3.1
Quality2.9
Difficulty64%
Would Retake88
Reviews64%
Would Retake
88
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
16
4
24
3
21
2
21
1
6
What Students Say
“Dan Baker is a cool guy”
CDAE002 - 3.0 rating“Dan is a super cool guy, really laid back but also very knowledgeable”
CDAE002 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
97%
Textbook Required
55%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.38 avg changeRatings by Course
CDEA002
5.0
(1)CDAEA
5.0
(1)CDAE2
4.0
(1)CDAE002
3.3
(82)CALS002
2.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
CDAE001
5.0
CDAEA
4.0
CDEA002
3.0
002
3.0
CDAE002
2.9
Reviews (88)
Dan is the best professor i have ever had. You will learn alot in his class and love every minute of it.
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dan is nice, although sometimes he gets caught up in his own word making his classes hard. hes anal about papers and expects more from us than he gives in his own lectures. hes young though and has greatl potential for the future. nice man who is trying to make a diferrence and i beleive will someday
Definitly interested in what he teaches. Make sure you study hard for the exams, he's very specific on the questions. TA's grade everything, so it's a little unfair, but overall an interesting class.
He is so passionate that it engages you. He made me realize what I want to do as a career.
Dan has a habit of showing up to class late. His tests are pure memorization. He over simplifies the material and the class is way to big for any type of discussion.
He's extremely enthusiastic about his topic, and actively engages in it when he's not teaching, which is great for making his students more interested. The tests are all fill in the blank, so you need to have stuff memorized at least for a little while, but all the powerpoints are put up on the web, so everything is right there to study from.
dan is usually somewhat late to class. the TA's do everything. tests are hard and far too specific. make sure u study ur notes. class is too big and he does not make himself readily available.
Hesss pretty cute.. also very engaging and has made me realize what career direction I want to take
not very informed about subject matter. Didn't learn much from the class and found tests illogical and frustrating. Also, grades assignments very hard for the amount of time they are discussed.
awesome teacher
Very interesting class. Baker sure knows what he is talking about but sometimes he seems very full of himself. TAs do all the work for this class, Dan merely lectures about the material he has come to remember off the top of his head. 3 Tests including the final also graded by TAs. Mult choice, short answer. All powerpoint which are online too.
i despise this class. he has 5 TA's which is absurd and every one of them are terrible. He doesn't grade any of your work, only his TA's do. He is very, very full of himself and makes it difficult to pay attention. Not only do his TA's grade your test, but they each grade a different question which is ridiculous.DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASSES.
Dan Baker is a teacher who is truly passionate about what he teaches. His class can be challenging but is more than worthwhile
TERRIBLE
Pointless class. Dan just talks about what he's done and what he thinks is important in the world. Lots of reading, very specific questions in the exams. TA's do everything.
Dan Baker isnt a bad teacher... lectures are informative and if you are having trouble and want to talk to him he is very helpful...its the millions (well only 5 but still...) of TAs that he has grade your exams, homework and run the reveiw sections... they are extremely arrogant and rude (mainly just the girls though). OK class on the whole though
Very arrogant. Constantly brags about his work in honduras.
Dan is very passionate about this subject. Tests are difficult and graded by arrogant TAs. Class itself is the most interesting one I've taken, made me want to minor in CID. Go to class, take notes, study power points, do the readings, and you'll do well. Don't expect to study for 45 minutes and get an A on exams. A class worth taking.
dan baker is an unbelievably conceited fool who will teach you nothing but the depth of his own self obsession. he is not an engaging professor in the least, and gives himself undeserved credit for his very marginally effective development work. he is not well read, and often seems clueless and amateuer in his field. his professorship makes me sad.
Dan is VERY arrogant, and obviously doesn't want to be teaching a class full of freshmen. You are essentially not allowed to contact him because he will just redirect you to his also arrogant, ruthless TA's. They make this class much harder than it needs to be and essentially make everybody's lives as difficult as possible. DON'T take this class.
Dan's a great guy. As an econ major I can say this supplemented my knowledge of econ in a very positive way. Not a hard class--attend, keep up w/ readings, study a bit,you're fine. He is very knowledgable, textbook has interesting stuff. Take this course it's not bad those guys below probably didn't put in any effort and expected it to be easy.
A little upcessed with Honduras.
Dan Baker is a lecturer, NOT a professor. He is late EVERY single day - between 5-9 minutes. When multiplied out through the semester, he misses about 5 full classed. Can I have my money back for that wasted time UVM? He thinks that he is clean when explaining assignments, but is far from it. Cool class, bad instruction!
