this is a very interesting course.

He's very helpful and makes the course interesting. His exams are fair and easy!

He is a funny prof...always being lazy, thats why he always gives easy test/quiz/assignemnts...everyone MUST find him for an easy physics credits!!

Always willing to help. Can actually explain thing clearly. I personally DONT find the course easy at all!

This guy SLAYS! I've taken three physics courses since graduating from highschool and this is the first one in which I feel I actually learned something.

a fair, very helpful, excellent prof! he doesn't trick you on the exams. study his notes and go to the lecture and the course will be fine.

I was a student of chemistry and took this course for elective.It was really enjoyable and showed how mathematical physics applied to real life!

I enjoy doing physics lab with Andrew. He makes the lab kinda fun.

I enjoyed this lab. He was always helpful and made the lab a lot less stressful than my chem labs. TA's were nice too.

I had him for physics lab and he was very nice and helpful. Very friendly to the students. I recently went to him for advising and he helped me a lot! I'd take a class from him again and I'm not even in physics.

I sat in on this course at the start. It seems super interesting but the math is a bit beyond me right now. I want to take it next time its offered and I hope Andrew teaches it. I really like his explanations and makes me want to learn more about this stuff. Super nice when you go talk to him about the course.

intersting course beyond my expectation. Very clear course notes. I learned more than what I want to from this course.

This course was a lot better than I thought it would be. We learned some very intresting stuff especially near the end.

Sat in on this class for a bit - the math was beyond me, but his teaching style at least seems clear and consistent. It doesn't hurt that he's pretty good-looking. :-P

Simply the NICEST man you will ever meet! His test's were F'in impossible though; avg for the 2nd midterm was 43%. Only frustrating thing was that exam questions were not "typical" physics questions i.e. your homework...he'd cook up these homemade physics problems incorporating EVERYTHING you had learned thoughout the entire semester into ONE prob!

He is probably the nicest prof I've ever met. Very very nice and helpful. But his tests are HARD. Make sure you go to every one of his lectures. Study lecture notes for tests and don't bother with the textbook and you'll do okay in this class.

Great prof! Very patient and clear at explaining course material. You will be fine if u attend all lectures and study all his notes before final exam.

Nice prof, friendly and helpful; materials r challanging, just make sure u attend lectures cause the exam questions will be similar to those he does during the lectures; and do ur hw~

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one of the nicest most helpful guys in physics. definitely knows his material but i found the notes rather scattered. exams were difficult to predict even though in retrospect they were well related. the last section on quantum field theory was impossible to understand.

write something on exam to get part marks

one of my favourite profs ever. he made everything really simple for us non math/physics people. if you study even a little you'll do decent. very approachable and friendly prof

The semester I took phys 101 with him, he had a set of questions that he revealed to us before the midterms and he used some of these questions on the actual exam! This saved many people's grades (mine included). Also, he's very friendly and his notes are simple and clear.

Andrew is great as a lab instructor. He is very friendly and always willing to help you out. His explanations are not always extremely clear and sometimes what he says differs from what the TAs say. That said, do what the TAs want as they will be doing the marking.

love the hair.

One of the best physics prof SFU has to offer. Good notes, and very helpful when you approach him. Easy and straight forward assignments. his exams are all symbolic. To do well on his tests just read the book and his notes and review his practice questions.

Awesome!

The BEST prof I've had at SFU so far. Made physics extremely manageable. Assignments and exams are very fair. Does not overload you with homework like other profs. Marking is very fair too. He is also VERY nice and pretty much an awesome prof. TAKE HIM FOR ALL YOUR PHYS COURSES. Just be prepared to "volunteer" for his demos!

Best Physics Prof ever!

Such a good prof!! But b sure to go to his class take the notes he writes. Its much more simpler than readin the boring and tedious textbook. His notes help so much wit assignements on exams! The first MT is hard cuz there are no numbers and only a few questions, but final is completely fair and ok if u study off his notes well!

