3.0
Quality3.8
Difficulty31%
Would Retake119
Reviews31%
Would Retake
119
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
119 total ratings5
29
4
25
3
19
2
25
1
21
What Students Say
“In my opinion, he should be teaching an upper-level class”
ECON102MACRO - 4.0 rating“His quizzes are easy but don't help your grade much”
ECON102MACRO - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
68%
Textbook Required
48%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.91 avg changeRatings by Course
ECON304
5.0
(1)UPPERLEVELECON
5.0
(1)ECONMANY
5.0
(1)ECON214
5.0
(1)ECON301
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ECON120
5.0
ECON102
4.0
UPPERLEVELECON
4.0
ECON214
4.0
ECON301
4.0
Reviews (118)
From the Austrian School. A little dry, but knows his stuff cold.
No Comments
An economics god or as close as one could get.
This is the greatest econ prof out there.
Not a hard class...but very very boring!!
No Comments
No Comments
he uses trick questions, won't change incorrect test questions, very very boring
Very interesting, knows his stuff, he will make you WRITE
He's incredibly knowledgable, but as interesting as a twig.
Very smart, articulate, easy to follow.I liked economics after i took this class
one of the most boring men alive, class made me suddenly support Euthanasia
love the mug with the full eclipse.he's the most precious man.still hate econ.
never could figure out whether i was asleep or he was
No Comments
He's boring, but take a minute to realize and appreciate how smart he is. If you can pay attention and take good notes, it's an easy B+ or A.
If you like the subject you can get beyond the sometimes sleepy monotony of the class. He is extremely knowledgable and a good teacher.
the monotone machine may be tough to swallow at 8:00 am. but considering i never had to read a book or take notes and i still got an A, herb daddy is ok in my book!
He's really a good teacher if you can stay awake long enough to figure out what he's saying. Never mind the book - memorize your notes for his quizzes.
Should have taken an easier class for an elective. Dull, yet so brilliant you have to listen. Take home test :-)
Herbener is monotone, but even with a slight interest in economics he is very interesting. His upper level classes can be demanding, but he is a must take if you are going to take econ. Oh and by the way the guy must be a genius.
quizzes are very open ended; no idea what to write about them and he docks like crazy, very boring material and very boring prof.
Very unclear in grading style. NOT an easy A. To the person who wrote that: are you on something? If his tests were any more unclear you couldn't even guess on the multiple choice. A really nice guy in person, but take Micro first!
WOW, can we talk about a hard class? He seems like a nice guy, but his teaching style is very dry and monotone. His exams are extremely difficult and unclear. Definately take micro first!!
Austrian Econ. Wizard! I freakin' LOVED this guy. Very monotone, very unexciting, but his intelligence is phenomenal and I LOVED his sense of humor (extremely dry). I could understand why most people probably won't like him, but I thought he was fantastic
Bring a pillow and sleeping bag any of his classes...he will put you to sleep in ten minutes.
He's the most boring professor on the entire campus. Will put you to sleep in ten minutes.
Boring? Yes. Genius? Absolutely. Very dry sense of humor, but if you can keep the freshmen in the class quiet, you'll be in for an soft spoken lecture that will blow your mind. He knows his stuff and by the end of the semester, you'll really have a great understanding of macro economics.
Hard, particularly his tests. Overall liked him as a person and thought I retained a lot of the material. But definitely a challenge. If you make use of his office hours with prepared questions, he is very good about explaining things. Monotone voice but his brilliance commands respect.
Difficult, especially as an intro course, but definately worth the effort. Take advantage of office hours. Ask for clarification if you don't understand a question on an exam - Dr. Herbener is very helpful - He wants you to understand
Herb Dog is a ****. But he is definately not the most exciting teacher and he needs a microphone for you to be able to hear his monotone voice. Well you have to take him for macro Econ he is the only one that teaches it. I am writing this in his class right now to stay awake................snooze
Challenging. Herbie is a bona fide genius. Brilliant and wonderful in his office hours. Wry sense of humor. Hard to pay attention if you dont like the class. Quizzes are difficult. Just study --- if you can memorize you will do fine. Incredible helpful in his office hours and exceeds the posted time
Great Professor, extremely intelligent man with amazing knowledge of Economics and History.
Very Boring and the test questions can be interpreted a variety of different ways, but of course the answer key rules all. Whats with the microphone in a room where you could whisper to the back row?
He is quite a character. Uses a microphone for lectures. His tests aren't that bad, and his lectures are very organized and to the point. Also, you don't need to read any of the assigned readings because the entire test comes from the lectures.
