when i asked for help his response was 'all i can do is sign a drop slip'. i would NOT suggest taking anything from him!!!!

Doesn't teach, doesn't help, doesn't care

This teacher is basically worthless!!!!

Horrible professor! He makes mistakes in class all of the time which confuses everybody. The online homework does not even correspond to what he teaches! His tests are horrible and sometimes if its so terrible that he makes retake tests, which are still ungodly hard. He must be awesome at research since I see no point in him teaching.

This is the first time Dave has taught this class--no book is required, which sucks since his teachings make no sense at all. His homework questions have hardly anything to do with test questions, and he rambles on in class. He simply starts lecture by jumping into the middle of something without explaining it. I'd recommend a different teacher!

Let me start by saying I like Dave Besson. He's very entertaining. He always made me laugh during his lectures. With that said, he simply does not know how to teach. He cannot explain certain concepts in plain English. If you have no experience with physics courses, avoid him like the plague. Also, the final grade is weighted...beware.

I'm sorry to say that Prof. Besson is at the bottom of the list of professors I've had here at KU. Clearly, he put very little time into the class, and, I felt, had very little respect for the wishes of the students. I understand that he was scheduled to teach the follow-up course; kudos to whoever realized he doesn't belong in a classroom.

Warning to anyone who might get stuck taking this course with Besson - DEFINITELY WAIT A SEMESTER! I was relieved to find out that Dr. Shi is teaching the follow-up in the spring, since I learned essentially nothing Besson's lectures this fall and exams had zero resemblance to the lecture material. Impersonal and unhelpful when approached.

Unfortunately, I learned basically nothing from Besson's lectures. Inaccessible outside of class; arrogant to students, he provided no clue as to what would be on the exam and never offered review. If you're pre-med, and need this material for the MCAT's, definitely take it with someone else. Besson also gave very few A's, as I understand.

VERY DISAPPOINTING CLASS! Lectures were delivered monotonically, instructor never worked problems, and the exams looked totally foreign. I spent ALL my time on this class at the expense of other courses, and at the end of the semester, found that my score of 95.6 was curved down to a B!! It's obvious Besson can't teach, but don't penalize pre-meds!

Simply put, the absolutely worst course I've taken in my four years at KU. Went to every class, did all the homeworks, scored above the mean on the exams, and still ended up with a C. That would have been okay, if I had felt like I learned something, which, I'm sorry to say, is not the case. Don't let this Besson get in front of a class again!

Readings are pointless; in-class questions bear no resemblance to exam material whatsoever (not to mention the MCATs). Besson is never willing to help and condescending to students. Definitely wait a semester to take 114. BEWARE!!!!

It's amazing how this guy can take an entry-level course and make it way harder than it should be. If you want to learn how to plug arbitrary numbers into a calculator to get an answer, by all means you should take his class. If you want to increase your understanding of physics, save your money and take it elsewhere.

Pretty useless, I'm afraid. We come in, he shows a youtube video then lectures from incomprehensible powerpoint slides for 55 minutes (always 5 minutes too long). Never available for questions. I'm basically paying this University to teach myself physics.

all I can say is that I am a senior with a 4.0 GPA and I have no idea what's going on in this course, and, as far as I can tell, am flunking. My biggest mistake was not reading the recommendations on this website before signing up for this course!!!

The class is impossible. Yes, there's extra credit on homework but it barely contributes to your overall grade and there are 30 assignments. The tests are way harder than lecture and he doesn't care that his students have no idea what's going on.

very disorganized - we get (if lucky) 12 hours notice for homework assignments, and two days notice before exams are announced. No powerpoint, no notes. Way too much conceptual thinking. Good news is that the physics department has found someone else to teach physics 115!

Doesnt teach the material. I have not learned much at all. Test are very unlike his lecture. Claims average is 75% but from what I hear it's more like 50%. Homework is up weeks before it's due so that's not a problem, but we don't know how to do it because the text book and professor are worth less. Also talks about his "misspent youth" a lot.

Class was a total disaster. I learned more in the last two days of the course when we had a sub than in the rest of the semester combined. We get no information about our grades and have no idea where we stand. Surely we should be able to get a better quality instructor for the money we're paying.

Absolutely horrible professor. Uses online homework system, and when asked nicely to create his own system, says he doesn't have time. Obviously has no concern for the students he's supposed to care about.

we've had one exam so far (mean was a 28%!) and I can tell this class is going to be torture. He expects us to know things about physics that are only taught in graduate school. Studied for three days for the exam and it didn't help at all. Avoid at all costs!

He is the worst professor I've ever hard. Cool guy and a good teacher but doesn't provide with any resources (not even a textbook) no powerpoint slides, no lecture video and bases off his exams on one problem from one lecture that is a cumulative problem (multiple choice, no partial crdt). Too caught up for his research to care about his students.

