English Professor who likes to end class a little early.......

Good Class use the study sheet

Boring, but not that hard.

Hard at times, but good lecturer! Don't blow off the term paper though.

Lectures were easy to understand. Liked to end class early.

Explain the materials very clear! Outstanding!

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This guy is pretty tough but fair. Exams are ok if you pay attention in class.

Tough but good. Once you figure him out, he's fun and knows a ton!

tough class. Grade fell, but learned a lot.

material is tough for non-econ majors, lectures can be hit & miss

very clear expectations, don't read the book just go to class. Easy A

Pretty unfriendly...

Tough A. Good prof though. Explains everything. Lot of work.

Don't bother reading text, study notes. Good Prof for econ majors

Wonderful professor! Makes econ seem really easy. Don't read the text - not necessary. Just come to class and pay attention. Study notes and make sure you review problems done in class before the exam. Great professor!!

Very good teacher, methodical lectures that make material easy to learn

Easy A! Don't buy textbook. Just go to class, take notes, study problems. You'll be fine! Start final paper early. Get into a good group. Group project is major part of grade. Good prof - little boring at times, but overall, good class. :-)

Book is honesty not necessary as long as you attend all classes. Come prepared to take a lot of notes. As a professor, he teaches clearly and you can leave the class understanding economics. I would recommend prof. Simons,and remember to go to class!!!

I think he is an excellent teacher. Material is straightforward and useful, exams reflect exactly what was taught & paper at the end helps boost the grades. Exams are all writing and semi-difficult, but just study the notes and you'll be fine. No book.

He was a fun teacher! Straightforward and very helpful. Material was easy if you kept up. I would recommend him. Has encouraged me to take other econ classes!

He explains everything very well and makes it easy to understand, but the tests can be very tricky as far as the multiple choice questions go! We hardly used the book and everything is based off of notes. There is no final, so that's nice, it's a paper and all of the other assignments were easy!

Wow, this instructor is a teaching specialist. Simons explains international economic issues with relevant current events that make economic analysis interresting. I think this is one of the most intellegent people i have ever met. If you are a good student who takes excellent notes then i recommend this class. Effort required but lots learned!

He's average I guess..not a great prof but not an awful one either. Class is soooo boring, but he really does explain everything that'll be on the exam so its good to at least try and pay attention.

Extremely knowledgeable prof who uses current real-world examples and explains things very clearly. For some reason some people think this class is difficult, but I got a straight A with no trouble at all. Just make sure you take good notes. You don't have to buy the book, & don't have to go to class the day before an exam if you know the material.

He is one of the best teachers GVSU has. Always organized and doesn't just read off powerpoints. I was nervous about not buying the book since I'm a straight a student, but seriously, DONT buy the book. Just go to class and take really good notes. The tests are just common sense stuff.

I had Gerry before for Intn'l Econ. This semester he made the class slightly easier with eliminating some of the 2 point MC questions and adding more essays. He also gave 3 points worth of extra credit. Very helpful. Don't buy the book. He gives very clear and understandable presentations. He has the great British humor, too!

Good professor. He explains things almost too well. It borderlines boring sometimes because he'll spend 10-15 minutes explaining a single definition or concept. Your grade is based on only 3 exams and a group debate but he gives you a study guide.

His class was ok. Grade is based off 3 test and a debate in class. The only problem is his class is soooo boring! He's a nice guy, and a proud Brit. No book, which was nice. He almost explains concepts in too much detail. A decent professor.

Based off of 4 exams, no books, no powerpoints, fair grading, organized and responsive. Effort level 3 our of 5. Highly recommended for ECON AND NON-ECON majors as the learned material is kept up with current event and what is useful for all biz majors. Very supportive outside of classroom. In my best five profs throughout my 3.5 yrs at GV!

