2.2
Quality2.9
Difficulty28%
Would Retake309
Reviews28%
Would Retake
309
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
309 total ratings5
38
4
35
3
22
2
56
1
158
What Students Say
“Final has concepts unrelated to course material”
ISM3541 - 1.0 rating“Easily the worst teacher and class I have had at Florida State University”
ISM3541 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
18%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
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-0.08 avg changeRatings by Course
ISM4117
4.0
(1)ISM4113
2.6
(12)ISM3541
2.1
(286)Difficulty by Course
ISM3541
3.0
ISM4113
2.9
ISM4117
1.0
Reviews (299)
Towards the end of the semester he got very strict and seems overwhelmed. He seems to be a little short with his students. Doesn't seem to use the same respect with his students that he demands you give him.
I highly recommend meeting him at some point in the semester. He really values feedback from students about his course and how to improve it and will not take criticism personally. He is weird about discussions and wants students to complete them over the course of a week but other than that his class is an easy A as long as you do assignments.
His class is a joke but he takes it very seriously and is unresponsive to emails. Homework done with minimal effort will get you an A. One assignment every 4 weeks, 3 exams open book and open notes that you take on your own.
It was an easy class but the final exam was INSANE like i have no idea where he got those questions from but he is an easy A regardless
Super kind professor - genuinely cares about his students. He does go on long rants from his past. All work is super easy and reasonable. If you but in minimal work you will pass. Almost wish this class was harder. Lectures are kind of pointless. He taught an online portion of this in-person class I was in for students who didn't want to come.
He's a good guy and cares about what he teaches. Homework and tests reflect the material pretty well. Only real complaint is that the required textbook was written by him and it's disorganized, full of grammar and spelling errors, and full of extraneous material like personal anecdotes. Reading it kind of made the class hard to take seriously.
Will constantly send you emails telling you to check canvas as if FSU students aren't glued to the website already. Don't do the Twitter assignment because he doesn't count it and it just distracts you from trying to take notes for the actual assignment
I have never had someone send me SO many emails, my inbox was always flooded with super long emails that still didn't explain what I needed to know. He puts so much stuff on canvas that it's hard to find what you need. 3 exams, first two were easy, final was SUPER hard. I had an A the whole time and it dropped to a B+ bc of the final.
makes you buy a book you use for 1 assignment, can be very rude
This class is easy as long as you do all the work. Tests can be a little difficult but some of the answers come right from Top Hat, which you have to buy. He offers some extra credit, which was nice.
100/10. Very clear on expectations, very simple to understand and do well on his work. Offers a lot of extra credit and very understanding. Yes can be sassy but ONLY if you REALLY push it(i.e. ask for an extension on an assignment he already gave extra time on). Not a 0 effort class but if you can put basic effort and attention in you will be fine.
Great professor, very understanding & respects his students. Make sure to get the TopHat textbook bc he takes questions directly from the TopHat practice when making the exam. Make sure you stay on track with the Monday message because he mentions things in those videos that you will need to know for the week. Easy class if you follow directions!
This class wasn't so much hard as it was annoying to take. He BOMBARDS you with emails (like 8 every week). His test questions, although open book, can be vague; sometimes I would try and figure out a question for 15 minutes and still not be able to get it. DO THE EXTRA CREDIT--it is worth a lot. Also watch his videos on 1.5 speed b/c he rambles.
Lance is a nice guy and genuinely cares about his students, but I learned pretty much nothing in this class. Its a lot of busy work. Pay attention to announcements & do the extra credit & its an easy A. However, the final was ridiculous - he wanted to bring the class avg down and said so himself.
His assignments are straightforward and he just wants to see that you tried and learned from them. Tophat route is the better way to get participation credit. He is pretty chill. Overall, the course shouldn't be a stress for your semester. He gives adequate time to complete the exams.
It is true, he sends way too many announcement and comes across as annoyed and irritated 70% of time. However, he cares about the material and students and this class is one of the easiest A's possible. Not much work or effort required. Everything is graded easy and exams are easy if you do tophat. Just be prepared for 100 announcements a week.
"Go see my Monday morning message", "Watch the attached video for important information regarding the assignment". These are just a few of the several thousand emails you will receive while taking this class. The one thing they have in common is that they will give you absolutely zero instruction. Just a man rambling about absolutely nothing.
His online class is very video heavy. At times it came be overwhelming since many of the videos are general updates that can be written in a post to be easier read but not a big deal. You'll get some sort of A. Three participation assignments, 2 Data Science Activities and 'Take at home' tests that are open note but can be tricky.
Easy A. All exams are open book, open note, and open internet. They do get harder towards the end though. Nice guy, easy class.
Easy A, open book exams and plenty extra credit. Professor sends an insane amount of emails out, so that can get annoying. Also, if you contact him make sure you do it just how he likes it in terms of formatting, even though his own materials are full of errors. It is an absolute joke of a class, and I doubt a single student learns a single thing.
Such a nice professor if you follow his 45 minute videos each week that go on about random things and half of them don't even apply to the class or matter. If you do one thing wrong, miss one small detail he says in the videos and he catches you, your whole grade will suffer and he will not care. Otherwise, pretty easy course.
Ok, I've written a review on Lance before in his ISM3145, and I didn't rate him well based on how engaged I was in the course. Although with this course, he is enthusiastic and strives for his students to achieve in his class. He's a great guy and an amazing teacher. 100% would recommend. FYI the textbook is used but there is a free online PDF.
I literally have no idea why this man has a single bad review. He gives you so many opportunities to get extra credit and really makes the exams as easy as possible. Everything is open book and he gives you easy questions on purpose. He also does participation points that are free points and weekly messages. Easy A and such a nice guy!
Make sure to watch the Mon Morning Message every week (2-3x speed), start the DSA's early, he gives you like 80% of the answers for each test. Easy A if you do everything (clear grading criteria in his vids), super nice guy (met him at a soccer game). He really cares about what he is doing and will help you if you are willing to put in the effort.
Great guy, easy class. Exams are all open book, recommend studying beforehand though. Get started on your DSA's early, they really aren't that hard, it's just a lot more harder when you rush them. Monday Morning Messages are a little drawn out in my opinion, but still really helpful.
If you do poorly in this class, it is simply because you procrastinate the work, stack weeks (his words), and don't take it seriously. This class is an easy A if you plan ahead and get started on the DSAs early. Your work will not be good if you wait till the last day and your grade will suffer. He is looking for effort, and is a caring/solid prof
Very easy class. Don't wait until the last minute to complete exams or the DSAs. As long as you stay on top of everything and buy the textbook, you are bound to do fine in this class. Offers a few extra credit opportunities so take advantage of that. He is a knowledgable guy and seems to genuinely care about his students.
Makes us buy the textbook except its actually HIS textbook so we are basically paying for our class notes.... also the class isn't necessarily hard but his exam questions are not direct or clear but it is open note. Not a bad class by any means its just a weird set up.
Don't take it unless you have the time to teach yourself the material or have some base knowledge on the subject. Posts a ridiculous amount of videos that you have to sift through to maybe find something useful. It's an easy A but unless you teach yourself you won't learn a thing as his videos aren't informative at all.
Strange teacher. He blows you up with emails that are very useless. He's an easy and nice teacher but If you wait til last minute to do an assignment he assumes you didn't work on it efficiently and you will most likely receive an email of how much of a bad student you are. Easy grader. I recommend for the easy A. Prepared to get annoyed though.
He's been so rude during quarantine. I get 15 announcements a week about the same thing. He thinks we're all lazy students. I turned in one assignment "late" because I'm technically in a different time zone; Because he mentioned the time zone in JANUARY, he felt it was fair to give me a 60. I just wish he was more considerate during this time.
This class was pretty easy. I never really cared for his lectures so I stopped watching them & still got an A. He gives you a lot of free points throughout the semester. The tests were open note and not too bad but I found the final to be pretty challenging compared to the other 2 tests. The final project also took me forever but got a good grade.
The best way to approach this class is by making sure you dont miss ANY of the "easy" points like the monday morning messages, or the small extra credits. Start the DSA's early especially DSA 3. the tests are easy you can find most of the questions online. you dont even have to watch any of his lectures.
