Taken several of his classes, would take more if I hadn't taken them all. Freakin' hillarious!

I enjoy his class, but I find that his humor is somewhat immature and his lectures seem somewhat biased against Christianity. However, this might be my paranoia speaking. I find his marking to be fair and honest, yet brutal.

A really fair prof, though he's brutal. If you try, you'll do well. Well-organised lectures, I found. He knew what he was talking about.

Ben is a great teacher, I have taken a couple of his courses and would recommend him.... he marks fairly and explains all assignments and tests clearly... hes always available when helps needed & is understanding you arent comfortable with presentations & speaking in class.. he is hilarious & his classes are very interesting & informative. RECOMMEN

His lectures are quite boring and it is very hard to take good notes from them. His expectations for papers for a first year class are very steep. There are a lot of readings which contain an overwhelming amount of detail. The material is interesting but it's a headache to try and balance if you have a full course load.

Packs a lot of info into one class and it's hard to keep up with notes, but I guess that's true of all History classes. Fairly interesting, relatively fair marker but it is very annoying how we doesn't follow the textbook, it makes it difficult to read

He's great.

I took 2 classes with Mr. Nilson. He was so informed and passionate about the material. He was very funny. Very helpful and understanding. Although he was a hard marker, I learned so much and became more interested in the subject.

Ben's great, a little too detailed though. Funny prof, is a hard marker, but knows his stuff.

I hated history in highschool, but loved Ben's class! I am taking 119 next semester it was so good. He knows so much on the subject and is funny and enthusiastic. You must attend class and take detailed notes to do well. I found the textbook was useful but not neccessary, as I used wikipedia to supplement his notes when preparing for tests.

Highly knowledgabe, crams a lot into lectures but has outlines that make it easier to follow along. Hard yet fair marker and really pushes you to do your best. Very approachable, amazing prof. He has me hooked!

Medieval England class: I took it last semester and I really enjoyed Ben. He was really interesting,(BUT you have to love history) and he is very friendly. His assignments are really diff then most profs. He is there to help, DO NOT hesitate to ask questions he is really devoted to his students. Would love to take his class again :D

I really enjoyed Ben's Tudor England class this semester. He was always very helpful when I went to see him about papers, and seeing as this was my first upper level class as a second year I don't think I did badly. HOWEVER the reading quizzes were ridiculous! Even my fourth year friends thought so. Nice guy, super high expectations.

I really liked his class. He slaughtered me on the paper and mid-term, but was just in doing so. If you work hard in his courses, which is not as hard as it seems because it is interesting subject matter, you will succeed. I won't have to encounter him until I take upper levels history, hopefully i'll be ready.

Nilson definetly knows what he is talking about, a very animated prof. Lectures are usually somewhat entertaining, not very structured though. He is so unclear on assignments an tests!!! He gives little direction and I found no matter how hard I tried I would get the same average mark. Proceed with caution

Ben is a really knowledgeable teacher and is very helpful outside of class. It's a class that requires a fair amount of work but is definitely possible to get at least a B if you put in some solid effort.

Easily the WORST prof I've had. His material was way too confusing, his explanations were super dry and hard to follow and he wanted extremely specific answers on his tests. He makes a first-year course as difficult as a PHD course. If I haven't been clear so far, STAY AWAY.

Although Nilson isn't the easiest professor, he is the best one I've had so far. He is extremely helpful and his lectures are very organized. He is a tough but FAIR marker and he leaves very detailed notes on how you can improve. He is extremely interesting and overall a grad prof.

Really really interesting. Totally sucked my in during his lectures with incredible detail and clarity. Tough yet fair marker, highly suggested for all History students.

Definitely the best History Prof at the University, and has great lectures. 10% of the class got 80% or higher...the way it should be at university. Marks hard, gives good feedback. His "Rome" game was by far the most enjoyable assignment I've done in my entire life. Well-outlined tests make an A possible(just take detailed notes and read the text)

This is the second class I've taken with Dr. Nilson and he is my favorite professor at the university. Don't fool yourself though, you will have to work hard to get a good grade! His expectations are high and his class averages are typically low but it is worth it. The class average for this class was 54% but if you work hard, you will succeed!

The class wasn't the way I thought it would be. I didn't read much of the material, and he rarely mentioned that we should read it. He posts the questions that will be on the exams ahead of time. Take notes, they help. Not the most interesting course, some what hard to follow

Excellent professor. Perhaps one of the most difficult that I've had, but I always learn a ton in all his classes, and he's a fantastic lecturer. Take detailed notes and study them in detail for the exams. He's fair and it's possible to achieve a very high grade in his course, just not easy.

Ben's lectures are some of the most interesting ones that I have ever attended. He is super helpful and if you take good notes in class you will not have to read the txt book. However he marks extremely hard, but very fair.

Good prof with only a few odd quircks, includes interesting side info that keeps the class engaging

Content of his lectures were sometimes dry but he always had jokes to keep you engaged. Not a hard marker but to get a good grade you have to put effort into your work. Always gave helpful comments on how to improve. Textbook is useless, just take notes. He gives a list of all possible essay questions for the final in advance. His Rome was game fun

Very knowledgeable, very passionate, Ben is also a fantastic person. His lectures are interesting and he has a lot to say about medieval Europe, particularly on Britain, his specialty. His tests were fair and straightforward, no surprises.

