2.9
Quality3.3
Difficulty47%
Would Retake113
Reviews47%
Would Retake
113
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
22
4
31
3
11
2
18
1
31
What Students Say
“Even if the student just wants clarification, he is not happy when they ask questions”
PHYS1020 - 2.0 rating“He was one of the worst instructors that I have had”
PHYS1020 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
72%
Textbook Required
10%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.72 avg changeRatings by Course
PHYS2490
5.0
(1)PHYS1070
3.6
(5)PHYS1030
3.6
(29)PHYS1050
3.2
(10)PHYS1020
2.7
(55)Difficulty by Course
PHYS2490
4.0
ASTR1810
3.6
PHYS1020
3.5
PHYS01
3.2
PHYS1030
3.1
Reviews (113)
He's actually a good guy, always trying to help the student. He understands the material very well too. But he's not cut out for teaching. He is unable to teach the material properly, makes the students end up sleeping.
horrible professor. lacks clarity.
He sticks to the basics often, and has trouble articulating concepts with words but when he demonstrates every other way, with gestures and poses, he's very easy to understand, which helps for understanding concepts but not really for calculations. He helps you understand the material but don't count on learning physics mathematically.
This guy knows his stuff,but does not know how to teach it. Poor word choice,discusses the obvious with great detail,but leaves the important stuff as a 'reading exercise'.Does not post graded online assignments for the summer course.Discusses pre-solved problems, and does not solve many problems in class.Having him as my prof lowered my grade.
This professor is a very good professor. I liked his way of teaching. He is very helpful and available most of the times when I needed some help. He was also very prompt in his email response. I liked his way of making difficult things easy with very simple examples.
Overall, very nice, knowledgeable,and very helpful prof.Sometimes some difficulty with his accent, other than that I strongly suggest his class.
I took this course at International College of Manitoba (ICM)with this instructor. The class at ICM was of 4-hour format. You can imagine if you have to be in the physics class continuously for 4 hrs what will happen to you. But this gay managed to keep the class interesting. This guy is very helpful.
I am an international student. I studied this course in ICM. This instructor was easy to understand, helpful and his class helped me achieve my desired grade.
Nice way of teaching, clear, easy to follow, and very helpful.
This is probably the worst professor I have. He makes even simple concepts seem difficult. Added to his inability to explain is his inaptitude in english. If you want a prof that speeks english, look for someone else.
Worst. Prof. Ever.
Except for his non-North American English, I found this professor's class one of the finest classes that I have attended so far. I took this course at the University of Manitoba and liked his way of lecture, lecture notes, detailed explanations of problems, and the kind of problems he solves in the class. He is extremely helpful. I like this prof.
Nice, extremely helpful, and knowledgeable.
I liked him better than most, he wasn't exciting to listen to but very knowledgeable, walks through a number of examples. Encourages class participation as best as he can. Friendly guy. Only con: language barrier; heavy Indian accent and doesn't speak very loud, but if you sit at the front and listen, its not hard to get used to
So knowledgable but hard to understand. Lecturing skills are questionable but makes INCREDIBLE powerpoint lectures. Good to ask questions too, he will explain what he may not have expressed clearly in lecture. Good prof.
Definite language barrier- english not first language. Knowledgeable but tends to get flustered during lecture and repeats himself/can't find the right words. Has good course notes, but preview notes are all over the place. Doesn't do very many in-class examples so the textbook is definitely heavily used.
Knowledgeable, nice, very helpful, and available when needed some help. Exam review sessions were extremely helpful. I strongly recommend this prof's class.
I learned a great deal of problem solving skills. I must agree his tutorial sessions before exams were extremely helpful.
Very helpful, available when needed, punctual, friendly, and very helpful problem solving skills. I strongly recommend his class.
Is very poor at explanations which leads to confusion even with simple examples. He's not very good with computers which takes time away from learning. I wouldn't reccomend taking his coarse.
Incredible lecture notes, walks you through interesting problems in the class, available for help outside classroom, and transparent in marking.
Prem thoroughly knows the topics presented in class, however, there are a couple of factors that may inhibit a student's success. His English is a tad difficult to understand but the major problem is the amount of errors he makes in his slides and lectures. However, if you get one on one attention he is more than willing to help.