I would focus early on in this class. The first exam is super easy but they get much harder from there. I studied really hard for the final and still had a hard time finding the answers to questions. Also his exams have weird point values associated with certain questions. Just do your best on the assignments and don't give up any easy points.
The absolute worst experience I have ever had with a teacher. Spams you with useless information, posts hour long videos where he says absolutely nothing, and has the worst structured textbook of all time. Normally you can bypass a terrible professor by just following along in the textbook, but he wrote the textbook.
Overall, Lance's class was an easy A. He gives you most of the answers to the exams with short quizzes once a week. His exams are also open-note & open-book. My only complaint is he wrote the textbook and it was riddled with grammatical errors and in some places was difficult to understand. But most of the exam q's are word for word from the text.
Man is this guy and this class are a waste of taxpayer money. This is one of those courses where you're as knowledgeable in the subject as you are on day 1 as you are at the end.
Literally the worst professor I've had at Fsu.
This class made absolutely no sense. He speaks and makes no sense. If you do the class you'll pass but you have to stay on top of it. And Lance does not actually help. He thinks he does but he gives vague instructions and never answers a question. This class was such a waste of my time because I didn't learn anything.
Lance makes the class as easy as possible if you put in the required amount of work.
Professor Kerwin is very caring and wants to see his students succeed. This class is not difficult and the exams are open book. This class was a little hectic as professor Kerwin would go on rants during his lecture. There were two projects that were a bit confusing and time-consuming. Overall, I'd recommend taking Professor Kerwin.
Lance sometimes gets off topic for lectures, but he's really passionate about the subject and he really wants his students to succeed both in class and in their careers. He's always willing to help if you go to him after class or during office hours. The project for the class was also really useful, and the exams were pretty easy too.
Awful professor.
Horrible teacher. This is one of those classes where you leave with less brain cells than you started with. His DSAs are confusing and his only advice if you ask him a question is to watch the video again. The video sucked. Aside from that his weekly quizzes are pretty easy.
Lance is terrible. He won't answer your questions and doesn't help you at all. He acts like he cares about his students but he actually doesn't because he doesn't help when we need it. Do not take him if you can't be a perfect student. Worst professor I've had.
He gives weekly quizzes which are easy but the DSA assignments are awful. Lance is a horrible professor, not in just the aspects of teaching, but also in his way of communication. He is rude with responding to emails and is very vague with information. He makes a video or two each week, posts them and then collects his check, don't take with him
Very unclear communication about course materials and concepts as well as assignments. Not interested in helping students learn, its basically up to you to navigate the course. Dont email him because he wont help you.
Super confusing in the way he gives instructions, didn't really learn anything but exams are easy. Not a lot of grades besides a multi part project
Professor is very confusing and his assignments make no sense. His exams are the dumbest tests you will ever take.
One of those classes where you leave no more knowledgeable about anything than when you came in. Exams are the weirdest tests Ive ever taken and about practically nothing. Requiring that material discussed in class must be included in the final project really shows how practically nothing was taught at all.
I took him for into to business analytics and he was an easy professor for most of the semester. But once it got toward the end I had a mistake on a submission and he was rude in email correspondence and did not offer much help. He told me that he had too many students to take each one into consideration. Left a bad taste in my mouth, but ok overal
Kerwin describes each topic with zero consistency and in an overly-complicated, abstract way that makes the simplest concepts super confusing. His lectures are boring and leave you little to take notes on. I genuinely did not learn a thing in this class. The 3 papers you write are easy, but the 2 exams are ridiculous. Definitely avoid this prof.
Lance does not give clear grading criteria which is needed since your grade is on three big assignments and 2 exams. Anything that he says is a suggestion he will take points off if you do not do. Lastly his exams are rough (open book) cant tell bad grammar from trying to trick you. Idk if id take this class again, also never grades on time.
This class is easily the most irritating I've taken at FSU. His lectures, exams, and assignments are all over the place. The 2 projects lack any resemblance of instruction or guidance and your only hope at doing well on them is to follow his "suggestions" which he will deduct points if you don't use Also he is the SLOWEST grader ever. Have fun.
Kerwin is the worst professor I have ever had. I learned absolutely nothing in his class. If you ever have a question about anything, just go ahead and dont email him because his response will be rude and demeaning. His instructions make no sense and he will not help. Save yourself the trouble and take anyone else!!
Lance will take every opportunity to attempt to degrade and belittle you, especially if you don't follow his poorly written instructions. His assignments and tests are full of grammatical errors. His attitude and instructions resemble the work of a whiny 5 year old, and his measly 75k salary as a university professor reflects his work.
Where to begin... this man is the absolute WORST. I can not even begin to explain the frustration this class brings. Lance knows NOTHING and you leave this class dumber than when you started. The textbook is worthless and the exams have so many errors it is impossible to read. If you dont have to take this class dont, if you do god bless.
Easy content, but Professor Kerwin makes it difficult. He isn't very clear in his instructions and doesn't respond well to questions. He may be the only professor who teaches this course though, so if you take him make sure to do the DSA's thoroughly. His "suggestions" are not optional. Exams are open book and have some tricky questions
this class is useless
I wouldnt recommend this class to anyone. His instructions are all over the place. He makes you bounce from one lecture to another to get an answer to a simple question. I learned absolutely nothing in this class. If you ever think about emailing him, dont because he will be sarcastic and demeaning towards you. Take a different class if possible
The class is one of the easiest I took I barely put in any effort and still got an A the professor explains assignments in a very weird way and Im guessing to make it more challenging since its easy but if you figure out the instructions its an easy A.
Avoid taking this class if possible. He is a very monotonous professor and grading criteria aren't clear. DO NOT EMAIL HIM or he'll call you out, find all of your canvas analytics, and put it against you. Treat the assignments as if you are teaching a kindergartner and explain everything and then you'll do fine!
If you're really trying to learn about business analytics, don't even bother taking this course. It's an easy A, but frankly you learn absolutely nothing during the entire semester. The exams are full of typos and the questions are very vague.
He is a confusing mess. Take someone else. If there isn't another instructor, transfer to another school.
This was such a weird class. I cant say that I learned a whole lot but it was a manageable A. Professor Kerwin was quick to answer emails and always very helpful. He sends out multiple long announcements a week which are overwhelming.
You get what you put in w/ Kerwin. Since he's logical and number-oriented, he interprets results and student performance as data points. He wants you to self-teach yourself concepts, but he doesn't make his demands unfair. DSA's are useful, just don't leave them to last minute. Cramming for open note exams is annoying but not hard for a good grade.
Lance Kerwin is the worst professor I have had since attending Florida State University. He is unclear in his expectations, talks in circles, often goes off topic and overall has been a massive waste of my time. I strongly disagree with his teaching style and philosophy and equate him to a High School gym teacher. Stay away from this train wreck!
This class takes up a lot of time trying to please the professors very specific, and yet somehow, poorly written instructions. Dont try emailing him with any questions- he will belittle you and make you feel stupid for reaching out. He will try to pull up canvas statistics to use against you without even attempting to help you. Avoid if you can.
FSU's professors have all been great until I took this class. This guy does not know how to teach, like when they give the football coach a teaching job. Except this class is no fun at all and super boring. You also don't learn anything. His written instructions are impossible to comprehend, which leads you to the lecture which also sucks.
Kerwin is THE WORST PROFESSOR you will ever take, avoid this man at all costs, he deserves to be fired as far as i'm concerned. You will learn absolutely nothing throughout his class and will be left frustrated by his unclear expectations, horrible teaching style and overall lack of any and I mean any teaching skills. DO NOT TAKE LANCE KERWIN
I would NEVER take this professor again. This was the most confusing and unorganized class I've ever taken in my college career. I would say at the end I feel like I learned NOTHING. He doesn't offer clear expectations for assignments and isn't kind when it comes to asking for help. Please, take anyone else other than him.
He spends so much time claiming to make instructions clear that he does nothing but confuse people. Ironic for someone who brags about how organized he is. And yes, he is rude to students. NEVER admits he is wrong even though he frequently is. I got an A, but didn't learn anything. Business Analytics is hot. Find someone that can teach it.
