3.3
Quality3.1
Difficulty59%
Would Retake248
Reviews59%
Would Retake
248
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
248 total ratings5
80
4
53
3
41
2
45
1
28
What Students Say
“Every time you ask him question, he will tell you he has talked about this in class”
265 - 2.0 rating“This Prof really knows his stuff but goodness his classes were brutal”
STAT - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
23%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.17 avg changeRatings by Course
STATS337
5.0
(1)STAT151252
5.0
(1)STAT453
5.0
(3)STAT266
4.1
(7)265
4.0
(6)Difficulty by Course
STAT151252
5.0
151
4.5
266
4.5
STAT
4.0
STATS151
3.4
Reviews (246)
HOT!!!!
Walking talking textbook....but then it is statistics. Notes are low point, they're everywhere can't make sense of them when copying it down (mistakes, adding sections, continuity errors).
I agree with the other poster, that he is a bit dry in class, but I can't see Stats as being an easy course to teach. He really put in the extra effort to try to help people understand concepts & arranged an out-of-class review at the end. Thumbs up!
An ok teacher, but terrible notes, come to class or else you'll be totally lost, and he teaches a lot from the textbook, if you need multiple examples avoid him.
Very bad prof. Notes are horrible and uses same examples in text and notes. Midterm average was around 24/50 very hard written exam on 6 chapters but tested only 2 concepts (1 worth 40 marks!). Stay clear of this one!
young guy still inexperienced in teaching. midterms are easy, the first final he ever created was a bit*h...give him a couple of years before trying him out. notes are not bad and he does know what he's talking about in class!
His notes sucked...he would constantly write then change his mind then erase it and write something else. His notes were totally useless....barely gave any USEFUL examples. If you want a multiple choice test, then he's NOt the guy.
Class was BORING! Labs were always ahead of the classes, poor in-class notes and the final was entirely theory. Unless you have a love for math, stay away from this prof.
The notes were horrible, the class was boring.. I never missed any other class, not even once, but that class I maybe made it to half the lectures and slept through about half the ones I made it to. Got a good mark because I learned it all from the text.
He's fun to hate. Very unclear, makes everything more complicated than it should be, and just isn't interesting at all.
he is good
writes way too much in class.. boring but otherwise not bad
takes forever to mark exams.............
Not very clear on some topics and sometimes hard to follow because each topic is related to the last. Best to get help before you fail behind or else you're doomed. Otherwise it's a fairly easy class because no one asks for help and the average is thus low
Very helpful. You get the impression that he really wants everyone to do well. Final was much harder than the midterm, but he was fair with his marking.
Decent guy. Make sure you know everything from 141/151 extremely well otherwise you will have to do a LOT of review in order to keep up. Not an easy class like 141/151. low class averages so keep up and you'll do fine. if youre lost dont worry cause no one else knows what the hell is going on.
I actually didn't mind this class although I got a very bad grade. He seemed like a really nice guy and was very willing to help you if you had a problem. I didn't like that he simply rewrote his course notes (on his website) on the board instead of adding new info. Okay overall.
it was that dang curve. otherwise it wasn't too bad. his exams can be kind of hard though. but compared to other stats profs, he's one of the better ones. classes are excruciatingly boring though, but well he's young, so it ain't as bad. and he doesn't really care anyway.
Horrible prof. He makes everything much harder than it needs to be, he doesn't realize that it's an "intoductory" stat class and speaks as if we already know the concepts. He is also very very rude and not too helpful if you meet with him outside of class. He is just not cut out for teaching.
Final was just like the practice finals, definetly not as hard as i thought it could have been since the class seems very confusing.
He seems like he's trying really hard, but the unecessary mathematical terminology just confuses things. Please, for the love of god, stop using the coin flip example (there are more interesting ones).
by far my worst teacher of this year. Kowalski was very unhelpful, and had a way of making you feel stupid. His exams were not that bad, however, his class notes had way to much extra stuff that we really werent responsible for.
If you like a low average stat class, then you should consider kowalski. Decent teacher, usually lost but the concept is really easy to understand. So it's your fault if your lost in his class. Big class so just know the concepts pretty well and you'll do fine, save by the curve.
Easy concepts but he makes them much more difficult. Can't listen to what he's saying because you're too busy copying his notes. Never used the textbook other than assigning questions for practice. Look for someone else if you want better coverage.
Kowalski is a moderate prof at best: however, if you do not mind learning on your own you can do very well on his exams because everyone else does so poorly. i gussed 10% of his final and still got an A- cause of the curve.
HORRIBLE PROFF! He was very unhelpful, and made you feel stupid when you went to him for help!Had confusing notes and didn't explain them well. 0ur class average was 57% after the midterm! There are many classes, take a different proff!!!
Made concepts extremely confusing.. you are practically on your own.
I went to maybe a half a dozen classes and slept through most of them. His class is useless. Everything I learned, I learned from the text and doing extra problems. Ended up with a B+, even though I guessed on most of the questions(I doubt he wrote his own final), because the class average was so low. Save yourself!! Get a different prof!!
First off, the course itself is brutal, and this is coming from someone who actually enjoyed Stats 151. Second, the book isn't that much help. It's designed with Masters students in mind. And third, Mike is alright, not the worst teacher, but there are definetely some better ones out there.
This class is hilarious. Midterm average was 57% and that was not a good thing. Your screwed in this class. If u miss one class your done for.
Kowalski is fairly boring. He has comprehensive online notes but they tend to include too much detail and may confuse you. His exams aren't too bad, but lengthy. A majority of the class doesn't finish his exams, which is why the class averages hover around 55%.
He used several weird notations that we've never seen before, and he barely explains them! He probably doesn't realize that not everybody took Stat 151 with him! Sometimes, he has this really annoying little smirk on his face...it makes me want to get out of my chair and punch him. I'm so glad I withdrew from his class, and if you're in it...haha!
Mike made the material very very very very very much harder than it had to be. His notes were wordy and sometimes i think he would have kept talking if everyone left the class just to hear his own voice. On the other hand, he had good posture and was clean and well dressed.
