very smart yet cannot teach the subject matter. if you ask him for help he repeats his lecture then looks at you like you're stupid. Tests were impossibly hard. Avoid at all costs. it would be better off to be a few credits behind then to have him screw your gpa.

What a nightmare! He goes into so much detail about how the formulas are derived,then expects you to know how to use them in problems that you have never been introduced to. Tests were impossible. Class average was never above a 58%. Ask him a question and he will either tell you to reread the question or leave you more confused.

The worst teacher I've EVER had. He never explained anything and he expected us to know everything. The class is suppose to be basic physics but he doesn't treat it like that. Even the tutors in the help lab were lost on some of the work he gave us. If you have this man, DROP THE CLASS AND FAST!!

AVOID! He cant teach the subject, he knows a lot but knows nothing on how to teach it. He leaves you so confused even more so when he tries to explain things. He tells you, you dont need memorize the equations for one test and then on the next and the final, expects you to know everything. NOT COOL. its ezer to learn the material on your own

Not too bad of a teacher, but the worst teacher to explain something to you if you are confused. Labs are extremely poorly written, and even give the TAs troubles. Be ready to spend hours understanding the material becuase he makes you know everything inside and out. Oh and you better know alot of calc cuz theres alot more than calc 1 in his class.

Feel like I didn't learn anything. The only thing that made this class "fair" was the enormous curve he had to put into effect so half the class wouldn't fail.

A poor teacher who cannot convey the material effectively to the class. Unreasonable to talk to and sees no "gray area" for answers to problems. Worst Physics teacher I have come across

Dr. Brown is a very smart guy who just has no idea how to communicate his ideas to people. His lectures are dull and usually uninspiring, and only vaguely relates to the homework he assigns. Its almost easier to learn the material from the textbook. Quizzes are extremely difficult; averages usually 50% or less. Good luck if you have him.

Probably the worst teacher that I ever had. Overall a nice guy, very smart, but no teaching skills what-so-ever. You will spend about 20hrs a week outside of class on homework and lab, its ridiculous.If he graded without the curve the whole class would fail! He is very particulate. He makes many many mistakes himself but expects you to be perfect!!

he doesn't know how to answer students questions, he cant teach so the students understand him, he spent a class period teaching significant figures (which is a must know for the class) the wrong way. If you miss the correct number of significant figures then you get docked off a point. he doesn't expalin how to do the problems he creates.

horrible teacher.

horrible teacher. unclear, doesnt give good examples.

If you have to take PHYS 273 and want to actually learn something - DO NOT take Dr. Brown. Spends entire class going through useless examples. I did all of the horrible homework, got at least the class average on the tests, ended up with a B in the class, and I learned absolutely nothing.

The worst teacher I have ever had... I took the first quiz and still at the end of the semester, have not received a grade on it. His practice tests have no help on the actual tests. He tries to confuse everyone to make himself feel smarter. I would recommend taking a different instructor for Physics II.

Despite the fact that most of the class was still in calc 1, we were expected to know calc 3 concepts a few weeks into the class (in a lab). You're going to have to self-teach yourself this entire class if you want to do well, since most of the lecture time is spent with him deriving equations in front of the class while everyone is confused.

Mr. Brown is a very smart man. He has a p.h.d. in physics but im almost certain he hasnt taken any teaching classes. His notes are long and difficult to understand if you are taking calc one along side his class. He goes far too much into detail about things that only leave you more confused and arent necessary for the work. Pick another one

Dennis Brown is the worst professor. His problem is he does simple examples during his lectures so you think that you understand everything. But on the quiz he gave you something completely different. Something you have never ever done before.

Although he is so smart, Newton can't even solve his homework. I used to go Physics Help Room and met with TAs, these talented TAs can't even solve his problems. Come on, we are just freshman. How can we do that? We are not Newton's grandfather.

not helpful at all, tests are confusing. AVOID AT ALL COSTS

Assigns homework and didn't tell you what he expects then grades it then tells everybody they did it wrong and what he expects. Grading scale is confusing, if there even is one. He gets lost in his own lectures and forgets what he is doing and gets confused. Stay away. Stay away. Stay away.

Does not return tests on time. It took a month to give back our first exam. Confuses himself when giving a lecture and gets lost in his own notes. This is a waste of time in class. Does not clearly explain problems and concepts. Does not look over the labs that he hands out causing confusion in the class. Do not take this teacher for physics 210!!

Dr. Brown is disrespectful if you try and go for help. He does not care about the students and always seems to be busy with something else, even during office hours or appointments. If you are scheduled for this class, drop it, drop it as fast as you can.

This man is awful. If you don't have a strong background in physics, please do not take his class. He does not know how to explain anything.

This class requires a background in Calc 1, you can take calc 1 at the same time. HOWEVER, Brown expects you to know the calculus already so if you don't you are screwed. Labs are not communicated well, long homework assignments and quizzes that look nothing like homework or practice quizzes. If you are not physics heavy pick a different teacher.