This class is an easy A if you do all of the weekly MMMs (if you miss one your chance at an A is slim) so I recommend pairing it with more challenging courses. The exams are open note/textbook but the projects are extremely lengthy and graded harshly. The professor throws in "tricks" throughout the course to see "who's paying attention"
Early review, but with spring registration approaching, I wanted to share my thoughts. Very relaxed professor, has expectations that he expects, but nothing crazy. He is kind in emails, just make sure you pay attention; I assume he does not appreciate when it is obvious the student is not paying attention. First 1-2 weeks are syllabus review.
I don't know why everyone is saying this class is so hard, literally the easiest class ever. Just watch the videos. No quizzes and there's open note open book tests which makes it really easy. He also gives extra credit. I haven't done the projects yet, but they also seem pretty straight forward. Easy A.
Lance tries to create a unique setting to "teach differently". In the end, this results in a very complex and confusing class that leaves me wondering, what did I even actually learn at all??? His lecture videos are usually just him reading off a textbook without thought, I've literally never been so frustrated from just watching a lesson video.
This class is such a waste of time. He prides himself on being organized and constantly says how clear his directions are but it ends up being extremely confusing. He is annoying to listen to and I could not tell you a single thing I have learned. Take it with someone else unless you want to be constantly confused by extremely long directions
The work your asked to do is absolutely pointless and grades hard on his DSA projects even though he doesnt give you a rubric to go off of. He honestly shouldnt even be teaching.
Easy A but he acts like he is the only professor in the world, very conceited and annoying and praises his organization when it isn't.
Don't recommend him to anyone. I haven't learned a single thing in this class. He gets offended if you don't watch every second of his 30 videos a week and is not helpful over email whatsoever. He is disrespectful to his students and hardly answers questions adequately. His weekly quizzes are easy, definitely an easy A, but irritating dealing with
First of all, don't take this class. If the class is mandatory for you, then please try to find a different professor. Lance Kerwin is a terrible teacher. He is the equivalent of a high school football coach who is required to teach a class - but on a college level. This class was pointless and I learned absolutely nothing.
If you watch his announcements/lectures it's an easy A. Yes, he has a different teaching style. Those who stated confusion via GroupMe are the same who say they "don't have time to watch his videos" so I don't know how they expected to understand. There is an "unstructured" long-term project he states he wants the students to bring structure to.
The worst professor I have taken at FSU. He is rude and condescending to students in his videos and emails. The content mostly consists of Ted Talks, articles, and "optional" book readings. Kerwin will insist his instructions are great, even though they are unclear. Be prepared for lots of "self-learning" and "critical thinking" if you take him.
one of the most confusing and frustrating classes I've taken here. You have to watch everything and keep up with his announcement spam. The DSA is tedious but follow the template. exams are open note but not easy- he purposely makes questions confusing and throws in little tricks to trip you up and make sure you watched every second of his videos.
I read these reviews for this class prior to taking it in the fall and I wish I listened - please dont make my mistake and dont take this class. Instructions are unclear, lengthy videos that take so long for him to get to his point. DSA project is easy but follow his instructions clearly. Overall- I have learned nothing in this course 2/10
Professor Kerwin is very kind and cares a lot about his students. This is not a difficult class, but the exams can be a little challenging. They are open-note and open-internet but the questions are straight from his lectures.
Prof. Kerwin is a decent professor but is nit-picky at times when you must complete an assignment. You must follow his instructions and understand the content in this course. The textbook was helpful for the final exam in this course
Ive only been in the class for a few weeks, but I already can tell what type of prof he is. He doesnt teach in his lecture videos, he just reads the first sentence of each paragraph of the articles he posts. If you are interested in learning about this field, the class isnt too bad but you have to teach yourself most things
This class is so stupid. Lance is very erratic and grades very harshly. This class was a waste of my time. The final is excessively hard for no reason. DONT TAKE HIM
In reality, expect to work; however, understand that if you simply watch lectures this class is not only simple but helpful. Mr. Kerwin cares a lot (It is very easy to see this), and those who are frustrated or have left negative reviews have done so because they do not treat the class as it should be treated (Literally spend two hours a week)
If you are looking on here to figure out if you should take ISM3541 with Lance Kerwin, do not. He is the worst professor I have had at FSU. The way he teaches this class is very stupid. He acts like he's tech savvy, but he really does not know what he is doing. He is a coach first and should continue to purse JUST THAT. FSU fire him please <3
Overall the class was not bad. Lance Kerwin makes some topics confusing with the way he teaches the material. Sometimes he contradicts himself as well. I have found sentence structuring errors in exams (which are open note) which causes confusion as to what the actual question is asking. The overall material was not too difficult to grasp.
I never met a worse professor. Requires you pay $20 for extra credit. Requires we answer weekly discussions that have nothing to do with the course. Makes you keep a log of how long you study to turn in randomly. Doesn’t answer questions and only refers you to the videos. Constantly complimenting his own teaching style every video or assignment
This has been the worst class I've taken at FSU. It's not hard to understand the content, but it is hard to understand what is expected of you. He grades harder if you turn things in on the day they are due and was so rude the one time I emailed him that I never will contact him again. Absolutely would never recommend this class.
Lance Kerwin is the worst professor I have had here at FSU. I emailed him to talk about one grade I received from my TA, and he was not willing to talk about it. He was very rude. That was probably the meanest thing a professor has ever said to me. He’s not professional at all. The content isn’t hard but the expectations are.
I think if I were majoring in MIS, Lance Kerwin and this class would make me question that. Worst class ever because of this Coach and his teaching style. Shamed me for not going to IN PERSON office hours for an ONLINE class.
How he’s a professor at FSU is beyond me. The content itself is easy, but he contradicts himself and refuses to elaborate. If you email with a question he will passively belittle you. If you then have an issue after it’s then your fault - he does not teach or try to educate. He talks at you and is not approachable even when referred by the TA
He tells students to utilize in-person office hours, but when you show up he will look up your data on canvas to see if he judges you spent enough time watching the videos. If he doesn't like the data he sees, he will then turn you away and refuse to help or explain. He also likes to discredit you in emails when you come with concerns or questions
Would not recommend taking this professor. Very heavy lectures, hard grading, and very little leeway for mistakes. HARD TO WORK WITH! I finished an assignment, submitted the document through pages (bc it had the same name as the PDF) and he would not give me credit. Dropped my grade from an A to a C+ and the only extra credit is a $30 summit.
He won't allow any redo's on homework or anything for that matter. He won't accept any late work. He expects you to follow the class religiously. This class stresses me out
This is the worst professor I have had throughout the college of business. FSU needs to hire somebody better to teach this course. He is also very disrespectful when you ask him simple questions.
Despite everyone's opinion, I found his class very easy, I KEPT UP WITH THE ONLINE WORK. He will regularly stress that you must keep up with the weekly assignments and if you do you will be fine. Tests are open note, open internet, open book, SIMPLE. He offers EC, but if you just do the quiz each week you are fine, you don't actually need the book.
IF YOU PUT IN THE EFFORT you will be fine. If you make a mistake, but have put in the hours to the course, he will work with you. His announcements and lectures are a lot and can be annoying, but WATCH THEM because he can tell if you did or not. He will help you out if you show you put effort into his course. Go to office hours!! You'll be fine.
The material for this class wasn't very difficult, however, you have one main project for the whole semester and he gives extremely unclear instructions on how to complete it. He tries to make you feel like you need to treat this class like a full-time job and it's really unnecessary. Avoid this professor if you can but class is needed for business
Purposely makes course much more difficult than needs to be. Will NOT help you out if you cannot provide proof that your are logging in your hours and he will double-check. No extra credit unless you pay $30 for a summit. Will deliberately scatter necessary information over the semester and expect you to hunt for it. Worst professor I've ever had
He takes easy material, & adds so many loopholes,unorganized material,and unnecessary fluff that you have no idea what he is actually asking for.He will purposely scatter CRITICAL info &assignments in between announcements and messages, rather than putting all critical class information in a weekly module like any other professor with common sense.
