2.6
Quality3.2
Difficulty22%
Would Retake121
Reviews22%
Would Retake
121
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
22
4
22
3
20
2
16
1
41
What Students Say
“Quizzes are impossible to pass”
ESC2000 - 1.0 rating“I am considering withdrawing from this course”
ESC2000 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
8%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.03 avg changeRatings by Course
GEO2010
5.0
(4)GLY
3.2
(5)GLY2051
3.1
(18)BIGBANG
3.0
(6)ORIGINS
3.0
(6)Difficulty by Course
GLY2001
5.0
ESC2000
4.1
GLY2040
3.5
GLY2008
3.4
GLY2010
3.0
Reviews (121)
Dr. Defant is a very unpleasant and unclear professor. He only teaches online - so beware. He's unprofessional and just a miserable teacher all in all.
i hate this class. i will never take a course by him again b/c he just made it harder than it needed to be. he was very unclear and wasn't too helpful either
Don’t take this class whatever you do. This was a very hard for an online course.
I wouldn't really take this course. If I would have known ahead of time I would have never registered. If you're looking for an easy grade in an online course look some place else. Defant makes the course more tedious than it has to be he's not helpful
DO NOT TAKE MARC DEFANT! He asks p.h.d level questions for a 2000 level geology course. He also uses synonyms in the questions to make it even harder to find the answers in the book. Unless you have hours and hours of free time, take a different course.
I agree with all the comments posted. This on-line class is a pain but still easy. Although the text book (written by him) is not a piece or art. Ambigous terms and lack of focus. It seems that this book was not written by someone with a P.H.D.
sucks it up big time....worst english speaking prof at usf
I don't think this class is hard. If you read what he assigns, try to fill out the study questions, and study - ask him questions that you have, it is very easy. I didn't even do all the assignments until the last minute and I still passed with a B. It's not the easiest, but it can be with effort.
I really DID NOT like this class. There were only two tests that made up your grade and the questions were really hard. I would have much rather taken something else than waste my time with this class.
No Comments
I thought I was taking a level 2000 class, but I guess in Defant's opinon a sophmore level class consists of things that a student wouldn't know until at least seinor year. He expects us to know things that he doesn't teach. It is so far a horrible experience.
This was the worst online class EVER!!! He made the class way more dificult then it needed to be. Two test make up your grade with the questions coming from the poorly written textbook by Defant. Don't take this class unless you have countless hours to waste.
DON'T take this class. Defant makes the class more difficult than it needs to be. There are only two exams, and each exam has like 10 chapters on it (way too much for each exam). This guy is ridiculous. This is not a Graduate Geology class, this is a Gen. Education Requirement. Give me a break.
Very unhelpful and unwilling to help students at all.
I thought this class was well schedualed for an online class. If you followed the syllabus, did the reading, and filled out the study guide you were set on the tests.
This class was extremely easy! All you had to do was find answers to study guides he gave you. These answers make up 80% of the exams. How many classes can use your notes, study guides, and your book on exams?- I recommend this class to anyone looking to get an A in!!-2 exams & a final
I spent about 10 hours total on this class all semester and still managed a B. It's super easy, just do the review problems. Almost every test question is on the review sheets. And buy the online version of the book. It's so much cheaper.
This class was awful. The study guides took FOREVER!!! Some of the test questions were really confusing, and the book would indicate one answer, but he would insist that the correct answer was a different one.
The book is probaly the most boring thing in the world. If you do the study guides though, the exams are VERY easy (verbatim). I would suggest taking an easier online course.
PLEASE take Oceanography instead!
The class was so easy if you do the study guide bc the questions from the test are from it. he has chat hrs. where you can ask ?'s he's willing to change answers if you show him where you got your info. and its only 5 ch.s per test not ten.
This was the easiest and best class i have taken. He GIVES you EVERY SIGNLE question that is on the test. The only way to do bad is if you dont answer them. You can also share your answeres with everyone before the test. I got an A in this class, anyone who doesnt is an idiot and lazy.
