fun and very approachable! new to the school but seems to know what he's talking about!

Very good sense of humour. Not even a little bit smarmy. Knows his stuff. Extremely hot.

Get in this guy's class, he's a beauty. Has some funny/lame jokes to keep it interesting and he knows his stuff. Loves all T.V shows and Hockey and his class is organized fairly with good amount of papers for a first year class.

He's a pretty good teacher, nice guy sometiems his lectures are hard to follow but he is very helpful and will explain things to you.

Top-quality prof! Expect to take a LOT of notes and cover huge topics in a very short time. Good grasp of what students can handle and doesn't bog you down with unnessary details during lectures. Group discussions are great. Very good-natured and enthusiastic. Totally available. Has Chris Farley style side to side movements while lecturing. Superb.

I think with time, Dolff will be one of the best history profs out there. He was clearly a master of his field when it came to Soviet Russia. Some people find his exams hard. They must not be very smart.

Seems to be really passionate about the subject matter and goes on lots of interesting little tangents to keep things interesting. I definately have a bit of a crush on him, he's a major sweetheart. Plus he really, really knows his stuff.

David is an immense wealth of knowledge. He is so passionate about the subject, makes his students love the course even more. My only negative comment is this: if you can't write 2 essays, 6 short answers, and quite a few multiple choice, fill in the blank, and matching questions in 2 hours, you might not do so great on the exams.

Very informational. Very quick marker and very quick replys to emailed questions. Very good at lecturing because you can tell he really likes what he's talking about. Exam wasn't bad, a bit much for two hours, but I finished in 1.5, I would definitely recommend him to anyone.

Dave is a great prof who delivers passionate lectures every class. He is extremely knowledgable in his field and really appreciates questions and communication inside and outside of class. Great class and wonderful professor :) (and he's yummy looking haha)

A great prof, and highly recommended! He is easy-going, and therefore really easy to ask questions of and approach. His classes are often full of discussion (usually mandatory) so he's great if you like to get your opinions out there. He doesn't give too much guidance on what he's going to test on though, so you kind of have to study everything...

Dave is an absolutely fantastic teacher. He's extremely approachable and friendly and a fair marker. He is very knowledgeable of all the material. Definitely one of my favorite professors.

Great Prof, really knows his stuff and is great at keeping students interested. REALLY easy to talk to outside of class, and is always willing to give extra help. If you can take a course with him, DO.

He was a great prof, he made the class as entertaining as history of the second world war could be at 830 am. Go to the class, most of the exam material is from his lectures and he does not post notes... discussion readings don't really have to be read to be able to discuss. exams are fairly simple and such a nice guy!

Professor, Dolff is a up and coming star in relation to teaching history at the university level. Moreover, he rewards those students who are willing to put in the time and effort into their assignments. Additionally, he lectures clearly and effectively, and has a sense of humour. (10 out of 10)

One of the best history profs out there, very informative, and give cool little random facts about the war. Loved this class! Tests are totally fair, and paper criteria if clear.

Double-Dee is an excellent prof. Down to earth, has a sense of humour and is a very fair marker for the tests and essay. Only weird thing was he didn't make direct eye contract, but I hope he gets tenure from Uvic.

Not that Dolff needs anymore praise, but he is one of the best at UVic. Great lecturer, extremely organized, funny, engaging. midterm, term paper, and final, thats it. Great class and great prof, definitely recommended.

Very approachable and friendly. He knows the material pretty well. He also lectures in an interesting way; I never dozed off even though I had his 1.5 hour lectures immediately after two other 1.5 hour lectures. Don't procrastinate on the term paper, read the readings, and you should do well. The class average was pretty high.

Excellent prof! Assignments were straightforward and he marked very fairly.

Dave Dolff is the most helpful, interesting prof I have had in University, his lectures are engageing so the class flies by. He uses cool side stories that relate to the material so it is easy to remember and makes the class very interesting. Highly reccommend Prof. Dolff.

Really awesome guy and a great prof. Kindof scary when you make eye contact or talk... he has full control over his class. exams were pretty hard but his notes were excellent. I liked his class and him. do it!

Amazing professor! One of the best History profs at UVic. His lectures are packed full, but easy to take notes on. His tests aren't easy, but they are based only on what he says in class - no surprises. He's clear and really easy to approach. Totally recommend him!

Good prof. Enjoyed the lectures, and the discussion times. Would have enjoyed more of an emphasis on wars, and less on various feminist things, but what can you do. Some test questions border on the ridiculous, ie, very specific details are asked. However, is a good marker on the essays. I would definitely recommend him.

