2.5
Quality3.7
Difficulty23%
Would Retake336
Reviews23%
Would Retake
336
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
336 total ratings5
50
4
57
3
49
2
62
1
118
What Students Say
“Worst professor at McGill”
ECON208 - 1.0 rating“Seems like a nice guy but he should not be teaching”
ECON295 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
20%
Textbook Required
27%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.17 avg changeRatings by Course
230
5.0
(1)306
5.0
(1)ECIN230D
5.0
(1)ECON208MICRO
5.0
(1)ECON231
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
MICRO
5.0
ECON
5.0
ECOND230
5.0
MICROECON
5.0
ECON231
5.0
Reviews (300)
No Comments
Very good professor - demands a lot from students, more than most professors do. If you do well in this class you will do well in all your other economics courses. Do not fall behind or else he will kill you on the exams.
For people thinking about taking this class (and econ as a major)...only do it if you are serious about econ, if you aren't it will come through in your understanding AND your marks.
Awful, emphasizes strange words, hard to understand, claims to want to help, but you ask him a question and he'll laugh at you. Very unapproachable. His puns, however, are priceless. Then again, I love terrible jokes.
I love that he wants his students to understand how formulas are DERIVED, not just memorize them. It is a hard course if you don't like graphs, but he knows what he's doing and tries to spice it up with bad jokes.
I found this prof very helpful and he really cares about his students. Though econ is not for everybody (especially me) and is mostly boring I found myself interested in some of the topics he'd bring up every now and then. Nice guy!
he is the best professor in McGill. He knows so much and he is an excellent communicator. The course is demanding therefore he doesn't give away marks but he is definitely fair...
THE BEST ECON PROF EVER! You're bound to panic in the first few classes but don't worry. Prof D. is a bit intimidating (ok, a lot) but he's an amazing prof. This is the only class you'll trully learned and never forget the teory. Hard class but pays off.
soooooooooo funny!!!!!! 2B or not 2B!!! haha, let the market forces be with you!! hes hilarious, only hes the only one laughing at his jokes, amazing teacher, will never forget his material!!
SO arrogant and SO unhelpful, wow. I can't believe there are people that liked him. U1's planning to tansfer to Business, skip this course. You can take managerial economics later on.
for those debating between econ 208 or the expandable econ 230, taking 208 is way easier. he's definitely tough, but he knows his stuff and will try to communicate it with you. if all else fails, memorize the textbook.
No Comments
???
There's a lot of material in this course! Really easy in lecturs, but impossible in exam! Doesn't show any framework for a complete analysis. T.A correct only the answers in assignment! Avoid this course if you want to swtich to management!
Good, knowledgeable prof, but quite tough and demanding. Terrible jokes.
Dickinson not only has the coolest army/safari shirts, he is a riot...so helpful after you get over his intimidation tactics....exams are easy if you study off previous yrs copies....Rrrrrrright...A+ for this geezer!!!...
great professor! If you are taking 230 make sure u take it with him! But beware! if you don't like economics, this course is VERY tough! I am surprised to see that there are people that claim he cant teach... sorry dudes, u are in the wrong major.
Even those who LOVE him admit AT LEAST the fact that he acts all scary and intimidating (and AT least at first only) so HOW CAN HE BE A GOOD GUY? That's already a terrible thing to do and worst is its confirmed anyways: HE IS AN A$$ HOLE. AVOID HIM.
fantastic prof..definitely one of the best in the department. This is not a tourist class...so whiners keep out!
There is a reason that 4 letter word is in his name. The only way to pass is to get previous exams, he's too lazy to change the questions.
Best prof in the department of economics.
Didn't bother to prepare at all. Also didn't bother to change the exam: managed to get an A without opening the textbook from memorizing last year's exam. Awful lectures; the kind that make you wonder why you're paying good money to take the class.
If you want to learn micro-economics, Prof. Dickinson is DA best prof! well, you need to do your "quota" of work in order to pass. he is amazing!
Really good prof, has great jokes! Easy tests + exams w/ lots of options. Made the class interesting and comprehensive. If you're taking econ, take his class
Funny, helpful, kinda repetitive to the point where you get reminded that it's an intro course but only does it because the students ask the same questions over again. Great prof! Take Micro with him.
I finished my BA in 2001, and Dickinson was one of the many standouts at McGill. You don't realize just how amazing McGill is until you leave...Anyway, for those of you that hate him; suck it up and welcome to mcGill. It's not supposed to be easy.
boring, arrogant
Lot of people hate him, but face it he is great. Pushes you to the limit during the course, but is extremely fair with exams. So just bare with him and in the end you'll be glad to have taken his course.
he is the worst professori have ever had in my whole life
whatever everyone else says, i still think he's a great prof, great person, very helpful and open to any questions!
i completely agree with the person below. i think dickinson is very clear and if he's not, he always gives us a chance to let him clarify further so you guys really should not complain. the material itself isn't easy, but just needs time. oh and i love his jokes!
he's simply great. Knows his stuff, and funny!
No Comments
Everyone likes to complain about this guy, but Micro is difficult and he does the best he can to explain it. He seems arrogant but this is according to people who went to class only twice. I enjoyed the last month of course. I hear the other Micro prof is awful.
Prof Dickinson goes quickly through a lot of material for Micro. It is challenging and the lectures can be dead boring, but his quirky jokes liven the mood. The conferences are a must and will keep you in pace with what you should know if you complete the readings and work.
BRUTAL!!! horrible in every aspect of his teaching. Boring, thinks he's funny when he REALLY isn't, doesn't help you at all, best chance in this class is to just take analysis sheets study them and practice on old exams. Horrible teacher!
Looks and sounds very much like Sean Connery. Somewhat boring lectures, esp. if they're 80 min long. Overall, pretty funny and a decent enough teacher. Conferences aren't helpful. Better than other intro econ profs.
One of the worst teachers at McGill.
BRUTAL !!! i never hated a class as much as i hated this one, although i got a good grade... i was bored to death in his class. he may be a genious but i am sorry not all geniouses can teach. he is simply a very very bad professor.take the class with someone else.
GOOD CLASS. COOL GUY.
By far the worst teacher I have ever had... Very hard, disorganized and generally unfriendly... He should have been fired a long time ago.
one of the best prof. he doesn't exagerate things. Thats why to have to listen every setence of his lecture. You don't need the nextbook, just follow his analysis sheets. His exams are very predictable (if it does not involve graphs then it's going to be on the exam).
I don't understand the bad comments this prof gets here.... may be because econ is not easy, and requires some personal invlovement.
Worst teacher I ever had. Really unclear, really unhelpful, disrespectful... I hated him... The conferences with TAs are good though...
I love Dickenson he's so adorable with his accent and he's a really good teacher. From my experience he's way easier outside of the core theory classes. DICKENSON IS GOD
I hope that I never have a teacher like him again. He is the reason that I contemplated quitting McGill. That is all I have to say and it should be enough to warn all of you.