Goes through the material very quickly. Have covered a unit per two classes; almost every single problem and question was a "self-teach." The only thing he actually went through in class about the unit was the formulas but not how to interpret or use it. Because of this, the course is extremely heavy (teach yourself.) Might as well take online.
I took this course with three other professors before. Almost gave up hope to pass this course. But thanks to Mr. Basnet's teaching style and the materials he provided with us, I was able to earn A this time.
Prem has very good lecture notes (slides) and his tests and homework are mostly easy. Friendly at office hours. But his teaching style is not for me, he leaves the hard problems for "self-teaching" and explains the easy ones so detailed that I felt asleep many times. His accent is no problem, sit at front. Prepare to read and practice a lot
It was hard to stay engaged in his class, his teaching style is very dry. I didn't appreciate having to pay extra for an iClicker. I found his notes a bit unorganized. Doesn't work through difficult questions enough; tell students to figure it out at home. Difficult to understand, language barrier, takes away from ability to learn in class.
The only reason I attended the lectures was for iClicker marks. His accent can be difficult to understand, and his examples tend to cover very easy problems in great detail. However, he does seem to care that students do well in the course, and the assignments/labs/tutorials make sure that you keep up with the pace of the course.
He really a nice prof. He tries to make basic concept clear, which is very important in physics. If someone is having difficulty with this prof, then I think physics is not for him/her. His lecture notes are great and found him always willing to help students. I also found his lectures quite engaging.
Took this course in Summer 2017, a very condensed course. However, being in Mr. Basnet's class is so fun and engaging. He explains the physical concept clearly and interestingly. If you are considering to take PHYS 1020 or PHY 1030 at U of M, and if you really want to learn physics definitely this is the instructor to go with.
His English is clear, but he will spend a lot of time trying to explain something that's not important because he thinks we don't understand what he's saying. He explains the concept that you are supposed to measure but does not give you a step-by-step guide on how to solve an actual problem. Taught material to myself.
key points: Mainly a self-study course, very helpful outside of class however the lectures are pretty useless as myself and pretty much the entire class only attended the lectures for the iclicker marks, midterm is repeat of grade 12 physics, final exam was doable but you will need to put in minor effort after the midterm, overall okay class
get ready study by yourself :). Maybe he is a good prof during outside of course, but shouldn't be good during the class too? everything in the class is rush rush rush! is that hard write down step by step? 2 mins break in the 2 hours course, seriously? 2 mins not enough for the pee! do not except understanding question in the class. Good luck
Fantastic prof. Yes the class is rushed during the summer and there is a lot of material to cover. It's the same for all summer classes. Read the assigned chapters and do the end of chapter examples from the book and you're good. Note this is PHYS 1020 not 1030
The professor is not helpful at all! You ask him questions? Oh no.... ask him before class: I am busy ask me after class Ask him after class: i am busy, I am hungry come to my office ask me Email him: come to my office or ask me in class for clarifications Seriously?!! I pay tuition fee for what?! Also 2 mind break during 2 hours.
He is very clear about his content but you have to pay attention to his words.
He is very helpful and very clear about his explanation.
Helpful!!
I took this course before, but I must say Dr. Basnet is by far my best physics prof. so far. His lecture notes are more than enough for the course materials with a great deal of numerical examples in detail. He is available for help before and after his lectures as well. His grading schemes are very fair and clear.
Does not explain concepts very well during lecture and rushes certain topics. He made this class way more stressful than it should have been for an intro physics course. His notes are detailed enough for sufficient self-studying.
This is a mathematical physics course - rather difficult. However, the prof. tried his best to make the concepts clear.
( I took 2152 with him )This is a tough read. He definitely cares about his students, but he could have done a better job reading his class and designing his exams accordingly. He destroyed the class on the midterm, but made up for it on the final. You can't trust past midterms he gives you, his will be nothing like it. Study his notes.
I found his notes unorganized and kind of useless. They are basically straight from the textbook and the textbook has better explanations. I only went to class because he had iclicker questions. Not the best at explaining questions either and he can be really impatient with students. I recommend doing a lot of supplementary work from the textbook
A solid teacher, straight forward midterm and final, lectures are very very rushed in the last two weeks (summer course) but he makes up for it with his testing
Very hard to understand. Doesnt have clear lectures. Class is a joke. Take only if you need it.
