2.6
Quality3.6
Difficulty19%
Would Retake121
Reviews19%
Would Retake
121
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
15
4
21
3
24
2
30
1
31
What Students Say
“YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO TEACH US NOT JUST SIT THERE AND RAMBLE ON AND ON”
CMN3133 - 1.0 rating“Don't take him unless you're ready to stomach two textbooks and recite verbatim what he mentions once in a lecture for the final (which will take you the full three hours, that is, if you can finish it on time)”
CMN3130 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
67%
Textbook Required
75%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.77 avg changeRatings by Course
CMN3155
5.0
(1)CMN120
5.0
(1)CMN1129
4.0
(1)GRADUATE
4.0
(2)POL3133
4.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
CMNA
5.0
CMN3101
5.0
CMN4180
5.0
CMN1
5.0
POL3133
4.5
Reviews (121)
Boring, unreasonable, arrogant. Do not take this class
he is ok but i think he is a bit too boring
Obviously, he did not PLAN for PLANNING
Difficult course but relevant information to know and excellent teaching style!
If you came to University to work and learn, he's your man
it's Easy-P!! or is he from the Cosby show?
Unclear, evasive, rambles and direction-less. Very pro govt and govt orientated.
fairly stimulating, but a bit of an unfair marker. sorry.
entertaining, not very good in one-to-one cmn
If he only knew what he was talking about...it's a media class watch some tv
Fast paced, stimulating class with exposures to different viewpoints.
Esay P : He's for me. Boring...but....esay.
No Comments
He's reasonable, the best way to keep from being bored in his class is to get involved in discussion
No Comments
No Comments
Good prof. I like professors that work in the field, they offer a deeper insight into the business of communications. I just wish he could extend his insights from the public service.
The reason why University sucks. Hire better professors
No Comments
boring lecture. everything on powerpoint, so there is no point of going to class.
So boring! And really, what is with those Powerpoint slides?!!
As a second year student taking a first year class, I have a little more experience than some of the other people who are rating this professor. The slides are useful as study aides, but to do well in the course, you have to go to class. Good course!
Provides pratically no explanations of terms and speaks as if you are already an expert in the domain. Not very helpful. Tests and midterms do not fairly represent what was taught in class. Boring-bring a pillow. Not easy.
Potter needs to lose the disgustingly horrid GREEN CHECKERED JACKET! powerpoint slides are vague.. dumb... movies are boring.. sleep inducing..
OMG...this guy is terrible....180 multiple choice EXam....and there's no study guide on how to study for the exam...his lectures are boring..the videos are boring..and the power point slides are USELESS!!!
the videos and guest lectures r boring, but there r huge sections on them in the exam......but other than that u can skip class all u want so long as u keep up real well with the textbook....i didnt see any vid/guests and i got A-
No Comments
No Comments
The slides have all info on them, makes it easier to listen and not have to scrawl down notes. The exams are easy if you do the practice questions online - he takes 1/2 the questions from there. Easy A and a good chance to learn a few things.
Study well and you'll do ok. Don't forget to read the textbook. I found his lectures interesting, course is tough but fair and hey, it's university - who's expecting eawsy?
The class was boring, I could barely endure it. He is a nice guy though and is helpful if you have a problem. For those taking the class this semester, the midterm is all textbook, the final is mostly text, and a few questions about the guest speakers (that is when the guest speakers showed up...)
Great Prof! Interesting class! Hot as in a hot medium. He looks to the class for feedback and constantly works at improving his course! I appreciate that! Lectures really help clarify and apply material in the book! Keep up the good work, Sir Potter!
Boring. Bring a laptop and watch some movies or play some videogames or something. Seems more than willing to talk and discuss things, but damn hard to get a hold of in the first place.
