Seriously one of my favorite professors at A&M! I took his Big Bang, Black Hole no math with no previous experience with astronomy and I'm terrible at physics and I loved it and understood it! He's super funny and really wants everyone to make an A and is super helpful with papers. No tests, no final, no midterm just 4 papers. SERIOUSLY RECOMMENED

Dr. Toback is by far one of the best professors I've had at A&M. He is so much fun and genuinely wants you to understand and appreciate the material. There are no tests, but the assigned work can be very time consuming...but the class is absolutely worth it!

Toback is a blessing to anyone needing a PHYS credit. His big bang class is fantastic and his lectures can get quite complicated, but he's always ready to answer questions and occasionally throws candy at you. Great professor that wants everyone to learn and enjoy our vast universe.

I cried when his class was over because he is just such a genuinely awesome person. That's coming from a Comm major. He wrote the textbook cause he wants people to understand how spectacular the universe is & that passion comes through in his lectures. I can't recommend this class enough. Ask for a Winnie the Pooh impression. You'll thank me later!

Dr. Toback is very helpful and is very passionate and knowledgeable about what he teaches.

Dr. Toback is by far the most fun and entertaining professor out there. The best thing about him though is the fact that he actually cares if you learn the material and do well. He's there to help. Email and he'll respond within the hour personally. Great semester. Wish I could have him again.

If you can take this course, DO! Toback is great! Makes the class fun, interesting and easy to understand. Always quick to respond to emails and loves in-class questions. Lots of online quizzes, some reading, and four short papers. No exams. Read the assigned units, go to class and you'll do WELL.

The few negative comments should be dismissed. I am a senior who is about to graduate. I took Dr. Toback my freshman year, and the only reason I am writing this is because Dr. Toback was by far my favorite professor I've had at A&M. I remember him going on a rant when Interstellar came out because of spaghettification. Also he throws candy to you.

He's really nice and very understanding. Everything is peer graded online and it's kinda hard to understand at first but I got it eventually and it seemed to be pretty easy. Class isn't mandatory and he puts all the notes online and all the quizzes are online as well. Overall, it's a pretty easy class and Toback is fun.

Fairly easy science credit, though lots of busy work. Very passionate about his subject. Class structure, however, is very convoluted despite his efforts to streamline. For example, when you need help, you have to format your emails in a specific way.

Very easy class. Dr. Toback is a great guy and will help you if you somehow get a low grade. Perfect if you need an easy science credit or an A that is easy if you put in the 2 hours a week.

He makes this class fun and easy since there are only 4 short essays you typically get A's. Do extra reviews and you will make an A. Lots of online quizzes, but you get unlimited attempts.

Loved this class. A VERY easy A if you just read the chapters of the book before the essays. Online Quizzes can have a few tricky questions but you get unlimited attempts if you ask for them. He really wants you to learn. I would def take again.

Dr. Toback is a phenomenal professor. The dude is a genius (he graduated from MIT), but you wouldn't guess it from the way that he makes the class super learnable and "dumbed down." He also acts like the world's worst comedian (on purpose) to make lectures fun and energetic. He makes sure "everyone gets the grade they deserve," offering revisions!

This class is great, Toback is an awesome professor. Most of the grade is based off 4 papers that are about 600 words and really straightforward. There are weekly quizzes and sometimes reading but nothing in this class is hard. Highly recommend!

Very easy, buy you actually have to read the entire textbook if you want to pass. There are no tests, but 4 papers, which counts for 90% of your grade. The other 10% is from online quizzes and PLRQ questions which are super easy. He really cares about his students and wants everyone to really understand the information taught in class.

I love this man. I didn't show up for a class besides syllabus day. The quizzes didn't necessarily have to be turned in on time, and he often waived late penalties for them. At the end of the semester, I had 11 quizzes to do b/c I got behind, and I asked him for an ext., and he told me "take the time you need to do a great job." I love him.

Great Teacher. Coursework is clearly outlines. Powerpoints are online. Quizzes are online with 5 attempts. 4 easy papers. Always accessible. genuinely nice guy!

