ENCE200 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Frank White ENCE200 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/17/2024	Pretty chill lectures. You just follow along as he does Civil3D. The one drawback is the grading on some of the assignment was a bit random and there are not many guidelines so you need to make sure you follow everything he does and says in class.
Frank White ENCE200 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 01/12/2024	This professor was just so awful?? I honestly don't understand why the other reviews are so high. Frank has a better-than-you attitude where it feels like he doesn't want to teach. He often complains about the work he has to do, since he mainly works and teaches on the side. His teaching style was very hard for me to grasp; he lectures without notes or a slideshow to refer back to, and he goes way too fast to catch everything. Then when you ask him to redo it, he gets exasperated. When grading, he docks off points randomly without a solution or rubric. On a quiz, I literally had the correct answer, but he marked it wrong. The final project was tedious and very time-consuming. In addition to that, he doesn't update Canvas assignments and takes a long time to grade papers, so you're on your own with how you're doing in the class. The first few classes are boring and drawn-out. What was supposed to be an easy class was very stressful with this professor. I could go on and on about how much I disliked this course and professor. The only good side about Frank was when he switched to recorded Zoom lessons and let some assignment due dates slide even though he's hard on that.
Frank White ENCE200 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/15/2023	Frank is a great professor. The material can be a little dull at times but it doesn't feel like he wastes your time. The final project is tedious and will take a while so you need start early. Frank is great with answering questions so definitely ask. My only complaint was that grading sometimes felt harsh, but it was never unfair.
Frank White ENCE200 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/13/2023	I'm gotta start off by saying you MUST apply yourself when taking this class. People complain about his teaching style being fast-paced and sometimes a bit confusing (they're right), but he's willing to stop and help if you ask questions. He understands that most people have no idea what he's talking about, so he'll go that extra mile to give deeper explanations. Here's a list of things you MUST do: Go to class, take as many notes as possible, and most importantly work on the homeworks early and with a group of friends. It's really hard to catch up with the material if you miss class especially when most of it isn't online and plan on spending at least 3 hours on the homework (very tedious). Again, you're going to hate yourself if you start the homework the day before it's due. They're not something you can bs. Also, the quizzes are pretty straightforward, and he gives more than enough time to complete them. While he doesn't offer accommodations or real office hours, he'll take questions after class (kinda on your own outside of class). In terms of grading (VERY IMPORTANT), all assignments, quizzes, the final exam, and the project added up to only about 100 points. That's right you only get 100 points for the whole semester, so you gotta give every piece of work your all (he's a stickler when it comes to grading). Also, he doesn't use ELMS grades rather he posts a spreadsheet with everyone's grades maybe three or four times during the semester (Names are not posted with each grade). You may be gaslighted into thinking you're doing well in the class, but all of a sudden your grade drops dramatically from one bad quiz grade; this is especially true for the final project and exam (they make up 50% of your grade). To recap, never assume you're doing well in class, and start praying when you turn in work. Last note, please don't procrastinate with the final project. It's a lot of work and it takes patience especially when learning civil3d for the first time. Frank is really hard to reach via email or text, so I recommend asking questions about it during class. That being said, I'll stress this again: you have to spread the work out because you will at some point make a mistake that will take a while to fix, and if you're unlucky like me, your files might get corrupted meaning you'll have to restart (very sad moment). Also, the lab is open 24/7, so I recommend working on the project there rather than on a personal computer (just a preference for me). People usually work there, so you'll be able to collaborate with them. Frank is a great guy but not the greatest professor. Overall, I personally enjoyed the class/ final project/ the homeworks, but most people don't. If you want the A, you gotta put the time in. Most people end up with Bs and Cs, so you gotta go above and beyond. What got me through it was doing the work with friends days before it was due.
Frank White ENCE200 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/13/2023	Frank's teaching style is unhelpful at best. He goes over a million different ways to do the same thing so you get lost and can't even remember one of them because you mix them up. He goes through things quickly and expects you to know everything perfectly the lecture after. You don't have time to take notes so if you don't have an amazing memory, good luck. He also hints at his political leanings when it would not be appropriate to do so in class when covering content. He also never seems glad to be teaching and constantly complains (almost as if bragging) about how much he is working. He tends to go off on tangents in the middle of explaining a concept which is distracting at best. He also does not accommodate ADS whatsoever. Need more time on a quiz? He'll tell you that everyone always finishes in time and blows you off. He goes right into lecture content after a quiz so you can't book with ADS either and I highly doubt he'd approve it if you did. If you email him, he will not respond unless