Great prof, always available for extra help definetly recommend him for any class at any level. Only downside that he has is that he writes his notes extremely fast so its hard to really absorb material in lecture, all exams are very fair

Excellent prof! Andrew is a savior for anyone who hates physics and simply has to take it for their degree. He has a simple approach to everything and is so patient and helpful it makes the entire process so much less painful. Fair exams, Very easy to talk to! Not at all condescending. Take him!

very organized prof. always available for extra help. however his exams are extreamly hard.

Very helpful.

Great guy. Very nice and patient. Hard to follow his notes sometimes. Exams are fair, but be prepared for "home-made" questions that do not look like the ones in the textbook. Make sure to understand concepts. Genuine nice guy with great hair!

He is euthusiatic in physics. Attend class!!! Dont get frustrated if u screw up ur midterms, he got two marking scheme that are in favour of students, and he scales the marks!!!!

DeBenedictus is great, sometimes his notation can be confusing but you will learn his style fairly quick. Without a doubt he is one of the best physics profs at SFU. The course will be a lot easier if you have some calculus under your belt but it is not mandatory. This course is highly recommended!

He's like a second Issac Newton. He enjoys what he's doing and it shows. If you didn't understand physics up to this point, you'll get it in his class. There's always a light atmosphere in lecture because he's such a natural comedien. (though dunno know if his comeic reliefs are intentional or not). Apprachable and responds to emails right away.

Really enthusiastic about what he's teaching and does his best to make the class interesting and light. Really easy assignments in class and explains course contents exceptionally well. Best physics instructor I've ever had. A solid 10/10

He's basically a wizard - does so many cool demonstrations in class and looks like a younger version of Dumbledore. If you've ever wished you went to school at Hogwarts, this is your guy.

Best professor! Best lecturer! Really enjoyed his lectures. He explains so well that you don't need to study the text book on your own.

its like they put the power of physics into Dio. Super cool guy, ALLWAYS helpful office hours even if its outside of office hours, lectures can be very confusing tho. Study his notes/examples hard and do your homework. He really rushed the second half of the course this semester so STUDY your magnets/electricity. GL

Wonderful instructor, until it comes to exams. MT and final have an unfair home-cooked question that is beyond what was done in class. Other than that, easy and fun, before the jump into that canyon. And hottest instructor on the planet.

Andrew really knows his stuff, he is a true master of physics and mathematics. What is beyond his amazing knowledge is his ability to teach and his compassion for his students. This is a guy who has won awards for being the most loved teacher, so this isn't just my opinion. He is humble, but with the talent to justify being arrogant.

He does not make exams with numbers. Its all symbolic. He is very good at explaining the deeper reason any aspect of physics in this course. He is an extremely good professor, but don't miss class because if you are like me and you don't like physics, he does not make lecture slides so missing class is not an option.

If a good attitude is important to you, take your physics courses with Andrew. Andrew was completely respectful and patient when I asked questions that many grade 10 students could answer (I have been out of school for a long time and was rusty when it came to the basics). Exams are always symbolic, lectures are fun and interesting, and he is hot.

Such an amazing professor. Lectures were awesome. You will learn to love the way he teaches. Takes some time to get used to expressing all your answers in variables instead of numbers, but he really explains concepts REALLY well. Quizzes were so easy, all concepts based. Assignments were short. Midterm was pretty simple. Final was harder.

Andrew is my fav physics prof in SFU. Very clear, friendly and understanding towards us. In addition, his office hours are useful. Homework is simple, and his exams are symbolic. If you take his class make sure you sit at the front since he provides chalk board notes. He pretty much makes first year physics enjoyable!

Although he is a good teacher and explains concepts well, his notes can be confusing as he often will be talking about one topic then mention a topic we learned weeks ago. His quizzes and term-test (a midterm) are HARD, they are symbolic, which I personally find difficult to do especially since the homework involves numbers.

love the hair

Super passionate when he teaches, very friendly and he has fabulous hair. Warning however, he only uses the chalkboard and his writing is really hard to read so sit at the front or have binoculars ready

Andrew is crazy nice and responds to his emails almost instantly. He's approachable and always smiling. The midterm and final is symbolic, but i guess it's better this way since miscalculations are avoided. I found this course quite difficult, but i was always happy to attend class bc prof debenedictis' passion for physics really reflected in lects

Andrew is very approachable and helpful and has majestic hair. He replies to emails incredibly fast, even outside of school hours. His notes are a little unfocused and not too structured. I found the symbolic methodology very difficult to get used to and the exams were hard. Homework took quite a bit of time each week.

