2.7
Quality3.2
Difficulty30%
Would Retake109
Reviews30%
Would Retake
109
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
21
4
19
3
19
2
17
1
33
What Students Say
“HW is masteringphysics (which we all know and hate)”
PHYS431 - 1.0 rating“the homework are waaay to long and complex to understand”
ASTR300 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
41%
Textbook Required
38%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.23 avg changeRatings by Course
ASTRO11
5.0
(1)300
4.0
(2)ASTRO1
4.0
(1)ASTRO301
4.0
(1)COS126ECON238
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
MATH112CA
5.0
ASTR400
4.3
PHYS410
4.0
ASTR300ASTR400
4.0
COS126ECON238
4.0
Reviews (109)
He's a nice guy but he goes way too fast during lecture and never really makes sense....It's better to take the lecture part of this class online compared too his version...GOOD LUCK!
Loves what he teaches, understanding. extra credit was to go to observatory (aprox 45 min away). powerpt lectures, short answer quiz, multiple choice final. Only thing that bothered me is he paces back and forth btwn computer and screen when lecturing. Lectures slightly boring, but he tries to make it interesting..best to read text b4 coming in. :)
Mr. Hale is an awesome teacher! For the first week or two I was like this class is going to suck because I wasn't interested in Astronomy, but he makes it interesting. He also gives you everything you need to get an A. There is no reason not to pass because he drops your lowest scores on hw, quizzes, and tests...more if you do the extra credit.
This class is so bad!! The teacher goes way too fast and never covers enough for the tests. Also there is a ton of math!!! Do Not Take!!!
This teacher knows his stuff. He loves what he does and and he is funny. He doesn't take role. He lectures direct from book and quizzes and tests are easy if you study the chapters. Lots of extra credit. I would recommend his class, but make sure you know algebra, at least a little.
Proff. Hale is an awesome teacher. Hes funny and knows what hes teaching very well. Brings outside material to the learning enviroment.
Very fun teacher. More math than I though, but manageable if you try hard. Lots of extra credit. Lets you drop lowest homework, test and quiz. Sometimes more if you do the extra credit. Highly recommend for astronomy
Very cool teacher. Relies heavily on the text book, but still knows his subject from front to back. I would highly recommend him.
This guy is cool. Tests are open notes, drops lowest test score and lowest quiz score. Gives opp for extra credit. Interesting subject. I would recommend him for sure
Great teacher but still a tough class none the less. I learned alot and enjoyed all the matieral we covered
Go over powerpoints that stay in line with the book. Tests and quizzes challenging. Some trigonometry on every test except one. Easy project. Just read the book and you'll do fine.
D hale is a great teacher. Very funny and sweet. Doesn't pick on people and his class is pretty fun! Attendance is def low key, but you'll end up wanting to go! :)
Very intelligent man, although not a great teacher. Used to be a dentist, retired and went back to school and teaches astro so he's pretty smart, not so great at teaching a subject that is pretty complex. Hard class, you need a book.
The math is only moderate for the first half, for a class with no algebra pre-req, so if your not a moron u should be fine. Hes very funny, down to earth, and understanding. U could easily get an A if you just read his power-points on the chapters which he gives u before every quiz. And don't believe he used to be a dentist that was Pro. Wood.
Terrible teacher. Poor communication, does not answer questions fully. blows through material COMPLETELY in theory. nearly no actual examples or advise on problem recognition. Excellent at doing physics but poor at teaching. More interested in astronomy than physics. Fair tests, allows corrections for 1/2 credit. Book is useless as well.
He's a good teacher of the concepts of astronomy, but utterly horrible with the math. "Here's the formula, here's what the letters may mean, and it might be on the test. Next topic!"
Easy class, attendance not mandatory, do all the projects and you'll pass. he grades very easily and is flexible
FUN CLASS..
Most unhelpful teacher I've ever had doesn't help students that need it like I did doesn't thoroughly Explain the use of the equations his test are 5 questions so if you miss one you basically failed it. Doesn't seem to care about his students just the subject
He is a funny professor and the topics are interesting. Not very clear on assignment dates, you have to figure that out yourself. The tests and quizes are okay if you study the notes/book beforehand. Don't procrastinate in this class! If you have a question, just ask. He'll help you. He doesn't explain the math problems very well in this course.