No Comments
An amazingly knowledgeable and clear teacher. His attitude/personality is rather nasty in my opinion. Came to every class, and every time he would make me feel some kind of moron who could not see the correlation between studying to high marks. He also has the Oxford/Cambridge university feel.
hilarious sonofa... the most entertaining and clear econ prof. you'll get for econ. theory. hard marker. go to office hours - he is really helpful and less bitter/angry than in class. you will actually learn soemething from his class.
its so funny how all these reviews alternate between good and bad.... the fact is that the man teaches directly out of the textbook and so there is absolutely no need to go to the class. i never went after the first couple weeks because econ bores me to tears but i got an A anyway because there's literally no difference between him and the textbook
Very entertaining...the jokes were pretty corny but at least he tried. Loved the opera singing. Very clear.
It's the basics of economics... what do you want? It's not the most fun stuff there is. He's a good teacher, but mainly just goes through the text book, and honestly, I had to get a lot of help elsewhere. But, from what I hear, he's a better teacher than the others.
No Comments
It's as if he hates life, and everything around it. Brilliant person, but not a brilliant teacher. He should be in a profession, not a teacher, you could read the entire book, i did, unless you are a homoeconomicus, you won't get a good grade.... sorry...
"Brilliant Prof"? Yeah right. Dickinson is completely incompotent, and does not understand the material he is teaching. On the other hand, the class is extremely easy.
Worst prof around, arrogant, doesn't know when he's wrong, avoid dickinson at all costs, he's useless. Easy course though, don't touch the textbook, just read the handouts.
I came into this class assuming it would be horrible, but Dickinson was a good enough prof to make me enjoy the class. He is very clear, effective diagrams (though low-tech), and he provides more info than the text. Cute jokes - they are appreciated in a 80 min lecture. Don't confuse hating the subject with hating the prof.
No Comments
I don't understand why there are so many people complaining about him, he's an awesome teacher who is willing to do anything to help you! Just do EXACTLY as he says at the beginning of the course and you'll get at least an A-, but don't be surprized if you put at least 10hrs/week in preparing for the material.
First half was with another prof (lazslo) she was amazing and I loved the course...He just made it extremely painful and hard to follow in class...he speaks super fast and hardly explains anything and never writes on the board..avoid if you can
he is hilarious,but the class is hard.
yeah its a pretty easy class as long as you have some common sense... the prof's good.
best of the best. Stop complaining about the difficulty of this course and study consistently. If you study after each lecture, it isn't that hard because you understand better what he's saying. Every word from him is important for the exam prep. He will be the best teacher only if you study enough before asking. Good luck!
Good class good prof. If you listen to what he says in class and do the work he assigns the class is a breeze.
good prof, helpful in office hours. easy class if you can do some basic middle school algebra and KEEP UP WITH THE WORK. analysis sheets can be tricky but exams are EASY! my advice: get a hold of old exams!
Dickinson's midterm exams are quite challenging (63 average, 1/4 of the class failed) but if you prepare well, go to the conferences and do the conference sheets he posts on webct you can get an A on the exams and in the course.
being in his class is like watching one of those bad brit sit coms. he smart, but a total arse. unfair exams. funny, but he thinks he's the**** for some odd reason. his ego is bigger than leacock 132 can hold!!!
worst intro to economics (208). i want my money back for that course.
He is the worst lecturer I know in the world. Remember he is a lecturer only. Neither an assistant Prof nor associate Prof. So u should not expect too much. It s reasonable and understandable that he is confused about any economic concept. I dun know why he can survive at McGill U. If I were you, drop this class.
He's so useless. He just talks, doesn't do anything else. Doesn't teach anything. Thankfully the textbook is superb at explaining everything, and I just relied on that.
Probably the hardest econ prof out there. Teaches very clearly, make sure to attend class and read the book and know the stuff inside out. 90% of questions on tests/exams come from class. Quit complaining people, this is economics. Not management, don't expect to be spoon fed.
The midterm was OK, but the final made no sense. Stupid questions. This guy was so useless. Half the time you can't even understand him. What a terrible class....don't ever take him.
he loves puns, but they are not funny... at all. Lectures are dry, long and VERY slow, especially when students ask a lot of questions relating to math.
His jokes were terrible, and the classes seemed to last forever. He made the material more confusing than it had to be. Doable course if you study the text book and have a decent math background.
This prof is probably one of the worst Econ prof I've ever had. I love Econ but he made it a pain in the ass for me. He can't explain in clear and concise manner. He's the only one who laughed at his jokes. Avoid him if you can!!
ok prof, very anal about posting slides online... bad jokes!!
Bombed the midterm, thought I would fail the final, ended up with an A on it. Do the practice exam or Prep 101 and you will ace it.
Horrible teacher. Made me hate the subject. Wouldn't post slides or answer ant individual questions. I would definitely NOT recommend his classes.
Best Micro class ever Hard but fair and very helpful
Avoid him if possible.
No Comments
This guy is hilarious. he always talks about how hangover he is. Really interesting + lot of material available online that he uploads. Highly recommended
A british-accented scholar, slightly arrogant and quick-paced. Still, a great professor who explains thoroughly. USE THE TEXTBOOK A LOT for prep, and try to know the material before going to lecture.
Dickinson was very difficult to understand, had jokes that often struck out, and was generally a pretty tough teacher. Text was important. He wasn't the worst, but i wouldn't recommend him.
this guy is a straight up bro
A very fair class I'd say. He specializes in whimsical jokes and is definitely willing to help those who ask for help. this is key. he always advertises his office hours and asks in lecture if you understand the topic. definitely read ahead and use myeconlab and you're golden. Maybe slightly intimidating. make sure you go to class and conferences.
Dickinson is great. Super easy class, all you have to do is read his studyguide and you'll do fine. He seems kinda rude sometimes, but it just because he would rather have a confused student come to his office hours than waste others time. He's very helpful. Took both 208 and 209 with him and will take more classes with him next semester.
Always willing to help whether you come to his office hours or just email him. Dry sense of humour, it takes some a while to get used to. 208 is an easy class anyway: just read the text book and you'll be fine.
No fun, at all. He has no interest in making the course fun or interesting. Everything is just straight out of the textbook.
PHLEGMY BRITISH WALRUS. I had to fight to stay awake in class, and the things I learned were entirely from the book. Make sure you buy the study guide, since it's almost exactly the same as the exam. Dickinson goes out of his way to piss people off - you may like this class at first but about a month in you'll hate it. Passionately.
wow worst teacher ever, before having his class i understood a lot about about macro, took it he confused me
What can I say? It's not that this class i very hard, although you will fail his exams if you don't study for them, but Professor Dickinson is just not a nice person. He does not seem at all passionate about teaching undergraduates. Actually, he does not seem happy to be teaching at all. I think McGill should let him go.
Worst ever!
Horrible!
Class was horrible. His humor is alright, but his teaching methods are horrible. Take micro with another prof.
Avoid at all costs. You're better off letting a tree teach you Economics, or anything else for that matter.
