2.4
Quality4.0
Difficulty22%
Would Retake85
Reviews22%
Would Retake
85
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
8
4
12
3
19
2
22
1
24
What Students Say
“Storrs is a really genuine person”
ASTR161 - 3.0 rating“He is by far the worst teacher I have ever had at Towson”
PHYS143 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
70%
Textbook Required
59%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.24 avg changeRatings by Course
ASTR
5.0
(2)ASTRO301
4.0
(1)PHYS131
3.5
(2)ASTR302
3.0
(3)COSMICORIGINS
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PHYS145
5.0
PHYS143
4.5
ASTR162
4.3
ASTR161
4.2
PH
4.0
Reviews (85)
great. Very nice guy
course is easy if you do the homework and attend class. No attendance policy.
no att can use cheat sheet for test but tests are hard
No Comments
Nice guy, but tests are a ****.
horribly boring class and storrs never stays on topic, don't take
Supposed to be an easy class but he sucks as a teacher. does not teach from the book relates everything to astrology (like we understand that)tests are hard homework due everyweek.
Interesting class. Grading system is crazy Going by the scores we're getting, he's very harsh. Lots of outside research required for the tests- but he doesn't tell you what things you'll be tested on, so if you focus on the wrong thing, you're screwed.
Very demanding on essay exams. Odd grading. You have to do a lot of work for an A, but I know for a fact that you can do it. Class is pretty hard, but the guy is very nice.
Nice person and looks like Santa Claus. However, grading system is bizarre. Class is not as interesting as it sounds in catalog. OK for a gen. ed. though.
he knows when are sleeping, he knows when you're awake... he knows if you've been bad or good, so be good or you'll probably get an F in his class.
only take this class if you're into geology or astronomy. Otherwise, you're going to fall asleep. All lectures are powerpoint based. Tests require you to take information from classes and analyze it; looking at facts and coming up with your own opinion
Thought class would be interesting and pertain to my major. Was told I didn't need knowledge in calculus. He talked down to us and was very patronizing. The class isn't clear, and is awfully boring. Majorly unstructured and very tough subject matter.
Nice guy. Looks like santa. hard essay based test where asked to analyze material. If you kno phys/science well you should get a A/B but you will have to work for the A. If he doesn;t wurve you might get skrewed. Will explain when asked. Encourages Q/A
Do yourself a favor, drop this class now!!!
Interesting lectures and attempts to be humorous.. I learned alot even though most was info I had previously learned.... great for getting a science with lab gen ed out of the way. Tests are easy if you go to class and take notes.
Physics of sound and music..level 1 class Not a bad guy but storrs is quite possably the worst teacher that i have ever had. He is sloppy, condescending, very unclear and his equasions frequently contain errors. Would be an easy class if not for the poor teaching and the high level book.
he looks like santa clause. his class is kind of boring. it's really hard if you know nothing about music, and he seems to think everyone does. his grading is bizarre, and the average class grade on his tests is somewhere around 50%. but if you hate science take this class for a gen ed.
OMG do yourself a favor and get out of this class, it is so boring.... teacher looks like santa claus. 3 exams are take home essays and one in class final, plus a 10-20 page paper. essays suck because they involve critically analyzing!
Smart, funny, and engaging. Jolly old fellow. Knows a lot. Everyone else who's written something here should pull their head out of their ass or sit in the front.
Yeah he looks like Santa, but hes nice. labs R pretty easy. you can do everything wrong on HW, and still get credit. tests r hard even though they are based on HW ?s. he is really helpful though. i recommend you know music or play an instrument 4 this class. but he's insightful. Take him for a B.
really, really, nice guy, but teaching is really difficult, especially if you are not a music major or can't do science. tests are impossible. don't take this for an easy class.
he takes an interesting subject and completly ruins it. Lectures are unbearable and worthless, bc tests are take home essays. very hard grader
Encourages class participation and emphasizes it just as much as your test grades. I really don't understand the point of his lectures if you can just do take home tests, but the heavy reliance on critical thinking is a valuable skill he teaches. He also looks like Santa Claus, which is funny.
Storrs, even though he's nice, manages to make life difficult. His exams, while take home (and you know the topics ahead of time), are very vague in their wording, and require you to guess at what he wants. This class is only for those with patience, and an ability to read his mind.
No Comments
Class was VERY HARD the first month, everyone will fail the first exam but he gives 18% points extra credit. You have to write 3 research papers for exams and one term paper. This class caused me a lot of stress, but I got an A.
