2.9
Quality3.6
Difficulty21%
Would Retake192
Reviews21%
Would Retake
192
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
192 total ratings5
44
4
38
3
30
2
37
1
43
What Students Say
“This is the greatest advice I can ever give at Cal”
STAT134 - 1.0 rating“Honestly the worst instructor I've ever had”
STAT135 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
21%
Textbook Required
25%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.49 avg changeRatings by Course
STAT131A
5.0
(3)STATS134
5.0
(1)STATS131
5.0
(1)STATA
5.0
(1)STAT2NA
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
STATS20
4.5
STATSTAT
4.0
STAT133
4.0
STAT88
4.0
STATS21
3.9
Reviews (191)
Gives many clear examples, but is boring sometimes. But, then again, the subject is boring.
Excuse me? Where did these midterm problems come from? He uses a textbook written especially for mongoloids. But then, he tests on things so random and hard that it's mindboggling. At least he tutors a lot.
Very good professor who was able to keep me up at 8AM with clear examples and a personable attitude. Not too hard if you do the practice problems he assigns.
He writes down everything he says in lecture, making BL notes virtually useless unless you skip class. However, his midterms are incredibly crazy. Most of the class is complaining about the directions, questions, and HARSH grading. It is a boring subj.
Hank is awesome!
The most dedicated professor on campus. His lectures are clear and straight forward, but his tests are difficult. But he's very tending to students' learning and always available during office hours and the SLC. You'll learn a lot of practical knowledge.
His examples in class are clear but is far more easier than the ones on the midterms. His midterm questions are very unclear and he's not helpful AT ALL.
His midterms and final were ridiculous. The homework assignments are tedious and helpful, but they don't prepare you at all for the tests. He givs us practice exams from another professor, and a few from his own tests, but they don't help at all. Very difficult, Mean of every test was pretty low.
Class at 8am but i find myself staying awake. He makes statistics slightly more interesting than it should be. Midterms are incredibly easy BUT FINALS WAS SO HARD!!! I think he tested mostly on things that he didn't teach quite as well as other stuff... so STUDY!!
good lecturer, bad test maker
I had to keep poking myself to make sure that I stayed awake. Plus for taking a break in the middle of the class though; it's not his fault that the subject material is boring. The midterms were a little difficult but if you studied the material well, the tests were fine.
Lectures are slow-paced and well-explained. Actually, you can probably skip lecture and just read the book. Tests are a little weird, but not hard if you know the concepts.
Could barely stay awake for lecture, but that's cuz the class was so easy.
The tests are easy, but since he has a bizarre grading policy and isn't clear on what you should put, he ends up being really difficult. I hated this class and his lectures were boring. He's not very sympathetic or clear during OH. The curve hurts you the most!!!
very very sleepy lectures. (His tone is monotone through out the whole lecture) His Exams are EXTREMELY Hard and unclear in wording. His personality is very very nice though. (He tries to answer to everyone's question.)
This class is really easy and boring. Ibser is fine and his tests are not hard if you actually study.
He's one of the worst. His notes are well organized, but he's not very clear at times, and he is not good at helping students. The homework is tedious and useless because his midterms and quizzes are ridiculously difficult. He claims he's going to give 40% Cs and drop one of our lowest quizzes. Ugh
Awesome, good at explaining everything. Class gets harder as the semester goes.
i thought he was the best teacher ive had here at berkeley so far. pretty easy class. he's really really nice. knows the material well, clear, very good professor over all!
curve killed me, i thought this was a very hard class, not because he was unclear, but because homework and quizzes did not help at all, even the practice midterm/finals he gave us were not nearly as hard as his actual tests. when i went in to see him he looked distracted and wasn't too eager to help me.
He literally writes down everything he says in class, so everything is very clear. However, the quiz and midterms are a lot harder than the homework we have... It would be much better if he gives us more practice problems. The class gets harder and harder. And business people kill the curve.
He's an excellent instructor, very clear and approachable. As others have said, though, the homework and in-class exercises are child's play compared to the tests. He really needs to provide something comparably hard before the actual test. And the curve was sucktastic...
as others have said, his lectures are very clear because he writes everything he says down on the board. in office hours he is really helpful and explains things well. he seems like a really cool guy... i would totally kick it with him if i could
he is a very good professor. explains things very well. writes down EVERYTHING HE SAYS. as long as you do your homework you should get a good grade in the class.
his tests were very fair, if you understood the material you'll ace the tests. the most helpful tool he provided were the study guides, it had examples that really helped you review what you knew and some of the harder questions really exemplified his real exam questions
he makes it seem easy...then smacks you in the face with super hard midterms. outrageous curves as well. i got an 85 and it was a C.