A pretty knowledgeable prof. The exams aren't difficult but the mid-terms are challenging due to the time constraint. But you've got to go to class. Text and study guide are extremely important for getting an A
knows his stuff, he isnt used to teaching the management course and you can tell that he gets frustrated with how dumb mgmt students can be. if you attend class (which no one did) the class is fairly straightforward, i never went to class but did fine on the final because i read the book
A good prof, knows his stuff and likes it when people ask questions in class. He's sarcastic but a nice guy when you ask him for help. The class can be boring but the material is just dry, not his fault.
A slightly annoying professor that makes terrible jokes and takes slide information directly from the textbook. Tells the class many many times that he wrote the study guide--full of himself. Won't post slides or record classes. Textbook helps and lectures are boring but conferences should be attended to understand concepts.
I love Dickinson! He's extremely misunderstood because of his lame jokes and sarcasm, but he really is a great professor and knows his stuff inside and out. What's great is that if you have a question, he'll answer it and will stop the class when appropriate to try and help you understand. You have to read the textbook if you want an A though.
Clears his throat in the microphone. A LOT.
I was afraid to take his class b/c of some reviews. But he really is a nice guy, if you go to his office hours he will help you to the best of his abilities. Sends a lot of emails and reminder, it is clear he wants his students to succeed. Lame jokes are just his way of trying to appeal to the students. Better than the alternatives TRUST ME!
Great man, but very challenging! You can rely on him for help, but the exams are pretty long and difficult.
A really great teacher; all you have to do is read the textbook and go to lectures to do well. He even tells you as he is teaching what is and isn't important for the exam, so the tests are totally fair. His grading may be *slightly* tougher than the other sections, but with him you will actually want to go to class and understand the material.
I learned so much about economics and its application in everyday life. His teaching style is slightly unorthodox, but students learn a great deal from him once they get used to his lectures. He never hesitates or shows unpleasantness when answering questions. Easy A if you attend all the lectures, and minimal studying effort is required.
He is really funny and all in class, but out of class I found him very unhelpful. Not the best prof
pretty funny guy. Don't even bother copying down his powerpoint notes, you can download older versions from the internet. All you need to do to get an A is to read the textbook before going to his class, and re-read the 1-2 times and you are done. Never fall behind. This is coming from an A student.
My favorite prof ever! I recommanded him to everyone, and they loved him as well! He was the reason I decided to major in econ. Easy A class! Very funny guy :)
He is a nice guy, don't try to pull the legs of students. His lectures and powerpoint are completely useless, everything is on the textbook, which you only have to read once to get an A. Overall econ 209 is an OK class, not easy, not hard.
Found his self-assuredness grating at the best of times. Was almost afraid to ask questions because of the condescending nature in which he tended to answer some unfortunate students. Section was slightly harder than the others. Was taking 209 next sem but dropped it when I found out that he was my prof.
Worst prof I've ever had at McGill. For those with trouble, he is condescending and rude, offers no help at all.
He didn't help at all, whenever you asked a question he just told you to look at the book, without answering your question. I was very disappointed in this class and his ability to teach!
Has no idea what he's talking about. Also tells some of the worst jokes I have ever heard. Can't explain answers on midterms.
Honestly if you're struggling with economics, do NOT take this prof. No office hours before the final (only 2h the day before), Professor Dickinson is the worst prof I have had so far. Also worst lecturer if you're a foreign student, can't understand a word he says. Terrible sense of humor as well
WORST PROF, avoid at all costs. not helpful, can't concentrate in classes so rather spend the time reading the textbook at home. his slides don't help unless you've fully read and understood the chapter in beforehand.
DON'T TAKE THIS CLASS IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO! Lots of readings and teach yourself work. Lectures move at a fast pace and Dickinson has NO MERCY don't expect to get away with anything (ie trying to get an extensions or an exam) 1 midterm and a 70% final....enjoy.....
Well, the prof is funny and that's all I really cared about. I walked into this class fully expecting to get an A and I got it!. It's an easy class but you need to work for it, the prof isn't going to hold your hand.
Hilarious prof! With this guy, you either love him or hate him though. I loved him because I got his humour, most people don't. He tests only on the textbook, so going to class isn't even necessary. I just went because I genuinely liked going!Definitely worth giving him a try, you never know! 208 and 209 are easy if you stay up to date on it.
Honestly, if you're taking 208/209 because you have an interest in econ, take it with Dickinson. He's no the clearest, but if you had a prior interest you will want to go to his classes and you will find the material more interesting than with any other prof.
Very unhelpful and rude. Class is impossible to understand,
Very funny guy. Very unclear teacher. Mumbles in lectures, hard to understand, doesn't address questions well. If you take his course you will learn more from reading the textbook.
These reviews are not exaggerating. Dickinson is a blemish on the reputation of McGill University. He should not be lecturing, he is not helpful, and he's obnoxious. Attending class is not necessary, you can read the book and get an A
I stopped going to his class after a while.Dickinson merely puts up some useless slides up and rambles to himself about them.You spend an hour and half staring at the curves and lines that you have no idea how they came about. His explanations are very vague.Take 208/209 with the other prof. I'm going to her section now and she is SO much better.
Okay, this guy needs more love. I had him for ECON 208 and 209. Was not a big fan until ECON 306. He is a great professor; you just need to get use to his style which is definitely "hard love". He puts up material really quickly and is always responsive by e-mail. He's better suited for higher level courses. Super smart guy and funny too :)
Did not enjoy his class at all.. he lectured straight from the slides, which he made no effort to make sense of to the class. No one wanted to ask any questions because his answers were always condescending and rude!
Prof Dickinson is the most rational prof I've had at McGill. Most of the people who complain about his teaching expect to be spoon-fed material without doing the work he recommends. I think his realistic insight is often under-appreciated in lower level courses. Dickinson's style is best accompanied by a genuine interest in economics.
Easily the worst professor at McGill. He's rude and condescending- I went to his office hours & asked a question to which he replied "believe it or not I'm not here to answer questions use the discussion board." Class was a waste of time as he mumbles off and his exams are incredibly unfair. If your GPA is important to you, avoid him at all costs.
I found Professor Dickinson's lectures to be enjoyable, largely because of his unique sense of humour. Although he is always cracking jokes out of one corner of his mouth, he is an effective presenter of the subject material. I took his year-long Labour Economics course in 2010/2011, and remember it as one of my favourites.
He went through his class very fast, and did not even try to make his lecture clear. His class was a torture for foreign students and Econ beginners. Spend more time on textbook and slides can be more useful than attending his class.
He is a nice professor. His exam aren't hard, you just need to study for it. I feel with this professor it's either you love him or you hate him. He does care a lot about his students, he even offered to change the weight of the midterm for students who done badly. He is just a little bit socially awkward, I find him very funny and loveable.
Great prof he's really funny and really engaged in what he's teaching. Attend the classes he jokes about certain topics and some people might think it's useless and stupid but I remember a lot of things just by remembering the funny comments he made. To get an A you have to go to class and go to the optional conferences.
