The biggest negative of the class is there is a LOT of writing that is necessary & due each week. The upside of the writing is that it more-than prepares you for the tests. Overall the class is easy but the writing increases the difficulty a lot. It is good for religious studies minors/majors but best avoided by those just looking for an area class

He's a very nice and helpful professor. His class lectures can be a bit dull and there is a lot of writing involved in his classes (I took another one of his as well). However, I do feel like I learned a lot and he's very knowledgeable on the topic.

Great class, best online class I've taken. Lots of writing due - about 300 words/3 times/week for summer class. Very helpful, replies to emails quickly and gives feedback on all written work. Tests are based off of things you have written

If you think that papers are terrible, don't take his class- wrote 750-1000 word papers each week, but learned a lot and had good discussion. Really enjoys teaching his classes. Amazing professor. Glad we have him in the Religious Studies Department. If you're having trouble, TALK TO HIM. He'll help you out and be lenient if you explain yourself.

The class was overall beneficial and interesting, even if it was not mandatory for me.

An amazingly well organized online course. The materials provided, especially the lectures and lecture handouts, were extremely helpful to my success in the course. The professor is quick at grading, provides a ton of detailed feedback, and gets back to you on emails really quickly. Would recommend!

A very interesting topic which is presented in an engaging way. The professor is an obvious expert in the area and it shows. Grades very fairly and given helpful feedback. Easy to communicate with as well. One of the best online courses I have taken.

Expect to put in some work in the class. That being said though, you will learn a lot. The professor is very clear in his expectations, which helps. The readings, lectures, and videos are all necessary, but are all super relevant to the assignments and exams. Also, if you have any questions the professor responds very quickly. Great!

Covers intellectually intense topics and presents them like an educated adult speaking to educated adults. Don't be surprised to read his material numerous times to understand it before heading into class, but rest assured that he will present it in a way that you will fully grasp the subject matter after his lectures. Definitely recommend.

One of the best professors here. Expectations are clear as a bell, and all questions are answered. It is clear that he really cares about his students and wants everyone to do well, even if you have to work for it.

As long as you make an effort and pay attention all will be well. This professor really knows his stuff and will always take time to explain things when asked. Gives helpful feedback and is encouraging.

Very engaging professor and great course.

Ohlander's online class set up is incredibly organized into two week segments with a test at the end. If you listen to the lectures and take good notes you'll do well. His lectures are a little dry, but the topic is fascinating (Intro to Islam). He lets you know why he graded the way he did - really an overall great professor and class.

Very organized and clear as to expectations. As long as you do the readings and make an effort, you will do well. Incredibly interesting subject as well.

Extremely well organized course. All expectations are made clear at the start, and everything works smoothly. His PowerPoint lectures are gorgeous, and it is obvious that a lot was put into the class. Somewhat tough on grading, but helpful feedback is always given and questions answered quickly if you have them. Highly recommended!

A great course. Very easy to follow with clear expectations for each assignment. If you have any questions the professor is easy to get in touch with and will always email you back right away. I would take another course from this professor without a doubt.

One of the best, if not the best, online courses I have taken here. The course is setup in a very clear and easy to follow way and the professor's expectations for the assignments could not be clearer. I hope I can take another one of his courses.

An amazing course. Professor is very helpful and answers all of your questions on the material and provides detailed guidance when asked.

I did not think I would like this course, but that turned out not to be the case as the professor was incredible. He makes you interested in the subject even if you think you would not be. The extra credit opportunities were appreciated as well!

There is a lot of writing in this course, but it is managable and the instructor tells you exactly what he is looking in the feedback given for every single assignment. He also grades for grammar and spelling, but it is a general education course so that is to be expected. Super quick to respond to emails and always answers every question fully.

A very interesting course taught by a great professor. He has a lot of passion for the subject, and makes students feel it too. As long as you put some effort into doing the weekly writing assignments and show up and participate, you will do well.

Professor Ohlander's online western religions class is one of the best I have taken here. Every online class should be setup this way. The class is laid out in two week blocks for the entire term and you are given plenty of time to finish the assignments and tests. He gives very helpful comments that always help clarify what you need to do.

He is the director of Religious Studies, so he knows what he's talking about. His feedback on assignments is adequate and thorough. He does not grade too hard. The tests are fair. His lectures are dry, I did not watch them and still got an A.

The professor clearly knows his stuff. Weekly short papers and just two exams. All the videos are online. Very interesting and informative class discussions. Would absolutely recommend to others.

Would take another course from him.

Professor Ohlander runs a very organized class. All expectations are clear, and he will help you out if you ask. Passionate and clearly knowledgeable about the subject. One of the best classes I have taken here so far.

