3.8
Quality3.0
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake107
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
107
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
47
4
26
3
22
2
10
1
2
What Students Say
“One of the best profs I've ever had”
HST106 - 5.0 rating“Be prepared to take atleast 4 pages of notes in one class period”
HST106 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.09 avg changeRatings by Course
389
5.0
(1)HP215
5.0
(1)HST49539
5.0
(1)HST38939
5.0
(1)HISTORY
5.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
389
5.0
HST289
5.0
HST391
4.3
HST204
4.2
102
4.0
Reviews (107)
One of the best profs I've ever had. Lots of fun. Really, really interesting.
Be prepared to take atleast 4 pages of notes in one class period.
An extremely good, well-rounded professor. watch out for dates on his tests.
Good teacher. Do the essay on his test instead of the short answer!!!
Tests from lectures,study sheets are comprehensive.Good teacher.
he kinda rambles. still one of the best hist profs i've had.
No Comments
Very hard to follow, kind of monotone when he talks, not an effective teacher
Very informative prof, full of good stuff. Sometimes forgets he has class.
Boring, ineffective critiques, difficult, knowledgable, good hummor
Nice guy... confusing, very critical, does not give review, usually late.
Nice guy for the most part, confusing in grading and pointless lectures
No direction, says one thing and wants another. 14 people dropped this class.
If you can get past the lecturing style he's actually pretty good. Hard, though
VERY unclear about the testing material, kinda rambles, is picky about papers
BEST PROFESSOR EVER!!!
fun lectures and awesome bowties
No Comments
Awesome prof. Proves that learning is student's responsibility; merciful grader
typical history teacher. boring and dry. goes off on tangents...hard to follow
Cute guy, knows EVERYTHING. Very interesting class.
Great teacher, very understanding, sometimes boring but comes with the territory
No Comments
No Comments
No Comments
Very nice and willing to help. Tests are easy. Very understanding
Boring but funny/goofy, knows Hist well, pretty easy grader
He makes history come alive!
Very interesting man...no linear lectures here!
WATCH OUT for the Random Bean Method...
Not really sure what I learned from his class, but I got an A so it's all good.
how did you get an A? great guy, very tough quizzes and exams.
He is funny in a senile old grandpa kind of way. Loved his class.
Very nice guy, I liked the class. Sometimes a little boring, but pretty easy.
Great Prof, everyone at GVSU should take a course taught by him
He knows for most the class is just a Gen, Ed, requirement and grades that way.
tough grader. do the reading and be prepared for pop quizzes. take good notes.
ooh he's so delightfully handsome!!!!!!
Can't understand why everyone likes him so much...he's weird alright and he has a sense of humor but nothing that comes out of his mouth during lectures is coherent
Great History teacher. Gets more into it as you get to Russian History, as that is what he loves. Can be dull once in a while, but usually very, very interesting with a great sense of humor.
good guy, tuff grader, but very helpful
Nice guy, hilarious stories, Russian history was what he liked to teach best. Not so hard of a grader, as long as you are prepared for the bean quizzes. If you're in honors, take this one with Cole and Rydel, great and funny couple.
He's a very easy grader and very easy to understand. His lectures can be boring sometimes, but when he wants to be he can be very funny. Take this class! WEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW!
Excellent professor. Knows his stuff and can teach it well. Do the reading, and you can earn a good grade.
Very understanding, very intelligent. He has great lectures!
Very nice. Lectures were pretty good considering the nature of the subject. Was reasonable in grading and understood that most were there for gen ed requirements.
Very disorganized, unreliable teacher. I would never take a class with him again
Yes, he was a boring lecturer, but he did have a very good grip on his subjects and he was extremely helpful to me. The work he gave us was very hard to do and he was a little demanding, but he brought out the best I had to give.
If you need help just ask for it, he's a very helpful prof.
Great Teacher, it should be a graduation requirement to take one of his courses.
Hands down the best history teacher @ GVSU.
Fear the random bean method. Love the bowties. Sexxxy.
Hes a cool guy, just has really boring lectures.
He really knows what he's teaching though he can get a bit confusing and disorganized at times. His lectures may get boring but he has a ton of great stories to tell.
enuthiastic and loves what he does! he is helpful when you ask. can be a a little disorganize, but at least you can stay awake. one of the first history classes where i could
What to say about Prof. Cole? Well, when I was at Berkley... oh wait, how did I get to that topic? Heh. Anyway, take his class. Any class, any subject. He is so nice and is a font of knowledge (some stuff you wish you DIDN'T know...). Great prof.!
he's really weird! like eccentric to the extreme, sure he's easy but all you have for a grade are 3 papers and the final. his 5 point quizes are stupid and too detailed too. not a guy to take.
Nicest prof you could ever have and grades super easy
great prof, always interesting bein in his class. he has a story about everything!!