This class was a true pain to get through. He goes very quickly, mumbles through the important stuff and answers questions in a way that leave you more confused than when you asked. He is condescending and makes a course that could be interesting extremely boring. If you end up taking his class, make sure to stay on top of the readings + practice
Real piece of work, isnt helpful, flies though the material, posts nothing online, ridicules ppl who ask questions. Had to teach myself the course. Definitely would not recommend to any first year students and would only take if good at economics and if you enjoy teaching your self the text bookmaterial because him and his class are useless.
Definitely need the book - study guides are optional (filled with MC questions like exams & written by him). His slides are ALL ONLINE in MyEconLab (student powerpoint)! Midterm was very hard, final is a lot easier. ALL MC. Cannot fall behindslack if you do you will fail. TAKE OTHER PROF IF POSSIBLE (Irakli Japaridze is really good)
You don't need to go to class or to go the conferences to get an A. (I did not) Everything is in the textbook and the study guide (do all the multiple choice before the final). The teacher tries to make you think critically about some issues and he puts what we learn in perspective. However, I personally found his lectures a bit boring.
Cool and funny guy can seem intimidating but is really nice once you realize he is joking a lot of the time. READ THE TEXTBOOK and multiple choice questions CAREFULLY and you will do fine on the exams.
Honestly he's not that bad. The concepts in this class aren't to hard to understand and if you can get past the first two weeks he puts the lectures only. Plus if has some funny puns and the textbook is good!
Do NOT take this prof. Can make funny jokes and knows his material, but is terrible at explaining. Don't understand his explanations? He will arrogantly make you feel bad for not understanding and you won't want to ask him to repeat himself. Exams are hard, but passable.
Paul's heart is in it, but his lectures are more confusing than helpful, and the exams are a pain in the ass. Make sure to read the entire textbook to prepare.
Seems like a nice guy but he should not be teaching. Incredibly hard exams and he doesn't bother to answer to your emails because he has "too many students". Avoid at all cost
This prof is by far the worst professor i've ever had. I went to the first class and never went again. I read the whole book and still almost failed the class. He is confusing, obnoxious, not helpful and awful. Avoid at all costs.
horrible professor, he tries hard to be there for his students and is great during office hours but he is not a good lecturer. he delivers dreary monotone lectures in a low tone that no one in the class can hear and he makes no effort to make the content interesting to students resulting in most people not attending class. mid term average was a D
his teaching method isn't too great, lectures are too dry to maintain focus in and most people stop going because he's not very engaging. he can also make some rude comments to students asking questions at times so usually students avoided asking questions. he is very helpful in office hours but very confusing when delivering lectures
Worst class and worst prof ever. Lectures were unnecessary, you can do the work all by yourself at home by reading the book.
Went to class once, realized he isn't clear at all and never went again. Read through entire textbook, did every single exercise on MyEconLab but barely passed the class. Midterm average was 53% and he curved it to 63%. DO NOT TAKE!!!!
He is not a good prof. He seems completely uninterested in lectures, he knows his stuff but he really doesn't care if you know it. Basically this is a self taught class. His lectures are boring and he is often grumpy, and can snap at confused students. If you read the textbook you can pass the class , but there are better Econ professors at McGill.
Do not bother even going to class. Only study out of text book but practice with his conference sheets. Attend the conferences, dont bother with class(nearly fell asleep in most of them). Very easy course. The exam was long but straight forward, easy A.
The Professor is a fun guy with a quirky sense of humor; his lectures are really interesting and actually help to clarify all the material in the textbook, which can be a tough at times. He is a reasonable grader, and will be happy to explain things to you if you ask for help, though his tone may throw you off at first. Not too hard!
Honestly, it's an easy course, and the prof gives posts a lot of materials on MyCourse. But sometimes he seems condescending, probably because he's been teaching for a long time on this material. Even there's no lecture recording, people stop go to class, and there's no barely any discussion at all on MyCourse or facebook.
I only went to the first few lectures but stopped after I realized that the prof was poor at communicating information. I used the study guide/textbook exclusively. Many people will claim that this class is easy, and it should be considering that micro is a class they have in high school, but the class average was a B-, and that speaks for itself.
I've never taken an ECON class before and for an introductory class, I was very satisfied! I used the book mostly and my notes as complements because he really followed the chapters. Funny guy, just sad people stopped attending lectures and honestly, if you skip class all the time, then too bad for you if you're unhappy with your grade...
He's not the best lecturer but I've had far worse at McGill. Overall a pretty nice prof. Coursework isn't too hard but you have to actually read the textbook or keep up with the lecture slides. The midterm was pretty hard (B- with a curve) but if you put the work in, it's not that difficult to get an A.
Honestly, his lectures are useless because everything is in the book. Be ready to read a lot and also, do his study guide if you want to pass. I got an A- in his class and it was hard. However, his test are all MC. I find it easier than long written answers from other prof, take him if you read a lot and study a lot.
what i noticed is that people were upset by there grades BUT they didnt tend to read the material correctly&didnt use the study guide which is the best tool to determine if u really know the information or if you kinda think U do (& best to use study guide b/c HE WROTE IT). i think for an intro class he made it a lil difficult. GO TO OFFICE HOURS!!
I think he's fine, I have met some profs even worse.
ABSOLUTELY DO NOT TAKE HIM! HE WILL MAKE THIS EASY CLASS 10x HARDER THAN IT SHOULD BE
Genuinely the worst professor I have ever had in my life. Seriously. Do yourself a favour and DO NOT ENROL IN HIS CLASSES! I was warned and thought, "Oh no people over-exaggerate, I can do it, it won't be that hard." I WAS WRONG! Seriously do not take his course I cannot stress enough how bad of a prof he is.
Where do I start? how about the almost guaranteed 20%/80% exam distribution? Or how he bells the mark all the time? Do yourself a favour, don't take him if you don't have to. He says he's there to help, yet when you ask for help and try to make an appointment because his office hours don't work, he questions you and makes you feel you're wrong.
The lectures are a bit dull, but that's because of the material (an introduction to micro-economics contains too many theories to remember) But if you do go to the professor's office hours, you do find him a very warm, caring person. I guess if you grow to like him and read the textbook; the course wouldn't be that hard.
This was the worst class I've taken at McGill. This class should not have been difficult but the prof was not clear in his explanations. Slides not available anywhere except for a few graphs that don't offer much.
Worst professor at McGill. Rude when you go for help during office hours. Worst experience with Economics EVER.
He is very "what you see is what you get." He's not out to trick you really, everything is in the textbook, his midterms and exams are very straightforward. He's avalible if you have any questions and will always stop to answer questions.
Doesn't answer questions properly.
Very straightforward and by-the book. No frills. It's the type of class that you can skip and teach yourself from the textbook and slides, which I recommend you do because he's not a very engaging lecturer, neither is he that much of a likable person, bully vibes from him, but he is very clear in his course structure, which is all that matters.
His teaching style is as straightforward as it gets. It's a textbook course. However there is a lot of dense material to memorize, which is the trade-off. If you're the type that doesn't go to university to make friends and connect with professors intimately and be inspired, then this is the perfect "Get In , Get The Job Done, Get Out" course.