Wow what are you people talking about?? He's a GREAT prof. He explains things well, his class flows nicely, and he's really helpful outside of class. And he isn't speaking to hear his own voice, he's just clarifying points or reading as he writes. At least he makes stats somewhat interesting.
this prof is the man. not strict at all, interesting, explains things to the fullest. as long as you pay attention and put in a little effort, the class is easy. if not, then it's tough. it's not his fault stats is hard, but he makes the best of it. dances when your cell fone goes off in class.
I really dun like him, and i really liked stat 151. He is clean and well dressed. But he makes everything more complicated. His classes are pretty boring. And the class itself i think is way harder than 151
this is an extremely easy class. he is a good prof who explains everything and if you know the slightest thing about math and attend lectures you will do extremely well on the exams. i think people are just stupid
This guy has no personality whatsoever. He has notes in front of him while he's writing on the board, and yeah....that's pretty much every class. As much as the lectures suck, you can't skip or else you're screwed...I can't skip the class I want to the most!! Avoid him at all costs or else you'll regret it!
This guys is VERY bad and his lectures are extremely boring and unclear.
Don't listen to these kids taking 151: at least Mike can speak proper English. If you're taking 252, you'll love this guy even more. This class is taught as slowly as math in highschool, where you spend entire classes on 3-4 examples. Better yet, his midterm/final/lab exam are near EXACTLY the practice ones, so you can't lose. Easy marker too.
I found this class fairly simple. The lab exam was really easy.. I didn't have any problems with the prof.. at least he was prepared with what he was going to teach for the lecture.. some aren't like that.
I thought he was pretty good
This prof is great! He made me want to go into stat's. He's REALLY helpful on his own time, going over exams and hmwk. If you have a legit. reason for thinking a mark should be changed, he'll listen to what u have to say. I went from an 80 to a 92 on my midterm from talking with him. He's awesome, and his examples are REALLY useful for studying!
He's a really great prof! His notes are very clear with lots of examples and they're all you really need for the exams. He posts practice exams that are very much like the real thing so you know what to expect. Good lecturer and very helpful!!! Recommended!
A decent instructor. You learn mostly by example, which is useful for exams. The course itself isn't very difficult nor does it require much effort. It helps if you take this course soon after 151 though; otherwise, you might have some issues. Recommended.
Really good prof - gets the point across really clearly and efficiently and also has a nice personality - though he doesn't force it on us. Seems very approachable. And the real bonus - you can understand every word he says AND read his writing - and no powerpoint notes - yay!!!
worst class I ever took!
don't email him questions cause he'll just be like "We went over this already" and "I don't get what you're asking" and "This is in your notes" Yes Mike.. I assume the topic of my question is in my notes.. I assume all questions asked will be in my notes.. Why would any question not be in my notes unless ur stiffing us out of course material
Very good teacher, teaches very clear. Definitely recommend people taking it. Although, he is quite cocky sometimes.....
online notes are wordy and don't correspond to notes written given in class, but both are fine. doesn't always understand questions or answer them properly in class. tests are extremely easy- mostly calculations despite him saying we don't need to calculate. says 'at the end of the day' far too often. in all, fine teacher
He's an okay prof. But his notes kinda suck and he doesnt do enough examples it got really frustrating when we'd be close to the due date of an assignment and he hasnt fully gone over the material or has done any examples yet. I recommend that you do not take this class with him if you rely heavily on examples to teach yourself.
I disagree with some of these ratings. I found Mike to be very straight-forward and easy to follow. His examples are exactly like ones on tests and his notes are very explicit and helpful. The textbook sucked though. I highly reccomend taking this course with Mike, his tests are pretty easy if you do the practice ones.
this guy could be the definition of mediocraty, talks fast and is hard to follow, but online notes are excellent, more or less a nice, although rather apathetic guy, don't bother learning this course though, just learn how to do hid practice exams.. class is very easy, although homework and labs are a time consuming
His teaching style is very effective and you can grasp the material without difficulty if you do the homework, labs and practice exams. They are very helpful in allowing you to understand the material and be comfortable with it. He's a very good instructor.
He is a good prof, explain everything and the questions with the practise exam is similar with the exam questions. His notes are very helpful, so do the online notes. <3 him !
Statistics 151 is a terribly, painfully boring class. That being said, Kowalski does his best with the material and knows his stuff. He can be a little disorganized, but generally, I couldn't have asked for a better Stats prof.
statistics is impossible to make interesting, so don't fool yourself into thinking it might be from any prof. that said, kowalski makes it as easy as can be to understand. i am terrible at statistics, but i came out with a fairly good mark. just go to class - you can't keep up if you skip even one class. and do the practice exams!!!
You really dont need the text book!!
great prof. he just explains the material, gives lots of examples that you'll see on the exams word for word. if you need help just go to his office, he'll explain it till you get and an overall excellent teacher. id recommend him to anyone!!!
This term we had no assignments. The tests were difficult, poor practice questions and his classes are super boring and essentially a marathon of note taking. Textbook is useless, but needed for SPSS.
Not terrible. Averages on tests are very low which is oddly amazing. Not very difficult, almost identical to practice tests but still low averages. Kinda have to teach it to yourself but class is a must he gives big hints on specific stuff for the test. Take him for the low averages on tests. He missed about 5 classes this semester though.
His notes are useless, be prepared to write non stop for the entire class, he says "At the end of the day" way too much
I'm sure he was an OK prof but I slept through almost all the semester (I'm not sure if it was his voice, the room or the fact that stats is just boring). Had to teach myself since I slept all the time. I did go to office hours a couple of times and he was very helpful. Online notes are useful, especially if you don't attend class (bad textbook)
this class is a joke. easy A+
the test is USELESS! my class avg was 85%%%% seriously just study his notes n go to class bc he sometimes tells u what will be on the exam!
I don't like stats or math and was not at all interested, but that wasn't because of him I don't think. He was very clear in his explanations and I -loved- that he wrote everything important on the board, said everything outloud, and went through lots of examples. Good teaching style even if the course wasn't any fun.
