above, it shouldnt be hard to get a B in this class.

Dr. Poling is an all around good professor. I was lucky to have him for a chained class (Lab and lecture). He was really funny and really taught the material well. Make sure you highlight the formulas he gives you because they are better then the books. He doesn't require you to turn in homework but do it anyway. He is a pretty hard grader for labs. In lab he uses his own handouts. Take him before he retires!!!!!!

Poling is amazing as a Lab prof. he explains everything you need to do the lab and doesnt make you do pre or post lab writeups, everything is due in class. He also gos over homework problems in class, which might sound frustrating in a lab, but i believe i got my A because of that review. As for a lecture instructor, i dont know if i could handle have ing him 3 days a week

The class was very straightforward. He said that if you did the homework then you can expect a good grade in the class. I thought that the homework was on the hard side, but the tests were easy. There was about a 5% curve on each test and 90% of the final was questions on the previous tests. Homework was not collected and the lab with him may have be long with practice problems done in the lab that would show up on the tests. Easy class with this professor.

Poling is an excellent professor. I would like to state that unlike many professors, Poling is also an excellent TEACHER. He relates very well to the class, is very fair, and has a great sense humor. He is always poking fun at himself and that leads to a very laid back atmosphere. However, his class is challengingbut he works with the students instead of against them.

This professor presents most material in class clearly. His tests are very hard and he gives a small curve to barely boost the low average (he thinks this is funny). He asigns homework, but doesn't usually take test questions from it. Side note: he has an odd sense of humor.

Poling is a good teacher if you can understand concepts without being given examples. He does not do sample problems in class, telling you to look in the book. For someone who does not learn a lot by reading the book, Poling's class is not one that I would reccomend.

He is atough teacher but he really is a good one. He is also very enthusiastic about the material. Homework was not too excessive but he always assigned the hardest problems to be turned in then graded them rather harshly. I may not have done well in this class but I would still enroll in one of his classes because of how good he is.

Dr. Poling is the best physics professor I've had at Cal Poly. Yes, his class is difficult. He challenges his students to put forth their very best effort. Yes, he does choose the hardest homework problems to grade, but he is more than willing to help you with them during office hours. He is one of two professors that I've had at Poly that are extremely approachable, kind, and understanding. He adds humor to his lectures, so it's always fun to go to class. I would recommend him to anyone. I would have to say he's the best physics professor at this school.

I'd highly suggest trying to AVOID Dr. Poling. First off, Most professors and students think that the Basic 130 series Phyics book (Benson, the blue one w/ the surfer on the front) is lacking severly. I highly agree with them. But Poling doesnt. He goes on in class and just writes the examples up on the board and then expects you to put together the concepts from the examples that are written down in the book. He is sort of dry when it comes to lecture and when you ask him a question to clarify what he just told you, he looks at you like an idiot and with an exasperated look he proceeds to explain. Do your best to avoid him, unless of course you learn well from book learning.

Poling is tough. He had us deriving almost every equation in the text book as part of our tests and he expected us to do some of the derivations by simply reviewing the book, without ever doing them in class. His lectures consist only of the examples in the book, and he only goes into as much depth as the book. So if you are someone who doesn't do well by reading the book and likes to have the professor explain more fully then you shouldn't take Poling. He grades way too hard on tests and that is all your grade consists of. Beware of Poling, he is a HARD Professor.

I started out liking him, but his real cruel and cheesy sense of humor got in the way a little bit. His tests are very fair. He got me into a bad habit by not requring homework, but you should do it to learn. I felt quite intimidated in his office hours. He does know what he's teaching which is good, so just go to class (he takes attendance randomly) and listen. He let us use 1 notecard per exam, so by then end we had 3 notecards for the final. He let us put anything on the notecards--ANYTHING (so problems too). Overall, not a bad teacher, but you can do better. ;)

Poling is a nice guy, his lectures can be very boring. He is very willing to help in office hours. However his tests are very frustrating. He often goes off on a tangent in class about an example, and that will end up comprising most of the mid-term, instead of the bulk of the base material. Homework is not collected and there are no quizzes, so it's rough if you bomb a mid-term. Overall, he is alright.

