4.3
Quality2.8
Difficulty72%
Would Retake198
Reviews72%
Would Retake
198
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
198 total ratings5
142
4
26
3
4
2
6
1
19
What Students Say
“It is clear he is passionate about teching”
STAT2040 - 5.0 rating“Do your required readings, the assigned homework and pay attention and you'll do great”
STAT2040 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
21%
Textbook Required
76%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.24 avg changeRatings by Course
1030
5.0
(1)STAT2120
5.0
(1)STAT2060
5.0
(8)STATS2060
5.0
(2)STAT2050
5.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
STAT6950
4.5
STAT2120
4.0
SATS2060
4.0
STAT2050
3.5
STAT2090
3.0
Reviews (196)
Good guy, sorta flies off the handle when you don't shut up. lectures were very organized, but midterm was absolutely brutal. You know when your class average is 50% somethings wrong.
Lectures are very organized, and he gives good examples to help with assignments. Always willing to help!
This guy loves stats for some reason. I don't really know why... but he's kind of nerdy but still pretty rad. I heard this class was hard... but I got a 92 on the midterm. He's a bit heavy on assignments though.. which isn't so good but what can ya do?
Very hot and smart too. And what's better - he can actually explain the stuff and make it easier to understand.
Such a great prof. Very approachable and is willing to help out anyone that comes in. Makes the class understand the concept and makes it fun to come to class, i thought i would hate stats, but i enjoy being lectured by him.. Alright!
Great teacher...explains things in a way that is easy to interpret. The midterm had no tricks, and if you did the assignments, you did well. If you are reading this...thanks for a great semester, i hope to have you again in the future.
Awesome prof.Very helpful,answers questions promptly.Even if you sleep in lecs,you'll understand.It doesn't hurt that he's eye candy either..wish all my profs were like him (teaching wise), hell and appearance wise too!
I'm sure most people don't remember his troubles with shoelaces (well you do if you had him Winter of 2001), but rarely has a prof been more endearing while simultaneously teaching well.
He puts stats into lamens terms...he uses words such as STUFF, JUNK, and BLAH BLAH BLAH quite often. We learned to CHUNK, REGURGIATE, PLUNK, and TURF throughout the course. The most important concept was that ANOVA IS NOT JUST FOR FUN!
Couldn't ask for a better stat prof
Prof Balka is an excellent, fun, easy-going prof and I love being in his class!
Best prof you could ask for. Very helpful, very fair, gives thorough explanations without ever being condescending, and knows how to teach so that students understand. Also an all-around nice guy, and pretty funny as well.
GREAT prof!!! So cute, funny and really great at explaining concepts!
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Great guy!! He's funny and engages the class with his talks. The man obviously has a true passion for stats, which I give him credit for, I think few due! The type of guy you'd want to get a beer with and watch sports with, just a lot of fun! Thanks Balka for a great semester!
great prof
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great prof! One of the best I have ever had so far!
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He really explains things clearly, doesn't do anything special, just a naturally amazing teacher. I love his voice... and he's hot
I saw Prof. Balka jogging one day when I was on the bus... whhhaaat a dreamboat!... Also a very good professor.
A really great prof.. i was not looking forward to stats but i ended up enjoying it very much! Midterms and assignments were fair.
Very good professor! I did not think I would enjoy statistics 2040 but I did and next semester I am taking statistics 2050. It's too bad he won't be teaching it.
most fabulous professor in the University. so cute too ;)
I'm really glad i'm not the only one who thinks Balka is a dreamboat. I only hope to see him on my bus someday. Excellent prof, amazing that he never uses the microphone, his voice is crystal clear!
He is amazing at teaching, relating to students, and keeping classes interesting.
He is truly an amazing teacher. I was completely dreading stats before I took it with him, and now it's one of my favourite classes. Assignments and tests were very fair, he is very helpful aswell. Not to mention, he's a total hottie!
My favourite professor
I LOVE JEREMY BALKA!!
I loved his lectures. I can't stand stats, but I went just for the lecture/jokes/stories. I'm actually considering taking another stats course just to have him as a prof again.
