Reviews for ENES221

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Patrick McAvoy ENES221 Expecting a C Anonymous 02/27/2024	[Taken Fall 2023] I do not agree that Patrick McAvoy is a five star professor, but I will admit he is not terrible. His lectures are fairly useful, but the way he does the example problems isn't super useful in my opinion. He seems to always take the scenic route in solving problems, relying on his great conceptual knowledge which students simply don't have as they aren't teaching it over and over again. I feel like he overcomplicates dynamics when he teaches this way combined with when he does unnecessarily difficult practice problems (that aren't reflective of the exams). His written exams are fair in what they expect of you and are not too difficult- overthinking may cost you like in my case. The only problem that exists with the exams is the CBTF portion, which in summary accounts for 40% of each exam grade and is taken separately in a computer lab. It grades all or nothing with zero partial credit and is more conceptual than the written exam. In practice the CBTF is terrible and I have personally seen it take large chunks out of the overall grade of students far more intelligent than myself who do well otherwise on the written exams. Also, getting points back on a regrade request for your written exams is essentially impossible as Pat is very by-the-book and is very greedy with points. Finally, dealing with McAvoy when you have questions about the class (not the material) is extremely irritating, as he is a stickler for the rules. I once asked him about whether I could take one of the written exams at a later time because I had a Calc 3 exam earlier in the day which finished ten minutes before, and he was very reluctant to make any accommodations for me and I had to go back and forth with him by email until he finally stated that if I "hypothetically" showed up late and "hypothetically" had an appropriate excuse he would consider giving me extra time at the end to complete the exam. In conclusion, McAvoy is a decent professor that you don't need to avoid, just be aware that he isn't "the best professor in the engineering department" which other reviewers seem to believe.
Patrick McAvoy ENES221 Anonymous 02/09/2024	Nice guy, bad lecturer.
Patrick McAvoy ENES221 Expecting an A- Anonymous 01/26/2024	Very good lecturer. Goes through example problems explaining concepts and also how to solve problems. The quizzes and tests were a lot easier than the homework, discussion, and lecture example problems which made it a bit annoying to study for. Overall a great professor. Easily makes a challenging class manageable for anyone who shows up.
Patrick McAvoy ENES221 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/26/2023	He is AWESOME! He is so enthusiastic to teach, and you can see it with how much he clearly cares about the topics and having the students learn. He creates a very welcoming environment, grades quickly, responds in depth emails quickly, and makes it easy to learn. He is worth an 8am class.
Patrick McAvoy ENES221 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/15/2023	Great guy and fair grader. If you can take a class with McAvoy you will not regret it; he is definitely the best professor I've had in college so far.
Brian Danielak ENES221 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 03/04/2023	I would not recommend taking Danielak for ENES 221. The semester I had him as a professor for ENES 221 was his first time teaching the course. The first day of class he mentioned that he has a PHD in chemistry and engineering education. He had lectured using McAvoys slides, and had often times told us that he had read the slides 30 minutes before teaching the class. He was often unable to answer most questions students had about the course material, and would claim "to get back to students" when he found out the answer which rarely happened. The ONLY reason why I was able to get an A+ in the class was because McAvoy taught 221 at the same time on the same days, and I stopped going to his lectures and sat in on McAvoys lectures instead because the keystone courses have the same exams regardless of the professors. With that being said Danielak is a nice person and genuinely cares, but I cannot in good faith recommend Danielak for a class with such as ENES 221.
Patrick McAvoy ENES221 Expecting an A- Anonymous 01/25/2023	THE BEST PROFESSOR IN THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT. Take him. I highly highly recommend you take 221 over winter. He gives a lot of partial credit making it easy to pass this difficult course. If you take it during the semester, you aren’t awarded partial credit for anything. The midterm and final over winter had exam averages in the high Bs. It’s a lot to take it over winter, but Dr. McAvoy makes it interesting and tolerable. Take him over the winter and you want be sorry. He values every question, stays late to answer everyone’s question, and spends a lot of time explaining topics in ways that make it easy to understand.
Peter Sandborn ENES221 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/28/2022	Dr. Sandborn was a decent professor but his lectures were not always enough on their own to understand the material without reading the textbook/watching youtube videos/going to office hours, making the class very time consuming. Assessments were fair and he's a nice guy who genuinely cares. If you take 221 with him, I cannot emphasize enough how much going to office hours helps -- he explains homework problems to you in a way that will also help you understand what to do on quizzes/exams.
Peter Sandborn ENES221 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/20/2022	A very solid professor, class is structured so you get taught a dynamics concept like a new formula (sometimes he derives it on the board, other times not, you don't really need to understand the derivation to understand how to use the formula) then the rest of class is example problems for that concept. I recommend studying by doing textbook problems and then checking the answer key. The HW was frustrating, as a minor mistake can make the online grading system mark you simply as "wrong" without you being able to tell if it's something small, or a slight error somewhere. This is compounded by the fact that the HW problems have a lot more steps and complications than the exams or quizzes. However, all the professors share the same HW so you can't dodge this by choosing a different prof, at least you get infinite tries I guess. But again, overall solid professor.