Worst professor I've ever had. Period. Fortunately, enough people protested so he won't be teaching phsx 115 in the fall. Yay! Win for the students!

absolutely nothing good about this professor. I emailed him, like, 50 times in one day with a simple question and he was too busy to write back once. I've heard the same story from lots of friends of mine. Avoid at all costs. Definitely avoid for phsx115.

Professor is absolutely unfair to students! Exams bear no resemblance whatsoever to lecture material or homeworks. Nobody understands what's going on; 300 out of 300 students complain that they're totally confused, and nothing happens!

provides us with almost no pre-exam preparation, but expects us to do well. Inaccessible and unapproachable. Clearly feels he has better things to do than spend time on undergraduates. Be prepared to learn very little and hope for a favorable curve.

expectations far exceed what is the norm for a 100-level introductory course. Instructor assumes math preparation that biology majors simple don't have.

Worst class I have ever taken. So unprepared and very all over the place. Only talks about a topic for 5 mins or less and moves on. He does NOT explain anything and expects us to know how to do the homework.

I do the homework. I read the textbook. I attend class, pay attention, and take notes. Then why do I understand nothing?! The quiz questions he gives us during class are wayyy harder than anything the textbook has. We have to work these quiz problems while the rest of the lecture is still going on :( If I didn't need this class to grad I'd drop it

We get zero information - no pre-class slides, no textbook, no accessibility to the instructor outside of class, no office hours. He comes in at 3 pm, leaves at 3:50 and the entire class is left scratching their heads. Never answers emails, or gives any second chances. Awful instructor, everybody is lost...

I agree with everything that's been written about this professor. He expects us to prepare for class by reading his slides, but who has time? Students learn in-class, not by doing work outside of class! He also assumes everyone is good at algebra, which isn't true. He never gives any second chances, either...

this person should not be teaching, period. Totally insensitive to the students. Disorganized and rambling. Everybody is totally lost...

I've never struggled with a class before, but this class gave me PTSD. If you've never taken physics before expect to be lost. Doesn't teach concepts in class, just goes straight to practice problems that don't make sense. I even had a tutor and barely passed the class. He knows students are lost but doesn't change teaching method to compensate

In four years at KU, Dave Besson is by far the worst professor I ever had. Most of his teaching is unclear, his slides don't make sense, and the homework is only partially helpful for test preparation. I got an A in 114 without any issue, and I've never had issues understanding the material until I got stuck with Besson for 115. Avoid if you can.

I'm currently in Besson's class. He has chosen not to use an online format that he has admitted works for other teachers in favor of a form of not teaching at all. He has the TAs go over the homework, all the tests are online and graded through the system, and he doesn't lecture at all, so what exactly is he getting paid for?

Besson is undoubtedly a wicked smart guy with decent intentions, but oh boy... It could not be more clear that this guy does NOT want to be teaching. Lectures aren't in person (thanks, Covid), so he has opted to simply not teach at all. The TA review sessions have been my only saving grace in prepping for exams. I almost WISH he were lecture heavy.

Honestly one of the most disorganized, worst classes I have ever taken in my four years at Kansas.

Prof Besson didn't lecture at all, I'm not really sure what he did other then respond to emails in an unprofessional and hostile manner. Before taking the final Prof Besson sent out an announcment saying "too many people have A's". So he made the final so much harder then the other test, even included some stuff we didn't learn!

I had no interaction with him at all; only the TAs. The ONLY reason I passed is because of the TA's Zoom sessions before the tests. He taught us the basics for each unit through 10-min videos for each homework & then expected way more out of us during the test. Don't take the final unless absolutely necessary; it's notorious for being impossible.

He is easily the worst professor I have ever had in my entire life. He never taught a single thing and expected us to know everything. Tests were incredibly hard and there was no partial credit for all the math you had to do. I could write a book on how bad of a professor he was this year. Im praying for everyone who takes this class with him.

David didnt teach anything . He was snobby and made online learning a lot harder than it had to be. Stick to research . Retreat from education

The worst professor I have ever had in my life. Decided he didn't want to teach since it was online and we never heard from him unless he was sending out hostile emails/announcements. Learned nothing to help me with the MCAT. KU physics department did nothing when students asked for help. Nobody cared besides the TAs.

Quiz was nothing like the homework. Gave us one example for each topic and didn't cover the material. The TA did everything, the grading, teaching, and helping students - Besson just posted a short, nonsensical video like once a week that didn't help.

For a 100 level college "introductory physics" course, the expectations held by dave were unbelievable. They were more than unclear throughout the entire semester, and right at the end of the semester, many students grades took a massive hit. Do not email him, you will likely get a narcissistic response that answers none of your questions. Goodluck

If you can avoid taking physics with this professor do it by any and all means possible. He would provide confusing/disorganized lecture materials. The homework assignments had nothing to do with what was on the exams. There was also information on my MCAT that was not taught in this class. Also, when I asked for help none was given to me.

I've never been so lost in my life, pretty sure I know just as much about physics leaving as I did going in. Recycled exams as practice exams that didn't line up with the material for our class so not helpful. Exams were designed purposefully to be way harder than anything in class. Run away, just run.