BALKANATOR!!! i hate stats but he is very entertaining to listen to and is a great professor
Love him! Exams were tricky...but he has the best lecture voice!
wow,what an amazing prof-he's organized, great at teaching & likes to help-he also has a lot of integrity. his assign q's integrate the course material really well & are challenging enough to help you really understand without frustrating the heck out of you (most of the time anyway-but u'll be forewarned =) )classes were great! never a dull moment
Amazing teacher. Very fair and understanding without being too easy. Teaches in an understandable way.
Great Prof!!! Very understanding person, lectures very clear.
Great Prof! We need more like him...
Great prof! Really enjoyed the class. Enjoyed it so much am thinking about waiting until he teaches 2050 to take it.
Excellent professor! He was very helpful even after lecture and his assignments were very good! He made the class very interesting and it has been a pleasure to attend to every lecture.
It's only the 3rd week of school and I swear I'll never miss a class--he's too hot..and smart.
I am horrible at math but Balka is just so damn good at explaining it. He has the best voice too! very entertaining. He is one of the best profs at guelph for sure
Professor Balka makes the class really enjoyable and interesting to attend. He seems to really care about his students and is always offering help. He's also really good at explaining stats in a way that allows even people who don't excel in stats to do well.
Wow he is crazy.. and hilarious. Amazing prof tho, so helpful and explains things really well.
Really clear, interesting
I love him.
Solid Prof
He's a dime. End of story.
Clear and interesting to listen to.
He is an amazing prof. Too bad he is leaving. He will be missed a great deal.
Oddly, most of the positive comments are written in a similar style -- J's mom? What else can explain all this praise for the worst imagineable teacher? He has no idea how to explain anything. All the students I know feel the same way. But this comment will be lost among the (unusually, suspiciously) high number of "amazing" comments.
Excellent professor. Explains concepts clearly and everything needed for the assignments are in the notes. Responds quickly to online questions and is very helpful for in-person questions. Has a dramatic voice that makes listening easy.
He's great proff! His notes are clear, and examples are really helpful. His midterms tricky, however he provides a lot of extra material so you can do well. Make sure you ace the assignments as it's easy to do so, and do them in groups. He's one of the best profs i've had to date!
I took this course distance-ed. To my surprise, I loved it! He was extremely helpful and marks went up quickly. Assignments were easy and fair. Final exam was fair, if you knew your stuff you did well.
He was very helpful and explained concepts clearly and effectively. He did not really use the textbook - more of his own examples which I liked.
Jeremey Balka: the reason I took more than one stats class at University.
BEST!
Half the people would agree that he should start using scientific notations instead of drawing and counting circles, imagine doing that for chemistry and physics. Otherwise, Jeremy is the perfect math/stats professor, super helpful, patient and clear.
awesome prof! really helpful, makes me consider taking stats 2050!
Excellent prof-has his own in-depth (quite easy to learn from on your own!) course notes on courselink, so you don't need to buy the stats textbook (I never used mine even though I bought it).And he has his own youtube videos which are hilarious and helpful! He is very acomodating for different learning styles and friendly. He knows how to teach
Horrible prof, take it from another prof if possible. Learned nothing from his classes..
Jeremy is very passionate about what he teaches, and that comes across in his lectures. He could stand to write out more of the steps that he uses to get to the end result. If you go to him for help, make sure that you actually tried to do the work. He's not fond of slackers. Very sensitive, and hates it when people talk in class. Decent math prof!
Awesome prof, extremely helpful and actually wants you to do well. LOVED it
Great prof, very clear. Goes through examples step by step. always willing to help out if you have any questions. Midterms are a little difficult though because there isn't enough time.
great guy, loves what he teaches. most fun class attended in first year
Great Prof! So helpful and available to help you do well. He works hard to allow everyone to do amazing in his class!
Clearly explained concepts and examples in class, and extremely helpful when you go to his office hours.
I looved attending Balka's lectures. He keeps it interesting and he will do anything to help you do well. However, if you don't do the practice questions and seek extra help when you need it, the material can be difficult.