you email him three days in a row which is a nuisance for both parties involved. In addition, he is old-fashioned and you will waste half of a COMPUTER-aided design course learning to do profiles by hand which he says is for a concrete understanding but is just tedious and doesn't help anyone understand anything. If he can't explain it with a computer, perhaps he should reconsider teaching a CAD class. He does not tell you when he is going to drop assignments so you need to always have time prepared in your week to waste a couple of hours on some of his homework. My class relied heavily on YouTube and each other to make it through. Also if you want extensions as per your accommodations, you can kiss those goodbye. If you want to instead try and get access to assignments early to find another way of having extra time, Frank will thwart you in any way possible. He will blow you off, ignore you, and then flatly tell you that you cannot have access to anything before the rest of the class even if you have accommodations. Many other teachers are fully in this century when it comes to dealing with disabilities and the content they present, but Frank is not. He stubbornly holds onto the mentally that if he had to go through things a certain way, you must go through them too.
Frank White ENCE200 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/27/2023	Frank is a funny and helpful professor that expects his students to work hard and put in effort. He doesn't mind taking time to explain content if students are confused and he'll always share his experience in the real world. Only downside is that he grades a little harsh and is not willing to curve.
Frank White ENCE200 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/08/2022	Such a good man. ENCE200 was easy as long as you come to class and pay attention(I would recommend sitting in the front), you will have everything you need to get an A. Always ask questions if you have them he is super helpful and jokes around with his students. If he taught any other civil classes I would definitely take them.
Frank White ENCE200 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/27/2021	One of my absolute best classes taken so far as a sophomore civil Major. The class was well taught, had plenty of extra help, and was plenty interesting. All you have to do is focus in class
Frank White ENCE200 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/22/2021	Frank's a great professor, but the way he teaches ENCE200 requires you to pay attention 100% of the time. If you fall behind, you're pretty much done for, unless you have a friend next to you who can bring you up to speed. All instructions are demonstrated live on the projector, so sit toward the front of the class. He doesn't record lectures, so there isn't time to take notes and copy his steps. You'll have to decide for yourself which is more helpful. Finally, do NOT use the virtual lab. Download the student version of the software to your PC.
Mark Austin ENCE200 Expecting an A+ Xin 12/24/2009	Cons: -Can't teach -Bad attitude -Does not know how to use a PC Pros: -Easy tests/homework assignments Try to study Java before you start taking this class. The course goes very very fast.
Mark Austin ENCE200 Expecting an A freeman1 12/18/2009	Austin is a nice guy and he can be very funny. He can come across as grumpy or arrogant in class some times but he is usually just kidding. His lectures can be very interesting but he doesn't teach you all you need to know about programing. He makes you figure it out on your own. After all, isn't this what engineers are supposed to do? Your best bet is to either use the internet and look up how things work or go see him in his office. I heard he is very helpful but make sure you have some work to show. The first exam is fairly easy if you get some practice exams but don't give up on java because you did well on the first exam. The final is a killer but if you learn java (do the homework yourself, not your comp. sci. friend) and look at the diagrams in his notes you should get an A.
Mark Austin ENCE200 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/08/2009	Austin is a nice guy, and is very flexible with his office hours, but the lectures are often boring, and do not really reflect what is on the homework, but are necessary for exam preparation (especially the ones that are open notes). The homeworks are extremely long and complicated, it is useful to know somebody that is a computer science major, especially if its your first exposure to programing. The exams are very similar to the old ones. He is always looking for a very specific answer, often just one word in the answer, for full credit. The diagrams he draws on the board are crucial, most of them he will want you to replicate on the exams. And lastly, he loves macs.
Mark Austin ENCE200 Anonymous 04/06/2009	Not the most amazing teacher I've ever had. The tests are almost identical to past exams, which are in the course reader (which is now 40 bucks!). Material isn't too hard, but can be tricky if it's your first exposure to it (like it was for me) because he doesn't always explain things very well. Another thing you should know about him is that he's practically a walking, talking Mac advertisement. If you're a PC person (like me), he doesn't even know how to help you sometimes, much less be willing to. Class is alright, but I can't say the same for him.
Mark Austin ENCE200 Expecting an A ksjo616 12/20/2008	overall mediocre teaching; lecture wasn't always helpful for homework and exams. However, Austin is usually lenient in grading and tends to give VERY similar exams from year to year (if not identical), so study the old exams that he includes in the blue course reader and you will be fine.
Mark Austin ENCE200 jmartin1 12/11/2008	the class really wasnt that hard, although he is literally no help to anyone on the homework assignments. the class reader he uses may seem like its not worth 30 bucks, but it actually is. the book contains copies of past exams that he gave. study and master those exams and you will do well. also network with people on the homework.