I don't see what's so great about him. If you end up in this profs class be prepared to write every single day, all class. He will keep talking and eventually it will turn into information YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW. He states this himself.
repeats himself A LOT, talks for the whole 50 minutes of lecture, constantly writing and rewriting same thing, exams were easy, VERY similar to practice exams, notes are kinda helpful, recommend read textbook and practice his example questions
I don't know if I like him or dislike him. Hes a very good prof and makes things pretty clear. He also solves many examples which, obviously, helps alot. On the other hand, the class is extremely noisy and he doesn't notice.. Take his class though because, seriously, I don't think anyone can make stats fun.. atleast he trys to not make it boring!
ROCKED MY WORLD
I thought he was a really good prof. I suck at math and stats, but I managed to come out with a good grade. He gives good explanations and has prepared lots of examples, practice tests, and extra notes which I really appreciated. Assignments were okay. Lab was quite easy. Final was trickier than the midterm for me, but all exams were fair.
For all the good ratings ive seen, i sorta agree with you all, he does have good notes, understandable if you pay attention, but too much notations. On the other hand, if you go ask for help outside of class, he treats you like an idiot. He makes you feel stupid, and is very condescending towards you. He made a girl cry in my class.
Goes through LOTS of examples to help you out, and posts practice problems. If you come to lecture, you'll probably hear a question or two on the final, and he'll give you the answer, so definitely go to those. But be prepared for a snooze-fest; no one can make Stats entertaining. Granted, he tries. Kind of. JUST DO THE PRACTICE PROBLEMS.
He tries really hard to make a horrible class bearable, but is unsuccessful. Really hard to stay awake so don't take the 80 min class. He has a TON of notes so there are a lot of examples, but you have to keep up cause it all builds on itself and if you get lost early, you're screwed. The curve helps. (I thought i was going to fail). Use MASC.
Fair marker, with a nice grade distribution. Good practice exams on his website. Class is very tedious and boring, I reccomend buying the textbook and teaching yourself.
Talks a mile a minute barely pausing for breath, nevermind to let an idea sink in. STAT 151 Students learned not to ask questions because he'd just rattle off an answer that made little sense and continue lecturing without actually explaining the concept. In lecture he just does problems, then gives MUCH harder ones on exams. Better get a tutor!
He is very good in making easy things looks difficult. He keep talking no matter the student hear or not, he never ask if we understand or not just keep going. If you take this course you have to educate yourself
Good notes. Goods prof. Easy tests (I guess I was a third year math major taking this course so take it as you may)I didn't buy a text book and got an A+ so it is doable. I recommend this prof.
DO NOT BUY THE TEXT. It is absolutely useless. They package it in a bundle so you can't even skim through it first to see how useless and poorly organised it is. His notes are just fine and will get you through the entire course. I found the concepts straightforward and easy, but not thanks to him. Remember: profs don't teach; they lecture.
He is such a bad prof! His notes are not very explanatory. They're just a whole bunch of examples and no concepts are behind him! SO BAD! You should use the textbook. And he is SO boring. The good thing about him is that he's pretty quick to respond to e-mails but he can be mean in his response. I would not recommend this prof at all! Not good!!
From what I hear, he's at least better than the alternative. He's been my prof for two courses and he's nice for the most part. His notes are organized and if you put the effort, you'll be fine. I do agree he should engage with the class more. Talks very fast and doesn't really care if you get it or not. Stats isnt supposed to be interesting though
Very well organized and clear. Never really met him but he seems nice. To succeed you must: KNOW HOW TO USE THE FORMULA SHEET, maybe go to a MASC review, MOST IMPORTANTLY DO ALL PRACTICE PROBLEMS ESPECIALLY FOR THE FINAL. I am pretty stupid and I got an A- because I did ALL practice final material and learned it well.
Kowalski is a nice guy but it was very hard to pay attention to him for the whole 80 minutes. Most class time was just spent doing problems without explaining concepts in depth.
I took his 80min class. oh man! this calss is just terrible!! you have to copy notes from the beginning to the end. you dont even have time to take a breath. avoid him if you can!
He does the best he can with an awful subject. I don't know why people complain about the notes, they are right on eclass; print them off and just add extras to the margins. Don't buy the textbook. His examples can become repetitive and concepts blur together, but your mark is strictly based on what you know, not curved, so do the best you can.
Didn't really care about if students were doing well or not. Refused to curve the class when around half of the people in it failed the midterm. Do not suggest as a prof.
GREAT PROF! Homeworks are helpful in understanding concepts thereby helping a great deal for exams. He's a nice and chilled prof and helped me out a great deal in understanding material. Only downside was you had to go to class to get notes, he doesn't post it at all. Overall, highly recommended.
He goes way too fast. Doesn't explain concepts very well. His tests are killer! He says that they're like the practice ones, please don't believe him. I suggest getting a tutor if your in his class or switch out immediately. Not recommendatory at all.
Terrible teacher avoid his class. Most of the class failed the midterm, and he still did not curve the class. His 80min lecture is extremely boring. He talks way to fast. I did the practice exams, and the exams he gave were much more difficult. Probably a nice guy, but very bad teacher. Terrible subject, terrible class, avoid it.
He is super boring!! The work he did just make no sense.He talked in an extremely fast speed and doesn't know how to make the text interesting! Just follow the formulas,I slept in most of his classes but I still got a good grade
Mike was very knowledgable about stats, made corny jokes-which I thought were funny! Didn't care about texting in class, I just don't understand stats...still.
This class is so boring and hard, but Mike is a really nice guy and SUPER DUPER helpful and patient in person.
He's a nice guy, but he is just your plain jane, mediocre prof. He doesnt go that extra mile to make class interesting for the student, he just basically sticks to the notes and reads for 80 minutes. Very boring lecture, had a hard time paying attention because nothing really stuck out to me. But, like I said, nice guy.
Kowalski is a super nice guy, and for someone who isn't too great at math equations, his explanations made perfect sense! He's also great with extra questions in his office hours! So happy I have him for this class.
Very nice but lectures are extremely boring. He seems to try and keeps his lectures entertaining with a joke now and then but in the end, his voice just lules you to sleep. Notes are fairly useful and the tests seemed fair. There was a freebie on it which was awesome cuz I think I got everything else wrong. ^^!
Mike is probably the nicest prof you will come by at the U of A. His class is extremely easy if you practice what he tells you to and listen in class. His exams are really fair and he gives a freebie at the end. Definitely my favourite prof so far. Thanks Mike, keep up the good work!
