2.3
Quality3.5
Difficulty18%
Would Retake86
Reviews18%
Would Retake
86
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
14
4
10
3
10
2
16
1
36
What Students Say
“He was awful, vague, and useless when it comes to help”
ECON205 - 2.0 rating“Extremely vague about what he expects”
MKTG302 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
88%
Textbook Required
79%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.21 avg changeRatings by Course
NEWPRODUCTS
5.0
(1)MGMT
5.0
(1)MRBL472
5.0
(1)MKTG400
5.0
(1)MRBL308
4.2
(5)Difficulty by Course
MKTG450
5.0
MKG302
4.1
MARKETINGCHAIR
4.0
MRBL378
4.0
MKTG302
3.9
Reviews (86)
Dr. Franzak is arrogant, to say the least. He actually insulted students in class and again outside of class. In my opinion, he acts like he knows everything, and he doesn't. He honestly shouldn't be department chair. I can think of many other professors who'd do a better job. Don't take him. Period
He's a pretty good teacher, he knows what he is talking about. Can get a little boring at times, but the class requires little effort. It's an easy B.
He is a fairly easy professor, very nice, but his lectures can get pretty boring at times (although some of the discussions are fairly interesting). If you want a reasonably easy B take him.
Unlike some other people, I don't think he is arrogant. Yes, some of his lectures are pretty darn boring, but consider the material... He has always been helpful to me. He helped me in finding (2) TWO internships! Get to know him, he's a good guy.
I think he is incredible!! He is so helpful with my internship and is also very nice!
Franzak will bore u to death, never lets u out of class until after the time limit is up, and always makes you feel like your answers are incorrect when you participate. tests aren't too bad. average is about a c. only assignments are tests and a project at the end. if possible, get someone else.
Probably the best professor I have had at VCU. I had him for MRBL 372 and MRBL 308 the previous fall semester. He explains the material very well and knows very much about marketing. His tests are straight from slides and the assigned problems.
His monotone voice makes it hard to stay focused but he really gets into his topic and makes you want to understand, I thought the fortune article assignments were busy work but it made me read fortune and I'm hooked now. The groupwork is pretty easy and the text is not necessary for the class.
Awful Marketing Chair. Graduated in 2003. This jack off would not let me take an independent study or override me into a 3 credit marketing elective (that I could fit into my spring 2003 course load) to graduate. Instead I had to pay $750 to take a freaking class that summer to graduate. He reasoning behind this "Well, you have 9 credits from a University in France (VCU sponsored business summer abroad), you havent learned enough." Watch out for this guy...he plays favorites. ****ing ****
Very clear in class discussions. Tests were on par with what we went over in lectures. Good sense of humor. He is willing to help you if you need it. Overall, I got the grade that I worked for.
Does a good job teaching this class even though he is long-winded. Gave us time in class to complete our project and broke it in sections, which was really helpful b/c he understands we have other things to do. The main gripe is that he is arrogant at times and can be a bit condescending--you can't tell if he's laughing with you or at you.
If you pay attention and give him more than he asks for in the assignments, read the book for the exams and go to class, you should have no problem getting an "A" He is very vague, but if you ask questions, he will help you out....nice guy and great professor!!
lets see hes very anal...he wants every single detail possible in the world and if you miss -2 points...can be a jerk at times...has pms modes where he likes to get his frustration out on students. sometimes bias towards some students who really know how to kiss ass...he thinks theres nothing more important than marketing and needs to get a life!
No Comments
Course topic would have been a lot more interesting if this guy wasn't teaching!! Gets really annoying sometimes. Wants every single detail. Can't understand that people have problems too. MUST ATTEND ALL CLASSES or you get low participation grade. Groups are chosen by him. Don't recommend him unless you can put up with someone like this.
Good Teacher. You will have group assignments, which aren't hard. You will sometimes have in-class group assignments as well. Tests are ok.(m.c. and short answer) as long as you study the power point slides and took good notes in class. Overall I said he was a good teacher and I would recommend him.
Your grade consists of maybe 7 HW, 3 tests, participation and a paper at the end. Know your definitions, becuse the tests are heavy on them but they are usually worded differently. Do the practice tests online form the book. If you read the chapters and go to class you should be fine!
This class was horrible. Group project was frustrating and his clarification on certain things was atrocious. This is the kind of teacher that enjoys watching students suffer and fail at what they are doing instead of helping them and encouraging them. Be aware that he nitpicks everything and just doing the assignment perfectly isn't good enough
I had a good experience. Its not a hard class. You should easily get a B if you attend class, do all homework (which is easy), and read the chapters and go over the definitions before tests. I swear much of the material in marketing is just common sense. Franzak is a fair professor, just do what is asked and you will do fine.