He is a genius. At econ, not teaching. Your pillow will need a pillow. Take alot of notes, memorize all his points, and you'll pass the tests. My advice when it comes to those crazy quizzes is this: cheat cuz BSing only goes so far--quizzes are just one sentence, asking you to write a page on the concept he discussed last class period. Very tricky!
I had Herby for four classes and they were all worthwhile. He lectures without notes and is a genius. I had him before the microphone, and trust me, he needs it. How can you hate a man who has the largest coffee mug ever!
The smartest dude ever. Wow. Test are easy, provided you pay attention, and he can be quite funny too. Especially when he starts talking about Public Radio. The best.
Bloody genius. I was dubious when I had him for macro, but his upper level courses are a whole different animal. Take home tests and giant essays take a while to do, but actually test how well you understand the material, not how well you memorize.
Amazingly intelligent.
he is genious!! but too hard to get a good grade
he's really quiet, but fascinating if you pay attention in class. i dunno why everyone says he's so hard, i think he's easy if you study
Was bored at first, but once you get used to his QUIET voice (don't sit in the back!), he's very interesting. Tests consisted of essays, and he gave solid constructive criticism and graded fairly. I found I only had to skim the reading assignments to get a decent grade, because his lectures were so thorough. Can pack lots of info into 50 minutes.
great prof, very interesting material. he knows his stuff, and he rolls thru material in class. tests are very tough and studying more doesn't seem to help on the tests.
Extremely talented economist, I wish he had a larger platform to share is knowledge
There is no question that this guy is smart. He knows so much about economics. However, his soft voice make this class really boring. He is a very lenient grader when it comes to the quizzes and the writing portion on the tests.
Best Class Ever. This class made me an econ major! I owe it all to Herby.
This is my favorite class, bar none. Herbner is amart and a skillful communicator. He does talk quietly and in a monotone, he compensates by using a mic. His tests and quizzes are fair, not too hard but i wouldnt call them a walk in the park.
He is compelling and an economic genius, plain and simple, but you might find him to be boring if you are not into economics, which is fine. His tests/quizzes are fair, but you do need to work. Taking good notes is a must...
He speaks so quietly that he actually needs to use the mic they give him. He reminds me of a turtle and speaks a a dreary voice that makes you fall asleep on the spot. His tests are ridiculous and you had better hope that you are good at guessing!
His delivery/lecture isn't dynamic at all, but he is an econ genius! His class got me interested in Econ. Gotta take Good notes and go to class every day because the book isn't used at all (for any of his classes).
Class is boring, mostly because he is monotone. Tests can be tricky as well. Overall the class kinda sucks.
Dr. Herbener: simply brilliant, and it seemed that he thought most of his students were, too. He's very logical and methodical, but it is easy to get confused. Make sure you talk to him outside of class - he's a nice guy.
Herb is like a fan. His voice never changes and it puts you to sleep.
Yes, Herbener is a very monotonous lecturer. However, he is brilliant, kind, and very helpful. He is much better in smaller classroom settings than in 60 student Macro classes. This man is a great professor.
herbener is brilliant. he is very helpful and wants you to learn also. the tests are hard, but you never use the textbook, so it evens out
Herb is very monotone, and difficult to hear. He is a brilliant economist, but he is almost to smart to teach. If you take this class be sure to sit in the front and know exactly what he says verbatim.
Dr. Herbener is quiet, but very intelligent. The class is dry and fairly easy, a sharp contrast to econ with Ritenour, which is lively and more difficult in my opinion. If you're even remotely interested in economics, I recommend Dr. Herbener. Pay attention in class, as the book is never mentioned, and you'll do fine. Fair grader for tests and HW.
Listen: Dr. Herbener is a very knowledgeable and competent professor. He is logical and systematic in his lecturing. Tests are difficult, but not too difficult, I'd say. Yet, he fails to engage the class on any level unless you love Austrian economics. He seems intimidating at first-get past the awkwardness if you can and talk to him.
Herbener is by far the most boring professor I have ever had. He does not engage students into the lecture at all. His tests are very difficult. He is not helpful at all and does not work with his students.
Dr. Herbener is definitely one of the most intelligent professors that I have had the pleasure to take. He may get a bit monotonous at times, but the way he explains macro economics is quite clear. Tests are moderately difficult.
Hard class and even harder to sit through. Herbener knows what he's talking about but doesn't interact with students or dumb it down.