Class wasn't to interesting...he seemed sad all the time.... It was nice that he tried to find ways to help the students and stuff. bring a book... or sleep.... read the text and you'll do fine
1) very boring - he just spews out the same info from the textbook, lectures are to enrich, not meant to discourage academic performance. 2) makes inappropriate comments i.e. at times discriminatory borderlining perversion. Made me hate the field of communication.
BOOO!!!!!
Brutal course. Took an interesting topic and ruined the class with extreme disorganization, bad time management and very unclear lectures. Would invite guest speakers and only give them 5 mins to speak. Often kept the class well past 10pm. Very disappointing overall.
No concept of how to structure a lecture, horribly disorganized, and enjoyed the sound of his own voice too much to let anyone else (guest speakers, class presentations) have the time they deserved. I honestly learned nothing in this class.
Communication and Politics.... Good class. Many guest speakers, good balance between discussion and lecture. Also, a nice balance bet between application and theory. If you are nerdy with regards to politics, and how communication theory relates, take this class... P
He can be entertaining or boring. Good at explaining concepts but exams cover stuff that was barely mentioned. Pay attention to small details. Reminds me so much of Tom Hanks.
He's not so great in the classroom, but intelligent guy!
I want to start by saying I enjoyed this class. I think that this proff wants to get people interested in the subect, but needs to work on a few things. He has rants which make things very confusing and a bit on the boring side. Im glad he stopped letting that one know it all speak though.
His long rants wer very hard to follow and he goes off on a tangent very easily. As well, he tries to cramm too much into one lecture. And 180 Multiple choice was brutal! And I agree, he does look like Tom Hanks!
LOVED Professor Potter. He is always ready to help his students. He had very interesting guest speakers and truly wants us to get the most out of the course. You actually learn what is important and useful in communications. I would take a Potter class any day!
Potter- good guy, cares 'bout his students education; puts out challenging material - if u can't keep up, dropout; univeristy is supposed to be challenging. Deal. HOWEVER, Potter's favorite pet in class (we all know who) is too much - dude, you are IN the class with us, NOT teaching it. Potter: reign in your terrier - u are losing respect...
Two words: TIME MANAGEMENT. Class begins at 7, not 7:20. It ends at 9:50, not after 10. We all have lives and other things going on outside of your classroom, too. It's also pretty sad that you have class pets at this level... I agree, reign in your terrier, and stop letting him assign us extra work. Not appreciated.
Loved Potter, he is very entertaining, smart and cute too! Looks like Tom Hanks, and I can't believe nobody else ranked him as hot!!Potter knows his stuff, and he make the material interesting. I would take another class of his in a heartbeat!
he's pretty good...can drag things out a lot though...and watch out cause he says the word "issue" in the most annoying way haha.. but he's pretty good
Now I know what scolars mean when they talk about the degradation of university education. Take this class and you will learn that everything is relative, it's all about what you think about issues. It is teachers like this that make your diploma worth nothing but 20,000 dollars in dept.
Overall a good prof if you're interested in the subject and can follow the discussions. Tough exam based on specifics from the readings and class discussions. Don't expect to get out a minute before the class end time, and sometimes later!
Best prof out of the three that taught the class. STUPID WAY TO TEACH A CLASS THOUGH!! It would have been better if it have been Potter the whole time. He seemed like a nice guy too so that's good too
He's hard, but somewhat fair. His classes aren't that easy, lots of work, but in the end, you actually learn something. His classes are best for serious students who actually care what they're learning and not just their for the class credit.
Potter is a very intelligent man. He likes to throw his opinion on top of students, essentially trumping the thoughts of those under him. He shaped our presentations which can be both a good and bad thing. Extremely interesting class with guest speakers, but it is difficult.