Excellent professor. As long as you pay attention and do the work, there is no reason why you won't do well in his class. He explains everything step by step and gives you an unbelievable amount of practice questions. I'll definitely be using his notes and questions to compensate for the abysmal lecturing I am enduring in 2050 right now.
He almost always keeps the attention of the class. He uses real statistics that make the class much more relevant. He posts old midterms and finals and does everything to make sure his students succeed.
Excellent prof, my favorite this semester!
Amazing prof. So helpful, approachable and knows his stuff. Wrote textbook (uploaded for free), makes videos, lectures, skype account for questions. This guy literally does EVERYTHING to help you succeed.
He is excellent. My favourite professor.
Best Prof I have had yet!! So helpful and down to earth!!
THE BEST PROF IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!! HE GIVES A TON OF PAST MIDTERMS. AMAZING! Do the practice questions and you'll get over 90 no problem and if you don't understand them go talk to him, or watch his YouTube videos or go on his Skype hours!!!! Make sure you take stats with him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
EXCELLENT
Best prof ever. Not lying
Amazing prof in all aspects
made me fall in love with math , and pursue it even further
Very clear and confident professor. Material and evaluations are presented in a fair and accessible manner. If you are required to take 2040, take it with Balka.
Amazing prof, made me obsessed with going to his class - not because they were necessary, but because the way he taught was just so motivating! A+++
He is just amazing in all aspects. He just loves what he does and REALLY cares about his students!
I loved this professor. I had come statistics loathing the subject as I had previously taken the course with Humphrey. I hated it! Soso I dropped the course and took it the following semester with Balka. BEST DECISION EVER! He was an amazing professor. His notes were easily to follow; his explanations were clear and concise and so much more!
Jeremy Balka is an excellent professor with the voice of an angel. Do not even think about taking this course with another professor.
Good professor, probably the best you can hope for in this type of course. However, holy this is some terribly boring and tedious material. I know this is mandatory for many science majors which is just horrible.
Balka was an amazing prof. Only take STAT2040 with him. He makes the content crystal clear and gives you tons of practice midterms.
Amazing Professor. Balka genuinely cares about his students and he want everyone to do well. He even provides a free e-textbook that that he wrote himself. Loved his booming, deep voice. Couldn't recommend him enough!
He is one of the most amazing prof!!! He goes out of is way helping his students in any possible ways.
Balka is awesome. He is so helpful when you need it and he is always willing to halt what he is doing in order to make sure everyone in the class knows exactly what is going on. If you do the practice problems, the test are not difficult. But, you have to keep on it in order to stay at par.
Excellent example of the ideal Professor. Prof. Balka manages to present a relatively challenging subject in the most effective manner. You still have to put in the work, as with any mathhard science course, but this is the professor to take STAT2040 with.
Lots to do for this class every week but if you can keep up it is not very difficult. He gives the textbook that he wrote for FREE and videos explaining various concepts covered. He provides you with all the material you need to ace this course. It is clear he is passionate about teching! If you have to take STAT 2040 take it with Balka!
This prof is one of my fav. teachers ever. He was very helpful if you ever have a question to clarify. His voice is loud and clear and the class had two midterms both mc, which were pretty fair. Do your required readings, the assigned homework and pay attention and you'll do great. Good luck!
Great prof! Entertaining and more than willing to help. You can tell that he loves his job. Added bonus: he wrote the textbook and you can find it on courselink free of charge.
He's really nice and understanding, however his tests were brutal. Understand concepts and practice, practice, practice.
Amazing prof!! Makes stats interesting and he definitely knows his stuff. Lectures always went by super fast.
Such a great prof and always willing to help!
Doctor Balka is the easiest prof to watch lecture in the University. Lots of life, energy and humor he's great. And he made his own free textbook.
Best math professor I have ever had. This man deserves a pat on the back for actually teaching like it'2 2016.
He makes his own youtube videos, so that if you don't want to go to class you don't have to. He explains things so clearly, and if you want to know more he wrote the textbook he provides, and it goes into more depth. Classes are a lot of work, but if you put in the time it's not so bad. Highly recommended, you won't find a better stats prof.