Professor Cole (or Don Edwardo) shows his respect for his profession by sporting a different bow-tie every day. Enjoy the ridiculous stories, the academcic mugger questions, the spotted owls and the random bean quizzes. You learn a lot in his class without even feeling it. He's also the cutest ever.
Bow ties are hot! Cole is very interesting and always find time to bring humor into the lectures. One of the most professional professors on campus.
Very interesting class, you learn without realizing you are learning, the best way to learn. Bow ties everyday are cute!!! If you need to take an upper level history class take this one.
I took Cole for Russian History, what a treat, he brings in some amazing texts that are so informative you want to dive right in. Then his personal stories about being in Russia and his bean quizzes??? Youll have to take him to find out, amazing class
Euro CIv was amzing with Dr. Cole, he is fun and informative, please for the love of god take his class or you will miss out.Oh and he is really very cute
THE BOWTIE...chicks dig it, dudes fear it. "You learn alot without realizing it," it can't be said better. His depiction's of assorted characters throughout Russian History and the "Cole dance" will keep you laughing, although the material can be dry at times. Take him if you get the opportunity.
I'm a chick and the bowtie is a bit "historianish"..we're not digging it. But that's ok, because it's his style. I myself wear some ugly clothes sometimes
Professor Cole stands as a reminder of an age when professors respected their students, their abilities, and their profession. He seems to be strangely unaffected by the dumbing-down phenomenon in higher education as he continues to do what he loves--teach and learn. He is truly a great professor.
Great professor, very knowledgable
The teaching materials in this class were easy so you could prepare for the exam but his lectures were often very boring and half of the class didn't understand what he was saying. He needs more interactive teaching methods.
He's adorable! You can tell he really cares about his students, and is very knowledgeble of history. There's one paper, participation (in class quizzes), and a final. And the questions for the final are pulled from these "OWLS" he posts ahead of time online. Just come to class and you'll be fine.
He's kind of confusing. Not very clear on what needs to be in the notes. In class quizzes over reading, so you have to go to class. Make sure you do the reading, otherwise you'll fail. One paper to write. Overall, a good class because he's very passionate and has sometimes interesting stories.
No Comments
I like this class so far, he is funny and interesting, very eccentric and unique. He gets very enthusiastic about history, but sometimes gets off track. Studying is easy.
awesome professor, went to Russia with him, i have encountered few people on the planet that know their feild like this guy does. Always helpfull, and always understanding
Prof. Cole is a very entertaining professor. The class sessions were full of information and seemed to go by quickly. The only assignments for the class were the readings and four papers, which were graded on a five point scale. I found him to be a very generous grader and thought that it was not difficult to get an A in the class.
Really hard to take notes for the average joe... especially if you know nothing about Russia. We didn't get our work back till the end so you never really know how your doing. But I didn't try very hard and still got a B+, he does know his stuff though and can be entertaining.
Very nice person, just not the best professor. Exams are based on memorization of 200 multiple choice questions (choose the BEST answer, more than one can be correct). Did not learn very much about Russian History. A bit disappointed. He's not too difficult, but OWLS are pointless.
Professor Cole is awesome; one of the few professors at Grand Valley who has a true passion for his field and knowledge/learning in general. He also tells funny stories. I found the OWLS to be a very effective way to learn the material, provided you're willing to do the work.
Did not enjoy this class. Prof Cole knows history & teaches material from memory (impressive) & has stories for it all. BUT he's very scattered & disorganized. Grade=1 paper, combo of random quizzes, & final. I was close to failing b/c of quizzes but somehow the Final saved me and I ended with a B. Overall EASY but I didn't learn anything.
Very much a waste of time! Great guy but a major scatterbrain, and there really is no point to go to class. You don't learn anything, and he has really bad handwriting. Also he jumps around alot from personal stories to actually history and you never know when exactly to take notes.
Professor Cole really knows history (he has everything memorized.) People complain about OWLS, but they do help you focus on what's important. He's really not that disorganized; some people may have a difficult time taking notes, but everything comes together in the end. He's very laid back, and he doesn't grade too harshly on papers.
He kept the class entertaining.
His lectures were completely BORING, UNORGANIZED and RIDICULOUS! I didn't learn anything the entire course. Bean quizzes are bogus! Bad chance at grading, doesn't care about students....
Don't bother with this prof. Lack of organization and unclear communication are MAJOR issues with this prof. Take something else.
Prof Cole teaches to intellectuals. He does waste time dummying down information so if you are unwilling to read, pay attention to lexctures, take notes, or THINK, I would not take his classes. If, however, you prefer to actually LEARN something from a class I highly recommend him as a prof. He cares deeply about the value of education.
Prof. Cole is a nice man, but some of his teaching methods are ridiculous. His "bean quizzes" are pretty annoying, but I mean... History with him wasn't bad. A little dry at times, but he goes off on tangents that are pretty funny. I wouldn't avoid taking him by any means, but there's prob. someone better.
His bowtie says it all! Great teacher - possesses great European and especially russian historical knowledge. He like to get sidetracked talking about his days a berkely...funny guy!