There are a lot of moving parts in this class, meaning that you're going to have homework before just about every class. His lectures are very slow, but he's a funny guy and wants you to succeed. If you've already taken a few astronomy courses, then you're going to find this one very tedious (but easy!) because it is very basic astronomy.

Great professor. Really cares about you learning and shows it. Super funny and willing to joke around with you. Tons of quizzes, but he gives you unlimited attempts to get a 100. No tests, just 4 easy papers that usually take an hour to write. The book helps with papers and quizzes. I pretty much never went to this class and still got a good grade.

Toback is weird but a good professor. he emphasizes questions and encourages people to ask them. the class is graded by 4 papers that are peer reviewed and a BUNCH of chapter quizzes based on the book. if anything the class was annoying but its more or less an easy A.

Toback is a great prof! Very straight forward in what he expects in each of the essays and in the homework. If you do the work and follow the instructions that he posts for each assignment, you should be fine.

AMAZING. Yes, it is a lot of tedious work but come on don't be so lazy because he is so laid back on grading. Just do the work and you will pass easily.

This class is not hard when it comes to the quizzes and the assignments, but this teacher uses peerceptiv to grade papers. Peerceptiv is just a website where your peers are actually mean and hurt your grade for no reason. On my first paper I got a 67, revised it and got an 87, revised it again and got a 77 like what even is that. 3 TIMES AND NO A.

Great professor but OMG there were WAY too many quizzes in this class. We did at least 50. It's ridiculous. I hate that all the work/quizzes we do amounts to only 10% of the class. 90% of your grade rests on four papers that are fairly easy but can be rough. Great class but don't take it if you hate busy work and a semi-ridiculous grade weight.

Toback is a wonderful professor who cares about his students. No exams. Multiple attempts at all papers/homework/quizzes. Sends you reminders if you haven't turned something in. Class is enjoyable. Overall great class and definitely an easy A if you do the work. Great class for a simple science credit.

Professor Toback has been one of the best professors I've had in college. Follow the syllabus, ask questions, and turn your work in on time. Very do-able formula for an A. He is genuinely a super caring guy and wants you to experience some of the joy he has for the material.

Dr. Toback is AMAZING! If you get the chance take him. The class did have a lot of busy work, but it was very easy and we were given unlimited chances to get the grade we wanted. Instead of tests we had four papers that determined our grade with chances to revise them. His lectures were always hilarious and not required, but I still chose to go.

Professor Toback is my homie. Although I mostly attended class digitally, I was still able to get the full experience of ASTR 109. He loves the class and you can tell. He really cares that everyone understands the curriculum and is very easy to email/talk to. He is extremely engaging and helped me out every step of the way. Definitely take him.

ASTR 109: 4 Papers, lots of quizzes. He spends a HUGE amount of time trying to clarify exactly what all you have to do for the quizzes and how things are set up. Pay attention to that. Do the work exactly as outlined, utilize the rubric for papers, and you'll do great. Don't fall behind and just follow directions, and it's a straightforward A.

He is awesome. Cares about the students. Fantastic prof!!!!

Toback is probably the most unique professor ever. He will break up his lectures to talk about random stuff and do the wave in class. Gives a ton of quizzes and the class gets a little unorganized at times. He will literally email you back within 5 minutes at any time of the day. If you skip class itll be hard to keep up with whats going on.

I think Dr. Toback is the best professor I have ever had in college. He has fun lectures that fly by, and is pretty dang funny. He has a good deal of work for you to do. Lots of quizzes, 4 papers. No tests or final. You will definitely get a good grade if you do the work.

Very awesome and cares about students a lot. he will even email me when I miss an assignment and continue to do so until I turn it in, because he cares about us getting a good grade. very fast responder to emails. Would recommend 100/10.

The class is very simple. Professor Toback breaks down how grading works early in the semester, and he often says that he wants his students to get the grades they want. Assignments are easy, the papers are not hard, and the lectures are entertaining. Professor Toback is also hilarious.

The class is really centered on busywork but they're all easily graded. Every assignment/quiz has multiple tries and he's lax on due dates you may ask for extensions. Grades are paper-heavy (which are graded by peers). The lecture content is actually really interesting and you can tell he's passionate about the topics he teaches.