Great guy, very thorough, he made a free online textbook with tons of support videos, lecture notes are printed off and brought to class for simplification. One of my favorite profs yet
Great prof. Really cares about his students and loves statistics. He makes you do quizzes every week which help you stay on task and really master the material. Ended up not going to class all semester and learning straight from the textbook he wrote, and it worked out really well.
He is so tall
Awesome lecture
I'm so glad I took this course with Prof. Balka. He gave out a free PDF of a textbook that he wrote himself, posted notes so we could follow along and fill in the blanks during lecture, and is funny in lectures. He also has many Youtube videos that explain the topics very well if you did not make it to a lecture or need to review certain topics.
AMAZING Prof!! Explains the material in a way such that all students can understand the basics of statistics. He writes his own textbook so you don't need to buy one. The textbook is VERY thorough, so if there is something you're confused about from lectures, you can often find a helpful explanation in the text.
Amazing at teaching. Seriously there are so many pathways to learning he offers, from his lectures, to the textbook, to his videos on Youtube. Extremely helpful after hours too. He made me fall in love with Statistics.
Iconic voice. So many youtube videos (used to teach DE). Great amount of content available. Midterms looked just like the examples. 10/10
Great professor! Tests were a bit challenging.
Prof. Balka is fantastic. I took 2040 five years ago and his lectures were incredibly effective at simplifying what most biologists find the hardest part of research. His online videos are a lifesaver, even now as I am in grad school trying to re-learn ANOVAs. Take ANY class he teaches; if you're willing to do the work, you'll learn tons.
Gives you the textbook for free but you probably won't need it because he writes good notes, not hard to get a good grade if you do the practice exercises he provides. Gives videos, good notes, good practice exercises- can't really ask for more learning tools from him. Good teaching voice.
Great guy, although he does occasionally yell if you're being loud. His notes were great and if you went to class you didn't need the textbook (which he gives you online for free anyways). Weekly tests helped me keep up with the material which ended up being super important. Note: you cannot cram for these exams, trust me, I tried.
Balka is amazing. His videos are extremely helpful for concepts you may not understand, but his lectures are almost always good enough to understand the concept. He gives you so many practice exercises and old tests which help immensely. You MUST take advantage of all his resources because they make the evaluations simple.
Dr. Balka does his best to make his lectures engaging, especially since this is a mandatory course for many, but he isn't amazing. I found his lectures didn't help me at all, and I had to teach myself using his videos. I did all of his practice questions and tests and studied hard, and was left with a mediocre mark. His tests are ridiculous.
Great prof. Well structured courses, always willing to help you learn. Nobody can complain about the quality of teaching.
Has good book on basic statistics (Am thankful I understand basics now). He tries to talk in statistical way but... If your first language is not English, then don't take this course (finds every single way to grade you lower than the ones with English mother tongue), i.e. Origin and the last name matters. His expectations in tests: Only he knows!
Not for graduate teaching, that is for sure!! He seems popular in undergrad course, but he seems to be learning to teach graduate students.
One of the best profs at Guelph, definitely the best stats prof. The course is really weird where you can understand the concepts fully and study hard but still receive a 50 on the exams because of trick questions that come from nowhere. The way he teaches is great, but the way the tests are structured is terrible.
Truly cares about his students and really listens. Lectures are great and informative
In my opinion he was a great prof. I'm horrible at any sort of math but managed to do extremely well in the class because he has so many resources to offer even if you choose not to attend class (lecture notes, textbook, youtube videos, etc.) . His tests are similar to past years and he gives you old midterms to study off which is a plus.
Great guy. He's really good at teaching and is really funny and tells you what you can do to pass. He responds to class questions quickly on the discussion page of course link and is easy to reach outside of class.
I took this class during covid, although it is always a Distance Education Course. He wrote the textbook and although this seemed nice at first you are truly responsible for learning everything single tiny thing in its contents. His test questions are much much harder than the practice and he's definitely not friendly.
