2.7
Quality3.3
Difficulty17%
Would Retake120
Reviews17%
Would Retake
120
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
120 total ratings5
23
4
20
3
21
2
23
1
33
What Students Say
“None of the exam material came from the slides or quizzes”
AST109 - 1.0 rating“Really nice professor”
AST109ONLINE - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
65%
Textbook Required
45%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.90 avg changeRatings by Course
AST10911
5.0
(1)AST110
4.0
(2)AST109
3.1
(79)AST215110
3.0
(1)AST
2.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
PHY454
4.3
AST101
4.0
AST215110
4.0
AST109ONLINE
3.9
AST101ONLINE
3.3
Reviews (119)
No Comments
He's okay. Not too great, not too bad.
No Comments
Mediocre teacher for a mediocre subject
Hard class, but he makes it interesting somewhat
No Comments
No Comments
No Comments
nice guy, BORING class!!!
No Comments
Good hearted man but a bit of a nerd, killer subject area though, tough class
Don't take the online lab.. He was all about how he wrote the book for the class
Good to listen to, interesting class.
No Comments
BLAH. Boring as heck. Tests are very hard and won't scale. Class always runs late. AVIOD like the plague
HORRIBLE! I cannot stand this little man. Very annoying, and even more boring. The only plus is an hour and a half nap period, sometimes longer because class ALWAYS runs late.
its not a horribly tough class,try to pay attention, its a little boring so thats not always easy to do, and hes a little odd, but very very helpful, he answers all questions asked just very dull.
Nice guy, a little boring but not too bad. Tests are a little tough but he's very helpful, and yeah class usually runs late.
pretty cool guy, knows what he is talking about, dont expect an easy ride though
dude i wish he left the beard on.. that face is scary underneath! he looks like a monkey, and is always talking about niel commin's book... stop mooching off other people's celebrity!
The class was pretty tough I thought, and the prof. was definately boring. Every class he just read from his PowerPoint slides...ugh
pretty tough class... tests were ALWAYS "harder than expected" in Batuski's own words..Any success in this class is strictly the product of your own work, Batuski's not much help.
I GOT ROBBED IN AST110! I got an A in every one of the indoor labs. But I didn't get any clear (Wednesday) nights for the outdoor lab! I got a zero for outdoor lab leaving me a B for the course. He wouldn't allow me to do my lab on another night!!!
Although I graded Batuski very hard...The class itself was interesting and looking back I dont have horrible memories of it. The classes were however, VERY boring at times, tests were always difficult and required a lot of studying but the labs were okay
I took the online version, which is probably worse because you can fall asleep listening to the lectures. Tests were very difficult even though they were open-book. I didn't think it reflected the lectures.
Boooring, hard to listen to.
Brilliant, funny, friendly guy who breaks down complex concepts for laymen like myself. Enjoyable class where learning is constantly encouraged.
the loss of beard did make him look younger... but the man himself doesnt seem very personable, always slightly snappy, and when he makes an appearance in lab, he seems angry when you dont understand... very stressful
VERY boring lecture and after having Prof. Commins as a sub I realize just HOW confusing Batuski's lectures can be. He mentions a lot of things in class and then says "but you don't need to know that" which is very annoying and only more confusi
If you ever need a way to sleep, sign up for this class! Most boring thing I ever had to sit through. The labs are quizzes you take every week and they are on astronomy stuff that only astronomers know. So good luck if you want sleep through confusion.
Angry, boring man who has to be the most confusing person I have ever had the displeasure of taking a course from. Even he admits that he needs to change things "for the next session..." This is the worst course I have ever taken. I hate it.
Run! Run very fast ... this class is boring and confusing. Tests do NOT follow lectures. This man should not be teaching ... no wonder those of us who are not science people are so afraid of it. It's because of teachers like this!
Very...umm...interesting
Hardish class. Lots of memorizing. It was ok besides that tho. Recommend going to class... makes i so you barely have to read.
eh... VERY boring voice on tape. hard to listen to, talks SLOW, and gets off topic. makes listening to a 40 minutes lecture into a day long event. The class wasn;t so bad, bt i am SO glad to be done soon.
You have to give the man credit for appearing in Darth Vader getup! Overall he is a nice man and takes the time to provide lots of extra credit opportunities and study sessions. The class itself is manageable but he does not present material in a clear and concise manner.
