3.5
Quality2.0
Difficulty74%
Would Retake246
Reviews74%
Would Retake
246
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
81
4
68
3
47
2
33
1
17
What Students Say
“He's the best professor ever, he canceled classes frequently but that didn't even matter since he made his classes fun”
ECON102 - 5.0 rating“He has not deepened my understanding of econ”
ECON102 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
26%
Textbook Required
53%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.30 avg changeRatings by Course
ECON 102
5.0
(1)ECON302
4.4
(14)ECON
4.3
(4)ECON202
4.1
(16)ECON101
4.0
(3)Difficulty by Course
102
3.0
ECON101
2.3
ECON202
2.3
ECON
2.3
ECON103
2.1
Reviews (246)
Great Economic Statistics teacher. Examples are to the point, and he makes even hard statistic concepts easy to understand. Test reflect exactly what is taught and there are no surprises. Good lecturer too, highly recommend choosing him for any econ classes you can.
Easy class, tests easy, just as long as you understand it. He used his own stuff but made us buy the notepacket. Don't get the textbook you dont need it.
He was an okay professor but he has horrible organization. He used another teacher's course packet, lecture slides, and mallards and tested on random concepts from all over the place. If he had his class in order, it would have been a breeze.
Though the class itself is difficult, Professor Vazquez really tries to make it more understandable. He is always willing to help and involves students in class discussion. I would recommend him if you have to take this course.
Great teacher. Explains everything clearly. A tremendous imporvement on Baer or Gothiel. Has a great accent too. Dresses so sharply!
Vazquez was a nice guy, but his class is completely unorganized. He used another teachers slides, and then posted different ones online. He was all over the place and exams tested concepts that we never covered in class. He made the class much more complicated than it should have been.
I've never actually gone to office hours or anything for him, but from lecture he's pretty clear. Plus he's a snazzy dresser and man that accent whew. Sorry I might need a moment.
Jose is such an amazing guy! He's very skilled at economics! He's also pretty hunky! He dresses so nicely... I wish every guy dressed like him. And he's really easy to approach and talk to. He'll explain anything, and he gets back to every email he receives.
This is the guy you want to take. Much easier than Schultz. You want to get in good with your TA becuase he might help your grade out in the end if your TA thinks you were deserving. Take Wen for a TA if you can. She rocks!
Omg i love this guy Vasquez, one of the best professor in this univerity, he goes very easy on the exams, and the overall course is fairly student friendly so u won't be stressed out, highly recommended
As everyone else said, he did dress rather well! For someone who had to take the class for a gen. ed., but hates numbers/econ, this was a great class. He explains things really well and grades fairly. If you can get Harry Tsang as your TA, he's really helpful (and a little crazy).
I love Jose, and you will too. I think he actually might be associated with 202 next semester, but definitely give him a try. If his dressing doens't impress you enough, then maybe his teaching will! :)
Great Professor. There are no supprises on the exams, especially if you go to review sessions and are in class before taking the exams.
Jose is amazing! He is very clear, very concise, and there will never be surprises on the exams. Don't take econ with any other professors if you have a chance to take it with Jose!
He's got that fire, what else can you say. Plus, he's good with numbers. You wanna know what your chances are with him.... he could probably calculate them for you.
He is a funny guy. He explains things very well and his tests are relatively easy (no suprises- you know what will be on the test). Such a snazzy dresser- i'm sure if I paid as much attention to the lecture as I did his appearance I would have done better.
His beautiful accent made paying attention in my 8am with Professor Jose Vazquez no problem. He was very helpful and a great dresser, not to mention the fact that he's somewhat young and with it! I went to his office to discuss a paper and he was burning incense.
Good and fair prof.
I already took 2 classes that he teaches and am taking the another one next semester. He is definitely easier then the other professors though at times I feel I'm not learning what I need to learn. Class is very organized. He makes millions of mistakes on his powerpoints.
I hated him at the beginning of the class because it seemed like he was not explaining the things that were on the test. It is a very differnt way of thinking about economics. His first test will be a shock, but once you realize how he wants you to think. THe material is pretty easy. 3 tests, no quizzes, and easy online HW's
He is interesting to listen to in class, though sometimes his accent can get in the way.
Prof. Vazquez keeps lectures interesting, and I've learned a lot this semester.
This teacher was horrible, his accent got in the way of my learning and he was just too difficult to learn from. My TA spoke like she just got off the boat from China.
Great professor, was clever in the way he taught. Put many of the economic topics into perspective with great examples. His tests aren't the easiest, but I learned a lot in his class, I really recommend him.
Vasquez wants people to do well. The first exam is overwhelming (50% mean) because it is unlike anything you've ever taken. Text not necessary. Attend lecture, he often takes attendance through turning in class labs. 2nd and 3rd exams he allows cheat sheets, very similar format to 1st exam. Study by doing homework and lab questions several times.
Highly recommended. Econ 302 is supposed to be an extremely difficult class, and it is. But if you take it with Vazquez, you'll feel a lot better. Much better to take it with him than any other professor. He's a fun guy and you'll really enjoy him.
The tests are extremely ambiguous and questions sometimes deal with the craziest topics I've ever heard discussed in economics! Sure, he explains things well, AFTER the test is done and people bombard with questions due to his lack of ability to create a clear and straightforward test! Many people seem to be orgasming over his dress, but who cares?
I agree with the comment below mine, students should understand material before the test, not after he answers thier questions regarding the test. He also has a very unclear grading system that make it impossible to accurately gauge your progress in the class. He tries very hard to make econ intersting, but he still fails as an effective teacher.
Awesome professor!
Much harder class than I thought it would be because his tests are ambigious. He is a good teacher but wierd grader.