One of the easiest classes I've taken. Never attended lecture and I was able to keep up. He posted his lecture slides which was useful. He states what he expects very clearly. He also gives you unlimited attempts till you get the grade you want despite how old the assignment is. Tries to make lecture unique by making you do things like the wave.

Professor Toback is one of the most caring people I've ever interacted with. All he wants is for you to get a good grade. If you follow his directions you will get an A. If you are struggling all you have to do is send him an email and he will respond in 5 minutes and help until you get a perfect grade for the assignment at hand.

The class itself is extremely confusing, but once you get the groove of it, it is pretty easy. Get ready for a lot of busy work though. He's a pretty cool dude, just assigns too much work. Some of the concepts are interesting. Most of your grade is essays, but they are not hard to do

Amazing professor. Will give you an A if you keep in touch with him. All assignments and papers are pass/revise meaning you can submit them as many times as you want until you get an A. The professor is hilarious, has great lectures, is very understanding, and is willing to work with you to get the grade you want.

good professor, class is fun and he cracks jokes. as a liberal arts major this has been my easiest class content-wise. All the assignment info and semantics of the class are the most unclear I have ever seen them be. Pages upon pages based only on how to do the assignments. There are also about 10 to 15 assignments based only on the semantics.

he is so precious and explains things in a way that is very understandable, even for someone who knows nothing about astronomy or physics. there is a LOT of homework, but he gives multiple attempts for everything so there aren't a lot of hard deadlines. lots of papers but they're interesting and he gives clear rubrics.

Toback is awesome. 5 tries on quizzes and modules. Can redo any assignment for a better grade. He wants his students to learn and succeed. The papers done on peerceptive and are easy to write using the textbook. He has a different grading scale, but it is efficient and works for this class. Great science course and looks nice on a resume. NO MATH

Professor Toback made his lectures as engaging as possible. His explanations were easy to understand and he grades pretty easy. Even though there were lots of assignments, many of which felt like a waste of time, they were all easy. The papers were also pretty straightforward. If you keep up with the work, this is an easy A.

Toback is a very caring professor, and you can tell he is very passionate about what he does. His lectures are very engaging. Get the textbook it will help so much. There are so many quizzes, they aren't hard, but they become such a pain. The structure of his class is rough to get used to, but it is manageable.

Dr. Toback is a great prof. If you want an A in this class all you have to do is the assigned work, which is a little bit of busy work every few days, and you will get it. Despite being an elective class the lectures are funny and it is easy to get interested in what he is teaching about.

Professor Toback is wonderful! He always makes class extremely interesting and fun. The course does hand out a lot of work, but if you do the work and have an interest in astronomy you'll excel in this class. There are no exams, and you have 5 attempts on every quiz. TAKE THIS COURSE!!!!

Lectures weren't mandatory & weren't bad.Textbook's recommended to avoid struggling w/the quizzes & essays despite the unlimited attempts & is also easy to read.I got a B but could've easily gotten an A if i had gotten the textbook earlier for the essays, lots of busy work but you have till finals week.Keep essay avgs an A & you'll pass w/ an A

There's a lot of quizzes, but you get 5 attempts and they come directly from the textbook. I recommend the ebook so you can easily type in words you're looking for. There's no exams, only three essays that are very easy. I went to literally two lectures and never again and ended with a 100. I'm the worst procrastinator, and this class was a breeze.

Class is a perfect addition to ur busy course loadl. Get that life sciences credit & get to experience an awesome teacher and super cool class. So long as you put in actual effort, you'll make an A.

The lectures are not mandatory, but if you aren't familiar with astronomy I would recommend going. The homework isn't hard and you get unlimited attempts on everything, but the papers are kind of hard to write if you don't know whats happening in the class. The textbook was written by him so it is kind of hard to understand, but it's a fun class.

I really enjoyed Toback and his class. Honestly, there is a lot of work, but it is not hard. I think a lot of people take this class because they think it will be an easy A, but you have to put in effort. He gives you every opportunity to make an A, and essentially gives unlimited attempts on everything. He is an amazing and caring professor.