Dr. Franzak loves to hear himself talk. He would make one basic statement about a topic, and then spend half an hour talking about real-world examples (which are all well and good, but he spends way more time on them than on the material). Easy A class, all-multiple choice tests, occasional homework and 1 short paper. Takes attendance every day.
I think he's a great teacher and very helpful if you reach out to him...
He's not bad. He's super arrogant and LOVES the sound of his own voice though. That and he rambles on for what seems like a century about nothing at all. However, his tests are easy. Just memorize the definitions.
Long lectures, but a good class overall. Easy grader and very fair. Book was not used at all. Lecture notes covered exam material.
wants students to learn, passionate about marketing, helpful, fair, teaches material well
on group assignments, grading is generally subjective to what he thinks is correct. 2 tests, not anything too hard. multiple choice and a few short answers. easy B. book not used at all
Avoid this one! Horrible professor his lectures are terrible. He will make a general statement for example about a motor vehicle then he explains what an motor vehicle is. a car, a truck, a van, minivan a SUV a motorcycle, a scooter, a etc. Every statement comes with a million examples. There is no way to follow anything that this guy says I advise you to take another teacher!!!
Strongly advise not to take classes from this professor! If there are other options available then take someone else! Every sentence he states has to come with 10 darn examples. Every word is this, or, this, or this, or this. Wait till you take him and notice notice his redundant examples! UGH! Yet he is talking about the same thing. Tests are stupid as well obscure questions make it difficult to succeed. Project is dumb, confusing, and contradictorily. AVOID!
Strongly advise you not to take his Marketing Problems class! Very tricky prof. Gives no outline for his tests and on other assignments, doesn't explain why you received the grade you got. He beats every lecture example to death but doesn't spend much time on the important info for his tests. Extremely vague about what he expects!
He even admits that he is not good at looking at things from multiple perspectives, thus the essays and speeches/projects he gives are graded so hard that unless you think like him you are doomed. He doesn't go over the text, just his powerpoints that are very vague. He also treats you as if you're stupid if you have a question rather than answer.
Comes of really arrogant. He expects you to think the way he does. He refused to give us a clear answer when we asked him what the goal of our group project was but expected us to complete the assignments for it. Loves the sound of his own voice. Talks the whole time. His power points are so colorful its hard to look at.E-book doesnt help at all.
lectures run over class time, everyyy time. doesn't sure he likes giving out higher grades. doesn't explain situations very well, maybe that is expected with a graduate level course.
Ok Professor but his classes run over everynightand after being at work all day then sitting in class for 3.5 hours it gets old real quick. He just lectures and does not really ask for the class to join in on the topic. End of the semester (summer) gets very hard bc u have a take home and in class final and 4 page paper and a presentation due.
Most of class is discussion of case studies. He waits til the last 30 minutes of class to begin lecture and runs over every time. Class is a breeze until he throws a surprisingly difficult final at you where he expects you to know marketing concepts he has barely discussed. Grading is arbitrary and he isn't clear on his expectations for assignments
Franzak has difficulty clarifying expectations. His lectures are long (usually exceeding the class length) and boring. Franzak is lazy. He will wait until the last minute to grade everything he's assigned. He generally speaks in a mildly condescending tone. It's an easy B but you have to deal with a professor who is uninterested in teaching.
Horrible teacher. I wanted my money back after taking this course. I went to see the prof. and ask him about my grades and he was just as vague in person as he was in the comments he provided on my assignments. He should not be allowed to teach. Do not take this course if you do not have to.
He was awful, vague, and useless when it comes to help. It was the final third of ECON205 and I cant believe how vague he was from the start. The simulation was OK but he left the FINAL exam basically up to us. No Review,no Study Guide, very vague about content and seems to want us to be confused. I don't recommend him although i enjoyed the course
He is really boring. I would not take him if I didn't have to. He talks a lot but in a way that you dont understand what he is talking about. He talks to you like you know the info. already. REALLY hated getting up for this class. Just stay away!
Franzak has difficulty clarifying expectations. His lectures are long (usually exceeding the class length) and boring. Franzak is lazy. He will wait until the last minute to grade everything he's assigned. He didn't let me take the final because I was late half an hour.
He will wait until the last minute to grade everything he's assigned! He assumes you know everything. He is somewhat condescending when he speaks. When you try to answer a question he cuts you off. The only good thing about the class is that he bring somewhat interesting speakers that are already working in the Business Marketing field.
Prof. Franzak taught the 3rd part of the class. Thus this part of the course was boring, uninformative, unhelpful, confusing, and difficult. The "LINKS" software was terrible. The final exam is very difficult and he gives no study guide and gives no indication as to what is going to be on exam (basically just memorize ppts and you will pass).