His powerpoints were not a good teaching method in my opinion. Very hard to retain information in his class as he reads off the powerpoints. Never used the textbook. Hard exams.
Great prof and very nice guy!! He had review classes for a week at the end of the semester which really helped solidify your understanding of stats. Mike responds to emails fast, gives hints on homework assignments, and has a bunch of open hours. What more can you ask for?
Mike was definitely a nice prof, however, not only were his lectures dry and boring, but he was difficult to learn from because all he did was read off of his lecture slides. During examples he didn't explain what he was doing or why, he just wrote it down and read it off the paper. I don't recommend taking his class.
Really, really boring. Hard to stay awake in class, he just reads his slides. I strongly recommend getting the textbook, it's readable and WAY more interesting than the prof. The final was nothing like the midterm. Avoid if possible.
Good teacher that cares about the subject. Crystal clear communication in class, sends regular email updates, very organized with electronic tools. Others have mentioned it, but the mid-term and final are tougher than most of the practice mid-terms. When using practice mid-terms as reference, choose the hardest ones and study from that.
very helpful and nice prof. the notes are very useful. midterms and finals are similar to the practice. take his class if u can
Decent. Responds to emails. The exams were not that bad in difficulty, and he even gave a bonus question on the midterm that made me laugh.
All around not a bad teacher, with fairly easy exams that are very similar to the practice ones he provide. Attendance isn't really necessary because he just goes through slides that kill your printer ink in the end. Textbook is also worthless. Much of this course can be learned on youtube to be honest
Mike was awesome, and even though I hated this class with a passion, he made it bearable. DO NOT BUY THE TEXTBOOK, the online homework explains everything. He's a prof w/no frills, the tests are exactly what he says they will be. Although, check on the MASC review dates, sure helped me with the tests!!
Mike is absolutely what a true stats professor should be like,he illustrates everything clearly and is really strong in logic,also,his exams' difficulty is reasonable,with all these you can pretty much ace in this course .
Awesome prof! Really helpful! Hate stats but enjoyed this class!
Does theory in the middle of examples which is frustrating and confusing always going back and forth between the two. Replies to my emails were snobby. Midterm was very easy, just like the practice midterms. Did not enjoy this class and did not enjoy this prof.
He's not a very good prof, he makes things alot more difficult than they have to be. The textbook and online powerpoints are the real things to help you out.
The class was unbearably uninteresting. Not sure if it was him or just statistics in general. Pretty uneventful and unengaged classes, switching back and forth examples and slides! I do not judge his quality, but avoid stats all together if you can! Perhaps one of the worst courses in University!
Hated stats in high school, didn't get any better here. His examples were overly confusing and more difficult than they had to be, would write out extra long formulas that could've been simplified right away. Incredibly boring, didn't pay attention once in class. Could be stats, could be the prof.
He elaborates a little too much and makes simple examples confusing sometimes. He also switches between two sets of notes constantly which is basically impossible to copy. But he posts all of his notes online which is helpful and working through his examples is helpful. His exams are just like his practice tests but they aren't exactly easy.
Mike is a very nice person. But his lectures are boring and you can download from e-class. His midterms are EXTREMELY hard and the average is less than 50%, so he have to omit on question for everyone. The final is more difficult than mids. So you better think carefully before take his courses.
He tried to help when asked, but he grew increasingly rude. His class was completely dry and did not prepare his students well for the midterm and final. All in all, would not recommend him.
Very nice prof, he is a good teacher but you need to put in a fair amount of effort on your own for this course. Midterm and final were difficult, but was the same test for all stat 151 students. Class was sometimes very dry but overall he's the best stat teacher out there, I definitely recommend!!!
Spends most of class doing problems. Posts notes online with all the necessary definitions and theorem statements. The difficulty of the midterms and final were very similar to that of the practice tests.
Decent prof. Lectures can be quite dry, but that's the nature of stats. He reviewed the main points for the midterm very well which focused my studying. He's friendly and happy to accommodate you if needed.
His slides are great. Classes are a little boring but you can learn from the slides. Also, he's helpful.
Mike's office hours were my savior! His notes and short and to the point. You attend class not for his notes but the practice problems. He goes through tons to help you prepare. His practice finals and midterms have the same format, study those well! One negative-he switches between questions which can be confusing. Overall good prof!
He's okay, slides are very clear. You can skip some classes and everything is on the slides.
Easily the worst class I've ever taken. Honestly you'll find it hard not to fall asleep in his class.
Easily my favourite instructor. Mike made stats interesting and easy to understand and actually inspired a change in my major from chemistry to statistics. Would highly recommend him over any other stats professor.
Terrible professor. Makes things so much more difficult than they are. Took class again this semester and it is as if I'm learning a new subject. I learned more in the first week of my new class than I did in his.
Kowalski has been lecture this course for 10 years. He is very clear of what he has to teach, and there is plenty of online documents posted on e-class.
I like him so much!!!
Mike is a great prof. You can tell he loves what he does. The way he explained concepts in class could be confusing but if you did the class assignments, you would realize they were almost identical to eg.s done in class. He was also very approachable outside of class and always willing to help. Would recommend him and this class for psych majors!
Kowalski is a great prof. Yes, his class was quite boring, but stats is stats and any stats class will be boring. DON'T BUY THE TEXTBOOK. It was a $150 waste of money. You use it for 2 or 3 chapters, but he posts everything you need to know about it in his notes anyway. His sample midterm and final are EXACTLY like the real ones. Great prof
His class might be boring, somehow due to how statistics is as a subject but his class is well organized and the exams are not hard if you attend each class.
Mike's lectures are flat-out marathons but they are absolutely invaluable. His exams are tough and thoroughly test ins and outs of your understanding, he pushes students to their limits and makes you earn every % of that final grade. Amazing instructor, I'd gladly take any other course he teaches.
If you just go to class you might struggle a little picking up on the material. KEEP UP with the material on your own, do some practice questions, and then it will be a lot easier for you to follow along with the examples he does in class (he does a lot which is great). Otherwise he's a really approachable friendly prof if you need help
Stats is likely the least interesting course you are going to take in your undergrad. Mike does not inject fun into the course, which does not help. He does have good notes and his explanations in class are alright. Not an amazing prof though. He did give a good outline of what would be on the final, so go to review class.