I took this guy long time ago. Doesn't he look like Mr. Garrison from South Park?

Not only was Poling really helpfull in the lab, but he is also very forgiving. My group got a 6/10 and a 4/10 on the first 2 lab reports, turned it around and he gave me an S+. Plus, he is always willing to answer questions and understands difficulties (technical or otherwise). If you get the opportunity TAKE POLING FOR THE LAB.

How do you spell beast? P-O-L-I-N-G!!! But seriously, i had him for PSC 201 also. Hes a good teacher, gets a little side tracked in his old age, but its fun. This girl who sat next to me described him as a cute old man...if that makes any sense. he is very clear on what you need to know. His notes are basically the test, in question form, but he has hw problems (and solutions) that go beyond the notes. For each test i just did the hw questions like two nights before hand, got a 85 and 95 on the tests. ------John Poling Drinking Game----- everytime he mentions the \"Golden Bear\" take a shot. If he gets really into the joke hes telling, he will get louder and high pitched. take a shot then. Oh, and dont die.

Poling taught 141 because they needed another teacher for that class. I dont know if he is that bad of a teacher normally but he couldn't teach 141 at all! He would go through whole sections and leave examples blank and tell us to figure them out but its a new concept he had not taught us yet. He would say things like this is easy you guys can figure it out. He just writes equations that are way too eleborate for us and then expects you to figure out which ones you need. He presents the material very poorly. He also assumes you know more than you do and will give problems on his test that are of a much higher level than any of the examples in class (of the examples he actually does in class). Do not take a physics class with Poling, it will be a struggle all quarter.

Dr. Poling was quite an experience to say the least. He had never taught Physics 141 before and on the first day stated that he had never wanted to teach freshman because of how naive and irresponsible we were. That came as quite a shock on the FIRST DAY. I mean I understand where he's coming from but that's no way to greet a class... He started out okay, with a quiz every week just for practice and I ended up doing well on the first midterm thanks to the quizzes. Then he started falling behind and stopped doing the practice quizzes because we needed to catch up. The second midterm was brutal. It was probably my own fault, I just wish the homework problems he gave us on the first day were collected or something because I would be more motivated to do them. He told LOTS of stories, mostly personal and did not relate to physics at all. They were funny for a while until we were behind the other physics classes by two whole chapters. I feel bad because I know he means well, and hopefully he'll do a better job next time. He cares about his students, don't get me wrong, he just enjoyed talking about his real passion "nuclear physics" more than the basics because he's been teaching people so much more advanced all his career. Recommended if you care about a teacher's bubbly personality.

Poling is a great guy, but teaches on HARD class. He's a really likable personality but he can't explain the matter in a great manner. Poling had not taught 141 for years before our class, and it showed. From the first day, he told us that he hated teaching the course because so many of us would fail. He presents most of the material well but expects a lot from his students. Besides knowing the formulas, he expects you to know the derivations of the formulas for tests, and solve highly involved problems on the midterms. On each midterm he allows you to fill a 3x5 note card with formulas and examples. These were my saving grace in the course, or else I would be taking it again next quarter. The class is broken down into three midterms and a final. On the day of the final, our class took both the third midterm and then the final after, which made for a very lengthy last day that ended up being worth half of our grade. Just to get a c- and pass this class, I spent countless days and nights in the library trying to understand the material and comprehend the homework. If you haven't taken physics before, you'll find this class to be very rigorous.

AVOID. THIS. MAN. I took him for PHYS 141, which apparently he never teaches, because he is more equipped to teach the 400 level modern physics classes. But regardless, I feel like anyone who can do modern physics should be more than capable to teach General Physics well. But THIS man doesn't know how to do that either. Instead of teaching physics, he spent the quarter giggling at his own boring stories. I literally slept through this class, got an A-, all from what i learned in high school AP Physics. Avoid, unless you need a nap period during the day.