One of the best professors at Berkeley I've had so far. He's very concise, very clear, gives GREAT lectures, provides "practice midterm/final questions" that really prep you for the exams--which were very fair. If you go to lecture and do the work you should be able to do really well in the course.
wow, I don't know what people are talking about because Ibser doesn't care for students at all. His curves are unfair and he is not enthusiastic or clear.
Cool professor, easy class. If you can handle Math 1 or even 16, this will be a relaxing class.
The class seems really easy, but the tests are tricky. He tries to make things really clear.
Professor Ibser is very outgoing and energetic in his lectures...he makes a rather difficult topic seem possible to a math retard like myself!
He should be a comedian. He has such a great presence in class, and he explains everything very thoroughly, writing absolutely EVERYTHING he thinks of on the board. The only thing is, his midterms are very, very tricky.
Not that easy, not that fair. Ibser is fair and a good teacher. He'll write EVERYTHING he says on the board and is always available if you need help. Midterm's are extremely difficult compared to homework and quizzes (study guide packets he provides are about the same difficulty however, usually slightly easier) but you cant fault him for that.
Great lecturer. Great notes. Exams were fair and so was the curve. He's an excellent professor who is very sharp.
Great lecturer! Writes everything he says on the board and is very helpful. His midterms and quizzes are tricky and difficult, but they're curved.
good lecturer, clear and concise but tricky midterms and quizzes, final was a little tough also
Hard class, but if you have to take it, take it with him. It's basically homework, midterm and final. The midterm and the final are somewhat tricky and you've just got to know your stuff... Everything ends up being curved so as long as you're doing better than the rest of the class, you'll be fine. Oh and the answers to the homework are on google
Quizzes and exams will throw you off sometimes, but usually straight forward. He's willing to help and writes all important stuff on the board.
The class is slightly difficult, but only because of the material. Ibser tries to explain things very carefully and clearly, and writes everything he says down on the board, so you never miss anything. Grading was 30% A's, 30% B's, 30% C's, and 10% D/F, which is fairly generous. He also gives out practice midterms and finals, which is very useful.
Exams are hard, you need every minute for the exam. if you have to stop to think, its over for you. Overall, he is a good instructor and explains things very well. you always know where you stand in the class. Do the practice problem- very similar to the types of problems on the exam. his exams are hard, but fair. He's alright.
He seemed like a good teacher but the material requires a lot of manual work. The tests and quizzes are incredibly difficult compared to his study guides and homework problems.
I'm glad I took the class, but it was at times frustrating. The tests are tricky...very concept-based class instead of formula memorizing. Also, with my particular class, there was a bell curve, and it was curved at the end of the class so I didn't know how I was doing until I all of a sudden received my grade at the end of the semester.
Very concept-based. Quizzes and exams are tricky - drop-in tutoring at the SLC is great, and take the adjunct for the class if it's offered. The adjunct is enormously helpful. Ibser answered questions well through email but could have been clearer the first time through. Wrote down everything, a plus, and took a small break in class , also a plus.
Please don't take this class if you've never taken stats before. He goes super fast and unless you've and you won't know any of the material beforehand. If you take this class I suggest you get yourself to the SLC as soon as it opens and get help. Ibser though approachable can't always explain things so I suggest u get to know Mike Wong in the SLC.
JUST TAKE STARK! The homework was easy enough, but the midterms and finals were much more difficult than the homework. Some problems were purposefully tricky
HOMEWORK DOESN'T PREP YOU FOR EXAM. Class gets HARD AFTER THE FIRST TEST, so don't get cocky. GSIs gave book problems, so you had little exposure to practice exams that were of the difficulty level the test was at.
Very clear and concise lecturer. Engages with class by asking questions. Quizzes are pretty tricky but fair. Midterms and final typically have one particularly hard problem, but the curve makes the class survivable.
He is fine, but the test is very difficult.
His lectures just touch the surface of what the quizzes/exams cover. There are quizzes every week. You need to know the formulas and concepts to the bones, b/c the exams require you to use a combination of formulas. Class is hard but a good GSI greatly helps. Barely passed the class thanks to the curve!
Very good course. I got an A- in Stats 21 and not a straight A because of one quiz. He's a very clear and concise lecturer. Read the book as well. Overall, the midterms and final reflected the difficulty of the homework. Good professor.
Hank is chill and clear prof. But somehow I just couldn't stay awake in his lectures, partially was due to the reason that he writes EVERYTHING down. By the time he finishes, I'm already asleep. Make sure you get the concepts for midterms and finals, if not, email him or go to his OH's. Reading the book also helps. BTW, he plays the bass in a band.
competent and helpful. due to subject matter, the lectures were inevitably dry. but studying was occasionally interesting.