Wow.. where do you even begin. Honestly, out of my past 3 years at U of I, "Jose" is by far the worst professor I ever had. He has so many mistakes and errors on his homeworks, exams and everything in between it's unreal that he is still employed at the University. His tests are ambiguous, his grading style is ridiculous, and he has wasted my life.
I enjoyed his class, though it was pretty difficult. Lowest grade I've received at U of I.
Don't know if he still teaches this section. I took all his lecture notes and helpful examples for granted and ended up with a B in the class -- if I hadn't, I would have had an A. He is really organized and will take the time to sit down with you. Recommended! 302 is hard in general, don't know about his teaching in that class.
First off, I never used the book. I would advise you to just borrow one, if ever needed. I have Vazquez again for 202. His exam questions are quite vague. I feel like I sufficiently argue that multiple answers are right depending on how you read the question. My TA was terrible so I never went to discussion.If you have a good TA, they help with HW.
Pretty easy class. Basic stats are learned, nothing really too tricky. He moves slowly so it's easy to keep up. First exam was extremely easy, 2nd pretty tough, 3rd alright. Cumulative Final, HW is online, not too bad.
This guy is great. Don't need the book. His lectures have tons of mistakes but with all drug and beer examples this is the only class i went to during the semester. The dude is simply a baller. Oh and supposedly he's my father-in-law.
Great professor, very helpful. The class is weighted very heavily, but its easy to get a B or A. If you show up to class and do the labs you automatically get extra credit, and class is usually pretty funny.
SexY :-)
Great Professor. Keeps dry material interesting.
Alright teacher, however we're 5 weeks behind. Lets you use cheat sheets on all exams, and drops the lowest exam grade - the material he teaches is extremely ambiguous though.
Fundamentally one of the easiest teachers you will ever have - however he doesn't teach very well. Lets you use cheat sheets on exams and gives extra credit if you attend lecture. The problem is he asks VERY ambiguous questions on the exams. I would still pick him over any other teacher though.
he was very unapproachable. when i got sick and spent part of the day in the hospital and missed an exam b/c i had a 102.3 temp, he refused to let me make it up although i had a doctor's note. i felt like i was being treated unfairly, almost as if i was being punished for getting sick. i was very upset over this.
Jose's a good professor, but he has the privilege of having some great TA's. Harry Tsang and Micah Pollak are great teaching assistants, and if you have either of them, you are very lucky. Jose has a great option of dropping your lowest midterm grade (out of three exams) which is good in case you have a bad night or anything like that. Good luck!
He is just awesome. If you took any kind of stats in HS you'll do just fine. He's so laid back and you get out of class early almost every lecture. Accent = TOTALLY HOT! If only his teaching skills were as good as his fashion sense...
What can I say? Jose is just that dude. His class is enjoyable and he is very fair. He lets you drop your lowest test score and his tests are not that bad. Reccomend him for any econ class. Much easier than everyone else.
This guy is a great teacher. He tells you exactly what you need to know for the exam. GREAT TEACHER! Sometimes, you will have to make an effort and study because some of the stuff may be fuzzy like a panda. BESIDES THAT HE IS HILARIOUS!!!! HE DRESSES LIKE HE IS GOING CLUBBING!! MY FRIENDS ALWAYS LAUGHED AT THAT!! SILLY JOSE!
202's similar to his 102. There are 3 midterms, one of which is dropped. Online hw, clickers. and a final. In fall 06, he basically made every waste $ on a crappy clicker (not an i-clicker). We were pretty angry. Go to the discussion for further help. Jose's exams have a lot of variance. Some are really easy, some are pretty hard.
I'm sure he knows his econ well, but is overall not a smart person. He certainly enjoys being himself. It's an easy class to take if it's required.
GREAT GUY!! The class was really hard and confusing (bcus i don't understand econ). But if you went in for help he made things REALLY clear! Our class had 3 take home exams and a TAKE HOME final! No work except for like 2 really busy weeks at the end and a term paper. REALLY nice HOT guy! amazing dresser too.
He sucks. The guy cant even speak or write in proper english and the tests are nothing like the homework or classwork. This was by far the most disappointing class I've taken at the university.
You get a cheat sheet on exams and your lowest grade is dropped, but that didn't make the class easy for me. Exams are pretty vague. I wasn't really a fan and didn't learn much, but I'd still take Vasquez over Gottheil when it comes to micro econ.
He is awful. Tries to make things "cool" and "interesting", but you just end up missing the point.. I wouldn't recommend this for Econ majors because you're actually going to need to know the material later. For all else, it's ok if you don't need to retain anything from this class.
Everything you learn is common sense. Many concepts arent even covered in class and often the concepts are just alluded to and arent directly engaged. After the first few weeks I stopped going to class, wound up with an A+. In terms of covering the material, easily the worst prof Ive had. That being said, the class is really easy.
i'm not a big fan. i took econ before, so i knew the concepts but when he would explain i would just end up confused. he likes to do examples and stuff BEFORE teaching the concept, which isnt helpful. he likes to walk around FA as he talks, which is distracting. but good news you get cheat sheets, tests all mc, drop lowest exam, and no book!
I found this class to be more difficult than I expected. His lectures, while fairly engaging, don't really do a good job of covering the material on the exams. The fact that one of the three major exam scores is dropped makes this class fairly easy, but don't go in expecting a cakewalk just because he isn't Gottheil.
Irresponsible and Incompetent Economics Professor who doesn?t teach very well (Agreed Fact). He uses the same PPP deck that he used 4 semesters ago, and he does not change the ERRORS in them. Once said, "Last semester nobody found this error" (thinks its funny) People like him because he lets the class use Cheat Sheets and drops your lowest exam.