Teacher has 3 tests, everything is weighted based on these tests. Lots of material but he goes into detail on the board. HE LECTURES. Most profs rely on PP now which is annoying. Fair prof, tries to make things exciting. Overall recommended.

great teacher, crystal clear, teaches good stuff to know in life, entertaining class, swears sometimes and is funny. grade is based off 4 tests 20 points each, in order to get an A you can get no more than 4 points wrong the entire semester (76/80). each multiple choice is worth 1 point and essays are 2 points per part. no curve, no hw, no book.

hes a good professor. i hate econ and i still managed to do good. take good notes since there is no book. he goes over everything in depth to make sure students understand

Boring, but extremely easy. Don't bother buying the text book because he teaches everything you need to know in class. He teaches really clearly and all the notes you need to take, he writes up on the whiteboard. He give study guides and practice questions for tests. If you fail this class, you are probably retarded.

Absolutely loved this class and this professor! I wish he taught in my major! Make sure to study for the tests because if you do bad on one, it may hurt you.

Great professor. Has a lot to say about economics... and is very smart. Participate in the class discussions, read the book, study for exams, and you're sure to get an A.

3 quizzes, 3 exams, 1 short writing assessment. This class is a breeze. His English accent is engaging. If you disagree with Keynesian theory, don't fret. Yes, it pushes Keynes' theories, but also places a fair emphasis on Classical Economics.

What a boring class. Yes, easy, but mind-numbing. Take him if you don't actually want to put much effort into a class. He provides study guides/practice exams, if you do them you should ace everything.

VERY easy class. covered supply and demand for FOREVER. i didn't read the book at all, did well in the class. i took the class at 830am and frequently fell asleep. luckily when i woke up, we would still be covering the same stuff. you should definitely understand the material after taking the class with him though. good guy. british accent too.

Great professor. Very cleat about topics on exam and helpful if you have a question about the material. Interesting insight about current events and everything EU There is one short presentation and three exams with no homework so doing poor on one exam will hurt your entire grade.

Easy to understand, great professor. You have to study the study guide before exams tho. Exams are VERY EASY. I took him in the summer, only had -1 for all 3 exams. I'm not good in math tho, it's just too easy. He is an outstanding professor. No need for books

He is AWESOME!!! Love the accent and keeps students engaged. He is clear and precise with the materials. If you don't want to fall asleep then participate in the discussion-he is willing to share a lot of knowledge. The class can be as interesting as you make it.

His class was so easy. Makes for a great upper lever Econ elective if you're in need. Don't buy the book! I never did and got a B+ without it. His lectures get boring, but he's really helpful and doesn't move on unless everyone is getting it. Overall he's definitely a pretty great professor. By far the most painless Econ class I've ever endured

Professor Simons made Game Theory as straightforward & understandable as possible. If you hate charts and graphs, stop taking Economics classes. The group project challenges you to do your own research with the class and then write a paper on it, and as long as you put in some effort it will go well. The book is helpful, but mostly supplemental

Although Simons is super funny, this class is impossible to make interesting. Could not get through this class without coffee. Your grade is basically just tests and a few small projects, and there's not book. He gives a pretty spot-on study guide, but if you want to do well on the tests, you have to go to class. It isn't hard to get an A if you go

Professor Simons class really made for a fun semester. I took this class to fill an "upper level econ" requirement and it was surprisingly interesting. The material can be confusing to game theory new comers, but Prof Simons does his best to make sure everyone gets it. Tests can be a tiny bit tricky so pay attention to wording and use study guides!

Only reason to get the textbook is to do the homework. If you go to class MOST of the time you can get an easy A without reading any of the chapters. He does do pop "quizzes" if he notices a lot of people didn't show up that day. The 50 minute classes are bearable and sometimes he shows videomovie clips. Great guy.

Professor Simons is a wonderful professor, and I appreciate his competence as a professor. He teaches visually, using the whiteboards to illustrate his examples rather than sticking to a powerpoint. He is always willing to clarify and or reexamine examples he made. Assignments are two projects at the start and end of semester and three exams.

I thoroughly enjoyed his lectures, he's hilarious! He does his best to make a very dry topic interesting and relevant, which was easy this year given the election in Nov. Come to class, read the material he posts, take good notes (if he writes, you'd better write it too), and you'll be fine. Always willing to answer questions and clarify.

I enjoyed Professor Simons. Very kind guy who knows his stuff. Three exams and a final that is non-cumulative. If you show up to class and take good notes you should excel in this course.

