2.3
Quality3.6
Difficulty27%
Would Retake92
Reviews27%
Would Retake
92
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
10
4
11
3
18
2
13
1
40
What Students Say
“Mbaku is one of my favorite professors I've had”
ECON2010 - 5.0 rating“Professor Mbaku is very knowledgeable about Economics”
ECON2010 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
19%
Textbook Required
25%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.82 avg changeRatings by Course
ECON4170
4.0
(1)ECON4070
3.0
(2)ECON3110
2.5
(2)ECON2010
2.4
(80)ECON4020
2.0
(3)Difficulty by Course
2010
5.0
QUAN2400
4.0
ECON3110
4.0
ECON4170
4.0
ECON4020
3.7
Reviews (92)
He assumed we had far too much basic knowledge coming into the course. I believe he enjoyed getting side tracked onto whatever topic the wind blew in today. I would not recommend him as a teacher.
Fun class he is hard to understand at first but he is a funny teacher, his test are very difficult but a fun class all together.
Great teacher who knows how to listen to students. Has plenty of experience and has travelled extensively and brings experiences into the classroom experience. Strong accent at first but very enjoyable class.
He was so much fun to listen to. On top of that, he gave lots of opportunities for extra credit and everything on the test was predictable because he had gone over it in class. Great guy and a very fun class to attend...if you like econ.
Umm...This class was a waste. He showed up late, left early. The last test was on 9 chapters because he was so far behind.
Students do so poorly on his tests that he had to give extra credit (which was also graded very harshly) to make up for all of the failing grades. EVERY test had some miscommunication which hurt many of our grades. All around I would NOT recommend this teacher to anyone. If anything, he made sure I would never get a degree in Economics.
Very hard to understand and does follow the book very well.
I learned a lot from Dr Mbaku. A lot of students complained about this class but they were the ones not taking notes and just surfing the web; shopping on Ebay during class. If you pay attention in class, take good notes, and read the chapters (novel idea), you will do fine. He offers quite a bit of extra credit. Good class!
He is very hard to understand. Drags out class time because in his words, students complain if he doesn't stay every minute. This would help if he taught more and didn't repeat the same topic over and over. Doesn't follow the book well. I would not recommend taking class from him. I learned more studying on my own then in class.
I agree with most comments on this. When I calculated my grade with the final and all the Extra Credit I would have received a C- (I would have passed but just barely) when I got my final grade it was a B-. I did all the homework, almost all of the extra credit and stayed late to have him help me. He is not a professor that I would ever recommend.
Dr. Mbaku should charge an extra fee for his class due to the entertainment factor. He is hilarious, knows everything about Economics, and has THE BEST STORIES I HAVE EVER HEARD. His Labor Econ class was not too difficult, but it was A BLAST. I have him at 7:30 in the morning and actually get up just to hear what crazy story he has to tell. GradeA+
Great professor. His stories are funny and he is very energetic. He is one of the few professors that is very knowledgeable in his field and still makes class fun and go by quickly.
Instead of going through the problems and material,he talks about irrelevant stories! He gives u packets each week (how u teach urself) The third test requires a ridiculous amount of work, he cancels class the last week n expects u to be prepared for the final.nice guy,bad professor.luckily I'm good at teaching myself from the book and the packets
I really don't understand the negative ratings that Professor Mbaku has gathered here. I really enjoyed his class. If you just go to class every week and pay attention this class isn't difficult in the slightest. He even offered extra credit to help those students who were struggling. I would recommend him to everyone.
this guy has a really thick accent that is hard to understand. he gives 3 tests and one extra credit assignment. no homework. you need to go to class to get the lectures. tests are hard but challenging in a good way. doesn't really explain the math very well
1.Extremely strong ACCENT that normal people have a hard time to understand. 2. The first test is very tricky. 3. Has no willingness to help you after class. There was one time I tried to ask him question but he said he was very unhappy about answering even one short question. I would like to offer Mabaku -1 in helpfulness . No offense.
Succeeding in Dr. Mbaku's class is simple: come to class, take notes, and study a couple of days for each exam. There is no busy work and minimal work outside of class. There are no assignments, quizzes, or papers. There are 3 tests and extra credit available. I recommend this class for those who are busy and want to cut the fat with course work.