Easiest econ teacher ever. He doesn't teach much though. But If his exams were any easier, it'd be unfair. You get a cheat sheet and he drops 1 exam grade. Gives extra credit with iclickers/labs, so theres an incentive to attend class. I never went, but read a little from the book to do the online homework. If you have common sense you'll get an A.
Ugh. This man is the most useless prof ever. I knew the material going in, but if anything he made it more confusing. He complicates the most basic material with irrelevant examples. probably better than gotheil though..
Really easy. Drops the lowest midterm. But lectures are just short of useless. They mostly contain pointless examples relating to parties/alcohol/sex. He thinks it helps keep college students attentive but it doesn't. Just reading the relevant chapters properly before the exam guarantees a good grade. Exams contain a lot of Aplia questions.
Jose is amazing! What a great guy! He is hilarious, cool, and HOT. He is hard to understand at first because of his accent, but you will get used to it. He is much better than Gottheil. If you have the choice between the two, take Jose all day :)
tricky exam...
Lectures are pretty pointless with examples pertaining to sex, drugs, or alcohol. Makes simple concepts confusing. However, if you have background knowledge in econ, this class should be a breeze for you. Get cheat sheets on tests and extra credit points from iClicker and labs.
Jose is the man. His keen fashion sense and stylish jeans make coming to class a must. He claims that he isn't trying to "trick" you on the tests but his exam questions are always tougher than his example questions. Beware of hard tests.
This class SHOULD be easy, but sadly it's a Gen Ed that's harder than it should be. The material is easy enough, but Vasquez' tests are ridiculously ambiguous, so you never know what he's really getting at. His lectures are pointless except for the occasional iClicker extra credit and he also seems to get crap TAs. Just read the book and good luck!
Vazquez seems like a pretty good guy and he dresses like a model, but his test have almost nothing to do with lecture. And the information in the lectures don't really allow you to truly comprehend economic principles; you have to use your book for that. Also, the test are way to hard for the material presented.
His tests did not seem to have to do with what he was teaching and some of the questions were ambiguous due to the way they were worded.
Tests were ridiculously hard compared to lecture material. Several of the questions had grammar errors as well which led to ambiguity.
I don't see why everyone is saying the material he teach in class is unrelated to microeconomics. He cut straight to the point. His tests are easy too. Anyway previous exams are the best material, read over textbook, and go over the clicker questions and you'll ace the course.
This course is easy and I think Jose is trying pretty hard to keep the students' interest. So I give him props. He basically provided everything[cheat sheet,taped lectures,previous exams,extra credit] you need to get an A, sadly people failed to take full advantage. He dresses well..but it doesn't suite his age.
Awesome professor. lots of bonus questions. you should definitely wait until you can get a class with him. goes circles around gohteil.
BEST ECON 102 Professor at U of I. Gets straight to the point in class material. Keeps students engaged. Jose is a genius.
Definitely a fun class and need to attend to get the 2 bonus points + bonus points on the exam. Wait for this guy to teach before taking gotheil.
He keeps the class interesting, the homework relates to the lecture material, but his tests were totally off. They were worded weirdly and were confusing. Even though I studied, I didn't do well on the tests, which messed up my grade.
Jose is not a bad professor...he's just a terrible test maker. It all seems relatively easy until you get his tests which were ambiguous as hell and you don't feel at all prepared for them.
Has to be the easiest professor for this class. four 6 question tests that you get a cheat sheet with anything you want on it. If you can take it with him absolutely do
Pretty easy course. A lot of online homework, 3 tests where cheat sheets are allowed, and a little extra credit offered throughout the semester. The extra credit wasn't really worth it based on the amount of work put into it, but it's good that it's there. I didn't go to lecture the majority of the semester and I still did well in the class.
Doesn't know what he's talking about, makes easy calculations seem like 500 level math theory. Tests are confusing as hell and lecture is pointless. Take it at a community college.
After forcing the entire class to read the syllabus and take a quiz on it to make sure we understood, he completely disregarded the syllabus and ignored the grading policies it outlined. He doesn't realize that pop quizzes don't make sense in an online setting. Weekly homework was long, and some questions were verbatim repeats of others. Avoid!
He was an okay lecturer but never responded to emails and basically refused to have any contact with students outside of class. He also forgot to submit our grades at the end of the semester, giving everyone a NR for the course and repeatedly blamed issues on "the grader" instead of taking responsibility for his own mistakes.
Awesome teacher. The class is pretty much a joke but he teaches you the material in a way that is really easy to understand. All of these negative posts are wrong.
Jose is the man. He keeps a subject that many find dull quite entertaining. The lectures are based off the text, but are much more conceptual than fact based. He provides a real world perspective on a very theoretical subject. HE IS AWESOME!
Jose is one of the best Econ professors that I have had. He makes lecture fun. I have NEVER fallen asleep in class.He always stay after class and after office hours to help answer questions. It's almost impossible to not get an A with all of the extra credits, drop lowest test score, straight-forward exams.I highly recommend him!
Jose goes above and beyond to make sure his students succeed. He offers extra credit and makes sure that everything you need to be successful on exams can be found online. He is a quality professor. I highly recommend him.
i love him soooo much. I have never saw such a charming professor. He explains everything well, and he is so hot. I really want to be his TA when i were a mater of econ.
Good teacher. Gives a lot of extra credit opportunities
By far the easiest 302 professor. This class was way easier than 102 and 103. He basically gives you the answers on the tests on compass and the homeworks are very simple. You drop your lowest test. Also a lot of extra credit. This really should not be a 300 level class. Try to get him as the other 302 classes are notoriously difficult.
easy a class. great professor, offers a lot of extra credit and you get to use cheat sheets on the exams! and he drops the lowest exam grade. makes econ an interesting subject. jose is awesome!