He was absolutely awful. Our groupme was confused the entire semester. He seems great as a person, truly, I think maybe he was just overwhelmed. There are two major exams, which are open note and okay, but the big project is what is beyond confusing. If you do take this course start your DSA project part 2 like 2 weeks in advance. Overall, okay.
I have never been so confused by what is expected in a class, and our main project of the whole semester had no clear instructions at all. When I tried to email for guidance, I was responded to in such a rude manner. Nothing is ever posted on a clear schedule/time-frame and it is so easy to miss assignments if you're not constantly checking canvas.
While I do have an A in this class, the trouble that you have to go through to find out what your assignments are is insane. He has an intense focus on time management and "preparing you for the real world" but leaves students confused on what the class is about. He's a decent guy but loses his message he's trying to deliver by being difficult.
He is horrible. Simple as that. I took this class because I wanted to actually learn about business analytics. All the lectures are literally just him reading the book or article word for word, he provides no insight or anything. Hes unbelievably lazy and does nothing to help us learn the topic. Learned absolutely nothing unfortunately.
For ISM 3451 make sure you watch all the lectures and pay attention and read all of the articles he sends. Most of his test arent terrible, but can be difficult if you just toned out his lectures or announcements. Most of his questions come from lectures and very little from the books. Dont feel shy about asking him questions
I don't typically write reviews, however I believe this to be one of (if not the singlehanded) worst professor I've had a class with. There are two massive projects that take upwards of 10 hours a piece (if you're someone like me taking 15 credit hours and having a life this sucks), two exams with broad questions, and offers little to no help. No.
Lance Kerwin is not a bad professor. He is trying to teach life skills along with an introduction to BA. There are 2 large tests and 2 large projects. If you keep up with the material his tests aren't hard and if you start projects early they aren't hard. If you don't keep up with the material this class becomes extremely hard and time consuming.
This professor teaches absolutely nothing. I did not learn a single thing. There are two big assignments that he barely explains how to do. If you have no excel experience these assignments will be extremely difficult. He vaguely explains everything and his tests are worded weirdly. One of the worst professors I have had at FSU.
Professor Kerwin is terrible at giving clear instructions for his projects. He goes off on random tangents all the time during class and makes zero sense most of the time. Not super difficult but is extremely confusing. Seriously makes me question majoring in MIS
TAKE AS MANY NOTES AS YOU CAN FROM LECTURES TRUST ME. The exams are open book, 95% lecture based and 5% youtube videos he posts. A project that will take you many hours, start early. Kerwin does not provide instruction or useful guidance. Teach yourself everything. Learn how to use excel graphs and be prepared to pay money for EC. Good luck
Overall easy class but he is the least understanding teacher I have ever had at Florida State. Get ready for the two big projects that he gives no directions on. You should be fine in the class but if you are lazy and miss assignments here and there you not gonna get credit.
Very stubborn person. Rambles on videos. Take a different professor.
He required a time log (for a required class) that he graded based on the amount of time spent in his class after essentially saying he wouldn't and that he just wanted to see what we were doing. Made the class more difficult than it should've been and he wasn't great at explaining directions for the projects. Basically micromanaged everything.
This course should not be that hard, however it is because Lance makes it that way for no reason. Major projects without any clear instructions or rubric given, instead he likes to give instructions audibly throughout different lecture videos that don't explain anything. Not to mention how stuck up he is, easily one of the worst profs I've had.
Worst professor at FSU
. There are two main projects that make up a large majority of your grade. However, he was very helpful throughout the process by hosting zoom town halls where he would allow students to ask him any questions they had. He also spoke a lot about the projects throughout the lecture videos and would provide a lot of tips and tricks sporadically.
Honestly, one of the worse professors I have taken at fsu, other than James Dever! Hes the only professor, so get ready to want to KYS!
His primary focus is his career outside of teaching and it shows. He makes unplanned, unedited ramblings every semester rather than building up a suite of good course material. He grades based on vibes instead of a rubric, and assignment requirements are thrown into minute 40 of an hour-long rambling, and you get points off if you miss it.
how the class is set up is so unorganized I dont understand how he still goes by it. it does not help the student learn business analytics in any way and it really is sad that he is the only teacher for ISM3541. I honestly wanted to learn about business analytics but with him there is no way I can.
Lance is super unorganized. He posts videos that are 40% rambling, 50% reprimanding other students for not following videos and being extremely condescending. Only 10% of the videos are actually important to watch and you have to sift through them to find what you need.
Worst professor I have had, doesn't really teach you anything, just stresses his own importance and his videos' usefulness over and over. His directions are muddled and confusing. Shame.
Garbage
Worst professor at FSU, just posts new videos almost everyday that make zero sense and are for the most part rambling or referring to himself in third person. He is all over the place with organization and almost never explains how he wants something done. The class is like a scavenger hunt for almost every assignment
Easily the worst professor/teacher I've ever had. The assignments aren't difficult but takes 3 hours longer just to understand what you need to do due to his 1 hour videos talking about what he thinks is exceptional and saying not to email him. I haven't learned much at all about actual analytics. He's condescending, don't bother asking for help.
This is going to be an awful experience so mentally prepare yourself. Lots of time will be wasted because of the way the course is designed, and you will be frustrated. Everything is confusing and nothing is clear.
Lance is the most obnoxious and pretentious professor I've ever had to take a course with. It's ridiculous that he is the only option to enroll with in this course as his assignments are pointless and excruciating. Expect to have hours of your life wasted on scavenger hunting directions for an assignment as he makes it as cryptic as possible. 1/3
It's as if he's trying to make your life harder on purpose in the name of simulating "the business world." I don't know who told him that the business world makes finding directions for a simple assignment impossible for no reason, but that is the complete opposite from what I've observed in my professional experience. 2/3
Lance genuinely needs assistance to improve his career as a professor. It boggles my mind that he has gotten this far as a professor with this behavior. He desperately needs to be evaluated for his disservice to the students of Florida State University. Prepare to waste an entire semester in a class that won't prepare you for the future. 3/3
He is very confusing and not straightforward with his lectures and instructions. This class could be fun and easy but he ruins it with
This dude is absolutely brutal. Awful, cryptic lectures that last for hours on simple instructions. The class has 3 big grades, a 2-part data analysis assignment, and a cumulative final. Be ready to email questions and receive a condescending response. I would seriously put it off for as long as possible with hopes that they bring someone else in.
This class is awful its such busy time consuming work and nothing makes sense. He grades good if he is feeling nice. The only nice thing is that his exam isn't honorlock. If you don't have to this class don't do it and save your time.
Professor Kerwin has made my semester at Flordia State very difficult throughout the entire semester. Throughout this course, I was continuously confused about what I was learning, what assignments to do, and where to start. He would get constant complaints about his teaching style and was overall very confusing I DO NOT RECOMMEND TAKING HIM
He made this class way more confusing and difficult than it needed to be. Waste of my time and energy to take this course, only take it if absolutely necessary for your academic map. If not, definitely avoid Lance.
Prof Kerwin only communicates through videos. No written outlines, nothing. He admits that his class is a filler, then demands 8-10 hours of time a week (his projects and lectures demand above 10 hours). I don't understand anything I learned or was expected to learn. Get through the class, but don't take if you don't have to.
This professor is awful. Florida State needs to do better. Waste of my time. Textbook is useless except for the final.
Lance Kerwin is the worst professor I have ever had the displeasure of taking a class for. He is awful at communicating information and he sets up his class in quite possibly the most irritating way possible. This class will frustrate you but at least an easy A if you do the work.
This class is awful. No organization what so ever and usually have to scavenge around the website for 10 minutes before finding the information you need. I have learned nothing the entire semester but have received the most amount of work than in my other classes. Please avoid
ISM 3541 could be a great course for the COB but this prof drags it down. My least favorite class i have ever taken. finding information or something required for assignments is a scavenger hunt bc everything is in videos with no access to powerpoints. half of the video is him complaining and reprimanding students. needs major improvements
waste of my time. do not recommend
Professor Lance Kerwin is genuinely a great professor. After taking ISM 3541, I was hesitant to take this course, but his ISM 4113 course is treated very differently than his ISM 3541. This class is split into two sections: the lecture/course material for the first half of the semester, than a final group project. This is my favorite class at FSU.