Very clear lecturer, though not exciting. Emphasizes understanding of concepts rather than rote memorization, which may be difficult for some. Book is helpful, as are study guide questions.
Professor Ibser was great. His notes were always really easy to follow and refer to. Not a lot of homework. Some of the tests/quizzes were challenging but you can drop your lowest quiz, which was really nice. I would definitely recommend his class, especially because I heard the other prof. is no good.
Professor Ibser gives really good notes, but if you're not into stats, the class is pretty boring. Make sure you keep up with the work because his midterms get harder. Don't be complacent if you get a good grade on the 1st midterm b/c the class average drops for the 2nd midterm.
Hank is very good at explaining concepts, however, the curve for the Stats 21 class is really rough. Only 20 something percent get A's. If you are Haas intended, wait until spring of sophomore year or take it over the summer or take Stats with another professor. Also, DO THE practice exams he gives, I was skipped it and my grade refelcted it.
Ibser is a really good lecturer. Not too boring that you fall asleep, and he's fairly clear. Midterms and final can really kill you even if you do well in the quizzes.
Ibser is a great professor and explains concepts very well, but overall this class is very difficult. The main thing about this class is that the curve sucks. Only 20%-A's, 30%-B's, and the rest get C's or worse. The class is alright, but the midterms and finals are very difficult. Those pretty much make up your whole grade.
great professor, hes pretty chill, not that hard if u did all the homeworks. and his review packets for the tests are really helpful. go to lectures, they are important
Ibser is a pretty good professor. He's thorough, clear and he's extremely fair. Go to some combination of lecture and section, sometimes the sections can be a bit repetitive. Curve is the hardest part. It WILL work against you because the material isn't that difficult. Do the HW and the practice exam packets he gives out.The tests are really fair.
If you are going to take Stats take it with Isber. He is the best Professor in the department. Not gonna find a better stats instructor at berkeley.
He spends wayyyy too much time talking about the same topic. My friend and I time him all the time. He spends about 5 minutes on one simple thing, which is actually a lot longer than it seems. The GSIs suck.
Overall Ibser is a decent professor who teaches clearly and effectivel.y However, even if you understand his lectures and the homework, DONT EXPECT A GOOD GRADE!!! I got my worst grade ever in this class, only 20% can get A's.
Good professor, clear lectures and covers the material at an appropriate pace. The exams are much harder than the homework problems from the book, but this is a reflection on the crappy book. This combined with the curve can make it challenging even though the material itself is easy.
His lectures are helpful, and he presents the information in a clear manner. However, his tests are MUCH harder than the homework or quizzes he gives. STUDY FOR THEM. And also, in my opinion, his tests are unclear. Some of his questions are whole paragraphs. Totally unnecessary. He could be a LOT more clear by bluntly stating what he wants.
his lectures were somewhat helpful, but too broad. for the midterm and final i would review the questions he gave us because they REALLY help.
His midterm and final are far harder than his homework...that curve is pretty harsh...only 20% A's...but as long as you study, you should still get a decent grade. I suggest you look for a better Stats teacher, though, if you have the chance.
Ibser is very clear and energetic. However, the tests require you to be able the understand and apply the concepts opposed to memorize and repeat processes. This may be good or bad for you depending on your style. The curve makes people dislike the class. Overall, probably the best lower-div stat teacher for learning stats.
I took Stats 21 4 years ago (wow, I am old - in law school now), but I recall Prof. Ibser being really clear, his lectures very organized, and his exams were fair. I had already taken AP Statistics though, so it was probably easier because much was review. Ibser is a great professor!
Ibser is very knowledgeable and knows his stuff really well. He includes a lot of detail in lectures. When it comes to the exams, the questions are a lot harder and much more comprehensive. The curve, 20% A's, make it really hard to do well.
Professor Ibster is very helpful. He explains everything very clear and make the class a lot of fun. The material is relatively easy and as long as you study hard for the studyguide, you will be find both on midterms and the final. His homework is much easier than the test, but his review is rather comprehensive. Go to the lecture if you have time.
He's an excellent lecturer and can maintain class participation even in a large lecture hall. Homeworks are easy. Tests are much more difficult. This class was my first B in college :( The problem is that his review problems don't have answers that are detailed enough to follow.
Really engaging and friendly guy. He is pretty clear with explanations and always eager to review tough concepts, almost to a fault. Good professor.
Excellent lectures, extremely clear and helpful with questions. Questions on tests required logic and really close reading. It felt to me like the class favored intuition and test-taking ability over heavy studying more than others at Berkeley- something to think about when considering taking this class. It had more or less a 30-40-30 curve.
