3.0
Quality3.5
Difficulty80%
Would Retake94
Reviews80%
Would Retake
94
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
16
4
26
3
20
2
21
1
11
What Students Say
“Professor Stipe seems boring and not interesting, but he is much more”
CAP115 - 4.0 rating“Although he is knowledgable, he is very outdated, he was a news writing way back”
CAP115 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
75%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.78 avg changeRatings by Course
CAP320
5.0
(1)MARKETING
4.0
(1)COM205
4.0
(1)CAP215
4.0
(2)CAP310
3.9
(9)Difficulty by Course
CAP320
4.0
CAP220
4.0
CAP310
3.7
CAP210
3.6
CAP215
3.5
Reviews (94)
I think he is a horrible professor. He doesn't teach anything, he makes you buy a book then read it and gives pointless assignments. He grades more on english and citing then he does on the content of the paper. He isn't clear at all. Just a bad teacher
Terrible teacher stuck in his own world. Grades your papers on how many sources you used, not what you write about. He's very critical of peoples' personalities and styles. He makes you buy two books that he admits are horrible.
My biggest waist of time and money. Requires books that have out-dated info (and knows it), grades on # of sources in assignments, not content. Did not learn one helpful thing. Is very vague. Avoid at all costs!!!
Boring,sounds like Kermit the Frog,assigns too many projects due in the same week,fairly easy until the last month of class.The 2 books are dumb but needed,he admits they are old though.Gives a quiz every class period and you discuss them after(nohelp).
HAHA, Kermit the Frog. Gotta love that previous comment! So so true. He's a nice guy, but its obvious he hates teaching the class as much as we hate the class. That spells doom...it sucks. Grades on number of references rather than content of the paper.
He gives pointless assignments which take FOREVER to complete for a 100-level course!! The worst part is that he makes things harder than they need to be, and you still learn NOTHING. The WHOLE class HATES him, Take indep. Study if u can!!!
Very nice man and very interesting if you talk to him. He loves his job, but his class is boring and his assignments are time consuming. Easy enough though if you show up to class.
uh, yeah take someone else, ANYONE else. Gives way too much work which is way too time consuming, just makes the class a whole lot more difficult and confusing than necessary. The only thing more boring than this class is the way he presents it.
Too many pointless assignments, boring lectures, and off the wall grading scale. I learned more from the book, but his attendence policy forced me to go to class. Most of the material was covered in high school.
Very willing to help you with work. However, expects many assignments to be done quickly. Gives to many quizzes with a lot of information.
John is a good guy. He loves the subject, and knows a lot of stuff! The class though, is very dull, and time consuming. I did learn a lot, but it dominated a lot of my time. My advice is to get on top of the assignments right away, and not wait til the last minute. It's easy to get an A though.
Avoid this class if possible. Quizzes every class, and assignments require to much time. There is no point in asking for help, he will tell you something and mark you down for doing it. :(
John is a very nice guy, however the class was extremely boring and there's a quiz every class.
Doesn't give you clear answers on anything. The assignments aren't too hard, but they take alot of time. Quizes are on BB but are still pretty hard, badly worded. Rediculous project.
OK so there are a great deal of quizes, but they don't take that much time to prepare for. Extra credit is always an option. The project is a lot of work, but it prepares you for later CAP courses.
A fairly easy class, but he's very unclear on a lot of things. The main project seemed pointless and had little to do with marketing or the rest of the material.
Not as bad as ppl make him out to be. he let the class decide class rules, test format (BB, open book/note, how many, how much they were worth, etc). Lots of group work. Project is long and a lot of work. lecturs can be boring. overall not a bad class at all. participate in the project and take the tests and you'll do fine.
Very negative attitude.He never taught, the class is just student presentations everyday. Doesn't like questions. If you don't know answers to questions he asks but never taught about he treats you like you're worthless. Shouldn't be teaching, you can tell he doesn't like it and isn't goot at it. Very unclear about assignments and expectiations
If you absolutely have to take a class with this man for your major, CHANGE YOUR MAJOR ( his classes are known for convincing students to do so). I have rarely met a professor who made him/herself less clear than Stipe. He gives very little direction for assignments and blames you as the student if it is not perfect, then grades "accordingly."