This class was crazy. There is so much reading and the tests are on about 10 chapters at a time. There is no time to look through material durning the online test either. Don't take this class unless your prepared to spend hours reading.
I liked this class a lot. Granted, I took it a a couple years ago but I don't think it's changed much. I learned a lot and the subject material was interesting. He encouraged debate and accepted all views. The tests were easy (due to the study guide). I don't know why so many people didn't like him???
Listen- this class is EASY. Do not listen to those that say there is alot of reading etc. He gives the students a study guide with like 70-80 questions per a ch (alot, I know) but here is the thing, he has a class discussion board where all the students post EVERY single answer for 'debate' :) The test questions are the EXACT same as the study guid
I wouldnt say that whoever doesnt get an A is an idiot and lazy. I got a B, but i still liked the course. All you have to do is read and look at his power points. the reading is really interesting, so you never get bored. Although he teaches hundreds and hundreds of students at a time, he will respond to your emails in a day or two. very smart man.
Easy class if you do the study guide.
Easiest class i have ever taken. Gives all the questions to the test in the chapter questions, and everyone posts their answers on the discussion board, i never opened the book once. A semester long class and i only spent 2 days on it, got an A.
online course, very easy as long as you study sufficiently before the exams. very good study guides provided online! Great for those who hate science but as required to take it!
No Comments
You will not get an A in this class unless you read the textbook!!! I suggest doing all the study guides because the exam questions are directly off of there, but you have to spend at least 2 hours per chapter! He is not helpful because somethings are contradicted in the text, yet he won't be open to anything you say SINCE HE WROTE THE TEXTBOOK!!!!
Easy. Just make sure to do the study guides and compare answers. Also, the test is word for word from the study guide. So if you DID the study guide and know it, then you will get an A on the test. Plus, he's helpful and responds to emails faster than most professors. TAKE THIS CLASS!
I read the entire book, because i actually found it interesting, but i still only got a C. There is sooo much info that, even though you can use your book and notes while you take the tests, it'll take you too long to find the answers. I hated this class. I studied hard, formed study groups and still only got a C. The guy never answered any e-mails
DO NOT TAKE ANY CLASS WITH THIS GUY. For real! I was not even in his class but he was still very rude to me and i will never take his class, eventhough i still need to take Geology to graduate. DO NOT TAKE THIS GUY!!!
DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR. It is true that the test questions come from the questions he gives you, however the questions themselves are very difficult to answer. It seems that he tries to make up for his laziness in teaching by making his questions hard so it gives one the illusion that he actually does work. As a teacher, Defant is useless.
EASIEST ONLINE CLASS EVER! I got an A in this class and never opened the text book once! I have no idea what these other people are talking about! If you know how to log onto Blackboard you can get all the answers to the study guides (the only "work" in the class) and those questions/answers are the exact ones on the test and final (which is option
Easy online class, the people who say this was hard was because they didn't do the study guides. Well if you don't look at the material or open the book of course the exams are going to be hard. The study guides are exactly like the exams. And if you do well on the first two exams you don't have to take the final. Seems pretty good to me.
Impossible class. The book is interesting, but the professor is horrible. He doesn't answer emails or questions on blackboard (the most you will get is 'it's in the book'). The tests are impossible, he focuses on the really small details and even with the book and study guides it's near impossible to get a decent grade. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS.
this class is so easy! granted, he is not very helpful if you have questions, but you can ask other students in the class on discussion boards and he will participate in those conversations. tests are exactly like study guides. just do the guides like a week before the exam, and you are golden.
I'm just now taking this class. It's super easy. Everything really is in the book. It's slightly interesting, and he wrote it so he knows what is in it. Some questions are awkwardly worded. I've yet to ask for his help, so I don't know whether he is helpful or not. Final is optional, which is great. It's just a very easy course!
Online course. Class was not too hard.. only two exams (non-consecutive) and 1 final exam (optional). Gives you practice questions (that are the same exact questions on the actual exam) but there are a lot of questions and a lot of chapters.
