2.8
Quality4.2
Difficulty41%
Would Retake99
Reviews41%
Would Retake
99
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
24
4
16
3
10
2
14
1
35
What Students Say
“Went off on tangents, no clear direction, doesn't provide feedback”
ENG123 - 2.0 rating“I worked really hard and even went to W148 for help”
ENGL123 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
61%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.69 avg changeRatings by Course
ENG9037
5.0
(1)ENG9178
5.0
(1)ENG172
5.0
(1)ENGL175
4.6
(5)ENGLISH123
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ENG123
4.8
E123
4.7
ENGL123
4.4
ENG120
4.3
ENGL122
4.1
Reviews (99)
Your final grade is based on five essays. He gives no finals but is a tough grader. No matter how many times I had other English teachers help me, my essays were still not good enough. He goes off topic, talking about the most strangest things. (I won't even go into detail.) I wish I had more space to write. But, he is always there to help you.
Homework: 5 essays, all require reading and intensive annotations, he emphasizes on the "Writing Process" aka millions of annotations, quotations, reading responses, and essay revisions even AFTER you turn in your essay. Final: No real final. It's the grade of your 5 papers. He thinks he knows everything. Gets pissed when you prove him wrong.
Not a big fan of writing but his class helped a lot. Said he changes how he teaches so grading him is difficult, but he is always there to help. There were a LOT of group projects and activities were based on compiling information together to help with your essays. Does go on tangents every now and then. Lots of essays. Have to put effort in.
Do not necessarily need to attend class but it is helpful as he goes over the readings pretty well. TOUGHEST grader of all time. No final really and "he doesn't believe in grades". He tries to make this class easy and stress free but the readings are confusing as well as he is and the grading is so hard its stressful to write a good paper.
He is awful. No other way to describe him, he's spawn of Satan. He says one thing to help your paper, but still says you didn't do well. He says you shouldn't care about grades, but you'll be stressed the whole semester because practically everyone in the class is failing. No one likes him. He hates it when you miss. DONT TAKE THIS CLASS.
Tough grader, but his lectures are very interesting. He always goes off topic, but will actually teach you how to write good quality, college level essays.
There are a lot of reviews here that claim Michael Colson is a bad professor. One of them even called him a "Spawn of Satan." Funny that Satan was the one that encouraged the acquisition of knowledge. He's a tough grader, but he's more than willing to help. He just forces you to really think, and not a lot of people like or know how to do that.
Michael is a hard teacher... But if you (reader of my comment) want to learn truths, if you (now questioning reader: "Won't I learn just as much in an easier English class?") want to learn logic instead of writing fluffy papers (using lots of figurative language). Then take his class. (For help get: Writing With Style by John R. Trimble.)
Colson is a very difficult teacher. Essays require you to read excessive amounts of texts, and he grades hard. He expects students to be just as interested in the subject matter as he is, so the work ethic/quality of work expected is unrealistic for anyone who's not planning on being an English Major. Basically, his expectations are delusional
People warned me not to take his class but I did anyways because English is my favorite subject and I usually do pretty well in it, but I really should have listened to them. He doesn't make sense when he is lecturing and leaves you feeling unsure of what to do, also he is a tough grader. I don't recommend any of his classes
Look Mr Colson is a tough grader and you are not just going to float by. But after saying that he was my favorite professor took him back to back semesters. He challenges the way you think and write and makes writing so much easier when you understand the process. I used his process for all my other classes and passed with flying colors
Has his own book that really helps you write college-level essays. If you follow his book, in your essay you can get an A. Funny guy, lenient grader. Gives you all materials you need to pass. The essay topics are boring though.
Colson is quite a nice guy and really loves English. However, as others have pointed out, he thinks he knows everything and is not willing to change his mind or admit mistakes even when everyone knows he is wrong. I would recommend him, but just be careful of his attitude. It is all too easy to get on his bad side...