Jose makes the class really easy with lots of extra credit. You get to use a cheat sheet for each of the 3 exams (and 3 cheat sheets for the final). Lowest midterm is dropped. But, the final is considerably more difficult than the other exams and practice questions. You really need to know the material for the final! (Fall 2011)
Jose uses examples that make class more interesting and are more relevant to our age group. He gives you tons of practice questions before exams, and cheat sheets. The questions on the exams are always the practice questions, so just put the practice Qs on your cheat sheet! If you have to take Econ 102, i would DEFINITELY recommend Jose!!
Very easy teacher. He makes lectures interesting with plenty of relevant examples. Test are made from questions from the homework and the lectures, so they are all problems that you have done before. He lets you use cheat sheets on all the tests, so put example problems on the Cheat sheet! he also drops the lowest midterm and homework assignment.
Gives out a lot of extra credit. The final was ridiculously hard but ended up with an A. Definitely the best ECON professor here hands down.
Def. an easy A class. Tons of extra credit. Best economics class I have ever taken.
Easy and interesting class, easy midterm, but hard final.
Lectures were boring. Just attended them for Bonus points. Exams were easy. Easy class
I believe that the test for the final had a fundamental problem and professor refused to address this. By not responding to emails, this def put heavy burdens on the students. I also cannot emphasize on the deceptive word of "extra credit". Do not trust that word. I assure you; it will not help you out much. Do well on tests!!!!
This class was very stressful. They must have screwed up the scantron arrangement or something. I like economics a lot and I worked hard on studying, and I left the exams feeling confident, and then I'd get my grade and I'd have a 60% or something. On one exam I got 13/25 when they returned with my grade. I do not trust Vazquez or his TAs' exams.
The class was pretty easy, but pretty much everyone got a D or failed the final. He wouldn't respond to students on Compass who were complaining that there was a fundamental problem with it; no one did well on it. His questions all throughout the semester were ambiguous and just odd in general. And your fate in the class depended on those questions
He is nice and helpful, but his class is extremely hard!!! Half the class failed the first midterm and he doesn't curve at all! Don't take him if you want an A or B in the class!!!
One of the best Econ profs at U of I. He uses good examples and makes the class more interesting. If u go through the practice questions the midterms are easy and u r allowed to bring a cheat sheet. But the final was ridiculously hard
I really liked Vasquez until I took the final. I was doing well in his class and enjoyed his lectures, he made them interesting and applicable. However, a lot of people, including myself, failed the final after doing well on the tests all semester. I felt that it was totally unexpected and unfair which is why I'm no longer a fan.
Good professor. Too cool for school. Isn't too clear but has amazing teaching techniques.
It's like the easiest class ever and he literally throws extra credit at you. Don't even have to go to class unless you like extra credit and then you don't even have to pay attention. He even drops your lowest test grade.
His lectures are interesting and his test questions are the practice questions that he posts online word-for-word. Even the final is comprised of practice questions and old midterm questions AND you even get extra credit for attending lecture! I'd highly recommend taking his class.
It's extremely easy and even don't have to pay attention. Just do all the practice questions posted on the website before the exam and you will get an A. And he is soooooooooo charming!
i would not advise taking econ with him. going to class is pointless since he explains nothing. his i clicker questions are easy but the quizzes are so much more difficult. i have gained nothing from taking econ with vazquez.
Literally, the most confusing teacher/professor I've ever had. He "knows" economics, but has no idea how to explain it to anyone. His clickers/quizzes/exams are so contradictory and usually have more than 1 right answer, but you're supposed to choose the "most correct" answer. I barely learned anything and regret having him "teach" me.
Worst. teacher. ever. he explains nothing, and gives awful examples that i cant understand. iclicker questions in class are usually much simpler than quiz questions. you get to the quiz and wonder when you discussed any of it in class. basically ,you teach yourself if you dont want to fail. i also have trouble understanding his accent.
He does not teach in his lectures. He just gives questions for i-clicker extra credits during lectures. His midterms were online, which are pretty much all found online. There are weekly quizzes. The final was word for word from the midterms. Just teach yourself by reading the book and practice the quizzes before exams.
While Jose was an interesting and funny guy, his lectures were often confusing, despite the generally easy concepts. He kept his TAs uninformed, and overall the class was sloppily put together. Luckily, all three of the midterms are online, and there is no reason why someone shouldn't get a good grade in this class. If you want an easy A, take him.
His lectures are very entertaining and enjoyable. Best lecturer I've had so far by a long shot. He makes good use of IClickers to his audience of several hundred students engaged.
great techniques
he is cool
He is one of the best in the university. Although my major is CS, I start loving Econ because of him.
Easy course for almost every one. And Jose's is fun
Very easy class. Lecture not required, but very interactive and lots of extra credit opportunities. 3 exams all open note, internet, book, etc. Weekly quizzes that can be taken until 100% is earned. Basically impossible not to get a good grade. Discussion section is somewhat helpful.
awesome
This guy is the bomb! From giving extra credit for ppl going on dates to bringing his dogs in to class, Jose Vazquez has definitely converted a subject that could otherwise be extremely tedious and boring into the most fun class of this semester for me :D
The class is quite easy. You will have weekly online quizzes, pre-lecture quiz to take (only 4 questions at most). Attendance is not mandatory, but he always has iclicker questions. He offers a lot of extra credit. Vazquez is a very funny guy and makes the class interesting. Explains course material clearly, and make the course enjoyable.
Very funny and entertaining man, but very confusing. Has trouble explaining the material where it can be understood. You basically have to teach yourself, which makes the class seem pointless.
By far the best professor I have had so far. Very interesting and engaging, knows how to keep the attention of close to 600 students in a lecture hall. The exams were easy but still taught me a lot of skills. One of U of I's biggest assets for economics/finance/business.