Professor Hale is really a cool guy... However that doesn't mean he is the greatest professor. His class is usually really long and boring, but his speaking is 1 million miles a minute making it unclear what he's teaching exactly.
Prof Hale was really easy, I barely used the book, just the powerpoints he had, but I would recommend reading the books as he goes, it would help more. He has quizzes every week, but they are only 5 Q's each, and you can use a whole page of notes as a cheat sheet on the midterm and final. Overall, he was a really awesome teacher, & would recom him.
Professor Hale is a nice guy and easy to talk to. However, as an instructor he is terrible. His lectures are a summary of the text book. He rarely gives examples and when he does they are in the text book. When you ask questions he doesn't fully answer them. Essentially you have to teach yourself the material using your text book.
Insanely easy class. This had to been one of the easiest classes I have taken in my college career. As long as you can teach your self the basic material an A is practically guaranteed. Does he know the material well? Even if you're only just a slight self motivated student he's the guy to take. Super nice and laid back too.
Super chill guy, not the best professor but he's so easy. Very interesting class, he's just not very clear on due dates and often cancels class without notice. Easy A for sure, he grades extremely lightly. Just do the projects and SHOW UP FOR THE DEBATES they are each worth 100 points for attending.
For physics, the material is difficult. The lectures are straight out of the book, and the tests are forgiving. You get out of the class whatever you put in. He is very approachable and knowledgeable, but doesn't really hand hold through lectures, as the material takes your own time to learn it thoroughly.
Super cool guy. Gives good lectures, answers questions, gives reasonable amount of homework. Quizzes are online, he seems genuinely interested in what he teaches and is very good at speaking to a class. Tells good jokes.
I loved this class! Mr. Hale was so nice and cracked jokes. His class was a cake walk! He could not care less what you do or if you show up! He made his lectures so intriguing. And often let us out very early! He send emails often to remind everyone of assignments. HW was all online so it was easy! I strongly recommend this teacher for sure!
I wouldn't take this class he is a horrible teacher. He doesn't teach really and doesn't seem to care because he goes to fast through notes. He is not worth it I would take astronomy with another teacher
His homework and quizzes are very straight forward. His midterm and final are pretty difficult though. I got an 88% on the midterm and a 76% on the final. He allows a sheet of notes though. There is a presentation and a debate but they are pretty easy to get A's on. He also offers extra credit and I did not struggle to get an A.
Really really cool guy, you can tell he knows his stuff but he's a terrible teacher. Read the book, you don't really need to show up to lecture because he doesn't really explain anything in a way that's understandable. HW is masteringphysics (which we all know and hate). On the upside he gives a lot of EC on exams, and grades EXTREMELY leniently.
Great professor, his lecture style is extremely fast and packed full of information, attendance is optional (he doesn't take roll after the first week), lots of homework but it is all online, one big group project (don't worry about it, it's 15% of your grade but not very hard) and make sure you show up for debates. Fantastic professor overall.
Hale is awesome, really chill guy. His lectures are a bit confusing and he just sums up the textbook but he does know this stuff well. Tests and quiz questions are ALL exact questions from the book. Lets you correct exams for extra credit. Labs are a joke. I finished with almost a 100% in the class, easy A. Take him.
I highly recommend Hale's Astronomy lecture and lab classes. The hardest part about the class is just remembering to do the online homework that takes like 30 minutes a week to do. Quizzes are quick and easy and the midterm and final are almost word for word the quiz questions. Very interesting, fun, and easy classes.
This class is mostly lectures. We had pretty long homework assignments every week as well as a quiz. Tests are pretty much the quiz questions so make sure you review them! DO the work, pay attention, and you'll do fine.
He is great! He is super funny and makes boring lectures on astronomy enjoyable for a non-astro major. He is a really fair grader which is good because there are two major group projects. Down side: a ton of homework!!!! Every. Week. And quizzes. The tests were hard because of the essays, you have to understand the complex processes.
Hale is a great guy. the homework are waaay to long and complex to understand. he barely goes over the math portion that is on the exams. I felt like it could have been better if he cut down the homework and explained it more in person.
