3.7
Quality2.2
Difficulty81%
Would Retake111
Reviews81%
Would Retake
111
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
36
4
36
3
23
2
15
1
1
What Students Say
“He's a really good teacher”
GEOG366 - 4.0 rating“Very nice, cares about students but lectures are SO boring”
GEOG200 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
13%
Textbook Required
77%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.42 avg changeRatings by Course
GEOG
5.0
(2)GEOG200
4.1
(50)466
4.0
(1)GEOG380
4.0
(1)GEOG467
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
GGEO200
3.0
GGEOG220
3.0
GGEOG200
2.5
GEOG366
2.3
GEOG200
2.0
Reviews (111)
No Comments
Knows too much, doesn't put you to sleep, tests are very easy, projects arent
Funny! Pretty easy. No need to go to every class, lectures on Blackboard.
No Comments
EASY class, no need to go everything on blackboard, yet I still go casue its sooooo funny! and its between 2 of my other classes
Helmut is the boy. Incredibly enthusiastic, funny, impossible not to like. Everythings on blackboard, and the tests, quizzes, + projects are cake
No Comments
He's straight from Germany, which makes him funny at times (usually not on purpose). Boring lectures. It is hard to tell what he wants at times. There's better prof., but he's ok
Coolest man alive. He's hilarious, just a little harmless German man. He apologized for the Final Exam being 29 questions, because he thought it was too long. C'mon! TAKE HIM. EASIEST A at JMU.
HELMUT PLAIN RULES.
Nice guy, funny lectures. Quizzes and tests can be confusing, and he pinpoints detailed info. Other than that he's alright. Funny guy.
I don;t know how energetic he was last year, but this year he wasn't - half the class doesn't come ona regular basis due to extreme boredom for an hour and fifteen mins. He tries to be funny, but the other half is sleeping. Different grader (GPA scale)
He posts everything online, so people rarely come. I go everytime and still manage to do bad on the tests. The way he words things is just confusing because he's german. But for the most part he tells funny stories and is interesting.
I dont even know why I even bother coming to class because each time I literally spend the whole hour and fifteen minutes staring at my desk. He's a nice guy, but the quizzes/tests focus on some detailed things
He's a nice guy but for the whole class he reads off his powerpoints. His grading system was frustrating because since he grades using a confusing GPA type scale. I felt sorry for him because noone participated, but it was a very boring class.
BORING class...read book, study powerpoints and still be confused...not worth taking
cute little man but sometimes confusing
class was easy. never showed up to class and i still got an A w/o efforts. only studied the powerpoints for quizzes/exams. don't need to read the book! however, class is extremely boring.
this was the only professor i actually visited after graduating. very good teacher-student rapport. i thought his classes were very interesting! love the accent! and his quizzes/tests are really not that hard. you just have to study a little.
He cares about his students and wants everyone to succeed, however his quizes and tests are challenging. He is worth the investment though.
nice guy but lecture material isn't that interesting. don't really have to take notes just do the reading in the book and look over the powerpoints before tests and quizzes. material is hard if you don't read.
Nice guy...class gets a little boring but he has lots of funny (German) stories. Not bad overall. Assignments are doable and not too difficult.
GIS is his specialty, and he loves teaching the intro course. Class is long. Sit in the middle on the sides or else during lectures he'll come up to you and lecture right at you right in front of you. Occasional funny stories and mispronunciations (such as "compASS").
Super smart guy...really enjoys teaching and tries his best to crack jokes in class...likes to tell stories...fairly easy grader...sometimes hard to understand his english...overall a good guy
Dr. Kraenzle is an awesome professor. Very helpfull, makes class very interesting and tries to be a humorous guy. His projects can sometimes be strenous, but are fun to do, and his tests are a small challenge, but you do other projects, the tests don't matter. Take this class, and enjoy it!
hes a super nice guy, but the material is soooo boring. i dont recommend the class unless your interested in geography
He's a nice guy and he tries to be interesting and fun..but it doesn't really work. The material is boring and the quizzes are hard. I wouldn't really recommend this class.
Lectures are boring and he does not teach to what the course should be. Knows a lot about GIS, but this class is supposed to be Geog on the Global Dimension, and he focuses strongly for several weeks on GIS basics. Doesn't know how to make a proper power point presentation, too many words. Tests and quizzes are fine. Project grading unfair in 200.
Funny guy, very nice, however he rambles. If you read the textbook and his powerpoints, you can ensure yourself a good grade. However, show up for class as he doesn't give make-up quizzes and only tells you in class when quizzes are.