The class average is almost always in the high 70's. Work hard or you won't do well.
There's a lot of material, but if you take good notes, study and do the readings you'll be fine. Kind of monotonous voice, but very smart and knows his stuff well, good content if you can pay attention the whole time. Do not take him if you don't like economics though, doesn't tell jokes or anything. Answers (even dumb) questions very patiently
I don't like economics to start with, and this class did not help. Dr. Herbener speaks softly and monotone. His lectures are extremely boring and way too long. I would study for hours for his exams and get a C, the class average on exams. Almost impossible to get full points on his quizzes and homework.
His lectures are extremely long and boring. He is too intelligent and its difficult to keep up with what he is trying to teach. I'd study for hours and hours and still get D's on exams. I've went to his office and he literally told me I'm not sure how to help you.. Still waiting for my final grade I'm praying for a C... good luck.
Goodness gracious this man is so incredibly boring, it's laughable. I don't know what he's saying.
This class wasn't easy, but it wasn't impossible. A lot of it made sense. His tests were difficult, I usually got around an 80. If the class average was around 70, he did give us an opportunity for 10 points extra credit. There are essays on the exams, however, they are not too hard because he usually tells you what is on it.
Herb is awful at teaching this course. Extremely dry and not at all helpful. He is very knowledgeable and intelligent but cannot demonstrate that intelligence with students. His exams can be confusing and tough. The pop quizzes aren't bad because he lets you look over the notes for a few minutes before class. don't expect to get above a C+.
GCC Alumni here, class of 2010. Dr. Herbener is a real gem. Very intelligent man that will give you a lot of wisdom on how an economy works, insights you wouldn't be able to gain from most schools. Yes the class might be difficult and yes his voice might not be engaging, but be an adult and push through because knowledge is worth it. Ask Questions.
I probably would've dropped this if it weren't for my major being business oriented. Herbener is a nice guy, but he's nit picky when it comes to quizzes, etc. and you may get lost during the lectures.
Herbener is a genius, and really shouldn't be teaching a 101 or 102 class. However, if you can stay awake and pay attention, take good notes and read carefully on tests, it is not too difficult to pass with a B+. His quizzes are easy but don't help your grade much. No reading, just be ready for the test. Its exactly from his lectures.
Dr. Herbener is an amazing professor. He gives the facts and nothing more, he sees no need for additional fluff. If you enjoy economics and don't want to waste time, I would definitely suggest taking Dr. Herbener's class.
Herb gets a bad wrap I completely understand why. He is monotone and so most find him boring, his is pathetic. The subject mater on which Herbert lectures is simultaneously extraordinarily important , universally misunderstood, and given to us from the unique perspective of the Austrian School. Force yourself to office hours and he will lighten up
This whole micro economics class is focused on philosophy. So if that's not your thing, it's not mine, you will not like this class. The lectures are boring and nothing seems to be of substance relating to economics. He is not very good a relating his examples back to economics, which is bad when almost all the lectures are taught through examples.
When Dr. Herbener speaks he carries the wisdom of the gods to his listeners.
Dr Herbener is one of the kindest old guys on campus. Hes kind of a relic. His lectures are kinda boring and he grades really roughly. He never grades in a curve.
While Dr. Herbener is intelligent and well-versed in his field, his lectures are confusing and his tests are insanely difficult. In my opinion, he should be teaching an upper-level class. When all class averages are repeatedly in the 60-70% range, it may be time to consider if the curriculum is either too difficult or the messenger too confusing.
Dr. Herbner is incredibly nice and many of us respect him a great deal. However, his lectures are dull and often without direction. He is never concise and rarely states anything clearly. His exams are brutal and he grades without mercy. Studying every note you took in class won't be enough to do well. Lots of reading involved and daily quizzes.
His lectures are extremely long and can be boring when he gets off topic. His test questions have a bunch of trick answers where he asks synonyms of answers that can easily trip you up. The worst part is on the tests if people come up to ask questions he wont tell the class his clarification. beware that the final is 40% of your grade!!!!!!!!!
One of the worst classes I have taken. Lectures are impossibly difficult and boring. He can't teach at a basic level. I've heard this class is supposed to weed out Econ majors. Tests are extremely hard and each answer slightly varies from the next. He doesn't make an effort to know you if you're not an Econ major. Only 2 tests and 8 graded quizzes
Dr. Herbener is brilliant, but that said, I feel he is not well suited to teaching the lower level Econ courses. Lectures seem long and are not well organized. Daily reading quizzes force you to work at comprehension, but tests are ridiculous. Questions seem designed to get you. Had to spend 20+ hrs studying each test to cling to a B.