If you actually go to class and listen to his lectures, he's a really clear and witty lecturer, and makes the material really easy to understand. His lecture slides can be a bit confusing, so it's important to attend class, but with a bit of effort (not cramming like a lot of people do for his classes), his exams are beyond fair.
It's really unclear how to get an A in this class. It's closer to sociology than economics, so an economics student will probably struggle with the large amount of writing required. The professor is good, but not great, and can be somewhat boring in his lectures. That being said, one-to-one he is hilarious and insightful. Textbook is a must.
I did quite poorly on the midterm, but ended up with an A. Beware that questions are all qualitative and while the questions seem intuitive he's looking for VERY specific facts from the slides/class. You MUST know all his slides. Book is alright, but is in no way sufficient. The questions are all fair/easy, but you must be thorough to an extreme.
He's a great teacher and does well explaining concepts in lectures. HOWEVER, he will literally make the most simple concepts into the most difficult questions on his brutal MC exams, and will not give you adequate practice questions that reflect the difficulty of his exams prior. Unless you love the feeling of stress, would not recommend.
Multiple choice questions are hard, but if you do the study guide you get a feel for them, and some of the exam questions are directly lifted from the study guide. A lot of people don't go to class, but if you go and pay attention it really helps for the readings and makes them a good review tool.
I can see why people find him intimidating, but I really enjoyed his class. He makes an effort to inherently dry material interesting through real-world examples and his lectures correspond fluently to the material in the textbook. He is up front about what is expected and points out what makes a student successful in his class.
His lectures go off on unprecedented tangents and have led to his class size being almost halved since the start of the semester. People just use slides and conference sheets. His midterm was like the Pearl Harbor attack and hit everyone out of nowhere with weirdly-phrased questions; average was 55 for the midterm. Legit getting a tutor finals.
He's honestly the worst Prof I've ever had in my life. The most dull lecturer imaginable, which is why nobody shows up, and absolutely ruthless with grading. He's quite possibly the pettiest and most narcissistic person that can't possibly wrap his head around the fact that he's just not a proficient prof.
Does a great job at boring you. Asks for questions in lecture, expressly not via email, then dismisses questions like they're all dumb. Very lazy professor to a couple of points, like making you seat yourself around people with different versions of the exam and using old typo-ridden questions on both midterm and exam.
Not planning on taking any classes with him again.
If people on here actually went to his lectures & listened instead of being upset they didn't get an A cramming the day before (especially for the basic intro econ courses), they would see he's actually a thorough lecturer, his exam criteria is clear and predictable, & this prof is pretty witty with his underhanded sense of humour in every lecture.
If Econ is not your major you better show up to every class, don't except help outside of class from him. I did a deferred final and everything was theory, so all the problems I had practiced for were for nothing. On 100 questions, only 1 was a math-related problem. Do past midterms and past exams in order to prep, exams are very theory heavy.
Where to start. I've always heard he's got a bad rep for being a terrible lecturer. He seems like a nice person in emails. BUT, his class is extremely DISORGANIZED, they're all over the place: in the text, not in the text.. there's no clear line to really follow. And his mumbling made it worse. Textbook is good enough, explains so much better.
Took ECON 208 in Fall 2016. His lectures are unbearably boring, but the grading criteria is crystal clear. I stopped going to class after a few weeks, and just studied the textbook and did practice Q's on MyEcon Lab (which I highly recommend!) He posted the slides of material that wasn't in the textbook. Aced the midterm, got A.
Lectures are dull and you don't need to go if you read the book and look at the slides. He reuses his old exam questions and pulls half of them from the study guide, so it's easy to do well if you know that, but frustrating if you don't because even if you work hard and know the material you won't do as well as if you'd just memorized old exams.
When visiting his office hours on strategies to improve for the final I was told to "work harder", and was not given any constructive suggestions. He doesn't care about his students and blames the overwhelming failure of the class on laziness instead of his own teachings.
The worst ever DO NOT TAKE HIM
Worst teacher I have had at Mcgill by far, mumbles and doesn't explain well. His powerpoints are disorganized and all over the place (the ones in class are different from the ones he gives online). You need to do the econ labs and the study guide if you want a chance at getting a good grade.
Retiring soon and it shows. If you're at McGill and you can avoid taking 208 or 209 (whichever he decides to teach) for another year max, he won't be here anymore so you can be safe. Takes a petty stance toward student attendance in his classes bit does not change anything to get more people to come. Would rather punish entire group.
For ECON 208, you are better off reading the textbook than going to class. he interrupts students mid-question and doesn't even answer the question fully. The majority of people fail the midterm and he blames it on the students when it's really his teaching style. Definitely not taking his class again.
As a professor, he is clearly passionate about the material. Econ is a difficult topic and while it is not necessarily the most accessible course, he tries to provide students with the means they need to succeed in the course (office hours, conferences, opportunities to ask questions). This course demands lots of work and commitment to studies
This is the worst teacher I had during my time at McGill. His lectures vary from incredibly boring and simple to impossibly difficult and unclear, with nothing in between. He doesn't care about his students, makes no effort to make sure he is being clear and treats his students extremely poorly. DO NOT TAKE ANY CLASSES WITH THIS TEACHER. Do not.
Most overhated prof. This guy is so funny, made me want to attend all his lectures. Decent at explaining, but definitely review the textbook and rip the practice questions until there's no tomorrow. Really tough midterm. Final was super fair, with tons of the questions being exact copies from the book and midterm. One of the best profs at mcgill
Seems like a cool person. Funny & good-natured. Very smart. He's just a horrible teacher. Horrifically disorganized re: layout/availability/consistency of lecture slides etc. Easy to get lost/zone out. You have to be an amazing independent learner with the iron will to attend every class, focus the whole time, and review daily or at least weekly.
I dont understand why ppl hate on that guy so much! His exams are hard, but are definitely fair and representative of what we see in class! They are a lot based on comprehension, so dont try to learn it all by heart! Only thing i dont like is the fact that his slides are disorganized! Also, do exercises from the study guide! Extremely helpful
Sure, he's a bad prof, but the hate comes from people upset about bad marks. His midterms always have D averages (so be wary) but he literally warns you about that on the first day! If you study the textbook and REALLY do the study guide Qs an A is achievable. Just be prepared to teach yourself the material to make up for bad/disorganized lectures
Very funny guy living his best life. Not nurturing, but makes final review sessions. No overtime on office hours (fair). Bad choice for a mentor, but not terrible or unreasonable on his exams. Students mostly dislike him because they have preconceived notions about Econ and it's a required art class. Prepare for British humor. Gruff but caring.
The professor gets angry that students do not attend the classes. As a result, he warns people that most of the students are going to do bad because they don't come to class. However, the reason students dont is that the lectures get very boring and makes you drowsy.
won't take it again
Awful. Absolutely awful experience. The driest orator Ive ever had the displeasure of being in class with. Irrelevant tangents are to be expected.