If you want to really write better essays and improve on your overall writing for the long run, this class is definitely for you! However, if you're looking for an easy A, then not so much. Mr. Colson knows what he's talking about and provides great insight on the essay topics. Just don't procrastinate and try out his office hours :)
GREAT TEACHER passion is there. NO 5 PARAGRAPH ESSAYS Mr. Colson stresses the writing process and wants YOUR analysis. He let's you rewrite essays for a better grade. NO FINAL JUST 6 PAPERS. I got a B in the class cause I didn't do my rewrites ADVICE: read what he gives you, manage your time well, do the rewrites, participate and you'll have As
The dangers of educators having big ego, they have hard time to share knowledge. As an educator I find lectures hard to understand and he does go off topic. Even though I did not miss class took office hours and revised essays, yet I could not reach his standard. I did pass pass though but I did not learn. I'll take it again with another professor
I believe Colson to be one of the most intelligent people I have crossed pathes with. Very seldom do I put teachers/professors in that category. When people with that level of thought process explain things you have to critically think about what it is they are speaking on before you can move on to understanding it (subliminal messages etc.)
Pretty good teacher, pretty cool guy. Funny and smart. Class is graded on 6 essays, I think only 2 were in class. Attendance is not exactly mandatory, but good attendance is extra credit. The textbook (which he wrote) is very helpful, but not completely necessary - it's easy to find texts online. He's a somewhat tough grader, but lets you rewrite.
Starts off the class saying that most people pass his class easily and he tries to work with you to help you pass but it ended up being quite the opposite. Handed back papers 2 weeks after submission only to find no feedback on them but saying they needed to be revised. Went off on tangents, no clear direction, doesn't provide feedback. Bad teacher
I have never had issues with English classes until this one. Expects his book to take place of him teaching, does not give proper feedback on essays, and it seems like no matter what you try, your essays will get bad scores. Does not post grades either so you dont know where you stand. He lets his ego get the best of him sometimes.
Colson is a tough grader and demands a lot from the student. If you reach out to him for help and try your best it gets a lot easier however. In my opinion most people that gave him a bad rating or a bad grade were people who didn't want to put in the effort. He is a cool and knowledgeable guy and is willing to help.
Dr. Colson is a highly intelligent, articulate teacher. His lectures are both interesting and educational. He works hard to engage his students and encourages group discussions. He is tough because he expects quality work and attention to detail. He is extremely fair, allowing numerous rewrites on papers and is always available to help.
He has a very different grading criteria, you need to change the way you write essays for this class. He is very egotistical
Colson is your typical egotistical English professor. He wants papers to be written a certain way and accepts nothing else. Definition of a tough grader and is not afraid to give you failing grade if he feels your arguments are too weak. He does offer numerous rewrites for a better grade and extra credit for attendance, which definitely helps.
He doesn't enter grades on Canvas, so students can't check their progress. He gave an unreasonable excuse saying that Canvas grades have been hacked before, that's why he doesn't enter them. I worked really hard and even went to W148 for help.
He gets a bad rep, but as long as you put in the work you'll be okay. He will happily work work with you on your essays. Beware: A LOT of writing. Also, he's really interesting... like quirky interesting.
Dr. Colson is very respected and caring teacher. Although he gives us loads amount of paper to finish, I know it was all for our own good. His feedbacks helped me write better and think differently to approach a topic. I believe he implicitly helps students to be prepared for university level of college writing. If you like writing, I highly recomm
He's a decently nice person but he is definitely very quirky. I never really did the readings and I ended with a B because most of his grade is based off of papers. Your grade is composed of attendance/participation, papers, reading pop quiz. I didn't really learn from him until I was given feedback on papers. He also doesn't do canvas which sucks
Since he taught at top California universities, his classes are intellectually inspiring -- pushing his students to think and write the just like the top UCs. And honestly, I used Colson's English 122, 123 skills to get into UC Berkeley. Also, his reading suggestions are valuable for later academic discussions, and understanding lectures.
Since he taught at top California universities, his classes are intellectually inspiring -- pushing his students to think and write the just like the top UCs. Since transferring to UC Berkeley, I've used Colson's 122, 123 skills to helped me to succeed. Also, his book suggestions are valuable for later academic discussions, and following lectures.
Want to transfer successfully? Dr. Colson has an excellent record helping students prepare for and get in to schools like UC Berkeley. Yes hes is tough, but he has the skills and knowledge to help even the worst writer produce quality papers. He is available for extra help and works tirelessly to help students succeed. Just do the reading!
