3.2
Quality3.0
Difficulty69%
Would Retake104
Reviews69%
Would Retake
104
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
104 total ratings5
27
4
27
3
11
2
22
1
16
What Students Say
“" Super unhelpful and condescending”
ENGL376 - 1.0 rating“In this class we were force-fed Jack's politically correct opinions about progressive values (and bad books)”
SJW376 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
57%
Textbook Required
7%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.68 avg changeRatings by Course
ENGL373
5.0
(1)ENGL274
5.0
(1)ENGL104
5.0
(3)ENG102
4.6
(15)ENGL377
4.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
102
5.0
EASC101
5.0
ENGL379
5.0
ENG376
5.0
SJW376
5.0
Reviews (103)
This guy... man... this guy puts you to sleep in the lecture and does a terrible job of explaining the labs. All of his stories had to do with having "one too many beers".
He tries to be nice, he tries not to tell anyone, "No, your ideas are totally wrong." His essay comments were helpful. His final exam was hell, I thought. Lectures are difficult to pay attention, he can be wooden and monotone sometimes.
Insanely boring. Also listens to your ideas without reallylistening, obsessed with his own opinion.
If you sit and be boring, you will find this to be a boring class. But, if you read the materials, and participate, the lectures can be interesting. He also likes to elaborate on the explicit sexual areas of the books, which can be both fun and disturbing
Boring, boring and then when you are about to fall asleep...he raises he voice and you wake up. Nice person..just doesn't make english interesting.though canadian literature is fairly boring anyways so he does his best. good class to study for other classes in.
Extremely boring. Coffee and sugar do nothing to keep you awake. Drop the class if you have him because it will be the bane of your existance.
Well if you have any new and exciting ideas forget them at home. I believe he must be Bi-polar as he is a jerk one class and ignores your input saying it is wrong. Next class he asks for input? I don't know if he really just does not see himself but he seems disillusioned.
Pretty mediocre prof who seems to like to do the same mediocre books every year. Pretty much tells you exactly what he wants you to write about in the lectures.
Jack is a nice man,but he is a frusturating professor. He often seems toargue just for the sake of arguing, and tends to make up evidence from outside the text being studied, as if the characters were real. Most people won't say anything in class because they are scared of getting shot down.
At first, I had nothing against Dr. Robinson. As long as you participated in class, he was okay with you. But then, he became mean and cynical overnight; I lost all trust and respect for him in one class. He's hard to figure out, so be on your toes, and expect to be insulted at least once by him.
I was really excited for the novels selected in the class but once in it he destroyed them. Always has to be right and will dispute all of your points. If you're a christian and get offended easily, this is not the class for you!
I loved this class! The books he chose were excellent reflections of Canadian life and culture, and great to read. Also encourages writing creativly which was such a nice break from the constant barrage of academic/research crap english majors are forced to endure. Closed-minded? Don't even bother!
I have never experienced such a horrible teacher. If I knew I was going to be degraded in class I wouldn't have taken it. Outside of the class Dr. Robinson is not so bad, but in the class it's a joke. He says use your own ideas, but when you do, he says use his?? make up your mind!!
I almost failed his class and where am I 3 years later? Finishing my Masters in English. Turned me off of Can. Lit. forever. Outside of the class a nice guy who is pasionate about literature, but in the class he is totally inept.
This is the most monotone and dull prof you will ever have. He believes he is always right and everyone else is wrong. To do well in his class you must show up and sit through the extreme boringness everyday because he does give answers in lectures. Also, go for help on essays and he will basically write them for you.
I remember this guy from WAY back ... he was the reason I ultimately pursued a PhD in English. He may not be the most entertaining person in the world, but he has a gift for encouraging students who work hard. Stop complaining and stop looking for some else to do your work!
i had him for 2 semesters. the first semester i hated him. i dreaded his class, and thought he was a complete jerk.. but in the second semester he was a completely different person; joking, funny, kind, and seemed to be genuinely concerned with us learning to better ourselves. so i don't know what to make of him.
Ok, well I thought that he really didn't do much teaching at all. Every time I DID go to class he just asked the students how THEY felt about the themes and it just turned into a big discussion class based on the students opinions.
This prof is best to avoid. Terrible interaction with students in the lecture. Unable to justify marks on your essays. Assigns the books of his pals... driving up the cost needlessly and incongruous with the "course objectives." Be careful what you write on your course evaluations! I'm pretty sure he saw them the next day, not at the end of term.