Don't take this man!!! If all the other classes are full ask to be in a different one or just wait until next semester to get into 115. I got a B in the class but that's b/c i worked my butt off to do so. He told me that he would never tell students what he's looking for and that we need to figure it out for ourself. But he still gets mad.
He is an alright teacher. He doesn't clarify or give a lot of clairty because in the work place you won't have that benifit. He is willing to help the only complaint I have is that the end of term project requirements are not laid out as well as they should be and he makes you pick something instead of giving you something like in the real world.
This professor is unclear, and not very helpful especially, when it came to advertising campaigns. Attendance is very important and all you do is prepare presentations and take quizzes. He really doesn't teach and when you ask questions he gets mad. I would suggest another professor for CAP 210.
Can be intimadating at first. Really cares about his students and gets them involved. Downfall: The final campaign is unclear and hard but he is more than willing to help outside of class. Good Professor and I would take him again
No Comments
Professor Stipe was a lot of fun. He is always willing to help students, but he's not going to just hand over the information to you. You have to work at it... or as he says, jump in feet first. In time everything will fall into place and you'll be surprised how much you've learned about case studies.
Professor Stipe I think gets a bad rep. He's a hard professor that will push you, but he is also very helpful, and cares about his students. His final project for CAP 215 (? or 210) is a lot of fun, and my group aced it. The DEVOS project, sucks
TO DEFEND STIPE: if you're paper doesn't have a lot of sources: you probably have crap for content as well. He's tough, but this is college, grow up. cap115 is invaluable. and cap210 wasn't bad, he expects you to be independent and responsible, but is very helpful during office hours.
You'll be glad you took him for 310. It's pretty clear what he wants from you and the work load is not bad at all. You'll learn a lot about advertising. I had him for 115 and thought he was a really bad professor (confusing, huge work load). Heard the same about 210. I think it all depends on the class. At least he is a really nice guy.
This was a great class. You learned a lot and did a lot of hands on activities. I wouldn't recommend Stipe for a fundamental class such as CAP 115, but for upper level classes he's great. You will walk out appreciating this class & all that you have learned.
Yes, the class and assignments are kind of useless. But Professor Stipe is more than willing to help outside of class, and offers more explanations when things are unclear. Not a bad guy..
Stipe was not my favorite. He knows his stuff very well...almost too well. He tends to come across as condescending and can sometimes be rude. I wouldn't suggest taking him if you have other options for profs.
He can be very intimidating, I hated him the first class I had with him, but once you get used to how he grades you can get good grades in his class. He's very picky on details. You have to think things through with this class before turning in your assignment, he can tell if you didn't. He's very intelligent and knows what he's talking about.
After reading the comments I am so glad I am not the ONLY one who feels this way! He is so unclear, he says one thing than contradicts himself and says another. He gets irrationally mad for no reason and I found him to be very unhelpful out of class hours. he a grumpy old man, and it's time to retire.
Terrible professor. Beware of this class. The things he has you do are pointless. We have online quizzes (almost) every day, and then never talk about them in class. I usually can deal with most professors, but he's ridiculous. If you get stuck with him, I hope you really want an advertising degree, otherwise you'll switch your major. I did.
Terrible professor, i learned nothing, the text we used was from the early AOL era of internet research. It was one of the worst classes and professors i have ever had. avoid this man at all costs
RUN!!!! he's awful! vague explanations about assignments which will lead you to a big F, just dont take him!!!!
He can come off kind of mean or hard but really he teaches you what you need to especially if your going into advertising and need to do research. Good class. Don't show up late or absent. It takes too much off and makes you ineligible turn in any extra credit
His grading is ridiculous. There were a total of about 200 points so if you messed up it was hard to recover. The huge project was worth nothing so you felt like you did all this work for nothing. Quizzes on every chapter and you're going to read a (LONG) chapter a night. Hes really not all that bad of a prof, just super hard.
People don't give him enough credit, he is a quality teacher. Extremely vague and sometimes hard to follow. But teaches material well, and knows his stuff. If you try then you will get a good grade.