Definitely the hardest class I've taken. I couldn't get higher than a C on anything because of his bizarre rules and grading criteria from his self made book. When you ask him for feedback he tells you to go to the writing center. When you go to the writing center they just say looks good. Expect to fail.
He is terrible. He makes up his writing skills and tells us to go to the writing center YET they will say your work is fine he will say the opposite.
Not a very good teacher. He wrote his own book that you have to follow, and it goes against everything else you've learned in English your whole life. He also makes unnecessary sexual references that don't add to discussion. I've always been in AP English and the way he made me write would've gotten failing grades in any other class.
His classes are amazing and creative. He has definitely improved my writing and changed my perspective towards the subject. He is a very fair teacher as he provides amazing feedback and allows rewrites. He grades really quickly and posts on canvas immediately. Very intelligent teacher, so much to learn from him. So glad I took this class!
Get ready for unrealistic expectations, hard grading, and little directions. He is very condescending and rude to students I would not recommend him.
Colson is certainly a personality. He's a really hard grader and has a very specific way he wants his essays written, but he's always eager to help. I hate English but he certainly made it interesting and invigorating. I left DVC a year ago and every so often he still reaches out to ask how I'm doing or likes a Facebook post I'm tagged in.
Worst college professor I've ever had!
Worst professor I have ever had. If you enjoy reading 4-5 books at a time and having homework every night then take this class. He also makes you pay for a textbook that he wrote and we don't even use it in class. There are also weekly quizzes and he gives you about 2 minutes to answer the free response and t/f. WORST CLASS EVER!
Colson is abysmal. He tries to pick topics that are interesting but have no room for analysis. Then complains that your assignments don't have enough "I say". For example, say ur reading a book about alien abductions; the book debunks all the reports. However for essay, he wants you to say why the reports are misleading, w/o summarizing the book.
Professor Colson will get you into the transfer college of your choice. Berkeley has a 14% acceptance rate and his students get in! He is tough, but if you listen and go to office hours, you will become a better writer and develop the skills needed to survive UC. He is always available to help and allows rewrites on papers. Want an A? Do the work!
Through this course, Colson challenges you to really learn! Colson is resourceful and passionate about his material, and it shows through his lectures! :)
I took Colsons ENG 122 class and it was DIFFICULT. Even after meeting with him after school and constantly visiting with the writing tutors, I did not receive the grade I had wanted. Overall, he is an interesting professor but a very hard grader. I struggled with the I say in the essays and that really took a toll on my grade.
4.0 in high school. I have never tried so hard at anything and still failed. I'm sure this course would not have been so difficult if taken during a regular time period, not the full sixteen weeks in only eight. The material is really interesting, which makes it such a shame that the workload is so heavy and difficult to keep up with.
Mr. Colson is a great teacher he is very helpful and likes to help his students. I signed up for his accelerated English 122 class. In the beginning I was quite frightened if it was too difficult. However, Mr. Colson is very supportive and wants to help you achieve your English goals.
I was accepted into Cal & other "top" UCs as a freshman in F'18. Don't rely on his way of writing at the UC level. He made me a worse writer as prof or TAs would cross out words that I had to use to get a B in his class. I now get 'A's in my UC English classes! His rewrites and "help" are absolutely a waste of time & effort!! Unless he favors you.
READ IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING THIS CLASS If you are reading this I hope you change your class soon, Mr. Colson makes every student buy 6+ books that you either never read or have to read in a weekend. By the end of the semester, only four students stayed in this class, good luck if you try to complete it. The only upside is the Area 51 shirt he wore
JUST DON'T TAKE HIM. Not worth it whether you like English or if it's just a class you need to take, you'll fail no matter what. You can put your best foot forward and still not come out with a grade you think you deserve. He literally brought up his tenure in class proving he'll still have a job even if he fails all his students.
Professor Colson is very unique. He gives very clear grade criteria in the syllabus. All of his lectures have logic behind them and guide you when writing your papers. He gives plenty of room for revisions on most essays. He does make you work so that you can improve your writing. His organization could use fine-tuning.