Very interesting class, lots of extra credit, easy and helpful professor. If you pay attention and sit close to the front you will enjoy it. There were 400 people or so taking the class, so don't sit on the back because that's a place for people who don't care for a grade and only care for talking.
class itself was tough, alot of memorization, but doable if you do the work. all the extra credit definetly helped a ton, but i think he said he was going to minimize how much he'll put on next year's course. i heard it one of the easier science gen'eds
I wouldn't recommend taking his Astro class unless you love Astronomy. He is very unclear and the lectures are boring...basically just copying notes off the powerpoint. His tests are really hard. Lots of fact memorization. He has study sessions, but they just remind you how screwed you are for the exam.
This is not a class for the faint of heart. It is difficult! However, it is manageable if you are willing to put in LOTS of effort. The students are left, for the most part, to figure it out themselves through the discussion folder. The tests are hard!
Says um about 5 billion times. Not interesting. Not a very good teacher. Very easy online course, though. Don't bother with the text.
This class was extremely easy, and the lectures were easy to understand. However he is BORING, and is terrible at answering questions that he is unprepared for in a clear and concise manner - sometimes spending several minutes on a simple question without answering it very well.
hes a nice guy loves his subjects..
not a bad teacher. I would sugguest his live class not online. he's a boring lecture to watch, even more boring on the computer. You have to have his lecture as the front window while watching it on your computer which means no aim!! take the live if you want to take it.
Took the online version. Lectures were awful. Dry and boring. Exams/quizzes were all on webct. You could use notes, book or whatever you wanted, but exams were 50 questions in 70 minutes. Some questions were vague and diffcult even with the notes and book.Decent class easy way to knock off the lab requirement. Live verison might be better
Very Boring class. Lectures were nap worthy. This professor wasnt very personable, didn't appear to care about students as individuals.
Boring class -- would recommend taking it online and sparing yourself the dread of going to boredom town. He's really into astronomy -- but so dry that is makes you want to sleep. If you need a certain nap every week this is the place to get it. He posts his powerpoint on FirstClass so you really dont miss anything by sleeping through the lecture!
I just want to say the lab sucks for Astronomy. You will most likely have an Asian teacher for the lab that is almost impossible to understand. Wow! That really helps.. not
Batuski definitely knows his stuff. His problem is conveying it to you in an interesting manner. The class is verrrry boring, but it's a very easy GenEd for lab science. Be sure to go to class because attendance counts for an entire exam grade. Exams are slightly harder than expected, but all multiple choice.
Grading policy very fair, known to add extra points and offers many oppertunities for extra credit. often fell asleep in class though, if you are looking to be on the edge of your seat, skip this class.
Knows his stuff, but just not a great teacher. The amount of stuff to memorize was a bit too much for a non-major, but it's interesting. I took the class online, and unless you can make yourself constantly study it will be hard to do well on the prelims. It's never quite clear what you should know for the tests though!
I love Batuski! he has a great sense of humor, and if you go to class you will have no problems on any test. Very Helpful and gives lots of chances for extra credit.
Advice: attend class, take notes, complete weekly quizzes and you'll do just fine. Batuski is very approachable and will help you with anything. Study those constellations!
Took his astronomy class during the summer online. Boring pre-recorded lectures, but you can definitely get through with a respectable B or higher if you study the material.
I asked the teacher if there was a study guide or review and he said no and that if I just study the slides I will pass the class. None of the exam material came from the slides or quizzes. This teacher is a joke
Can be slightly rude, quiz questions and test questions often unclear. Has lots of knowledge, but it a poor professor. Online lectures are poor in quality. Not helpful at all. Very vague study guidelines. I would not recommend taking class with this professor
The class is VERY boring, and the test questions are often something he mentioned once in class. He covers a lot of material, and he certainly knows his stuff. The lab is MISERABLE, taking it in the winter means standing outside in 10 degree weather for 2 hours staring at the sky. The Asian TA is impossible to understand and not at all helpful.
Go to class, take careful lecture notes, and do the weekly quizes. His prelims come from the weekly quizes, so just study them. Some difficult concepts but he brings students down and does demonstrations and then you'll understand. Dont need the book.
He is very rude!
To pass this course, you need to use all material provided- NOT JUST quizzes or lecture notes! Spend time studying the material, as is expected in any course, and you will do fine.