Very difficult class. Minimal bs work; gets straight to the point with 3 exams. We had 2 extra credit opportunities but friends have told me that he didn't offer them extra credit. It's true: most people don't do well on his exams because they cover a deeper level than what the text says. You must go to class to understand what he wants you to know
It was hard to understand the material in class. He gets distracted easily. There isn't any homework so you have to do your best on the test, hoping for extra credit afterwards.
As a person, nice guy, amusing in class and knows a lot really. As a teacher, not the best. He tries to entertain you but ends up confusing the entire class. Attendance is not mandatory but assignments are given out on very random days. Does not help you out but gives you packets to read, not my cup of tea. Overall, not someone i would recommend.
I was confused a few times from class material. Professor seemed more than willing to meet with me outside of class for extra help. He did so many times. He does have an accent but if you ask him to clarify or re-say something he has no problem with it. Great guy and professor. His tests aren't to bad as long as you STUDY, or at least understand.
Dr. Mbaku teaches very well. He is enthusiastic about economics and happy when you learn something. He has pretty high expectations on tests and you have to know the book pretty well. Attend class and study the book.
He is very knowledgeable, but very condescending. He has no respect for students. His tests are different than what he teaches. If there is anyway to take this from someone else then do, if not don't take it if you don't have to. He is confusing, and doesn't teach well.
He is hard to understand and often asks "any question?" but know one even knows what to ask because it is hard to ask "yeah what the heck is going on?" Honestly he is a cool guy but his tests are so hard and his teaching style is unclear.
Mbaku has awesome stories. I could sit in his class all day and listen to him go on and on. However, I am never really sure how the stories tie into economics or what I am supposed to be learning. There a few assignments in this class which makes comprehension difficult. I was never sure what to expect on the very long (at least 60 questions)tests
Hard to understand what he talking about....
I liked professor Mbaku. If you take notes and read the book its not that hard. He is not that clear in his lectures but the book is simple and easy to follow. Make the book your best friend and you'll do fine.
This teacher only grades on tests, so if you aren't a good test taker, its best to take from someone else. He lectures the entire class. He gives good study guides. He is sometimes hard to understand.
This was a rough class! Grades are based on 3 exams only! In our class the average was so low on the first 2 tests that he gave extra credit so more students would pass. He has a very heavy accent but isn't offended if you tell him you don't understand. Be prepared to read and take great notes to prep for the tests! He loves to tell stories!
Mbaku deserves more credit than he is given, although I understand the complaints. Class has no homework, only 3 tests and thats what your grade will be determined by. He lectures the whole class and its honestly boring sometimes. However he gives you packets to study for every exam and they are helpful. He cares and wants his students to pass.
stay away from this guy. TRUST ME! it's not just about how his tests is way hard, BUT also he doesn't care about his students whatever happened!
This class was tough. He lectures the whole class period. He only gives three tests and they are long and difficult. There is no homework assigned. He gives you study guides but it's not enough to study off of for his 75 question tests.
Professor Mbaku is very knowledgeable about Economics. This was my hardest class this semester. The class is mainly tests. He did give some extra credit. If you go to class take notes and review your notes and study the notes that the professor gives you , you should do ok. He is very willing to meet with students you just have to ask.
Really nice guy and VERY knowledgeable. He has good stories and examples of what he's teaching, but taking what you learned in class and applying it to studying for tests is difficult. It seemed that what I took notes on in class was not what was on the test. Only assignments are 3 tests and some extra credit if you don't do good on the tests.
He is the worst professor in my life, he doesn't care about his students and the tests waaaaaaaay hard. won't take this class with him again.
He is rude to his students, and he doesn't care about how you're doing in his class at all, I went to his office to talk about my academic status and the only answer he could say is "You Will Fail anyway." Guss what? YES, I did fail, BUT when I retook the class with another professor I had B+.
Genuine professor who knows what hes talking about. Loves to reference Seinfeld, funny guy. Doesn't use online grading at all or canvas much, keep track of your own grade, easy to do. Goes over material VERY thoroughly, repeats core concepts frequently. Pay attention, come to class, crack the book once in a while, easy A. Few assignments/tests.