Awesome prof. Would take him for every class if I could. Inspired me to change my major to Econ. Exams and quizzes are exactly like the study guide and review packets he posts. Study those and take good notes in class. He has a funny brit accent too.

Very funny professor. The class was very interesting and worth taking. The professor was effective at teaching the material and I felt I learned a lot. Overall I would highly recommend this professor to anyone taking an economics class that he teaches.

Simons is an awesome guy, and I really enjoyed this class. He is very effective at teaching and somehow makes economics quite interesting to learn about. Whatever is written on the board is guaranteed to be on the exam, so take good notes. I'd take him again and I would encourage anyone to take him. He's easy-going and likes to swear. Recommended.

Excellent professor. Always available via email for help in this hybrid style course. Grades hard on homework, but is more lenient on exams. He is a great lecturer, provides useful tools and videos for reference and is very honest/funny during class. You wont regret you took this class because you learn the materials well. Beware of final project.

Prof. Simons was a really good professor. For an online class, it was pretty easy, 12 quizzes (2 per week) and 2 mini quizzes for the final. Overall, reading the chapter was the only homework other than the quizzes. I would take him again!

Im an Alumni. Still 9 years later I continue to recommend Professor Simons to current GV students (interns at my work). ECO 369 is a must take class. Please do yourself a favor and take this class. Thank you!

Although I have hated the subject of economics in the past, Professor Simons made it seem enjoyable. All the notes for the exam come from the lectures, but he makes the lectures easy to understand and follow. He is one of my favorite professors at GV!

Great prof! His accent (from England) makes everything better because he is hilarious and makes class fun. 10/10 would take him again. He's a super easy teacher, just do the homework and study for tests and you'll pass.

Watch for the quiz deadlines or you're screwed. I missed the first two and he didn't budge. Textbook is through Pearson, which is over $100 but there are quizlets everywhere on the internet for the quizzes and exams. No lockdown browser. Good prof and cares for his students otherwise. Intelligent and cool UK accent

The class is divided up with 4 homework assignments, quizzes and a project and final. Not a lot of work, so a solid choice if you work and do school. Has a cool accent, and has realistic homework due dates. I would take him again.

Easy to pass this class- do your work and you will pass. Attendance isn't mandatory. Graded only by quizzes, 4 HW assignments, final exam, final project. Can take this class all online b/c he posts all lectures and homework online.

He is a fantastic professor who truly cares about his students. You can tell he is a good person and wants what is best for you. His lectures may seem boring but they get the material across that needs to be known. There is a group project and not very many grades throughout the semester but it is not too hard to do well as long as you show up.

I liked him. he did his best to make the lectures interesting but its econ so they were quite bland. we were graded on two homework assignments, a group project and proposal, and two exams. I didn't read the book but some of the material he didn't lecture on was in the book and on the exam so beware of that. He does give out a study guide

Overall fantastic professor. Lectures may be a little dull at times, but he tries to keep everyone engaged. Only 2 homework assignments, worth 30% of your overall grade. Final/midterm not too difficult, but make sure you study. Project was easy, and is worth more than your final exam. Fastest professor to respond to an email. Very kind/caring guy!

He took over for our class after our first professor had to take leave, and he knocked it out of the park. He merged the two classes seamlessly and allowed us to keep the original deadlines from the first syllabus while adding in his own. His final project was easy and he emails back within minutes with really helpful feedback. 10/10 recommend.

Great Professor but I also work so I did not attend 90% of the classes and that is why I struggled. I did not put much effort into the class so I did not do as well as I could have. I had a D but studied hard for the final and got a 95% and got a C in the class. I would recomend him if you will go to most of the classes but if not then I wouldnt.

So glad I took this class. I have learned so much about international economics, especially at a time when tariffs are so widely talked. Prof Simons breaks it down and makes it easy to understand. He brings in real world examples which keeps class engaging. He's British so he has that sense of humor which is the best. Bummed he's retiring.

Knows his stuff. Interesting course if you're willing to pay attention. It's econ, so not the most exciting course, but he's got a good sense of humor and seems to care about your success as long as you put in some effort. Apparently he's not retiring any time soon... just been at GV a long time.