Good luck
Odd style of teaching must watch youtube videos to be rewarded
I love his YouTube videos, even though this year it was distance education, his videos made it easier to understand the material! The tests are fair and if you keep up with the material each week you should be fine. He responds to emails very fast, so thats very helpful. I truly think that hes just trying to help students understand the material.
Jeremy is one of the best professors at UofG! sad what this year's batch of 2020 is putting him through. but he is genuine and amazing at teaching. cares for his students and knows his stuff. You have to put in the effort for the class, covid or no covid.
Took STAT2040 DE this fall and I recommend! As long as you follow the textbook and watch the very clear youtube videos he made you're golden! He is very approachable through email and testing was fair as long as you were prepared! These recent negative reviews seem to be because students think a DE course has lecture videos which isn't accurate.
Apparently having school online gives people the excuse to not want to study and then blame it on the prof when they get a bad mark. Put the time in and youll get the mark you want. Balka is extremely helpful and takes his own time to make very thorough videos explaining almost the entire contents of the textbook. His tests are easy if you study.
This man makes Statistics interesting! University of Guelph is so darn lucky to have him as a professor. He is so light hearted and makes the content so much more bareable. Stats is tough, ofcourse, but it would be way tougher without Balka. Truly an amazing and caring prof. You'll be lucky to get him.
Dr. Balka seriously takes pride in teaching statistics. His YouTube videos and online textbook (provided to you for FREE) are of the upmost quality, and are very well structured. He is ALWAYS there by email, and is happy to help students learn to their full potential. I would HIGHLY recommend taking STATS*2040 with Dr. Balka, you can't go wrong.
Honstely just keep with the readings and videos, the profs a good guy and the course content isn't too bad.
I did found this course so hard. There are no lectures that summarize each lesson but instead, prof Balka makes you read the textbook he wrote that is heavy content and you have to understand by yourself. The tests are harder than the activities in the textbook. I failed two tests b/c I don't understand anything so I decided to drop. Overall bad!
Dr. Balka went above and beyond for the online delivery of STAT 2040 and provided every student with all the resources required not just to succeed in the class, but to better understand stats. It is not the professor's fault if the students don't use the resources or spend the time to learn the material. If you put in 3-4 hours a week, EZ 90+.
Here's the most honest review I think you'll get; If you're not great at math, this course WILL be difficult, however still passable. The course is 99% textbook reading, but if you don't understand he's fully available. Real class act every time I've talked to him. Do not strictly listen to the people saying it's hard; effort will lead to success.
SO BAD!
Great prof, great course. Textbook is free. His youtube videos cover pretty much everything you need to know. Balka is really passionate about stats. Responds to email fast. Tests are straightforward. You can collab on the assignments. As long as you set aside 3 hours for reading the chapter and 3 hours for exercises each week, it's an easy 90
HE IS AMAZING. I had him for STATS 2040 during the summer semester in 2020. Did I have scheduled lectures? No. Does he provide videos which GUIDE you and walk you through the topic and problems? Yes. Is there a textbook? Yes and HE PROVIDES IT. ITS also doesnt have a lot of fluff. DO NOT slack off in his class and youll be fine
Provides you with the textbook for free which is kind, however some ch. are 70pg long with more than 1 chapter assigned each week. He does link you to his yt videos which can be helpful but you are still teaching yourself. You have to do a lot of work in this class to do well, which is ok if its your only class but with a full course load its hard
The prof is good at answering questions. However, you have to teach yourself the stuff which makes it hard if you have 4 other courses to study for!
people hating on balka are just bad at stats and havent put the work in. great prof. he made the textbook free, has the best youtube videos to follow along and the group assignments are designed to boost your mark. exams are all pretty similar and are more than fair.
Everyone giving prof Balka a bad review is mad that the course was offered online and that it was a lot of reading but thats the university's fault, not the professors. Hes an amazing prof who's accessible to answer questions, explains things great from his textbook which he provides for free and his tests, quizzes and assignments are all veryfair
Professor Balka had no say in the fact that the class was offered as DE only this semester. All DE courses are heavy on reading and you have to teach it to yourself. Blaming the professor who supplied all the materials for you to succeed, even though you couldn't, is not his fault. DE courses are all self taught and textbook heavy.....