Amazing teacher... best teacher I've ever had. Seriously. However, I love Statistics and it came very easily to me, while a lot of the class found it very challenging. Take that for what it's worth.
This guy is great. Extremely clear. Tests are difficult, but I could not care less given the time investments that he and his GSI make to ensure that we fully understand the material. This is one of the best-run classes I've taken at Cal. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!
I like his lecture very much. He can explain the complicate concepts by simple examples in an easy way. It helps me a lot.
Hank (as he prefers to be called) is a really great lecturer. While statistics as a subject can be difficult, he really does a good job explaining the material clearly and fully. Homework is 20% of your grade so you need to do it but his lectures are what you really need to pay attention to for the exams.
never use the textbook but keep using the ppt. Need to study this course by ourselves!
Work on it yourself!
He's not good at teaching this programming course. He just follow the course guideline and requirement from another Professor. He would avoid talking the project and homework if its hard. Students always get confused on what the projects should be done. Poor quality. Study on your own.Not recommend to take him.
Lecture material barely skims on the content in your homework, projects, and tests. Do not take Stat 133 with him unless you have prior R experience or have lots of time to figure out things by yourself
Hank is by far one of the best math/science professors I've had here. He has a knack for understanding how to conceptualize things in a very intuitive way, which makes his lectures and explanations at office hours very easily understandable. Also, the curve on his tests is very "statistically" fair, which is a great indication that he loves stats!1
I once asked a question about a decently easy problem. He smirked at me and refused to answer. Then he ignored me, completely. How indecent is that? At least, he could be clearer and more succinct with his lectures, but no. He just talks a lot. Difference between talking a lot and actually being clear. Avoid.
Not good at teaching students who aren't stats inclined.He lectures really fast.His HW assignments are not enough to prepare you for the tests which are tricky so assign your own.He said himself that he doesn't see the point in testing you on things you've seen before.MT avg was 55 with an SD of 20. He seems unable to comprehend students' confusion
Difficult to do well in course without stats background. Final is 60% of your grade. Not particularly helpful with answering questions--responses can be blunt and a bit snarky at times. Homework is useless. Exams (the one we had) was tricky and too long. Average was 55, SD 20.
Amazing Professor! Totally disagree with everyone. His class is very fair. It's upto you to put in work and time, your grade and test scores mirror the effort you put.
If you don't have any experience with stats, you need to go to the lectures and you need to get the textbook. The review problems from the book are most like the exam questions. Homework questions are relatively easier than the review questions. Prof Ibser did a great job with simple concepts but book problems will help you solidify the concepts.
Very intelligent and helpful. Really tries to answer students' questions as best as he can. Good lecturer and great professor. Tests are extremely difficult and much more challenging than homework. Really need to understand material conceptually in order to do well in the class.
This guy can lecture, but he's not clear in what he expects for the midterms, which is oviously the most important thing. He basically teaches you how to add and expects you to know how to multiply for the exam (metaphorically speaking). If that didn't make sense to you, DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS, because my metaphors are as clear as this class.
The lectures are long.
pretty decent lecture, the Hws are all from the book, so must get one. only two big tests, but the final is 60% of your OVERALL grade, so if u miss it u are guaranteed to fail. overall speaking quite a nice lecturer, doesn't make you feel boring, just need to deal with the 60% final.
Lecture is clear and gives you a good understanding of course material - however lectures are much easier than the tests, which can be difficult with time constraints. Final is worth 60% of your grade. Best advice READ the summaries at the end of each chapter in the textbook.
Difficult class.
TAKE HIM!
He can lecture. Class is very disorganized though. He sped through material-- he was a full week ahead of the syllabus-- so it was very tough to keep up. Doesn't really seem too concerned with student's feedback. Very difficult class to excel in, which is exactly how Ibser wants it. GSI's weren't all that helpful.
Hank is a really great professor. He's clear, both about the material and what he expects his students to know/be able to do by the test. He is very patient with questions, and tries to find examples to get the class interested. His energy in the classroom is the only thing that kept me attending 1.5 hour stats lectures!
Honestly the material is really not that bad. My best recommendation is read the entire book and try to do all the practice problems.
Direct and to the point when explaining concepts. Lectures were organized. However, his tests are harsh and go beyond what he teaches. Ibser seemed unwilling to help his students and his overall attitude as a professor was very poor. When some students asked him about grades at the end of the semester, he called it "complaining".
Read the book, study, and work hard. My GSI was a great help! It also helped to redo problems, homeworks, and quizzes.
He keeps the content of the course interesting. There is one midterm, one final, and quizzes in discussion almost weekly. While the quizzes are super easy, you really need to keep up with the material and know it inside and out for the midterms/finals. Still, it's definitely possible to get an A as long as you go to the (non mandatory) lectures.