The course is pretty interesting if your into space and the universe but Prem Basnet should not be the one teaching it. He obviously has no interest in the subject and it shows, lack of emotion in class, dry slides, and he can't answer any questions the class has. All of this created a really bad classroom experience.
He was a nice guy. He gave lots of practice material. My problem was with the labs. The labs were by far the hardest part of the class. Prof pulled test/exam questions from sheets he gave us, but the labs were on things we hadn't even done in class yet (if ever at all). They didn't mark generously, either.
Overall decent teacher, clearly cares about the material he's presenting but has a tendency to get caught up in over-explaining the simple things
super nice, caring and really takes his time and tries to make it so it benefits his students.
He DOES NOT CARE about anything you say. he doesn't like being asked questions during class, he over explains the "phundamentals" of everything. I would not recommend this prof to anyone. His English is hard to understand, and he just reads everything off the slides overexplaining even the easiest things.
Definitely far from my favourite professor that I have had in my first term of university. The tests were unlike any questions that were covered in class or in our textbook, causing the averages to tank. Not a fan of answering questions during class either. Also, good luck asking questions about assignments. Will not help if you have trouble.
Study and understand this course and you will pass. His exams are easy but lengthy so have a grip on problem solving questions
He is clearly very smart however he lacked any empathy. The tests were very unreasonable for the amount of time given and the test questions were nothing like what was covered in class. He also was not very helpful if you had any questions.
It seemed like he hated answering questions that students had especially during class and he was quite vocal about it as well. He spent ages explaining the most basic topics. The tests were difficult but he did take our feedback into consideration and applied it to the final. He would also make lecture videos that were unnecessarily long.
Not great. Like many have stated above, Prem is not open to questions during lecture and overall isn't a very friendly person. Be prepared to use OPUS a lot to get your questions answered. As long as you read the textbook and work through a lot of problems on your own time, you should be fine.
This class made me change career paths and never to consider taking a single class with the Department of Physics again. Professor Basnet did not help with questions, often had mistakes in class and was slow when explaining text, but rushed through solving equations. I would highly recommend taking a course with a different professor.
Favorite Phrase: You know? Over-explains simple stuff, like trigonometry, setting of the question. Cannot understand student's questions properly most of the time. Calls out students' names when asking questions in private chat. Heavy accent. ''Are you in a hurry?''
Avoid him if you can. Physics is already a tough course and he makes is even harder. He spent weeks teaching one easy unit and flew through the toughest units in one day bc of time. He skips his work and says "simple algebra", "This not difficult", when it is difficult and just not algebra. Prepare to teach yourself the material with this guy.
Explains everything in details (some people may not like). Very direct in communication. Grading very straight forward based on syllabus grading scheme.
I like his lectures and lecture slides. Sometimes he over explains algebra and trigonometric concepts but I liked them since I had taken math course long time ago and almost forgot them. His English has accent but that's ok.
Helpful, fair evaluation, and a good instructor. I think he is one of the better, if not best phys1020 instructor.
A good instructor. Will definitely take phys 1030 with him next summer b/c this summer is too late for me to decide.
Attendance is not mandatory, but good to attend he discusses many example problems during lectures. He changes some of these problems a little and puts in the tests.
Like the most: caring Did not like: too much materials in a lecture near the end of the course. But definitely a good prof.
Overall a good instructor.
Fair grading scheme, quick email response, and caring.
Took this course with this instructor in the Summer of 2020. He is really a good prof.
Good prof. I like his teaching style despite his English is not North American. He cares his students.
Very good professor. I enjoy his class, esp. the animated demo problems.
Gets very annoyed when people ask questions, especially if its something he has gone over in a previous lecture. Even if the student just wants clarification, he is not happy when they ask questions. Lots of pre recorded lectures in addition to our regular lecture times that we have to watch on weekends/holidays.
You will feel like you understand, then take a test and get 20% because it is NOTHING like what you do in class and on Wiley. Hates when you ask questions during class and will call you out when you do ask. Will sigh and be really annoyed that you don't get what he's talking about. He'll explain everything as "simple algebra"
He was one of the worst instructors that I have had. He is not helpful at all and each evaluation that we had resulted in the average being lower than 50%. What he was teaching and the examples he provided was nothing like the tests. I do not suggest taking a course with him and this is coming from an A student in second year
Very good prof. Willing to help students, but you need to schedule appointment if you want to discuss something with him
A solid professor, solves a lot of example problems in class. I liked his slides very much.