He is a decent guy, and his dog Jenny is adorable. However, he is somewhat rude to students, and tends to give 5 possible right answers during in class quizes, but only one right answer on tests. Very confusing. Don't buy the textbook, just get Astronotes and do the weekly quizes. You'll do fine :-)
He's a great professor! Obviously knows his stuff. He's very nice, and always curved our exams. If you put in even a little effort you should be able to do fine in this class.
everything is there for you to succeed. i just finished my final and i didnt get one grade below a 95. and I am by no means a genius. people were complaining about getting 50s and 60s on their tests and then said that they hadn't listened to any of the lessons besides the introductory lesson. trust me. put the time in and youll succeed.
Extremely easy class. All answers to weekly quizzes are online. I studied ~2-3 hours each prelim and got mid 80s on all three. Lab can be somewhat tedious, but nonetheless easy. Never bought the textbook.
Batuski was an easy professor. The class was not hard at all and I barely put in any effort at all to get a B-. Got a 100 on every single weekly quiz, and got 70's on the pre-lims. Batuski was pretty big on extra credit too. The class was very boring though.
Not very interesting, tests were hard but extra credit and weekly quizzes were quite easy.
He's ok, but definitely not on Comins level.
Nice dude, dope dog that comes to class. Man has a nice beard and is very knowledgeable--- NET WORTH< than Commins
So nice and laid out what would be on the test. Requires studying but the info is easy to understand
Just pay attention to the slides and study and it will be an easy A.
The course is easy and class isn't too boring.you wont need the text book, and the tests are fairly simply, just study a little. Also, He discovered a supercluster of galaxies. (its one of the question)
Great Professor. Nice person. Full of knowledge and wants you to succeed. Skip the tex book and make sure you get the notebook. Take great notes and pay attention to the lectures and reviews and you'll do great!
Really nice professor. Definitely buy and use the notebook he assigns for class. It will keep you super organized. The tests are tough and I took this course online so there was not a lot of time to think about questions or look them up. I would recommend this class.
I literally dreaded this class. Unless you love outer space and already have a basic knowledge of how things work up there, you will be lost in this class. The lectures were so dry and having to memorize not only the constellations but all of the stars in them too is just unrealistic and unnecessary. Tough class but better than bio100 I guess.
His class is sort of reversed. The lectures are online and are assigned for homework (software lets him know who watched and who didn't), and the in class work is mostly worksheets/quizzes. The lectures cover everything in the book, and I found the book imo a waste of money. The astronotes, however, is amazingly helpful as well as mandatory.
He teaches an inverted classroom-- lectures online for homework and tests worksheets in class. If you don't watch the videos, you'll be lost in class and it's super easy to forget them. If you don't go to class, you can still do the in class work but you'll probably be lost. Unless you really like astronomy. Quizzes are on Quizlet.
Ast 109 Online is terrible set up by Batuski he has online lectures that are too to vague follow and rarely answer the homework/ exam questions. Has lecture videos in which he will not get through content efficiently and spends endless time talking about nonsense that doesn't pertain to class. Such as the beard he grows for winter. Rude in person.
Lectures on incorrect material (according to the text/internet) and grades in-class participation questions on correctness (for new material). Homework was long/difficult, and tests were long for the period. Grading was brutal and feedback minimal. Got one test back with no points on a question. The feedback? "No!" Not sure how that's helpful.
Very easy, interesting online class. The lectures are worthwhile and he's excited about the material.
This class is reversed. Lecture videos outside of class and notetaking from the textbook for homework. Workshops and quizzes every class (do not skip class) and no lecture material. Workshops and quizzes come with unreasonable time constraints, making them more about completion speed and less about learning. Annoyed with students who ask questions.
Professor Batuski is very enthusiastic about Astronomy, and goes very in depth during his lectures. He is a good professor, however, his assessments are extremely unreasonable. Students are expected to learn an amount that is way above an introductory level course load. If you don't have to take this class, don't.
Batuski is THE WORST professor I've had in all my time at Umaine. He is so rude and his online lectures are terrible. He makes you come in for tests and stares you down the whole test causing a TERRIBLE test environment. STAY AWAY
I took AST 109 online and it is very easy. All of the homework can be found on quizlet with the exact questions and answers. The tests are basically the same questions as the homework. You do need to show up for tests and answer questions on the video quizzes. I never used my textbook astronotes or actually watched a lecture and passed. Use quizlet
Out of some 26 courses I've taken in college, this is the first "C" I've received, and I blame it entirely on the professor. I know others have walked away with "A's", but I entirely discourage his online session. He rambles, his class is inverted (watch hour long lectures over seemingly little), with four exams worth 70% of your grade. Avoid.