This is the least helpful, most rude, condescending teacher I have ever had. If you want to pass this class be prepared to spend atleast an hour a day on the study guides (I suggest finding a friend to do it with). The tests are word for word from the study guides, but don't count on him to help you with any unclear questions. You will be require
What a tool, Got a decent grade in his class, but not to any of his help. Probably a reason he teaches online classes so he can be a tough guy and send out condecending emails. What a worthless professor. Wouldn't recommend him.
This online class was absolutely ridiculous. The amount of reading was too much and too boring. He does not give + or -'s. I highly recommend taking a different science class.
You complete study guides and use them to take the test you will get a B with no problem. A is impossible almost. Lot of work to complete class.
Useless, expects you to read book and take test with no lecture and no guidance. Refuses to answer questions, says to find it in the book. Very condescending emails and attitude.
I will tell you the secret to this course! I got a B and didn't do the 27 pg study guides! The TIMED test consist of alot of ques. and I always came down to the wire but basically I used the index of the book to find the pg #s for the answers. I got pretty good at this- I wouldn't recommend for others to try but it worked for me! Would've like an A
First day of class (online) Prof Defant sends out an email practically saying 'Welcome and do not email me.' I honestly feel like he wrote a book and that is it. He plays absolutly no role in the teaching process what so ever while making money off of us students by buying his book. Do not waste your time with this class.
This is an online class and the prof is not very helpful. I would recommend it for others who do well studying w/o a teacher's guidance. The fact that he provided study guides for all chapters was a plus- DO THE STUDY GUIDES and you have the whole test which is openbook. Those who complain probably did everything last minute. Don't procrastinate
Useless prof. Clearly just one of those teachers looking to make a quick buck selling books to college students. NEVER answers direct questions from students.
The textbook was written by him so its basically how he sees everything. He is rude and will not help his students. The whole class received a nasty sarcastic e-mail about the time of the test. Tests are impossible because the answers are not really in the book. You must do his review on each chapter if you want to pass with a C or better.
I don't know why people complain. I took his online class. All you have to do is what is expected of you in college-read and study. Just read the book, answer the questions from the study guide, which are worded the EXACT same way as in the book, and take the test, which are the same EXACT questions from the study guide. no need for e-mailing him.
this class is easy IF you get into a study group and do all of the practice questions. His tests are the exact same questions as the practice. dont bother emailing the professor or trying to talk to him at all, he's demeaning and will make you feel stupid if you ask him anything at all.
Online: All the test questions are from the practice exams. If you do them you can use them on the tests and find the answers. Very time consuming, but easy to get an A if you put in all the effort. Final is optional if you are happy with your grade.
Online class. Easy, 2 tests and final is optional. 350 practice questions per test, and test is 80 of the 350. Good class! Good guy! Got book from USF Tampa bookstore
Great class to take if you need a natural sciences course but don't want to go to a class room. Tests are online, so you can use notes and book (though, keep things organized and know the material somewhat because the tests are timed).
Sort of easy class. Gives study guides and all questions come from guides, however, is not helpful if you question the study guide. Wants "best" answer but question is not written that way. Best to do group study or exchange answers to have them ready for test. Emails are sort of rude and doesn't really want to work with you.
This class consisted of 3 exams. The 1st one in the middle of the semester, the 2nd exam is at the end of the semester covering the last half of the book. Then the last exam is almost immdiately after the 2nd one covering EVERYTHING. However he gives you study guides, and the questions come directly from there. So do ur study guides and your set.
Class is really easy, all online. DO NOT wait until the last couple days b4 exams 2 read the chapters, cramming and answering the questions at that time will not work. Just read the chapters and do the study guides, SUPER EASY class. Your grade is out of 3 exams, but if you like your average on the first two then you dont have to take the final.
GLY 2051 Easy professor. Do all the questions (pre-tests) that he offers and answer them! Make sure to read the book but after doing that, the exams are way easy and breeze. He says that 80% comes from the pre-test but its more like 100%. This is an easy summer class A if you need the credits!
never taken a completely online class, but I love this one. There are 2 tests and an optional final. He puts up print-out practice tests for each chapter. if you actually fill them out, the questions are virtually all identical to what's on the tests. You really have to be on top of your game, but it's definitely worth it. Great class!