His lectures are very interesting and he's very engaging with his students, constantly making nerdy jokes and references. Besides short chapter quizzes, he only gives a midterm and a final but they are both very difficult.
I have taken many online classes and his was by far the worst. He is very unclear about certain aspects and then when you mistake them he gives zero leeway. A vast majority of our class missed a project deadline because it was unclear in the instructions and syllabus. This is just one example of my frustrations.
LOVE LOVE LOVE Prof HALE!! He made a difficult subject comprehensible. I sucked at Math and although he could stick it to you with the Math he doesnt. Super fair grading. Fun group project for major points. Lectures are interesting and fun. Doesnt drill on minor detail and is clear on what hes looking for with tests. Would take again anyday!!!
Really cool and chill teacher. He's a funny and relatable too. It's easy to get some credit on an exam problems if you're bad at it, but it's hard to get full credit. Invest in making an awesome cheat sheet that he allows for the exams. Lectures are not necessarily helpful, but the book is pretty useful. First things first, get the solutions manual
You have to make the most of the class. Easy to get a good grade since labs are a joke and test can be made up for half credit. Most people get As but makes you question if you really learned anything. Overall decent. The final was hard though.
Wasn't specific on due dates. So if you don't know when is something due, ask. If not, you will get a 0. Lots of homework. Takes a lot of time for homework and quizzes. Grading is by points, every POINTS matter. Would never take him again. A lot of homework for very little points.
Worst class experience! Hale isn't responsive to most e-mails, and the responses he does give lack clarity. Hale doesn't introduce projects or homework, he expects students to just go off the syllabus with no extra instruction. He has made mistakes on over 3 of my grades and I've had to hound on him to correct them. Everything's an uphill battle.
Easy class for the summer. Weekly discussions and quizzes. Does use masteringastronomy so if you're on a budget, you might want to look elsewhere. Interactive class even though its online. There is a group project but full credit is given for meeting minimum requirements.
He's a pretty solid teacher. I personally had some trouble with the lectures as they got pretty boring and hard to follow. He made simple concepts more complex. He means well for sure though and is a pretty good dude. If you talk to him about your grade he will likely help you out. Offers extra credit corrections on tests which is cool.
I took professor Hale's lab class at Sierra. He is a very chill and personable guy. If you show up you will pass. Was a 3 hour class and got out within an hour and a half every week. I honestly don't think he reads the answers cause we got 100% on every assignment. Only a midterm and final which are open internet and you can work with classmates.
hard professor. gives the hardest tests
hard professor, you will learn nothing in this class. take the class at ARC, they have the best physics teachers. his lectures are really boring and hard test. he doesnt prepare you for engineering.
labs are useless and this teacher is the worst. take him only as a last option.
He was an OK Professor, I loved the way that he handled the online Discussion posts, but for the homework and Quizzes portion, he leaves it vague, and had to chase him multiple times by email. He responds to email rather quickly, but then answers with only a couple of words, sometimes making me rewrite my question to be more specific.
I took online astronomy with Professor Hale and he was amazing!! Class was super easy and simple. Just put in effort. There's one quiz and one homework assignment with 2 discussion posts each week.
Professor Hale is a nice guy. He gives hard tests but lets us correct them If you don't do well on them. Grades labs leniently. All questions on his tests/quizzes come straight from the textbook. Do the homework, and you should do fine. But remember, copying from someone else doesn't "teach you a thing", so obviously don't do that.
Hale doesn't make things very clear. He speaks too quickly and unintelligibly at times that you can't understand what he's said, and even if you can understand what he's saying, he doesn't explain things very well. Unless you're a science genius, I wouldn't recommend this class. I've hardly learned anything despite attending every lecture.
Doesn't even take attendance and 90% of classes are the lectures on chapters which are on his website. Lots of homework/quizzes online and one group project. He's not very clear with instructions and won't remind you to do your homework so be on top of it yourself.
This class was super easy. He goes through slides really quick so I never took notes, his powerpoint are online. no pop quizzes. online homework and quizzes for every chapter both really easy. one group project, one group debate, two observations and extra credit. you use notes for midterm and final. class is always out early.