He assigns too much reading and it seems like all he copies and pastes feedback when grading. When I asked him to review one of my essays before submission, all he gave was feedback on grammar and I got a 200/300.. he didn't give any feedback on my actual writing. Only good thing is he lets you revise your essays for a better grade.
I dont like English, but Colson made me love his class. Definitely take if you like reading, because theres a lot of it. Pretty tough but definitely one of the best professors out there.
Do not take him if you want to get an A! He's a philosopher so prepare to read and discuss heavy topics. Weekly reading of at least 80 pages for discussions. ( makes you read 5 books !) 3 drafts and 3 essays plus weekly discussion and writing response. He's a super tough grader and unless you nailed it you'll end up with a B or less.
I was the asinine student who wrote that "Colson is abysmal"; I was wrong and retract it all. His class is challenging but I came out a much better writer and owe a lot of it to him. His criteria for grading is clear and you should trust the process. If you see this Coulson, I wish you the best :)
Mr. Colson motivates anyone to get an A as long as you put in the work. There is a fair amount of reading, but it is fascinating material. Provide plenty of detail within the essays, discussions, and writing responses to ensure a good grade. While I know some may disagree, but to me personally, Mr. Colson is one of the best teachers I've ever had.
In my class, many dropped but that was only because they were not willing to work hard and searched for a breeze of an English class. All the criticism is undeserved. The class is more than possible if you work hard and consider the strong advice he gives. The key is understanding what exactly he seeks from essays readings. Took 123 w/him too.
He is prone to unhelpful tangents that are not relevant to the material. Very particular & specific about grading essays but is not communicative about his expectations until he has already given you a poor grade. He is a nice man and is very passionate but he does not know how to teach. Sorry Mr. C.
I dont suggest taking this class online. Theres so many readings and SO many essays. If youre anything like me, you procrastinate due to having online learning, procrastination will not do in this class because you have essays on essays and hes a very hard grader. He also wont let you see your grade unless you go to office hours.
Im writting this during the pandemic so keep that in mind. Hes a really good teacher if youre willing to do the reading and go through the lessons on Canvas. Theres a class disscussion and a reading quiz every week. He gives good feedback and his lesson plans are well organized. I dont recommend taking the class if you dont read.
He's the most unique English professor I've ever had. He WANTS you to experience the world of literature, but that means tons of reading. He also tends to recycle the same grading rubric for every paper (i.e. essay rubric for a short story assignment). If you love literature, Colson is one of the best, but be warned: his classes can feel chaotic.
ONLINE- His expected writing style is VERY different than other professors and you have to meet with him outside of class to know what he wants. You also basically can't get an A in his class unless your writing is "exceptional" or you do the EC. There are hours and hours of required videos and reading, do not take it if you have a full time job.
Colson assigned a TON of readings and videos to watch which took up a lot of time. There were two discussion posts every week that were only available on the day they were due. His grading system is completely unique and the grades were locked on canvas, so you couldn't check them. Don't take if you have a busy schedule!
Horrible professor. Avoid him at all costs. I usually excel in English, but this was easily one of the hardest classes Ive ever had to take. Hes the type of professor that wants to make it impossible for you to do well. Everyone in our class despised him. Completely unrealistic expectations and can be extremely rude to students. Just dont.
I DO NOT RECCOMMEND THIS PROFESSOR. I regret not dropping his class and finding a new prof when I still had the chance. I have always done well in writing classes, but his entire grading system is nonsensical and he marks you down for the most arbitrary details. 90% of his feedback is unhelpful. Most stressful and upsetting class I've ever taken.
Taking any class with this man is a waste of time. You will spend months of your life reading, studying, and asking questions only to have him not teach you anything about writing. After all of that work you will receive an incomplete despite filling all detailed requirements. In the end its near impossible to pass and you are left with nothing.
The class material is interesting, but he gives you zero room to breathe and rarely complements your actual effort (unless your work aligns with his mythical grammar). I do believe his "standards" are unethical due to his general, copy and paste feedback. If you can't talk him into giving you in-depth specifics on zoom, avoid.