Easy class as long as you put the time into his print-outs and book. He is very straight forward in his directions and doesn't allow for any nonsense. Two exams with an optional final.
*Warning!* The class is very interesting; I quite enjoy the course material. However, this professor has been excessively rude in responding to my e-mails. I was respectful and followed all of his e-mail guide lines, yet he mocked me and did not answer my questions. If I wasn't getting a good grade I would have dropped. Take this class elsewhere!
Online class. Very easy. Just read the book and take two tests. You don't even need a professor for this stuff. He did write the book, and it was very interesting (I'm not even into this stuff).
I took this class over the summer and I hated it. I really like geology and the stuff interested me, but I felt like I didn't have time to learn because his packets were very time consuming and the questions were not very clear. However, the questions on the tests were the same at the packets, so if you do well on the packets you do well in the cla
I've never actually read a text book before this, and it was worth it. the teacher really helped me understand the material. He's a nice guy and definitely not rude like many of the people on here say. he's only rude if you try to get him to actually tell you the answers, since the review is the same as the test. read the book, get a good grade.
Great class. Completely online. He is nice and will try to clarify, but won't answer questions directly. He is fair though. He wrote the book and it was very interesting material. Don't wait until last minute. Start early since there are lots of questions. Study quides prepare you well for exam. Final is optional. Great class!
Easiest class ever. Take it.
Tests were rediculous. It is impossible to do them without looking up every detail....the true/false questions are decieving and super tricky. There is also a time limit that makes it impossible to look up the answers, makeing it extremely hard. Sounds like an interesting class? NOT AT ALL!! Worse than organic chemistry!
Do the practice questions, all of them. If you don't you have no chance in passing his tests. You may not find all the answers because the book honestly just doesn't have the answer in there or the answer in somewhat implied and you have to figure it out. your grade is based off 2 exams. There is no other work in the class. The final is optinal.
The course overall was not horrible, but it was A LOT of work. 10 chapter reviews( study guides), all with an average of 80 questions, need them for the test. Need to read everything thoroughly and read POWERPOINTS(for updated info! He does not care about your grade and answers emails rudely! Does not help, offer EC, or care period.
Very hard tests. also does not care if you are having a hard time. do not take his class for an easy A
Online class w/ two tests and a list of the exact questions that will be on them. Problem is that it is a pretty intensive subject with tricky questions that you have to analyze. It is an "easy" class but do NOT procrastinate; there are aLOT of quests. Make sure to do the last chs. for each test; more of their questions are on the tests
Just like his GLY 2010 class; again, DO THE QUESTIONS, but in this class there are more unknown questions on test. He gives about 80% of them before hand.
Professor was horrible! He wrote the book that is used in the class but somehow he can't answer his own questions. Many times, the "correct" test answer is in complete contradiction to the book answer. When you point this out using direct quotes and page numbers from HIS book, he says that he will not respong or "engage in an argument".
Gives all questions to tests beforehand. Questions are NOT easy, a good bit are quite tricky. As long as you really spend your time going through them, you could get an A. ALL chapters are covered so don't skip out. Two tests, optional final. Extremely dry book for anyone not in love with geology. Professor is fair...but a bit uptight.
Easiest Science class you will ever take. You get almost all of the test questions beforehand, so take the time to read the chapters and look them up. Easy A if you keep up. Two tests with 80 questions and an optional final. If you are NOT a science person, this is the class for YOU. I absolutely despise science, but this class was perfect!
Take it from me: fill out the worksheets he gives you according to the schedule he provides. Anything else will be painful. It's a pretty easy class. A lot of the material is really interesting, but some is difficult to get through (just like any class). Not bad overall.
Geology is an interesting subject in the abstract. At first you think, "ugh, rocks." Then you're like, "hey, rocks are kind of cool!" But in the end, you realize you were right the first time. This class is hard because it's hard to sit there and read about geology. But if you can, go ahead and take it.