He is ok, but you need to work hard. Make sure to do everything he needs because he doesn't listen to you if you have an emergency. Overall, would not recommend him.
He was a nice guy, but teaching style didn't work for me. We hardly had any homework and only tests seemed to be put on the grade. Also, didn't know what grade you would have until posted at end of semester.
Economics majors: If you want the opportunity to understand difficult economic concepts then Mbaku is the guy! He makes hard concepts easy to understand with lots of great examples. Non-economics majors: Mbaku is a great professor but if you don't go to class then don't bother taking an economics course from him. Lectures are crucial with Mbaku.
I do not recommend this professor. He's a cool guy but his lectures don't seem to relate to his tests. Tests are very difficult and are the only thing on your grade. He does not use Canvas either, which was difficult for me. If you have the opportunity, save your GPA and take this class from someone else.
Dr. Mbaku is one of my favorite professors I've had. The people complaining that his tests were too hard were most likely the same people who skipped the whole semester. I had a very easy time talking to him and he cared about my questions. If you do the reading and the studying, you should do well in his class.
Wouldn't take with him again, hard to follow ... hard to talk to and hard exams.
It was a mistake taking this class with him, ECON is easy & I am sure it's an interesting subject but not with him. Overall he teaches this class so he should have something to say! I would not recommend him if you want to understand or to save your GPA. Though you can check positive comments and go with them, it's just opinions.
Prof Mbaku is a good guy... but he is not a great teacher. His lecture is so hard to understand with his accent and fast pace of material. He does have hilarious stories though which was the only thing that kept me motivated to come to class. Homework isnt hard but his tests are absolutely brutal! If you can try someone else, if not buckle up!
Mbaku was great at teaching and breaking down microeconomics. He also teaches straight out of the book. He doesn't really do study guides though, and his tests are long and hard. But it is not hard to pass. He is reasonable and will help you if you talk to him.
He lectures and sometimes its hard to follow. Take extremely good notes! Take notes on his examples not just from the board! He drops the lowest of the two mid-terms. Make sure you ace the homework. Read the book! I got a C on all the tests and got a B in the class. He makes you work for it and he isn't the most organized compared to other teachers
Dr. Mbaku is a wealth of knowledge and experience! He comes from a really diverse background and his lectures reflect that. He often teaches using real-world examples in his lectures so be prepared for storytelling. Great instructor for theory-based courses, not for math/application ones though. Memorize the study guide and you'll pass just fine.
he just lectures a lot and expects you to know everthing just by listening to him once and then reading the textbook... his teaching skills were sub par and it was hard to pay attention in lecture. Theres no material to study for tests and he only grades the tests. luckily the material wasnt super hard so i passed.
John Mbaku is a really great guy! He seems to care about his students and the work they do. Unfortunately, important topics and lectures can get VERY sidetracked by comedic anecdotes or funny stories. It is an entertaining class but you have to practically teach yourself through the textbook.
Mbaku is passionate about what he teaches and really wants his students to learn and apply the curriculum. He has a lot of experience and is very knowledgeable. He gave us a total of 7 homework assignments plus 3 exams covering multiple chapters. The class is an easy A with him if you are in class listening to his lectures. I barely used the book.
He is a great professor. He likes to go off on tangents about Red Lobster and Beer a lot but he helps you to understand eventually.
Do not take an ONLINE class from Mbaku. Easy class, horrible professor. Weekly lectures exceed 4 hours in length. You are only graded on 2 midterms and 1 final. Each exam is from 8am-11:30am on a VERY SPECIFIC DATE, and you are given LESS THAN A WEEKS HEADS UP. No makeup. If you work a full time job, you risk being fired for taking entire days off.
I agree with the review below. I am not sure why he didn't give us full-time workers/dads a more reasonable time to do take tests. He would also respond in a very rude manner, like assuming from the get-go that I was trying to take advantage. I would avoid if you can. Also, find someone who has real life work experience outside of teaching college
I don't know about in person but online it's an aweful experience. His lectures weekly can be up to 4 hours long and usually not less then 3 hours. He has test dates on very specific dates and times with no way to exchange. I had a test during class and still wouldn't move it. He's also very rude when messaging him it. Wouldn't recommend for online
This class was overall okay, but there is no homework (which actually was not helpful) because when it came to the tests, you had zero idea what was going to be on it. I learned mostly from YouTube and did alright. You will do great in the class but only if you are willing to do the work. You have to be VERY prepared and diligent.