Worst. Professor. I don't want to drag Batuski, because he seems nice enough, but I'm not paying to teach myself one of the most important classes in Physics. He can't answer questions, lectures are slow and useless, clicker questions are frustrating. Homework is way too much work, and isn't covered in class. Someone walks out every class. Awful.
Took it online and the lecture videos were over an hour long each and he just rambled on and on about nothing. Then came exam time, and you were expected to have the same level of knowledge as an Astronomy graduate student. Definitely not a level 100 course, don't take this if you don't hate yourself and like to suffer.
Every1 complaining about this course didn't realize every single graded assignment is somewhere on quizlet. including video quiz answers, & sets to prep for the exams. also, you can speed up his lectures to 4X so the hour long video becomes 15 minutes. The worst part of this class was remembering to "attend" zoom sessions. take it online, easy A
He always assigns the class video quizzes which take up a lot of time-- the video quiz answers are online and is mostly based on the textbook (kinda).
Probably the worst professor Ive had. Doesnt respond to emails, incredibly rude, makes all the TAs do the teaching for him. His grading is incredibly unfair and confusing. His lectures were never worth attending, but were mandatory because for some reason he thought having three quizzes every class was a good idea. The book was not worth it.
The worst professor I've had in all four years. The final exam was full of material he never taught. Lectures were useless, he was extremely unhelpful and had all the TA's do the work for him. He didn't care how well any of us did, and honestly does not know how to teach. He acts like this is AST500 instead of AST109.
avoid him like the plague. Does not care about any of his students, at all.
awful professor. Rambles in lectures online and tests are weighted to heavily for the content they contain. youre required to memorize constellations and the tests have very unclear diagrams of those constellations - not to mention there's way too many to memorize considering all of the other material youre supposed to know
Worst teacher I've ever had. All the online material is put into videos that are 20+ minutes long that NO ONE has time for. Not to mention they're old as heck and he references events from like 2008. The tests were insanely hard for a 100 level class. Don't take it.
Old course material. ALL (incl exam) answers are on Quizlet; just copy and paste the questions into Google, including the in lecture pop quizzes. 3 PROCTORED exams and the final are 60% of final grade. The lectures are long but can be sped up via the video player. Don't need any of the books. Lab features many gotcha questions. Unforgiving class.
If you are a non-science student looking to fulfill a science or lab credit, STAY AWAY FROM THIS CLASS. By far the hardest class I have taken. The exams (proctored by webcam and lockdown browser) are worth 60 percent of your grade. All of the other tests, quizzes, etc are on Quizlet but the exams are super difficult. Do not take.
Batuski is a horrible professor, the syllabus is very messy, his quizzes in class are WAY too short of a time. One of the quizzes I took gave me 15 minutes to do 20 questions, and the questions are very complicated and sometimes trick questions. You dont get much feedback, and he is not there to help you. Do NOT take this class if not needed. Bad.
Zoom classes are mostly technical difficulties and groupwork-- 3 quizzes a class, all on Quizlet. However, exams are the bulk of your grade, and you'll find that the lectures will only confuse you and make you focus on information irrelevant to the exams. You are expected to memorize a ton of information-- exceedingly difficult for no reason.
I've only been in this class for a few weeks but I already know it won't end well. This is a ridiculously work-heavy, difficult class for a 100-level online. The exams are proctored and closed-note, closed-book. The lecture videos are very long and unhelpful; I watch them at 2x speed and it's not fast enough. DO NOT take this if you can avoid it.
Disappointing that the only intro to astronomy course is offered by this dude. Anyone with an interest in astronomy is immediately put off by a terrible professor. At least let another professor teach the course.
There are literally hundreds of things under content in brighspace. It is impossible to do all the work. I am an engineering major and this was by far the most stressful class. Proctored online exams. 10 different types a quizzes a week. Impossible to get a 100 on an exam. DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS CLASS YOU WILL REGRET IT I PROMISE YOU.
This class was HARD but I still got an A. LOTS of reading, you wont do well if you dont do the readings and take notes. Yes, the monor quizes are all on quizlet, but if you want to do well on the exams, do the reading and study. He expects a lot from you and sometimes its overwhelming. I spent way more time on this class than any other.
Winter class with a lot of material.
Lectures are disjointed and jump from subject to subject with very little connecting. His slides constantly do not make sense and he has difficulty explaining complex subjects to confused students. He knows a lot about the topic and is clearly very passionate about astronomy, but he does not have the ability to express that in a teaching way.