Great class! The prof wrote the book and it is actually very interesting. There are 2 exams and an optional final. You will get study guides. DO THEM. And do them in MS Word and combine them into one .doc. During the exam, use CTRL+F to search the studyguides for a term from your exam question. It'll take weeks to do the guides,so don't wait. Fun!!
The online course is not difficult if you keep up on studying and space it out as there are no assignments, only 2 exams and a final.
Very straight forward. All textbook use. Takes a little over an hour to get all the answers for a chapter. 21 chapters.
OMG. The exams will make you want to pull your hair out. You can retake as many times as needed over 24 hr period but I PROMISE you, they are time consuming and you'll think you did good and end up with a C. He doesnt "teach" he makes you read his book and answer questions. So if thats your style of "learning" go ahead and take it.
Great class! I love Dr. Defant! If you hated this class, you're just a little lazy. Not that hard, but definitely easy enough to get an A.
Terrible. His book is completely out of date, leading to questions that were unanswerable (and of course he won't answer them because he wants you to find the answers). He was clueless with the new online service (Canvas) and I had to email him many times to tell him that things weren't set up how he thought they were. Don't bother with this class.
Although I found the material challenging, Defant reassured us to contact him if we needed more of an explanation or to give feedback on the class. When students struggled with having enough time to complete homework, he said "I want to emphasize that I will bend over backwards to be fair in the course." Highly recommend if you must take this class
Very simple class. No exams, no on campus meetings. Only assignments that are open for a couple of days at a time and quizzes that are open for 24 hours at a time. We go through every single chapter in the book, but to be honest you don't really even need the book. I survived with quizlet.
Dr. Defant is the best and the class is great! I really learned a lot and did well, but I also worked for it. If you never read and use quizlet or other websites for exams, this class is NOT for you. But if you spend time on the questions he gives and answer them from the book, you'll learn and do very well. Also a super nice guy.
Every week is the exact same thing - Read, complete a lengthy exercise and finish with a quiz that opens for a set 24 hour period. Professor does zero teaching himself, but leaves it up to the virtual book to provide everything. Generated quizzes were proven tough, no matter how much time you put in. Averages low, so I was not alone. Good luck.
He's extremely condescending when replying to emails, makes you look up every answer yourself, NEVER TAKE!
I LOVED HIM
great teaching, i truly had a great experience!
i have a feeling this professor is better in on site classes. as for as online, it's the first class i've ever had to withdraw from. there is no work other than a weekly quiz, and though the book is our only material, the questions often don't come from the book. class averages were very low, yet he said if a few people can get As its a fair test
I am considering withdrawing from this course. I have never had to withdrawal before and I am scared of the academic consequences but I already know that there is no way to make my grade any better. We only have one assignment a week which is a quiz, I have studied but have failed almost every one. Other people feel the same as well.
DO NOT TAKE!!!! This class consists of 15 quizzes with no extra assignments. Theres no lectures and no help you read and take an extremely unnecessarily difficult quiz. Professor is rude when contacting students and accuses you of not studying for quizzes even if you do. Quizzes are impossible to pass. Should have withdrawn when I had the chance
He was great! Anyone who says otherwise did not put in the work!
Teacher does not work with student. Would not re open quizzes during timeframe he provided in syllabus causing me to withdrawal from the course. When emailed he gave snide remarks about not studying and how "None of this is his problem"
amazing, really helpful
Great. Really enjoyed the class!
Took it online, easy course. No lectures, instead read the textbook, then take the quizzes. Quizzes are open book, but they are remotely proctored. Would recommend buying/finding a pdf of the book so you can easily search using the find function. Pretty prompt at answering emails. Disappointed that I couldn't take him in person, sounds cool.
Loved the class. Great professor
DO NOT TAKE!!!!!!!!! the class consists of 15 quizzes with no lecture, study guide, or anything. No interaction with the professor. Impossible to pass the quizzes after reading a whole chapter. No guide or help. Accuses you of not studying enough.
His rating should be 1.5/5 and that is just for having a written syllabus. He does nothing. You have to read the whole chapter and take 15 quizzes. accuses you of not studying !!