If you are a motivated student who thrives in a challenging enviroment then this is a good class for you. However, for a gen ed, this is a HEAVY workload! He pushes critical analysis and that is what he tests on. He adds extra credit so even if you flunk the first exam you can still get an A. Make sure you are clear on his deadlines b/c he isn't.
Storrs is an incredibly smart guy. There is pretty much no arguing with ANY topic. He seems to know a significant amount about everything. He grades tests very hard although they are take home exams (long essays). Be sure to focus on critical analysis if you take 301, he strongly favors it. Decent guy, would take again if i needed a challenge!
Storrs is a great teacher who knows alot about astronomy. Now if he would only teach it. Obseses on critical analysis, tests are oral and requirements are beyond vague. 2 guest lecture series, 4 weeks each, long paper, final was to critically analyze an article, ours was about obesity. This class is a joke and it gets unfunny fast.
Oral exams lasted 10 minutes and the topics were so wide that speed talking won't cover everything so the grade seems to rely on his opinion of you. He might think too highly of himself. Neither Text Book nor the available slides online covered all that was expected (still don't know).Did not meet the course description.I learned nothing new.
he makes you do everything on your own. "you should be studying for an hr a day about what we're doing in class". He doesn't teach he goes off on tangents about obscere atronomy information. class is somewhat interesting if your not interested in getting a good grade.
Not an astronomy class at all. Hated the tests, which were presentations based on research (little was covered in class). Going to class is almost pointless, you must do all the work on your own anyway. Got an attitude when I tried to contact him with a question. But I did get an A because I went to all the debates and did well on tests.
Take GEOG 101 with Jeremy Tasch instead.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. unless you want to spend your life in office hours since they are highly recommended but not required. you have a question he wont go over it in class you have to come to office hours. reading quizzes hard, multiple choice tests hard. labs are the easiest thing in this class. avoid if you can.
I do not understand his teaching method. Online quizzes are worded so you get it wrong. I stopped going to lecture because I wasn't learning anything. He refuses to answer questions in class. I wouldn't recommend this course with him.
He was awful. He gave homework before teaching it. The majority of the class ALWAYS fails the first test and he doesn't make it easier. We use the textbook for homework so you need it but he doesn't like it. If you don't know anything about music, it will be HARD for you. All in all, DON'T TAKE THIS CLASS BECAUSE HE SUCKS AT TEACHING MUSIC/PHYSICS!
At first I thought it wasn't all that bad, I mean I didn't get the best grades but I thought I did ok. But once I go and write a paper about something that is not a view excepted by most others, I get a bad grade and my other grades seemed to go downhill from there. I personally think its either a mistake or totally wrong and very judgemenntal.
Astr 162 lab section: he's really smart, very helpful if you ask and explains things in a straightforward manner. somewhat demanding but really wants students to understand how important critical thinking and experimental error are to science. short(1 pg) lab reports due every week, makeup session at end of semester if time allows.
Very easy to follow. Do not listen to the other raters. 90% of my class is just dumb. He'll ask a question, go over it, answer it, and will ask the question again and 90% of the class will still get it wrong. If you take notes, and read a little, you will do great in this class.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!The labs were very easy. However, this guy has to be the WORST professor I've ever had. This has nothing to do do w/ 90% of a class being dumb; it's more of 90% of the class doesn't get it SO DO SOMETHING ELSE!! Textbook is helpful and make sure you do outside reading. He curves the grades, which makes it easier. Just a waste
He's a great guy. His class is pretty difficult, but he will do what he can to help you pass the class. knows what he's talking about. Class can be boring tho.
This was the weirdest class ive ever taken. Not the most interesting professor but some topics are fun. He cares more about what you take away from the class (thinking critically about the world) than the actual information presented. Has very little to do about astrology.
this guy sucks as a teacher he lectures on select material from the book and tests on entire chapters. gives an online quiz for each chapter but you read the chapter, which is not always easy to understand, then take the quiz and then he teaches(tries to teach) the chapter. i took astr in high school and am still totally lost in this class.
He is a nice guy, but honestly I learn nothing in this class. He is the most knowledgeable teacher you will ever have which is a bad thing because he's over everyone's heads. This is a 100 level class but it feels like a 300 or 400! He doesn't let you ask questions in class...if you ask him something he will just say to go to office hours.
Awful, Do not take this teacher. He cannot teach and just gloats about how he went to MIT. I took physics of light and sound with the lab he made it impossible. The class average for tests were always failing, and he almost demands you attend office hours. Stay clear if you can!
HORRIBLE TEACHER!!! DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS!!! I REPEAT DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS!!!