One of the best Proffesors there are: He grades fairly and it is not a hard criteria, and he is always responsive to emails. He typically gets back to your questions within an hour, and Discussion are necessary but easy. Do the Homework as it is the same, or nearly same, for the quizzes. The Midterm and Final were both Open Book, with 5 essay Q's.
Taking an online class with Hale was very difficult. Its impossible to ask math related questions through an online class, and his phrasing is too casual when it comes to discussion question prompts (which is confusing). He has his Canvas online learning format all messed up, and all of his PowerPoints are zip files with a lot of attachments.
One of the best professors ever! Took the online class and passed it with an easy A. Easy and clear discussions. The quizzes and exams are easy and fun! Gives extra credit for everything! The class was very fun and educational!
I took Professor Hale's online astronomy class. Honestly it was probably the easiest online class I have taken. I was worried about taking an online science but Hale is super easy. For the online class there was two discussions, 1 quiz, and a problem set each week as homework. As long as you do that you will pass he also has a midterm and a final.
He was a very chill guy. Gave plenty of hw and he lectured for a bunch of the time but also had us do debates on topics in the science world and a presentation. I thought it was a well rounded class.
You probably wont learn a whole lot about Astronomy as a subject (at least from him), but as long as you do well on the homework and quizzes you should be okay. DO THE EXTRA CREDIT- it is easy and will help your grade. All of the answers for homework and quizzes is on quizlet- if you do well on those your final grade wont affect your grade too much
Prof. Hale is a cool dude. Sometimes he gets a bit rambly and lectures can be hard to follow. He makes minor mistakes on the board in lecture which can make it difficult to grasp concepts. Labs are easy As just fill them out. You can easily get an A or B but you probably won't learn much (if anything).
Mr. Hale is a great professor and his class was very interesting. I would take another one in the future. My only two complaints would be that extra credit was posted and then removed with out advising students that it would no longer be offered. I also though the instructions to the project were not clear. I had to send a lot of emails to clarify.
If you read the chapter power points and book chapters it answers all the test questions, weekly discussions, and homework questions. The class is simple if you read instructions and stay on top of the due dates. He's very quick to respond to discussions and actively engages in the class. I learned a ton about astronomy!
Hard class. Have to do homework and in class work or you will not pass. Lots of in class work. Missed 3 classes because of medical issues and went from an A to a D. Asked for help and he blew me off. Do not take this class.
Took Hale's online course and it was super easy. Expect 2 discussion boards, one quiz, and online homework a week. The material is easy to understand and he is a easy grader, if you have any questions, hes quick to respond. Would definitely recommend taking this class with Hale.
I really enjoyed this physics class. The labs were meaningful and the tests were doable. He was very generous to allow rewrites on questions we missed to get 1/2 credit back. Final was ridiculously challenging, but doable. Quizzes and tests had extra credit options. HW is Mastering Physics or the Textbook.
Absolutely terrible teacher. The material was interesting, labs were cool... worst professor for learning I've ever had. Very easy to pass, but incredibly boring, unclear, unhelpful lectures that he spends writing problems w/o explaining until halfway or fully done. Problems in homework only vaguely related to lecture notes.
By far THE WORST professor I've ever had. The lectures were vague and confusing and hw doesn't prepare you for quizzes. He goes very fast and expects everyone to understand. You are set up to fail. Tried to ask questions during class and he ignored me. He doesn't care about the students his attitude isn't nice and gives vague replies to questions.
Hale's class was not fun. He flies through his lectures so it's almost impossible to take notes. I gave up on note taking 3/4s of the way through. Extremely frustrating because he is stubborn and sticks to outdated information. Not a super nice professor and doesn't seem caring at all. Uninteresting lectures. Hw is all online but there is SO MUCH!
Had professor Hale for Physics 421 and Physics 431. The best way to describe his class is lazy teaching. Useless lectures, it is very difficult to keep up unless you know the material beforehand (which kind of defeats the purpose). Labs and HWs are easy points as long as you turn something in. Allows make ups for the exams.
Took Physics 421, Electricity and Magnetism with Hale and while the class wasn't too hard to pass, it was incredibly difficult to learn anything. Hale was unorganized and often had to correct his work or was confused why something didn't work. Quizzes and Tests were difficult, but you almost always get full credit for labs/HW for any effort at all.