The entire second half of the class he virtually just showed us ads and award winning ads. I wasn't very helpful in describing what he wants to see in an assignment. One of the biggest problems with him is his tight fisted grip on a 100% grade for any assignment. Not enough points in the class to make up losses.
He really wasn't that bad of a prof. I talked to him after class one day and he was very helpful to me when helping me with my major and such. I got a A- in his class but I had to work for it. His online quizzes are pretty hard which i think was the worst part. If you participate in his class you'll do well because he'll get to know you better
RUN!!!! He is one of the worst professor I have ever had a GVSU. He doesn't teach, you teach yourself throughout the entire semester. You have to read for EVERY class and you have quizzes over EVERY reading. I put in more work for this class than all my others combined, and this is still my lowest grade!
I also had him for CAP 115. Awful prof! You have to teach yourself everything, he's not very helpful and is hard to get ahold of. His grading scale makes no sense and he is very scatter brained. There are better profs out there, stay away.
Stipe is an interesting professor. He gets extremely angry if he has to explain things more than once, but he never explains things clearly. It is a lot of work, but you learn. He is rude quite often though.
Prof Stipe isn't a bad guy. For my primary research project, I ended up doing most of the work, and he was very understanding and helped me a lot. He takes an interest in his students, so do yourself a favor and get to know him- it really pays off.
Prof. Stipe is hands down one of the best professors I have ever had. He challenges you, and expects you to live up to your potential. If your goal in life is to skate by and not put in any effort, then don't waste his time. If you want to learn, he will go out of his way to make sure you do.
Honestly a great prof. The class can be boring but that's because it's research. Who actually likes to do research? Stipe can be a bit hard but he will teach you everything you need to know about researching. Pay attention during class you should have no problems at all. GO STIPE!!!
Does not teach! Long reading assignments after every class. He is very confusing, only vaguely explains assignments and then massacres work. Mid way through this class the class average grade was 65%
Isn't worth it, He doesn't teach, isn't clear on assignment and won't help you if you dont understand the assignment. He thinks he's helping but he is only confusing me more. He will think you now understand and end the conversation. He grades work very hard and won't defend his grading.--------------------- Don't take him if at all possible.
I've had Stipe for three classes and will have him again next semester. He is one of the better professors I have had at GVSU. He is always willing to help, challenging, and makes us live up to our potential. If you don't want to learn, then find one of those easy professors who doesn't make you work. But, if you care to gain knowledge, take Stipe.
Nice guy, offers extra credit. He is challenging. The classes has a lot of quizzes which are impossible to get perfect scores on, but you can take them as many times as you want! He does this Campaign every semester which is very intense (Not so Easy)
People say he is not a clear professor, but that is because Stipe wants students to be creative and use their own knowledge to complete assignments. He doesn't want to spoon feed you.. that is why if you want an easy A don't take him.. he will make you you learn. I have had him for four courses and wish I could take him again. He is FANTASTIC!
Stipe is high quality. He is tough on on his students, but that's because he honestly wants you to reach your full potential.
Prof. Stipe does want his students to do well and he pushes you to your full potential.. which can be really frustrating. He grades weird and he is a little rude at times. Definitely has favorites...
Nice to take a class with someone so experienced in the field. The best part about this class is that you will build a portfolio, even if you aren't going into advertising, its a great benefit to have. Gives a lot of work, but tries to break it down for you so its do-able. You just have to put in the time. I recommend this course with Prof.Stipe.
Let's just say he is not my favorite teacher. Doesn't tell you what you have to do on assignments. He makes you BEG for him to guide you through an assignment the slightest bit. Most of the time if you ask him a question he'll reply with, "it's in the book." He can be pretty rude at times also.
Definitely very knowledgable on this course, but can be very rude and doesn't clarify information. Doesn't usually explain assignments. He really cares about your success and pushes students to full potential, which is good but also annoying and can be frustrating.
Awful prof. Don't take him. I dropped my major because of his class.
Not many professors are willing to go out of their way to help their students like Professor Stipe. His class was the only bright spot on my schedule. There has never been a class that I have learned more from than the two classes I spent with him. Take him if you can, but don't complain if you can't keep up with his workload.