Dr. Poling knows his material very well, but so much so that he is unable to explain it to the class. He basically writes a ton of crap on the board barely brushing over what it means and expects you to understand it all right away. He only has two more years left at Cal Poly before he retires so just try to avoid him if you can

A good professor. The class is quite unique. It combines elementary nuclear physics with past and changing socio-political themes. I found the class to be very informative.

This class was oceanography, but really it was more like Astronomy 101. Poling is VERY clear about his expectations. The lecture is straightforward. You show up, take notes, and there is some book reading required in order to do well. Attendence is taken every day [well, at least, every day if you have a suck up goodie two shoes in your class who practically pisses themselves at the opportunity to show off how "great" of a student they are by reminding the teacher constantly. Despite the whole class snickering and eye rolling behind their backs.] His stories are funny. The lecture can tend to go off into tangents. Most of us did crosswords and sudukos while jotting down what we needed. This class is not for upper levels. If you are a senior, it will be torturous because you already know practically all the material. But it's a great GPA booster and Poling is awesome. He grades fairly and consistently and is available to the students. Definitely a great teacher.

PSC 201...physical oceanography...easiest class i\'ve taken at poly, well that and AERO 310

Poling is so funny! Take his Oceanography class! (AND HAHA Golden Bear Drinking Game from the previous entry!!--I think the Golden Bear was the highlight of his life!!! :) ) I had him for oceanography and he made the lectures fun and interesting. He takes time to develop a personal relationship with the class, which I like. (he even shared pictures of his family at the end of the quarter!) He is also very intelligent, and his tests are not too difficult. Just study the homework assignments that he posts online (you do not turn them in) and you should do fine.

Poling is a very quirky professor. He often goes off on a tangent or shares his personal stories with us in class. I thought oceanography was going to be about interesting topics like marine life, however, it is basically a geology class. The material was pretty boring, but not too challenging. His tests are VERY detailed, but he lets you use a 3x5 card on all of them, including the final (which you can have THREE!!) You also have to go on Personal Field Trip Activities twice during the quarter where you can choose to explore Montana de Oro, Avila, Pismo, or Morro Bay. Best part of the class!! I came in thinking i was going to get an easy A, but it was actually more challenging and you really have to study your ass off to get A\'s on his exams. Overall, it was an OK class.

Poling is a pretty sick guy. I thought this class was going to be an easy A, boy was I mistaken. I played iPhone games almost every class lecture, BAD IDEA. It\'s not easy at all, you definitely need to pay attention HAHA. I studied really hard before the tests, but still ended up with a C+ in the class. This was only because I hardly paid attention during the actual lecture. Poling is really nice and understanding, but he expects a lot out of you. I\'m usually an A student, and this is the only class I\'ve had so far at Poly that I got anything below a B. So pretty much, if you take this class, actually pay attention and you can probably pull off an A. MY BAD!

TAKE THIS GUY AND LEARN TO LOVE THE GOLDEN BEAR!!!!! chillest class at poly hands down super funny and loves what he does! take if you want to boost your gpa!

Fair warning.. go to class and pay attention, he only tests on what he writes on the board, but he gives you a cheat notecard on every test.. overall great class and good GPA booster!

Dr. Poling definitely can and will go off on tangents, and most of them seem to be about his adventures on the Golden Bear. His tests are mostly on what he lectures on and what's on his homework assignments (which he doesn't collect). The class is an easy A, since he lets you bring a note card to every midterm and all three to the final.

Poling assigns homework and claims the quizzes are a sampling from the assigned problems...they're not...most of us did the homework and the class average was still D for all 4 of them. His midterms are terrible as he likes to present new concepts on the test to see if the student can apply the little they did learn while teaching themselves from the book. Most of the time he tried really hard to incorporate all that he could about astronomy into the course as we were 2 weeks behind the other 211 section. He does not know how to present new material either, he just spurts out derivations and expects the student to be able to recall 3-5 of them for each midterm. The examples he does in class suck because he usually writes something wrong on the board and his answer doesn't match the book. He assigns a lot of homework also. I am sure he is a great astronomy professor...but not so great with modern physics.

