By far my favourite prof!! I want to be a physicist now too!

super enthusiastic :)

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funny, not boring at all, easy midterms but killer exams ( real killer exam !! )

enthusiastic. excellent online notes, my first (and only) A at SFU!

Very fun prof...super easy midterms...incredibly unfair hardcore final...

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You want no one else

Very enthusiastic! He likes what he does!

excellent office hours... enthusiastic... great... you learn lots from him!

Excellent entusiasm, great office hours, nice to see a prof that cares!

Refreshingly enthusiastic! Actually wants to teach!

excellent+enthusiastic prof who makes this course very interesting!!

He was the reason I took the course. He want you to understand and learn

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A very enthusiastic professor, explains material clearly and always willing to help you when you're in doubt. I like this man!

Dr. Trottier is an awesome prof. He'll explain away any confusion, even if it takes a while.

Great prof.... my first A+ in SFU!!

One of the best profs and classes ever. Actually maybe the best.

it will be an interesting course if you are interested in Astronomy, lots of things to learn

His courses are easy because the guy is such a great teacher. For clarity he should get a 6. He is so clear his classes can be boring because it comes to you right away.

Absolutely amazing, and I hate physics

He's really a very good prof, but his habit of making handwritten and completely unreadable lecture notes and distribute them as course material makes it pretty tough understanding the more difficult stuff

if you like to read "a lot"..take this course.

So far in my post-secondary career, he's the best prof by far. Makes you understand everything really clearly. Notes are excellent. He's very enthusiastic and funny! If you were interested in astronomy prior to this class, the material will just come to you. Even if you aren't it'll still come!

Really passionate about what he teaches and takes extra effort to make sure that students can understand the material. Energetic and enthusiastic. A lot of reading required, and exam/assignment questions can be tricky. But definetly take this course if you are interested in Astronomy.

I don't think I can find another prof like him at sfu.

Very Helpful prof, there are 6 assignments, 6 star night reports, No midterm, and a final, the reports are a bit time consuming but as long as you did it, easy to get good mark, the prof is very nice and Always available to help. the final average was 75/120 and 1/3 of the class got an A- or higher.

Also had him for PHYS 120 way back in the day. He's been one of the best professors I've ever had. He keeps the class interested in what the subject material is, and he's clearly enthusiastic about it. My one regret is that I never got him for a proper quantum mechanics course.

Howard is one of the nicest profs you'll ever find at SFU. He's VERY enthusiastic and passionate about Astronomy and he uses animated slides in lectures! Labs are alright. Projects were easy but time consuming. Exams were alright, lots to know but if you do the practice quizzes, you'll be fine. My lab partners n I got an A+, A- and B+!

I'm thankful I had him in the first year, he gave me faith in University life. He is very helpful and also is very enthusiastic about what he is teaching, and that's what makes his lectures so fun to attend.

Very interesting class with a passionate prof. I recommend this class to everyone and anyone who love PHYS or needs any easy science credit. Very little math required. Great prof. Very approachable, knowledgeable and overal a very easy course. He favors students who participate in class. I definitely recommend this teacher.

Howard is a superb prof! He does his best to make complex issues clear. His passion for science is infectious and keeps his classes interesting. Would definitely recommend him.

Howard is a great prof who def. cares about his students and is VERY passionate about his students. He makes the material interesting and I actually want to attend class. Recommend the class and the prof!

LOVED this class! Material isn't that difficult at all (need to memorize a lot though); not too much math; really interesting info! Loved the labs and stargazing nights. Definitely recommend!

All you need to do in Howard's class is to attend the class, and do your masteringphysics exercises. You don't really need to read the textbook. Third mid-term is definitely harder, watch out. there were some people got perfect for the class, they must have physics background which the class doesn't assume!!

If you're interested in astronomy, you will love this class. Howard is awesome. but you do have to read and remember a lot of stuff and do show up in class, there are big essay questions in final based on in class topics.

Super nice and friendly prof, always available for extra help definitely reccomend for any class. Downside he likes to pick the hardest questions out of the textbook and he gets sidetracked easily, but otherwise great prof, very fair exams, exams are based directly off of homework problems so do your homework

Howard is a great professor, and does a good job of making the subject material interesting. Prior to taking Phys 190 I had little to no interest in Astronomy, but now it's a bit after midterms and I'm disappointed that there is no further study in astronomy offered at the first or second year level.