If you really want to take Astronomy and come out learning something don't take it with this professor. He tests you then teaches AFTER the test. He knows way too much to be teaching. The test averages were d's. Really intelligent guy but awful teacher.
Stay away!!! don't take him he is horrible!! The whole class was always lost and on top of that he didn't curve at the end. Don't waste your time on him pick a better teacher if you want to learn about astronomy.
absolutely useless. A terrible teachers. NOTHING RELATES TO ASTRONOMY, all about critical thinking. 10-20 page paper. Oral tests (present information you learned on your own to him). Debates in class about things he doesn't teach. ALL IN ALL ITS A TEACH YOURSELF KIND OF CLASS. BS for what we pay
Great guy, helpful one on one. I missed class for a whole month, did well on labs, lecture tutorials and bombed the exams. Passed the class. Content didn't seem difficult if you read, I just didn't care at all.
This prof.'s teaching quality was very poor. He assigns homework before teaching the class how to do it, and then grades the hw on accuracy. Further, the tests test you on things you haven't learned. Unless you're a super-smart math nerd, this class will be extremely challenging.
This class is probably not what you think it is about. During the course of the class, we learned about subjects that didn't pertain to astronomy at all and were tested on how well we understood each topic (even though he did not really explain each. However, he is not really a hard grader and is very knowledgeable about each topic
Ok, first off it's astronomy, not astrology. I don't know what people are complaining about. The class is not difficult, the topics are very interesting and I feel like a more educated person after taking this. Dr. Storrs knows his stuff. Makes lectures tolerable. Tests are presentations which is not preferred but overall it's a great class.
Very condescending. All grades are off of personal opinion. Makes many comments in class that are inappropriate for professor's to make. Acts like everyone is below him. Everyone in my class got a C, D, or F. Most were D's and F's so what's that tell ya? Look elsewhere. YOU WERE WARNED!!!
DO ANYTHING POSSIBLE TO RUN THE OTHER WAY!!! This professor has no structure to grades and even makes jokes about failing people (and thinks it's funy!!!). Very smart guy and even looks like Santa but don't be fooled. He is anything but nice and you will most likely fail!
He is definitely an expert in astronomy but should in no way be teaching a basic, intro class. He teaches the class like we should all have an understanding of the material before coming to class. Do not take astr 161 as a Gen Ed and if you do, dont take it with him!
PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS COURSE! He is not helpful, the class is very hard unless you are an astronomy major. He does not teach the material well, and expects you to know everything. He makes you feel stupid when you don't know the answer. Please avoid this professor at all costs, but unless you are going to school for this, do not take this course.
Very hard to understand, very condescending, very rude. Made you feel stupid every chance he got. I do not recommend this class unless you are an astronomer.
He's incredibly intelligent and a great orator. His enthusiasm for astronomy is obvious and he is passionate about sharing practical knowledge with students. His problem (IMO) is that he is a harsher grader for labs. but still, he is very eager to help students and helped me before class every session for things that I struggled with.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. He is by far the worst teacher I have ever had at Towson. He is so rude, doesn't help his students, and blames us for everything. He doesn't teach anything and therefore the work is impossible. Half the class dropped and they were the smart ones. Everyone in my class BARELY passed. Seriously, don't subject yourself to this.
I like this professor as a person but the class is extremely difficult. He seems to be very into it. I'm definitely not a math or science person, but he made it clear that he would be there to help anyone who was struggling (especially with the math). He had very flexible office hours and advertised them often. A good professor, but an awful class.
Dr. Storrs is a nice guy, but his labs are not great. He's organized, but the labs usually require a lot of assistance to complete. To his credit, he is fairly helpful. Has trouble with communication which makes him seem condescending. Take a different professor if you can.
This was one of the worst classes I have ever taken. He was rude, and required you t go to office hours to pass the class. Would blame the class when no one understood the material. You are required to buy the textbook, but he says it's 'wrong' most of the time. If you ask a question in class he'll make you feel bad for not understand the material.
The course is supposed to be about the Origin and evolution of the universe, stars, and planets but instead he told us he wasn't trying to teach us a body of knowledge, only critical analysis. Though he only lectured on Cosmic Origins topics. 100% learning on your own, all grades subjective to how well he felt you analyzed what you learned alone
Dr. Storrs is a really genuine person. He outlines exactly what he wants you to do and expects you to do it. That being said, this class is fcking bullsht. Tests are impossible, lectures are interesting but clicker responses are done every class. He responds to emails quickly and has alot of office hours. Labs are doable. Also looks like Santa.
This class was supposed to be about the history of the universe (where it all began to where we are today). But that's just a subtext of the course; it's really a CRITICAL THINKING course. The description when you sign up for the course is all wrong. I 100% do not recommend this class with this professor because you WILL be disappointed.