His notes were unorganized and always changes stuff during class so when you print them out they don't match up because he skips or changes things. He doesn't use a mic so you have to sit near the front and when he uses the white board it is a mess. He is hard to follow along.
This class was by far my least favourite, I'm so glad it's over. Mike is a good prof but I was extremely bored in lectures. His examples are the same or similar to test questions so make sure you pay attention in class and know how to do them or you'll do very poorly on tests
worst profeesor I"ve ever met , I even though he is a drug addict. Not even conscious in class.
HE IS THE BEST. He is the reason why I want to switch my major to STATS. I failed STAT 151 and retook it with him. Best choice I've made. Classes may be boring sometimes when he explains the theory stuff, but when it comes to practice problems, he made it very clear and explain things thoroughly! So you have to attend each class!
Great prof for statistics. Gives clear, enthusiastic, and engaging lectures. Found him to be a little zoned out when asking for help, though.
Go to office hours. He will help you a ton. Try reading the notes first so you aren't going in with no clue what he's talking about. He'll show you how to fix your homework. Super nice about it too.
Every time you ask him question, he will tell you he has talked about this in class. I ask for your second time explanation, not your superfluous remind. Try to be patient.
This Prof really knows his stuff but goodness his classes were brutal. He didn't have very many notes and he just used examples all class so if you missed an example, you were basically screwed for a whole topic. If you do take his class, be prepared for a whole lot of researching and youtube videos outside of class.
Attendance is mandatory because although case studies/notes are posted with their answers, a lot of the "asides", work up steps, and follow ups are not posted. Despite the long lectures, Mike is very enthusiastic and his exams are very fair (do practice). Did poor in 151 but practically aced 252 so don't be scared! Stay on top of things ! ^__^
Attended class but studied off online notes anyway. If you want detailed explanations then classes are for you otherwise online notes are sufficient to answer exam/assignment questions. Exams are very similar to his practice questions and he even spends one class doing midterm review. Material was dry but you can get good grades if you work hard
Best prof ever. You have to attend classes though because most of his notes are going over the examples and proofs. He posts some of the notes for a unit after it is completed.
Stat 252 was much easier than 151. This class gives you a lot of opportunities to see how well you understand the material. There are lab assignments that are helpful and four written homework assignments. There are a ton of resources for this class! They average your midterm and final in two different ways and take the higher of the two.
the first few units were great as we did them in class together, as i paid the money for... now everything is entirely online and we teach the course to ourselves and everything is so unclear. our now optional class consists of just going over a few questions from the homework, and the lectures DONT MAKE SENSE! god i hate this class.
A good prof. He's really kind and he tries his best to make the exam easier.
Mike is funny and explains things pretty well. But at times, he is pretty dry. His lecture notes are meh. His tests are fair and straightforward, but you NEED to practice for those. Also, the labs are pretty tedious and he made fun of us at one point for not knowing how to use Statcrunch.
His lecture is not very clear especially he did lots of maths in class. But you can do well since he posts all lecture notes and lots of practice exams online.
Mike is generally a good professor. This class was supposed to a blended learning class with online components, however, that was really only for the second section of the class. I was super excited for this opportunity in university as that is how I did most of my high schooling. He's a pretty funny prof at times.
Other Stat 151 classes have 1 midterm and the common final. We had 4 exams and the final. This wasnt really bad since I feel as if it prepared me for the final, which was a breeze. Gives LOTS of good practice material that are representative of the exam questions. If you miss class, you have nothing to worry for since his notes online are solid.
Overall pretty good. Stats 151 is a boring course regardless, but he provides lots of examples and practice tests (exactly like the real ones) to make sure you know what youre doing. Also his section has 4 unit tests instead of a midterm which I found to be beneficial. He tries to make lectures entertaining, but attendance wasnt always necessary.
Mike is a good person, but being a good person doesn't make you a good prof. His stat lectures are confusing and super boring. He spends more time showing the proofs than examples. His tests are short so your mark goes down quickly. A huge downside to SCI151 is doing stats for the ENTIRE YEAR. Don't recommend. Do it in one semester, not with Mike.
Great prof teaching a pretty dull subject. Notes were very similar to what he tested on, so digging through the textbook was unnecessary. Quarterly exams were only out of 15 marks, but were fair, as was the final. Blended learning was interesting as well. Solid choice!
Our class was blended learning and it is so much easier. Mike is a chill guy, and he explains concepts quite clearly. He was also quite helpful when I asked for help.
His lectures will make you wanna sleep. He usually posts his in-class notes like 2 days after the lecture done. If you take your own notes during lecture, you won't follow his voice and won't get what he is talking about. And he didn't reply emails sometimes, which is annoying.
Please do yourself a favor and NEVER enroll in his class! Unfortunately, because of InSciTE I have him full year... please DO NOT DO INSCITE if it is still with Mike. You legit learn nothing, he is very dull and dry and talks too fast and does not explain anything. I have to get tutor for this course. Worst professor I have by far.
Class is dull, which is fine. The problem is he doesn't explain things thoroughly. He teaches new topics as if you knew it and quickly jumps to formulas and applications. But as a beginner, I had to watch many Youtube videos just to get intuitions and backgrounds, which he totally missed. But he's nice and has many Office Hours to help you.
boring and sometimes confusing. not good, not too bad. mediocre
Get ready to the textbook and apprehend the concepts by yourself as his lectures are boring, dry and believe me they are monotonous too. he is a Fun guy, but as a professor, nah, he is not good. You could actually learn a lot by doing the homework in Mystatlab than from his lectures.
He seems to know his stuff, and was good if you asked him questions outside of class. But lectures are dry, and we did this blended learning thing where basically you were to teach yourself the material through a video he made on your own time, and class was used as a work period. I hated it and basically taught myself the whole course.
You can tell Mike wants his students to do well. Stats isn't an easy course but he sets up his class in a way that emphasizes your understanding. He gave great answers to questions outside of class. 4 quarter exams rather than 1 midterm helped a TON. I definitely wouldn't have done as well if I had a different prof. He is honestly a gem
Very nice guy, well respected but it's often tough to follow some lectures. I showed up to each class and always did the homework but still often struggled to catch on to what he was explaining. If you work hard the course will be easy.