Please don't EVER take any classes with this guy. The lectures and the reading material are barely related. The class I took had no prerequisites and yet he expected his students to know everything about previous elections. His outline of the exam was vague... and in his own words.. "The amount of hours you study has nothing to do with the final gr
grade you get" how does that make any sense? so i study for two days straight, the exam I wrote made it quite clear that i was familiar with theories, but just not as familiar with past elections. Despite this, i failed the exam. It was completely unfair. I passed the course thankfully, but if i hadn't i would NEVER take this class with Potter
Complete tool. He just rambles during lectures. HE is impossible to get a hold of.MAny times,we've had a meeting and he hasn't shown up. A challenge is a good thing but I expect to be able to do well and learn things when I try hard. All in all VERY disatisfied with Potter, and i feel bad for those who will be taking his courses in the future
I cannot believe this professor!! He gives us a huge group project and presentation to do in a week. He teaches the class like we have all had experience in the field and attacks us when we don't understand something. Very poor.
Doesn't respond to student emails and fails to return calls. Final exam was 14 page 12-step communication plan (with 60 news articles to read & analyze for 1/12 steps, & 14 paragraph (min.) justification of plan in 3 hours-no one finished. Thinks his job is everyone's ultimate career, and focusses only on government communication.
What he doesn't seem to understand is that there is more to being a professor than just having experience in the field. You need to be able to communicate your points clearly, explain concepts and terms, create understanding...YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO TEACH US NOT JUST SIT THERE AND RAMBLE ON AND ON!!!!
He scheduled the class Friday nights and was disappointed whenever he got full attendance from his students. He didn't want us there and we didn't want to be there. His exam was ridiculous! Not a single student in the class completed the exam. I learned a lot of practical information about government communications, nothing else.
I don't understand what is with all the bad reviews, Potter was great for my class! He delivered very interesting lectures and the assignments were pertinent to the course. My only beef with him is the final was brutal, but I studied my ass off and was expecting it so it was fine.
Didn't like his class at all. Took him 2 years to submit my mark for a deferred essay and I almost couldn't take other classed I needed for my degree because he claimed he never received it, even though I had proof that he had. Really arrogant and unreasonable prof. Class was all right, a little confusing and his expectations were extremely unclear. Bad experience with him, wouldn't take one of his classes again.
Co-write an essay? 4 presentations in one single class? 10 readings each class with all of them ranging from 8-20pages? I think he forgot the fact that we have other classes too. I get it you want us to engage in discussion, but it's your job to teach us
Terrible. There is no other word to put it. His assignments and tasks are very far fetch, asking to interview ministerial spokespersons however does not give you any suggestions nor does any background research for the class. Very unclear, his wording makes everything seem so much harder then it actually is. Set up to fail from day one.
Graduate Students: Prof. Potter certainly outlines a challenging semester for his students. The syllabus is a mini-book! However, he knows what he;s talking about and LOVES class discussion. I've never worked so hard before in my life, but I learned a ton and found a new area of interest thanks to him. He assigns 100 readings but addresses them all
This is not an easy class to get an A in, but I would say that the content makes it well worthwhile. I hung on every word of his lectures, and loved the readings and projects, which is definitely a first.
Potter is a very knowledgeable and intelligent prof. Cons: Assigns a ridiculous amount of reading, is not always as clear as he could be, exams are looong. Pros: great at initiating interesting class discussions, coursework is practical, looong exams are reflective of readings and class discussions, I learned a lot.
Cons: He's not great with time-management (class often went over time), there are a lot of readings and exam questions often cover obscure things guest speakers said while you were sneezing. Pros: He's always accessible and happy to answer questions, Do the work and he genuinely wants to give you a good mark! Tough class, but well planned.
He is a knowledgeable professor who is clearly passionate about the content. However -in a seminar style class that is based on participation, he does not give students any chance to participate. -readings are too many, too long, and too unnecessary -terrible time management -terrible organization -do not expect a prompt response to enquiry
The course is very interesting. But.... too many readings, long texts , exams are long and questions are long. Even if you can do all, don't expect a mark of A. If you can avoid it, do it.
His Class is intense , with long readings , lectures in which you must participate in and hard exams. It sounds bad however this class gave the skills I need for my summer job with the Government of Canada. Show up , learn and study and you leave with practical communication planning skills.