This prof is amazing. the lectures are clear and easy to understand. For the exam part, it you don't know how to solve the problems, put down something that you know. He will give you partial marks.

Good explanations, straight forward, no tricks. Most of his exams are written only with a few questions, but nearly NO NUMBERS involved. If you can understand the basic concepts and simple Algebra, you'll easily score marks. He doesn't give out any practice questions before exams, so make sure to use the textbook and PRACTICE.

Hated at first because he uses symbolic language which is confusing at first but it's actually awesome because it made me truly understand the concepts and truly understand physics! It's nice! Also hated the chalkboard, but that forced me to actually go to class and I actually grew to kind of love physics. also has GREAT HAIR!!!!!!!

He is the most engaged professor I've ever had. He always came to class with a smile on his face and a heart of gold. He cares about his students so much, and even with tricky topics, he went out of his way to explain and draw each concepts, made me truly appreciate physics when I saw his love for it. Would recommend to anybody!

Good guy, very nice and makes the class fun. Awesome hair and the Gandalf look :D But makes classes much harder by making tests and hw symbolic. Can explain concepts but his notes seem to be all over the place sometimes. Anyways, would recomend

Andrew was an incredible prof who loved his students. Responded back to emails within the same day and made lectures engaging by using the blackboard. Midterm was rather fair, 3 questions straight from the textbook, final ripped my soul apart... definitely make sure you do ALL textbook questions and attend all lectures!

Awesome guy with even awesomer hair. As long as you follow along in class and try your best to understand the hw, you should get a decent grade. Does all notes on the blackboard which forces you to write stuff down, but it helps you and your learning. Midterm was fair, but the final was brutal (pretty sure he ended up scaling it tho)

Overall a really great prof, he's very enthusiastic and clearly knows what he's talking about. He explains concepts very well and his bi-weekly quizzes are extremely fair. The symbolic problems can be difficult to wrap your head around, and attending lecture is a must. Also, his final was terrible.. but pretty sure also heavily scaled. Solid choice

I am currently taking his class and he is amazing. His notes are like Feynman's: conveys the material clearly and concisely-> straight to the point. He does not squander a physics class speaking to us in math. He actually speaks English! Wish he teaches all undergraduate physics classes. I would so major in Physics then!

His lectures tend to over-complicate matters because he likes to get to the core of a subject to make you really understand (which can be confusing). But if you go to his office hours, or any other time (since he's almost always in his office), he is SOO helpful and takes all the time you need to help you with all your questions.

He enjoys overcomplicating concepts by digging into the core nature of what is being taught. All symbolic, no numbers. As good of an instructor he is, he also likes to take things way deeper than they have to be for a first year physics class. Missing a class would be detrimental to your learning since he never posts any of his notes online.

Andrew is a great prof and gives detailed lectures. He gives you time to catch up with notes and is open to questions. His notes are largely symbolic rather than numerical and he gives lots of example questions. He writes his notes on the board though and doesn't post them so I recommend sitting near the front where you can see. Textbook is unused.

The material is extremely challenging especially if you lack a perfectly solid understanding of its pre-requisites. He will write everything on the blackboard with a chalk. He likes to over-complicate concepts when the course is for a first year undergrad. Midterm was fair, but the final was a disaster. He did scale the overall marks significantly.

Really nice guy. Tries to make the lecture engaging with experiments. Go to lectures to understand what's going on, he's pretty good at explaining the material. Tests were fair.

A great prof! His lectures and exams are symbolic, which is not what most students are used to, but if you are having some problems understanding a concept, even if it's just a small thing, please go to his office hours! I was never that great at physics but I frequently went to his office hours and it was very helpful. Highly recommend.