Very knowledgeable, helpful, and interesting. Listen to his rambles, there's a good chance you'll remember what he's rambling about! The "bean" quizzes made me feel as though we were in 3rd grade but other than that I loved his class... and his bow tie :)
he's a really nice/funny guy, but be warned, if you don't like history don't take him. if you like history im sure it'll be great. i have not taken history since early high school and he jumped into it to quickly for me. and everyday is a boring lecture. if you dont like history you probably will have a hard time staying focused/interested.
I hate history and still do but he is so quirky and sweet that I didn't mind the class. Loves history and always laughs at random ironic facts, which makes everyone else laugh and lectures bearable. He has also led a VERY unusual life and has plenty of stories that no one should miss. Rydel and Cole are an excellent choice for honors civ.
The sweetest man ever! I had a hard time understanding the material, but it was a high level for my first Russian History. Extremely laid back and understanding. Love him!
Love his bow ties he wore everyday and his humor. His "bean quizes" are really annoying but if you read they are generally an easy 5 points. His tests aren't bad, they are based off the OWLS he posts every week, so as long as you find the correct answers and memorize them you are golden. This class seemed pretty difficult to me for being HST 102
I honestly loved professor Cole. Now that I think about it, I am really going to miss going to his class. I really didn't like history before hand but his crazy stories and drawings really helped me remember the material. The bean quizzes can be difficult, but if you say there was a problem with blackboard you can basically get away with anything.
Cole and Rydel make a wonderful pair. He is the sweetest guy, and I would honestly ask him a history question over a text book any day - he knows it better and explains in a way that makes sense and is relevant. His stories really make the class. You are missing out if you don't choose this sequence!
He is the sweetest man in the world! If you take anyone else for history, you're missing out! He has all sorts of stories and hilariously awful drawings, but he still covers the material adequately and clearly, doesn't ramble irrelevantly. Just do the readings, attend regularly, keep up to date on the OWLS and you'll be fine. HIGHLY RECOMMEND HIM!
Very intelligent professor. Knows everything off the top of his head, so don't hesitate to ask a question. Lecture is long and can get dull, but don't fall behind in the reading or you're screwed. He may fall off-topic and sometimes makes a mess on the board which can be hard to follow, but he will get to the point in the end.
Attendance is not mandatory, but you should go. Quizzes over nightly readings. He's got great stories and makes the class interesting. He's hard, but worth it. AMAZING professor.
Had him for European history. Probably the worst setup class I've ever taken. He lectures about the most random things in class and everything he says is useless when trying to study. The guy is hilarious, take him if your a history genius. If not, steer clear. He's late, never gives work back on time, and is just not a very good prof.
He is a very nice guy but is not a good teacher. He is super knowledgeable and there is little work required for this class.The exams are impossible and even though they are a scan tron it takes him about two months to get them back and you just get to see your grade.Also it is nearly impossible to get an A.If you want a good grade do not take him.
It's a shame that kids looking for an easy A bring down Dr. Cole's grade. He is the best history professor GVSU has on staff. Cole is brilliant, and really a diamond in the rough here. Take him if you're in college to actually learn something or better yourself.
Very knowledgeable about the subject however he does not teach this class well.Lectures do not have much to do with exams and the exams are really hard.Also he is super unorganized and you have no idea what your grade is until you get your final grade. Nice guy, but not that good of a teacher.
Professor Cole is a very nice man, however his lectures in class do not related to the exams AT ALL! You are required to do much research outside of class to find answers for his exam questions (owls) and you never know if they are right. He is very smart but you will not learn much from the class.
Professor Cole has extremely long and boring lectures. He doesn't use a powerpoint or outline or anything so it's really hard to follow. He writes occasional words on the board and expects you to understand. It's hard to stay awake, let alone learn anything. He doesn't expect too much though - just a few papers. Fairly easy - just boring.
Sweet old man
He is such a sweetheart; his feigned obliviousness to his wife's funny, pretend nagging makes the class even more interesting. Whenever he comes in he enters with a tux, a bowtie and sunglasses and it's the funniest thing in the world to see him smile widely up in front of class, obviously enraptured by the subject he teaches.
Professor Cole is an amazing teacher. He knows absolutely everything about history, so if you need clarification, don't hesitate to ask. He speaks slightly monotonously, but if you listen to what he's saying, it's really interesting. If you take good notes, you can answer any of his assigned questions, which are few.
attending the lectures was completely useless, I learned more by watching youtube videos and documentaries about Russian history than I did in his class. He deosn't involve the class at all, just talks, and talks, and talks for an hour ad half straight about everything you just read.
Class Info
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.09 avg changeRatings by Course
389
5.0
(1)HP215
5.0
(1)HST49539
5.0
(1)HST38939
5.0
(1)HISTORY
5.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
389
5.0
HST289
5.0
HST391
4.3
HST204
4.2
102
4.0