Professor Ibser (or Hank as he asked us to call him) is a nice guy who managed to make a 450-student lecture course seem personal and (almost) fun. Lecture was clear & sometimes amusing. He's very approachable & willing to help students outside of class. Expect some statistician humor. The material isn't easy but hey, it's stats, what do ya expect.
He was a very charismatic professor. His lectures are clear and well managed. The quizzes and homework are doable. The test, however, are very hard.
This class is curved badly and your final is only like 9 questions but it is 60% of your grade.
The material is fine and if you really work hard and study by putting in the time, you will understand everything. However, if you're like me and studied so hard for an exam you will get screwed over no matter how hard you studied or well you understood the material. Ibser gives exams that are not even within the realm of the curriculum..
Terrible professor. He is condescending and designs his tests so that they are far beyond the scope of the course material. He even told me that he was just "doing the dirty work" of Haas by making his class impossible to do well in-so arrogant. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
Lectures were easy to understand in class and he is very helpful outside of class and during lecture with questions you may have. CHECK EVERY SINGLE HOMEWORK ANSWER ONLINE BEFORE TURNING IT IN!! GRADERS ARE EXTREMELY PICKY. YOU CAN SAVE SO MANY POINTS BY CHECKING YOUR HOMEWORK BEFOREHAND. Midterm was okay, watch out for final; worth 60%
Professor Ibser is very organized and takes his time to explain all of the steps and information necessary for homework and quizzes in his lectures. Do practice problems on your own, go to lecture, and review for quizzes and you will be fine.
The textbook Professor Ibser chooses is extremely helpful and I found that I didn't need to go to the lectures (although I did) because of it. Make sure to do the problems assigned and study the study guides thoroughly and you will do well. I didn't take stats in HS and found it easy. The class itself is boring unless intro statistics excites you.
I slept through every lecture and made an A+. Very easy class for someone math-inclined.
I have taken AP Stats in high school and this class still gave me a challenge. The professor is nice and approachable. There are quizzes every other week. Discussion wasn't mandatory. Study groups and office hours are highly suggested for this class! Putting effort in the homework and quizzes will help you a lot for the midterm and final.
The class material is not that difficult, I barely studied and got a decent grade. There were grading mistakes on almost every single assignment in the class and the grading was fairly strict. The professor is nice enough and if you study sufficiently you will do fine even if you've never taken a Stat class.
Very unclear about stuff, not good at explaining things. Lectures did not seem to be very organized because sometimes he's lost about what he wants to talk about. Most of the lectures were out of the book, will have the homework due before he talks about the materials covered in the homework.
Quite possible one of the worst grading schemes in this school. Avoid at all costs.
In lecture, he tries to get us to understand the intuition behind probability, rather than going over all of the formal mathematics, which he leaves for us to do with the textbook. I enjoyed his lecture style a lot.
Honestly the worst instructor I've ever had. Is super disorganized and you have to self study everything
Never ever take him... This is the greatest advice I can ever give at Cal. If u are Stats major, he can make u wanna switch major. Trust me, he got this potential, lol. At the end of the day, I think statistics is still a fun major...
Incredibly pedantic grader. Half the points you will lose are due to things seemingly made up on the spot.
how he grades is pathetic
He teaches well but his grading is doubtful
Pretty good. Really thinks about stats more than just as a subject.
SUPER UNORGANIZED. Always had to extend due dates because of poor planning. Useless lectures, most of the learning was done through textbook. Syllabus was not released until the 2nd or 3rd week of school, and two weeks before finals he completely removed a component of the grading criteria. If you cannot learn on your own, do not take this class.
Probably the worst professors/course experiences I've ever had. His lectures are all over the place and the GSI-led discussions were unhelpful. Had to self-teach a lot of the material. Strongly would advise against taking his class!
Bi-monthly quizzes are kinda tough and the midterm and final really make you think in this class. Nothing else matters because of the predetermined grade bins, so just do well on those and you get an A!! Practice and really master the midterm and final study materials, they help a lot. His lectures have 70% nothing and 30% useful stuff so worth it.
Hank is all over the place. This class is so unorganized and that just adds to the difficult materials. The syllabus was changed numerous times, final grades were posted after Christmas, and the grading is still unclear. He's a nice guy, but can't stay focused. This is a statistics class, not a politics or social justice one.
The most disorganized class I've ever taken -- the final is in roughly a week and a half and the grading scale still isn't finalized. Much more than a 2 unit workload but honestly the material was pretty interesting and the curve is generous. Hank may not be the most organized person but his lectures were interesting and he's incredibly nice
AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Doesn't seem like a mean guy but is a terrible teacher. So disorganized (example: he only graded midterm 1 four days before midterm 2). Really challenging exams that honestly had very to do with lecture, and he fails to post helpful resources such as full solutions to past exams, homework or quizzes (how then can we learn?)