Andrew is an amazing prof for my style of learning. He explains the core of subjects so you really get to apply them. I love that everything is symbolic. His lectures are easy to follow, engaging, and his writing on the chalk board is surprisingly clear. I'm bummed that he isn't teaching 102 next semester so I could take it with him. :(

Be sure to sit at the front because Andrew writes on the chalkboards for his lectures! He is very good at breaking down complex topics and also shows how to derive almost all the equations we use. He obviously loves his work and never shows any judgment when you ask for help. An all-around great prof who is caring and will help you succeed!

Andrew is an excellent professor who always is available to discuss with students their problems. He will even take physics questions that are not about the course material and always gives a respectable answer. Oh, and do sit in the front as he only writes on the chalkboard.

Hands down best online prof Ive had. Added a couple assignments to the course to take weight off the final. Clearly cares about our wellbeing studying online. Everything recorded, tutorial not mandatory, very descriptive helpful notes that read like hes talking to you. Midterm was just like the quizzes and hw. Highly recommend for online classes!

Everyone has their own opinions on the way he teaches, but let me speak about him as a person. He's the most understanding Prof. I've ever had. He understands life difficulties for each individual and can make adjustments accordingly. No other Prof. I've had has done this. This guy is a true gem. Symbolic exams though, so study theoretically!

Nice professor and easy to approach. I have always struggled with the theoretical side of physics, yet his notes were outstanding and in-depth. Assignments and projects were weighed more due to covid thankfully:) Overall great prof.

I've always really struggled in Physics and was terrified of this class. Having Dr. Debenedictus made all the difference! He's an excellent lecturer that keeps things interesting but digestible. I really liked that he delves into the theoretical aspect of physics and leaves solutions symbolic - it stops the math from being a scary mess of numbers.

I had Andrew for PHYS101 and was glad to see he was teaching 102 now. His online lectures include the neatest hand-written notes I've ever seen. He explains things very clearly, sometimes even a bit too much, but he just wants to make sure everyone is following along. I love the symbolic conceptual exams and not having to waste time on a calculator

He explains things very well and cares about whether we understand or not. His lecture notes are really nice as well and look like he put a lot of effort into them. One thing that might be a hit or miss depending on preference is that he sometimes teaches using symbols instead of numbers in his examples. Other than this, highly recommend this prof.

Genuinely wants the students to do well and answers all questions respectfully even if its the same question multiple times. Midterms and exams were all multiple choice and great feedback was given quickly

Andrew is an extremely good and caring professor. His notes are clear and is good at explaining concepts. Tests and quizzes were conceptual. He reused some quiz questions on the tests. Tutorials are not mandatory. Ultimately, had a great time in the class and Andrew is an awesome professor.

it is only been a month with Dr. D but he is so nice. He explains everything in lectures with ease and repeats things over so his students understand and are not lost. I have emailed him regarding some questions I had and he replies within half an hour, sometimes in 2 minutes LOL. i can't describe how amazing this prof is and how caring. GOAT

Dr. DeBenedictis is amazing, he is so nice and caring. really wants his students to succeed and understand the concepts discussed in class. he does not go super fast in lectures and repeats topics over to make sure all students grasp the concept. midterm questions came from the textbook just modified so there it is symbolic.

Manz replies to emails faster than batman answering to the bat signal

literally so amazing and sweet. he is a really good prof and for someone who wasn't good at physics, im doing so well that im considering being a physicists cuz of him LMAO. anyways if u have a choice and want to save ur GPA, take it w him.

Awesome prof. His demonstrations in lectures made learning a lot more exciting. The course content sucks, and he is totally aware of that, but that's 1st-year physics for you. Tons of office hours, definitely use that time to get help. He cares about his students and is very open to questions. Take his class if you can!

Phys101 is already pretty easy but if you're having trouble DeBenedictis is the prof to take, his lectures are phenomenal. I think he would be good with a rapier

Andrew's frequency and explanations during lecture positively accelerated my active recall, slowed my problems during work, and made transit displacement worth the time. He made physics easy and if I ever doubted anything or was uncertain I would just convince myself that there would be no problem!