Late EVERY DAY between 5-8 minutes. If he misses 5 minutes a day, every day of the semester (15 weeks) and we have 3 classes a week, he is wasting 4.5 class periods of my time by having to wait for him, which translates to about $100 of my money wasted for his conceited self to run into the room...I'll take cash or check.
Dan is a nice guy. He is really proud of his work in Honduras. Everything is graded by the TA's and the tests are graded very specifically so answer everything in FULL DETAIL! A really big lecture and kind of boring...
Honduras. That sums the class up. As everyone has said, late every day, and seems highly unorganized at times. Lectures purely from the powerpoints, targets students, and is very arrogant about his work in foreign countries. TA's work very hard, but are picky with test responses. Easy class. Honduras. Can't emphasize Honduras enough...
Unless you are an economics major calculating costs and benefits and what a couple minutes lost in the morning means to the dollar, it's really not that bad. He plays music that is relevant to the course matter at the beginning of each class (i.e. franti).Really general, but helps keep big issues on your mind. When he says star something, star it!
shows little interest in students work, wrapped up in his own life. impossible to communicate with.
Late Everyday, every single one, also likes to hear himself talk, very arrogant, dosn't listen to the students, will not except emails, and as far as I can tell, dose nothing at all, the ruthless TA's do all of the work. the class is very interesting, but I hated it because of him, I HATE arrogance.
lots of work but very doable work. what do you expect in a class of over 200? 002 should be taught in a smaller setting. You will always do good in his class if you are attending and keep up on the work at least minimally...none of his classes are that difficult I should know I've taken 3 of them
Very good professor and person, late to class often, tests include a lot of material and not enough time to finish, very interesting class and topic.
Good guy at heart... but AWFUL lecturer. 002 is too big. Arbitrary tests focusing on the specific details he taught you- which I have often found to be wrong. Lots of outside reading and boring class...
This Jeckle and Hyde has an off campus personality fit for a case study in an abnormal psych text.
Amazing professor... Despite other comments I find that his lecture is really very interesting, the way he engages himself shows how much he really loves what he is doing. The class is big, but if you can get to know him do it because he really is an incredible guy and he WILL help you out if you screw up! Very interesting topics.
I really like him. A great professor!
You'll get out of this class what you put into it- definitely an eye opening class. Dan is a good guy and a good professor. Course material is interesting. Don't expect an easy A though. Also if you're in CDAE try to get a different advisor- NEVER responds to emails.
If I wanted to learn about Honduras I would have taken The History of Honduras. He is so self absorbed about his own interests. He is late everyday and makes his TA's do everything. Head TA isn't very nice either
He is so self absorbed! i still have no idea what that class was about... he jumps all over the place from food shortages to rwanda to population growth to the econom, it makes no sense. Its a really easy class if you can stand sitting and listening to him tell you he thinks is wrong with the world. The TAs do everything
Like otherwise stated, very self absorbed. Rude to students and TAs, but the class is interesting. Get past his disrespect to his students and the you'll value what you learned
Really interesting class - Dan is very knowledgeable about the topic and I learned a lot. Inspired me to minor in CDAE. However, he can be rude to students and I don't really agree with the mandatory attendance thing.. overall though, fairly easy class and super interesting. I recommend it.
Fantastic, enthusiastic lecturer. One of my favourites at UVM. Very inspirational!
TERRIBLE teacher. Content could be interesting if he knew what he was talking about and didn't focus 70% of his energy on calling students out for showing up late or using a lap top. Not to mention he himself shows up late for EVERY single class. He doesn't speak clearly, is arrogant, and very rude. I have no respect for him-DONT take his class
This class was the best I've ever taken at UVM! I would recommend everyone taking it!! The first half is kind of random but the second half is really relevent/interesting. This is the most interesting/coolest class that makes me feel like I'm prepared for life! <3
Dan is the man!! He is incredibly knowledgeable, talks about interesting and relevant information everyday. I could not recommend this class more and I think everyone at UVM should take it! BEST CLASS I'VE TAKEN AT UVM!!!
Go to class. He takes daily attendance in the big lectures. He is a little unorganized with how the class is delivered but knows a lot about what he is talking about. I didn't really study for the exams and got away with a B. Also don't bring your cell phone to class. He will call you out for it in the big lecture.
Knows what he's talking about but is very arrogant while explaining things. Spends too much time bragging about what he's done and yelling at students who are sleeping/talking, etc. Subject matter was interesting, once class actually started (typically 10 minutes late). Easy class, but not that enjoyable.
The class would have been better if it was smaller and Dan did more interaction with students
Taking 002 with Dan was THE reason that I switched my major to CID. He is extremely engaging and welcomes students' questions and input. He is very knowledgeable about subject matter and can apply many project development theories to real world examples. Definitely recommend 002. He's also my advisor and is genuinely concerned about my well being.