Dolff is a very good professor. Intelligent, insightful, and a good lecturer. He can be a tough marker, but if you do the reading and take good notes he will definitely reward you.

Seems harsh at first, but I think he just likes things.. orderly, and definitely quiet. I'm a fairly quiet person, and not good with the discussions in the class, but he (as opposed to the TA) makes them easier and more fun. Lots of notes to take in lectures, but they're easy to follow and the class flies by. Recommended.

engaging, in control of the class. not approachable, but helpful if you can muster the courage to talk!

Taught American Involvement in Vietnam. Excellent course, he did not just relate the US perspective, he included textbooks with various perspectives. Facilitated and encouraged discussion, and respected everyone's ideas. HARD exams, really pushes you time wise. Marking was fair. Excellent prof, very interesting lecturer.

Definitely one of my favourite professors! He's a clear lecturer, not confusing at all. SUPER nice. It's not necessary to read the text book, but you definitely need to do the discussion readings. I like that he did discussion groups -- it made it easier to engage with the course. So long as you study for exams and manage time well, you'll be fine!

Dolff is a great prof! His lectures are super interesting and engaging, and he does weekly discussions which are a lot of fun. He is a fair marker, but his exams really push the time limit. Great guy, gives you all the perspectives on the topic (American involvement in Vietnam) instead of just one side.

Dolff is a good Prof--very knowledgable and his straightforward and clear. A word of warning, however--be prepared to work. His tests SPECIFIC details from lectures. I ended up with a B on the first midterm because I didn't adequately prepare. Get your head around the fact you need to know lots of little details and you'll do well (I got an A-)

Took his Cold War class. Very good guy, I found his grading to be quite easy, I liked his testing style. Interesting engaging lectures and he assigned good readings. My only issue is that he marks you on discussions and I don't like talking in class. But definitely going to take another class with him and you should as well!

Dolff is an awesome prof!! Took his WW2 class and loved it! Lectures are always super interesting. Bases all his tests off of his lectures, but the text was super interesting to read! Class was a lot of work, but Prof. Dolff made me enjoy every minute of it! Highly recommend this class and prof to anyone!!!

Amazing prof, take a class with him if you get the chance. His tests were all based on lectures, but the lectures were really interesting and easy to take notes from. Even though his exams are hard he makes sure you're prepared for them. Assigned an essay on any topic in WWII and allowed students to explore what they wanted to learn about.

Fantastic prof, passionate about the subject matter, clearly knows his stuff and adds a good bit of humour into the otherwise pretty depressing material. Tests are pretty easy as long as you come to class and pay attention. Highly recommended.

I loved his lecture style. It was quick paced, with tonnes of info, so take good notes... his slides are not very helpful come study time.

Very long texts for hour-long tutorials, but he's really chill about participation for them. A long paper, but he will mark your paper before the due-date so you can improve upon his suggestions. He expects A LOT in the tests, hard to fit everything in.

Very insightful about events not commonly covered in other WWII classes. Discussions are good, but readings for discussions are long; however, you can get by without doing them if you have some general knowledge on the subject. Outside sources such as The Pianist (movie) and World at Ward documentaries help add outside context. Engaging speaker.

Straight forward, clear instructions, go to class and you'll get an A. Speaks perfect english.

Dolff is a fairly wacky guy, loves to go off-topic and ramble a bit in lectures, but for the most part gives the clear picture, and describes what he wants from essays, short answer, and discussion questions. He is very passionate about History, and specifically Communism in Russia, and he loves answering questions and talking about questions.

Dolff is a really nice guy who genuinely cares about his students, so long as they give him their respect. Communication with him was a bit difficult at times, and he doesn't reply to emails in any hurry. His lectures can feel a bit drawn out, but he has a nice mix of films and discussions. Great first year prof!!!

His class was basically just lecturing, but he had a really interesting type and language choice that made it fun to attend. He focused heavily on communism and the USSR, so I guess you could say his class was Com-RAD-e.

I noticed a lot of people talking smack about Dolff. He is a bit eccentric and can ramble a bit, but he knows his stuff. Kids in class ask him really specific questions about WWII and he comes right back at them with a great answer. I would take Dolff with any history course I needed if possible, but 115 (WWII) was a great place to start. Take him!

His classes are all lectures. He does not post notes on an overhead or on course space so if you skip class and don't take notes you wont pass. Entire grade made up of one paper and two exams so studying is necessary. Loved his lectures, just make sure you're not having any side conversations or he will kick you out.