Very odd professor the final exam is weird but open note and internet so at least you have that. The DSA projects are kinda tricky at first cause the directions are unclear and misleading. Once you get the flow of things though it only takes a couple hours. If you're like me you do the project the day its due and hate yourself for it but you can.
He will make you rewatch the lectures at least twice and then expects a time log of everything you do. The class is run on his pacing only no exceptions. He designs the class in a very confusing manner.
If you take what Lance says seriously, you will not have a bad time in this class. But, if you think he's kidding when he says he "expects you to take notes" and "Watch videos twice," he's not. The only exam is 50/50 random facts from the lecture videos and the book(s). If you stack weeks, you will struggle in this class.
Lance's work was very confusing and his instructions were not very clear. My only advice would be to watch all of his announcements and get ahead of the work. Start the DSAs early and you will be fine. Just put in the work and you will get the grade you need.
Just don't. Everything is due at 5:00pm on a Monday or Tuesday. Also has strange deadline schedules. Example: assignment given on Feb 13/14 - he wants it done that day or the next - doesn't actually make it due till Feb 20/21. It's so off putting and deceitful. Explanation is the real world works like that which just isn't true unless it's crappy.
Professor Kerwin's class structure is simple to follow. The assignments and projects are easy as well. I like how they center around time management and productivity. You must watch his announcements and recordings to be able to succeed. It is not hard to follow these guidelines- I could only see lazy people struggling with this class.
He is very difficult to work with. He has a terrible attitude. Did not learn anything
Easily the worst teacher and class I have had at Florida State University. Lance really takes the cake. Condescending, adversarial, and disrespectful of students' time. Awful, just awful. Avoid if you can. The College of Business needs to do better.
This class is not as bad as people make it out to be. It has a 2 part project, a final, and lots of assignments in between. Mr. Kerwin is strict on his expectations, but as long as you pay attention to detail and are proactive you'll be fine.
Although he does set clear expectations for the semester, Professor Kerwin overexplains to the point where it makes the assignment harder than it should be. The weekly messages are easy, and he gives the answers to those quizzes. Don't bother emailing him regarding assignments he will just point to his lectures or will give a roundabout answer.
The majority of credit is in the first-week syllabus quiz, followed by 2 major projects and a final exam. It is not hard stuff, just takes time to finish. He is very particular with time management and likes to micromanage how you complete the course. There is extra credit (50 points)
The material is not difficult but he overcomplicates things making the class very frustrating. I would avoid this class if possible. Save yourself the headache.
The class can be a lot easier then Kerwin makes it. The class feels like a waste of time. He spends 75% of the semester telling you to watch his videos and then the rest telling you to do the two projects without really explaining how. You will learn NOTHING in this class. He cares more about "time management" then anything.
Worst professor I've ever had at Florida State. The class is useless and he makes it more confusing than it needs to be.
Contrary to popular belief, this class is not difficult but more cumbersome to deal with. He lays out clear assignment expectations, but lacks any sort of leniency to late assignments and his lessons adds insight to how to present analytics instead of what business analytics pertains to. Even now, I still don't know what business analytics is.
Gives unclear instructions and is extremely condescending in emails when asked for clarification. Final has concepts unrelated to course material. Will make assignments unnecessarily confusing for what they are.
Gives really bad instructions.. The class is not that hard but the final exam had unrelated coursework. He is also rude to students. Would not recommend to take the class.
by far the worst class I have ever taken. You are only graded on these two things called DSA's and the final exam. Kerwin gives literally no direction or expectation for the DSA and expects you to figure it out. Did not learn a thing in his class. He is the only professor that teaches ISM3541 at FSU but if there is any way u can, don't take him.
Lance reiterated that he wants us to take our learning experience from this class and apply it toward the buisness world. As I wish that were the case, it's far from it as I have learned absolutely nothing besides how to waste somebody's time for 12 weeks. COB needs to re-evaluate this instructor. He ruins the idea in majoring in DA for many.
In contrast to the other reviews, I enjoyed this class. Lance sets extremely clear expectations from the beginning and he reiterates throughout the course that it's time management focused. Therefore, making and maintaining a calendar or schedule is the best way to pass! The course work and final were both fair, just maintain a schedule!
So despite all the negative reviews, I personally don't find Lance's class too hard... His lectures are very boring but its a really easy class compared to the rest of the classes you take in the COB. You have a DSA project that is 2 parts which is pretty much you're whole grade that he walks you through the semester.
Due dates are at random times you never know in advance. You have to check his Canvas page every single day. He grades assignments arbitrarily (ex. assignment with 10 questions, miss one question and you will get a D). I have learned nothing about data analytics. Lectures all consist of him complaining about students not following his expectations
He is not sympathetic AT ALL; we were given a few days notice until my grandma passed and he said "I don't know why you didn't shoot me an email when waiting in the airport" as we were collecting her remaining items from her hometown. I was taking care of my grandma's husband, her 3 grandkids and myself where in that time was I supposed to remember
The class for most of the time is easy as weekly assignments are basic and he gives you the answer for them most of the time. There are 3 big assignments during the course. There is the final test, a time log, and a Data science assignment. He is a micromanager and will try to control every aspect of the course.
The course canvas page is so confusing. He only posts videos so there are no powerpoints available to download. Most of the class assignments are easy completion points but the tough assignments in the course are the DSAs which he can be harsh in grading, and the final exam which included some content that we didn't even cover in the course
The class is fine, but Lance is very particular about the assignment formats. As long as you do the surveys and assignments the class is easy. There are weekly mini-assignments that he gives you all the answers to and then a final project based on the surveys you took followed by an easy final exam.
ummm make sure you check due dates, got a terrible grade on the first assignment that was supposed to be an easy A for everyone and is now NEAR IMPOSSIBLE to get a high grade in this class. Barely any assignments to get your grade up.
Unyielding and inconsistent. Says he posts videos on Tuesday that need to be watched by Wednesday, but if you watch them on Wednesday you'll find you've missed an assignment that was due on Tuesday that wasn't posted in Canvas. His whole class is just jumping through unnecessary hoops for someone who is very out of touch with students. do not take
He does not answer emails and tries to control every aspect of the class in the way he wants it. He is not understanding and does not seem to care for his students.
Does not care about his students at all. I did not learn a single thing from this class. I would never take a class by him again.
He'll say what to do in one video, then will turn around and want something else instead, in some obsolete 10 minute announcement video you'll have to search for. Over half the class missed a crucial part of the big project because he can't communicate well. Also starts his class week on a Tuesday to micromanage. Like bro just stick with mon-fri.
His course is organized in such a complicated way that you won't know what's going on for critical assignments. Syllabus is all over the place, so even after several read-overs, you still won't know half of what you need to be doing for the course. Horrendous course organization.
Lance does provide clear instuctions, lacks students view on assignments, and creates workloads that have unclear instructions. Mandatory for many students but do NOT recommend!
Professor Kerwin uses a bizarre class structure and sets deadlines at 5 p.m. instead of 11:59. Kerwin also lacks empathy for his students and will not accept late work. I broke my ankle and have been in recovery after getting surgery. I had completed a large project but had technical issues before I could submit it. Kerwin did not seem to care.
This professor is only "hard" if you do the bare minimum in his class. He is a great teacher especially if you're majoring in MIS. He does care and lets us students know 3+ weeks ahead of time of what he expects from all of us. Do not take him if you lack time management. Easy A, you just need to put in effort.
Watch his videos; he tells you exactly what you need to do. The only part of his class that is a little confusing and requires effort is the big Excel assignment (DSA). He's not sympathetic about late work, so make sure you hand things in on time. It's not a hard class and he's a nice guy.
The course setup was confusing; his weekly announcements were unhelpful and vague. He grades the entire course from 2 assignments and a test and will not give an extension for any reason. I had broken my ankle and needed surgery the week before an assignment was due and he would not accommodate me. Instead, he sent me sarcastic responses.