A lot of people think this class is an easy A and it kind of is but it kind of isn't. There is a lot of homework, but all of the assignments have 5 attempts, and if you still don't get the grade you want then you can just request more. The RQ assignments and papers are the most difficult assignments because they are tedious, but it's not hard!

He is the funniest professor I've ever met!! If you like astronomy, definitely take him!! You will get multiple attempts on your quizzes; he is always here to help you. The most difficult part is the paper, but if you read the textbook, you should be good to go.

Toback is an amazing and very understanding prof. He was open to being flexible when it came to submitting assignments and genuinely wanted the best for his students until the very end. He was very communitive and transparent when it came to his grading system. Lots of dad jokes and space humor. Please take his class for his personality alone!

Class and lectures were fun and engaging, I loved going to class and was sad when I had to miss. Dr. Toback is so aware of his classroom and is willing to work with those in attendance to really make the most successful scenarios possible. I really appreciated his flexibility and quick response time to emails.

Great class, I would recommend it to anyone who needs this for credit. Not only was it interesting but he made the lectures so much fun to attend.

Toback is an amazing professor! He really cares about the success of his students and truly wants you to succeed. Papers are the most difficult part of the class, but besides that it's fine. You get multiple attempts for all the quizzes, and for most other assignments too. I would definitely recommend the class.

Dr Toback cares about his students. Dont get behind on your work and take care of your essays, and make sure to read the instructions. He made them thoroughly just for you. Stay caught up and you will get an A. Take my word for it, the only reason I got a B was because I fell behind on homework.

Great guy who brightens your day. His grading criteria is extremely weird and occasionally hard to understand. Very funny and passionate about what he teaches.

I like how he is as a professor but he gives a lot of work. Catching up is easy but not encouraged. The way he grades is different but not impossible to do. He takes your lower grade average out of everything. Ex. 90, 99, 100, 80, 93 = 80 (B)

Mr. Toback was the best and easiest professor I could have taken for a science class. Although you had to put some (basically zero) effort into his class, the papers were not hard at all as long as you understand the basic criteria for the papers. He was a blast during class and I genuinely enjoyed reading his book. He is extremely accomplished.

Dr. Toback is easily one of my favorite profs. He gives multiple attempts on everything, including papers! He wants everyone to pass and will help you in every way that he can. He does require the textbook, since he did write it himself, and I strongly recommend getting it since its very helpful for the course and can't be found online.

Toback was an amazing professor and really funny, but I would never take this class again. I very much disliked how confusing the class was. There are four major parts, essays, end of chapter quizes, reading questions, and feynman diagrams. Your final grade will be determined on your lowest grade. You get re-dos, but this class was SO MUCH WORK.

TOBACKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!! BIG BANG POWER CLAP 1, 2, 3!!!!!!!!!

Enthusiastic professor who tries to keep the class engaged during lecture. Interesting class, but do NOT take this course expecting a low workload. Weird grading as well, as the lowest of the four modules will determine your ENTIRE grade for the class.

This class is SO MUCH WORK! If you put in the work, you will get an A as there are unlimited attempts on every assignment, but it's a lot. Your final grade is also the lowest grade you make in the class which makes a lot of the work you do pointless. The organization can also be confusing at times. Dr. Toback does care that his students make an A.

Toback is a great professor. He makes the content easy to understand, mixes humor into his lectures and gives unlimited attempts on all work. The grading is weird as your lowest grade is your final grade, however the amount of attempts and the ease of the content makes it easy for your lowest grade to be an A.

Dr. Toback! Wow! how fun is this guy! his lectures are intriguing and engaging. As long as you can get past the absurdly structured grading policy, this class will be fun! Easy A, though it does require you to work. 4 papers over the semester but NO TESTS! I seriously recommend this guy for a life and physical science credit.

I absolutely loved this class. Dr. Toback is awesome and will truly help you get an A. There are not really any hard due dates in class and most of it is at your own pace. But, there are A LOT of assignments, nearly 100, but they are easy and you get multiple attempts. There are 4 papers but they are short. Take this class if you can.

Toback was a wonderful professor. I really enjoyed his class. I took this class because I needed a science credit, I ended up really enjoying the curriculum. This was my favorite class of freshman year. I would recommend taking this class 100%!