Vazquez was one of the easiest profs ever. He makes lecture interesting and gets the students' attention. His accent was hard to understand at first but it got easier with time. The exams were really easy and were taken straight from the weekly quizzes. The only time I ever used the textbook was on the final. He also gives a lot of extra credit.
Easiest class ever. gives out a lot of extra credit, quizzes and exams are open notes. Jose is funny and an interesting teacher.
best thing you can do for yourself as a student at u of i is taking econ with him. not only is his class ridiculously easy, but all the other econ teachers are very boring and their classes are hard. everything is online, lots of extra credit, no papers
super funny, he brought his dogs to explain concepts of economics. He's a cool guy
Joseee!!! He's the best professor ever, he canceled classes frequently but that didn't even matter since he made his classes fun. Barely use the book, drops a exam, drops quizzes and pre lectures. hes basically giving you a A. all the exams are online as well.
JOSE IS THE BEST. Seriously take this class with him it will be the best decision you ever make for your career at UIUC. He's amazing. All exams are online except for the final, but the final is open book, notes. You get to drop your lowest midterm grade as well. Weekly quizzes & prelectures but he drops a lot of them. And he's big on extra credit.
Lectures are interesting, must go to them bc use of iclicker points. Online quizes that you can retake multiple times to get full points. Tests arent too difficult. Would recommend if looking for a class without alot of work.
Vazquez is awesome. Gives out a lot of credit and class is easy.
He's a very easy teacher that gives out a lot of extra credit. Also, the tests are online and the final is open-note and open-book. His lectures are great, though, to be honest. He is very entertaining, too.
BEST PROFESSOR EVER! You technically don't need to go to his class to pass because it is all on line but I found myself going anyways because he is so entertaining. Test are very easy and online so you can taking it with friends or google.
Vazquez is a fun and solid professor. Sometimes lecture can be a bit fast and I feel like he skims topics without enough depth, but he's popular with his students.
This is the kind of professor that I look up to. As an electrical engineer, I took this as a Gen Ed, and I would take it again. I love this class, and I will remember it for the rest of my life. The class itself is very easy, discussion sections and lectures can be skipped, (although I would never skip the lectures). Easy A as well.
OMG Jose is the best. He is the hottest teacher you will ever have in your life. His lecture is hilarious and he gives a lot of extra credits. Quiz and mid terms are all online, which is very easy. He is very nice guy... gosh I want to take ECON 102 again
Super easy teacher but feel that I only aced the class bc all the questions were basically the same with little variation. As far as real world application, I feel like I didn't learn much. You don't really need to go to class. Lectures were confusing to me, I relied mostly on the prelecture videos. Textbook is available, but I didn't buyread it.
Great professor! Made lectures comprehensible and enjoyable. Given material was so good and applicable that the textbook wasn't needed at all. Very understanding and helpful when you have issues too. Workload was fair.
Econ 102 is in a huge auditorium. Uses iClicker questions as participation extra credit. Very amusing in class, usually explains things well. On occasion he has been misleading, but I only noticed because I had already learned what he meant from the online lectures before class. I wish I could take another class with him.
Horrible instructor. Great entertainer. Lectures are treated as a game constantly meant to trick and not teach you. No incentive to learn, given the easiness of the material. Too many people get grades not indicative of effort and knowledge of the subject. Class did little to add to what I learned in AP Macro.
Vazquez makes lectures fun while still clearly going over the material from the prelectures .
Very easy and by far my favorite teacher. Weekly online homework assignments that you have multiple attempts on. 2 out of the three midterms were open booknote and they were exactly the same as the previous exams. The third midterm was online and you could easily find the answers. Lowest midterm dropped. Highly recommended if you like easy A's.
Should be a pretty easy A. Online test are pretty easy and his lectures are ok. He gives out a ton of extra credit which is nice. The final is open note but he changed a lot of the questions this semester which is why grades are lower this semester.
Class was really very easy and the lectures were interesting and clear. The prelectures were (mostly) great. If you show up you'll get an A.
If you're looking for an easy grade without learning a whole lot, take Vazquez. I ended up with a solid A in his class, but can't tell you the basics of microeconomics. His style of experimenting with teaching styles hinders the whole learning environment but he makes up for it with a LOT of extra credit and by giving relatively easy tests.
It is an easy A.
too good to be true. 3 credit hour class, but study like you'd do for 1/2 credit hours. amazing lectures, amazing grades
Easiest class ever. Show up to lecture for a whole bunch of extra credit.
This professor offers many chance for bonus points.
Awesome teacher! He gives out so much extra credit. Midterms are online, as well as weekly quizzes, and prelectures. Final is open book/notes. If you have to take ECON, Vazquez is the only way to go. Attendance isn't mandatory, but you get extra credit by going and doing the I-Clickers.
Easy A. You get unlimited tries on the weekly online quizzes. The midterms were all online. He let you take an answer bank into the final. I would recommend joining study room for the answer banks. Overall, very easy A.
Lots of free points if you show up to class. One midterm is dropped, and you can use your notes to help you on every test.
The easiest A I have ever gotten including high school courses.
Super easy online quizzes. You take 3 midterms, all of which are also online. What makes this better is that out of the 3 midterms you take, only two are counted towards your grade. Final is open note, and is all repeat questions from past quizzes/tests. Super easy if you take the time to learn the basic concepts.
Basically show up and get the clicker points to get a B. The 3 exams are online so you can google all the answers. He has 12 quizzes on moodle. 2 are dropped. The final is in class and open note. I got a C+ which sucks, but I never went to class. So 'm very salty about how dumb I was. Don't be me. GO TO CLASS!
Easy to pass, vivid lectures.
