The grading and homework in this class is more confusing than the material. The structure was a mess and hopefully they change it. However, Brokk was a really understanding and nice guy and made the class much easier. He really enjoys what he does and he was probably the only tolerable thing about this course.

The class is really not bad. All the exams are 75:25 pyramid, even though he doesn't describe them that way. Exam average is a C with his scale. The homework counts for a lot and is fairly easy. If your team likes you they can give you a 1.14 multiplier at the end for all team grades. So an 80 become a 91.2 which is an A. Team stuff counts half

He's honestly a really smart man. Put in the time to figure out the Mastering Physics homework, and pay attention to his in class conceptual problems. They're huge on the tests. I'd definitely take him for 132 but i not think he's teaching until Spring '17. Good Luck and have faith in TBL

If you put in the time and effort to do the 5 homework assignments you will do well on the quizzes and if you ask questions in class you will do well on the exams. Yes the exam average is very low but THE CLASS IS SCALED SO MUCH. Anything above an 86 is an A. You also get a team multiplier at the end of the semester up to 1.1 I think, so 70x1.177%

I understand a lot of people don't like him because of his TBL structure and difficult exams, but it is pretty easy to get an A in class if you put in the effort. He is scales and is super duper nice!!

Professor Toggerson's rating on this website is beyond me. He is dynamic and integrated TBL perfectly with lecture in addition to being the most dedicated prof Ive had at UMass. He seriously wants everybody to do well and makes you appreciate physics and not pure math! He is the mad scientist that the whole class respects.

Brokk is the best teacher i have ever had. He has made physics my favorite class by far which is crazy because i HATED it in high school. He is so enthusiastic and friendly and you can tell he is passionate about his job. Show that you are interested in the class and your grade will reflect that. 11/10 amazing guy.

A lot of people on here are being unfair to Toggerson. Yeah, the class is hard as all heck but he understands he's teaching to non-physics majors and factors that into his grading and scaling. Plus every version of this class is hard, its hard subject material if youre not very math orientated. Again a lot of extra credit, plenty of time for hw.

Don't listen to the other pathetic comments made on here by others. Brokk's a real gem. He's an amazing lecturer and is always there willing to help students learn at his office hours, except only about 20/700 students ever show to his office hours so the people that right negatively towards Brokk are from the other 680 people in physics 132.

Toggerson really puts in the effort to help his students. I had him for both Physics 131 and 132 and it's clear that he really cares about teaching and inspiring his students. Physics is hard in general and Toggy always tries to work with the feedback of the class. Don't be scared by his rating, he is honestly the most caring professor I've met.

Brokk loves to make something not meant to be group work into group work, like say just sitting in a lecture hall. His methods are a little weird and the tests are sometimes nothing like class work, but the amount of extra credit hidden in this course is insane. Do the assignments and watch as your test average of 75 turns into 100.

I took his Phys 131&132. He is an amazing professor! Humorous, patient and unprejudiced. No attendance(you won't miss the class as long as you like physics cuz his class is literally interesting), great amount of extra credits (he shows the mercy every time). Office hour and TA tutoring center are provided every week. Strongly suggesting!

Brokk is such a good professor. He offers a lot of help and is very reasonable. The class has a large scale overall (still capable of getting a B if you do poorly on exams). Exams definitely require an understanding of material but he preps you fairly well with examples and LOTS of practice in class.

Toggerson is really amazing, he wants to get you learning and thinking differently than you have in high school and once you commit to his way, the class is 10x easier. There is a lot of homework, but there is 9 to 5, 4-day a week tutoring center of TA's that is ESSENTIAL to go to. Exams are tough, so do all the practice he gives.

I don't understand why he gets doubted a lot. Toggerson is the best physics professor. He wants you to learn and succeed. I hate Physics with a passion, but taking it with this professor is a must. I ended up receiving over 100 in the class. And to remind you, I hate Physics but if you put in the effort, you'll succeed. Recommend Toggerson 1000000%

Quirky but truly cares about his students and their success. A great class to take especially for those who need it for a gen-ed but didn't like or didnt do well in high school physics.

Dr. Toggerson is the best physics professor I've ever had. He acknowledges that the subject is hard to understand but is very clear in his lectures and is super accessible and helpful outside of class in office hours. The class is structured fairly and if you put a the work in, you might just not hate physics! :)

Great class and great teacher. Yes it's pretty difficult for most people, but Brokk presents it in a very interesting and engaging way. His class was the first time in my life I've actually enjoyed physics. However, the tests are very difficult. I would definitely recommend him over anyone else teaching physics 131/132.