Potter definitely knows his stuff, he has a lot to offer his students regarding the "communication world." However beware group of projects, having slackers in your group can make the project that much harder! There is a lot of reading-some of it useful, some isn't. Guest lectures are very interesting. Work hard, and you will do just fine :)
Prof. Potter seems like a really smart guy who knows what he's talking about. However, his lectures are scattered and often go past the scheduled end time. He also kind of just rambles on sometimes which makes you really question why you even bothered coming to class. His instructions are vague and unclear most of the time. Really nice guy though!
Very interesting lectures. He tried to relate material to real life. Sometimes could be a little confusing and go off on rants, which only made the class more interesting.
He's a smart man and passionate about PR, he relates all concepts to real life but he's all over the place and pretty unclear with what he wants from his students, pretty annoying listening to him lecture unfortunately. Group work every class which counts toward attendance. I'd avoid him if you can, there are better PR profs.
He's passionate about his course, easy-going. Gives students a lot of practical learning activities/experience, I learned a lot!!
Second time having this proff, and he is amazing! Lectures are content heavy, but you learn so much (DOESN'T post slides, but textbook was super helpful). Exams were clear, and followed content learned in class. Would take this professor again! He was always available for questions during, before, after and through emails.
Great Prof. Knows the material decently well, doesn't waste your time, and offers questions that are generally fair. He can ramble, but it's often related to the material, so it's all good. One of my favourite profs, try and take Public Relations with him.
He's very knowledgable and passionate about the topic. He loves participation. There are very small group activities most classes. Midterm and exam expectations were fairly clear. You'll do well if you go to most classes and do the readings.
He's a nice guy I guess but he talks literally incessantly. He goes off on so many tangents that are barely related to the topic at hand and doesn't give anyone else a chance to speak. Three hour class and I think students spoke maybe twice every time. Regretting this class so much.
He talks FOREVER, and his rambling is useless. He assigned 5 plus reading per week because it was a 'seminar' but all we do is listen to him talk and not have conversations at all. really regret taking his version. If you want to read 30 readings for the midterm and fall asleep while he talk, absolutely take this class.
Really not great. As others have said, his lectures are essentially three hours of tangents that are completely useless for assignments. You could write his assignments without ever attending class, but only if you can comprehend his scatter-brained online instructions.
Potter was an OK prof. The class was a lecture but he treated it like a seminar which I didn't like. He also disappeared in the middle of the semester which was odd. 30% of our grade was Tiger Team assignments, each worth 3% (A+ for doing them), attendance, MT and a final. Because of COVID, we had the option to write the final or not.
His lectures are interesting, and he is very knowlegeable and passionate about PR. However, he doesn't seems willing to help students to improve their marks. If you want to get a good grade, maybe don't take him.
Uncle Evan is one funny dude! He always loves to talk about his Canadian national identity and his trips to countries like Columbia, and it fascinates me to no end. Some might say he rambles, but to me, his wacky tales keep me motivated to go to class. The course material is awesome, and Uncle Evan clearly loves his stuff. What a great professor!
horrible, why does this man put so many questions in the exams. he literally gives u less than 2 minutes per question where does he even get these questions. not even just multiple choice, but short answered too. dont recommend pls, goodluck. i hope i never have him again
Evan Potter rambled about things that were irrelevant to the course for 90% of the class time. This made it challenging to want to show up to class. His communication style was unnecessarily harsh. Instead of a positive learning environment, he often belittled students who asked questions or made mistakes. save yourself and don't take his classes
Took this as an elective, figured Communications wouldn't be the end of the world. I was wrong! Final exam consists of 100 multiple choice, 41 short answers, over 3 hours gives you a 1 minute and 20 seconds per question. THIS INCLUDES WRITTEN ANSWERS, YES 41 OF THEM. He's very ineffective at teaching. Btw most of the learning is done by textbook.