Really excited about his own subject, wants to make you excited about it too. Does have a tendency to go off on tangents and often mentions something in passing to say, "But we'll talk about that later." Somewhat disjointed lectures. Very eager to answer questions, makes a real effort to help but often fails to.

Really nice person inside & outside classroom. Enthusiastic about his subject & tries to explain things as clear as possible. makes physics fun & easy!

Trottier is the best! If you have the chance, take a course with this prof! Probably the best science teacher in the school!

A really helpful and enthusiastic prof. Although his assignment is challenging and mostly conceptual, he sparkles my interest in physics. As long as u finish the assignment, u could get a B. Easy final.

I have never had a more passionate prof. If you are looking to get a science/q credit and your mind blown, you came to the right place!

Howard's passionate about astronomy to the point that it's almost amusing. This course is designed for non-science students, and Howard does an excellent job teaching it. The physics labs are ridiculously easy. He does digress at times, but the digressions are usually also interesting. I hope he keeps teaching this course.

Best prof u can imagine. If ever get chance, take course with him, u won't regret. Really really nice person, inside & outside of class. Most of questions in exams are from review package he provides, be sure to check that. love him <3

This man is crazy about his job... Awesome prof... love this man <3

Wow, All I can say is that this prof loves his job and is the best physics prof ever. Really cares about his students and gives them every chance to do well in the course. And of course if any prof is involved in a club in spare time, to me that shows dedication to the students!

This is the best professor and the best course at all of sfu. Super interesting and mindblowing material. Trottier loves his job and loves teaching the material. Ask alot of questions he highly encourages it. Dont matter what major youre in make time for this course and you'll remember it for years.

This prof made some of the boring material sound really interesting (I haven't taken a physics course in my life). If you do assignments and read the textbook, you can pass. He has passion for the classes he taught.

Can't say enough good things about Howard. Great guy. His passion is infectious. 190 is a great class for people with absolutely no scientific background who need a Q course or are just interested in stars. I had a great time, just make sure you stay on track and you will do well.

Such a nice guy! He will insist you call him Howard and uses winky faces frequently in e-mails which he sends out almost daily. He's very interesting and I'm so glad I got him for my first go at theoretical physics honestly do the assignments and the review he gives and you'll easily get at least a B

This teacher was extremely passionate about his teachings. I loved every second in the course except the late nights of studying. I wish I had him next semester! You will like this course if you have any true interest in physics but will need to do some of the learning yourself. He sometimes has difficulties getting his message through

Howard (as he insists we call him) is a wonderful person. He loves his job and being around his students. He had more office hours than most of my other courses combined. Wasn't always super clear and would have sometimes revisit topics or would have to figure out on our own. Do the practice questions before the midterm and exams!!!

Howard is possibly one of the very best professors at SFU. I am a non science major in his astronomy class and I attended his classes because he made the material so interesting. If only other profs taught like this!!!

Great prof, I am not a science student but he made this class not only doable but fun.

He's a bit disorganized, but he's really passionate about his field. He encourages lots of questions and is very helpful in and outside of class. The course itself has a lot of unrelated material, since it is a breadth course. However, his class was very interesting and he tries hard to make his course approachable by all majors. Read the textbook!

He is the most passionate physics professor you will find. Genuinely loves teaching physics, lovely guy. Class is challenging but his lectures are very clear. Fair midterm and finals, seemed to be mostly out of his practice questions that he gives before every test. Rarely uses the book.

Do not think twice! If you have even a tiny interest in astronomy, enrol in this class. Make sure you interact with him in person and go to the observatory.

he is really helpful and also the lectures are interesting! overall really cool guy and good course.

Howard is there for you and will help you out. Very personable as he remembered my name after asking a quick question after class. His assignments are very helpful and relate to the tests well. Very interesting course and even more so with Howards enthusiasm. Textbook is not necessarily needed but will give you about 1/4 of the answers on the assig

To be honest, I am a business major taking this as an elective for science and it is probably the easiest course I have taken at SFU so far. I just had my mid term today and got 27/30 and only studied for one day lol. If you go to lecture take notes, read the textbook, and study for the quizzes you'll be fine. Assignments are super easy too.

This is the easiest class I have taken at SFU. I took the exam today and it was pretty much 70% if not more from previous assignments, quizzes, and practice exam. There are no surprises with his mid terms and final - Howard tells you what to study. If you find them hard you're not putting enough effort in. Read the textbook, go to class, and pass!