You're going to college to learn. It's supposed to be challenging, if it wasn't, then a degree would be worthless. Oh wait, that's what is beginning to happen, because professors began to pander to kids to didn't want to work. Professor Colson expects you to read every night and learn to write well. Don't take his class if you want a 'chill' course
Whatever you do, DO NOT take his class. He's very strict on grading and assigns essays throughout the entire semester. He doesn't understand that we have other classwork to get done as well.
I actually researched him at first and saw many mixed reviews. At first when in his class he was a great guy, however I slowly saw what many of his reviews were. So much reading, grading is tough, and many other issues. My only issue would be that he graded essays but not the drafts. Like what? My essays were usually a B+ but this is unacceptable.
He assigns so much homework and proclaims to be an understanding professor. He doesn't teach, just tells you to go to tutoring. His scorebook is essay heavy, hard grader. He emails you when you don't to the assignments that are worth zero points. His extra credit assignments are a huge project and if he doesn't like them you will receive a zero.
Too much homework will frequently assign 1-2 essay drafts a week. Or have multiple essays due in the same week on top of 1-2 other assignments. Also grades very inconsistently without any indication why you received the grade you did. Avoid this professor unless you have hours to devote to this class he's awful! Takes himself way to0 seriously.
Worst professor I've had in the entire DVC system. Spent the majority of the semester focusing on a single essay, went on to squeeze in three essays last two weeks of class. Made them due on the final class date. Gave poor grades but did not explain his reasoning even if you sought him during office hours. Unnecessarily hard for a required class.
This professor assigns way too much work, not realizing that his subject is worthless and just taken for mandatory credit. He assigns the most cringe, pointless assignments possible, and he grades pretty hard. If I wasn't good at writing I'd probably be struggling. He's always really condescending in feedback, ending everything with a ...:). Avoid.
Of all the online college courses I have taken, this by far was the worst. It doesn't matter how much time and effort you put into writing the essays, he grades you harshly without any feedback. The only class I regret taking.
Professor Colson was solid; graded fair, gave lots of fun opportunities for EC available all semester, and was always accommodating whenever I needed help since I had such a busy schedule. The class itself assigned a lot more writing than I wanted, but that was really a con of it being UC/CSU transferrable as an English course (i.e. not his fault).
I took this class fall semester of 2022. It was pretty easy for the most part, but got kind of stressful towards the end. As long as you participate weekly and do the work, you'll get an A. The prof gives good feedback and if you write off that, you can improve your grade. He's very accommodating and helps a lot as long as you reach out.
Professor Colson is fantastic. I took this class after attending a UC, and the amount of reading/writing was not significantly more or less than the average English class I took at UC (great prep!). He was always a fair grader and went above and beyond to accommodate. He clearly is passionate about what he teaches, I could not recommend him enough!
Lots of homework and tough grader. But overall he gives out clear assignments
I do not recommend taking this teacher, he's an awful grader. He gives out a lot of homework and is tough with grading. I have spent countless hours of my time dedicating myself to every homework and essay he gives out, but he still continues to demolish my efforts with his bad grading.
Dr. Colson may assign a lot of work, but it's all worthwhile material and he ramps up the course load pretty gradually in my opinion. He's very accessible outside of class, and going to his office hours is definitely worth the time. He'll answer any and all questions, give you insight into the readings, and is just a pleasant person to chat with.
Not clear grading criteria. He would ask you to do something and then grade you based on other expectations
OK, yeah, lots of reading and viewing videos/movies but Colson is a good instructor and his requirements were not unreasonable. Lots of writing but didn't have to be APA/MLA. Good selection of books, movies, etc. Great intro into difference genres of SciFi. I felt this course was at the university level.
I enjoyed the subject matter of this class, lots of good materials to read. Knowledgeable. Didn't appreciate the need to write essays in this class as Eng-100 isn't a pre-req for this. In-depth discussion boards that were graded gently, essays graded pretty harsh with little/no feedback in the pre-writing process. LOTS of reading/videos.
Mr. Colson's class isn't as tough as many might say. There is an assignment every week, some require a bit of reading, others require you to watch a short video. The class isn't difficult if you know how to schedule your time accordingly, he also does require you to read some books, but many can be found online for free.
Since work was accepted through Saturday and the class was asynchronous, it was hard to manage the work responsibly. He gave links to analyses instead of encouraging students to write their own, original analyses. He made very few lecture videos, but reached out if you're struggling. Offers different options for the 2 essays, even creative writing.