He was a pretty good professor, his class was set up in a way that made it easy to understand. For an online class he was great at explaining hard concepts. I would definitely take his class again.
I really enjoyed his class, the videos were easy to follow. As long as you study for the tests, then this class is perfect. He does tend to go on little rants about stuff, but overall a great teacher.
Horrible class. Professor is very unorganized and it is so hard to find the material provided because of it. He post multiple 3-4hr+ videos that are dreading to watch. There is no homework which means your entire grade relies off your exams, and the exams are difficult. When emailing him he will leave ignorant responses or no response at all.
He really stuck out his neck for me when I was falling behind during Covid. I can't say for certain how he would act during regular classes, but I can guarantee that if you are genuinely struggling with his class and ask for help, he will do everything he can to help you out.
I loved this class, I took it during covid. His lectures were easy to follow, and very informative. The lectures were pretty long, but as long as you paid attention and took notes the tests are super easy. Highly suggest this teacher if you are more if an independent learner.
I wish he would be a more nice professor. I respect him, but sometimes he is really easy to get angry for some reason. I hope you guys find a good professor who is familiar with you.. but his lecture is good and he explains very well.
Hands down the worst professor I've ever had. I took his online class and every week you have these 4 hr+ rambling lectures that are an absolute pain to get through. There is no homework so you have no clue what is on his tests, and the tests themselves are ridiculously hard. Also when trying to email him he is extremely arrogant and rude. 0/10 bad
DO NOT TAKE FROM THIS PROFESSOR. He doesn't teach the class, he just gives you the chapter and an exam. He has chapter homework assignments but has no idea what's actually in the book. Then insults you because he doesn't know what's in the book.
John loves his 3-4 hour lectures and condescending comments in grading. The actual class material is pretty easy, but the way it's executed by this professor is just painful. If you have no other choice in professor I recommend playing his lectures in the background while you do something else. Actually important notes can be compressed way down.
Dr. Mbaku has some long lectures but theyre extremely thorough and eye opening. He has some great in-sites to the application of economics to underdeveloped-developed countries. Listen to the lectures and take notes and youll do great. Would recommend.
This is the most arrogant professor I have ever worked with. He will respond when trying to email him, but he is rude and disrespectful in his answers. He assumes you can read his mind. He only gives a few assignments, and when he grades your homework, he is condescending even if he gives you total points. If you have a choice of another, do so.
Very arrogant teacher, every time I reach out to him with a question, he either doesn't respond or talks down to me. I accidentally called him Mr. Mbaku in one of my emails, and he responded back by saying I can refer to him as Dr. Mbaku or professor Mbaku. That with the fact that he hands out lectures that can exceed 4 hours every week.
Find someone else to take from. This professor is rude and degrading in all responses, comments, and lectures. Seriously even if this is the only professor, WAIT and take it another semester or get on the waiting list for someone else. Do not waste your time or money on this professor. You WILL regret it if you do. DO NOT TAKE FROM THIS PROFESSOR!
I WOULD NOT recommend taking this professor. He is very rude and degrading, as well as a very tough grader. I've never been talked to the way this professor talks to me. He makes you feel like you're stupid. On top of that, he messages you with a paragraph EVERY DAY at around 7AM (not an exaggeration), which becomes annoying.
Wants you to watch 5-6 60min videos a week and homework is very difficult and makes no sense.
This professor was terrible he told me my writing was unlegitable (all my roommates disagree fully) and didn't help me with questions he would just state "wrong" DONT TAKE THIS CALSS WITH THIS PROFESSOR!
I don't feel Mbaku is rude when he messages you. Also just do other stuff while having the lectures in the background. Each homework assignment has a replica example with different numbers which makes it really easy to do the assignments. I scored higher on tests when I took the practice tests before (some questions are the same on the test).