Frank White
ENCE200

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
05/17/2024

Pretty chill lectures. You just follow along as he does Civil3D. The one drawback is the grading on some of the assignment was a bit random and there are not many guidelines so you need to make sure you follow everything he does and says in class.

Frank White
ENCE200

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
01/12/2024

This professor was just so awful?? I honestly don't understand why the other reviews are so high. Frank has a better-than-you attitude where it feels like he doesn't want to teach. He often complains about the work he has to do, since he mainly works and teaches on the side. His teaching style was very hard for me to grasp; he lectures without notes or a slideshow to refer back to, and he goes way too fast to catch everything. Then when you ask him to redo it, he gets exasperated. When grading, he docks off points randomly without a solution or rubric. On a quiz, I literally had the correct answer, but he marked it wrong. The final project was tedious and very time-consuming. In addition to that, he doesn't update Canvas assignments and takes a long time to grade papers, so you're on your own with how you're doing in the class. The first few classes are boring and drawn-out. What was supposed to be an easy class was very stressful with this professor. I could go on and on about how much I disliked this course and professor. The only good side about Frank was when he switched to recorded Zoom lessons and let some assignment due dates slide even though he's hard on that.

Frank White
ENCE200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
11/15/2023

Frank is a great professor. The material can be a little dull at times but it doesn't feel like he wastes your time. The final project is tedious and will take a while so you need start early. Frank is great with answering questions so definitely ask. My only complaint was that grading sometimes felt harsh, but it was never unfair.

Frank White
ENCE200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/13/2023

I'm gotta start off by saying you MUST apply yourself when taking this class. People complain about his teaching style being fast-paced and sometimes a bit confusing (they're right), but he's willing to stop and help if you ask questions. He understands that most people have no idea what he's talking about, so he'll go that extra mile to give deeper explanations. Here's a list of things you MUST do: Go to class, take as many notes as possible, and most importantly work on the homeworks early and with a group of friends. It's really hard to catch up with the material if you miss class especially when most of it isn't online and plan on spending at least 3 hours on the homework (very tedious). Again, you're going to hate yourself if you start the homework the day before it's due. They're not something you can bs. Also, the quizzes are pretty straightforward, and he gives more than enough time to complete them. While he doesn't offer accommodations or real office hours, he'll take questions after class (kinda on your own outside of class). In terms of grading (VERY IMPORTANT), all assignments, quizzes, the final exam, and the project added up to only about 100 points. That's right you only get 100 points for the whole semester, so you gotta give every piece of work your all (he's a stickler when it comes to grading). Also, he doesn't use ELMS grades rather he posts a spreadsheet with everyone's grades maybe three or four times during the semester (Names are not posted with each grade). You may be gaslighted into thinking you're doing well in the class, but all of a sudden your grade drops dramatically from one bad quiz grade; this is especially true for the final project and exam (they make up 50% of your grade). To recap, never assume you're doing well in class, and start praying when you turn in work. Last note, please don't procrastinate with the final project. It's a lot of work and it takes patience especially when learning civil3d for the first time. Frank is really hard to reach via email or text, so I recommend asking questions about it during class. That being said, I'll stress this again: you have to spread the work out because you will at some point make a mistake that will take a while to fix, and if you're unlucky like me, your files might get corrupted meaning you'll have to restart (very sad moment). Also, the lab is open 24/7, so I recommend working on the project there rather than on a personal computer (just a preference for me). People usually work there, so you'll be able to collaborate with them. Frank is a great guy but not the greatest professor. Overall, I personally enjoyed the class/ final project/ the homeworks, but most people don't. If you want the A, you gotta put the time in. Most people end up with Bs and Cs, so you gotta go above and beyond. What got me through it was doing the work with friends days before it was due.

Frank White
ENCE200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/13/2023

Frank's teaching style is unhelpful at best. He goes over a million different ways to do the same thing so you get lost and can't even remember one of them because you mix them up. He goes through things quickly and expects you to know everything perfectly the lecture after. You don't have time to take notes so if you don't have an amazing memory, good luck. He also hints at his political leanings when it would not be appropriate to do so in class when covering content. He also never seems glad to be teaching and constantly complains (almost as if bragging) about how much he is working. He tends to go off on tangents in the middle of explaining a concept which is distracting at best. He also does not accommodate ADS whatsoever. Need more time on a quiz? He'll tell you that everyone always finishes in time and blows you off. He goes right into lecture content after a quiz so you can't book with ADS either and I highly doubt he'd approve it if you did. If you email him, he will not respond unless you email him three days in a row which is a nuisance for both parties involved. In addition, he is old-fashioned and you will waste half of a COMPUTER-aided design course learning to do profiles by hand which he says is for a concrete understanding but is just tedious and doesn't help anyone understand anything. If he can't explain it with a computer, perhaps he should reconsider teaching a CAD class. He does not tell you when he is going to drop assignments so you need to always have time prepared in your week to waste a couple of hours on some of his homework. My class relied heavily on YouTube and each other to make it through. Also if you want extensions as per your accommodations, you can kiss those goodbye. If you want to instead try and get access to assignments early to find another way of having extra time, Frank will thwart you in any way possible. He will blow you off, ignore you, and then flatly tell you that you cannot have access to anything before the rest of the class even if you have accommodations. Many other teachers are fully in this century when it comes to dealing with disabilities and the content they present, but Frank is not. He stubbornly holds onto the mentally that if he had to go through things a certain way, you must go through them too.