Peter Sandborn ENES221 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/05/2022	Comes to class and just does example questions, which in imo is the best way to learn dynamics. He doesn't upload notes on elms so u have to come to class if u want notes. Besides that he's super nice during class and office hours when you ask questions. He basically gives u the answers to the HW if u ask him. 11/10 would recommend
Kevin Calabro ENES221 Expecting a B Anonymous 11/11/2021	He's a great professor. The only issue is when I took the class they were trying to implement the conceptual fluency approach and it did not go well for the class. Grades were all over the place. Other than that he's a great professor who is good at explaining the concepts and cares about his students.
Patrick McAvoy ENES221 Expecting an A- Anonymous 07/11/2021	Just take him! One of the best professors in engineering department and really caring for every student. I think he is really knowledgeable and was able to solve all my questions during office hours so just take him you won't regret.
Ken Kiger ENES221 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/13/2021	Dr Kiger is a genuinely nice guy who seems to really care about his students. I would 10/10 take him again if given the chance. The course concepts are difficult, but if you pay attention in lecture, ask questions when you are confused, and attend office hours if you need to, it's easy to do well. He is always willing to help a struggling student out. He's very passionate about the course material, and it shows. One of the better professors for the ENES classes.
Patrick McAvoy ENES221 Expecting a B Anonymous 01/24/2021	I absolutely recommend you to take Prof McAvoy if you possibly can! He is SOOOOO nice and very clear in his explanations. I took ENES221 over winter and was really nervous going into it. He kept the course very well organized with lots of well made pre-recorded lectures and consistent class schedules. I agree with previous reviews that he genuinely wants everyone to succeed. ENES221 is no joke and taking the condensed version over the winter is tough, but at the same time McAvoy takes that into account and gives problems that are at reasonable difficulty for students who have to learn a chapter a day. If you have the time to dedicate three weeks straight to studying (I had to take off work during this timespan just to keep up), I recommend getting dynamics out of the way over winter with this awesome instructor.
Kevin Calabro ENES221 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/30/2020	Calabro was a fairly good teacher for this extremely challenging course. He always was thorough with his examples in class, and his lecture videos and notes were posted shortly after class ended. Calabro did the best he could with an online course by providing ways to review for exams and being helpful during his office hours. Calabro's exams seemed fairer than the other professors teaching this Fall semester. For the course as a whole, they switched the grading system to be the same way as ENES 232, and that brought a whole load of challenges. The most frustrating thing is the strictness of what they consider partial credit which is the reason most students scored low on exams. Due to the change in grading, teachers and TAs ended up taking much longer to grade group works and homework assignments and grades were not updated as frequently as students would like. This semester, they also switched the homework website to a new website. Although it was free, the website regenerates the problem after each attempt. The homework problems sometimes required a lot of work, so if you get it wrong, you have to start all over again. Also, homework was much harder than the exams and examples in the notes. My advice: find a group to work and study together with and you will be okay
Patrick McAvoy ENES221 Expecting a B Anonymous 11/21/2020	Gonna ignore how hard this course is for this review. Prof McAvoy is a genuinely nice person and wants us all to succeed. Says every question is a "really great question and brings up an excellent point" even if it's dumb. Prepares theory as well as example problems and is very smart. However, going to his office hours are sometimes a waste of time because he can talk forever. He might spend his whole office hour talking with one student to answer a question. And if you were looking for a simple answer or a quick question than you'll be with him for at least 10 minutes.
James Duncan ENES221 Expecting an A Anonymous 09/17/2020	STAY AWAY! AWFUL PROFESSOR, VERY BORING! If you want to have a miserable time with poor direction, then take this guy. He shouldn't even be considered faculty, absolute garbage!
Patrick McAvoy ENES221 Expecting an A+ StardustGogeta 08/15/2020	Professor McAvoy is a great teacher who obviously knows a great deal about the subject matter. He is able to answer any questions you have, and he understands the common mistakes students make and how to resolve them. I definitely recommend taking his class if given the option!
Kevin Calabro ENES221 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/05/2019	I definitely recommend Kevin for any class he's teaching. For this class, his notes and examples were clear and he taught very well. 221 is not easy, but if you put in effort and take the time to learn the material and ask questions, you will do fine. The last 232 review does a great job describing him.
James Duncan ENES221 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/23/2019	Dr. Duncan is a great professor for dynamics. His lectures are good (although a bit boring) and he is very open to questions during class. He is also extremely helpful during his office hours. My one complaint would be that he sometimes spent too much time trying to prove things rather than spend extra time on examples.