Prof uses the class as a personal TED Talk and twitter rant sesh. The exams are absurdly tough and long, midterms are as hard as finals, the questions don't even make sens half the time. Plus he gives a speech before the exams telling us he doesn't even expect us to be able to complete it and its ok to leave things blank. Think twice about taking.
The discussions in class were current with Prof. Potter. Attend lectures because he will share tips on what will be on exams. The class consisted of 2 written assignments, 2 midterms, and a final exam. Weekly there was a chapter of reading. Exam questions were not always fair, at times consisting of material not discussed in class. Mid-tier class.
0/10. Id recommend choosing another professor out of the vast choice at uOttawa. The professor is far to confusing with his weekly reading/writing assignments. not to the point enough and cannot organize his Brightspace to safe a students life. weekly writing assignments atop of reading is rather much and adds confusing instructions.
I wouldn't recommend taking this course or a Potter course. Nice guy, dreadful exams, focuses on minute details. if you can barf definitions verbatim, you'll be ok.
Midterm covered content through all assigned textbook ch., even concepts that weren't discussed in class, in an unreasonably lengthy format (35 MC, 25 short answer questions in 80 minutes). Lectures are inconsistent and all over the place. Also singles students out as a way to "engage" the class but ends up making some of them appear uncomfortable.
I really want to give this guy the benefit of the doubt because he's not a bad guy, he's nice and knows his stuff. But knowing your content and being an educator aren't the same thing. His lectures are all over the place, he assigns A LOT of readings, and holy are the exams packed. It's doable but we are humans with other classes and its too much:(
To be fair, he not bad as a person (I had worse but at least they were clear and fair). Potter teaching style is stressful for students, he says you will fail if you don't mention specific chapters/remember class discussions. limited time in exam and in class group exercises. I wish he consider his students wellbeing more.
Unreasonable prof. Don't take him unless you're ready to stomach two textbooks and recite verbatim what he mentions once in a lecture for the final (which will take you the full three hours, that is, if you can finish it on time).
While Mr. Potter certainly knows the ins and outs of communications, and can act as a very educational man, he is met with the downfall of going on rants that do not pertain to the class. This makes it very difficult to focus and pick up the small details that matter, as he talks 70% of the class on topics outside of the classroom
Prof. Potter's lectures are filled with irrelevant discussions pertaining to the material at study, rarely sticking to his own slides and syllabus. He speaks too quickly so even if you wanted to take down the nonsense he spits during class time, you'll lose track of your own ideas before he rapidly hops onto the next thing he wants to ramble about.
Potter's teaching style is talking with his students on numerous specific topics relating to the lecture. At first he mainly used the slides. After the midterm he basically only talked every lecture on topics to make you critically think because that's what he really wants for you... to improve your critical thinking skills. He's charismatic.
Professor Potter is an extremely kind person at heart. However, I find myself avoiding the class because all that I get from it is information unrelated to the course content. He goes on tangents making it hard to get the full grasp of what exactly he is teaching. He does care for you and is comforting and a great person though.
I don't recommend to take him even if it's a mandatory course. He's teaching is not for most people. He makes a mixture of everything (personal beliefs, textbook, notes, PowerPoint).
Tests make no sense, Lectures are very confusing, Often doesn't even talk about things in the textbook or even on his slides
there's so much content to learn for his class he goes on 40 min rants about a topic, won't put it on the PowerPoints but will be expected to remember exactly what he said for exams 2 midterm is 71 multiple choice questions(1h) the final is 155 multiple choice questions(3h) THATS ALOT OF QUESTIONS & a lot of them will be about in class discussions
Regularly goes off topic during lectures, on multiple days we did not progress past the title slide. Doesn't enjoy dissenting opinions. Tests would always include insanely obscure questions regarding the textbook. If you translate his nonsense & really study your textbook terms, you'll do fine. Clearly very passionate, but lacked focus and cohesion
tests are 70 multiple choice for the midterms and 155 for the final, and its about everything in the textbook and everything he said in class (including something he mentions in passing). Most of the time his lectures are either sidetracked for 40+ minutes so we only get 3 slides in, or his slides don't match up with the ones posted online.