This was an okay class, the professor was fine but he never gave back any form of feedback on anything and he always had to include a ":)" in whatever he had posted; which was interesting? Im still at a loss to say anything about the ":)" other than that avoid his classes if you don't want a boatload of reading and writing or next to no feedback.
He was an amazing teacher. The class was very straightforward. I took this class over 5 weeks this summer, which was still very doable. There is about 20 pages of reading each week with a class discussion and a reading response. As long as you meet the criteria you'll get full credit. Responds fast and gives good advice. 4 essays, all very easy.
The thing that worries me the most is not having face-to-face classes with the professor. This is the case at the moment. The amount of homework is acceptable to me. But every time I open canvas, I can only face cold and ruthless numbers and assignments, which makes me very uneasy. Maybe after more lessons I will change my rate.
This is by far the worst professor I have ever had. He offers absolutely no substantial feedback, except three-word passive-aggressive quips ending with a smiley face. He grades incredibly harshly with no explanations. His assignments are lazy and excessive. Do not take this class under any circumstances.
This guy has a nice heart but you can tell he isn't happy with his job. He assigns so much unessecary homework that 99% of the time is meaningless, so many dam assignments like for what?? Be prepared to read a lot and he will assign like 3-4 assignments a week that each require parapgraphs of writing like Bro forgot were taking these for credits
Assigns a lot of work. He even had to issue an apology at the end of the semester for the complaints. A lot of the lengthy homework assignments and discussions repeated the exact same information. Sometimes vague with feedback. Takes so long I often spent more time here on this credit mandatory class than my major.
Talks all of class and doesn't clarify any online work. Discussions every week that are too extensive and take too long, lots of extra reading per week. HORRIBLE feedback on essay, don't really help for drafts. Honestly to survive do minimum work you can and go to library for essay help from them, don't take his advice to heart
Started hopeful because the class looked well structured, open-minded, and promised no busywork. Went bad immediately. Grading is arbitrary. No real feedback, he would say I did something wrong and not explain what. He is egotistical, condescending, narrow-minded. avoid at all costs
So much busywork, very passive-aggressive in all of the feedback he gives, which is vague to begin with. Probably the worst class I have taken in all my years as a student, incredibly heavy workload, inconsistent and unclear grading, and very high and unreasonable expectations. avoid at all costs. You can try your best and still get marked down.
I loved so much about him! The lectures were amazing. There was a lot of work and essays, but I expected that of a college class. He is a harsh grader, and sometimes his feedback can be confusing, but I was able to send him my essay drafts frequently, and he would literally tell me what to add and what not to add. I thought he was amazing.
As long as you read the materials carefully as instructed and do proper revisions, you'll be be in good shape. He has office hours every day of the week and offers good feedback. If you do the work, you should be able to get an A.
Professor Colson is very passionate about teaching - the syllabus alone is almost 20 pages long. Lectures teach you useful writing techniques and help you with assignments, and he's open to questions after the class - he gives good feedback on drafts. There's tons of resources available to help you for each assignment - so get ready to read!
For someone who demands specific details and unique language in the assignment essays, it`s frustrating how he himself just copies and pastes general feedback for students' comments on grades. Has no problem with being rude to students.
HARSH GRADER! I asked for help with editing to make sure I was doing it correctly, and he sent me to the peer tutors. The edits they helped me with he graded saying those were bad. He did the same for DSS tutors. He also said his feedback was "crystal clear" when I asked for more in depth in order to make proper edits. It was actually too broad.
Prof. Colson doesn't give detailed feedback on writing assignments, you have to reach out and ask him for it, which in an online class is understandable. He will put genuine time and effort annotating your assignments, but you have to take the initiative. You're going to have to read and write a lot, but put in effort and you can get an A.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
61%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.69 avg changeRatings by Course
ENG9037
5.0
(1)ENG9178
5.0
(1)ENG172
5.0
(1)ENGL175
4.6
(5)ENGLISH123
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ENG123
4.8
E123
4.7
ENGL123
4.4
ENG120
4.3
ENGL122
4.1