Some people don't like Prof Stipe but he is one of the best professors at GVSU. He is really specific about what he's grading you on and you can easily get an A if you put in the effort. If you're a good student he truly cares about you and will help you in any way possible. He's a nice guy with a tough exterior!
Professor Stipe is an awesome! He comes off as a tough but he is really nice. He is very specific on what is expected from you. His workload is heavier than other professors, but it is manageable. The advertising campaign is long, but he breaks it into sections. He is willing to go above and beyond to make sure you understand what is expected.
Awesome professor, knows a ton about the subject and really wants his students to benefit and learn from the class!
Prof. Stipe is a GREAT professor. He truly wants to see his students succeed and will do whatever he can to help them. As long as you go to class and complete all of the work, it is pretty easy to get an A. I would definitely recommend him!
Professor Stipe is knowledgeable, but very rude. When I asked him to clarify something he replied with "It's not rocket science". You are paying for the classes you choose, so choose carefully. If you like a tough and semi-insensitive professor, he's the one for you!
Be ready to work hard! This is not an easy A class. However if you want to actually learn, TAKE HIM!! No tests, no exams, yet a lot of cases & some group work. Already signed up for another class with him. He seems a bit unclear & confusing at times, but he wants you to learn and succeed. Great professor, recommending him!
Stipe really cares about his students learning about the advertising industry. He is very willing to meet with you and discuss anything you might not understand. He comes off a little condescending sometimes but its just who he is and he's actually a really funny, nice guy. Loved Professor Stipe
Stipe was very hard to get along with. Reason 1 was because he didn't like to explain things more than once. Reason 2 was because he got frustrated very easily. However, if he sees that you are putting your best foot forward, he's more than likely to be less abrasive. You have to have tough skin, but he is a good professor and very knowledgeable.
He is not that bad. He does give a lot of work and likes students to be involved in the class. He does use the book and there will be online quizzes every week. If you are a good student you will be fine. If you are a slacker on the other hand do not take him!
Stipe is one of the most condescending professors I have ever taken. He is rude and is not understanding whatsoever. Don't bother going to his office hours for help, he just treats you like a uneducated child and doesn't listen to a word you say. By far one of the worst professors I have ever had.
He's a great professor. He's hilarious. His sense of humor is a bit dry, and it can sometimes come off as rude, but it's not.He's the most understanding professor I've had thus far. As long as you do the assignments, there's no way to fail. He uses the book a lot, for BB quizes, but they're also pretty hard to fail. Take advantage of office hours!
Stipe can be confusing and although it seems like he's being vague, he just wants you to figure it out for yourself - and it really does help you a lot more than him telling you what to do. He cares so much about his students' success and everything he does is to benefit you. It does take time to get used to his teaching style but worth it!
He is clearly good at what he does and tries to help students by having them figure out the assignments on their own. His grading scale is somewhat stressful, but extra credit points can raise you MULTIPLE percentages. The text was only used at the start of the semester. If you want a good grade, you must prove you care and are trying.
Stipe is an awesome professor. He expects a lot from you but he is very clear on what is expected of you. If you can follow instructions well and don't fall behind on things you should be fine. I would definitely recommend him! I learned so much and I am taking a different class with him next semester. It won't be easy but it was worth it!
Stipe is a great professor! He has worked in the industry and has a lot to contribute to students. He is very clear on his expectations and will grade hard, but for your own good. He really cares about his students and how they do in the course as well as in life. Grading scale is 100 points for 100%, so you have to work hard!
Although he is knowledgable, he is very outdated, he was a news writing way back. He sets strict guidelines on assignments and nobody in my class could get an A. He is hardheaded and refuses to listen if you have a concern. Try your hardest to get a different professor, I suggest Howard or Penning if you want to be treated with respect.
Prof Stipe is either love or hate. He is outdated in some areas and you'll prob. laugh when he uses the computer, but he has a decent amount of knowledge. He just seems to think some things are his way or no way. Quizzes every week on the chapters (not bad) you write copy for a diff. type of ad each week- it's not a bad way to learn!