The professor was really disorganized (late gradings, postponing projects, unhelpful resources etc) and this made it very hard for us to actually do well on the course. You need to go to your GSI's office hours and mostly learn the material alone. He is very intelligent and I'd say he knows the material, but it's just a very frustrating class.
Incredibly unorganized: usually late to class, spends 75 minutes on saying words without meaning and 15 minutes on real content, doesn't have a handle on what students' background knowledge (he spent half an hour covering how to find average and five minutes on completely new concepts). Also a very tough grader to artificially make the class harder
His lectures seem unorganized, and his exams are nothing like the homework or sample exams. The GSIs office hours and study groups were what saved my grade. I put in so much more effort than I anticipated.
he seems like a nice guy but in my opinion is a pretty bad teacher. His lectures always left me more confused than before because he spent a lot of time just rambling in an unorganized way. Pretty consistently unclear about what he expected us to know for quizzes and exams, and always really late entering grades and figuring out curves.
Prof Ibser is a genuinely nice guy, but his teaching is so disorganized and confusing. Following along with textbook helps a lot, but the lecture material was MILES easier than what would appear on the quizzes, midterm, & final. The class is course captured, but I would recommend attending. Also, the rubric for the final project was really vague.
The worst prof I have ever met in Cal. Rude and not patient to students. Not reply to your email. Lecture is boring and not helpful at all.
Unorganized lecture / board work. Uses an awful book. I expect more from someone who is solely a lecturer and not a research professor.
Hank's lectures are so useful. Don't skip classes. Take notes. As long as you finish the homework and prepare for quizzes you are ok. It's true that the midterms and finals are way harder than the homework so make sure you do the sample exam questions before you take the exams!!!
Professor Ibser was very unorganized and scattered. His lectures were hard to follow, he took weeks and weeks to return graded midterms, and overall was not accessible in office hours. I did a lot of learning on my own and with the GSI.
1st time I spoke to him he asked me if I had a learning disorder. GSI's were amazing. I went to every office hour my GSI had-- 4 hours of class a week plus 4 hours of OH a week. I was getting high A's on quizzes, Hw. But 90% of your grade is midterm & final, so my B+ on the final made me get a B+ in the class. Demoralizing, very "welcome to cal"
Berkeley STAT is well known for its top-shelf professors and researchers. However, they usually don't handle teaching tasks for undergrads. And many extremely important upper divs like 134 135 151A were handled by lecturers like Hank and his classes whatsoever builds no foundations for nothing. Do stat 140 or eecs126, please. That's my best advice.
Lectures were disorganized and sometimes hard to follow, but this was not a hard class in terms of material. As long as you do the homework and practice exams(!), and attend discussion, you should be fine even if you don't attend every lecture (I probably made it to less than half).
Hes a nice guy with a weird sense of humor. The textbook is outdated and the group project unclear. Lectures can be mundane, but dont skip them until you see your midterm grade. Tests are much harder than homework in this class; study past exams. If you took AP Stat and got a 5, you should be fine.
Honestly barely went to lecture, just discussion, would study an hour or two before quizzes and about 5-10 hours before midterm and final and got an A. Although fall 2019 final was SIGNIFICANTLY easier than average.
This professor is better than the other stats 20 professor Shobhana stoyanov, however, he is mediocre at best. He does not go above and beyond for his students. I asked him for help and he did not seem willing to help me. The GSI's are not very consistent at office hours and section wasn't too helpful for my learning style because its group work.
He's all over the place. Lectures were a complete waste of time. Success in class is heavily dependent on GSI assigned
Bad! He never explained things well and just expected us to understand what he meant! Tests and quizzes were NOTHING like homework! Very hard
he's a smart professor but very unclear and boring in lecture, nobody knows where they stand in the class because homework, quizzes, and midterm solutions are all posted extremely late. In the face of covid-19, he made announcements that increased the stress level of his students and was not very responsive online, and as others said, GSI dependent
He knows his stuff and means well but the course is very disorganized. Project groups were finalized a month late and rubric and instructions were vague. Quizzes/hw aren't bad but tests are brutal. Biggest issue was that grading was a black box - we had no idea where we stood/our grade before he began releasing detailed quiz stats bc of covid.
Avoid this professor. Spring'20 STAT 20 was extremely vague and Hank came across as quite standoffish at times. Simple concepts are made overcomplex. Be prepared to teach this course to yourself.