Hes honestly pretty rough. The lectures are really boring and I struggled to stay awake. Have not heard of anyone getting anything but a C in the class.
He's a nice guy, but I don't think he can teach non-econ majors at a basic level. He also can be a bit intimidating during his office hours. It also doesn't help that his lectures are often really dry and bland, hard to follow and easy to lose focus.
While I received an A in the course, I feel that Herbener had little to do with this. While he is an intelligent man, he doesn't seem to be able to convey information clearly. Most of the class was failing, so he gave a bonus assignment to add entire percentages to our grades. The grade is based only on 2 difficult tests and a handful of quizzes.
He may seem monotonous at first, but if you listen attentively, he is witty & wise. Extremely thorough in every aspect, from his personal life to his lectures. He is precise & teaches step by step. Because of this though, if you miss something, you will fall behind. In tests & papers he looks for comprehension of processes more than isolated facts.
Dr. Herbener knows what he is teaching but he's very boring in this class. His lectures are pretty confusing if you're not ready to be there 100% mentally. But when you look through his notes, they make sense and I feel that his class has given me a good foundation of macro. Probably wouldn't take him again but he knows what he's teaching.
Dr. Herbener's material makes sense when you start to go over it again for an exam but he teaches it in such a dry way. You have to constantly take notes or make notecards if you want to stay awake. His weekly quizzes make you keep up to date with the material. Reading really won't help you much. You need to know your notes front and back for tests
Ew. get ready to fall asleep and get absolutely destroyed by tests. When the class average is lower than 65 you're doing something wrong
Dr. Herbener is incredibly smart, but he is a difficult professor, especially for non-economics majors in an intro class. Reading the textbook is a waste of time, just know your class notes inside and out. He's a boring professor, but you have to pay attention in class if you want to do well.
If you want to hate Oogway (who Herbener looks like) from Kung Fu Panda, then have fun After moving online, the class got infinitely worse. When the class average is b/w 60 & 70%, there's a problem. The readings aren't helpful, and honestly, neither are the notes. He asks questions that we didn't go over in class and then fails us because of it.
Nobody will ever disagree on the fact that he knows his stuff. However, the guy is extremely boring. Im an Econ major, and while hes definitely hard, once you understand what he looks for it isnt that bad.
It's most important to copy down your notes word for word to get good grades. He's a very nice guy, he's just too smart to be teaching an intro class, which is why he can be boring. He's much better in upper-level classes. I honestly don't understand how people don't pass - the powerpoints make sense and if you know those, you're set.
Compared to the other econ profs, he's the nicest and most accessible outside class. He is super smart but patient; he just doesn't know how to simplify concepts to make non-econ majors understand. As an econ major with micro and foundations before Herbener, I was able to do well (esp with online), but know and understand the terminology he uses
This class is hands down the worst class I have ever taken. Do everything you can to avoid this class. Dr. Herbener means well, but he cannot teach a principles class whatsoever. His exams are so hard and have multiple correct answers- you have to know your notes inside and out to know the correct answer or even a guess. His quizzes suck.
An intelligent and well educated professor, Dr. Herbener is much better suited for high level classes. He doesn't seem to know how to "dumb down" his lectures for us lowly macroeconomics students. His lectures and boring and confusing, and his tests are poorly written and difficult. Better skip him if you can.
AHH, this class was hard, and every person you talk to will agree with me. He grades you on the tiny wording of things, so don't use synonyms on your papers.
While Dr. Herbener was nice and seemed passionate about economics, he only taught by PowerPoint loaded with information on each slide. He spoke in a monotone voice and wasn't very personable. His 8am was a real struggle if you are not a morning person or forget to drink coffee. If you aren't thrilled about economics, don't take his class.
Dr. Herbener is extremely smart and really knows what he is talking about when it comes to economics. However, for a freshman like me who had never taken economics before, it was extremely difficult. His tests are absolutely brutal, but he is a very nice guy. I talked to him in his office and the study sessions for his class are very helpful.
As long as you can get past 102, Dr. Herbener will be your favorite econ professor. He becomes much more alive when he can discuss econ history and niches of economic thought. He also gets much easier whenever you have macro and micro done and is the most accessible outside of class. All tests are take-home essay exams, and there's only one paper.