Frank White
ENCE200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/27/2023

Frank is a funny and helpful professor that expects his students to work hard and put in effort. He doesn't mind taking time to explain content if students are confused and he'll always share his experience in the real world. Only downside is that he grades a little harsh and is not willing to curve.

Frank White
ENCE200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/08/2022

Such a good man. ENCE200 was easy as long as you come to class and pay attention(I would recommend sitting in the front), you will have everything you need to get an A. Always ask questions if you have them he is super helpful and jokes around with his students. If he taught any other civil classes I would definitely take them.

Frank White
ENCE200

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/27/2021

One of my absolute best classes taken so far as a sophomore civil Major. The class was well taught, had plenty of extra help, and was plenty interesting. All you have to do is focus in class

Frank White
ENCE200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/22/2021

Frank's a great professor, but the way he teaches ENCE200 requires you to pay attention 100% of the time. If you fall behind, you're pretty much done for, unless you have a friend next to you who can bring you up to speed. All instructions are demonstrated live on the projector, so sit toward the front of the class. He doesn't record lectures, so there isn't time to take notes and copy his steps. You'll have to decide for yourself which is more helpful. Finally, do NOT use the virtual lab. Download the student version of the software to your PC.

Mark Austin
ENCE200

Expecting an A+
Xin
12/24/2009

Cons: -Can't teach -Bad attitude -Does not know how to use a PC Pros: -Easy tests/homework assignments Try to study Java before you start taking this class. The course goes very very fast.

Mark Austin
ENCE200

Expecting an A
freeman1
12/18/2009

Austin is a nice guy and he can be very funny. He can come across as grumpy or arrogant in class some times but he is usually just kidding. His lectures can be very interesting but he doesn't teach you all you need to know about programing. He makes you figure it out on your own. After all, isn't this what engineers are supposed to do? Your best bet is to either use the internet and look up how things work or go see him in his office. I heard he is very helpful but make sure you have some work to show. The first exam is fairly easy if you get some practice exams but don't give up on java because you did well on the first exam. The final is a killer but if you learn java (do the homework yourself, not your comp. sci. friend) and look at the diagrams in his notes you should get an A.

Mark Austin
ENCE200

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/08/2009

Austin is a nice guy, and is very flexible with his office hours, but the lectures are often boring, and do not really reflect what is on the homework, but are necessary for exam preparation (especially the ones that are open notes). The homeworks are extremely long and complicated, it is useful to know somebody that is a computer science major, especially if its your first exposure to programing. The exams are very similar to the old ones. He is always looking for a very specific answer, often just one word in the answer, for full credit. The diagrams he draws on the board are crucial, most of them he will want you to replicate on the exams. And lastly, he loves macs.

Mark Austin
ENCE200

Anonymous
04/06/2009

Not the most amazing teacher I've ever had. The tests are almost identical to past exams, which are in the course reader (which is now 40 bucks!). Material isn't too hard, but can be tricky if it's your first exposure to it (like it was for me) because he doesn't always explain things very well. Another thing you should know about him is that he's practically a walking, talking Mac advertisement. If you're a PC person (like me), he doesn't even know how to help you sometimes, much less be willing to. Class is alright, but I can't say the same for him.

Mark Austin
ENCE200

Expecting an A
ksjo616
12/20/2008

overall mediocre teaching; lecture wasn't always helpful for homework and exams. However, Austin is usually lenient in grading and tends to give VERY similar exams from year to year (if not identical), so study the old exams that he includes in the blue course reader and you will be fine.

Mark Austin
ENCE200

jmartin1
12/11/2008

the class really wasnt that hard, although he is literally no help to anyone on the homework assignments. the class reader he uses may seem like its not worth 30 bucks, but it actually is. the book contains copies of past exams that he gave. study and master those exams and you will do well. also network with people on the homework.

Reviews for ENCE200