I hate Stats so I'm biased but this prof and this class didn't make it any better. Lectures were incredibly dry and prof was pretty disorganized a lot of the time. Go to GSI office hours early on!
Not a very good professor... Like other comments said: be ready to teach this course to yourself.
Took stat 134 with Ibser. I get that it is traditionally a very demanding class (and it was) and the online format makes it hard for everyone. But I think its ridiculous that summer grades are due today and half of our HW assignments as well as our final exam arent even graded yet on Gradescope.
he makes sure that both midterm and final make you think. if you don't understand the concept, you will pass but your grade will be pretty bad
Honestly worst professor ever! That man does not have any emotion whatsoever. Even if you had a technical difficulty, he doesn't care. His lecture notes don't make sense at all and watching lectures is such a waste of time studying for the exam. I don't think I learn anything in that class and he is just all over the place.
He was great! Not too much work and most of the tests were reasonable. Just make sure to pay attention in class and go to section and youll be okay.
He's so unorganized and needs to do a much better job teaching the actual material. He rambles on for so long about unimportant stuff then barely teaches what we're tested on.
He spends the entire lecture answering logistics questions, doesn't make it clear what's important (despite us having 3 quizzes per week), and rarely posts assignments correctly/on time.
Get ready to teach yourself tons of material, cause he won't.
Most of the lecture is useless and it's extremely hard to pay attention knowing that. The professor is actually a nice guy and spends time answering questions but does so in a way that doesn't really clarify anything. Really overcomplicates the concepts and R feels very useless. Wouldn't really recommend this class unless math comes easy for you.
Man....I know this semester is online, but this prof is all over the place. He assigns homeworks on Wednesdays due Fridays (syllabus said he would give us a week to do them). Quiz's are on content not even taught yet. Not a hard class, but for an intro to stat class, it seems unnecessarily complicated...
Last-minute deadline changes, no feedback/correct answers to lecture mini-quizzes, poor explanation, and it honestly felt more like a hellish series of statistics-themed open mic nights with the same guy every night instead of an actual college class. Poor explanations, terrible instructions, textbook don't even help to supplement lectures.
This is the most unorganized class I have ever taken. We have assignments from the second week of the semester that are still not graded. The GSIs are extremely unhelpful and don't properly answer any questions. Weekly quizzes sometimes have material we haven't learned and you lose points for stupid things that weren't clear in the instructions.
he sucks
Might be worst professor I've ever had. Guidelines to the final project changed daily, lectures were unnecessarily complicated, and lecture quizzes were unnecessarily difficult.
this class was terrible
Professor Ibser is decent, but the class is on the harder side. Oftentimes, his lectures are unclear and he overcomplicates simple concepts. I would recommend studying for this class by reading the book chapter before watching/attending lecture and PRACTICE! All the practice problems he assigns for section worksheets and hw are in the book.
Oh. My, god. This teacher is literally AWFUL. He made us learn a coding program just to calculate our math for stats! Uhmm, I couldve used a graphing calculator instead of CS. I did NOT sign up for a freaking coding class. Terrible at teaching too. My high school teacher that also taught stats at the cc was and is a better teacher than this man
honestly am quite surprised by the other reviews. i think he made lectures very interesting by talking about RELEVANT things and connecting stats to social issues and events. i agree w ppl that said the class should be more organized but online teaching is hard dudes:( also had great discussions w him in his oh. i would recommend, super cool guy!!
This has been an awful semester with Ibser, he doesn't give clear instructions and messes up quizzes, even had typos and other issues on the final and midterm. lots of homework, lecture quizzes and weekly quizzes, and the grades come out soooo slow. my first reading response turned in at the beginning of the semester hasn't been graded.
The worst professor I've had so far at Berkeley. He's all over the place; he changes deadlines and instructions more than he changes clothes; he's incapable of articulating his thoughts concisely. His lectures are low in information density per unit of time: it's 70% fluff and 30% material. Do yourself a favor and avoid this substandard professor.
by far the worst classs ever. I'm sorry but this professor wasn't on top of everything. yes, I understand that we have had trouble navigating online school but he just wasn't fully prepared. I thought this class was going to be easy but it was mostly all coding (something I am not good at WHATSOEVER) 80% coding & 20% actually stats vague as well
All the comments are true. Although students try to cut teachers some slack during covid, he has consistently been unorganized and unprepared. He went statistics relating to covid and the election, which was a little interesting at times I admit, but I wanted to fall asleep during every lecture. He does not explain topics well and is just bad. Yuck
The worst professor I've ever had in Berkeley. Seriously, do not take his class. If you had to take stat 20 as your major requirements, take it with other professors.