You don't need to go to class. Just read the book, the extra material slide, and do the study guide til you understand every question.
First of all, I tried going to class, I really did, but its impossible to stay focused. he goes into several tangents, takes so long to explain a simple concept that I lose track. out of all the 500 jokes he made (when I went to class) I admit laughing like once, but cmon it gets annoying.
He is straight up not a greater lecturer. However, you can easily learn the material and get a good by reading the textbook and summarizing, doing the multiple choice from the study guide, and reviewing his ppts for the extra content. You dont need to go to class or conferences. Also, his exams are very similar to the study guide.
He really cares about his students and does his best to engage us in class. He loves when students participate and really cares about helping those who want to do well in the course. His exams aren't too difficult, and cover the information he discussed in lectures. He's also very funny. I highly recommend.
Midterm is twice as hard as the final, you will for sure pass this class. Don't be scared. 208 & 209 are much more difficult than 306, just focus and study well for the midterm and final. Don't depend much on this Professor because of course he won't treat you well if you admit you don't understand some things: the usual.
Ive taken 208, 209, and 306 with Paul and honestly, I think he's just better at teaching higher level classes. I hated 208 and 209 and I had such a hard time understanding and studying for these two classes but 306 was amazing. Went to all classes and he has a good sense of humor for people who can understand it. Paul deserves higher ratings!
Says studentsn with low grades are all lazy, can't or won't answer questions (depends which), complains constantly but can't take criticism, very bad communicator, he thinks he's the best teacher ever, not engaging, extremely hard tests written in gibberish sentence structures, incapable of working with any kind of tech, but generally punctual.
take it and regret it
Good luck getting your questions about ANYTHING (course related, or exam related) answered by this man; will either say something completely unrelated, or ignore you all together. YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN. Ngl though, if you just go over the notes that you can find online, the exams should be pretty easy.
I took Econ 208 and 209 with this prof. I went to max 5 classes of 208 and not even one of 209. Here's your strategy: 1. Don't go to class. 2. Read the book like the bible 3. Do the study guide or questions of that format. Get all your questions answered. You'll do great! Also, make sure to join the class groupchat. You'll get an A.
He is sooo bad. Simply reads the slides in class without explaining anything. When you ask him, he looks so angry and looks like you are bothering him. Overall, you realize you can only rely on yourself the entire time. 1/3 students show up in class usually. Feels like I've wasted my time and tuition fee. There could be better profs but not him.
One of the best ECON classes i've taken at McGill. He isn't always clear about expectations (i.e. refuses to explain how exams are structured) and is hard to reach outside of class but if you come to class (ask questions!) and know almost every detail on his slides you'll do well. Exams are very straightforward/ no surprises there.
Overrated. Classes used to be enjoyable, fun, and were sought out by many but not anymore. His midterm consists of many grammatical errors and doesn't follow the university's rules for online exams. They are also too short making it impossible to review your answers. His classes are slow-paced and boring and he refuses to take advice from students.
Hard midterm riddled with typos, grammar mistakes and questionable wording.
advise: don't bother attending
realistically I went to one class and didn't even bother going to the others. Just read the textbook, he's not saying anything special. LOOK FOR PAST PAPERS. Some stuff on the midterm was directly from some past papers I found. His questions are weirdly worded and confusing too so the past papers were really helpful.
The book helps with econ concepts but not with his tests. You need to find past tests or know a past student with materials. As for the prof: grammatical mistakes in midterms, less time given than mandated by university, horrible lecturer, and is just plain mean.
The course content is simple and very dull, but he made it difficult. He's disorganized, passionless and unenthusiastic, didn't follow university online learning guidelines, and tries to sell students his study guide. His lecture slides are useless and his exam questions are vague and full of typos. Avoid this prof at all costs.
literally the worst thing i've ever experienced. it doesnt matter if you do well all semester, the final and the way the grading is curved will be sure to ruin your GPA. only take this if it's required for your degree, and godspeed.
This class was extremely disappointing. The prof seemed uninterested, was vague, and lectures and material were hard to follow. The grading and curve was terrible, 2 midterms (20%) and then a final (60%). The final was impossible, and the marks were bad. Test questions are vague, and prof only sends 1 word response in email. AVOID this class!
Terrible. two midterms worth 20% each and then a whopping 60% for the Final exam. So many grammar mistakes and question mistakes in exams, and can be very misleading, and is very hard to do well, especially with a final exam worth so much. Try your best to not take this class your very first semester, because it will drag your GPA down.
Don't bother watching his lectures. Midterm questions are challenging, but they are copied and pasted from his study guide. I practiced only with his past midterms I could find online - ended up with an A-. Final exam was a bit easier; I basically memorized the slides and did a couple of past exams.
I actually had a good experience in 208 with this prof. Good narrated PowerPoints, good explanations in class. The 20/20/60 grading scheme was stressful toward the end, but he's there to help you and willing to see students for questions, so you have what you need to do well. Might seem dry at first but is caring and tries to help students succeed.
Only take this professor if you have to. Otherwise, try your best to avoid. I have nothing positive to imply.
Overall a terrible experience with him this semester. The required power point voiceovers made the lectures useless and hard to follow. Besides pointless, his lectures were not engaging at all. The evaluation methods were not fair and the professor didn't trust us enough to give a fair time to fill out the exams.
If i had other options i would have taken them...I'm prolonging my graduation just to take a summer course taught by another professors so i can avoid him.
Comments on students could be encouraging. He teaches all the material expected, but he does take his time: wording, graphs, and amount of time to explain. I like that he repeats some concepts over and over to get them into your head. I've actually already taken the AP for Micro and Macro, and I liked my hs teacher >.
This was my first econ class ever, and honestly, I was happy with it. Professor answered all questions raised and was happy to do so. Discussion board questions were promptly responded to. TA seminars were great. You need to put in the effort - watch lectures, take notes, read the textbook, and if you do you should be fine.
great
He is the best prof ever. go to class, read the book, do the mylabs. i had him for econ208 and 209 and got an A in both. he's literally the best I love him and he's rly funny and british.
Took his 209 class with prior IB HL econ experience. Did not take it seriously and was confident because I had already taken a similar class in high school. Did not get the grade I expected as his tests were tricky. I'm not saying that he is a bad prof but you definitely need to attend the classes and study if you want a decent grade.
I love this man. His classes are very predictable- the midterm will be impossibly hard and the final will be so easy if you study (I got a 55 on the midterm and finished with an A). Definitely read the textbook and do practice problems and you will be golden!
He is trying to make lecture recordings only available to those who come to class? During COVID? Not considering the fact that many people don't want to come to class because people are sneezing, coughing, crowded together in a little classroom. Also, he sounds drunk in class. At 10AM. I'm sure he's just tired but he sounds drunk.
Yall sleeping on this man. His material and exams are so predictable. He narrates his PP very clearly and does not play games when it comes to material included in exams. Just do some of the mylabs, follow along with lecture slides and you will be golden.