Dr. Herbener is just boring. The class work and exams aren't the worst, he is a hard grader. And the exam is mostly multiple choice except for the essay. It's just the fact that it's really boring. You are literally counting down the minutes till class is over. It's a bummer that he is the only professor that teaches this class.
Pretty boring professor, but he has his moments. His tests are not that hard, but you really have the pay attention to the wording of the questions and answers because it can trick you. Make sure you take good notes, it's about the only thing you have as a study resource. As a person he is very nice and he will try to help if you go to office hours
Professor Herbener's class this past semester was by far my hardest class. His pop quizzes are ridiculously difficult, and you MUST match his definitions word for word or else he dock significant points. He is lenient about curving tests (which are insanely hard and very abstract). Do not beat yourself up mentally over this class. It will be hard.
Avoid taking him in the morning at all costs! Very lecture heavy and has a monotone voice that will put you to sleep. Very little class participation and almost no homework (other than the textbook reading which is never tested on or referenced). gives pop quizzes, which he grades super strict and multiple choice exams were really difficult
Most challenging 100 level econ class at GCC- especially if econ isn't one of your passions. The material is more complex than Econ101 & 102- and the lectures aren't as engaging. However, Dr. Herbener has an absolutely off the charts command of the subject- would encourage visiting with him during office hours. Very personable and adept professor.
DO NOT RECOMMEND. There are 9 quizzes, but he may tell your class that quiz 8 is the last quiz. Do not take at 8 am, he'll forget to tell you things that he'll tell the later class. Most test questions are extremely confusing and in Yoda talk. Book did nothing, everything he tests/quizzes on is from his lectures. REWRITE YOUR NOTES TO STUDY
Love Herb, an intellectual genius who knows his stuff very well. His lectures are a bit boring, and his tests are hard, but very worth it. I would recommend taking him, but be careful about because he is boring at times, and he does pop quizzes for intro courses
Dr. Herbener is a really intelligent professor but doesn't really know how to "dumb things down." This class is super lecture-heavy so pay attention and take good notes. While this class was more difficult than I expected, if you put in the effort and ask questions, you can definitely do well.
Do not take this class if you do not have to. There will be three tests and 8 quizzes and that is about it for all the grades. Do not treat the tests lightly as you will not only need to memorize everything, but also have a good grasp on the concepts in a practical sense (which can be kinda hard for this class).
Dr. Herbener was the worst professor I had all throughout college. He is extremely lecture heavy and he talks in a monotone, boring tone, with poor examples. Make sure you write everything down or you may miss an answer to an exam question. Dr. Herbener did not explain the topics or concepts well so I never understood them. I do not recommend him.
This is genuinely the worst professor I have ever had. He is rude and disrespectful when answering questions. The class is lecture heavy and he speaks in a monotone voice, hard to track with. Would not recommend
I fell asleep every class. Super boring and didn't learn one single thing.
It is a losing battle to stay awake as Herbener drones on about chainsaws, his house, and physics. Exams suck and he gives them with an evil little smile cause he gets to see students who are not worth his time or mind suffer. I am blessed to breath the same air as Herbener. Has a father-son relationship with every student. Wish I could do it again
Prepare to work hard in this challenging Econ course. Professor Herbener's lectures can be dry, but engaging with the material and using helpful study tools like unstuck AI can really pay off. Stay on top of the readings and practice those tricky multiple-choice exams.
Dr Herbener is completely out of touch with his students, and not in a good way. His lectures are very boring and he shows little effort to change that. His language is confusing and unnecessary, leading to confusion. When you ask questions he gets mad! Overall, he doesn't give much effort into making this class better. Don't recommend
Never in all my years have I felt so disrespected by a teacher. Every time a student asked a question, he made them feel dumb. Direct quotes from his slides didn't get full credit on quizzes. Here are some notable quotes from him: "why are you looking puzzled at this?" "are you even a business major?" "look it up and educate yourself on this"
Professor Herbener did speak in a monotone voice but I am not understanding the poor reviews. He does a great job at explaining economic concepts and gives useful examples for different topics. Also didn't grade as harsh as some of the other professors at GCC. Out of all the Econ professors I have had, I learned the most from Herbener.
Good person, hard prof
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
68%
Textbook Required
48%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.91 avg changeRatings by Course
ECON304
5.0
(1)UPPERLEVELECON
5.0
(1)ECONMANY
5.0
(1)ECON214
5.0
(1)ECON301
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ECON120
5.0
ECON102
4.0
UPPERLEVELECON
4.0
ECON214
4.0
ECON301
4.0