I really loved Professor Ibser. His class wasn't the most organized but his lectures were interesting and very clear. The midterm and final was definitely on the harder side but if you go to lecture and read the textbook then you should be fine!
very stingy professor. is not willing to provide accommodations for students affected by outages and the like. lectures are half logistics/answering questions and half poor "lecturing of the concepts". quizzes are horrendously written and test the most complex and subtle "things" said in lecture. does not respond to piazza or provide any feedback.
This class has been a nightmare that I can't seem to wake up from.
DO NOT TAKE HIS ONLINE CLASS! He is extremely unorganized, questions are word poorly, uses an automated grading system that will make you wrong, and give you zero points for the smallest reason. He goes very fast during lectures and will assume you know things even though I took his entry-level class. Super hard class!
I'm sorry but this is the worst class and professor I've had so far at Berkeley. He's all over the place. Grades come extremely slow, uses an automatic grading system that will make you need to ask for regrade requests all the time, quiz /worksheets solutions not even entirely posted 1 day before the final, quest° are made harder for no reason.
Prof. Ibser is really helpful during office hours, but it definitely doesn't make up for the level of difficulty on tests! I tended to do decently on weekly quizzes, but the final and midterm were unnecessarily hard! Also if you dont know R, you will most likely have a hard time in this class. He also does "mini-quizzes" for every lecture.
Never respond to urgent student emails on time. A significant portion of the grade is unknown before the final. Dont take this class with him if you can.
Ibser's a pretty nice guy. I feel like his iteration of Stat 20 is a bit disorganized, but he gives good lectures. Tests are pretty fair and homeworks/section worksheets are really helpful to prepare.
Professor Ibser is very nice and obviously passionate about statistics, but the class was an organizational nightmare. He spent half of every lecture just repeating questions in the chat, group projects were a nightmare online, and his weekly quizzes are very hit or miss. Homework is just busy work and easy though.
Do not take this class if you are not strong in math/self-studying. If you do the textbook readings ahead of time, lectures are really not that bad. Yes, he goes on a lot of tangents but if you're willing to put in the time on your own you'll be fine. Highly recommend going to section if possible it helps immensely with the R stuff.
This class was terrible. Professor Ibser has no idea how to run a university course. He puts in no effort and is insanely lazy. All of his assignments and tests have severe mistakes and he doesn't grade half the assignments. His class is structured terribly. The final is worth 35% if your grade, but is 10x harder than anything else in the class.
Worst professor EVER! If you do not want to learn anything and do not want to pass the class. TAKE HIM! He did not make the course materials clear, and what he taught in the class is not what on the tests. Want to discuss the unequal grading for the project with him? He will always tell you, "I don't understand why you think that way".
This guy has no idea how to structure college-level teaching, rambling random stuff all the time. He is the most procrastinating prof i have ever seen in my whole life. Just an utter nightmare taking his class and honestly he doesn't deserve to be teaching at Cal.
Class was a horrible mess. Prof was all over the place, lectures were disorganized, projects were assigned last minute, etc. This is a weeder class so the grading was extra tough. Final worth a lot, went in with an A, came out with a B+. Hated it, would not recommend taking it. Try to skip if you can.
i dont know what else to say apart from DO NOT take any classes with ibser. he was extremely disorganized, distracted and he was not good at teaching. during lectures, he would ramble and not actually teach. the practice final/mt materials did not correspond to what the tests actually were. i almost emergency dropped this class, but somehow passed.
Despite noticing how passionate he is for statistics, he is by far one of the worst professors I have had yet. He is extremely organized within his workload, easily distracted during lecture, very late at grading, and not the best at teaching introductory concepts and problem solving. Will rarely respond on Piazza. Exams are nothing like practice
One of the worst professors ever. Extremely unorganized with his work and rarely ever respond to student emails or Piazza post, despite him stating that those were the best method of communicating with him. Lectures are all over the place and will learn few due to his rambling. Workload is a good amount, although grading is a little unreasonable.
Wow. I have never had issues with a Prof at Cal up until now. I wasn't enrolled onto the Canvas until 10 minutes before lecture was supposed to start. He recycles his material and doesn't bother changing the date. Quizzes do not reflect class material. Class is more coding than actual statistics. He is very disorganized and logistics are so messy.
disorganized, lectures don't make sense, all over the place, terrible. wish i could turn back time and drop this class when i knew he was going to teach it
I'd walk across broken glass before taking this course again. Absolutely brutal grader, disorganized and unhelpful lectures, nothing was graded until the end of the course, no feedback on exams, practice exams were nothing like the real ones. Terrible all around.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
21%
Textbook Required
25%
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STAT131A
5.0
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5.0
(1)STATS131
5.0
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5.0
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5.0
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4.5
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4.0
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4.0
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3.9