Very nice guy, and he makes his exams super easy and straightforward. As long as you do a lot of practice you should be able to get the grade that you want. As with most things involving a decent amount of math, you have to think a little (or a lot) before it all clicks, but his examples and homework make that easy.
Mike Kowalski is a great professor who taught the course in a well structured and logical way. He answered any questions thrown at him and graded generously. The homework load was light but there were a fair bit of tests. There were 4 unit tests (18 MC & T/F questions) throughout the semester and 4 labs (which had a similar weighting to the tests).
I took STAT 151 last term and did horrible on my midterm so I dropped it. I, by chance, found myself in his class now, and its crazy how I actually understand now. Much of it has to do with the fact its blended learning, it definitely helped me get a more thorough understanding of all the concepts. I can tell he wants us to do well.
Great lectures, great office hours, and an all around great guy. His exams are almost identical to his practice questions, and he provides A LOT of study material. 4 quizzes instead of a midterm which helps keep you on track. If you put in the effort, its easy to get the grade you want
He is a really nice guy, fast on email's and very accessible outside of class. 4 midterms(7.5%) each and a final worth 50(%).. if you put the effort in, the other 20% of the grade be an easy 95+.. The final was very easy, but the content can take a while to grasp up until the final. Interesting and engaging lectures, made stats very interesting.
I took Mike's class because I was told the blended learning version of STAT 151 was much easier. One week into the class I was lost. Teaches as if he expects the entire class to be experts in statistics and made the material way harder than it needed to be. If you need to take STAT 151 choose another prof.
Mike is a dry lecturer, but explains things reasonably well. He gives pages of practice problems (SCI 151) out which are almost identical to the exams, so as long as you go through the practice problems you should be good to go
Clear explanations, plenty of extra notes digging into the formula from other perspectives, like Bernoulli. Good choice
One of the worst professors I have had to deal with. Teaches using 15 minute videos, jumps straight into examples without any background information or explanation, and can be defensive when answering questions and makes you feel stupid. Clearly not a good professor and makes the material seem so much harder than it actually is. Choose another prof
He assumes all students have a background in stats and goes super fast in lecture. Instead of explaining he completes questions and moves on to the next leaving most people confused. His blended learning portion of the course wasn't the worse but it definitely was not easy. Overall would not recommend his class to anyone not a math/science whiz.
For those who struggle with math related subjects, do NOT enrol with this instructor. He's not thorough and teaches as if everyone is familiar with statistics. IMO he makes simple concepts complicated. You might get a silly look for asking a valid question! Find someone else if you can, seriously.
His practice questions are misleading for the exams, he rambles and teaches too fast. I don't recommend this prof if you're not good at math.
Really stupid class, writes notes on iPad but doesnt post them. Homework is long and tedious, pointless course.
goes through lectures fast but his exams are exactly like the ones he puts up for practice I would highly recommend him if you're going to take stats
Good dude. Goes fast, but does a lot of review before exams too, so you get a second run of everything. If you want to rock this course, you really need to know how to read the questions correctly so you perform the proper F-test. Writing down different variations of how the questions can be worded can be as valuable as the formula sheets.
Taken while the pandemic in spring term, and super intense. around 1 hour video to watch per day, plus 1 hour online class meeting, 20 mins of homeword divided into each day. He has office everyday and reply email on time. Every single concept is well explained and tons of examples along with the def. Very smart guy and good at teaching!
Mike is one of the best lecturers Ive ever had. He explains things very clear, provide a lot of practice questions. He replies email fast. Tests are fair, if you study his notes you will get a good mark. His class actually provide you strong basis for higher level statistic course.
Spirit wise- hes the best. So enjoyable and makes lectures interesting (which is hard to do for statistics). However, if youre not already gifted in math and statistics, you will struggle. He doesnt go over major topics that are on assignments and tests. I would consider buying the optional book.
He's awesome
Lectures are example. After example. After example. After example. After example. Easy stuff.
Start off by saying super nice guy, I do really like him. The eClass and lectures however felt disorganized, hard topics werent gone into with great detail and was just confusing. The stats discord server felt the same.
If you're not a statistics pro, watch out. He is unhelpful and condescending during office hours, and he will talk down to you and make you feel like an idiot for not understanding a concept. He gets visibly annoyed whenever someone asks a question and clearly expects everyone to be experts in the material. Very rude.
If you're not strong in math, Prof. Kowalski's lectures can be hard especially due to the fast pace. He has frequent office hours though and that can help you strengthen your understanding a lot. You can also pause videos to go at your own pace. The course structure is ok; the module/unit thing is a bit messy. Plenty of practice questions to prep.
I LOVE professor Mikes teaching style. The class is set up perfectly for the online environment as he provides tons of examples during class, and there are supplemental examples provided along with videos. Basically, if you put in the work, watch the videos and do the practice examples, the class will be pretty easy.
Mike is an amazing prof! He explains statistics in a very organized and conceptual manner which made understanding stats a lot easier. He uploads supplemental videos going over each concept which he then reviews in class via a BUNCH of examples. You definitely have to put in the work though (doing extra practice questions etc.).
Awesome.
Great lectures with coherent and meaningful content. Also a kind hearted and genuine human being. Overall, an amazing professor!
he had lots of office hours to get help but when I went to get help before the midterm he was not helpful at all. I found him kind of rude when answering my questions and didn't show me how to solve the problem. In his class, he goes very fast so it is hard to keep up with all the examples he gives.
I liked Mike, he was a pretty good lecturer and I did well in the course using mostly his materials. His practice questions are great, and some of them are more difficult than exam material so they adequately prepare you. His class had the most people acing the midterm, and had a higher class average than the whole stat 151 section.
Honestly, this course is a breeze if you watch his vids before lecture and understand what he's doing in his practice questions. Mike explains topics like nobody's business: this man literally clarifies any misunderstanding you have if you attend office hours. I'd definitely take him again if I got the chance!