Dolff is a great prof, very interesting + always has great topics for class. Unfortunately, his "full-class discussions" are graded INCREDIBLY HARD and it can be very hard to do well if you don't say a few things every discussion class. The essay was only 2500-3500 words and the exams were A LOT for a 2 hour time period. Great class, but difficult.

For his Vietnam class there are five textbooks, and that is pretty par for his courses, but they are all well selected. He is a fair grader, well versed in his subject, sympathetic and accessible, but get ready to read all five books cover to cover.

Cool dude! US-Soviet Relations is my favorite class I've taken at Uvic so far. Don't know what all the comments about him being grumpy are on about - he was always in a good mood when I was in his class. I do wish he would spent more time answering questions from students at the end of each lecture. Also, answers mails fairly quick.

Great guy, super cool to communicate with, and very passionate. I took his Vietnam War and Soviet Russia classes and they were really fun. Very extensive reading though, but that's just because the content which he taught was so in-depth. Papers were quite easy and so are the tests. Would 10/10 recommend.

One of my favourite history profs. A very traditional style of professor long but very informative lectures. Clearly knows a lot about the topic. Very straightforward in regards to expectations for tests and essays but they are not easy. Lots of assigned readings but tests are almost completely based on the lecture material. You must attend lecture

I really liked having David as my Prof for HIST112, 1945-current. His teaching style is deep-dive lectures into specific events that over the course of a few classes paint a picture of world events, the lectures are accompanied by a PowerPoint. This teaching style may not work for everyone but it works for me.

David is one of the best profs I've ever had. My interest in history increased so much after taking his course. The major writing assignment was also really fun since it's so open ended and you can spin it to write about whatever you want within the parameters of the course. David's lectures are like listening to a good history podcast.

Dolff is a little intense, especially about people talking in class (which is fair), but he's a really solid prof. His lectures move at a good pace and he records them to post online making the course very accessible. There was A LOT of required reading, even for a history course, but if you don't mind reading I recommend the course and prof.

Really great lectures, very in depth, provides immaculate detail. I've taken four of his classes, he's honestly a pretty easy marker, although you do have to memorize some content and regurgitate it the old-fashioned way for exams. He does assign a truly insane amount of readings (3-4 books for one class) but you can pass without them in my exp.

Dr. Dolff's lectures were comprehensive and engaging. He covers a vast amount of WWII information concisely. However, paying attention and taking notes is key as his lecture slides are just headings and pictures. He clearly communicates grading criteria for the midterm, final, and term paper.

entertaining

Great Professor!

Although his midterm exams were not the best format, and typically end up in half of the class failing them, he is not a bad prof! Our class was pretty lecture heavy but if you attended at least some and made good notes, you should be fine. The papers took a while to be marked yet I do not think it was harsh. Super funny and really knows his stuff!

I've taken Professor Dolff a couple times, and I remain loving his lectures. His marking, however, is very tough. I do wish he would provide a specific rubric for the assignments in order to achieve a potentially higher mark, but if you are wanting a good mark in his class you're going to have to work for it.

Dave is kind and lectures very well. It's fun to discuss with him in class. His marking is very fair, even though the rubric guidelines are not clear. If you put genuine effort into the logs and attend class you'll do well. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in his class! If you're looking for a fun 300-level elective, this is the one.

Great prof! Sometimes his lectures were slightly convoluted, but still very engaging.

Overall found him to be a good professor. He's not the best, can be slow when grading papers, and is very critical of research papers. His lectures can also sometimes feel overwhelming, but they're not boring like some people claim. He's a pretty down-to-Earth guy and is passionate about what he teaches, overall a well-intentioned professor.

Dr. Dolff is an excellent professor. The lectures are very engaging and it made me want to show up to every class. It does take a while to get tests and assignments back though.

love this guy. every class I've taken with him has been my favourite at UVic. his lectures make a lot of sense and he is very sensible about his grading. his office hours are always very useful. number one Dave dolff fan.

Nice guy but papers are graded hard

Dr. Dolff is one of the best history profs at Uvic. His lectures are super engaging and are never boring. My only complaint is the quiz is only worth 10% and is extremely long for a 50 minute class.

Very interesting course, easy to follow format, great lectures. Dolff is the great.

I took this as a summer course, so it being condensed made it much harder. The games were interesting, however when you are given 2 days to play an 8 hour game, it's hard to engage with them fully. It was a lot of work, but Prof. Dolff is clearly passionate and was a fair grader.

This guy is the man. I loved his class and his personality. All I can think of when trying to decide his rating was the great saying of old, "That's what I'm talking about! That's why he's the MVP! That's why he's the goat, the GOAT!!!"