Dr. Brown is very confusing & is terrible at conveying concepts. Does not grade quizzes timely, & grades harshly. If u don't fully believe in ur grasp of the subject, he will have u thinking u don't get ANY of it. This is a subj. that is heavily dependent on concept understanding, & he is of no help. AVOID him if u r not a physics geek.

He seems like a good teacher while you're listening to his lectures, and you're like, "oh, I get it!" But then you try to do the homework, and you have no idea where to start. He makes up his own problems for the homework, but don't bother asking him for help, because most of the time he won't know how to answer it either.

This guy is a genius, but he is the worst TEACHER I've ever had in my LIFE. He doesn't go through examples that are conceptual to what are on his hard quizzes. Makes up problems that he can't solve. Class has an enormous curve, but you always stress about your grade throughout the semester mainly because his grading scale doesn't make sense. avoid!

Brown is incredibly knowledgeable but expects a lot from the class. There is a huge curve, and the class is passable, but be prepared to put in work to get a good grade. Highly recommend seeing him outside of class or going to the tutoring area for a more help.

One of the toughest grades I've ever had. He well remove points from anything at all that you do wrong. I seriously recommend not taking this professor.

Dr. Brown does not seem interested in teaching at all. He was very disorganized and confused most of the time. He referred us to "literary journals" instead of explaining difficult concepts. He wasted so much of our lab time on completely unnecessary things. The best part? He never returned assignments or posted any grades! Avoid if possible!

Gives points of Extra Credit if you correct a mistake he makes on the board but it makes the class harder when you can't take him seriously b/c of the mistakes. It's an opportunity to get 1pt of extra credit but really damages his credibility as a teacher when students need to correct the teacher as often as they have to. First time in physics? GL

He gets confused in his own lectures and homework problems which is not very helpful. His practice tests are nothing similar to his actual quizzes at all. If you got something wrong on the homework, they don't clarify what you did wrong. He gives extra credit if you correct him on his lecture which is not very fair for all students writing notes

Students laugh out loud in class at him because of him not being able to solve his own problems but expects us to be able to. Very hard grader, avoid taking him at all cost. Semester is over and he only has half the grades submitted so no one actually knows their grades, same with lab TAs

Hardest professor. Do not take this class if you have absolutely no background knowledge in physics. However, the homework he gives weekly helps a lot. Was averaging 40s on the exams, did well on hw, got an A in lab and somehow ended up with a B- in the class. Huge curve. But still not worth it.

Hardest class Ive ever had to take. Avoid this professor at all costs. If you dont have any background knowledge on physics, algebra, trig, or calculus just forget about it. The tests are almost impossible to pass the class average is usually around a 40%. I somehow managed an A just by doing the HW and labs (plus he has to use a huge curve)

Ridiculous grading scales. Each TA has their own grading curve for homework. Easy to lose points on HW for format errors. Easily confused by his own notes. Gives extra credit to students that correct him. My TA taught me more than he did. Calc 2 was easier than this class. Unless you want to teach yourself, avoid! Never met anyone that liked him.

The only good this about being in Brown's class is his hilarious mannerisms. I've never seen anyone have so much trouble with erasing a whiteboard. His exams are ridiculous, but he does give partial credit so don't leave anything blank. His notes aren't helpful considering he does half of the problem wrong and doesn't correct it; I recommend Chegg.

You will need Chegg for this class. Homework is due about once a week. Takes points off easily. When in doubt, draw a picture, you will pick up points just from that. Textbook is online. Finals are two weeks away and I don't even know my grade. Lab is worth 25% of final grade. Each TA has their own grading curve. On his, 96 or higher on HW is an A.

hands down the worst professor I've had to this day. He seems like he knows his stuff but is horrible at teaching it. His lectures seem to make sense and then you sit to do the hw and become instantly confused. He makes up ridiculously difficult exam questions which sometimes even TA's don't understand. Grading scale sucks too, AVOID HIM if you can

Dr. Brown is a brilliant man, but he expects his students to make the same assumptions he can make, without his doctoral degree in physics. Quizzes are insanely difficult and unlike anything you see in class or in homework. Even the TA's are left clueless by the problems he expects us to solve. When PHYS 211 is easier than 210, that is an issue.

I'm sure everyone here wants to know how this horrible man curves the class. After every quiz, he puts a bell shaped curve that includes your grade in the course. If your grade is at the class average, the curve shows that you have a C in the course. However, at the end of the semester he bumps your grade up 3 letter grades. My B became an A.

Dr. Brown gives out a lot of homework that generally doesn't prepare you for the exams. The exams are much harder than the homework. You can get by in the class without attending lectures. I've taught myself all semester and am anticipating an A. Class is heavily curved too. He is the only professor that teaches this course at NIU, so good luck.

such a bad teacher. not worth my time for this class. wish i took it at a community college

just don't

Does not put grades and exams into the blackboard until end of the semester. This is frustrating because your grade in unknown through out the course. Recently, he found his exam on Chegg and decided to throw out the grade all together. There are 2 weeks left in the semester and only one grade has been entered. GOOD LUCK!