Convince yourself and you will have no problem with Andrew Debenedictis.

Make sure you volunteer for his in-lecture demonstrations because it helps you convince yourself what you are learning.

I did so bad in Physics 100 that when taking Physics 101 I was insecure and was certain that I would fail the course. Professor DeBenedictis not only helps you understand the material but he is also very supportive, making you feel more comfortable and confident with the course. He is by far the best professor I have ever had in SFU.

"just convince yourself" and you'll do great

convince yourself~ Andrew

He was a good professor who was clear on the criteria. He could be a bit repetitive during lectures, but I always left with a good understanding of the material. He does not provide or go through many examples which would have really helped. The exams and quizzes were symbolic and a little confusing at first but didn't negatively affect my grade.

Absolutely goated, one of if not the best prof I've had so far. Tests and exams were super fair, and was always ready to help students succeed. 10/10 recommend

Professor Debenedictis is super kind and helpful, especially during office hours. Physics is not my strong suit but he definitely made it bearable. Notes were super detailed, midterm and final was fair

Andrew was a nice and funny guy and his class is 100% worked examples. As this is an intro course, he went at a reasonable pace and made sure we understood before anything else. His notes had detail but sometimes were a sensory overload LOL. I wish he wrote out his notes or ex. with us bc the class became a sleep-fest with him just talking.

The most caring prof i've ever had. He genuinely wants you to do well in the course, and his exams are purely based on understanding the material. His lecture method may not suit a lot of people, though his hand written notes are well written and very thorough with content. All colour coded etc. I'm happy I took physics with prof Andrew.

Very good prof. I loved how he'd have loads of examples for us and he'd go through each step of them during lecture. I didn't do any practice problems in the textbook all year and still did well on the midterm. I just had the final and it was probably the easiest test I've taken since the start of grade 12, but physics 100 is supposed to be phys 12

Andrew explains concepts very clearly and in class and he really wants everyone to succeed. He is open to any questions that you ask. I struggle with physics but he made the majority of the course easy and purposefully made the final easy because he wants everyone to succeed. The Ta's were also very amazing and helpful! I totally recommend!

Andrew is a great physics professor, he explains the material in a way that is clear and easily digestible. Not only that, but questions on his quizzes and exams are direct reflections of the material taught in class. Additionally, Andrew is incredibly accessible out of class, with a (generally) open-door policy at his office.

Awesome professor, when I ask him questions after lectures he would answer all of them patiently. He is extremely nice, probably the nicest prof I will ever have. His lectures are detailed and notes are all you have to know. Term Test was kind of hard, but final exam was easy. I dislike physics, but he made it a lot better.

His lecture notes are literally all you need as they are so well written and they thoroughly explain the concept. His exams are fair and the quizzes are simple if you read the notes. Unlike other profs, he actually wants his students to succeed and wants to make the topic understandable. Highly recommend!!

nice guy

If you convince yourself to understand the material and if you convince yourself to do well and if you convince yourself to go to class, you will do well. So convince yourself that Andrew is a good professor. His tests are symbolic so convince yourself to understand the concept of symbolic tests. Just convince yourself to take PHYS with Andrew.

This is probably the only time I will say this but he is the best prof at SFU. His lectures are very thorough and easy to understand. He doesn't trick you at all during exams, all you need to do is pay attention to his lectures. I wish he taught more classes. He also deserves a raise.

the GOAT.

His lectures are kind of hard to pay attention sometimes as they aren't really "interactive". But the weekly achieve assignments are fairly easy and offer a way to get pratice consistently. Seems to be very passionate about his subject and legitemately tries to make it easy for you to do well in the course.