He does not provide assignment sheets or clear instructions on what he wants from the course. Instead, he makes multiple videos a week that you must watch within a day or so not to miss points. He is unequivocal about what he wants and will take off many points for things he mentions in passing. He is rude over email and seems to enjoy it.
Professor Kerwin has made what should have been one of the easiest classes of my college career one of the most confusing. His obsession with following an unorthodox schedule causes the schedule to be the only focus of the class. Note to Professor Kerwin: If nearly half your class is unclear on how something works, maybe it isn't them.
Professor Kerwin cares deeply about his students. He is strict on time management, however he is teaching his students to prepare for the real world of business. I appreciate how he makes his deadline at 5pm, because that is how it will be with a job one day. His class is very beneficial. He cares about his students and wants them to succeed.
the most confusing professor and such an inconsiderate formatted class. cob should rearrange this course to be more beneficial and understandable.
Probably the worst professor I have ever had. Doesn't care about his students and this class is a huge waste of time you don't actually learn anything.
worst teacher I think I have ever had
Easily the worst professor I have had at FSU. Do not try to email him to ask him anything as he will tell you to watch the videos he posted where he doesn't explain anything. Assignments are pointless and you don't really learn anything from him, don't take this class unless you 100% have to.
He's passionate about what he teaches and is very educated. He expects students to watch his lecture videos weekly within a certain time. There are no other professors that teach this course at FSU, so he's your only option. Class is easy assignments every week, 2 projects, and 1 exam. It's relatively easy if you keep up. I didn't use a textbook.
Worst professor I've ever had. I missed one project and his response was harsh and unforgiving. The material isn't hard you really just have to pay attention to the videos he puts out. The class has nothing to do with business analytics and is more to test how well you can figure out his way of doing things. Do not take it if you aren't required!
Everyone hates on him but all he asks of you is to watch his announcement videos of the plan for each week. He literally will give quiz answers in these announcements but people who don't watch them get annoyed for their bad grades. He has 1 big project that has 2 sections and it's not easy but if you don't procrastinate it's not hard at all.
This is an easy class - a lot of weekly easy points, 2 big projects (DSAs) and 1 final exam (open notes). The professor makes an easy class unnecessarily confusing. He puts the explanations to the assignments all over the places + he's very strict w/ deadlines! Students should have at least one other professor available to teach ISM.
Definitely a lot nicer in person than in the online class. 2 pretty easy tests and 1 annoying group project that makes no sense half the time. The only feedback he gives on the project is on useless things like submitted it as a doc instead of a pdf. Barley learned anything all semester. Avoid.
The data analytics class is basically a time management class. I didn't really learn anything about data analytics. If your good at deadlines and scheduling things then this class will be super easy. He's not a terrible professor but definitely didn't inspire me or get me excited to learn.
lance is very clear, but he posts random updates/videos throughout the week that make it confusing. the organization in canvas is confusing, but the content isn't that hard. each weekly activity he gives you the answers if you watch the videos, there is a project that is split into two parts which is time-consuming, and one open note test.
Unfortunately, this class is unavoidable if you are an MIS major. Lance Kerwin is an extremely low-quality teacher. All he does is talk about himself and run on random tangents (that are not material-related) for the entire class period. I have not learned a single thing in his class.
Seems like he enjoys confusing and stressing out students. Gives the most unclear instructions possible and then acts passive aggressive like it is the student's fault that they missed something. Seems to have no empathy for real life situations and the exam is so random and useless.
1 test which you can have a cheat sheet and 2 projects which are time consuming and grades hard. Good luck if you lack time management, once you get behind you're in trouble. Its really not bad if you put in the work and have ALOT of extra time to spend. I will say that he responds to emails quickly, but when you ask him ?s he says its up to you...
Lance Kerwin knows what he is teaching. Only issue is that not only can he not teach, but he cannot set a strict set of expectations for the two MAJOR projects he has. He literally changes what he wants in the middle of the semester in the lecture videos so watch out.
Nearly failed me for trying to help another student with the reasoning of "the classroom is meant to be a competitive environment".
I didn't like the guy from the first second his shiny head popped up on my screen. Very condescending. Poor dude, you can only feel bad for him.
This professor does not show any respect for his students. Does not know how to teach an online class, and responds to emails rudely with no answer to the question when you are just seeking clarification. Another shame for FSU.
First time actually rating a professor so hopefully that says a lot. If you can avoid this professor, do it. He has a semester long project that he gives virtually 0 real instructions or help on, the grading starts at a 95 and he makes it very clear from the beginning you have to make this project your lifes work to get anywhere near it. Dont do it
This course has nothing to do with ISM, it has everything to do with watching his dumb Tuesday morning messages all the way through then BSing the work. He is a complete nightmare and thinks he's organized when in reality his schedule makes no sense. too bad he is the only professor for this class. good luck.
This professor creates this class based off a very strict schedule that really makes no sense. He sets deadlines for 5pm on fridays and randomly decides to move them to the following monday with very little communication. His lectures focus more on whether he is happy with students' participation in his schedule rather than actual content.
I still don't really understand the purpose of this class. Lance has a bizarre structure and the strange questions on assignments and the exam. I don't think its a hard class, but it's also the lowest grade I've ever received. I left this class feeling upset and dissatisfied.
just as bad as the 3541 class. Doesn't even lecture in class, just goes on about his obsession with KPMG or about how students in both classes don't get his "approach of teaching". Since he's obsessed over analytics and storytelling, If over 100 students rate you a 1, it's more than likely not on them.
DO NOT TAKE HIM. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. You WILL lower your GPA if you take him. At least in ISM 3541.
Professor Kerwin has great intentions, and genuinely cares about his students' success, but he has a much different teaching style than most. He's extremely organized, but the overabundance of announcements makes it hard to keep up. Also, I hate how he doesn't let us download slides. Overall, a good professor but be ready to do lots of work.
He makes everything way more complicated then it needs to be and has a very different teaching structure. I will say that he definitely cares about his students and wants them to succeed but everything he does is so unnecessary and makes no sense. You will not learn anything about business analytics.
This class should be easy. Which it is for the most part. Kerwin just over complicates things to a point you want to tear your hair out. The DSA is complicated and weird, the assignments are easy if you just review the lectures. You have to take it with him bc there is no one else. Didn't actually learn much about analytics. Would never take again!
The major project is split into two parts both of which are extremely tedious. The final exam only tests your ability to remember specific details from his lecture slides. His canvas layout is cluttered and confusing. He is often condescending towards students. You also have to get a 94 or above for an A. If you can avoid him do so.
The projects and class were boring and and worthless.
DON'T TAKE THIS CLASS!!!! COMPLICATES ALL THE ASSIGNMENTS AND IS NOT ORGANIZED WHAT SO EVER.
He means well, but acts like his class is so organized, but in reality he makes everything so complicated for no reason. One of those professors that makes assignments due on 5pm on Fridays. Overcomplicates the course and is a real stickler. He means well, but I hope he reads these reviews and understands he has to change.
Professor means well but doesn't act like it. Weekly communication is a 'Tuesday Morning Announcement' which can be up to 30 minutes long, and contains maybe 5 minutes of relevant information. Weekly assignments are a straight waste of time and rarely relate to anything in the class. You will leave the class not even sure what you learned.
Professor Kerwin has a negative attitude and adopts a very confusing class structure. He does a poor job of setting clear expectations, with the course requirements and schedule being confusing and hard to follow. The assignments and material are not challenging, but navigating and meeting the murky course expectations are.
Honestly...came into this class expecting the worst due to the reviews. IF YOU WANT TO GET AN A YOU WILL!!!! I have an A right now and am waiting on the last project to be graded to see my final grade. PAY ATTENTION and you will not have an issue. It is a very annoying class and the professor is very specific but it is not supposed to be this hard.
Response to technical issues was extremely disrespectful. Course is okay, would be more streamlined if he would teach the skills instead of just following his guidelines, remember to watch his announcements.
This class teaches you very little about analytics and he over complicates the entire structure of the course. By far, the worst professor I've ever had.
Professor Kerwin is quite possibly the worst professor I have ever had at FSU. He is always all over the place, his instructions are very unclear, and he makes easy assignments very difficult simply due to his wording and lack of teaching. If you are a business major you will have to take this class but beware he is just god awful.