One of the easiest classes I've taken at this school. Students know exactly what to expect for the exams because he emphasizing certain points heavily during lecture and even says 10 times 'this is important!'. Would be better if Dan didnt have to spend half the class teaching students how to be in college (i.e. no texting/sleeping in class).
This class is very easy. Professor Baker is also very nice and helpful. This is an introductory class so it is not hard to pass with an A if you attend class.
This guy is OBSESSED with Honduras... I went to class only because he took attendance. I just sat there and filled an entire 100 page notebook full of doodles and pulled out an A+. The powerpoints are all online. He's so annoying, but the class is a cakewalk.
Nothing much to say, hard tests on material that is impossible to memorize all of it.
If you are interested in the topics, then this class can be good, but it is a requirement for all CDAE majors and Dan doesn't understand that and thinks everyone is as engaged as he is. He doesn't explain the core material at all, making tests nearly impossible to study for due to all the information he spews.
Dan was very passionate about what he was teaching. I really enjoyed his lectures and I found the information he presented to be very interesting and useful. He is strict and doesn't take any BS- if you're caught using your phone, he will call you out. He's not very helpful and basically unavailable, never answers emails.
Dan is a really nice guy and super helpful if you reach out. The TAs are equally as helpful. The lectures are a little boring but that's what makes up 90% of the exams so go to class. Good amount of extra credit. If you get a poor grade it's your fault.
Go to all review session before the exams ,it definitely help. Keep studying , there are tons of stuff to remember for the exams.
The first two months of the class was so boring ,but it got better after the first mid-term. I got 46 for the first mid term because i had no idea how to study, and i found out the best way to study for this class is to pay attention of what he said in class and go to all review session. i got 90 and 89 for the rest of the exam.
Horrible excuse for a professor. I felt like I was in Kindergarten with him. We reviewed the syllabus for 4 full classes. Much more interested in bragging about personal achievements than teaching. The material could be interesting in someone else's hands, but it was deadly with him. Absolutely avoid his classes at all costs.
It's an introductory class. If you study his slides you will do well, if you don't study you will suck. Put in a little work and get an A. He's a very knowledgable prof. just don't expect an Easy A.
My favorite class of the semester. Supper interesting and relevant! We used newspapers and online articles for readings.
Ok here is how you do well in this class. 1) Go to most classes and if you can't make it give a friend your iclicker (always check in). 2) Do well on the essay (usually 1 or 2), it is short, just be concise and properly cite using APA. 3) Use slideshows and review sessions for exams. 4) Do the extra credit. It's not that hard.
Dan Baker is a cool guy. As a professor?BORING. His lectures are long, & you will be trying to learn many different topics in a short amount of time & its hard to keep up . He spends a lot of time rambling on about his projects but I DO see his overall goal. If you take notes, read his 1,000 page articles,& attend TA sessions, you'll be fine!
Dan is a super cool guy, really laid back but also very knowledgeable. I have learned soooo much this semester and have been able to apply it to nearly all of my other classes (not to mention makes ya seem smart at Thanksgiving dinner). It's definitely tough, but don't skip class, study like crazy, and do the extra credit, and you'll do just fine.
This class is definitely a survey class. You cover a bunch of different topics throughout the course of the semester. The power points are all posted online after the lecture-hosever that doesn't mean you can skip whenever you feel like it. There are pop quizzes based on the reading that is posted online. If you put in the effort you will do well.
I loved taking 002 with Dan! He's a really cool guy and has done a lot within this topic, so he really knows what he's talking about. The TA's grade most of what you do, and the class itself is pretty concept-based, but if you take notes during the lectures and care enough, you will get at least a B no problem. Would definitely recommend.
Dan is a wonderful professor! He is passionate about everything he teaches and has so many personal experiences and stories that add a lot to the class. He has clear expectations when it comes to assignments, exams and essays, and he makes you work for that A. Work hard, study hard, participate and be engaged, and you'll do fine.
Assigns a lot of work that isn't really used very much in class, but some will show up on tests or in class during pop quizzes. Knows so much about development, current issues, and sustainability. Very good professor, strict with technology, but laid back for the most part. Engaging even in a huge lecture hall.
Dan is very chill. Kind of too chill? He doesn't collect on readings so be ready to police yourself and make sure you do them. They DO come up on tests. And so do his anecdotes. Go to the review sessions, go to class, do the readings- you'll be fine. Also make sure to memorize any diagrams. Forewarning: Dan's kinda a hippy. Loves kale way too much.