EASIEST CLASS EVER! I rarely went to the lectures and didn't read the textbook but still got an A-. Study the assignments because the two midterms and final are basically the same questions. Howard has a lot of office hours and is really helpful and passionate about astronomy. Definitely take the course!

The most passionate educator when it comes to their field of study. One of the most caring, understanding individuals. Always willing and excited to help. Exams quite fair, although you need to study hard for the final, as there is lots to know, but it was fair. First time taking Astronomy, and I am lucky to have it taught by Howard :)

Howard cares a lot about astronomy, often encouraged questions and wanted to make sure the class understood the material. The midterm was mostly q's from the assignments which were not too hard if you use the textbook. Labs are easy and somewhat enjoyable. The final was hard so be prepared to review. Class is optional but it really helps to go.

I don't know if he changed the course this semester, but it was much harder than the comments below led me to believe. The exam felt like a series of trick questions and he is generally a bit scatter brained. His passion for the topic makes him a little too excited and his lectures end up coming across in a tangled mess.

I enjoyed this class. Sure, his lectures aren't necessarily the most organized, and his excitement sometimes gets in the way of his teaching, but the material is interesting and not actually that hard to wrap your head around. Mileage may vary, but between the textbook and lectures, I almost never needed extra help. Read the book before each class!

Dr. Trottier is an amazing prof. The concepts in this course are fairly simple, and Dr. Trottier makes them fascinating. I took this course in the Spring 2018 term, and can say with absolute certainty the people complaining slacked off, assuming they could do nothing and still do well. Prepare as though it were any other course, and you'll be fine.

Would recommend

I'm a second year and found this course to be better than expected. Dr. Trottier truly knows his subject of expertise and with a little reading before lectures the material is relatively easy to understand. Exams were tough but only if you didn't know the material - no guessing. Overall one of the best electives I've taken!

Super passionate about the subject he teaches, and is always available for extra help. Not an easy A but if you study it pays off!

I took this as a Q credit because im hopeless at math, i was scared that it would be difficult, but if you simply study/memorize the slides and assignment questions AND the breakout questions, you will do absolutely fine as long as you dont cram the day before! Would recc for an easy Q credit!

I'm an arts student, and took Phys 190 for the Q credit. I'm so hopeless at math that I barely know the times table (lol), and I finished with an A+ in this class. (Granted, I studied pretty hard for the final). As long as you study the lecture content, you will do fine. I read the textbook once... you don't need it. It's mostly all memorization!

Howard is an excellent teacher who explains concepts in ways students can understand. He will take any question raised by students and answer it to their satisfaction. I am a Science major so the math portion of the course felt a bit too dumbed down, but overall I really enjoyed his class and would take one with him again.

Great teacher, cares a lot about teaching and his students. Quite funny and babble's a little bit but it's not annoying. If your not interested in the subject it'll be very boring and not make a lot of sense but Trottier makes it easy enough to pass and get a decent grade. Lastly, you can get away with not reading anything from the textbook.

Howard is the BEST professor I have in SFU. He is so passionate about Astronomy and his lectures are AMAZING and interesting. He would explain concepts clearly with experiments sometimes. He might speak a little fast but he is always available after class to help you. Totality, totality, totality, TOTALITY !!!!

I took this course out of interest and was not disappointed. Howard is clearly passionate about his field and brought a ton of enthusiasm to every lecture. Exams are exactly what you learn in class, so all you have to do is show up and take notes.

Howard was one of the best profs I have encountered at SFU so far. His passion for teaching is evident and he does everything he can so that his students do well. Due to the nature of the course, you'll have to spend some time understanding the material, but his assignments and tests were always fair. This was a great class, I highly recommend

Sooo fun and the best prof at SFU I've had so far. Love when profs are actually passionate about teaching (rare).

Howard clearly loves what he does. He's a great prof and explains concepts really well. He was always happy to explain them over and over during regular office hours too.

This man is quite literally one of the best SFU profs. He is a very knowledgeable guy about astronomy, his midterms may make me pray to the stars the night before but he is great. Please go to lectures because his slides are incomplete and there are questions for marks as well.

Literally the best professor that I have had during my time at SFU. Fun lectures with lots of demonstrations, clear enthusiasm about the topics. He was able to make complicated concepts easy to understand!

The multiple choice on exams are pretty hard, but he offers practice exams and often just copy pastes a few of them onto the actual exams. He's clearly extremely passionate about his teaching and is a super nice guy. He does office hours on discord pretty often and just sits in vc for a few hours so it's super easy to talk to him