This class is boring until the last 4 chapters. The prof goes on tangents which don't have anything to do with the material. Powerpoints are only posted really late at night and the textbook is long and difficult. The tests are all MC, but the assignments have multiple prompts which is nice. The TAs are useless so communicate to him directly.
Had high hopes for this class but no, the way the material was taught was not only extremely boring, but prepare to be expected to memorize both Potters slides and textbooks. The exams had nothing to do with the review and some of the questions are based on his own quotations from lectures. if you have the choice, just don't.
hard course and hard prof.
This professor is by far the worst professor ever. He uses such big words or explanations that he said students won't understand but continued to use the examples that nobody understood. His slideshows have so many words that it's an essay to try to write notes(doesn't upload correct slidehsows). 2 midterms 75 MC each. Final was 155 MC. dont take!!
Potter's class is intense, with tons of readings and exams that require verbatim recall. While he's knowledgeable, his teaching style can be stressful. I found Unstuck AI and ChatGPT helpful for studying, but be ready to work hard.
Prof will go on 20-minute tangents that have nothing to do with his course to then add them to his midterms and finals. Lectures are long and boringThe professor starts every class with an "icebreaker"—basically, it means this discussion needs to be written down word-for-word because it'll be on the midterm. W7 word of the week to be on the midterm
It was not great. I wanted to cry the entire semester. The stuff he presents in class, he doesn't even post the full thing, so I have photos of random slides he never shared, talks so much to the point he forgets class discussions or is behind on presentation, knowing we have a quiz next week, the assignments made no sense and were heavy. hated it
Horrible, I hated every second. I still haven't received my grade for my first assignment, which makes no sense, so I'm unsure how I'm doing. I'd pick something else; I'm telling you, not worth it. its hell his is my 3rd-4th review about this man, and it's all honest... he makes me not wanna continue my bachelors, BUT shall continue cuz I paid
I took this class as an elective, and it was harder than my mandatory classes. Be ready to take an abundance of notes for each slide. The professor goes on 40-minute tangents and doesn't even go over the slides. Hard exams, as you are expected to know word-for-word what he said in the first week of class. I get even more confused when I go to class
I did not enjoy his class; both multiple-choice exams were challenging. Marks did not come back fast enough to determine my mark.
Be sure to attend his lectures as the second mid-term is mainly about what he said in class! He was very enthusiastic about his lectures but would sometimes explain things in a complicated way.
He was better in the beginning, but towards the end it just felt like I needed to pick a religion and just pray.
I'm not sure why he gets so many poor reviews, especially in his first year CMN 1160 class. He is a good professor. If you show up, do the work and care about the class, you'll do just fine.
Worst prof ever holy crap When asked what exactly is on the exam he responds with a vague answer. His questions dont even make any sense, and you have to know every little detail of what this man has said in class. No student has ever liked him, he is arrogant, rude, snarky and overall horrible.
I strongly recommend avoiding this professor. I've never written a review before, but this course pushed me to do so. Exams rely almost entirely on lectures( with no disrespect, which I found very unengaging). Grading is extremely harsh and unreasonable, making the course especially discouraging and unnecessary for first-year students.
Worst prof ever. He yaps and goes on tangents that make no sense in class and relate to nothing about the course content or textbook material. The TAs are so dense and are not helpful at all. Never seen a prof happy that his class has a C average.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
67%
Textbook Required
75%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.77 avg changeRatings by Course
CMN3155
5.0
(1)CMN120
5.0
(1)CMN1129
4.0
(1)GRADUATE
4.0
(2)POL3133
4.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
CMNA
5.0
CMN3101
5.0
CMN4180
5.0
CMN1
5.0
POL3133
4.5