This instructor will stress you out every time you come to class. Save yourself and your gpa by going to a community college to take this class.

Introductory physics is NOT difficult, yet he managed to make this course the hardest thing I've ever taken. The only thing I've learned is what it feels like to be in an emotionally abusive relationship. I'm a taking this course because I wanted to learn physics. I get multivariable calc but not where I'm supposed to turn in my hw for him... hmmm

Dennis Brown does not care about his students at all. It is two weeks before finals and he believes someone cheated on the last exam and is now not counting it for a grade. He also doesn't update his gradebook at all so you're left assuming what your grade will be. Do not take this class.

Professor has no regard for the students whatsoever. He doesn't post your grade until the end of the semester.

By far the hardest class and worst professor I have ever had. If you have ANY other option, don't take Physics 210 at NIU. Hardly teaches anything in a useful way, expects students to read the textbook which is impossible to understand, and the exams are exponentially harder than the homework. The final exam is today and everyone expects to fail.

This man does not know how to teach and really shouldn't be anywhere near a teaching environment and should learn how to do the work he tries to teach.

Oh boy. He rambles on for hours about problems he makes up in his head, makes a mistake and expect his students to correct him all the time. If he maybe had a structured lecture and USED A TEXTBOOK, then maybe he wouldnt be so bad. Homework isnt anything like the quizzes and exams. His class is HEAVILY curved so thats one positive.

Barely puts anything into the gradebook and gives weirdly ambiguous answers when we ask him when things will be graded. Dont expect to know your grade at any given point, particularly when going into the final. Confusing lectures. The midterm and final were graded on a decent curve. Do all your assignments. Use other resources. Youll be fine..

Seems to be a nice guy, but a complete lack of understanding how to teach or provide students with adequate feedback. Won't use blackboard because "it gets too cluttered". Enjoy doing every homework assignment twice, once online and once on paper. You will probably end up just teaching yourself. Good luck.

Truly the WORST professor I have ever had. Does not put grades into the gradebook until the end of the semester so you have no idea how you are doing in the class. Takes so long to grade exams that you won't have the grade back from one exam before you take the next one. TA's aren't able to help because they don't understand the material either.

This was the worst class I've ever taken. The lectures are not helpful. The exams are ridiculously hard and nothing like the practice exams he has. We did not know our grades until after finals. It takes a lot of outside self teaching to even remotely know what is going on (& even that does not help on exams). Assigns homework before he teaches it.

Worst class I have ever taken. I think my understanding of physics actually got worse this semester. Didn't know ANYTHING about my grade until the end of the semester (after finals). Curved the lab section DOWN because he thought some of the TAs were grading too easy. Gets confused by his own notes. Curves heavily at the end of the semester.

Everything in the class is curved (exams, hw, lab). Be prepared to not know your grade until after the final. Exams were significantly more difficult than anything we learned in class. Hw was assigned before it was taught. Brown consistently got confused by his notes and is overall not a great professor. Do well in lab and on hw that's what I did.

You wont know your grade until the end, he gets confused by his own notes, his exams are nothing like the homework, and he always put one question on the exam that we havent learned yet and its always worth 25 points like whattt??? I actually felt like i learned a lot and i understand the lab so well i got a 98% in the lab but his exams , terrible

DO NOT take him. AVOID him at all cost. Gets lost in HIS own notes. Grades are not known until the end of the semester. Test do not look nothing like homework or reviews. He skips chapters and expect you to know them for the coming exam. Made physics impossible to learn. No feedback. He is very unorganized. He has no material to study.

Pros: Will give out random extra credit for attending class and gives a huge curve at the end of the semester. Cons: Withholds your grade until the end of the semester. Teaches as if you're trying to learn rocket science. TAs don't know what they're doing. Overall a smart man but a bad teacher. Good luck learning anything even if you pass.

The worst professor

I had him for an asynchronous astronomy class and he makes everything extra confusing. He had us sign in every week through BB even though the course was asynchronous. He expects you to submit homework into ExpertTA and hand write your notes to upload them AS A PDF to BB. He has no idea to use a computer and makes you go to his website to view HW.

I took this course as an elective ended up regretting it. He does not grade anything until the end of the semester, so you won't know your grades. He makes you purchase a 30 dollar software to do the homework and quizzes, only to then make you handwrite everything and upload it; it is a real pain. If you end up taking this class, start praying

This is for 283. This class was a living nightmare for 16 weeks. 6-8 hour hw assignments given out weekly. No grades were known except for the 5/10 hws before going into the final. Test questions so difficult that you knew you were gonna fail the exam before it started.100% graded on the hardest curve ever seen. Saying this as a warning. Good luck.