Do not take this class if you don't have to. Extremely confusing, we never talk about stuff that would be on homeworks or tests. The lecture slides 100 percent useless, they don't help at all. You are expected to teach yourself almost everything. And there is no study guide or anything to help you. iclicker question are trash. worst class.
Do not....and I mean DO NOT take this class as simply a "gen ed credit". I made this mistake by thinking it would be alright...big mistake. This class has more work outside class than in the actual class itself. But MARK MY WORDS: The only way you will pass this class is if you READ THE BOOK. The iClicker questions are completely RANDOM/ USELESS.
An unnecessary amount of memorization of stars and constellations along with useless trivia. I am not kidding when I say you must remember at least 44 constellations and 30 stars (without lines). This whole class was a joke, even as an elective.
Batuski was great! If you go to lectures, pay attention, take good notes, and stay on top of the weekly quizzes, it's not bad. Free Study guides on quizlet which make the prelims not that bad-- as long as you actually study. YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY THE ASTRONOTES workbook!!! Waste of money if you're good at taking notes, could be helpful otherwise.
Batuski is a nice guy and a knowledgeable tenured astronomy professor, he was helpful when I struggled to make exams due to sickness, but his lectures are so obnoxiously dry that I absolutely could not stand to go to them at 9:00 am every morning. I learned everything from Quizlet and had an 86% quiz grade average, despite the tests being absurd.
Contrary to what others are saying, I thoroughly enjoyed Batuski's class. It was very clear to me what was expected to be done. The exams are proctored. He graded on a curve. He seemed really excited about astronomy. I watched his lectures at 1.8 speed, which cut the total lecture time dramatically.
This is one of the most work-heavy classes I have taken here at UMaine, especially if you are pairing it with the other AST class to fill your lab requirement. I feel like there is constantly a quiz or video to watch or exam to take. There are some extra credit opportunities which is nice but I feel like I am going to end up failing this course.
Professor Batuski was a great guy who is passionate about space. The work isn't anything crazy, and if you like space you should find it interesting. You had to do participation questions online during class. Thats really the only downside. Study and practice for a bit each week and you will be fine. He also dressed up as darth vader one class lol.
Special relativity is a fairly easy subject that can be taught in ways that are intuitive and engaging. Batuski managed to make this one of the worst courses I have ever taken. His assignments are inscrutable. The questions he asks are deliberately confusing and vague. He doesn't seem to care much about the course either.
His lectures are fine; key equations are repeated enough that the homework and tests aren't bad. His grading is strange, he really cares about semantics. Luckily there isn't enough material to cover that this class is not bad. The only thing that sucks are the prequizzes before each class. They're based on the text and have some weird answers
AST109ONLINE is a challenging course, but unstuck study can be a helpful study tool alongside the textbook. Lectures are dense, so stay focused and use resources like Quizlet to prepare for the exams. Overall, it's a tough but manageable class if you put in the work.
He's not a good lecturer. His slides are okay and notes are terrible. Things are not explained clearly and sometimes he's just wrong. You are expected to read the book before class, but it's the best source of information you get. HW and tests are a mix of very easy and very hard questions, but the curve is usually nice.
This class is unnecessarily difficult for what it is. I definitely do not recommend taking it if you're just doing it for your science credit. There is a lot of homework and videos that are mandatory to watch that you can't skip through. Tests are proctored heavily with lockdown/camera. Still doable, just a very annoying course.
Do not take this class if you are just looking for an online class for your science credit. His class is extremely lecture heavy and given the fact he talks at one word every 2 seconds they are very hard to benefit from. Along with that he is very unforgiving with extensions compared to other professors I have had.
I'm a high school student who took this for Early College and it was super easy. For a class with an accelerated pace he was pretty generous with deadlines, releasing most content a week before the class "officially" started. The only noticeably difficult aspect was memorizing the constellations/stars, but those had so many ways to make it easier.
If you're ever considering taking this course to for a science gen-ed, don't. I essentially paid to bring my GPA down. The professor doesn't release study guides, so you have no idea what to study. It's way harder than a 100-level class should be. I would never choose to take this course again; it was a waste of my energy and hard work.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
65%
Textbook Required
45%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.90 avg changeRatings by Course
AST10911
5.0
(1)AST110
4.0
(2)AST109
3.1
(79)AST215110
3.0
(1)AST
2.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
PHY454
4.3
AST101
4.0
AST215110
4.0
AST109ONLINE
3.9
AST101ONLINE
3.3