Jack is unpredictable. He'll alienate everyone in the class at some point, making for a timid bunch, and then expect discussion. The next class, he'll try to joke or seem almost apologetic. I agree that it's hard to know what to make of him. All in all, not the best learning environment.
He does not give marks above 85% and he is EXTREMELY BORING.
I had jack a few years ago, and although i got an A in the class, i did not enjoy it. i found the materil interesting but found it difficult sit through a class. Attitude varies from class to class, one day he accepts stucent opinions, the next he degrades the students for not using his opinion. Assignments were interesting. Form your own opinion.
He expects every student to love English like himself and doesn't realize that most of us are there because we need a general english. He claims that we don't know grammer very well but makes us read a book (on top of the many novels, short storys and poems that you are required to read) to learn; not very helpful. Plus the final is brutal.
I don't agree with many of the comments here, I think he is a good prof and takes an artistic, philosophical,thorough approach to English. I appreciate the literature he chose. He encourages students to look at things from many different perspectives...which is what University is about.
Proff Robinson is a mixed grill. You love him and you hate him. He is great for his willingness to help you get the best mark possible, even on his own time. He repeats things often in class, so it is hard to miss things. But you hate him for the constant reprimands that take up valuble time, and the condecending and derisive tones he uses somtimes
I took his class a few years ago- he is a pompous @$$ but he knows his stuff. Don't ever try discuss a p.o.v. different from his in class though- he becomes uber-condescending.
His class is about as boring as it gets. He takes forever to explain simple concepts, and doesn't do a good job of explaining them. His choice of course readings is diverse, which is nice, but class analysis is severely lacking. He is a very nice guy, but the class is far from dynamic. Avoid if possible.
VERY boring and tedious, does not add any new insights to information, only reads from the text
No Comments
First impression, absent minded and a slow talker. Once we got into analyzing works I got a much deeper appreciation for his knowledge. He is very helpful and takes a much needed "draft" approach to writing. Teaches grammar in a hands on way that actually makes things stick. Wants to see you succeed. Overall, quirky but he makes me like writing.
The class was set at a very workable pace. He can be slightly disorganized.There were frequent silences to encourage student response. The class became more interesting as time went on. Jack is very conscious that students have other classes and he created the final exam in class with student input. I would take another class with him!
I was so excited to take this class, but it was horrbily boring. This guy seems innocent enough, but once you get into the class he can be a ticking time bomb. There were days where he just seemed on edge. Not a good atmosphere. The class was mostly discussion, which was good except for the presence one of those know-it-all people. I was dissapoint
By far the worst class I have ever had. The seminar itself is tedious and boring. He's incredibly unclear about the projects and due dates. There is no discussion whatsoever. One class, which is three hours long, was spent with him talking about various from the book, without any breaks. Any attempt at a discussion was quickly quashed by him.
He is super passive-aggressive. You can never tell if he likes an idea or not, and he yells on occasion and makes his student sfeel uncomfortable.
He tries his best to make boring topics interesting - he knows when it's boring. He looks for student opinions to build on his classes - he wants you to think for yourself. He isn't the easiest marker, but he makes you earn your grades. I found that he respects other opinions and builds on them. An excellent professor!
He has LOTS of grammar quizzes, not overly hard but you must read his power points or read the textbook to do well. As for papers, he is fair. He is pretty clear on what he expects and what he would like you to discuss in your papers. As long as you participate in class discussion and show effort you will do fine.
I think his classes are very organized. There was a schedule and I knew what to do or follow in every class. His rubrics are very clear and class participation usually matters since in discussions, we just discuss every thing needed for the essay and he gives freebies. The quizzes are very easy if you read the text. Overall, I enjoyed this class.
Garbage prof. And just a really weird dude. He seems on the verge of exploding constantly.
In this class we were force-fed Jack's politically correct opinions about progressive values (and bad books). Thankfully, Jack possesses the single true interpretation of each of the texts he covers in class. He's even allows (forces) students to copy such interpretations into their essays. He guides his students as a gutter guides a bowling ball.
Robinson is the kind of teacher that only wants to hear his own opinions reiterated back to him. He'll give out several essay topics (aprox 6-8) but only really wants students to write on 1 or 2 of them. He told our class that was how you separate the "strong students from the weak students." Super unhelpful and condescending.
This was by far the best English class I have ever taken. Jack is flexible and understanding. He is funny (or tries to be at least). He gives lots of time for assignments and puts a lot of effort and care into his lectures. Also, he takes the time to get to know his students!