Great prof goes through many examples in class and tests are fair. However final was extremely hard and difficult compared to the previous in person exams that were all practically identical to each other. most of the people giving him bad ratings are the ones that focus on socializing on the telegram instead of paying attention in class.
I liked his lecture notes and recorded lectures being available for students. This helped me a lot to understand the course matter.
1. Helpful 2. Very nice lecture slides. 3. Detail discussions of a lot of example problems in the class.
Worst professor I've had so far. The tests/exams are almost impossible to pass, they're not similar to anything we learn in lecture or in the textbook. He also never answers questions in lecture. The practice questions shown in lecture were hard to follow, he'd often skip over explaining multiple steps.
Physics is a hard course to begin with, and he did not make it any easier. He does have clear lecture slides and posts recordings, however he tends to skim over the practice problems and spends so much time on derivations, which we aren't required to know. They most likely will curve bcuz test and exam averages are usually around 50%.
This was probably the hardest class I have ever taken, the tests/exams were impossible to pass. Most of the test questions were advanced & much higher level than what was taught in the lectures. Prem would belittle his students when questions were asked and made you feel stupid. I absolutely used to love physics & this class made me almost hate it.
Never again. This class made me dread every single day. I hated it. The prof is not caring or understanding, and does not answer any questions properly. It sucks that there arent many options for good physics profs here.
Awful. Hated this class so much. The prof was not helpful at all, did not answer questions. All the tests were completely different than the practice problems from class & the textbook questions. I get that the level of difficulty has gone up because of online classes,but at least make it about things that were actually taught. cried my way through
I am writing my opinions when this course has gone almost half-way. I hate his accent, and i know that people have accents, but the way he talks about the material doesn't help me digest it at all. His slides are very basic and boring. His teaching is not engaging. And i think that he doesn't really care about students' concerns. It's an annoyance.
Lectures are not engaging but that may just be the course. Does post lectures and the slides for students which is helpful.
Very helpful professor.
Very good professor overall.
Honestly, he wasn't that bad, he basically gave out pre recorded lectures which would cover all you needed to know, but would still use lecture time to go through problems. Only issue I had was that he sometimes came off as a bit condescending when he answered simple questions, but I don't think he meant it in that way. Make sure to read the text.
The lecture itself wasn't the best and wasn't the worst but the tests are not too challenging. I recommend taking him over any other professors. The lecture quality is not very important to be honest. Physics is time investing and requires a lot of practice itself. He is a great professor in my opinion.
This professor is good for lectures, but you have to go to class even if you're sick because there are graded iClicker questions each class. He goes over very easy topics in lecture so you think you know the material well. When the assignments come the lecture notes or textbook won't help you. You either know it or you don't.
He is supposed to be a better physics professor than the others, but he still isn't a good prof. He goes over the most simplest topics in class so I thought I knew what I was doing. When I had to do the assignments I realized that I actually had no clue what I was doing. I recommend to avoid physics at ALL costs unless you want to get depression.
This prof was decent, lectures were good and there were iclicker questions to answer which kept you engaged. However, I will say that he was not very approachable when ppl asked for help or clarifications and always seemed annoyed. Homework questions for every unit but easily manageable. Overall, a decent prof.
Hard to understand and didn't use microphones in lectures. Lots of pre reading to do before classes. None of the information correlated with the previous info you learn in school.
This professor's lectures are quite boring, but he's very flexible with grading.
He's an okay professor, but sometimes his lectures are too dry. However, I appreciate his effort to explain things on the board rather than just reading the slides.
Prem is a good physics professor compared to the other ones. He goes over simple topics in class, but not the hard stuff. Just make sure you read the textbook and do the textbook questions and you'll do fine.
Never taking him again
Professor Basnet is amazing! Don't let accent worries deter you. His lectures are crystal clear, even for those struggling with Physics. His teaching stands out among options like Mammei and Shiells. Engaging examples enhance learning. Exam difficulty varies, so solid preparation is key. A top choice for acing PHYS 1020 and 1030!