The required reading is a bit long but the professor's recorded lectures help you to see the main points. I really like the design, which is very professional and well put together.

A really interesting course. I would recommend it to a friend.

He really is a great professor. Not in a "you don't have to do anything in class" sort-a way, but more in his expectations. His classes are not easy, but they are totally do-able, even with little prior knowledge regarding a subject. He is very helpful and compassionate with any problems you may have while taking his class. Most classes are online

I took this class for a requirement and am glad that I did. Professor Ohlander sets up the course in a really clear way, and his expectations are crystal clear for every assignment. He provides you with extensive written feedback on every single assignment and is quick and helpful in responding to any questions. The lectures and readings are good.

The best online course I have taken at IPFW. Assignments and tests are laid out in a way that you know exactly what to do. The professor gives extra credit for good "workflow planning" and is always available to answer any questions.

Really good course. Glad I took it.

This course covers interesting topics and the readings and videos are good. The writing questions are not very difficult and you will get a good score as long as you answer them fully. I took this course as a requirement and would recommend it to others.

This was an option as a required course, and I am really glad that I chose to take it. The professor gives extensive comments on all assignments, and the exams are really easy because everything you need to know is on review sheets that are given to you in advance.

One of the best, if not the best, online courses I have taken here. It is clearly organized and all assignments and exams are directly tied to what you learn in the lectures and the book. The professor gives extensive comments and is very encouraging in helping you to do well. I would recommend this course to others without a doubt.

There is a lot of reading every week, but it is a summer class so that is to be expected. The prof. is quick to grade the essays and will give you encouraging comments. The exams are not too tough because everything you need is already on the review packet.

Awesome class.

Was required for my program, but glad I chose to take it rather than another option.

The course itself is easy to follow as long as you pay attention to the instructions. The professor will give you help if you ask for it.

The course is setup in an easy to follow manner and the professor is helpful. I wish all online courses were that way!

One of the best classes I have taken here. Expectations on assignments are reasonable and helpful advice is given on how to improve when needed.

Took the course as a requirement and was glad I did. Learned more about religions than I expected. The professor is clearly an expert and runs a very organized class.

Great course!

Took this online class in the summer. While there was a lot of reading to do, it was very interesting and the prof. gives you an outline of all the important points. He also gives you extensive comments on the essay assignments, which is helpful.

The course expectations and the due dates are very clear. This class has a lot of reading and takes some time, but it is by no means hard. You can get an A+ IF you do what is clearly stated in the syllabus. Due dates are strict, but the professor gives feedback and seems easy to reach. I would take a class with him again!

Probably the best organized class I have taken here. The expectations are clear and the professor is quick to respond to emails. The video lectures and readings are easy to follow and he provides handouts for everything.

Great professor.

Took this online course as a requirement and am happy that I chose it rather than another. Professor Ohlander is very clear in his expectations and the writing assignments and quizzes are directly related to the videos and readings. He even provides detailed study guides for each quiz, which is really helpful. A great class overall!

Awesome course. Everything is so clearly laid out, and he will get back to you on questions right away. Would recommend this one to others.

Profesor Ohlander is a great professor. He is very nice and caring. He wants you to succeed and pass. 100% recommend. VERY VERY east to contact. Plus he grades assignments very quickly! No issues. Take his class!

A really interesting course that is setup perfectly. There is some heavy reading but main points are always noted in the lectures (kind of like a summary) and Dr. Ohlander is really helpful in answering questions and letting you know how you are doing on weekly assignments. He clearly knows what he is talking about. A+ prof.

Dr. Ohlander is one of the best professors I have had here so far. His style of teaching us is engaging and leaves no questions unanswered. I really like the extra resources provided for the lectures as they help to focus you on the main points. He also is very east to get in touch with and responds to questions right away.

Awesome. Not too hard if you keep up with the readings and watch all of the lectures. Great course!

I took this course online in the summer during the pandemic and while it was pretty fast paced the professor did a great job of organizing each week's work and making it clear exactly what he expected. The writing assignments are graded with a lot of comments and that is really helpful. Better than most of my recent classes to be sure.

Fascinating course on eastern religions. I learned so much. The instructor Dr. Ohlander really knows his stuff and was super helpful in answering questions that I had. He must live on email as he got back to me in like 10 minutes all the time. If you have to take this subject for your requirements, take his course. You won't regret it!

Took this as a summer online course. Worked out perfectly. Great professor.

Professor Erik is an amazing professor. He is very responsive to emails and I love all the material for the class. Grading criteria is fair and there is more than enough time to complete the exam, paper and discussions. Would definitely recommend.

Made a great course that I actually enjoyed during a tough time. He answers emails and messages right away and is super helpful. His TA is great. The papers are easy to do as long as you follow his directions. Also there was extra credit at the end, which I appreciated. Recommend this class!