I dropped this class because I heard awful things about the difficulty of the course itself, but my time with him was not wasted. I was nearly in tears every lecture from laughing so hard. What a gem
Was quite good, lectures were clear and easy to follow. Only evaluations are a midterm and final exam. Fair grading. Would recommend
The content of this class is hard and the prof makes it ten times harder than it needs to be. Lectures are useless and prof will not go out of his way to help u in any way. He wouldn't even give us a list of non-eligible sections for the final. Wanted us to sift through his 90 min lecture recordings and figure it out instead. Avoid if you can
worst course ever. Tests are impossibly hard, nothing is clear. Skip this class you will never pass. Also avoid if you want a good mental health. I was crying everyday because of this prof. AVOID
difficult
lectures were nearly impossible to follow. midterm was very hard and not straightforward at all. do not take this class unless absolutely necessary. caused the worst anxiety I've ever had
The prof's lectures were extremely difficult to follow and he wouldn't accept questions unless you turned your mic on (not an option in library). With the class lectures online and the 30/70 grading scheme it made it really difficult to achieve a high grade (with the final in-person). Textbook is your best friend and do all myeconlabs possible!
The midterm and the final were brutal. Lot's of questions that didn't make sense.
This course was based entirely on a midterm and multiple-choice final. His lectures were impossible to follow and very dull. I relied entirely on the textbook to learn the material and luckily the exams stuck pretty close to the textbook. There were even some questions on the exam lifted directly from the text.
I found the content of his class interesting, but I could never watch online lectures live because of how slowly and dull things were explained. The myLab helps you understand content, but does not prepare you for the questions on the exams. Grading scheme was a nightmare come the end of the semester - also in person exam for online class was awful
Had him for 306 & 209, the 30/70 grade distribution makes it really stressful. Overall not a bad guy but does not really care either. Look at his slides, read the textbook ask questions and you should be fine.
Super hard to stay engaged in this class. By-the-book lectures for 1.5h on Zoom made micro econ even more boring. If you've taken micro before, don't go to class, just read the textbook and do myeconlab before midterm and final. Final worth 70% but not absurdly difficult.
The knowledge is simple and easy to understand. The prof has absolutely zero care for the feeling of students. No material was provided for getting ready for the tests. If you are gonna take this class, get ready for the confusion and anxiety.
Exams are full of errors, has little care for students wellbeing, exam questions are hard to understand
no...just no... sits back in his chair and reads the slides. 30/70 grade distribution is not fair. This is one of the worst classes I've taken
NO! Just NO! Avoid the headache.Tried removing the lecture notes and lecture recordings. Material is simple, but somehow when he teaches it it makes no sense. He was the only teacher out of all 3 sections to make his exam in person, closed book, cumulative. When told it would be unfair for us compared to other classes he responded by email, "No."
Pof. Dickinson, while at first enjoyable, gets very tiring throughout the semester. Had little/no care for students, but might accommodate if you push hard enough. Grading scheme stressful, lots of reading and studying. Midterm was challenging, but final was fair (even if there were 100 questions). Overall, would not recommend.
I do not think he knows how to teach economics to teenagers, I would rather go to the TAs. Interesting at first, lectures just got so boring later... The subject was very interesting, go to tutorials, and read his slides. In Winter 2022, the class was in an identical format to ECON 208
He is a great Prof. Love his corny jokes. He's a bit old but knows how to teach. Go to class, tutorials and solve questions on my lab and the study guide and you should be fine.
honestly I dont really get why this guy has such an awful reputation. is he a great lecturer? no, but I've had worse and I dont think the content of econ208 would be interesting no matter the prof. dreadfully boring but easy class- you dont need to go to lectures just read the book. basically taught myself everything 3days before the final- got A
The average of the course is C+ In winter2022, stupid
Professor Dickinson discouraged students from communicating with each other to understand the material, did not publish his lecture slides, and did not publish the practice problems nor the answers to the practice problems. To summarize, Dickinson made his course needlessly difficult to study for. I highly recommend against his courses.
I was in his class for 3 days. Has no regard for the students and the lectures were very tedious.
--no slides have been posted --no outline or say anything that we should pay attention for
You can tell he's ready to retire. His lectures are so boring and everything I learned was via the textbook and YouTube. I didn't like how there were only 2 grades, but I guess that makes it easier for him. He overcomplicates a class that shouldn't be too difficult. I wouldn't retake his class, but it's doable if you have no choice.
Does not use myCourses. Lectures aren't recorded, and slides are not posted. Not a great lecturer. Entire grade depends on midterm and final (30% and 70%).
The lectures are useless except for knowing what's on the exam and what's not on the exam. He's very hard to listen to during the entire class, mostly because he complicates everything but also because he does not articulate. The textbook and QCM on mylab will be your salvation.
DO NOT TAKE his classes, I couldn't understand anything he said during the lectures, he didn't articulate and went over the chapters super quickly. He also didn't post them on mycourses. During the lectures, instead of trying to understand, we would just copy the slides... If you need to take econ208 take it with another prof, it is much better.
He said that we should all buy the textbook that is 100$ without tax to pass. He's an econ teacher who seems to have no sense of socioeconomic factors people might be facing. To say to the class nonchalantly that it is "only 100$" and "only 70 dollars more" than a used textbook that we might find somewhere, that does not include the labs seems off.
Midterm is worth 30% and final worth 70%. The test questions are nowhere near straightforward. If you can, drop his class asap. He has no mercy.
His testing was absolutely brutal. 30% midterm and 70% final but weighting would shift to 20/80 if you did better on the final. All multiple choice which I thought would be fine since I'm usually really good at them but the wording is extremely confusing and the graphs are hard to read. He also refused to let anyone email him which was weird.
Paul Dickinson has inspired me to become an economics professor because after taking his class, I believe a rock could be a better teacher than him. Paul was such an awful professor I considered dropping out of McGill to leave him. DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS!
53% class average after midterm lol
Class avg for midterm was 60, while the other section for the same course (who had a different teacher) was 80.They had to know way less content and their prof provided lecture slides. Paul lectures at least 2 chapters per lecture, which is too fast for students who are learning the material. He is rude, unapproachable for questions.
he doesn't put the slides online, won't answer students' questions, overcomplicates the material, can be hard to understand, etc - basic econ prof. midterm is 30% and final 70% (lots of material, actually hard, average of 55%). conferences and textbook help a lot but don't expect much and don't take this if you suck at econ (my mistake lol)
The course content isn't that hard but Dickinson overcomplicates it a lot. Lectures are boring, grading scheme is unfavourable, he won't answer e-mails, and he doesn't release any practice materials, post slides on myCourses, or curve anything. That said, if you read and understand the textbook and do the myLab questions, you'll be fine.
Graded by 2 tests (midterm and final), does not curve, very unforgiving. He is a very boring lecturer and condescending, does not answer questions often/clearly offers basically no help in-person and through discussion boards. I went to probably 3 or 4 of his lectures all semester and studied using the Pearson free-trial.