I didn't really learn anything from this class and the class was very unorganized I felt. He didn't even have a syllabus and it was really boring. However he's a very nice guy and is pretty funny. There isn't alot of work and the assignments are easy but the tests and quizes are pretty challenging.
Great guy incredibly smart, however, quizzes are really hard, tests kinda the same. You learn a pretty good amount though.
Pretty awful class. Really nice guy, but very boring material, honestly I'm still not completely sure what the class was really about. Tests and quizzes were very short which was nice, but the questions were always on tiny details that you would never think to study. I would avoid unless you really have a passionate interest in the subject.
Good guy, and attempted to be funny which actually worked sometimes. Unfortunately, the class was so boring and the tests were pretty hard. The projects were incredibly easy though. Take him to just get it over with, but don't take him if you are looking to have a good time.
Nice person, but way too Pompous and Arrogant. Not very helpful at all on the assignments. You have to teach yourself or collaborate with other students because he will not help you. Good class to take though.
Nice guy, but the class is horrifically boring. He goes on and on about things that aren't relevant at all, doesn't follow the book very closely. His jokes are cute, but the class just sucks. The quizzes and tests pick out tiny details you'd never think to study. He seems to curve quite a lot though, or I would have failed everything.
Very, very boring. He rambles a lot about irrelevant information. At first he is hard to understand because of his accent. He tests and quizzes are hard, but the assignments are easy. I wouldn't recommend this class, but its bearable.
The guy tries to be funny.. and sometimes is. The tests and quizzes are hard. Assignments are easy so make sure you do those. Sort of hard to understand and rambles a lot with stories about Germany.
He's a nice guy, funny in an adorable sort of way, but I still have no idea was this class was about. His quizzes include details you'd never think to study, but he must curve a lot, because I aced them all despite missing many questions. His midterm and final are pretty easy and he drops the lowest quiz grade. The book is terribly boring though.
Kinda boring, and difficult to understand at times. You get used to it, because the class is extremely easy, all of the tests come from the questions on the book companion website practice tests. I got an A with minimal work and effort. You don't even have to go to this class to get an A as long as you put in some effort in before tests
He goes on a lot of tangents and is a nice guy. He takes a lof of interest in what he teaches. The only thing is that he pulls random questions from no where and when it come to the test you just have a blank stare not realizing where the heck it came from. Hes a nice guy just doesnt teach well
so boring so easy talks only about himself, no but really pats himself on the back the entire class "I like invented the GPS" actual words
Average class overall. 4 assignments and 4 quizzes that were very easy. He can ramble and be boring at times, but he is a very friendly and helpful guy. An A is definitely possible if you put in at least moderate effort.
SO EASY. ask him for the book's website, he will give it to you and the chapter questions from that website are literally all he asks on the tests and quizzes. that plus the notes and you're set, just some memorization. will barely use the book. nice guy too but kind of boring.
He's a really sweet guy and you can tell he tries to make class interesting and explain the material, but I was incredibly bored and skipped class a lot. The powerpoints and online quizzes from the textbook link are really all you need, i never cracked the actual textbook. Some questions come from out of nowhere but the majority is simple review.
I would suggest not to take this class if you are not interested in human geography. I took this class and had no idea what it was about. I wish I wouldn't have taken this class. It is easy, it doesn't require much effort. The quizzes are often unclear in the material. He is a sweet guy but not very interesting.
Such a sweet guy and very interested in geography. However, his class is very boring. Just read over the lectures, do all the assignments and take the online quizzes for tests and quizzes. Easy class!
THE CUTEST LITTLE RUSSIAN MAN. Actually, I found out he is one of the best GIS advocates nationwide. Easy class, easy A/B. He just goes over the powerpoints posted online the whole time. You can easily complete the assignments and quizzes(which are basically the same as the online textbook quizzes) and receive an A with a little effort.
He is so adorable and he's really excited about his subject, but he's boring. The notes are online and yes while it is tempting to not show up, you should go on the days he shows a movie because he will use some information on that on his tests and quizzes. The textbook is not needed, the notes are the exact same from the book. It's an easy class.
Best teacher you can take for a gen ed. Keeps lectures relatively interesting and theres not an easier and funny teacher than Dr. Kraenzle.
He's so funny, he makes class fun. He knows people text in class, and that people are taking it as a Gen Ed. We watch a lot of movies in class. All of his assignments are very clear and he starts all of his grades at 4.34 so you can always get extra credit.