He has AMAZING notes! He is super helpful/friendly in office hours, and has no problems explaining tough concepts in multiple different ways. His tests were tough, but very fair if you put in the work. His notes are so detailed, and easy to study from

Nerdy? Yes. Easy-to-understand? Kind of. Not too difficult. Questions aren't easy to ask since he keeps talking. You can stop him if you want during lectures but most people went to ask him after the lecture.

nice guy, enjoyable lectures with a lot of little demos, his quizzes and tests are all symbolic so make sure you understand the concept and not to memorize everything

andrew is such devoted professor. he loves the material he teaches and he does it well. sure he doesnt provide practice final exam but he has assigments, quizzes from other semesters. he also grades based on 3 schemes and which ever benefits you he gives you that grade. his exams are conceptual, so know how to use the formulas and youre good!

Andrew was an awesome prof. Would highly recommend

It was an absolute pleasure to take a course with Andrew. Such an amazing professor from a teaching standpoint and as a person too.Obviously physics is difficult but his lectures are engaging and he does a great job at explaining with zero judgement. Incredibly smart and easily one of the best profs at SFU. Someone come give this man a raise fr

Dr. DeBenedictis is very helpful outside of class time. I enjoyed learning the content taught in PHYS 102. However, make sure you are constantly reviewing the material and doing the practice quizzes, as they make up a significant portion of your grade. I would recommend having this professor for your 100-level physics courses.

I love Professor Debenedictis. His lectures are so funny and his tests are very fair as well as his special grading system. I received the mark I deserved. Thank you, Professor! The questions at the end of the term get harder as electricity and magnetism are much harder than light and waves. So make sure to attend the midterm!

Hands down best prof I've had at SFU.

explains very well.. very friendly and understanding

THE BEST PROF EVER AT SFU! He does everything to make sure his students understand and succeed. Before this class, I basically didn't know even the simplest concepts of physics, but Andrew's lectures help you fully understand and really do well on tests! Exams are a direct reflection of lecture materials. Andrew is the ONLY prof for physics! Bless.

Dr. Debenedictis is truly a caring professor. His notes are really detailed and help students understand the littlest things in physics. He is incredibly kind to help me in his office hours. His tests are fair if you put in the hard work and he believes in each and every one of his students. I would definitely take another class with him!

Andrew is decent at teaching. He mostly yaps a lot in class and his notes are a bit messy (handwritten). His lectures are boring unless he has a class demo. The grading scheme he had was weird. His quizzes were also formatted in a weird way. either way, the guy is nice and his tests are pretty easy (especially the midterm)

awesome prof who has two different grading schemes depending on which one you do best. I had him for phys 100 and 101 and his slides are easy to understand! only achieve and written hw no pre-lec questions

One of the best physics profs at SFU. His lectures are engaging, and he explains concepts clearly. Make sure to attend class, review material, and use resources like unstuckstudy - it really helps with the conceptual exams.

On everyone's soul, he is the Goat. W prof, and W lectures. The notes had a lot of words but were useful.

Jebediah was the main highlight of this course. Reading his name in word problems made me lock in and get an A+.

Andrew is an amazing prof! He is very accommodating and clearly cares so much for the wellbeing of his students. There's tons of assignments but if you try your best, it really helps boost your grade given that there is only one midterm. His notes are easy to understand and he is very responsive in emails.

Andrew is super sweet and accommodating. his exams are very fair and his explanations are clear and helps you solidify your understanding for any concepts. everything is all conceptual/symbolic, only downside was there was no practice final exam. for exams, I only studied off of notes and still got good marks. would recommend!

His lecture notes are really good. Tests are fair and his explanations are very clear. There is weekly written and online homework .

Awesome professor, the best prof i've had so far at SFU

I'm not really confident in physics but I feel a lot better about the subject thanks to Andrew. His explanation and notes are good but are conceptual which can be good or bad. Overall recommend

Andrew is the perfect example of how a hard class can be made easy with a good professor. His pacing is great, he's very approachable, and he cares about his students. Exams are based on lecture examples more than homework questions, but question difficulty is about the same as what you go over in class. I hope I get one of Andrew's classes again.

One of the best professors ever. He is funny and his lectures are very engaging, lecture notes are amazing, he explains concepts very well, very friendly and approachable, tests are very fair and look almost identical to practice tests. Quizzes have a few tough questions.

Very engaging lectures, with weekly homework that adequately reflects the material taught.