Lance is a good professor whose class is very easy and straightforward if you watch all of the announcement and lecture videos. If you want to get an A in this class you will. Stay engaged early and make sure to take notes, download transcripts and screenshot power point slides because you will need them for the open-note final exam.
Very confusing learning plan, everything is over complicated. Teaches nothing about actual business analytics.
Quite literally one of the most difficult professors I have come across at FSU. He makes hour long lecture videos where he basically goes over the class structure but says NOTHING ELSE. He overcomplicates everything when it doesn't need to be. This class should be so much easier but he makes it impossible to understand whats going on.
Professor seriously does not care about teaching, just rants about his class structure and deadlines. I have genuinely learned nothing about analytics in any capacity.
Professor Kerwin's class is very unique, instructions can be very hard to understand at times and due dates are very confusing, but the class structure is simple and the work itself is not hard. The DSA project and activities are very simple and straightfoward as long as you watch the lectures. Exams can be hard though, but they are open note.
Confusing instructions. Don't bother with the documents he sends out they're like an hour
Long announcements which contain little information except course content. He gives you an original due date than changes it to scare people to turn it in earlier. The project isn't difficult but weirdly time consuming. Does give extra credit. Class is easy however I left the class not knowing what I learned.
Awful professor. The exams are open-book which makes them quite easy, and the project itself is not that hard. What is hard is listening to Lance speak. He gives vague instructions and does not set clear expectations. Then, when the whole class inevitably fails to meet his unknown expectations he gets passive aggressive.
He does a lot of things right. He's very clear about things and gives lots of extra credit. I ended with a good grade for the class but his 5 pm deadlines are annoying and I genuinely have no idea what I have learned about business analytics. Lectures are long and annoying he just rants about deadlines and the “business world.”
this is my advice to students who will be taking Kerwins course this semester. It is an easy class but he makes it seem much more confusing than it actually is. 60% of his lectures are about the layout of the class, class communication. He has some sort of issue communicating and as long as you are aware of his tendencies this course will be easy.
He is completely unprofessional and does not care about his students. While the course work may not be difficult he will not admit fault for any of his grading mistakes. Speaks extremely condescending to students and is extremely passive aggressive. If this course was offered by anyone else I would urge everyone to not have him as your professor.
Avoid this professor at all costs. Unclear instructions, unclear expectations, unhelpful lectures.
Be prepared to learn nothing
Honestly, Kerwin gets more hate than deserved. I would agree that he makes assignments due at annoying times and definitely can come off as condescending. However, he provides many videos going over the content of the course and everyone that says they learned nothing probably just did the bare minimum. Not great, but definitely far from terrible.
Worst professor I have ever had. He sends long, passive aggressive, disrespectful, condescending messages to his students. Personally, he sent me an insulting message questioning my ability to survive in the "real word". He does not explain the material, then gets upset when students are confused on the instructions. Doable, but I learned nothing.
Guys, this class aint all that bad. Tbh, as long as ya'll are able to get yourselves to do the bare minimum of reading/ watching everything he posts, you will be fine! Sure, he can be confusing at times and it can be difficult to find the information needed at times, but this class is fine! Do not take if you are bad at online courses.
I put attendance as not mandatory, but he makes sure that you are engaged in the class each week by posting some sort of assignment or survey. The main focus of the class is on a semester-long project. If you procrastinate, this class will be harder than it needs to be. The exams were pretty easy and were straight from his lectures.
Super rude and condescending, you learn nothing. Lots of extra credit and easy assignments. Don't need to watch lectures, the 2 exams are so easy. Project isn't hard either. Wastes probably 75% of your time by talking about his course setup and ranting about communication. Weird and annoying but required for business and an easy A so there's that.
I was worried about taking this class bc of the reviews online but tbh it was super easy . Take advantage of extra credit & submit assignments by deadline. free online pdf of the book online. where most students go wrong is by not keeping up w announcements these can make or break ur grade bc he says key info in them to make sure ur watching
Going into this class I was nervous because of the feedback on RMP, but there it not much to worry about. His Canvas course page has a lot going on, but if you watch the announcements and understand his system it will get easier. Definitely takes notes throughout the semester and you'll be good for the midterm/final.
Lance can come off as stubborn sometimes but he really means well for his students. You can tell his goal is to prepare us for a professional environment. I found the expectations and schedule for the class to be pretty clear. The class does require a lot of effort but if you put in the work you should do well.
I originally took Lance for ISM3541 online and I hated it at first bc the Canvas was so confusing, but it just wasn't what I was used to. Take the time to read and watch his announcements and you'll be fine. I have him in-person for ISM4113 now and he's MUCH better! He genuinely cares about students and his humor translates better than in emails.
Learned absolutely nothing all he does is sit in his office on his webcam and tells his students they aren't ready for the "real world" and how no one has time management skills. The class itself is easy but structured horribly. The big project also was not hard just work on it every now and then and you will be good.
Lance will post hours of videos where he rambles and rambles saying the same 5 things. At some point in the video he may explain how to do the assignments because there are no instructions on the actual assignments. You have to watch every video posted to have an understanding of what to do for each assignment.
Lance will not do much during this course. Maybe post some old videos where he rambles and gives little to no helpful information. Class is easy but professor gets three thumbs down. Probably should be fired and replaced with someone willing to actually teach and do some work.
How does a professor with over 140 1 star reviews still have a job. Rambles about deadlines in the course and overcomplicates everything. Wont learn a single thing
people who complain about this class are just lazy tbh. the only big assignment that is hard takes probably 4 hours if you cram. it's an easy a if you follow his rules.
TBH this class isnt that bad in terms of difficulty. A lot of the students rating this class with 5.0 difficulty simply do not even watch the videos he posts (fyi even if you watch just half of his videos, you have an understanding of what he wants you to complete). He also offers plenty EC opportunities, very easy. He sometimes is unclear.
Lance expects you to watch and listen to him ramble three times a week any maybe explain an assignment instead of providing clear, written directions like all other professors. Very unclear at times and videos are very boring/monotone. Assignments are not hard after 90+ mins of watching lecture videos to have an idea of what is expected
Terrible man. He is rude in all of his emails, and makes an interesting course extremely complicated and difficult for no reason. The fact that he has this amount of negative reviews is for a reason, cannot believe his condescending comments haven't gotten him flagged by admin.
As a business major, I was excited to look into a business analytics minor, and thought this class could be really useful in giving a taste of what it would be like. Lance has successfully driven me away from going any further into business analytics, and from taking any other class taught by him. This man speaks to hear his own voice be heard.
Not enough characters to express how awful this guy is. Zero respect for anybody's time. Business analytics seems interesting til you realize it's not business analytics it's the Lance Kerwin podcast. Avoid this professor if you can
Annoying and condescending preparing students for the "real world" when he is just intentionally making things harder. I've learned absolutely nothing from this entire class. I just do the assignments, which require no learning besides just following his specific instructions you have to sort through hours of videos for. Not hard, just annoying.
Very uncaring teacher (barely learned anything) the instructor has a tremendous ego, he will never communicate or help you out as he expect you to keep up with the announcements. If you miss something get ready to dig throughs hundreds of announcements. On test watch out for questions regarding announcements, in other words ANNOUNCEMENTS.
Worst teacher at entire school by far, terrible, terrible, terrible stay away at all costs. Lance I hope you see this because you need to do better. Please put at least half a$$ effort so it seems like you are trying to teach something. Stop rambling so much and do your job!
This class is literally a fly in your room that keeps buzzing but you can't get rid off. It's more of a challenge to find the instructions for the "big project" than it is to do it. I think teach loves to hear himself talk. If you find yourself wondering what the point of this class is, welcome to the club!
This guy blow MAJOR horn! Do not take!
I don't go out of my way to write reviews but this class made me go out of my way in hopes FSU staff sees this to adjust this course. I have not learned a single thing in this class. Everything is all just busy work listening to him ramble on announcements. I am so confused on what he is looking for on this big project because he rambles too much.