Never review any professor but him. Not too hard to pass but very unfair grading. If he doesn't see you in class often no matter how good you do the test you still get a low grade. Get ready to do 1 lab with lots of writing every week and tons of homework, plus 1 quiz each week. Make him like you or you won't get a good grade.
By far the worst professor of all time. He does not care at all, his exams were insanely hard.
How can I put this? His class is like he unwrapped a teachers manual of the subject, threw it at the class and said learn this. Study materials dont cover everything that you need to know to finish the homework and quizzes. When you ask for help he responds unhelpfully with incomplete info or links to go figure out what he should have taught.
I am currently taking his online ASTR 300 class. Let me just say.. Ouch. He has at least 2 DB's per week (that ALWAYS start with 'So'), the textbook chapters and lectures don't always cover the homework material, and he's absolutely horrific with his English. Constantly misspells and mis-capitalizes words), and cannot write proper sentences at all.
If you do all the homework and quizzes, you can get an A. Tests are extremely hard, and there's homework and 1-2 quizzes per week. My biggest problem is that there's a lot of homework, but I don't feel like I'm learning anything at all.
I took Prof Hale for an online intro class. Would not recommend him unless you already have a firm grasp of physics/astronomy as he is not very responsive or helpful to student questions. This class material was very difficult and tedious, however, Hale is an easy grader. Even for an online class, this was A LOT of work.
Prof. Hale's online ASTR 300 class is perfect if you need units but don't want to take a class that has a lot of work. It is very easy to get all of the homework done in one sitting if you're patient. I enjoyed the Stellarium activities. Prof. Hale is kind but didn't spend the time to help me with math problems that I truly wanted to understand.
I don't have enough words to describe how horrible of a teacher he is. Pay attention to what is said here by other reviews, I really should have checked before enrolling. No communication, no online lecture, completely a self-taught class. He does not engage at all, uses unclear language and punctuation, and doesn't answer messages quick enough.
1 lab a week that were pretty self explanatory. For a lot of them the accuracy of the answer isn't what's important it that you did it at all. Very nice professor and will respond to emails fast. Only graded on the labs and had 2 "projects" instead of labs midterm and finals time. Simple lab class no tests or quizzes.
Honestly the only way to pass this class is to buy Chegg. All of his exams are from Chegg including the written portion. He has mastering physics do all of the work for him and never provides any type of feedback. As long as you do the work, you'll get credit for it. I would highly recommend investing in Chegg. Nobody actually studies for the exams
If you don't already know how to do algebra when you take his class, you fail. Normally, Algebra teachers give 3-4 example problems, work through them WITH you, and then give you some to do on your own, starting with an easy one. But nah. Hale goes over ONE problem (a difficult one at that!) and then assumes you'll also be able to do them.
Hale uses very low effort lectures and questions that are not stimulating at all. The challenge in the class comes from the work load that he foists upon students while all the work seems to be low effort questions.
Do yourself a favor and choose another professor. This dude is incredibly incompetent. Will justify answers for tests that contradict the way in which questions are worded. Super annoying to listen to for the lectures. Poorly explains projects that are a fair chunk of the grade. I dropped towards the end of the semester even though I had an A.
He hardly did anything when I took him. It was mostly just do the assignments and figure out the content by yourself. The quizzes and exams are on MasteringPhysics, so you don't get partial credit, even if your approach was correct. Labs and discussions are just free points. If you have a choice, find another professor for this class.
He is organized, passionate about astronomy, & helped me get textbook on time. Emails are matter of fact, occasional typos but not bad. First observation assignment was hard. Entertaining optional weekly videos, a couple questions on final were unfamiliar, uses Canvas & Pearson which was fun. Online textbook was awesome but renting it confused me.
Every week is the same assignment, with different chapters. Make sure you are ready to participate in 2 discussion boards weekly. There are also weekly mini-quizzes after each chapter. Overall, he is an understanding professor and as long as you do the work you will be fine. The class was also interesting to learn about.
attempted this class twice because I need an online lab. RUN!!!! I would love to see how many students make it through with a passing grade. Not ruining my 4.0 for this awful Professor! I have talked to so many students struggling in this class through discord, the school needs do something. 15+ hours a week for 1 unit w/ no clear instruction.