Patrick McAvoy ENES221 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 04/18/2018	He really loves the material and cares about the students. If you put forth the effort to seek help and do the problems, you will do well. Overall, this class is known to be pretty challenging, so prepare for exams well in advance.
Peter Sandborn ENES221 Anonymous 12/16/2014	Sandborn seems to overestimate the knowledge you should have when lecturing. He doesn't explain fully concepts and spends a good amount of time deriving equations then doing a couple of examples. A lot of outside work needs to be done to do well in this class.
Amr Baz ENES221 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/22/2013	One of the best professors I have ever had. He teaches the difficult material very well and truly cares about his students. He is also funny and cracks a lot of jokes during class. You absolutely must take him for 221 or any other class he teaches!
Chandrasekhar Thamire ENES221 Expecting an A- Anonymous 08/19/2012	I had Sandborn the first time I took dynamics and ended up dropping the class, and was super scared to take the class again during the summer. But Thamire teaches in such a clear, methodical way, everything seemed to make sense. He is a great teacher, is really helpful in office hours, and is really fair. That said, it's a really hard class and requires a lot of work and practice, but Thamire is the guy to take it with.
Kevin Calabro ENES221 Expecting a B Anonymous 04/11/2012	Kevin is a great dynamics teacher. I also had him for statics and he was great at teaching that as well. His notes are precise and easy to follow. He works plenty of examples in class that are extremely helpful. Exams were tough but fair. Just do the homework and you will be successful.
Kenneth Kiger ENES221 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/24/2011	Dynamics is a relatively difficult course, but Dr. Kiger taught it in a way that encouraged understanding the governing equations, instead of just plug-and-chug. He challenges the class a bit and often asks questions, which is ultimately for the better. His lectures are clear and simple enough.
Kenneth Kiger ENES221 Expecting a B kvizzle321 12/22/2010	I took Kiger for ENES221 and ENME331. When i took him for ENES221, he was just about the most knowledgeable professor I encountered at UMD. He goes through his lectures well and has great example problems. The only problem is that he writes over his lecture slides through the computer to finish problems and proofs, but when he posts the slides online he doesn't include what he wrote over the slides. Therefore going to class and taking notes is a must. For ENME331 he was basically the same interesting lecturer, however he did not teach my discussion section.
Chandrasekhar Thamire ENES221 Expecting an A mikhail 08/10/2010	If I had a choice between Kiger, Sandborn and Thamire I would definitely choose Dr. Thamire. The reason Thamire is the best is because he genuinely strives to help his students not only to learn the material, but ASLO to get a good grade in the class. Show him that you care about the class, and he will help you!
Kenneth Kiger ENES221 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 07/08/2010	Best professor ever. The workload is heavy, but heavy for a good reason. It really prepares you for the exams. If there's one thing that he needs to work on, it's his choice of vehicle. Who drives 4WD cars these days? Comn Kiger, get a proper sports car!
Chandrasekhar Thamire ENES221 Expecting an A- Anonymous 01/25/2010	Dr. Thamire is a really nice, approachable guy and a good teacher. Dynamics is a difficult class, but if you keep up with the homework it is manageable. He really cares about his students and wants them to do well, and even though he says he doesn't curve, there are a number of extra credit opportunities that raise your grade just as much. I recommend going to Keystone for this class, I would not have survived without it.
Chandrasekhar Thamire ENES221 terp315 12/19/2009	Dr. Thamire was a really nice professor and I'm really glad I had him for dynamics. Dynamics is a pretty tough course and the homeworks can be time-consuming. Yet both exams and the final were relatively easy, just make sure to go to the reviews beforehand. Dr. Thamire really wants everybody to do well and as a result gave a bunch of extra credit. At the end of the year we took a 15 point extra credit quiz that nearly everybody got a 100% on. Then, he doubled that to 30 points and added it to our exam scores. I highly recommend taking Thamire for 221.
James Duncan ENES221 cityazndan 05/23/2009	Good professor...just horrible course. Duncan is very open with his students offering major help and explanation during office hours. He is willing to push back tests or delete quizzes or even remove some homework problems. Great guy.
James Duncan ENES221 jmartin1 05/15/2009	I though Duncan was a pretty good professor overall. The class itself is just impossible though.
Chandrasekhar Thamire ENES221 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/20/2008	He's a really nice teacher. He wants you to understand the material and genuinely wants you to get a good grade.
Kenneth Kiger ENES221 Anonymous 12/09/2008	This guy is amazingly smart. He really belongs somewhere other than teaching crappy undergrad courses. Beware, Dynamics is quite tough, but Kiger really knows his stuff and will try to clearly answer any questions. It's a lot of information to process in one short semester but he tries to be clear and fair about it. The grading policy is a little weird, they will take points off for lots of minor details like not putting coordinate systems on every single problem and not writing a "problem statement" but once you get used to the grading, it's tolerable. There's also a huge curve for this class.