Though he is enthusiastic about his subject, his lectures where boring and sometimes dry. You spend the first month talking about critical thinking and potatoes. The tests where fair and easy if you went to class and the review sessions.
Dan is a super enthusiastic professor. This course can be dry but its an introductory level class with 200 kids and Dan still manages to make people laugh throughout the whole lecture. Outside of the tests, there was literally one essay to write, so do the readings and actually focus on the material and there's no way you won't pass with an A.
If this is your area of interest I'm sure you'll like this class. If not, its pretty dull at times. First half of the class was focused on the most basic concepts of critical thinking (yawn). There's no avoiding it as he takes attendance every class. On a positive note, second half was much more interesting and Dan offers A LOT of extra credit opps
Dan Baker is clearly intelligent and passionate about the class but would write essays on his powerpoints and talk / assign readings about things not relevant to the exams. They were generally interesting subjects but after listening to him talk about potatoes for a full hour, I was done. He's a nice enough guy and a straightforward class.
Dan is a lovely human being. He clearly cares about his students. First half of 002 can be a little dry but it gets really interested and much better as the class goes on. Solid course to take as a D2.
Dan seems like a really nice guy who really cares about what he teaches. A few times students would get emotional/ really passionate about what was being discussed in class and he handled those disruptions very well. His class is pretty dry at times but tests were very easy if you went to the TA review session beforehand. Homework was minimal.
Dan Baker is so passionate about what he teaches, and it makes the class so fun to attend. I will say that you have to attend class to pass. He uses PPT for lectures, but most of the important stuff is what he says. There is homework- just readings- that are tested with iClicker quizzes during class. If you pay attention, it's an easy A.
Mediocre professor who doesn't really command the attention of everyone in the room. Really passionate dude who can be funny at times, but rarely acknowledges how problematic "development" is at its core. He avoids conflict and disagreements like the plague.
Dan's class was extremely confusing in the beginning. Waited 3 classes to introduce us to the syllabus, had no idea what class was about until about week 3 or 4, and even then still didn't have a good idea. Goes on tangents, PowerPoints are hard to follow. Overall just confusing class taught in a confusing way. All homework is reading, its a ton
For starters, it's very obvious that he's super passionate about this class. However, it's really just a mess. After taking the class and passing I still don't really know what we were supposed to be learning.
This course was perhaps one of the weirdest I have ever taken. I took it to fulfill D2 & SU requirements. It is very lecture heavy. Attendance is taken with iClickers. Dan seems like a very nice gentleman, but I am probably biased against this course because of the fact that I didn't really want to take it in the first place.
The class over all is not done well, nor does it make sense. To add to that he is not a nice person, and his TA's who are suppose to know the material fairly well, clearly do not. Do not take this course, he's not a fun professor, and expects a lot for someone who didn't go to good schools. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
While the semester is ending and I'm still not really sure what the course is about, this class still taught me a lot mostly relevant information to my major and life too. All the assignments made sense and the tests were mostly reasonable (you rly need to do the readings). Topics are all over the place but interesting.
I'm not sure if this class was just boring because it was online, or whether Dan's just not that engaging. The content material is interesting, and Dan is a passionate educator, but I have to watch his lectures on 2x speed to stay attentive. I wish he would focus on systems more than the excruciating details of potatoes and guinea pig farming.
This class was so boring. I was super hyped to take it, but I was just bombarded with the same info about critical thinking over and over, with some other random tangents thrown it. I don't really know what I was supposed to learn in this class... there was no structure at all. And lots of tech troubles on Dan's part.
This class is quite lecture heavy and jumps around a lot; however, I really like Dan as a professor. I can tell he cares a lot about his students and overall seems like a super nice guy. Lectures were a bit dull but remote learning has that effect. The class ran surprisingly smoothly considering how large it is and was generally well organized.
Dan was really fun/funny and was obviously passionate about what he taught! The class itself was always long lectures which made it easy to get distracted and bored. There is lots of reading before classes and always quizzes on the reading. The essays/homework we do outside of class teaches you a lot and really makes you think. Overall a good pick!
Dan seemed like a pretty personable guy for the most part but I found his lectures pretty dry and unorganized, going on random tangents quite often. The material itself seemed super interesting but it wasn't made engaging, at least for me, so the excitement for what I was learning fell flat.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
97%
Textbook Required
55%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.38 avg changeRatings by Course
CDEA002
5.0
(1)CDAEA
5.0
(1)CDAE2
4.0
(1)CDAE002
3.3
(82)CALS002
2.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
CDAE001
5.0
CDAEA
4.0
CDEA002
3.0
002
3.0
CDAE002
2.9