While participation isn't mandatory, skipping the class will only hurt you. Make sure to actually try problems during class as it helps prepare you for the exams. There is a lot of homework, but TA's and Piazza can help a lot for ones you are stuck on. This semester he stopped doing in-class quizzes, but beware because it's easy to forget them.

Toggerson is a great professor. I absolutely hate physics but he makes you interested in the subject. If you follow his way of learning it will be easier. The exams are extremely difficult mostly because there are only a few questions to the exam. The class is scaled however and you will be pleasantly surprised about your grade.

Brokk is a pretty good teacher explains concepts well and wills people to participate during lecture. Tests are right about average and curve helps so an 89 or above is an A. Do the homework and don't skip class.

Dr. Toggerson is an amazing person. He cares so much about his students and actually makes class fun. If you have a good group, do your homework and study you'll be fine. The TBL style class is so nice for physics and he is great at teaching. I really recommend taking physics with him he's the best.

I've had Brokk for both Physics 131 & 132. To be honest, it took me over a semester to actually like him. However, he is super fair when it comes to student suggestions and you can tell that he actually cares about his students. The exams are heavily based on content from lectures, quizzes, and practice problems. Requires a lot of studying time.

Brokk is a good guy. I simply cannot understand these other reviews claiming he is a bad professor. Im no physics major but this class seems much easier than other higher related physics classes. You have to do the work for a good grade but its kinda easy.

I have never seen a professor who was so passionate about teaching a subject and his energy at 9am was appreciated. On the other hand, his exams are difficult in general (especially the final) but the way the course is graded makes it possible to get an A in the class without acing the exams. Do well on the labs, homework, and in-class quizzes.

One of my favorite professors at UMass. He was very accommodating and gave extra credit and also dropped quiz grades, since you will have one every day. If you do not go to his lectures you will not do well in the class. His grading was very fair and he cared a lot about both the students and the subject.

Very caring and gives extra credit. I do agree that although his tests are fair, they do require quite a bit of studying.

Brokk is a great teacher and made physics enjoyable. It is okay if you don't do the best on tests, you can still do well in the class overall. There is a good amount of group work and I would definitely attend the lectures and stay on track if you want to succeed.

Dr. T is a great professor and made this class enjoyable for me! I would recommend going to every lecture and lab to get the most out of this class! The exams are based on lectures and are not too bad if you put some effort into studying for them. He does give a lot of extra credit if you fill out the forms he asks you to!

Pros: extra credit, passionate about the course Cons: HW and labs are unrelated / won't help study, minimal exam guidance (particularly the final) Tips: Exams are based off of lecture content but never questions from class, google topics as you go (the organic chem tutor, Bozeman Science)

Dr. Togg is one of the best profs I've ever had. Synthesizes physics with other fields (bio, orgo, etc) to show us why our concepts matter. Excellent examples, extremely engaging and caring. Time literally flies in this class because he makes it so interesting. I'm awful at physics but he explained the concepts so well I got an A on our first exam.

I'm shocked at these reviews. Best professor I've had. HW is due before you learn it but all answers are in the FREE textbook. 3 points of extra credit to final grade & he's seriously passionate. Demos make concepts stick. Collab exams boost ur grade. He DOES answer Qs in class what?? & Test Qs are just not verbatim to classwork. Expect to LEARN.

He wants his students to succeed. His lectures are actually pretty interesting and he always makes them fun and engaging.

I'm here to address all the reviews that say his exams are unreasonable. His exams are perfectly reasonable. Do the practice test and the practice problems, and nothing on the exam will catch you off guard. Brokk gives great lectures and makes the material approachable. Don't be afraid of this class!

He’s not bad so far. The material is hard but he gives you enough practice to understand and a bunch of office hours to i attend. I just took his first exam and got an 87 which is an A- in his class. So far it’s not as bad as some of the comments make it out to be. Don’t use the homework to study is my best advice use the practice exam.

I have no idea what the deal is with the bad reviews. Brokk has been wonderful so far! His lectures are interesting and engaging and he makes sure to cater to his students' learning needs, especially with the recent mask mandate lift. While this is a TBL class, I decided to not be part of a team and I don't feel behind or anything.

Go to class, pay attention. Great lectures.

I am shocked by the bad reviews. Brokk is one of my favorite professors I've had at UMass so far. His grading scale is very generous where an A is an 89. 3 exams 15% each, homework & quizzes 10% , lab 20%, & team exams 15%. He is very passionate and makes physics fun and applicable to real life, I genuinely learned a lot.