Not nice
Do not ever take his class! I've taken econ before and have done great but he made me hate the subject and never want to take it ever again. His lectures are unhelpful, there is one midterm and one final all multiple choice. And the final was 100 muiple choice. Just don't take his class he should retire.
Not a great lecturer, can be unhelpful answering questions. The content itself is not too hard, you can do well if you read the textbook and try lots of practice questions. I read the textbook before class and went to lecture as review, found it good to clarify concepts. Not an awful prof but would not be my first choice.
I cant tell if he is just saying random stuff when he answers questions or if he just doesn't know what the hell he is talking about. Dude is like 85 years old, in my opinion if you're pushing 90 years old you should not be teaching.
Not as bad as people say, not fantastic. He isn't very polite or respectful to students who speak up in class and then complains that no one ever speaks up in class. Responsive on discussion boards. The online learning module questions that come with the e-text will prepare you 100% for the midterm and exam.
Ive had teachers that everyone says they hate, I end up having them and actually understand why they are tough. This prof actually breaks that narrative. He is difficult, he is tough, and he simply does not want you to succeed. He won't do anything to benefit you out of class, he won't answer, he won't post lecture notes. He shouldn't be teaching.
Professor Dickinson's class is challenging, but engaging if you put in the work. The lectures can be unclear, so supplementing with the textbook and platforms like unstuckstudy ai are key. Overall, a solid course if you're willing to dedicate the time.
He never gives powerpoints, his lectures are vague, and he skips over important things before you finish taking notes. His exams are far beyond the syllabus, with more content than other professors, and he often tests things that are not relevant to the course.
He is even not able to use the whiteboard and ppt for teaching, exiting the powerpoint like a million times during the one hour class. Moreover, his voice is as small as mice, except guys sitting at the first row can hear, he is also not giving the slides after class, depriving students' rights to make up what he can not cover during his lecture.
old man, bad teaching
paul dick-in-son lmfao
Hard to follow in class.
He teaches like he's suffering from dementia in a nursing home and the nurse stepped out for a second.
He lectures half of the topics and expects you to cover the rest on your own while also no sharing his PowerPoints. He doesn't want you to do well in his class as he's stated in his lectures and his midterm preparation is to tell you to focus on calculations and then give you an exam that was clearly created by ChatGPT all on theory.
He started his first lecture by saying: I have tenure, I don't care about what you complain about, I can't get fired. Got mad in class when the whole class average was 50% on the midterm when 70% of the questions used were on theory that was not to be seen for at least 5 or 6 weeks. Breaks what the average bad prof teaches like. DO NOT TAKE!
he showed a picture of his own toe on the board.
reviews are too harsh on him, he tries to engage and entertain the class and he is always willing to help! difficult class though with few evaluations and therefore few chances to prove yourself, but he does make this very clear. he seems like a great guy!
i beg this man to retire why is he accursing students of watching pornography in class?? they weren't?? also he's so bad, makes you buy an expensive textbook despite teaching about scarce resources, and he truly cannot teach. do not assume you can tough it out for one semester; you can't. i hate you PTD.
He continuously put down students for his own lack of comprehensive lectures and course material. Basically, just read from the mandatory expensive textbook. You can essentially teach yourself this course from the textbook, but even so, it is pretty limited compared to what he puts on exams. The entire class is weighted on the midterm and final.
He has a habit of sending emails the night before exams detailing how he feels that his own students will fail or not perform well on the exam. Pretty sure thats more a reflection on him than anything. Anyway, this is his last semester, I beg you PD, PLS RETIRE
i can't believe this prof is actually being paid for this. the lectures are not for people taking INTRO to economics, he goes over every topics way too fast, and doesn't even answer questions accurately (because he's deaf / doesn't listen / doesn't know how to answer). Buy the textbook, it is a VITAL investment if you want to succeed.
Not only does he ask students about porn repeatedly, he also showcased his toe (why ?) He has the horrible habit of expressing his thoughts about how his students are going to fail the exam the night before without even questionning his own teaching (non existant). After a semester, he still doesn't know the lecture schedule, or his OWN syllabus
He doesn't even know what day of the week his own lectures are on. He is like a big toddler who speaks in his own incomprehensible language and yacks into his microphone. By the last class there were less than 20 poor souls in lecture. The best thing he could do for society is never teach a university course again. And acquire mental help.
Unhinged, showed pictures of his feet during lecture. Has referred to his own sex life in class and is unhelpful when answering questions. The entire course is weighted primarily on the final, with the option of the midterm and final being weighted 70/30 or 80/20. Would not take again
Lectures were not super comprehensible and there were no assignments, only midterm and final. didn't buy the textbook but highly suggest getting a free trial of the online questions and doing those before the exams, that's probably how I passed. I could tell HE knew what he was talking about though. Was also kind of funny and tried to be helpful.
Horrible professor, makes no attempt to teach well or ensure his students understand. Condescending and boring lectures. However, Econ 208 is fairly simple, and you can get an A by reading the book or watching YouTube videos. Midterm and Final were both all multiple choice and very straightforward.
Not a good lecturer, tends to talk down to his students and doesn't seem like he cares about his students. Only graded off midterm and a final which were fairly defined (all multiple choice). Wouldn't recommend taking him
This class broke my soul. Mans is so hard to hear and respectfully, blabbers on, and truly makes economics seem much harder than it is... I will say most of his exam answers come right from his own personal book so def buy that. Seems like a nice man, would be a great grandpa, but would not advise to have him as a prof.
He reads straight off the slides the whole time, and his voice?It was so quiet, and I could barely hear anything. he keeps acting like if you don't go to these conferences, you're basically doomed. Like, OK? Chill?? Some of us have lives. And the jokes One time, he literally said, “Ask me anything except my sex life.” Excuse me?Like sir WHO asked?
Worst prof I've had at McGill. Doesn't use Mycourses or upload slides. Talks way too fast. Most of the class failed the midterm. Learned most from the textbook and youtube tutorials. Midterm and final are 30/70 of your grade.
Do not take this prof under circonstances. He only reads off his slides and makes inappropriate and uncomfortable jokes. The course is made unnecessarily difficult, and the exams are awful. He said multiple times that he wants students to fail. If you're in IDS do not take 208 with him YOU WILL FAIL and it will destroy your GPA.
Horrible (but passionate, I guess) prof. I had him in his last semester (retired now), and man... the things that happened in those lectures. Lowkey traumatising, but I just did online textbook practices & watched youtube videos, and I did fine. Originally wouldn't post his slideshows on mycourses either. Really quiet/mumble-y lectures sometimes.
prof dickinson is honestly the worst prof i've had at mcgill he's not attentive to his students at all, trying in this class felt like my body was trying to eat poop, doing its best but just not happening for the final i literally closed my eyes, dragged my finger across the answers and picked whatever it landed on
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
20%
Textbook Required
27%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.17 avg changeRatings by Course
230
5.0
(1)306
5.0
(1)ECIN230D
5.0
(1)ECON208MICRO
5.0
(1)ECON231
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
MICRO
5.0
ECON
5.0
ECOND230
5.0
MICROECON
5.0
ECON231
5.0