Had this as a required general course for my major. Dr. Ohlander made it a good experience and was always willing to help answer questions. The class was really organized and expectations for grades were clear. The topics were fascinating for me, and I am glad I took his course.

He was amazing! He always wrote detailed emails back and encouraged us to talk to him or his TA if we had quesitons or needed other assistance. Solid class to take overall. Assignments consisted of 2 essays and 1 discussion for each Module (8 in total) based on a lecture and a documentary. I always felt stimulated and honestly learned a lot!

Dr. Ohlander is such a caring and honest professor. You can tell he wants students to succeed, not just in his course, but others too. The online class was as easy as reading a couple pages and writing less than a page about it. He does not grade harshly, and provides some really solid feedback on ways to think about things. 10/10 recommend

A great course that I am glad I took. The subjects covered are really interesting, and the professor is always willing to help answer questions. I feel that I learned more about understanding religion than I thought possible.

For those who complain about the content of the course, perhaps it might be good to actually read the course description in the catalog BEFORE you signup for the course. I checked the catalog and guess what? It clearly states exactly what the course covers. I had him before for another course, and this one was just as good. He is always fair. A+!

Professor Ohlander is a great teacher and clearly cares about the students in the class. He asks you to read a lot about each religion but gives you two weeks to do that and outlines that note all of the main points in the chapter. The essay assignments and exams for each module cover exactly what is in the book, and you are graded on that.

Professor is great and this is the most organized online class I have taken here. There are two short papers and a quiz for each module as well as a discussion, and you are given more than enough time to complete them. He is an expert and really knows what he is talking about, he is quoted on the back of the textbook even! Gives you good comments.

Dr. Ohlander is one of the best professors that I have had here at PFW. His Islam course is absolutely fascinating and I learned a lot. As others have said he makes you work for it (a lot of readings), but everything is setup so that it is easy to focus on what is important and he is always willing to help with comments and directions.

This class was taken as a general requirement and was a good option to chose. Every module is similar with the essays and tests being straightforward. He also gives you pointers if you ask and review guides for each module. Really like this prof.

This was one of the harder classes that I have taken so far. Professor Ohlander was pretty good. He was always available for help and gave good feedback. Each module is 2 weeks long and consists of 2 papers, a discussion, and a test. The papers got harder towards the end of the semester because we had to watch a 1-2 hour documentary for each one.

Dr. Ohlander sets up his class so that it is easy to follow and you always know where you stand. He writes detailed feedback on each paper and goes out of his way to help if you have questions. The Brightspace site is so well organized and everything works perfectly. Loved this course!

This is the most well planned out and organized online courses I have ever had. I wish that other professors who follow his example!

He made this summer course easy. Good flow, lots of helpful comments on essays, and a study guide for each quiz. His videos are so much better than other professors I have taken.

Ohlander is a good professor and gave great feedback. I took the summer course and it was brutal with the amount of work due each week, but it was worth it! He is a fair grader and takes time to respond back about any questions you have.

This class was interesting and good overall but professor Ohlander talks like Ben Shapiro so be prepared to play online lectures at 0.5x speed.

Professor Ohlander runs a great course. Easy to follow and organized. The readings and lectures are directly related to the papers and quizzes and he provides study guides with all the information. The work is not heavy at all and he gives you a lot of feedback on every assignment.

Easy course if you follow his instructions. Modules are setup the same format every two weeks and what you need to do is given in detail in the instructions. Ohlander will respond back to you right away on questions and gives you encouraging feedback on the essays and quizzes. Readings and lectures are all directly relevant to the assignments.Good.

Dr. Ohlander is clearly an expert in the subject and is even quoted in the book. As an online class it is organized in the exact same format every module which really helps as you know what is expected. There is a lot of reading to do but it is always directly tied to the essays and quizzes. Lectures and videos are very professional.

Easy class if you follow his instructions. Not much reading and the weekly papers are short at two or three paragraphs being all you need to write. His lectures have handouts with outlines and terms and he has a study guide for each quiz.

As others have said it is a good course which is setup in a clear pattern. I had some problems but the professor was willing to help me out and gave the opportunity for extra credit points. I would take a course from him again.

Professor Ohlander will do whatever it takes to make sure that you understand the topics and he is very easy to talk to about any problems that happen. One paper every two weeks and a longish quiz at the end of each module. Instructions are crystal clear and he is a fair grader. Glad I took this course rather than another.

The professor's brightspace is set up immaculately! It is an online course and the only reason I am not giving a 5, is because I felt like I really never got to know my professor. Would be great to maybe have an optional zoom call for the class every two weeks to ask questions. Be ready to write a decent amount in this class, but I really liked it!