He's a really good teacher. He obviously knows what he's talking about, and does a good job of conveying it. Most (like over 60%) of the grade is based on projects. Be careful of spellinglabeling mistakes because he'll take points off for that. There's 2 tests, a midterm and a final. Read the book, and go over the lectures, and you'll do fine.
Good guy, his lectures were really funny and random just like his personality. A lot of projects (65%) of the grade, but they aren't hard-usually just take awhile. Watch out for the final though-it was much harder than the midterm and will catch you off guard if you don't study too much for it! Good guy, and chill class though.
He's great. Funny guy with lots of stories to tell. He's really keen on making sure that students learn and apply it to the outside world. Most of the grades will be from projects, but you have about a week to do it and it's not anything too hard. He'll tell you exactly what to study for on the midterm and final so overall, I'd take his class!
Professor Kraenzle loves what he teaches and though it can get boring, he tries to make it interesting. He also has a cool German accent. The texts can be kind of hard but come mostly from the text book so read it. He also shows videos in class so you need to be there for that. There are also a few assignments but are pretty straightforward.
GEOG 200 with Kraenzle is not bad, he tries his best to make the class somewhat interesting and is willing to help his students, tests and assignments aren't too difficult. Its one of those classes where its very easy to get a B but very hard to get an A. Attendance is important and the textbook is a must need for quizzed and tests.
TAKE THIS CLASS. If you have to take GEOG200 for a gened this is your go to guy. He is seriously hilarious. Attendance is very much not mandatory, like over half of my class skipped, but good info that is on the quizzes are said in lecture. Theres like 4 assignments and 4 quizzes, midterm and final (not cumulative). Mad easy class and cool guy.
Very funny, all around great guy. Very good professor.
I love this guy. Lectures get boring but I am not a Geography major. Tests and Quizzes are not hard and there are only 4 assignments all semester. I would take this guy again if I had the chance. Great class to get your gen ed requirement.
This guy is great, he is super funny. There are not many assignments and he posts everything we do in class on canvas, so you do not necessarily need to go to class everyday. Tests and quizzes are straight forward and basic.
He's a super sweet guy, makes a lot of jokes. The lectures are very long and slow. The tests are typically on 2-3 chapters, it's easy but make sure you pay attention in class or read the book. Don't expect map identification in this class because that's what I thought, and we didn't do that.
Very nice, cares about students but lectures are SO boring. Assignments, quizzes and tests are all manageable.
Fantastic professor. Very understanding and helpful. Passionate about his subject and really cares about all his students. Lectures are fun and easy to understand. Assignments, tests and quizzes are all manageable. Would highly recommend.
Literally so adorable. Guys, this man is the cutest, most understanding professor you will ever have. Sometimes he just ends class early because we seem tired. He puts all the powerpoints on Canvas. This man, I swear to god, so sweet and funny. Really has experience in his field too.
He is so funny, but lectures tend to be extremely boring. Sometimes let us out of class early just because the class is tired. Posts all of the powerpoints on canvas. Does not post when quizzes are online.. only announced in class.
He is hands down one of my favorite professors. You have 4 quizzes, 3 assignments, and a final and midterm. You really need to study your textbook and pay attention to his videos. His assignments are super easy though. He is such a caring and funny professor, I would love to take him again. You can tell he loves his students and what he does.
Funny teacher but his lectures are so boring. I never paid attention during class but definitely pay attention to the videos he shows because they will be on the test. Assignments are easy.
Kraenzle is a really funny and sweet professor. His lectures do tend to be pretty long and boring, but sometimes he lets class leave early. He grades based on 4 quizzes, 4 assignments, a midterm, and a final. The assignments are very easy and the quizzes and tests are all manageable. He does give extra credit and will drop your lowest quiz grade.
He is a really sweet and funny professor but his lectures are very long and boring. There are 4 quizzes, 4 assignments, midterm, and a final. He posts all of the powerpoints online. Make sure to pay attention to the videos he shows because he puts them on the tests. Overall, he is a good teacher and his class is not that bad!
Kraenzle is a sweet guy. I'm glad I got to experience one of his classes, but he has a tendency to overtalk. It can make lectures dry, but he really means well. If you need a class that's relatively easy he's the way to go. He'll always tell you what he wants and how he tests. Most of your grade will come from lab assignments so don't slack off
Dr. Kraenzle is such a nice guy and super respectable. He built the GS program at JMU up from nothing. He will be a great resource for you in pursuing a career and doing real world work and will remember you after you graduate if you need his advice. Teaches important skills. But, lectures can be very rambley and full of rabbit trails.
