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Ning Zeng
AOSC431 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/12/2025 |
Apologies for being the bearer of bad news, but I went in expecting a 5 star experience and came out with...well you can see the rating on the side. This will be a long review so feel free to skip to the end. Pros: 4 page double sided cheat sheet for every exam, lets you print out the "key concepts" webpage off of his website for every exam. Cons: Time Management: Ning routinely struggled to stay within the bounds of the 50 minute lecture time. I had another class immediately after his, and I would routinely end up leaving at 10:50 while he was still discussing a topic. One time I was texted by a friend in the class that he had started going over how to do one of the homework problems we had struggled with AFTER I had left. On a broader scale there seemed to be pacing problems with the curriculum as a whole. We spent 1 day on convection, and a ton of time on various other subjects. I'm not sure how off our pacing was, but me and other students believe that the class was chronically behind. Homework Assignments: The examples presented in class are often far easier than the homework problems given. The homework problems are not a straightforward application of class concepts, but rather a synthesis of physics, chemistry, and class concepts. While I understand the need for simplicity for the sake of illustrating a concept, I can't help but think that if this class was more organized, we would've had better example problems throughout the semester. Instead a combination of YouTube videos and Googling was the main way to teach yourself how to do the homework. On a related note, the first homework required a surface integral, while Calc 3 is not a prerequisite of this class, further speaking to the disorganization of the class. The final part of this is that the TA who was grading for this class would routinely make mistakes that Ning had to go back and correct (assuming we bothered to bring the mistake up at all), or graded in a harsh and petty manner. It's never a great sign when on the last homework the entire class stood outside of his office with various questions about how the homework was graded, and grievances for lost points. Whiteboard management: This is a small but persistent factor in his class. While there are slides on the board (basically just blocks of text that are taken from the book and other sources) Ning also writes on the whiteboard. Unfortunately he does not erase in between concepts, meaning that the whiteboard quickly becomes filled up with various concepts taken from different times throughout the lecture. While a small detail, it is annoying that he could just as easily be more consistent about erasing the board completely, or getting a dry eraser. Again, this could be a small and relatively inconsequential detail, but worth mentioning if you are someone who learns by examples. ADS and Test Date Information: While I have discussed organization in the context of various elements of the class, there were other forms of disorganization that don't fit neatly into those categories. For example, there were no set dates for the midterms up until around 2 weeks before they were expected to happen. This is a problem as I have ADS accommodations and like knowing when my midterms are at the start of the semester so that I can reserve times with ADS. Additionally, we had to stop class and press him for details for several minutes before we came to an agreed upon date. The class had to take the initiative to get information about testing dates. It seemed as though he was just flying by the seat of his pants when it came to testing organization. This sentiment is furthered by the fact that he accommodated my extra time requirement by having me show up 30 minutes early to class and starting my midterm early. While this isn't an issue for me as my testing anxiety generally centers around the time I have, not the space I'm in, there is a reason that there are specified rooms that people with accommodations take their tests in. While I have been able to reserve ADS testing for my final, as that date is designated independent of Ning, I'm honestly a little unsure whether or not he will remember to drop my test off before the day of the test. I don't say that lightly, I say that as the result of a semester of his disorganization. Lack of Rubrics: This was only relevant for two of the assignments (one homework and the final project), but I feel is important to leave here. For these two assignments, Ning gave us a vague rubric to base our assignment off of, and no comments as to why he took off points when the grades for the assignments were released. Or perhaps he had notes, but he did not release them with the assignment itself, you would have to go ask him for the notes. While I did well on both assignments, this is concerning as there is a lack of transparency with the grading process. Not knowing how something worth 20% of your grade was evaluated makes it difficult to improve. TL;DR: Overall I'm not entirely convinced that Ning cares about our success in this class, as it seems he is neglecting the fundamental organization and consistency needed for people to learn. I understand that he is busy, and he is a professor, but he has taught this class several times now. Through his level of disorganization and the stress induced by it, Ning was truly a detriment to my learning in this class. Unfortunately he seems to be the only one teaching this class, so if you can't avoid him I hope that this review helps you mentally prepare for his class. |
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Ning Zeng
AOSC431 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/22/2025 |
Ning truly cares about his students. If you talk to him he will do his best to help you out. He gives you the ability to get a 6 page cheat sheet off his website, you can print out the front and back of it and get a blank white sheet of paper so it’s 3 pages technically 6 with the 3 blank white papers. Guys I know thermodynamics sounds hard, but, trust me you will do well just show up to class. The skew-T diagram is the hardest part about this class ask Ning for questions, and make sure to go to his office hours for it. |
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Ning Zeng
AOSC360 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/28/2024 |
Professor Ning is very passionate about his own job and cares about the students. MAKE sure you go to class that’s how I did well. And on top of that talk to him it’s about communicating with your professors as well in these small classes that leads to your success. I also recommend studying with flash cards for the exams within this class as I made over 200 for the final and memorized them within 48 hours of the final. Be prepared to know the material, put effort into a final project, do your homework’s on time, and attend every class. Also get involved with his environmental monitoring lab as well if you want to have experience hands on with material that was taught in the class! |
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Ning Zeng
AOSC360 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/10/2024 |
Great professor who is extremely knowledgeable on the material and is passionate on what he teaches. Sometimes very broad on questions for homework and makes typos but that's the only bad ish thing. Cares about his students and Lydia the TA is super sweet as well. |