Frustrating. Very strict and specific grading/teaching style. He actually is a nice guy (I went in for office hours A LOT), but extremely frustrating as a professor. I never did anything right, and was always confused as to what he really wanted. I definitely wouldn't take him again. By the way, 100 total pts. for the class is RIDICULOUS!
I really enjoyed having Stipe as a professor. He was very hands on and helpful with APA format when I had never done it before. I really appreciated his help and his encouragement in the course
Professor Stipe was one of my favorite teachers. He is very hard grader because the class was only worth 100 pts. You have no tests but there are two papers and multiple quizzes both online and in class. The book is your bible for the class. Helped me so much. If you follow all the instructions for each assignment easy class to pass.
Not a patient guy. If u want to fight a grade, he lets u, but sure doesn't express any positive attitudes when u try. His schedule is super clear, but when he assigns something during class, make sure u write it down. One assignment, 90% of class didnt hear the length requirement and lost big points. Course was useful over all.
Very interesting course. Learned all the main points of advertising as had hoped. He assigned a campaign paper for this. DO TAKE CAP115 either before or same time. or DO a take a ton of time with APA manual. Media buying for the ad campaign was most complicating. Pretty sure everyone in class did the math wrong and instructions were super unclear
The worst professor I have ever taken. His classes are boring and pointless. He wastes time teaching things we already know such as using a search engine... AVOID if possible.
If you ever wanted to feel like you were in high school during college take this class. With an attendance policy where 2 tardies equals an absence, and using a cell phone in class gets points removed from your final score.
He was a good professor. He had a lot of assignments, but he doesn't assign them until the class before they are due. Read for quizzes. Usually the answers are the bold words. Offers lots of extra credit! He gives lots of feedback to students work and is always willing to stay after and help students. I'd take him.
Professor Stipe seems boring and not interesting, but he is much more. I have never learned so much from all the professors I have has at GVSU so far. He is tough at grading, but he truly cares about all of his students. He is fair with grading and gives out a lot of extra credit. I would take this class if you wanna learn and are committed.
Stipe is a tough professor but if you are willing to do the work you will learn a lot and get a good grade. He knows the industry well and genuinely cares about the students. Prove to him you are a hard worker. Loves when students come in and get help in office hours. I have had him for 3 classes and found all 3 very helpful.
I love John Stipe. He's a tough-love kind of guy. He wants YOU to figure things out and he wants you to fail a little bit too. But he means very well-- that was the only class I've ever taken in college that I left and I felt like I had grown as a person, and as a student at GVSU.
Worst professor I have had at GVSU. I put forth lots of effort and still received a bad grade. He grades like we are in a 400 level class. Take this class if you want to fail
Really enjoyed this class and 210. He's very specific but he will take time to explain things if you go to his office. Be prepared to memorize the APA book but it's very worth it for the major. He becomes really excited with students who want to learn. I would highly recommend taking his classes.
Had him for 210 & 310. Stipe gets a lot of hate because he actually makes you work for the grade you want & doesn't spoon feed like in high school. He can be unspecific with assignment instructions at times (which can be frustrating), but he is a wonderful professor who wants you to LEARN how to thrive in the advertising industry, not just get by.
Overall I would be hesitant to complain about Stipe because he is very dedicate prof who wants you to success in life and career. We had some good talks. However, his class gave me a hard time because he was so strict in his participation rules, tough grader and lots of online quizzes here and there that you might forget. Would not take again.
He is a good professor but definitely makes you work for your grade.
Nice guy who knows his stuff, but a ton of work for this class. Assignments due every class period. Lots of busy work. But he's been doing this for decades so he knows what he's talking about. Just a little dry sometimes.
Professor Stipe's class can be frustrating at times due to his instructions being very vague, but if you are lost/have any questions he is more than willing to help. Attendance is a must. Once everything is said & done, you will be happy you took his class. You will take something from it that will actually benefit your future
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
75%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.78 avg changeRatings by Course
CAP320
5.0
(1)MARKETING
4.0
(1)COM205
4.0
(1)CAP215
4.0
(2)CAP310
3.9
(9)Difficulty by Course
CAP320
4.0
CAP220
4.0
CAP310
3.7
CAP210
3.6
CAP215
3.5