I took Professor Hale's lab (1 unit), thinking that it would be 3 hours a week, 4 at the most, all of his homework and required reading requires 10+ hours a week in order to keep up, his lectures aren't clear and don't give the right instructions. The lab assignments are worth 90% of your grade and he doesn't provide feedback on incorrect questions
This class should count for a lab as well with the amount of work being done. Lectures are very confusing. Homework is extremely frustrating and time consuming. LOTS OF WEEKLY WORK. 6-8 assignments and quizzes weekly. Several projects throughout the semester as well. Do not go skipping assignments because you fall being quickly.
The lecture videos weren't always helpful for me. The accessibility of the feedback on the weekly labs was inconsistent as well. Sometimes I got to see what I got right and wrong, and other times I did not. Not being able to see my results made it hard for me to be able to actually learn things.
The most difficult and confusing course I've taken at FLC so far. The lectures are very vague and confusing and offer very little direction for the labs each week. For a course that provides 1 unit of credit, it should not be as much work as it is. Horrible class. Would not recommend at all. The labs are nearly impossible.
Fairly easy. A discussion post and Lab (which took abt 1-3 hrs) every week. His video lectures were helpful as he goes through each question in the Lab and teaches you how to do it. And as long as you do the final paper and presentation on time, you'll get full credit.
I took Hale for ASTR 300 and 400, both 8 week classes, worth mistake. He condenses all work from normal semester into 8 weeks so some weeks I had upwards of 10 assignments due for his classes. Instructions were never clear, and labs took hours. The only decent part was that the homework and quizzes from the 300 class were all on quizlet.
I took this as an accelerated summer class, if you are going to take it, buckle up. There is so much homework and he is not workable at all. He also has a lot of spelling and grammar errors. He's super rigid and not personable. I only did it to get a credit and be done, I was counting down the weeks to be done.
I would suggest everyone not to take his 8 weeks or 5 weeks course it's gonna be so exhausting it will effect your other task or class , his canvas announcement are very confusing rubrics says due on Sunday but post will be Locked on Saturday then there are flaws don't take him unless you want 16 weeks in 5 weeks
This class a fair amount of work each week The observation assignments are pretty easily, however the Stellarium assignments are what dragged my grade down the most and often times, the instructions were unclear. Stellarium is also a very slow system so it's prone to freezing. If you are taking this class that's all I'd be worried about
The course was quite challenging, with vague lectures and confusing labs. However, using Unstuckstudy alongside the provided resources helped me stay on top of the workload and better understand the material.
This is by far the worst professor I have ever had. I would not recommend taking this class if you do not have to.
Gives lots of homeowrk and barley teaches, when you ask for help from him you might as well ask someone working at CVS for a better answer
Professor Hale would give me half credit for items (discussions) fully completed, and within the rubric. He just didn't think my answers were "detailed enough" even though it's the same amount of effort I put into other discussions in other classes, with full marks.
excessive work for what the class is, won't give the change for make-up work, make-up test/quizzes and no extra credit. No exceptions
This class was the most difficult I have ever taken, and the professor did not make it easy to pass. I stressed about this class so much that I think I got grey hair. This was a 6-week asynch class during the Spring '25 semester. If yall take this class, I wish you the best of luck.
I forgot to check here and now im stuck. Looks like his rules hasn't changed. Going to try my best to pass this class with it being so strict. Not going to lie the way he set up this class ruined my love for astronomy.
Not so chill professor. Don't take him if you have other options. Worst teacher during my time in CC.
I've waited years to tell you how terrible this professor is. I graduated with a degree from Sac State with a 3.9 GPA after transferring from FLC. I have taken over 150 credits with a double major, and taken multiple high level science classes. The only B I ever received in my college career was with this professor. That should tell you everything.
This dude is the worst. If you see this Mr. Hale - You stink.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
41%
Textbook Required
38%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.23 avg changeRatings by Course
ASTRO11
5.0
(1)300
4.0
(2)ASTRO1
4.0
(1)ASTRO301
4.0
(1)COS126ECON238
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
MATH112CA
5.0
ASTR400
4.3
PHYS410
4.0
ASTR300ASTR400
4.0
COS126ECON238
4.0