He's... okay. Honestly, I haven't learned anything. My friend has the other teacher, and she's actually learning things in ECON while I don't think I've learned much. You can use your notes for midterms and exams, sure, but I'd rather have been able to actually learn something. It just feels like he doesn't care.
The easiest course I have ever take. You do not need to go to class, if you find read the materials he posted online is helpful. The midterms and final are all open book exam. You don't need to remember anything, just write them down on your notes and you will get almost full grade.
all online work
He has awesome lectures. Most of the work in the class is done online. Going to class will not matter a ton in the end, but I honestly look forward to his lecture every time.
Amazing Person
ECON102 is a class you should not miss in your college life and I extremely like the music Prof Vazquez plays everytime before class.
awesome teacher really allows students to succeed
This class is very easy to get an A in. However, you don't really need to learn anything to get a good grade.
The class is pretty straight forward. Just about all of the work is online, and class isn't mandatory but he uses iclickers and you can get extra credit from it if you go. Midterm is online and final is open note, but would still probably study a little for it anyway.
I took this class because it is required for my major and heard it was an easy A. The class has changed a LOT since last semester. Online and in class tests are impossible (the highest I've gotten on a test so far is a 68%) I study and we get to use notes and our laptop and everyones still getting D's and C's which is awful.
I am currently in this class because of what other students said. Its easy blah, bah, blah. However, once I got into the class, the professor decides to switch it up, now it happens to be one of my hardest courses. The highest I have gotten is a C- on the midterms. Honestly, I hope you get an easy semester because he is not consistent.
Vazquez is a big fan of the "make you do the material on your own" approach. All lectures are preassigned, but behind a paywall on his own website. Given that you get grades 80 on your exams, you will pass without the need for homework. Although his first and final exams are kind of unfair in their question phrasing, he offers a lot of EC.
When i took Prof. Vasquez's econ class fall semester of 2016, it was a relatively fair and easy class. However, as some people have mentioned, he totally changed the rating of the class from easy to extremely difficult. Some of my friends took it last semester and were struggling because of how hard the exams were. Hope he makes it easy again!
So this is tough to admit. Jose makes you work a lot, but its actually really worth it. I think this might be the first class where I'm really genuinely interested in whats going on. He has the capability of making you sit at the edge of your seat on what comes next. Class seems hard, attendance mandatory. Packback is really fascinating and "fun".
His lectures are very interesting and the work is very easy. There's no midterm and the final is optional, and you can reattempt all quizzes and tests, so as long as you do the work, it's an easy A. The only downside is that FlipIt is like $80 and it's worth a good portion of your grade.
Professor Vazquez is currently conducting research in teaching techniques and how to engage students. The class has many components (Piazza, Packback, FlipIt, and Moodle). However the course structure changes by year. Attendance is not mandatory, but if you show up everyday you wont need to take the final. Vazquez is interesting and makes you think
Good class to take for honors credit - knows what he is doing.
Vazques makes you pay for Flip It and Packback for the class. You do Pre-lectures, Bridges, Quizzes, and HSQs. I suggest going to class and doing the Classwork. Classwork is 20% of your grade and for a lot of people make a difference. Go to class, do homework, and participate in EC and you are guaranteed an A.
He is not a good teacher, I actually know less about Econ now purely because I was confused. But I took this as an elective so I'm not too bothered. I do not deserve an A+ but I got it because you can retake exams an infinite amount of times. Bad professor, but you should take the class for a free A.
Took it FA 17' and the class was cake. You can take the exams as many time as you want, they are online due at the end of the course. everything else is graded for effort. You can do the classwork at home, since it is on packback. Easy A
Lecture is useless. Rather than building up your knowledge, Vasquez likes to choose the most convoluted, specific examples, adding unwritten context, and spending the entire lecture explaining why the majority of the class is wrong. He has not deepened my understanding of econ. Take for an easy A, but not if you need harder econ classes
Not a great teacher, spends most of the lecture "debating" with himself to try and make a point but mostly just makes it difficult to know what we should be writing down. Exams were super challenging, except for the final which was 80% questions straight from midterms. He also requires you to use his website, which you have to pay for.
Best Professor in UIUC, just show up in class and there is NO midterm, NO final, only online test, which you can attempt unlimited times ! Easy A+
While Professor Vazquez's ECON 102 class is the easiest class you will ever sign up for, do not expect to learn too much. His class is 100% based on attendance and completion. Nothing is graded for accuracy and therefore you should earn an automatic A+. He also gives extra credit every class so you should get over a 100% in the class.
I took Econ in high school and this course completely confused me on everything I had learned before. The pre-lecture and lectures were not helpful at all, and the quizzes had challenging questions that weren't even covered in the course. Thank god it was an easy A where you had infinite tries on tests. Just show up, do your work and you can get A+
Prof. Vasquez is a rational and entertaining instructor. He is funny and passionate enough to make a topic I don't find interesting not too bad to learn about. The class is practically participation based, and with minimal effort it is easy to obtain a solid grade.
It is an easy A class overall, and Dr Vazquez is really nice in grading. Honestly, I learnt all materials on my own during the spring break in order to finish take-home online quiz. It is amazing that I did not listen to him for one second ever but I got an A+ eventually haha
The class is super easy, getting an A+ is no problem. However, if you didn't take Micro in high school or do independent studying outside of class, then you may fail to actually learn any concepts. He only reviews the most difficult examples in class, which may confuse those who don't have a strong understanding of the concepts.
Lots of thought provoking and interesting lectures. We didn't cover the material very frequently in class it was more discussion based and quizzes and high stakes quizzes would be completed on our own. Overall great teacher and great class.
Literally the easiest class youll take at UIUC. Its pretty much a guaranteed A. Quizzes are a pretty big portion of your grade, but he lets you take them an unlimited amount of times. If youre actually interested in economics I wouldnt recommend this class, but if you need an easy Gen Ed then this is the class for you.