Dr Nilson is my favourite professor. His lectures are engaging, fun, hilarious. I enjoy class. Textbook is not necessary, I did good without it. His games in class are awesome. a study guide with all terms and concepts is provided for final. Finals are easy if you studied. He makes the material interesting and that helps you remember it. Recommend

I really liked Ben's class and his lectures were always very interesting, engaging, and easy to follow. The assignments are kind of meh, and I found them to be a lot of work, but that's to be expected from an upper-level history course. He's also super nice and approachable, so don't be afraid to ask for help.

Ben is my favourite professor by far. I'm a history major and have taken all of his courses available to me so far. His lectures are fun and he is extremely knowledgeable of the content. His upper level courses are more challenging but worth it. Getting an A isn't easy in his courses, but as long as you do the work properly you should be okay.

Ben is a super friendly guy. His lectures are so engaging, and he keeps the class moving at a decent pace. Prepare to take lots of notes! Ben is a really tough marker, and makes you work hard in his class to get above a B-

I loved his class even though I don't normally have an interest in history. My problem was that the lectures were kind of confusing sometimes because it's just him talking and spouting random facts. But the outlines he gives are very useful. Assignments are clear and relatively easy. Having no midterms and just a final was pretty stressful though.

Ben's classes are not easy, that being said, he is my favorite history prof. at UBCO. He is fair in the way he grades, and gives a great lecture. Show up and take notes, or you will have a bad time. Use the outline as a tool to keep track of whats important, but do not rely on it.

Definitely the best history prof at UBCO. He is funny, friendly, and very knowledgeable. He just stands there and talks, which can be boring for some people, but I found him interesting to listen to. Gives great feedback on assignments. Lots of reading and quizzes, but they are pretty easy. No final, just papers. Overall great, would recommend!

I would definitely take Professor Nilson again. He really knows his materials, he is awesome at teaching the material and making it nice and clear. I appreciated his style of marking even though it was hard. The feedback really taught me a lot. Would really recommend for anyone just starting off going into History

Ben's course is pretty much all lectures as you would expect for history. He is very knowledgeable and can answer any question you have. He has a few assignments that you might have to redo, but it only helps you learn. Very interesting course if you like ancient history.

Ben was great. His lectures were awesome! He as great at making history understandable to a young audience. His assignments were king of useless for this class, but if you know how to use Chicago Style formatting, you should be fine. Some people love him, others hate him. I think that if you enjoy history, and you put in the of work, youll do fine

If you enjoy medieval history this is a great class if you do not, would not recommend. Ben has a really interesting game he plays in this class that is worth marks that makes his class worth it. His grading is not easy and he makes you work for your mark, but you can resubmit most assignments which is super nice. Overall pretty solid prof.

Ben is one of the funniest and most interesting history professors at UBCO. He loves sharing funny anecdotes and random history facts which make his lectures really engaging. Students who regularly come to class and engage with him will do great. Sometimes his assignments could use more explanation but ask questions and do thorough research!!

This was my third time having Ben and he is a pretty good prof. If you want an easy A this is not a good option, but it is very interesting. His weekly quizzes are tricky. The paper and final were reasonable but time consuming. Ben is very knowledgeable and I enjoyed his lectures. If you like history of religion you'll like 201.

Ben is such a funny & sweet prof! He provides amazing feedback & I highly recommend 1st yrs to take is class as he helps you perfect fundamental uni writing skills (with the chance to resubmit assignments 3X). He was super accommodating during online learning and structured his course/deadlines so we were minimally stressed. 100% recommend!

Professor Nilson is the funniest and most dedicated professor I have ever gotten. He knows the material very well and can answer any question you have. His lectures takes the book to the next level, which adds to the experience of relieving history. He is very helpful with his feedback and is willing to give second chances.

Prof. Nilson is an amazing professor *if* you enjoy his style of teaching. Most of his classes involve a "game" at the end, which is relevant to the course content. However, this isn't something you'll want to do if you're afraid of public speaking. Also, it's worth noting that your grade is NOT based on your success in the game.

Dr. Nilson is a very good professor if you enjoy his style. Most lectures were just rundowns of the textbook (which he wrote and provided for free). Most classes end with a "game" which is graded based on participation/attendance. He is a very caring and understanding professor and is willing to give second chances on assignments.

In Professor Nilson's HIST 119 course, you are given one 500-word written assignment, one midterm exam, one 1500 word assignment, and a final exam. That's it. He is hilarious to listen to in class and is passionate about what he teaches. He also wrote the entire textbook and gives it to his students as a PDF for free!

This professor was the absolute best. Exams are tough (because they're 100% open book), but if you can use ctrl F fast enough in your notes, it all works out. Great class structure and super entertaining.

Dr. Nilson has a passion for history and has fun during lectures!!! There is usually no notes on screen and is heavily reliant on active listening. There are lots of difficult readings each week and the "textbook" is a weekly podcast so it kind of balances out! He often gets side tracked but it is always interesting and related to the material.