This quarter Poling tried to have quizes intead of grading homework. It was a terrible failure. The quizes were supposed to based off the the homework, yet his quiz questions involved fairly deep understanding of the material and his wording made it difficult to know how to evaluate a problem. The homework solutions were posted on the internet, and without these, the class would be impossible. Expect to learn from the book(Serway) because his class time is spend doing derivations on the board. His ability to relate the material is poor, because I don't think he really knows this material well. He won't limit what you have to know for an exam either. You'll get one 3x5 card, and expect it to be filled with derivations you should have memorized. He's a pretty cool guy in his office. You could BS with him for hours about astronomy(his passion). Just don't take him for this class.

He followed to book exactly. If you learn by examples, he is not the professor for you; we only did may be three examples the whole time. We spent the first 5 weeks on Relativity which was realy cool, but that left us bearly any time to cover chapters 2-7 of the book. The last two weeks of the course found everyone trying to teach themsselves beginning quantum mechanics on thier own. He lets you have a notecard on each midterm and three on the final. It is nice, but then he thinks is it ok to test on all of the obsrure equations that are only used once on the homework opposed to all the time. He didn't know the material all that well. All quaetions were answered with a "that is a very good question, I have no idea, this is very tricky stuff." Not even an "I'll get back to you." He seems very knowledgable about astronomy, but for physics 211, I would take someone else.

I would have to say that Poling is a good lecturer, but a good lecturer does not mean that you will do well in a class. His tests were VERY hard. He demanded quite a lot out of his students. I spent most of my time downloading his homework solutions from the web and trying to figure out how to do the problems because he did very few problems throughout the quarter. Most of the time he regurgitated what the book had written except for when he went tangents on Astronomy, which I think is what he likes teaching. He only let you use a 3x5 notecard for each midterm which was not enough room when he expected you to put in every equation in the book on it. If you didn't have an equation on your notecard, you were screwed. He liked to ask tricky questions by wording the questions strangely, which just confused me during the quizes. There was NOT ONE quiz or MIDTERM that we took that did not have any errors of some sort. The errors either made the answers come out really strange or Poling would have to waste a few minutes to explain it to you which made it so you would have less time on the midterms and quizes. I always seemed to have problems with time time during his midterms and quizes and I was ALWAYS late to my next class because he used up more time than he was alotted for. He spent too much time on the first two chapters and was rushing at the last two weeks to cover 4 chapters. It was ridiculous. Everyday, I would say to myself... when will he shutup and let us leave. If you HAVE to take Poling because he is either the only teacher teaching a class or because of time conflicts, I would recommend filling up your card with all equations in each chapter as well as any equation he gives you in class as well as constants, and even some history facts! He quizzed us on some Physics History. It was worth 20% of the quiz. If you have a programmable calculator like I do, I would everything you couldn't fit on your card in it, such as some of the derivations. It saved my grade!

He lectures on interesting things, but the homework and midterms aren't anything like what he has been blabbing about the whole quarter. He said, "Just because all the other professors don't really care about their jobs doesn't mean that he is going to let students get through his class without learning anything." When I asked him to sign my withdrawl slip he advised me 'not to take him again and perhaps to take an easier teacher.' So maybe you will take that advise also.

I liked him. I'd take him again. That might just be because I'm a physics major though. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW ABOUT POLING: Poling's tests start on the hour (instead of ten after) and go until 20-30 minutes after class. No, this is not an exageration. He puts everything on the tests, making them simply far too long, and then "allows" you to stay after and finish (you have no choice - your grade is curved against the rest of the class). If you take Poling, DO NOT SCHEDULE ANYTHING IMMEDIATELY BEFORE OR AFTER HIS CLASS.