You can either choose to attend classes and get a straightforward A or skip all classes and take the final also for an A. Class is fun, though not very closely related to what appears on quizzes. Need to learn by yourself sometimes
Probably one of the easiest classes I've ever taken. For instance, I completely forgot to do one of the High Stakes Quizzes and did so-so on the others but still got an A. Despite being easy, I didn't think I actually learned the material as well as I should have. Vazquez makes the lectures enjoyable and topical, not mandatory but would recommend.
A joke of a class, everything online. Got an A+ and know literally nothing about microeconomics. If you want to get anything out of the money you pay to take econ, do not do it with Vazquez.
He skips many lectures...
You literally don't learn anything because the class is so easy but he is a very fun professor so its good enough for an intro econ course especially if its not a requirement for your major
Too quiet.
Super easy class. Make sure to take packaged section. Final was literally optional, just make sure to do all online homework. You can get participation points without even going to class.
I had the online discussion section and the only thing I hated about this was the amount of software you have to buy to participate in this class, but it's fine. All of the online modules are really easy and you can actually learn in the class if you want to, but it's just as easy to not pay attention and still make an A.
Best Prof ever. Love Jose. Super easy class and hes so funny. His lectures are great. You dont need to pay attention but if you do, you can learn a lot.
Very easy to get an A in the class. Lectures are optional but are very interesting.
I had him for ECON 102 and even though I could've still gotten an A without going to lecture, I enjoyed going because he is a witty geunius! The class is really easy and for those complaining below, you can get as much out of the class as you want. There are the tools to learn a lot. Likewise, you do not need to pay attention to pass, just do work.
Woke up at 1 everyday. Did tophat on my bed. Got an A+.
This class was an easy A as long as you did the online homework and did the TopHat during lecture. I showed up for almost every lecture, but you can do most of the in-class work online from the comfort of your own home. Fun times.
The definition of an Easy A. He cares more about you actually learning the material rather than the grade. Majority of the class is online things with unlimited attempts. You can learn as much as you want. Either he is doing this class just for money and actually just wants to focus on his research/other projects, or he actually cares. (He cares)
Awesome professor! His lectures are so interesting and attendance is not mandatory.
This class was a joke. You won't learn anything if you don't try to by yourself. His lectures don't teach anything, and he even tells students not to go to lecture. He made us buy two separate websites (over $100) just to complete mandatory assignments when the university uses free websites. Would not take him again even though it was easy.
Vasquez is one of THE funniest professors I've had. Lectures are NOT mandatory because the course is divided into two components: Packback and Sapling. If you do end up going to lectures, you'll end up leaving with a smile on your face, but like I said, you don't need to go to them at all. Definitely take 102 with Vasquez if you need to take it.
Great guy. Seems to care about students and wants them to succeed. Always available and helpful.
Honestly an amazing guy. His lectures weren't as content heavy and were mainly problem based which can be confusing if you don't do the readings beforehand but all of the work was insanely easy for this course and anyone can get an A+ if they put in the slightest amount of effort.
He does not care about the students. he hands out A's like crazy. If you are looking for an A take his class. It is a joke. However, I learned nothing and as a business student it really hurt when I moved to upper level econ and finance courses.
Fall 2020, COVID semester. Completely asynchronous so I finished the class a month early. Tests and quizzes are open note and unproctored. Course Modules were based on completion so those were a breeze too. The website for our tests/quizzes was $85, but the class is super easy. Nothing due until the end of the semester, except a test every month.
Literally left the school in the middle of the semester without explanation. I get people can have personal reasons, but students deserved an explanation. Literally learned NOTHING in this class. Absolutely useless. He doesn't even have lectures.
This class is a joke he doesn't teach at all. It's an easy A but you wont learn anything. If you actually want to learn the material you have to teach yourself.
This is definitely a pay to get an A class. I paid $100 for the CPMs and the Sapling-which is where you did your homework. He didnt put anything on Moodle except how to get to the coursework accessed and paid for. While it was an easy class and a GPA booster, I really didnt appreciate having to pay so much money just to do the classwork.
when the course is online it's simple but learning as at your own pace. Easy A, but I guess if you want a more rigorous process go a different route but he's a good professor
I was in his Honors section, and the expenses for us appear to be less than for the regular section since we never used Sapling. It was self paced and the coursework was very easy. His teaching in the videos is meh, and not the best if you are actually interested in Econ. But it was an easy A and I got honors credit for it too.
Incredibly easy class, but I'm not sure if I learned a thing. The professor stated that lecturing was like his platform as an actor. It felt more like a performance than teaching with his lectures, so I stopped going the first week of class. He is a nice guy, and the work is really easy, but there is A LOT.
What a great guy.
This guy is the best and I love him
Great guy. Dont get slacking because of the easy homework however, class average for exams have been low 70s-80s. Actually show up and do the work and you'll easily get an A.
He is a really good guy, but the material isn't really taught to you. You'll definitely pass because homework is a free 100%, but exam scores are low. Overall, easy class besides the material is mostly self-taught so be careful on exams. They are also open note.
There are 3 midterms, all open note. I never learned anything & the tests are kinda hard but because it was open note, I got great grades on the tests. You have to pay 100$ for the homework, but they are incredibly easy. Basically paying for an A.
Lectures were pretty boring and sometimes what he taught was irrelevant for the exams. Often felt like he forgot to teach us certain things that we needed to know, but the class is still easy. If you want to learn as little as possible and still get an A, take him for econ.
The class wasn't organized and structured properly. Some information from lectures were irrelevant compared to the midterm questions. He offered a lot of extra credit and all exams were open notes. The TA sessions didn't help much either because most of them weren't good at teaching. The textbook is $100 and you need it to do hw (completion pts).