He is the best ever TAKE THIS CLASS it is so incredibly easy. Put in the work and you'll get an A guaranteed. Also he is just a king.

I would say he try's to keep the class engaged and participating with his jokes and funny comments. Its not a easy class when it comes to the Homework and the Grading system is a issue. Got 100s on everything else but the writings and ended with a 88.9%

“Beware the workload” IGNORE THEM! Yes, Toback requires things to be done a certain way. His rubrics and assignment instructions are extremely in-depth, but if you put in literally the BARE minimum of effort, you are fine. Attendance is mandatory but lecture is lit. IT ALL STARTED WITH A BIG BANG… BANG!!! SOME STUFF HAPPENED?

Professor Toback is a great professor! Although his grading system might seem a little weird, if you do all the work assigned, it really is not that difficult to get an A in the class. He is very passionate about the class, and he wrote the textbook himself, there are also no tests, just papers and assignments.

Super cool, funny prof and cares about the grade you get. It may seem like theres a lot of work but it really isnt that bad, a lot of papers though

Dr. Toback was super funny and really cares about his students. He would always make jokes during class and is easy going. This class is super paper heavy but there are NO EXAMS which is great. There is also lots of busy work such as quizzes and readings but other than that he is a great professor and the class was a breeze!

Here is the rundown: NO TESTS 4 Papers -usually 2/3 attempts at each Lots of quizzes on Canvas -5 tries, then you send in a form and get unlimited attempts Weird Grading -whatever your lowest average becomes your grade however, everything is very easy to keep above 90% -papers will most likely be your lowest

Do NOT take the honors section of Big Bang & Black Holes. The honors section has this 5-page research paper you have to write over the entire semester, which would be fine, EXCEPT you have to email him with extremely specific updates EVERY WEEK. Nightmarish. The normal class is great because there are revision options for like every assignment.

Wow this class is easy. I think people get stressed by the work load, but literally just knock it out, the assignments would take me less than 30 minutes to complete on a bad day. There are papers, but the fact that you have plenty of attempts to redo things makes up for it. Toback is really nice. Never read the textbook once, it was that easy.

Dr. Toback was amazing. His lectures were informative, engaging, and you could always count on him to add some jokes in there every time. His grading criteria is interesting and can be difficult to follow at first, but becomes understandable as the year goes. He allows you to get the grade you want on ALL assignments through revisions. Take Toback!

The way this class is set up is confusing. Basically there are 5 modules and your lowest one becomes your final grade. It is possible to get an A you just have to put in a lot of work. You might not get the grade you want at first but you can keep re-submitting. I got an A as a POLS major first semester freshman.

The class should be an easy A for anyone that puts in the effort. There are a lot of assignments, but most of them are pretty easy. There are 4 peer graded papers which are a pain but you get 3 revisions for each. The hardest thing about the class is his grading system. You need to get an A on every type of assignment to get an A in the class.

He has quizzes all the time but you can search pretty much everything up. You can retake any quiz up to 5 times if you need more email him. He takes attendance and its 10% of grade but is a supper funny guy. There is only 4 papers no tests and no finals, and no math. Take this easy course if you can/ need to.

This is super paper-heavy; theres multiple graded "sections to the course" If your quiz average is an 80 but your paper is a 90, you get a B. But overall, it's easy And just paper-heavy. Hes an amazing prof, easy to work with and super nice!

I loved this class! Interesting content, very nice guy. There are four short papers (450-700 words, several attempts) written in the course, but they're easy to write just by reading the rubric. Lots of short homework quizzes, but basically unlimited attempts and easy to do quickly. Toback is very friendly in and outside of class. Highly recommend!

One of the best professors I have ever had. He is very engaging and teaches so well. The content of his lectures is very interesting and the work is a lot at times (papers) but this is only because you can redo the papers until you get your desired grade. I ended up with an A and you definitely can too! You won't regret it.

Toback's ASTR109 is engaging, but workload-heavy. Unlimited assignment attempts help, and Unstuckstudy proved useful for efficient study prep. Grading system takes adjusting, but overall a rewarding course.