Avoid this prof at all costs!! I never rate profs but I felt compelled to rate him. He's the toughest grader I've ever had. My English mark fell more than 20% from ENG102 to 103. His lectures are painfully dull and slow. He expects all students to attend every class, participate in discussion and there are numerous long silent pauses during class.
I really enjoyed Dr. Robinson's classes. He was well prepared for class, and you can tell he's passionate about what he does. He cares about his students and is very open to any accommodations you might need. Don't skip class! You'll miss the key concepts that he'll want you to mention in your papers.
He is very kind and loves it when students make an effort. His lectures are a little bit boring but overall he is pretty good and will help you if you ask for it.
Horrible prof. Basically every class is based on group work and he is absolutely horrible at explaining assignments and work. Would not recommend to anyone
I found him a decent prof. He was funny and passionate about his job. The only problem I had was the fact there was so much group work and the notes/classes were a bit boring. He also lectured my class a lot because of absences and lack of effort (I missed quite a few) and was a tough marker. I did enjoy his class nonetheless.
Jack was a pretty decent prof. If you go to his office hours, he'll pretty much tell you what to write in your essay. But, be warned, if it's not what he wants (even though in class he says its not what "he" wants but what is simply "good English skills") you wont do well. He's a grammar freak.
Jack is very passionate about English, which makes it a good class. However, he makes attendance worth marks, and the lectures are long and boring. You can literally not go to any of the classes, and still get a great mark but its that 10% that he'll take off.
If you want to pass his class you have to show up to lectures. He is unclear on what he expects in assignments. During class lectures on grammar, he randomly picks out students to answer a question and if you get it wrong he will insult you.
Very stern on grammar and if you ask a question about it, he will laugh that you don't know how to do it. He gives clear grading criteria typically. However, he doesn't have much respect toward students.
Most classes were discussions about the readings, if you take notes it is easy to write the your essays as he discusses the main points of the readings. He also takes attendance which is worth part of your final grade. He is eager to help you succeed, so ask questions if things are unclear. If you put the effort in, you'll get a good mark.
If you have the choice, do not take Jack's class. His lectures are EXTREMELY dry and boring. If you get one of his questions wrong in class, he will often mock you. Would not recommend his class.
His lectures are very very dry and boring. I find him difficult to listen to and have difficulty focusing on the topics. His choice in literature is again dry, a lot of Canadian authors and the topic of indigenous people. He seems like a nice guy, but if he switched up the topics into a bigger variety of genres his class might not be as bad.
Honestly never went to his lectures, they were dry and boring. His choice of literature is interesting, but the manner in which he covers the assigned topics is not. He places a great deal of emphasis on irony and satire, even in his own writing. His instruction handouts are poorly written and vague, which is something not expected of english profs
Dr. Robinson seemed promising to me, but he ended up being pretty bad. He just wants you to tell him his own opinions, and he gets really passive aggressive about things. He assumes no one has done the reading without even asking, and then he tells you you're wrong when you do participate. He is also very vague about what he wants on papers.
Jack Robinson is an interesting man. He knows his stuff, he is very intelligent and likes to ponder Literature. There were no exams in this class, which was nice, but there were several papers. He is tough on grammar but doesn't seem to care much about structure of flow of an essay. Lectures are dry but he is a nice man and is willing to help you.
Dr. Robinson's lectures are dry... but only if you expect to be spoon fed. He expects students to come prepared and to actually think about the material, imagine that! I thoroughly enjoyed his class, the material was interesting and he was always open to alternative thoughts. He is super caring and will help out if you go see him.
Allows for discussion in class. There are no exams which made this class enjoyable, and the papers get longer and more heavily graded throughout the course. As long as you read the material and show up to class the essays are easy to get good marks on. He's just a nice guy.
He really tried to get the class to do group discussions at the beginning of the course, but he gave up after week two and just started discussing as a class. However, he soon gave up on this as well and basically just lectured as our class wasn't big on participation. Really into grammar and conciseness. No exams in the course, just a few essays.
He is a total grammar freak but he is really helpful outside of class. If you go to his office hours he will tell you exactly what to write for papers. He also gives you all the information you need for papers in class so attendance is mandatory. Beware that he hates cellphones and will call on people for answers in class.
He doesnt make attendence mandatory but expects participation regularly. He doesnt really teach anything but rather asks the class what they think about the readings, giving us no real definitve answers for what the readings mean.