Kowalski was easy to communicate with using zoom office hours or by email. Has tons of extra material to help prepare for exams in addition to all the examples in "live classes". The lectures are informative but I found myself spacing out a few times. Assignments can be quite lengthy but every Stat151 student has to do them, no matter the prof.
Not an amazing professor but could be worse. Group Labs sucked. I felt like his notes weren't great at times and didn't explain the concepts well enough. I found the exams to be very tough, but then again I have always found Stats to be a difficult subject.
Hands down one of the best professors for STAT courses. Very clear and concise lectures. Tons of examples that look very much alike assignments and exams. You are in good hands with him.
Stats is a tough class, and while I was quite disappointed by my C-, I definitely would've just failed the class if Mike wasn't my prof. He gives plenty of resources to help you do well in the class. I would say that this course, taken with him, stays true to "you'll get out of it what you put into it". No surprises on exams; super fair prof
I would never take his class again. He rushes through examples without explaining anything well. You will probably be better off trying to teach yourself the course.
Mike Kowalski is a really nice guy, but not a good professor. He's one of those people who has never struggled in math, and thus, doesn't know how to teach math to someone who is struggling. I went to class, just to leave more confused than when I first entered the classroom. I ended up teaching myself the material. I wouldn't recommend.
His practice exams were not like the final. He and the other prof had the same final, yet the other prof's formula sheet was way more detailed with more formulas which feels unfair. Ended up mostly learning from a tutor and the other prof's videos online. He teaches like you should already know what he's talking about.
Unacceptable. Having no textbook for math makes the course unreasonable.
He used a lot of examples as his way of teaching, and it worked for me, but I heard from others that it assumes too much intuitive understanding. He reviews concepts vaguely and tries teaching them through the examples. I missed too many classes because of COVID, but if you attend classes and get help when you're confused you will do well.
Pretty good overall. He has tons of online material available, so it's always possible for you to catch up on missed material. Not too much homework too, so there's lots of time to figure stuff out before it'll be used for marks. Group projects are fine, but can be bad if your group is uncooperative. Would take again for stats.
Professor Kowalski is great for 151! His notes are organized, he explains things well, and his practice exams are very similar to the actual exams. He is great at adding more office hours if lots of students have questions, and it is clear he cares about students, too. Do the work, and you'll be fine.
Rude and not helpful at all. Anytime I needed help with a question, Mike would tell me to look back at the notes. He held office hours for the class and when I asked him a question, he told me as usual to go back to the notes. I said I did but still didn't understand and then he said that I'm on my own and kicked me out. Overall a Very rude guy.
Kowalski was very accessible outside of class as he had online office hours at least twice a week. I found the course material tough at times but Kowalski does a great job explaining it in a way that makes sense to someone who hasn't taken the class. Highly recommend compared to some other stats profs out there! Did I mention super helpful too
You might as well just not go to class, he doesn't have notes and all you ever do is questions. I sit in class confused for an hour and 20 minutes. Be prepared to teach yourself the course :) Have fun!!
By far the best stats prof I've had! His course is well-organized with plenty of practice/review material. His method of teaching through various examples really works for me. It helps build a problem-solving approach to questions and reduced blunt memorization of formulas. Attend lectures and do all the practice questions; you're guaranteed an A!
Kowalski is the definition of a good but not great prof. His lectures are him just working through examples so this means you have to learn all of the theory on your own time. Also group labs suck
Pretty easygoing professor. Went through relevent examples in class and explained everything very well. However he was not very understanding to the students situations. Be sure to hand everything on time as he has very strict deadlines and won't accept anything late.
I don't think Kowalski is as bad as people say. He does rush through the practice so if you don't know the material well, it will definitely make that topic more confusing. However, he gives out A LOT of practice material for the final and midterm. There are two practice exams for each one, and you have the homework and other resources to look at.
The class average was 1.6 which really tells you how his class is. I believed I did way good in the midterm and finals compared to the rest of the class, but the labs are bad when you get bad lab partners. He went through the lectures pretty fast and thought you are supposed to know everything about statistics already.
He is an amazing professor. I only studied his notes which covered every type of question and that helped me score really good on the papers. He is very helpful, had office hours almost every other day. He had good set of practice questions and was extremely kind. I am kind of sad to leave his class as it was so so fun.
the worst class I have ever taken. prof doesn't help you when you go to help sessions just tells you to go back to notes. final was worth at least 50% of your grade. doesn't even make sense to go to class because he doesn't teach he just does examples and he does the examples at a pace that you wont even be able to comprehend.
He has fast lectures, where he solves examples. All theory he tells really fast because there were videos where he talks about theory, etc. I didn't watch them most of the time, but I felt really confident in the class. (for somebody who knows math very well and has a great logic, it's a great choice)
Notes in class aren't posted and lectures are extremely fast-past seminar style. Combo ensures that the best you can do to keep up with the class is to take pictures of the lecture. The 2nd midterm was a travesty, too much content covered too quickly combined w/ the above meant we had a mean of 61 w/ a V of 9. Not representative of review mat.
I had to defer my final exam due to personal issues, my faculty didn't approve my deferral in time and I had to take the deferred final some other time. The only time he gave me to do it was reading week, I told him I wasn't available then because of a vacation, and he refused to budge. I had to miss a $3k non-refundable vacay because of this guy.
I had him for 151 and 252 and so far I've had great luck with profs names Mike so I highly recommend. Tests are exactly like in class examples with the numbers switched out and he's kind of like a TV character because I've only ever seen him wear a navy hoodie with a tie.
This class is extremely poorly organized and he doesn't know how to teach. He'll sometimes post annotated lecture notes, and sometimes won't. All he does in class are examples where he just solves himself at an extremely fast pace. There are supplementary video lectures which are how you really learn the content. He's clear and knowledgeable, tho.