You should always try to go to class! Ask questions and go to office hours if you don't understand something. He explains things pretty well. The practice exams are similar to the real exam, so you know what it will be like. Be expected to learn...it's not an easy topic! Dr. T wants you to succeed, so use the resources given and you will succeed.

Toggerson was, by far, the most caring professor of a gen ed I have met. He genuinely wants to see you succeed and if you give him your best, he will give you his best. Don't be afraid to go talk with him privately for help and advice.

Very funny quirky guy. I hate physics but he made it make sense for me. I can see how his teaching style wouldn't work for others--some people told me they like the more mathematical approach to physics. Toggerson tries to separate physics from math and visualize it from the perspective of a life scientist. Tests were hard but possible. Go to SIs.

Was SO nervous for this class but it is SO manageable. His office hours are the best and he really minimizes the material to what we need to know (really KIN focused). The class gets scaled so much that its possible to end with over a 100. Study slides and the "next time problems". If David is your SI, you are golden!! Don't cut corners you good.

Toggerson is one of the best professors I've had, he cares, makes his own textbook so you don't have to pay, and he is hilarious. One thing I would say is that he has a different teaching method. It's very group based, so if you have a good group you're good. Exams are not similar to practice exams, if you understand the topics you should be fine.

Great person that cares about his students. Lab part of the class is useless and boring. I don't understand the way he teaches but exams are very easy. Homework and quizzes have nothing to do with the exams. For people that say nothing is like the exam, that is a straight out lie. If you can do practice questions he posts, you can easily get an A.

TAKE THIS CLASS WITH BROKK!!! Brokk is an extremely funny, engaging, and caring professor with a unique approach to learning/teaching but it WORKS! You get to learn google sheets too which is very useful. Homework, exams, etc are all very reasonable. There are a lot of team-based activities in this course, but it can only work in your advantage.

Honestly, this class was not as hard as everyone says; the material is not too difficult. Brokk is extremely enthusiastic about physics, however he is not a good teacher. He claims to value suggestions but will not implement any constructive criticism. I did not enjoy the TBL style learning but working in groups is the only way to learn.

Very passionate about the subject, his explanations and examples made abstract topics easy to understand. Help is there if you need it. Little work outside class, exams and HW are super easy if you pay attention, read the textbook, and practice a little. l. Only problem was that the practice/homework often had errors he had to fix retroactively.

The exams are insanely hard and are only max 10 questions. HOWEVER, the scale in this class means an A is only 85% which helps a ton. He is funny and very eager to help students. He really wants you to understand and knows this subject is difficult. Homework is easy and you only have 4 quizzes.

great professor

He is very supportive and understanding. There's a lot of TBL, but the group work can really boost your grade. You'll do well on the exams as long as you review the lecture notes, homework, and practice problems. He also offers plenty of office hours, which is great!

He is rated poorly because teaching yourself stuff is hard and physics is hard. Course designed so that each unit connects back to biology/chemistry. There is basically infinite help and resources, you just have to put in work. He is funny and a great teacher but his personality is not for everyone. Exams are kinda evil (8-10 q) but 89% is an A.

Brokk is definitely a divisive lecturer. To be frank, the Intro Physics program at UMass s u c k s. Brokk however, is very passionate and engaging. I loved his in-class experiments/demonstrations. The tests are not easy and border on abstract. There is a lot he does to support those who struggle including generous grade scaling. (An 89 is an A)

Honestly, one of my favorite professors at UMass. He tries to learn as many names as he can even in a big lecture! Tips to do well: go to every class, read/skim the txtbook for the HW, prepare for inclass quizzes by reviewing the HW Q its based on, and do as many practice problems as you can (esp from practice exam) and go to physics help room! GL!

Really caring professor who, if you come prepared to class, will teach you everything you need to know.

The best physics professor I have had so far. Physics is tough to understand, and he made sure his students understood the concepts by doing many conceptual problems. However his style of teaching is not for all. I appreciate his lectures and his passion in helping students in the class very much. If you are a serious learner, you will like this

The grading is 45% for exams, there are 3. Each exam is 10-12 questions, so if you get one wrong, you're kinda screwed. The grading scale is generous (89 is an A). Attendance is required b/c he has quizzes you need a code for. He gives multiple +0.5 extra credit options over the semester. All physics courses suck but at least he is entertaining.

He is so enthusiastic about physics, I love him. Literally one of the most accessible professors, you can knock on his door anytime and he'll help you work through a problem. Once I actually listened to his advice and "stopped panicking, just start with the principle" I went from a 70 on the first exam to a 100 on the second exam. Great guy