He's actually the most boring prof I've ever had
Franzak is a nice guy, but his teaching style screams 'career professor'. He drones for two and a half hours by reading his powerpoint slides (which come directly from the book he tells you to read in advance) verbatim. The second half of the semester is a little better as he uses case studies, but even then he does most of the talking. Boring.
This professor does not do a good job explaining things. He talks a lot about case studies and tries to connect other instances without explaining the material. If you know the material before you take the class, you will be fine, otherwise, it is VERY difficult to learn
He has a really dry sense of humor but means well. He isn't that helpful when it comes to group projects (no rubric, no guidelines). We had two exams that were pretty straight-forward. The first one was math heavy. Participation matters- I got a 96 by participating every day; the average was a 65.
Horrible teacher. Did not learn a thing. Makes me want to change majors. He has a monotone voice and doesn't get you excited to be a marketing major. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS WITH HIM!!
Very boring, not clear on concepts, many case analysis but not summarized to the points for the topic.
Do not understand how he grades. Based another assignment off of his previous comments and got a lower score . His PowerPoint and book doesnt match . The teamwork grouping should include feedback from teammate anonymously . Im transferring after this class
He is by far the worst professor I have ever had. Very lazy with grading. Not clear about assignments or deadlines, its all just very confusing. When you ask questions, he's very condescending and will probably cut you off. His lectures are so incredibly boring you cant pay attention even if you try. He doesnt actually care about his students.
all his reviews are pretty bad but I don't think he was that bad. His class is really not that hard but he is pretty boring though but you'll be fine.
Very tough grader, and very boring lectures. Does not engage the students. Does not help when you ask for help.
Readings required for every chapter, then an online quiz on that chapter, then a lecture on that chapter the following class. Easy format but can be boring to listen to him lecture on stuff you already know and were quizzed on. Attendance isn't taken for a grade but is necessary for participation points. Tests are open book and straight forward.
I recommend taking his class during the summer and landing in a good group from the beginning. The classes were case-study heavy and homework assignment heavy in addition to balancing time with doing the group StratSim project. Classes always ran over 20 min. He lectures 3.75 hours nonstop aside from participation moments. Doesn't like being wrong.
Bad Group=Fail group simulation & essay (~20% of the grade). I took this class this summer. Very fast-paced & had 2-3 case studies to analyze & complete HW for weekly. In addition to those, simulation deadlines are due almost every other week, so keep track of them. Class runs over 15-30min daily. Very slow at updating grades & correct answers.
By far one of the worst professors I've had at VCU. Lectures are not engaging, and he gets mad when students don't engage. Tests are very vague and questions don't make sense. No study material for the test other than the PowerPoint he goes over in class. Powerpoints don't even have the same material that's on the test.
I will never recommend this professor. I am generally an A or B student with a 3.7 gpa. However, this class ruined my college experience. His PowerPoints are messy and lack clarity yet refers to these as what to reference for the exams .He provides no rubric or study guide for highly valued assessments. I advise all students to steer clear!
Where to start. professor Franzak is the definition of dull. Although you can tell he enjoys the course material he regularly puts his students to sleep because he does not know how to engage his pupils. Frank is a terrible communicator, for example he did not tell me or any of my classmates that our exam would be in person till a week before.
You have to be in a good group for the car firm simulation project and essay. If not you'll be doomed from the start because that's 20% of your grade. Lectures run over class time. Homework and case study heavy. Refuses to admit when he is wrong. Will mark you down for attendance and participation points. Grades harshly on case studies.
One of the worst professors I have ever had throughout my time at VCU Business. Most unclear teacher, but won't ever tell you what you are doing wrong. Asking questions doesn't help because he will give you one answer and then grade you another way. His tests are impossible unless you record each and everyone of his lectures word for word.
His lectures are super boring because he fails to engage with the class and just speaks the entire time, half of it is him going off-topic to talk about something utterly irrelevant to the lesson. He provides no study guide for the test or any type of review hence why the class average for tests was usually in the 60s. He's also very rude. 0/10
So very boring. We did get out on time unlike prior reviews. Participation in class matters. Just do the work and get through the class. Will screen for authentic, original work on submissions.
Went into this class thinking that the bad reviews were just bad experiences but no. One of the worst professors I have ever had. Very lecture heavy, slideshow every class, exams are challenging and no outlines given. Very passive agressive/rude. Hates when people don't participate/rants about laptops. Even started to argue with a student over it.
Frank is just misunderstood, he cares about his job deeply and loves teaching his students. Please be patient with him he is just an old soul.