If you're in Prof Poling's modern physics class, stay awake or be screwed! His lectures are very compact and filled with info...I had some trouble keeping up with what he was writing on the blackboard. He assigns homework but doesn't collec them- many test questions are variations of the homework. Prof Poling is a nice guy though...he'll try to help you whenever possible and he tries to keep the class awake. The midterms are not hard as long as you did your homework. Do NOT cram for his tests! IT DOES NOT WORK! As for the final, he takes questions from the previous midterm and adds some new ones for the final section. Overall not a bad teacher.

Poling is a tough teacher, he makes you learn the material and not just fudge your way through the class. I never did the homework and crammed each night before the tests and got an A on 2/3 test and a B in the class, so the guy reviewing below is probably just a few cards short of a deck. The final was pretty tough, but definitely doable.

Chem majors(especially those who have taken pchem 3)taking this course, look out!! I would advise a different teacher because it just seemed like Poling was a little off and frazzled once he got to the quantum mechanics portion of the course. He was very good at all the physics explanations and relating them to physics 132 and 133, but I didn't find this at all interesting or meaningful. It would be better if he gave more well rounded examples for his lecture instead of just astronomy and space. He doesnt collect the homework which really hurt me because I didnt do it. I would have probably gotten a B in the class if i had to do the homework and turn it in for extra points. THe midterms were very hard to finish, and the test problems are a little out there. This class is hard, but its passable with good attendance and lots of studying.

poling is awesome. really funny, down-to-earth guy. he gives you a sheet at the beginning of the quarter for all the hw. he doesn't collect the hw, but it really is the best way to study for the midterms. if you go through all of the problems in the hw at least twice you should do fine on the tests. he takes attendance everyday so its worth it to go to class - especially since he gives you extra credit on the midterms for good attendance. take him.

Poling is freaking awesome. The guy genuinely loves what he is teaching and understands that modern physics is no picnic. Although homework isn't due, he post solutions online that you can look at. There are 3 midterms, all of which consist of some conceptual questions from lecture, and similar problems to examples done in class or homework problems. The final consisted of some questions from the last couple weeks of new material and then half of the test were questions STRAIGHT OFF OF THE MIDTERM with maybe the exception of changing some numbers. The stuff on relativity and quantum mechanics toward the end may go over your head, but as long as you study and understand the basics of the study guide he posts for each test, you will be in good shape. What I loved most was he understood that some of this stuff was going to make no sense to us, but the way he wrote his tests was incredibly fair; they tested your fundamental knowledge and that was it. Not only that, but the curve on the class is insane. He gives you 12 extra credit points right off the bat if you miss 2 or less classes throughout the whole quarter, curves every test, curves the final, and his grading scheme is 80% for an A, 70% for a B, and so on. Definitely take Poling for 211 if you can. The guy tells stories, makes the class interesting, and I really had fun going to class every day.

Poling is a really nice guy. He's pretty funny and keeps the class entertained with his crazy stories. The class is purely based on the midterms and final. He makes a point of emphasizing the concepts behind all of the theories you learn - so make sure that you really understand whats going on before taking an exam. He also posts study guides so you are well prepared for the tests.

Poling is a nice old guy. The class itself is tough to wrap your head around but as far as Poling he presents the material well for how tough it is. As long as you read and do the homework that\'s not collected you\'ll do fine. Definitely don\'t blow it off for other classes. And he\'ll always tell funny random stories which are somewhat entertaining.

Although Poling is a funny and entertaining professor, and I'll admit, even alright at teaching, he is a downright horrible grader. He takes off an unfair amount of points for bad reasons, and will pretend it is out of the good will of his heart to give back half a point out of 6 when there was only one small mistake on the problem. His class median is around a borderline D+/C-, so expect a good portion of the class to be in the same boat as you at least...