Worst prof ever. Steer clear. Im a 4.0 student, and theres a slim chance Ill even pass this class. Hes very disrespectful and relies on TAs. Even if you ask for help, you arent getting any. Get ready to watch khan academy videos he sends out - theyre more helpful than lectures. Hes more focused on a $6 million research grant than teaching.

This man knows 100% that hes a terrible teacher and that his methods dont work, but wont actually do anything to remedy those issues. Thinks his sole purpose is research so he cant be bothered to put in the effort.

Don't study for the exams. I got the same grade on an exam I studied 10 minutes for as one I studied 8-10 hours for. It's a waste of your time. Nothing in lecture is on the exam, also, so watching/attending lecture is pointless. Nothing in the homework is on the exam either, so only do that for the (completion) points.

Besson is easily the worst professor I have had in 3 years at KU. He does not care about teaching and has no interest in improving his class.

David besson is the worst professor I've ever had. I've never failed a class and I will this one. Tests are ridiculous, everything is extremely overly complicated. I went into every assignment and test dreading it because I knew I'd do terribly. Doesn't provide you with the materials needed to do well on exams

Overall a funny person, and his anecdotes make the class more bearable. The teaching style, however, is atrocious as its very heavily math based with focus on concepts on exams that were not discussed in any depth. There is also little guidance on what needs to be focused on, which is rough in a course with such heavy material

Besson's teaching style is horrible. He gives you a book to read and expects you to learn on your own (no actual teaching). He uses lecture time to clarify what he wants on the homework and as Q&A sessions. I knew my experience with this class was going to be bad when he said, "I was previously banned from teaching this class".

So two faculty teach this class at KU - one (Wu) is an easy A, you plug-and-chug equations, get tons of extra credit and don't have to work! Besson requires that you understand the material and emphasizes concept; moreover, you get absolutely no help, there's no textbook and he ignores students! Definitely avoid him and go with Wu!!

Has a policy to never give more than 5% A's in any class. He gives unrecognizable in-class paper essay exams, offers no help to students, and never answers questions in class (and just monotonically reads his slides aloud in class, anyway). If you're pre-med, you can say goodbye to your career by taking this course. Definitely wait a semester!!

Besson is a nice guy, but if you aren't perfect in math you will struggle. Problems in class aren't fully explained step-by-step, you are just given the logistics. Tests are totally unrecognizable and no partial credit is given.

Exams contained information that wasn't gone over in class. He has one whole slideshow for the entire semester so it's impossible to find what you need to go over in order to study. Went to a tutor and even she was confused about his way of teaching, so that's helpful... Didn't really offer help just kind of left it to his TAs.

Don't choose Besson if you struggle with math and would rather prioritize other classes. There are exams every other week and even if you studied, they don't solve like the homework with harsh grading. He did seem like a cool guy, so I'd recommend getting to know him in his morning lectures. He will call on you in class though.

definitely do not take this course - besson requires that you actually understand the material in order to get a good grade. Avoid at all costs.

Do not take this professor! He pretends to be one person in class and outside of class when you ask for help or have questions he attacks you. DO NOT TAKE! He also manipulates students into defending him when he fears that administration has concerns.

Very bad if you're at all rusty with math. He doesn't explain things well in detail. Had to fully rely on a tutor to get through

Just don't bother

If I could rate this class a 0 I would. By the third exam, the class avg was a D+. Despite watching all of his videos and doing the 10 practice questions, I still am doing terribly on the exams. He does not teach WHY or how to solve problems. He goes through examples in class and expects you to follow without knowing where he is getting each value.

Watch the DSO videos posted to Canvas and ignore the main lectures. He's good at working through homework problems and explaining things there but things kinda fall apart and get chaotic when he's teaching in front of a bigger audience. You do need to show up and iClickers are timed. He'll talk about unrelated things during them, it's distracting.

Dr. Besson is the worst professor I have ever had. He wants his students to perform poorly. The class average for each exam was never above 75%. There are 10 exams with only 10 questions each. The exams covered problems that were never discussed in class. We were not allowed to take the final if we had missed 3+ classes. He is not helpful or kind.

The literal definition of not caring for your students. I did every problem, watch every lecture and attended very class, and there were problems in the exam that were never discussed. I hate how for a phsx exam he chooses MC, and questions are based on previous one, so if you missed a "-" you have 50% less in your exam grade.

He is not a good professor at all. Back when I took this course, he wouldn't even check the homework and would give credit for blank sheets of paper turned in.

All he does is tell stories in class. I am always really bored in his lecture. His past lecture videos help with the homework assignments but attendance is mandatory. Yawnn

Your homework is creating your own problems which has a bad time at explaining in class and assumes you already know how to do half the topics.

Grades heavily rely on exams and make up 65% of the final score. He knows his class is incredibly difficult and has had issues with the administration multiple times, but refuses to change his teaching style.