I hope this raises his ratings as this class has been enjoyable so far. He does have very informative lectures but they are easy to understand and follow. He has worked diligently at ensuring that we all have access to the book required even though the book company has had issues making our textbook available on Canvas.
Let it be known that Dr. Mbaku's courses are indeed challenging, while also being very informative and rewarding. While he can be harsh with his responses, he always tells me exactly what I needed to hear in order to improve my performance in the class. He is difficult to work with and can be frustrating at times but he is very intelligent.
Professor Mbaku is terrible, he grades super harshly and does not give any positive feedback about assignments. He is quite degrading and disrespectful. Were required to watch multiple video lectures that he doesn't even go over all the things were supposed to know for the homework. He makes you re-do things without even telling how to fix it.
He's very mean when he gives feedback. He does not do it to help you learn, just to point out what you did wrong and if you were a better student you would not have this bad of a grade. I have taken other economics classes and none of them were this ridiculous. That is all because the professor does not teach or communicate like a teacher should.
Pros: He is available for help outside of the classroom. He offers extra credit that goes toward your final. He also drops your lowest exam score. Cons: Boring lectures, and I mean excruciatingly boring. A lot of weird extra information and stories that aren't productive. Language barrier. Ugly/unorganized presentations. Mislabeled graphs on exam.
I took his class online this fall semester and it was terrible. The only thing that counts on your grade are the three big exams. His lectures are long oftentimes three to four 45-60 minute lectures a week on top of the homework that doesn't even count. His lectures are hard to follow and very very confusing.
Only grades posted in this class are tests. If you are a poor M.C. test taker I would stray away from his class. Final was semi comprehensive. There was one extra cred assignment worth 20 points which goes a long way in his class. I would cram his lectures on 2x speed the day before the test had to be taken, roughly 10hrs of lecture per test.
Don't take this class. This guy is a terrible teacher, he recorded dozens of lectures years ago and he just draws a paycheck from weber state while you try and figure out what he is saying in the pre recorded lectures.
He just had a ton of lectures prerecorded; except he has a very thick accent that makes him impossible to understand. The only thing that goes on your grade is 4 tests with no assignments to cushion if you do poorly.
Very rude and disrespectful professor. Find a different professor if you have to take this class.
I had a hard time understanding what he was saying in the lectures (although that part wasn't his fault), the powerpoints did not contain all of the information needed for the class, his feedback on assignments was unclear and rather unhelpful for me, and I was never quite able to grasp the material.
This dude is absolutely phenomenal! He writes with the swagger of a genius and the IQ of a dropped calculator. Every email reads like the work of someone who thinks he's delivering divine wisdom, yet somehow can't grasp basic coherence.
This guy had us write down the answers to a test on a paper, take a picture of that paper, and email it to him for an online class (way behind the times). I'm honestly not sure he knew how to use canvas. And yeah like everyone says, the class is just watching a bunch of pre recorded videos from years ago.
I really tried to give this guy a chance, but reality is, he's not the best. He gives out old lectures from years ago, barely covers information in the lectures, and then gets mad when you have no idea what you're doing. Chances are, if you're confused about something, you can expect a stern email response about "If this were the real world."
a very rude , condescending guy. He believes he knows everything. None of his material is useful for personal growth. Likes to talk about general stuff. School is the only place for him to scold students. After all, he likes to boast about his titles at the end of his email.
If a professor is always late for class and likes to cancel on you, it says everything about his character. Like everyone else has said in the section, DO NOT expect anything LEARNED in this class. Waste of time and money
The fact that this dude is hired by the school should be a research project itself. He would like to do some deep research about that.
Hard grader. Do not take this class.
Hard grader. Very difficult to reach . Plus, the grading criteria is just unfair with 89 and 81 being categorized the same as a B . DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
19%
Textbook Required
25%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.82 avg changeRatings by Course
ECON4170
4.0
(1)ECON4070
3.0
(2)ECON3110
2.5
(2)ECON2010
2.4
(80)ECON4020
2.0
(3)Difficulty by Course
2010
5.0
QUAN2400
4.0
ECON3110
4.0
ECON4170
4.0
ECON4020
3.7