Poling rocks, hands down. He is super knowledgeable about Modern Physics, and he tried his hardest to make lectures a bit more interesting with some history behind the concepts we were learning (although sometimes, a bit too much). His quizzes were hard if you weren't keeping up on reading and homework, which happened to me. I was able to make it up on midterms; Poling's midterms were slightly difficult, but very fair. Be prepared to study all of of the concepts and how to reason from them; he devotes the first chunk of each midterm to conceptual questions, which caused a lot of bad grades on the 3rd midterm. Overall, Poling was a funny and pretty nice guy and I would recommend him for PHYS 211!

Take Poling for Phys 211. He gives you the solutions to the homework, and he is really into the material. However, he does go off on tangents a bit...but he's still a pretty good lecturer. Also, he's an emeritus prof. So he doesn't have to care, but he still does. That says something. And take him now before he leaves!

Easily the most underated physics professor in the department. If you go to class and study your notes, you will do well. There is absolutely no guesswork. Poling posts his solutions for all homework problems and doesn't collect homework. Just do as much homework as you need to do to understand the stuff. If you get stuck, check the solutions. Poling is very interested in what he teaches, and he interests you as well. Also, the guy obviously has a life and tells great stories about hiking, traveling, etc. Super laid back, super cool.

He digresses a lot. Sometimes they are interesting and maybe if you stretched half relevant. The test are harder than you think. You will not get through all the material he plans for. DO THE HW!! It will help you on the tests (they are part conceptual and part problems) He focuses on what he likes best instead of what might be the most interesting to the general or what would be helpful in future classes. You get to make notecards for the tests and accumulate them which is nice. Get together in a group to either do the hw or male the notecards it helps.

This class was incredibly straightforward. If you go to class, listen intently to his lectures, do all the homework and small in-class assignments, you should be well prepared for the midterms and the final. His tests consisted of problems he went over in class and assigned as hmwk, and he posts all the hmwk solns on his website - so I just used them as I studied. He does assign a lot of hmwk, but it only takes a few hours to complete. Since he allows you to use a notecard on the test, you can squeeze lots of questions on there, too. By the way, he doesn't really tell you how the class points are distributed until after you've taken a test, but the final is worth a lot! On the final day he gives both a 3rd midterm (what's been covered since the 2nd exam) AND a semi-comprehensive final exam. Prepare wisely. (He let me stay over the three hours limit, which was very kind.) Overall, I really liked the class and the material covered. Poling was funny/crazy and I liked his teaching style.

Dr. Poling is a very fair professor. He is enthusiastic about his work, and puts good effort into making it fun for students. I highly reccomend taking him for ASTRO 301 because his visual examples are GREAT and really help you understand. He's pretty funny too.

You don't want to take this class if you don't want to do a bit of work. The material itself is not that hard, but there is a lot to do. Make sure that you study well for the second test. However, I liked this class very much. Poling has a quirky sense of humor, which I enjoyed. The activities at the observatory were really cool too. Make sure that you do the projects early. They are very easy, but you can only do them at a particular time. For example, the observatory trips can only be done when it is not cloudy and the moon isn't too bright. If you're having problems, I highly recommend that you go to his office hours. I found it helpful.

Poling is a great instuctor. He can present information on either the novice or professional level with a great sense of humor and clarity. I learned quite a lot in his astronomy class.

A lot of his class is a showing of pictures of really awsome stuff. All the stuff that is "out there". He lectures for a little more then half the class then conects up his laptop and closes the lights and you get to just relax and watch a slide show. Only a couple of homeworks and you are aloud 3x5 cards for the midterms and final. USE THEM UP. you can put anything on them. He asks a lot of little factual stuff on the midterms and final. Know the stuff or else you will not get a good grade. It is true, that if you actually put time into this class then you can get the grade you want. Just be prepared for the midterms and final. Poling is a funny guy. He is kind of feminine in a good way because he is just funny. The visuall observing sessions outside of class were really neat. We also got to take pictures using a CCD camera on a telescope. Some really awsome sights. This guy is just KIND. he really is nice and cool. It shows in his love for the class.