Frank expects everyone to participate in class, wants no br breaks, and overall tries hard, but fails to engage. Attendance is mandatory. Exams include the case studies and his lectures in class, so take notes and read the cases. Whole semester we had a group project. He isn't very clear with it and provides no outline, but gives feedback.
Gives the people who used chatgpt more marks, so use AI.
There is no reason to make school an awful experience, even after putting in the work, the work isn't recognized, he has no rubrics , ruining a beautiful course like marketing by being very unreasonable with the grading, if it wasn't compulsory nobody would take his class cause of how irrational he is with his grading.
He doesn't give any feedback on grades, it's just a surprise at the end of the semester. He expects you to calculate your own grade or ask him to see it although he keeps the information calculated at all times. He does not let you GO TO THE BATHROOM during lectures, and if you do he will stop the class to talk horribly about you for 15 minutes.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS! Teacher is pretty rude, gets strangely angry when students use the bathroom. Lectures are mandatory attendance and hard to listen to and stay engaged. Tests make no sense and the project has no outline, you just guess and he will give vague feedback. Grades aren't put in on purpose. Most other reviews here are very accurate.
THE WORST.
Good guy! Not bad!
Good Professor!
Just a tough grader, classes are pretty simple
The people who giving Professor Franzak a 5 are clearly bots trying to help his rating. When I say this man is the worst professor I have ever taken at my time at VCU I really mean the worst. Doesn't post grades on canvas, gets mad when people try to use the bathroom, doesn't really engage well with the students... I could go on. DO NOT TAKE HIM!
Didn't like this guy really… rude and just pretends he knows everything when he really doesn't. Very odd that he gets offended when people use the bathroom? Kinda treats the class as if we are still in high school
I wish I listened to the reviews. Made the semester stressful. Avoid if you can.
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DO NOT TAKE! He is NOT a good professor. Will not show you your grade and gets angry at students for no reason. Boring lectures and can not comprehend simple questions. So no point in asking questions it will not be helpful. You will learn nothing but his personal life. Do NOT take. Trust. The rating 3 stars and up are lies.
He structures the class like he wants you to fail. He doesn't put your grades into canvas, has attitude if you ask any questions, and the lectures have nothing to do with the material.
Franzak told the entire class that I had Academic Accommodations (which is illegal thanks VCU for doing nothing) When I confronted him he never actually said the words “I'm sorry” He cannot comprehend let alone hear students' questions, he was rude and unhelpful when I personally asked for help. If you can take this class with ANYONE else PLEASE DO
omg do nottt take him! most unwelcoming energy, doesn't post grades in Canvas, makes you buy two extra course materials, exams were written poorly. top 3 worst professors I've had while at VCU
I come to class every day trying to get something helpful out of it and continue to fail every time. He will spend 40 minutes into class still on the chapter objectives page. Love to talk about himself and stories. The slides really don't make any sense if you were trying to take notes, it's a collage of chaos and info that is already common sense
He put 1 assignment in the gradebook and the course ends in 2 weeks, we've had over 15 assignments (homework/MBTN) which gives 0 knowledge of how you're doing in the course, he has openly said he needs to get better grading, yet nothing changes. He is not understanding of being absent whatsoever and gets upset with students for not enjoying class.
His grade style: - Doesn't open any tests for review after the class has taken them so you cannot improve for the next one - Does not teach what his homework will be about - The presentation has grading requirements outside the rubric Daily class life: - Do not go to the bathroom - Keep count of your absences - If you don't participate he will yell
It feels like his life goal is to waste as much of your time as humanely possible. He just talks and talks, none of it ever sinks in or ends up mattering. He is the worst. Too old to teach.
Everyone is being so mean on here, Professor Franzak is truly unbelievably kind, understanding, and attentive as a professor, Sure, he talks a lot and classes aren't always the most engaging but what others have written is from my experience untrue.
Professor Franzak veers off topic often and doesn't go into depth on the material, leaving students having to learn the material on their own. On tests, the textbook was allowed, but the textbook for this class is online and not in print. Thus making things more difficult. No study guides, and not many opportunities to raise your grade.
Mr Franzak is truly an exceptional professor who cares about his students. Sure his lecture drag on a little long and he tells stories off topic he gets through the required material and if you pay attention you can see that marketing is his passion.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
88%
Textbook Required
79%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.21 avg changeRatings by Course
NEWPRODUCTS
5.0
(1)MGMT
5.0
(1)MRBL472
5.0
(1)MKTG400
5.0
(1)MRBL308
4.2
(5)Difficulty by Course
MKTG450
5.0
MKG302
4.1
MARKETINGCHAIR
4.0
MRBL378
4.0
MKTG302
3.9