Absolutely amazing professor. His lectures were informative and you could always count on him to add some jokes in there. His grading criteria is hard to follow at first, but becomes understandable as the year goes. He allows you to get the grade you want on ALL assignments through revisions and unlimited attempts. Take Dr. Toback!

TAKE THIS CLASS! Toback is my favorite prof at A&M so far, and is so passionate about what he does. I needed this for a credit, and found the topics SO interesting. His lectures are engaging and you can tell how much he cares about his students. He WANTS you to succeed! Besides the 3 papers, the rest of the course load is just easy busy work.

Really funny guy and you can tell he is passionate about what he is teaching. Attendance is mandatory but you do not have to take notes. Really interesting material and an easy A is you just do the bare minimum.

Dr. Toback is a very nice and understanding guy. Lectures are mandatory, though you can have up to 3 absences. The course does have quite a few assignments, but no exams. Four total papers that are pretty easy to get an A on, as long as you follow the rubric and write clearly.

Great professor and course material. In class attendance is necessary as he has in class quizzes at the beginning or end of class and missing a lot can tank your grade. there's 4 papers spread through the semester they aren't terrible and based on the in class textbook. No exams or anything like that but lots of little quizzes and homework.

Excellent professor and easy class if you need a science credit. Just make sure to show up as attendence is mantatory. You get 5 attempts on all the quizzes and multiple attempts for the 4 papers. You dont need to buy the textbook, just look at the lecture slides.

Dr. Toback was a great professor. He is super funny and cares about his students grades. However, there are MANY quizzes throughout the semester in order for us to better understand the course. He allows 5 attempts and then you can ask for more. 4 papers overall through peerceptiv (my opp). BUT I highly recommend him. Do the work, get an A.

He has great lectures, some may be a little boring at times, but he always makes it fun to learn about them. Has around 4 essays that can be resubmitted up to 4 times to get the grade you want, which are relatively easy. The only annoying part of the course is that there are a lot of guidelines that you have to read and keep taking quizzes on.

I really though this class was interesting to learn about. There is 4 papers for this class and lots of quizzes. Everything is very do able just a lot of work. GO TO CLASS! I came out of this class with I think a 91 and my roommate came out with a B and they only difference between us was I went to class and she did not.

I thought he was a good professor. ALOT of coursework and assignments, but can be done simply by using textbook or researching. Your final grade is determined by the lowest of 5 scores, including attendance so go to class! 4 papers graded on peerceptiv, and other busy work assignments. Every assignment has up to 5 retries to get the grade you want.

The professor was great and the class can be a easy A if you put in the work. There is a lot of busy work and the class organization can be confusing but it is nothing crazy. Textbook is required but I did not use it. You can always make up work if you do not like the score or missed it. You do have to go to class as its part of your grade.

P1: Toback is a very passionate professor and his sense of humor is even better. He genuinely wants you to learn about the content and is really good at breaking it down. The only hard part about this class is the papers, but literally every other assignment you do is a guaranteed A because he give multiple attempts in everything, even the papers.

P2: Because you have multiple attempts on on everything, he takes your lowest grade "module". The modules include, attendance (worth a lot, missing 2+ classes costs you an A, assuming you get a 100 on all other attendance quizzes- they are google form, so do with that as you will), papers, and different types of quizzes. EasyA with moderate effort.

INCREDIBLY passionate and wacky guy (in the best way possible). I learned so much in this course, and it kick-started an amateur astronomy hobby. His assignment system is extremely overwhelming, but just hang in there, it makes more sense as the semester goes on. Physicists overcomplicate simple things, but he's a great prof!

This professor was great. He cares about his students succeeding so ALL the assignments and papers have revisions without penalty. It would be a 5/5 class but you have to put quite a bit of work in. It's not too stressful, but just manage your time. Especially with papers, but they're reviewed by other students. Mandatory attendance. No tests.

He was not the nicest when it came to me asking questions, he would respond with "Did you read the syllabus/pre-lecture notes" and just not give an answer. (The syllabus was like 100 pages) But other than that the class wasn't hard, just make sure to try and do your homework ahead of time because it wad due before class.