A good professor. However, it is hard to understand some of the materials by yourself
Great professor. Made an entire textbook, including all material with practice questions and their appropriate answers, entirely for free. Also has great videos on topics on Youtube if extra help is needed. Projects and tests/quizzes are more than fair.
I had a terrible experience with Prof Balka. He is condescending in his email responses, and does not care too much about any personal issues going on. His textbook that he wrote, is hard to understand. It lacks guidance. I am a visual learner. I need to see a step by step process to understand the material, and his textbook did not provide this.
Worst prof I've ever had, his 3 "tests" are worth 15% each but are only out of 12 marks each, therefore not making them a good indicator of your true statistics abilities at all. I put well over 20 hrs a week into this course and am barely scraping by with an 80%.
The online format is hard as you have to teach yourself. He is pretty strict with rules but is a nice guy overall. His videos are helpful but his textbook drags on and makes it hard to learn. This course is very content heavy so I recommend taking it in the summer instead because I found it difficult to do all this work along with 4 other courses.
the course was a DE class and it was absolutely horrible, he provides youtube videos and a free textbook, however teaching yourself this class on your own is not possible. The tests are also way harder then any questions you will do in the homework. i put in well over 20hrs per week and did all the homework and still didn't do well.
ANYONE WHO SAYS IT WAS AN EASY CLASS IS LYING. TESTS ARE HARDER THAN THE ACTIVITIES IN THE TEXTBOOK AND THE PROF IS NOT HELP AT ALL!
Balka has put in the work to make this course accessible to anyone at anytime, anywhere. He made the textbook for the course (its also free) and has related youtube videos for specific concepts and questions outlined in the textbook. He makes expectations and course content clear and organized. Great lecturer, makes learning stats more enjoyable
Absolutely horrible prof. Doesn't provide any lectures and only gives you the textbook and some outdated YouTube videos he made back in 2012, which are a nice supplement but are definitely not to enough to replace lectures entirely. I put well over 20+ hrs each week and finished with an 82. His hw questions are nothing like his test questions.
Rude, arrogant professor. Sends obnoxious unprofessional emails, a poor reflection on other strong professors at this institution. Likes to brag about his free supplementary material that is not even close to the complexity involved with the testing material.
Dedicated to his material and wants to help students (responds to emails quickly, changed weighting to boost grades). Course can be difficult because topics build on top of each other and there's A LOT of conceptual thinking involved. I didn't do any of the tb questions, but I watched his videos and wrote on the tb. grade: low 90. exam: pretty easy
Not a bird course, but very common sense. Textbook reading can be massive for some weeks. Tests were all over the place in terms of difficulty. Just pay attention to the questions and treat them as if they aren't open book - you'll be fine. R assignments frustrating at first. He's is very quick to respond/helpful by email. Has slight temper lol.
An amazing prof! Always clarified concepts students have difficulty with. The content can be a little tough, however if you attend office hours and put in the work, a high grade is very achievable. He also reweighed the exams do give students a higher mark. The tests and exam questions were very fair and easily learnable. Highly recommend!
Prof. Balka was one of the best profs I have ever had; he truly goes above and beyond to give his students resources to help them succeed. I feel bad for him because he does all this, but students still think that they should be able to pass even when they coast. The pandemic isn't an excuse to not put the work into the class that you should have.
Huge ego and extremely rude in emails and announcements. Did not accommodate for students with COVID-19 who couldn't make it to lectures. Made tests completely different than assigned course work.
Truly amazing! He does a lot for student in terms of giving resources to succeed. He has a very detailed textbook along with videos. You can achieve a high grade, but you have to put in work. The quizzes weren't "easy" and usually had a low class avg but he would reweigh/give opportunities for improvement. He always responds very quick.
I really don't enjoy stats but the readings were written by him, I took DE so most of the time I was just reading the text but the explanations were great in my opinion. He was very generous with the number of opportunities to make up for bad grades and was lenient.