3 midterms, open note, online. Class is basically asynchronous. You have to pay $100+ for the online textbook where you complete the homework (required but completion grade). Lectures were mostly irrelevant but attendance earns you extra credit points on random days, so it is advantageous to show up. Did not learn much.
50% of your grade is just by showing up and completing the online homework (not graded on accuracy). The other half of your grade is for exams. Lectures were interesting and insightful - professor was VERY GENEROUS with extra credit too! Discussion attendance is mandatory. Beware that exams do get harder as you progress throughout the semester.
While this course may be a little overpriced for it's materials, the professor is hilarious and gives a ton of leeway on numerous things!
My favorite professor at UIUC! I have taken multiple classes with him. He always genuinely wants students to be happy and have a fun time in class!
His class is very easy and he offers a lot of extra credit but I didn't learn much from him. His lectures weren't very well organized but at least the homework was easy. Tests are also open book so its very easy to get a good grade in his class. But if you're someone who actually wants to learn economics, you might be better off with someone else.
King Jose
Didn't learn much in lectures but he seemed like he cared. Offered a FRQ drop, and allows 3 practice exams per exam. Offers 5 EC opportunities randomly in lecture, and homework assigned is actually what teaches you the course content. The workbook has the exact FRQs that will be on the exams and is very useful. Boring lectures. Decent class.
Great professor. Only assignments were from the online book and were due the day of exams. 3 midterms (FRQ and MC) and final (MC only). Buy his textbook because almost everything he says in lecture is on exams. Do practice exams because answers on there are on exam. Wasn't the most interesting class, but it's definitely not anything to stress over.
Overall a great professor. Given the size of the class it's difficult to get to know him personally but you can really tell he cares about his students. Not a difficult class, just study for the exams. They're all multiple choice. Lecture attendance is randomly taken and discussion attendance is mandatory. Overall great class
Overall, this class is very poorly taught and managed. The lectures are very short and of horrible quality. $100 for a textbook which is supposed to be your only material in this class, and the professor has little to no role. I am a non-degree student for the summer, and did not expect this from a top public university, especially Illinois.
Professor Vazquez makes the course engaging despite the large class size. The lectures are informative, and the textbook is helpful. Attendance is mandatory, but there are plenty of extra credit opportunities. Unstuckstudy AI proved invaluable for exam prep.
The lectures vary in length. The professor is a cool guy. There is very little homework, so exams are very important.
Overall really great class. Don't worry too much about the class contents. The professor explained everything during the lecture and if not you will probably find it out in the discussion or online. For the tests, there are mock exams beforehand and test questions are literally in the pratices and the mock exam.
What can I say. He's the GOAT.
He was a good lecturer, and explained topics pretty well. I wasn't very engaged in lecture but still left at least learning something. Very little online homework, and exams are pretty easy. As long as you go to lecture, you should be fine
It was a little tough for me at the beginning of each new lesson since I had never took an economics class. In the end, it wasn't difficult. As long as you show up to lectures, discussion, and make use of the practice exams, there's no way you won't get a passing grade. What you see on the practice exams is what you'll see on every exam.
Little to no homework, if you pay attention in class and you do all the test prep you will pass all the test, because he uses the same questions on the test prep. Also 3 of the 4 test are at home and lowest grade gets dropped( besides the in person one)
Vazquez is an okay professor, but you have to love Econ to enjoy the class. The class is not difficult itself, and the tests are fair and mostly online, but his lectures are long and hard to follow a lot of the time (DONT TAKE THE 9 am ONE WORST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE).
would study my hardest and still do bad on tests. lectures were NEVER helpful. doesn't help that uiuc packs hundreds of kids into each lecture. if you can avoid. had to teach myself everything.
He is not a very good lecturer and isn't good at teaching. ECON 103 is so easy that it doesn't matter but if you want to actually learn the material you need to teach it to yourself. His lectures are kinda redundant except for the occasional extra credit he gives out. Lecture isn't mandatory and you can get by just fine without going to lecture.
I honestly didn't learn anything in this class, but somehow it was still so easy. Professor Vazquez is a nice guy, but he's hard to follow, and I didn't get much out of his lectures.This course won't add much to your workload at all.
He wants you to do well in his class but doesn't offer much study opportunities. He only counts exams towards the grade but gives only three practice exams that don't tell you the correct answers. Makes it really hard to study.
pretty chill proffesor. Ended lectures after 30 minutes. Gave extra credit. Lectures were pretty easy to understand but you need to do work outside of class to get through the class. Tests are online and pretty easy.
very caring towards students and wants to make sure everyone has a chance if they try hard enough to get a good grade. at lectures he offers extra credit for your final grade
I really enjoyed Macro with Professor Vazquez. He's an extremely caring guy who genuinely just wants his students to do well! I really appreciate the extra credit opportunities we got in lecture, so I would go! I also really liked my TA! Overall, I would say Professor Vazquez is a great lecturer and a very generous grader!
His lectures are for the most part pretty irrelevant to the tests- although, he does tell you some of what's specifically going to be on the test. He does randomized attendance 5 times for extra credit & you can drop your worst test grade. TA sessions go into unnecessary detail that you don't actually need to know. also you're allowed a cheat sheet
Professor Vazquez is a really funny and caring guy. His lectures are interesting, and I rarely skipped because they usually only lasted 30–40 minutes. I didn't find the TA sessions very helpful and felt like they dragged on. Vazquez genuinely wants you to get an A and makes it very clear what you need to do to earn one.
Great teacher and very easy to follow
Not to hard to get an A, workbook he has was helpful to prepare. Kind off bland but he's solid.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
26%
Textbook Required
53%
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ECON 102
5.0
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4.4
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