Jack is a great prof! He does expect participation but if you do he will mark you better. He is really caring and if you show that you care he is willing to take the time to help you but, you have to ask. He is very uptight with grammar and participation but if you show up and put some effort in you'll be rewarded! Definitely recommend his class.
His lectures were so dry I just stopped showing up as it was NOT worth the time. Easy course though, just MAN. Those lectures...
amazing teacher. cares about his students and likes helping. he likes patricpation so dont be afraid to answer questions.
Jack attempts to be cheerful and funny, but his humour can very quite boring. His lectures are dull and he expects participation every moment, of every class. He asks for students' insight on the texts examined in class, but it doesn't lead anywhere and he never gives any real answers. He is a viciously strict grammar freak.
Dr. Robinson is a very nice person and a very engaged professor. He wants his students to do well and he wants you to appreciate the material. He is very passionate about Indigenous culture and literature; he does an outstanding job getting his students to appreciate the history behind it. He can be a bit dry, but if you show up you will do well.
Fair grader, clear essay expectations/criteria. Professor is really knowledgeable about literature. Generally friendly. However, professor insulted students when they tried to add to the discussion and as a result the students stopped participating and professor was then very upset about this lack of participation. That was kind of funny.
The worst prof I've had at MacEwan. Doesn't give clear expectations or guidelines on what he expects from assignments (nor does he provide any feedback other than "try harder"), forces class participation but is then condescending to students who give "incorrect" answers, and his lectures are dull but he will grade you tougher if you miss even one.
I was quite confused when I saw what a low rating he had on her because it is not accurate. One of my favourite teachers, cares what he talks about and isnt the hardest marker and is quite fair. Would take again!
You're average English class. Attend the lectures and you will do well. He's specific with assignments which is great, quizzes throughout the course are good to boost your mark. Overall an easy class, doesn't give much feedback on papers despite saying to come see him though.
Jack's class was very organized, as he puts the schedule online. This makes it easy to know when you have to go to class and when you can skip it. He went over practice questions for tests and put the exact questions on it, so you just had to write them down in class and review it. Essays are why I did not get an A, that's a personal strength issue
Heads up, you don't have to show up to this class to get a good mark. Just follow the course outline for assignments, show up when they're due, get them done. Only reason I didn't get an A is because I missed an assignment. He was very boring but reliable when you have questions. Fair marker, would take again out of convenience.
Jack's ratings here don't give him justice, he's acc not bad. you have to attend class cuz he does attendance. he expects you to participate. he will call you out if you don't. overall his class was not stressful at all. just get the essays done and follow his instructions and you'll do decent. if your taking his class then relax your gonna be fine
Jack was very rude to students. He would never actually teach the class, he would just expect the students to lead the class, then, would ridicule students for having opinions. This caused students to stop going to class, which would then be more penalized as he made attendance worth 15%.
Has fairly high rating then he deserves first of all attendance is mandatory if you can take this class online, take it. It's a waste of time going to class. class is so dry he just reads off slides that he posts on blackboard He gave me and my friend both the EXACT same grade for ALL our assignments hard to believe our work didn't improve.
Jack is amazing, show up to class, do the papers and its a easy A
He sounds like a mix of Eeyore and Winnie the Pooh, so it's tough to stay focused in his lectures. He is very nice and is extremely lenient to the student, especially during COVID.
Jack is a great teacher to have if you want clear easy assignments and a fair grading criteria.
Jack is an amazing professor. Very understanding & kind & has made online learning easier. We had weekly discussion board posts & assignments. He's always available and always got back to me within 24 hours. Live classes that aren't mandatory & he also posts the recording of them to view. Overall I would 10000% recommend him!
Dr. Robinson is a great prof. His class wasn't hard; we had ten discussion boards, five reflections, and three essays total. His grading criteria is clear and he always leaves comments on all assignments. We didn't use the Broadview Guide to Writing, only the Essay Writing for Cdn Students. It also isn't mandatory to attend lectures and he records.
Dr. Robinson is lazy when it comes to supporting students. Don't expect him to email you back if you have questions. Meetings are useless as he fails to show up to them even if you schedule one (no office hours too). Further, his online class is a mess. He didn't organize class, rather, he posted everything in one spot. Wouldn't recommend for ENGL.
I loved this class, if you put passion and care into your writing this class is a blast, I found Jack to be a great grader and not difficult or harsh at all. He is a super fair marker and his lectures are nice and calming. I loved the novel choices within this class. I recommend this class to anyone who wants to leave feeling inspired!