Kerwin's confusing and insanely attached to his rule outlines but doesn't even follow them himself. I've learned nothing from this class but it isn't hard. Basic Instructions are always in his 3-hour lecture videos (never on the assignment tab itself in Canvas). So most of the time you'll just be wondering what you're supposed to be doing.
Honestly, not even a bad class. YEAH, the structure of the class is super confusing. Try not to miss any OMs. Literally just watch his video that he makes every week and complete the assignment. He over complicates the class but it's really not that bad. Good amount of extra credit to help you out throughout the semester. Don't be a tool and get A.
Lance is most definitely infamously hated in the COB. I never write reviews for Rate My Professor's but I wanted to take the time to come and write a quick one for Professor Kerwin this semester. In light of the recent tragic shooting at FSU, Professor Kerwin has been one of my most understanding, kind, and caring professors!!
Lance is an amazingly misunderstood professor, he always go above and beyond to make sure students are ready for real world business attitudes. There is so much extra credit in this class, all you have to do is show up to campus activities. Literally his extra credit is to increase your school spirit, the people that complain are the lazy ones
There is so much extra credit in this class, all you have to do is show up to campus activities. Literally his extra credit is to increase your school spirit, the people that complain are the lazy ones
Absolutely love this guy! So much extra credit and campus involvement
Great professor, great class. Watch his weekly videos and you will be more than ready to do all of the work for that week.
Definitely overhated. Kerwin is really loves to explain the entire process, a lot. I believe that's where the hate comes from, because a lot of time spent in the class is explaining how he is gathering data and how he sees the students who are on pace (which is the minority). DSA's are good projects for critical thinking but time consuming.
Professor Kerwin is definitely over-hated for no reason. He offered several extra credit opportunities which were just showing up to support school festivities. Assignments weren't hard at all and mid term was completely open book. He's passionate about the course and ultimately a great professor.
Everyone hates on professor Kerwin, but he genuinely cares about all of his students. A lot of people aren't willing to put in the effort that he expects, and then get upset when he adheres to the syllabus. He lays every expectation out for you in the first couple lecture videos. NO LATE WORK, start the DSA early it is a time commitment.
I loved this professor and would definitely take him again. In the beginning of the class he makes it clear what he expects from his students. He has weekly assignemnts, lectures and videos. So far he had 8 EXC opportunities. The weekly assignments are VERY easy to get an A. The only hard thing is the DSA and exams. Just stay on top of your work
He is very particular about his expectations and being organized. However, if you watch the lectures and turn in the work on time you'll be fine. The DSA is also a lot easier than he makes it seem. He requires a textbook and I bought it and never used it.
L teacher fosho
His class is not hard if you follow his directions. The exams are decently hard but are open note and open book. DSA is easy if you follow directions.
Certified yapper. OM videos could be 5-10 minutes but end up being 30 cause he wants to talk about people's planning skills. Makes the class mad confusing to try and prepare you for the "real world" but idk how effective that is. Still easy tho.
This guy acts like he is a private sector expert but, according to his CV hasn't worked there in 20 years. He makes all these big claims about what the private sector is like - none of which are true. I'd advoid this professor if you can, he is not flexible on anything and makes you seem like the one at fault if you deviate from his agenda at all.
So, I took him online...lots of lecture videos so take very detailed notes (you can use notes on exams). Cares about structure of class, planning, and dedicating a time block for the course. Understand that he doesn't take any bull crap. Just do the work and you'll be fine. If you procrastinate a lot, then BUCKLE YOUR CHINSTRAP. Don't get behind!
Didn't learn much from the class other than how to make data visuals. You won't learn much about collection, analyzing, or anything like that. The course is mainly graded on one big project, that's not bad just time-consuming, and a final open-book exam. Lance's strict on his boundaries and guidelines for assignments. Be sure to pay attention.
He's clear about expectations and how to succeed. There's extra credit almost every week, and I had a 105% before the final. I rarely spent more than 2 hours a week watching lectures and doing assignments. The most I ever spent was 4 hours total, and that was the final project.
Dropped final project a whole letter grade because I forgot to add 1 sentence he stated ONCE in a 40 minute video (scene was clear, I made a note to add it, but the note got lost). Point is, I shouldn't have to do a scavenger hunt through the whole Canvas just to be CERTAIN I didn't miss anything when I already read instructions + announcements 3x
Lance is incredibly disorganized, which is ironic considering the class teaches u to organize data. You'll spend more hours sorting through videos and if you miss 1 tiny detail, say bye to 50 points. He's also kind of arrogant. but if u follow his instructions, you'll prob be fine. The content isn't too hard, he just likes to make things difficult.
Professor Kerwin is VERY straightforward with his expectations. He tells you from day 1 that if you do not watch the weekly announcements and lecture videos, you will miss out on assignments. People do not watch the videos and miss out on those points. He gives a lot of extra credit opportunities and several assignments are graded for completion.
Mr. Kerwin is a great teacher !!
HE IS THE BEST!!!!!!! take him! do your work and you will do great!
Lance Kerwin genuinely cares about all his students, and is aware that we have other classes rather than his. He uses a lot of surveys to decide next steps based on what the student population decides. Very fair and gives a lot of extra credit.
He has a great teaching style. Take the time to meet the guy. He is the MAN!
The more you put into the class the more you get out of it. The more you engage in conversation or email with Lance Kerwin the more he will take time out of his schedule to impact your knowledge of the material.
Professor Kerwin is a great lecturer that cares about his students and the material that he teaches. He will work with you to ensure that you succeed in his class and he provides extra credit when you attend certain sporting events.
The main thing is the DSA project, very unclear on instructions he only posts 2 videos about it. no clear rubric bc its based on a random 5% sample that he grades personally after everyone submits so if the 5% he grades is really good then youre screwed because that means that the TAs will grade everyone based on that 5%. tests are really easy too.
Most assignments will NOT have a clear grading rubric. For my class, he extended a due date and penalized anyone who didn't turn it in before the original deadline. Didn't say we would lose points. VIGOACRE is not an optional text. dont let him fool you with the syllabus that says it is, because half of the exam is on it. hella XC given in class
You will learn nothing about data analytics in this class. The main focus is the DSA project which is a huge chunk of your grade. PAY ATTENTION to his announcement videos! He does not provide clear instructions about his assignments and will only MENTION important minuscular details that could impact your grade drastically in 50 minute videos.
The most unorganized class I have ever taken. The DSA project was extremely time-consuming and the was the most unorganized assignment I have ever taken. If you don't watch every announcement, you will be screwed. All he does is yap in his videos, but he will randomly drop important information that you cannot find anywhere else. DO ALL XTRA CREDIT
Not the greatest but not THAT bad. The DSA could've been a little better organized, but I figured it out. Some announcements are a little annoying but I got used to them. My best advice: start the DSA early, do the extra credit, and at the very least do the lectures before the exams. I was scared for this class and I got through it so you can too!
This class was more of a burden than anything. Don't feel as if I learned anything even though he claims you can use this class in the real world. The main grade is a month long 18 page project that felt like busy work but lance offers lots of extra credit. Not hard, just annoying and felt like a waste of time. Get ready to watch long lectures
You won't learn anything in it. He claims to be organized, but nothing is clear, and it's difficult to find information in Canvas. He preaches time management, but he, himself, is bad at it and never uploads stuff on time. He almost makes you turn stuff in before the deadline but then gives either no or very general feedback that is useless.
His online announcements are such long videos, and it's stuff that can easily be typed out. The project is a lot and takes up a lot of time, but aside from that, there isn't anything too difficult. He does offer a lot of extra credit opportunities, and there is just a midterm and a final exam.
Class is fine, but he posts so many videos and announcements on Canvas that it can be hard to keep up - even when he lays out his "ideal cadence" at the beginning of the semester. His lectures are very monotone but your notes can be used on the exams, so watch them. You need to be on top of it, especially the DSA. At least there's extra credit.
The way he sets up his Canvas and course schedule is extremely OD, but the class itself is so easy that you can't even complain. I really enjoyed the material in this course but I may just be a biased MIS major who loves Excel. There's also an insane amount of extra credit. I have him in person next semester so I'm interested in how that goes too.
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Attendance Mandatory
18%
Textbook Required
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