Easy grader. 4 quizzes(lowest dropped), 1 midterm, 1 final, and 3 ridiculously easy projects. Go to class because he only announces quizzes in class.
Most boring professor at JMU. Kraenzle goes on 45 min tangents on containers on ships. Every class is a lecture that teaches you no information. If all you do is read the lecture slides, skim the mandatory readings and do the assignments its an easy B. Assignments are so nit picky, ex. font size and sources and margins on papers. NOT AN EASY GEN ED
This lecture is the most boring thing I have ever sat in. There's four out of class assignments, a midterm, and a final. As long as you do the assignments you'll get a good grade but his exams were the most boring thing. He posts all of his powerpoints on line but I really couldn't imagine going and sitting through that class ever again. SO BORING!
Professor Kraenzle is a really sweet man! The assignments for his class are easy (3-4), but his quizzes are kind of hard (3-4). They're based on his lecture slides and the textbook information, and they can be really specific on information you wouldn't think is important/small details. If you read and take thorough notes, you should be okay
Kraenzel has turned a 200 level geography class into a technical GIS course. It is so boring and his lectures go on forever with neverending useless information that will never be needed unless you plan to work in GIS. His project directions are so detailed too, taking up a lot of time. He acts like it's the only class anyone is taking.
The class was a little difficult since it's online this semester, but you can tell that Professor Kraenzle wants you to learn. He is very passionate about the subject and will take the time to help you understand it better if you ask.
Prof. Kraenzle is an easy and sweet professor for Geography 200. Lectures are pretty boring but did his best to keep entertained while over zoom. Easy material from both presentations and textbook material.
BEST. PROFESSOR. EVER. This is a great class to fill your gen ed requirement. Professor Kraenzle is so funny, caring, and very passionate and knowledgeable about the material. There is minimal work outside of class. I came into this class with no geography knowledge and managed to get an A. Ignore any bad reviews about this great professor!!
Dr. Kraenzle is a wonderful man and I absolutely loved this class! While the assignments could be tricky at times, errors were simply a matter of small mistakes made and Dr. Kraenzle was excellent in troubleshooting. I highly recommend this course and honestly, any course offered by Dr. Kraenzle!
Take this class! This is a good gen ed credit! He is so nice, funny, and caring! We had the option to go online or in person, but either way you learn the material! He is really passionate about what he teaches, so much that he will kind of go off the lecture and tell you his personal experiences in Geo! Some assignments and quizzes here and there!
Sometimes hard to understand on zoom, but very passionate about his field.
completely hybrid class. such a nice and understanding guy. only joined the zoom during texts and quizzes and passed with a 94. take him!!
Dr. Kraenzle is a very nice and caring professor. If you have any issues, he is always happy to help. He is a solid professor for gen-ed geography.
Dr. Kraenzle was alright, but I would not take him again. He makes you watch documentaries that you can't go back and watch again, and you are tested on the content months later. He is overly specific/picky with his grading criteria for projects, and he even makes you take a test about himself right off the bat. However, he is very smart and kind.
Barely learned anything new in an "intermediate" class. Talks a lot about his career success in GIS but I would encourage him to teach us the same skills that he used to offer those kinds of services. I feel deeply underwhelmed.
Helmut is a great professor. Yes, his lectures are boring and longer than needed. But the class is very easy, answers you can find online. The homework is light and exams are long but answers can easily be found because they are open note. Gives you the option to go in person or online. Highly recommend!
I ve had professor Kraenzle for a few classes and if you want to get a free A and learn about out of date software and techniques he's your guy. Dr. Kraenzle is a nice guy but he's a super lazy professor like I said you're pretty much guarenteed an A in any class you take with him, but you wont learn anything.
This class is a hybrid/asynchronous class. The quiz and tests are all open notes/textbook but all the answers can be found on his slideshows. If you miss a couple classes it won't harm your grade as he doesn't take attendance and everything is in his slides. Just keep up with assignments and you should pass.
Easy A. Literally just go to class and you'll be fine. All quizzes and exams were straight out of the lecture and the book. I skimmed the chapters and was fine. Assignments are all easy too and you barely have homework. He's also a super caring guy and passionate about geography. Content was often kinda boring but just try and you'll be fine.
Professor Kraenzle was an amazing professor! I took his class for a cluster course and was worried that I wouldn't have enough knowledge to be successful in a science course but he was very helpful and caring throughout the semester. He's very kind, if any stressors come up he's very quick to help you push back an assignment or reschedule anything.