Nice guy, outlines whats to be done in the syllabus, HOWEVER the tests are crazy hard and some of the questions have nothing to do with astronomy. You need to go to office hours if you honestly wanna do decent cause just going to lectures won't do it.
Makes an intro class ridiculously harder than it should be and when you answer something wrong he makes you feel like an idiot because this stuff is literally his life. I respect having a passion for something but this type of work should be in a 300 level class or something
Terrible, class is not anything like description. He expects you to be able to solve high level algebra from the get go. Also, the class is focused on math more than anything else. Honestly can say I didn't learn anything from this class.
Not a great teacher at all. Not good at explaining tough things. Just in general not good at explaining anything. Most of the class usually skips or is asleep mid way through. Expect that he goes over stuff you might actually never need to know ever again. It was an easy class but take a different TSEM because he will most likely give you a C.
Reading quizzes before every class. Semester-long project, and irrelevant/tricky questions on the test. He wants you to ask questions but will make you feel stupid for asking them. The course is okay, but save yourself the hassle and take someone else.
The workload is a bit much, you have quizzes due before every class, separate quizzes for lab and a final project. Also, he makes you do Lecture tutorials every week on your own and never goes over it in class then claim that the exams are based on it. Take other professors if you can! I'm an A's and B's student and I got a C for the course.
There's a lot of reading and you have to do an online quiz before every class, but the reading is interesting so I didn't mind. I learned a lot and I enjoyed the class. The tests require a lot of algebra and critical thinking.
Fairly easy going guy, mostly because he does not care about his TSEM classes as much. Honestly he sparked my interest in philosophy and he answers any questions I have out of class. We get off topic a lot in class discussions but he goes along with it. Overall easy class
I enjoyed Professor Storr's Cosmic Origins course. He gave really interesting and engaging lectures on a wide variety of topics.
While he does give "rubrics" for the class exams (which are oral presentations), very little is covered in the lectures in class. His grading is entirely based on his opinion of you and what he feels you learned on your own outside of class. Good luck getting any detailed feedback from him.
Way too much work for a core class. Participation grade is based on questions from class and if you get one wrong you lose points even though you are trying. Weekly quizzes which aren't that bad. Not a fan of the lecture tutorials or the class activity where you have to answer questions on the whiteboards. He cares about what he teaches though
DO NOT take this professor. He is the worst teacher I have ever had in my life. He basically wants you to teach the class to yourself. Tests are so hard, he does multiple choice, but he will give two correct answers and you have to figure out which is more correct, which is just based off his opinion. I can not stand this man as a teacher.
Prof. Storrs is a nice professor. He may seem a little sarcastic, but it's alright. The work is doable and he isn't a harsh grader by any means. Assignments are clear and are not extensive other than your term project. There are two projects and a book report throughout the semester. Also has weekly discussions in class and online. Easy points.
Professor Storrs is a generally nice guy. He is extremely knowledgeable about astronomy. His lectures weren't the most exciting, with mini-quizzes each class for participation grades, and quizzes every night for homework. The one problem I had with him is that in his reviews he seemed judgy if we did not fully understand the material.
DO NOT TAKE. If you are thinking about taking astronomy because it seems easy it is not!! I made this mistake and it sucks. More than half of our grade is to answer questions in class and he has never taught them to us before we have to do them on our own. There is a reading quiz before every class and prelab quiz before every lab. Do not take !!!!
This is a 300 level course listed as a 100 level course. He grades like we are grad students which is very unfair. His grading criteria doesn't make sense compared to other professors and he adds more content to quizzes that are not one the syllabus. Do not take this class if you care about your sanity and gpa...
Worst Professor I've ever had. I attended all classes and turned in all assignments, spending a fair amount of time on all of them and somehow I still failed. He tacks off points for little things on all assignments and for me these all added up, resulting in me failing. I took this as a 100 level class for a core and he graded it like it was a 400
Like 4 graded assignments the whole class. One of which was a term paper, where halfway through you submit a draft and he critiques it (received a good grade). Fixed it based on his critiques, it's due on the last class. Gave me an F on the final despite giving what he asked for, which brought my grade from passing to failing before I could blink.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
70%
Textbook Required
59%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.24 avg changeRatings by Course
ASTR
5.0
(2)ASTRO301
4.0
(1)PHYS131
3.5
(2)ASTR302
3.0
(3)COSMICORIGINS
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PHYS145
5.0
PHYS143
4.5
ASTR162
4.3
ASTR161
4.2
PH
4.0