This class is not worth the effort. Neither is this professor (don't take earth science either) His book is REQUIRED and is from 1998 and is only accessible online from one source and is password locked so it is unshareable. Earth science with him requires only reading the text and figuring out what is relevant yourself. Run away!!
Nope, nope, nope. First, we couldn't buy our textbooks for the first 2 weeks of class only to find out that it's one of those professors that makes you buy the textbook for the class they teach. It's an interesting topic made boring by the constant reading and 60+ slide PowerPoints you have to go through. EVERY GRADE is a test but it's open book.
This class is literally just canvas reading quizzes. If you stay on top of the reading and actually comprehend the information, then you'll be fine.
I'm not a stem major, so this science was just for a gen ed, and I heard intro to earth sci was the easiest one to take, but boy was I wrong. Each chapter (which has weekly tests/quizzes on it) was at least over 50 pages of really tiny textbook readings. The tests were usually 20 fill in the blank, which is not as easy as you think.
The online format of the class has no lectures. We were given a test and an "exercise" each week, each worth 50% of our grade. Book is boring, gets and very hard to know what will actually be on the test. The weekly average was normally a 60-70. I studied way too hard to barely pull a 60 each week. Too stressful for an introductory class.
The professor did not provide any lectures or help for the tests, tests were very unpredictable and the whole course grade is based on one exercise and one test each week which are both basically worth 50% of your grade. He did not do anything to help us and wouldn't help if someone is not doing good
No opportunities are given except quiz retake it needs more assignments than rather test and one homework, especially for an introductory class.
Terrible class. Do not take this. We read over 30 pages a week from an online textbook, he did not give us an opportunity to buy it, and then take a 6 question exercise and a honorlocked 20 question quiz. The quiz is based on random stuff out of the 30+ pages. No guidelines, no ideas of what specifically we should study, no help.
Dont take this class. He does nothing but sending prewritten emails.
this class could have yielded better results for all the students if he provided some sort of guidance for quizzes. two assignments a week. exercises were unlimited attempts and showed correct answers. quizzes were one attempts proctored and with no review. the quizzes do not help at all w prep and are a waste of time. 50+ reading and obscure ques.
DO NOT TAKE! Asynchronous, no lectures, no guidelines for tests, no reviews, no help or communication from teacher at all. Chapter tests each week on honorlock, one attempt. Asks the most random questions that you would never think would be important enough to know from a 40 page chapter. Don't waste your money teaching yourself!
Worst professor at USF. Online class with proctored quizzes. Some of the questions had no correlation to the book, and the required reading each week was 50+ pages. When the quiz wouldn't give you credit for answers that were literally correct, the professor would sometimes not even give you full credit. Managed to get an A but no thanks to him
No interaction with the professor. Only 4 tests, all weighed 30 points. No retakes, no study guides, and most of the exam questions are not even found in the textbook. No way to improve as taking notes and studying will only take you so far with the way the quizzes are created. Wish there were more assignments to be able to improve grade. Horrible.
I would never recommend this teacher to anyone not even my worst enemy.
Worst professor I have ever experienced in my entire schooling experience. 4 tests on large chapters where the material you're tested on isnt in the chapters. if you do bad on tests, he accuses you of not studying enough or not knowing how to study. Very nasty via email and not helpful at all to when asked for guidance to pass the class.
It was impossible to feel fully prepared for any of the four exams. I only heard from this professor once in an announcement; aside from that, there was no teaching or outreach from him. Do not take this course; even the most independent students will struggle with his lack of assistance.
Took this for an online class. Only 4 exams, that's it. The rest is up to you and the textbook. He does not teach, just expects you to read the book and take the tests. The tests are fairly easy and straightforward to take, 30 questions each.
Very arrogant, lazy professor. I'd steer very far away from anything taught by him.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
8%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.03 avg changeRatings by Course
GEO2010
5.0
(4)GLY
3.2
(5)GLY2051
3.1
(18)BIGBANG
3.0
(6)ORIGINS
3.0
(6)Difficulty by Course
GLY2001
5.0
ESC2000
4.1
GLY2040
3.5
GLY2008
3.4
GLY2010
3.0