Really not sure why his ratings are so poor. I didn't show up to online class at all but he still saw that I was invested in the material and cared about doing the coursework. Only 5 discussion board posts and 2 essays which is a really manageable amount of coursework. Jack is a really good guy and fair grader.
I really liked his class and grading. Highly recommend, especially if English is not your first language :)
Amazing Prof. Seriously. I took him for both 102 and 104. Only 2 essays, 4 discussions, and a final. Lectures are recorded and attendance isn't necessary. Not a tough grader at all. He really wants his students to succeed and it's obvious. He also leaves good feedback on all assignments.
Jack was amazing. His classes were really engaging and I enjoyed all the novels he chose. He is very passionate of what he teaches and he made me interested in reading again. I would say if you wanted to do well, come to class and participate in the discussions.
Jack was such a sweet guy. Such a hilarious prof and honestly made the class really enjoyable. He was a pretty easy marker and gave good feedback.
Taught my what literature really is, inspired me to read Canadian literature. This rating is from the 1990s class, just realized recently what an impact he had on my current reading preferences
This man is a genius. If you're looking for a prof who does everything clinically and by-the-book, keep looking, but if you want to learn from a true scholar driven by genuine passion and intellect, Robinson is your man. He is always engaged and perceptive. I could listen to him talk all day. If you are truly dedicated, he recognizes your efforts.
I have taken 2 classes with Robinson, one online and one in person and I enjoyed both! His coursework is very fair and I enjoyed the material. One of my classes was analyzing Leaonard Cohen songs and the in person class (103) was all about reading science fiction. We read 4 books and I enjoyed 3 of them. He genuinely cares and gives great feedback.
Took ENGL105 with Dr. Robinson and while we did have to read 4 books and write an essay about each of them, he chose incredibly interesting novels and thoroughly discussed the content in class. He graded essays quickly and always gave good feedback on all of them. He really wants to see students succeed and you can tell he cares about what he does.
Dr. Robinson is absolutely the best, he really made me enjoy English 104, he really cares about his students and overall just an awesome guy.
Marks very hard only 4 essays on books you have to read
I took ENGL105 with Dr. Robinson in the fall of 2023. The course structure was straight forward - four novels, four essays. His grading criteria was clear and concise. He added extra office hours to assist students with their papers. He encouraged students to have new ideas and enjoyed reading papers that saw the novels from a new lens.
Mr. Robinson lectured the entire time and shot down those making a contrasting point. He's a hard marker and provides no explanation for the reason, it was always "some people just aren't good at writing". He shot my confidence in essay writing, after previously receiving an A+ in ENGL 102. The environment was hostile and he was rude.
Jack is a great teacher and I am so happy that I got to be in his class. Jack was very engaging and contrary to other reviews below, he provided lots of room for class discussion and was respectful when students shared their opinions. Jack provided great advice, was funny, and always available for questions. This created a great class environment.
For teaching a course about AI, the prof was not well versed enough in the topic and was close-minded when students informed him when things were incorrect. Whenever students tried to provide a counterpoint within class discussions, he would simply respond with "no." Overall I felt discouraged from having free thought in this class.
Actually was pretty good if you took notes and read the books.
A very inspirational and passionate professor. I found the lectures to be irrelevant to assessments but enjoyable and thoughtful nonetheless.
I honestly loved jacks classes . He was so sweet and open to all discussions and made sure to greet every student that walked in every single morning. He knows all of our names and puts in an effort to help all students out. 100% recommend taking his class
Engaging lectures, but grading can be tough. The workload is manageable if you stay on top of the readings. Unstuck study was a lifesaver for essay prep!
Jack is an extremely sweet guy, he tries to make the lectures as engaging as possible even when it can seem a little boring. He marks fast and is not a tough marker, he essentially gives you everything you need to write the essays up to his standards. You can tell he wants to see everyone succeed and is overall a great guy.
Super sweet professor. A lot of the stories were interesting and relevant to the class. Two essays and a final exam. If you show up and are engaged in class, you'll shine.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
57%
Textbook Required
7%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.68 avg changeRatings by Course
ENGL373
5.0
(1)ENGL274
5.0
(1)ENGL104
5.0
(3)ENG102
4.6
(15)ENGL377
4.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
102
5.0
EASC101
5.0
ENGL379
5.0
ENG376
5.0
SJW376
5.0