Had him for 1020 & 1030 this summer, I liked him. He's a funny guy and explains things really well, 1030 midterm was birthday cake but the final was tougher. Go to his lectures and you'll be fine, after all its physics so just do the textbook practice and you're all set.
Okay prof. I needed the course for my degree so I kinda never followed class. But his clicker questions were helpful since some of them were on midterms and finals. Also, I remember in his slides he adds questions which is always helpful for extra practice. In class he gives good advice regarding what could be in exams and about what's imp.
He is very knowledgeable and explains concepts well but physics is physics and practice is the key. He goes through challenging problems during lecture and hinted that some would be on exams. Compared to the other PHYS 1020 profs, he is the best choice. Does do iClicker every class.
He did not clearly solve student doubts during i clicker sessions. He did not frame questions properly, and upon questioning gave weird explanations. For example, this one time the answer of a MCQ said " greater than 1", and upon questioning he said that the question does not say positive or negative 1....Will not recommend.
We were like a month behind in this class and he still doesn't go any faster. I asked him some questions about some math in the course and he didn't actually help. Arrogant, and uses iclicker every class, just shows the right answer and doesn't explain why. Was way behind in the classes compared to where he said he would be in the syllabus.
Do not take his astronomy courses There was a lot of difficult physics for a course with no math prerequisite. Very difficult to reach/unwilling to help students. Did not follow the syllabus - we covered 4 chapters out of 19. Couldn't make up participation marks even if a student was absent for legitimate reasons - he told us to stop emailing him.
I've had bad professors in past years, but this one takes the cake. Did not explain course concepts clearly and was rude and arrogant when students would ask questions in class. He was extremely behind on lecture materials, it felt like he was winging the entire course. Lots of math, physics and chemistry despite no prerequisite for this course.
Prem Basnet has been the worst prof I have had. ASTR 1830 sounded like an interesting course, but he drew all the fun out of this course, and never elaborated on anything. He would explain how you should have prior knowledge and he would never be of help during office hours. His lectures are scattered and never follow a set plan. I hate Prem.
If someone asked a question, he would make them feel stupid in front of the whole class, as if they should already know the answer. He did not seem receptive to actually teaching in a manner that would be motivating and inclusive, especially to those who are not good at math/science. I failed both my midterm and final.
The course wasn't always clear and consistent. But if you have a basic understanding of the topic, most importantly pay attention and study, you should get decent grade.
Prem is an okay professor. He obviously has a good understanding of the material he is teaching, he just doesn't seem to want to teach it. He is very negative if you ask a question in class and will sometimes make fun of you, but if you see him in his office hours he's a lot better. He does easy examples in class but the tests are a lot harder.
Prem is a solid physics professor. While his lectures can be hit or miss, the textbook and practice problems are key. Using unstuck AI and engaging in class discussions helped me stay on top of the material and earn a good grade.
Prem was a very confusing professor, and when I did attend class, I only left more confused and struggled harder with the course. Lectures were very monotone and hard to sit through. The material is not explained well by him, so just learn via the textbook or youtube. His exams are simple however.
Literally, do not take any classes with him if possible.
Dont take this prof unless physics was your strong suit in high school. Rarely does examples in class and when he does its the most basic examples which is not similar to exams. You are better off learning on your own using the textbook.
I have never had such a challenging time with a prof. He seems like hes a nice guy, however as a teacher would not recommend. His tests are impossible and he will not curve if a single person managed to get 100% on them (our midterm class average was a 56%). He also has little tolerance for questions if he deems them unnecessary. Do not recommend.
Professor Basnet seems very nice but he is a terrible professor. He doesn't care about his students at all and does 20 minute practice problems that won't even be asked on the midterm or the final. He won't willing to curve any sort of grades even though our class average was 52% and the 2 other physics classes had 60-70%. Would not recommend.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
72%
Textbook Required
10%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.72 avg changeRatings by Course
PHYS2490
5.0
(1)PHYS1070
3.6
(5)PHYS1030
3.6
(29)PHYS1050
3.2
(10)PHYS1020
2.7
(55)Difficulty by Course
PHYS2490
4.0
ASTR1810
3.6
PHYS1020
3.5
PHYS01
3.2
PHYS1030
3.1