Was a nice prof. He uses the class time *mostly* for working on examples while providing little review over the ACTUAL lectures that are given in videos that can take up a lot of hw time. Its also not super clear what video set you should be on before which lecture. Felt like the in pers. examples were supplement to vid lec. I prefer the opposite
The class material itself is very easy so you will most likely do well learning everything on your own. Prof is unhelpful and spends the entire class going through problems himself at the speed of light. Most people have no clue what he's saying and just focus on writing everything down super fast. L prof take Wagner instead I've heard he's better
He teaches very fast. Often it feels like he's rushing right to the practice questions instead of spending more time on the theory part. I don't go to his lectures anymore but it's because he posts a lot of videos/practice questions. If you practice the harder questions he posts, then the midterm/final is probably a breeze. Labs are pretty easy.
very boring
honestly for having to take statistics again I think that he is a very good professor. He gave us so many resources and really was good at teaching statistics. he provides his own videos with such good explanation and makes practice questions like the final exam. he is very monotoned and I got a very like "rude" vibe but other then that good imo :)
You won't go wrong with taking a class with him. He is very knowledgeable in the field of statistics.
I'd reccomend just teaching yourself this course using mike's materials on eclass and just show up to the review days, in lectures he just went over examples at in insanely fast speed, Not a great teacher in my opinion, final exam is also worth 50-65% but his practice final/midterms are replica of the actual tests so I'd recommend studying those.
Your average professor. There's not much to say when it comes to teaching statistics there's no way to make it fun. I always had to wait for a long time for office hours but at least he'd have them often. However he's not a cheerful guy and speaks in a monotonous voice constantly. He just seems like he's done with life.
Did not attend class; self-taught due to incomplete notes. Content is straightforward, mainly basic math. Wagner makes all tests, so practice his tests for success. It's funny him and the penguin who does all the calculations from the penguins of Madagascar have the same name. Kowalski analysis I guess.
Fun and chill prof but his notes are pretty disorganized. I stopped showing up to class bc I was just learning better from the videos and notes of other profs that were accessible.
Sure, stats is not fun and sometimes he kind of talks like a robot, but this is LITERALLY the most straight forward statistics professor you will get. You want statistics to be easy and straight to the point? Take this guy. From past experience, every other stats prof just rambles. This guy is straight to the point and makes things really simple.
I would not recommend this professor solely based on the fact that he does not 'teach'. He expects you to watch all the videos before the lecture so we know what he's talking about and in lectures all he does are examples. Examples are great and all, but you should also be teaching as you go. Did not like the structure of his class.
The best professor in the math/stats department. He makes himself the most available to his students and is super happy to help you with any and as many questions. His lectures are very efficient and the practice that is provided is representative of the exams. Attend every class and put in the work by practicing lots and you will get a good grade.
Avoid at all costs.
Drop the course! Not for people that struggled in 151. It only gets harder.
The professor is no-frills but provides great resources. Though lectures can be dry, the practice exams are extremely helpful. Supplement with unstuckstudy ai for efficient study prep.
I rated him poorly the first time but would change my rating to this tbh (I just cant access my old rating anymore sadly since I think I didn't use an account for that). He speaks monotonously but he is straight to the point and helped me get that A+ and did end up helping in some office hours, so kudos to you professor.
Honestly stats is not my thing but it's a requirement, he made it straightforward and I appreciate his office hours he regularly has outside of class through zoom. I'm not a fan that the class had 4 labs and 4 assignment. Both time consuming but worth so little and a final worth 45% or 60% however all stats classes are like this. Good prof overall.
He is really good, I took 3 stat courses with him and have one more to take with him. Explains very well, even though you don't really have to attend lectures as he has videos explaining material and he posts notes. Overall, he's a nice teacher
Notes and lectures were okay. Worked through many examples but didn't explain things as much, so if you understood the concept already it was good. He was pretty helpful and understanding, and set a ton of office hours. Go to class as much as you can and use Wagner's notes as supplements when you're confused. Seems chill.
Dr. Kowalski is an amazing lecturer!!! His notes are detailed and he provides many examples. There are 4 homework assignments and 4 lab assignments which really help solidify the concepts. Practice exams are representative of midterm and final. Exams are very reasonable in difficulty. He's always willing to answer questions outside of lecture!!!
For a consolidated class with numerous sections, I'm not sure why everyone is so hard on this prof. He is amazing wherever he is able to be, otherwise its a cut and dry class by the faculty. Tons of office hours, online even. Always accessible and happy to help. Yes stats is hard, but its not the profs teaching making it hard, just stats itself.
Kowalski made both the midterm and final really fair. The homework assignments are harder, but the exams are not remotely as challenging. You need to watch all of his pre-recorded videos before classes to know what is going on, but he's extremely accessible out of class and often adds many extra online office hours. concise material and great prof!
STAT 265 with Mike was a good experience overall. His lectures did become pretty dry, especially with the lengthy proofs that were covered later in class, but I don't put this on him - the material is inherently tiring. Homework assignments were pretty challenging, but the midterm and final were very fair and similar to the practice exams.
I know he is not a bad person But he is kinda irresponsible to a point I am quite pissed His annotated notes are not as readable ad the other professors' notes and he wont upload notes himself (using excuses) Worst of all is when I tried to reschedule exam he tried to push away his responsibility to others as much as he can, bros just that lazy
Course content is very dense and lectures move quite fast, but he's the best prof for this class and 266 as everything he says and does throughout examples is clear and concise. Assignments and exams are sometimes tricky
The best prof for a first probability class. Completely different than stat 151/252 and requires a ton of hard-work/dedication to the material. Exams are extremely fair and Kowalski helps tremendously when you constantly show up to all office hours. Homework is tricky but it helps you prepare for exams. Overall very knowledgable, considerate prof.
He is a good professor. Lectures are boring, but I guess almost all of them like that. But overall his teaching is great, he explains stuff well, doesn't go too fast or too slow. Also, you could never go to lectures and still be able to study, because he posts videos that cover their,y, and he posts his lecture notes as well. I rec him for any stat
Kowalski is nice but an incredibly poor professor. He talks quickly in class and expects students to be able to listen to him and copy down everything because he won't post anything from the lecture. Had to supplement the course with Wagner's notes to have a chance at understanding the material. Kowalski's are only examples. Just take Wagner.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
23%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.17 avg changeRatings by Course
STATS337
5.0
(1)STAT151252
5.0
(1)STAT453
5.0
(3)STAT266
4.1
(7)265
4.0
(6)Difficulty by Course
STAT151252
5.0
151
4.5
266
4.5
STAT
4.0
STATS151
3.4