He gave the option to attend class over zoom and everything was open note, including the final. He's funny and knows what he's talking about, but I was able to get an A while only showing up to the first 4 or so classes, so it's super easy.
I would definitely recommend prof kraenzle for geography! I took an online winter term and he was great. Clear expectations and assignments were easy to follow.
Super funny and nice. Knows a lot about geography and every test and quiz is open note.
TAKE THIS PROFESSOR. If it's an online class, definitely take him. Super easy and relaxing class. Option of going in person or via zoom, but attendance isn't mandatory. Take home exams and quizzes often based on the power points on canvas. Super easy gen ed class. I would even retake it. If you've taken AP human geo it's an easy A.
Super easy gen-ed, but because of the open book format of the quizzes, I never felt like I needed to study, so at the end of a semester I don't feel that I've learned anything of substance. Take him if you need the gen-ed, but probably don't take him if you're a geography major who wants to actually learn stuff.
Professor Kraenzle made this gen-ed, by far, one of the most chill and easy to understand out there. The course was hybrid, so the choice became to attend online or in person. He was very responsive when you emailed him or reached out. Tests being open notes is by far the best part.
I didn't have to do much, honestly forgot I was taking the class because it was so easy. Everything is open note.
lets you choose to go to class in person or zoom, attendance doesn't matter. I would forget to join zoom a lot because the class was so easy. take notes from the powerpoints for quizzes/tests and you will do fine. super sweet professor!
Project management is a good experience, but I wish we spent more time working on the final project rather than going through a self help book for the first half of the class. He means well and wants everyone to succeed, but he can be confusing at times. He is always willing to clarify, so make sure to ask him. This is his most work intensive class
Dr. Kraenzle may be good at teaching GIS, but he does not teach coding well. The class is too easy, as the class moves so slowly we barely learn anything. The examples in the lectures are too specific and do not help with the assignments. This class is Python with GIS, yet we barely did any GIS. If you need coding experience, I'd look elsewhere
He is the nicest professor I've ever had throughout all of my time at JMU. He is so sweet and genuinely cares about his students. He makes his class optional online or in-person, but I wish I went to class in-person more to get to know him better. Take him!!
I could not recommend Prof. Kraenzle enough. His class is a hybrid meaning you can join online or go in person. He is so sweet and goes out of his way to make sure you always have the help and resources you need to succeed. He is very accommodating, as every test and quiz is open-note including the exam. If you can, def take this class for Geology
Super easy gen ed. I never went to class. All exams and quizzes are online and open-note, but they aren't always a breeze. Super nice guy, take him!
Super easy GEN-ED. All open note exams and quizzes. Don't even have to go to class. Barely any outside work. Super sweet understanding guy. Textbook not needed. Take him!
Take this class for an easy A in this cluster!! I feel bad saying this but I think I went to class about 4 times the entire semester and ended with a 98. Everything is online and attendance is not mandatory, if you don't feel like going to east, he has zoom calls you can join instead! Super sweet and funny professor too.
Laid-back GEOG200 class with flexible attendance. Open-note tests make it an easy A. unstuck AI proved helpful for quick quiz prep. Friendly professor who knows his stuff, though learning depth may be lacking.
He's genuinely such a sweet guy. Gives assignments like video questions and short tests and projects. He's very interested in geography and he's also very funny. Make attendance available on zoom or in person. One of my favorite professors.
One of the easiest classes at jmu. Free A you just have to do the exams, quizzes, and project on time and you will get an A.
Super down to earth. Really nice guy. Did basically no work the entire semester. When an assignment was late or missing he was super available and understanding. All around just a really nice guy and a great teacher.
I took this class as an asynch course in the summer. The professors set up was extremely organized and easy to follow. (He helped us pace the work with the modules.) Lots of lectures and quizzes but the ones given within a lecture are retakeable as needed. All quizzes and tests are open-note and multiple choice. Would take again!
His class was hybrid, you could go in person or join a zoom. This was one of the easiest classes i took all year. If there was a textbook I never once opened it. He didn't take attendance. I would absolutely take him again
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
13%
Textbook Required
77%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.42 avg changeRatings by Course
GEOG
5.0
(2)GEOG200
4.1
(50)466
4.0
(1)GEOG380
4.0
(1)GEOG467
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
GGEO200
3.0
GGEOG220
3.0
GGEOG200
2.5
GEOG366
2.3
GEOG200
2.0