Does not record his lectures, so if you don't go to class you will be lost. Tests are unreasonably hard.
Great prof who has very clearly put a lot of work into the course. Great explanations and reiterates important info. Has good examples and practically spoon feeds the course to you.
You will never have a professor who tries harder n cares as much as this guy.Never.Yes sometimes he can be tricky when it comes to testing,however it's all in good reason,it's because he actually wants you to succeed.He is the author of your textbooks,creator of the youtube channel you would go to seek help.The world needs more people like you sir.
He is way too understanding and helpful inside/outside the class. Very clear with what he wants and how he will grade. 100/100 would recommend.
I was extremely wary about having to take Statistics since I am not good at math, but Professor Balka made the material very digestible for a content heavy course - he had so many resources for students: his own Youtube channel with videos, in-person lectures, his own textbook, practice exercises, etc. If you put in the work, you'll do well!
His lectures are very clear and to the point, he goes pretty fast so it's important that you keep up but the material isn't too hard. He posts a lot of content online which is useful, and he has a YouTube channel which is very helpful. Overall a great prof
His youtube channel is really useful, it helps me a lot when I have trouble understanding his lectures.
hated the course cause I am not a math person but Dr Balka is amazing!!!
Had in W23, but great prof, every assessment was fair game. He really cares about his students and has his own Youtube channel + made a textbook for the course with practice questions and an answer key with videos for tough problems! Very enjoyable class, you can tell he's passionate about what he does. Make use of your resources & you'll do great!
Balka is a very kind and good prof. I'm in the DE section, which I find challenging, but his office hours are good and his youtube/lecture-style videos are helpful. I would recommend joining the in-person section if possible I hear he's great in those classes. His multi-select questions on tests can be hard so make sure to understand the theory!
Dr. Balka has been my favourite professor all year. He is incredible at lecturing, and making statistics interesting and tangible to learn. He is INCREDIBLE at explaining difficult topics intuitively. STAT2040 has been a very hard course for me personally--stay on top of homework and get help AS SOON as you need it!!
LOVED his lectures! he gives applications for stats rather than just teaching the concept. he provides his textbook for free, which is super concise. he has a very captivating voice and its hard not to pay attention in class. his tests and assignments are fair and give more meaning to concepts. he's also just a chill guy who is super approachable.
Dr. Balka is the author of the textbook for this course. He made education very accessible by access to PDF. He is very approachable and has office hours that I would strongly recommend. He also has tutorial hours led by TAs who are super helpful. I loved his teaching and easy access to video tutorials. Would highly recommend this course.
If you need to take STATS2040 take it with him. He makes everything interesting and as simple as it can possibly be. There's lots of hw available, but all of it is relevant and useful. He's quick with email responses and gives useful advice. Just a reasonable prof. overall, and super passionate about stats.
Professor Balka is the best! He makes stats super engaging and accessible. His free textbook is a game-changer. Plus, Unstuck study was a lifesaver for practice and prep. Definitely take this class if you can.
I'm taking JB's class online, but the quality is just as good as in person. He has long lecture style videos which cover everything you need to know with plenty of examples and explanation. but he also provides shorter condensed videos for each topic! he accommodates for a range of learning styles + is awesome
Everyone loves this guy cuz of his videos, but he js gives formulas and doesn't TEACH. People prob like it because he just gives formulas and a formula sheet and you could probably get yourself up to 80% by just plugging in formulas and not understanding, which is the ONLY way he teaches. If you want to understand, he makes it godawful difficult.
Terrible prof. sure he provides lectures both long and short and tons of homework but no matter how hard you study you will not be able to understand. the tests are so unreasonably hard and when you ask him a question or for advice he is just plain rude. i seriously do not recommend this professor.
I thought taking the course DE was a good idea, but he just posts these obnoxiously long videos where he's just all over the place & its confusing. Textbook helped a bit, but tests (really midterms since they're cumulative) are difficult, with averages of 60% & all he could say is "he didn't throw any curveballs so it shouldn't have been hard."
Seems nice but the main problem is quantity over quality. So many online resources, videos, problem set ..ect but his lectures are weirdly paced, content-wise all over the place, and frustrating of all gives all these formulas without building to/explainig their purpose thoroughly. Saying "stats isnt for everyone" isn't an excuse for poor teaching.
This class was awesome!!! love JB. his youtube channel is so iconic and anything you don't understand you can get cleared up in the vidoes. love this guy.
Took the online class, and found it worked well for me, but if you don't like reading definitely don't take DE. I didn't love the lecture style videos, so I just read the lecture notes, and found them super easy to understand. I found the midterms fair, they aren't all multiple choice, but you do get a cheat sheet.
he is a really good professor, but I feel like he jumped a lot during lectures which made it REALLY hard to keep up with his content. otherwise, he explains topics well and with good humor. I definitely recommend watching his yt videos though. graded on very few items too
Balka is a very friendly prof, however he does talk ALOT about random irrelevant stuff. I would say the content itself isn't too hard if you do the practice questions, and you also get a formula sheet on each midterm and exam. Despite the content being boring, if you put the effort in you can get a good grade.
Although the content is dull, Balka is passionate and does his best to make it engaging. The course is not hard if you put the effort in and use his resources (online vids and practice questions), as the testing is very fair. If you do not do this it is easy to get a bad grade.
Best professor I've ever had hands down. He gives students so many resources to succeed, hundreds of practice questions with video solutions, past midterms with solutions, online videos for all the lectures, and even short videos that go more in depth about specific topics from the lectures. Always available on email or discussion board. 11/10 prof
Professor Balka is one of the best professors I've ever had. His online resources are unmatched and his tests are extremely fair. The content is relatively hard; one should not expect to do well without utilizing his resources.
- Multi select test questions will be absolutely brutal - He will put feedback such as "cmon now" on your test answers - Doesn't respond to email, only discussion posts in passive aggressive manners - A LOT of homework, this is not like your typical calc course, a lot of questions need interpretation and long answers
I was in the in person lectures for this course, his lectures were interesting and his manner of speech was very clear and easy to understand. Literally the most organized professor I've had so far for lectures. If I ever fell behind I could go ahead and watch the lecture style vids to catch up which were also given in an clear and well done way.
one of my fav profs
Jeremy Balka is a great prof. He gives tons of practice questions and the textbook he provides explains topics extremely well. The term tests were extremely fair and very similar to the practice problems he provided. He also responds to discussion board questions thoughtfully and quickly.
great guy. he explains topics very passionately and you can tell he really understands what he's teaching. he provides ample practice exercises and example midterms/exams
Actually goated prof. Just go to lectures and you'll be fine. He actually gives you feedback on your exams unlike many of the other profs at the school (andrew hamilton cuck). You can tell he actually cares about what he's saying and the course he teaches. He's got everything you'll need on his youtube and website (jbstatistics)
First of all, he provides his textbook and the software for free. Other than that, he was a great prof! His lecture style is easy to follow and his exam questions were fair. Though it is challenging, and the exams are cumulative, he makes achieving a decent grade very easy. Definitely recommend!
Very fair assignments, sets you up for sucess with lots of practice/homework questions
Video lectures were easy to follow, and he was very thorough. He was super funny and made the lecture videos actually enjoyable to watch. The textbook is free (it's written by him), which is a plus. 2 assignments (both easy to complete), 3 tests, and 1 final—he provides you with AMPLE resources so you can succeed
Solid prof with easily accessible online version of his lectures on his youtube channel. Pretty good
Professor Balka is an extremely competent professor. All his lectures are featured on his YouTube channel, and he provides extra videos surrounding every topic discussed. Stay on top of the class schedule, and the tests won't be an issue. The assignments are free marks as well.
Such a gem. Watching his videos were a highlight of my second year. He's very clear on what is necessary for you to succeed in the course.
Great Professor, provides the textbook for you and has a YouTube page with all his lessons which makes it super convenient when you need clarification or missed something. The assignments are reasonably simple if you pay attention and do the work. There is a test about every other week.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
21%
Textbook Required
76%
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