I don't know if that's the right code, but he's a cool prof. fairly easy!

it's the easiest class ever!

he laughs... people laugh at his laugh... he thinks he is funny and laughs more

A boot-scooting star-gazer!

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mad easy, funny, and smart dude

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cute!! chill but also learn alot

Gowdy rocks! He really made learning physics alot of fun. He is animated and you won't fall asleep in his class unless you have some kind of disorder.

Gowdy is crazy. Hes cool but he cracks some weird ass jokes. Astronomy was easy as hell. Fake the project data its easy.

i like him in his winter hat better... that crazy square dancer...

He is so cute in his little hat! :) This class was a piece of cake!

Informative course. Tests very straight forward to the material presented. Tests also very thorough. Grades on 4-5 tests with a forula sheet.

His class was pretty easy, I barely studied and managed a B.

great class great teacher. enjoyable and interesting.

Funny and easy guy

Uses Blackboard, no attendance necessary, gives formula sheets and available pretest for every exam.

verrrry easy, everything's online and alot of chances to get extra credit.

I loved him! Astronomy course is easy! Everything online. STUDY THE PRACTICE EXAMS - you'll get an "A"! And do the work - an "A" overall for the class. The most contagious laugh! He is so funny!

EASY PERIOD. HE GIVES QUIZZES IN CLASS BUT THE ANSWERS ARE ON THE SITE HE TELLS YOU TO GO TO IN CLASS. SO IF YOU DO THE QUIZ BEFORE CLASS ITS TOO EASY. EXAMS-HALF OF THE QUESTIONS ARE DIRECTLY FROM THE REVIEW QUESTIONS SO AUTOMATICALLY YOU STARTING OFF AN EXAM WITH A C.

Great teacher.

Interesting and funny guy. He explains the concepts well and is clear in his expectations. The tests are easy because he lets you know exactly what to study. I learned alot.

good teacher, funny guy, clear in his notes. No need to buy text bok, but does make good study companion to bring to class. Field trip to planeterium! Makes the subject and course pretty easy to understand. Get a B or higher if you attend class and study, a little more for the A.

Easy class, easy quizes. funny prof.

Very easy class.He lets you know exactly what is on the test.Dont buy the book keep your moms money.Use the practice exams.Must go to class he uses "clickers" but is very fun and interesting.

gowdy is pretty cool. he lets you know what is on the tests, no big surprises. the only thing i can really advise is don't wait til the last minuted to do your observation project 'cause the weather won't work with you.

I was so scared about this class but he made it very easy and i learned a lot which impressed my physic major friends. He lets you "cheat" on your quizzes and he list the exams online to study for the final. He is an awesome prof and one hell of a ball room dancer!

I passed this course with a 98, but i dont know jack about physics. If you want an easy A, take this course. If you're interested in Physics, take another. The teacher--i bet he'd be great if he were teaching students who gave two hoots about science. I like the man himself, just not this course.

I love this man. I hate science and this was very easy. I got an A. I love him. Field trip at the end.

He's the best.

awesome teacher, and funny too!

i love him he is awesome

Dr Gowdy is a laugh a minute. He explains things well and gives easy to understand examples. If you need a science gen ed course his is definately the one to go with!! Best of all he makes his OWN book for $20 (no expensive physics book!)

He makes this class so easy! You can come to class + take the quizes, or you can look at the lectures online + post on the message board. The tests are SO easy, the questions all come from the in class quizes and the practice tests. So if you take those and do alright, you'll do fine on the tests!

Class is sooo easy. Just study the quiz questions and yo will get a good grade on the exams.

Very easy to understand and very helpful. Come to class and BRING YOUR CLICKER!!! Print out the reviews and come to review day and you will get an easy A in the class. All clicker questions total add up to 1 TEST GRADE :) Very, very hard to fail if you show up to class everyday and participate.

Dr. Gowdy is so nice. If you're not good at sceince, it doesn't matter, just study the quiz questions and you'll do fine. He means well and makes some stupid jokes, but they are laughable. Overall, a good class.

Excellent teacher! I took a high school physics class & it wasn't as easy as this one. He was great, you do the practices test & you will get an A like I did! Oh yeah and buy his study guide book, it helps.

Dr. Gowdy rocks! He is funny and makes the world of Physics interesting. The class is an easy one because all of the notes are already done for you, so no tedious writing! He gives practice exams that are almost identical to the real ones. Everyone should have a B or better in this class!!

so so so easy & interesting. made me want to become an astronomer. i barely went to class and still got an "A" his quiz questions are already on the website before you go to class (u can already have the answers waiting) and his test questions are the quiz questions mixed with some questions from the practice test. i wish he taught every phys class

You've got to try REALLY hard to fail his class. He's EXTREMELY easy to pass. His tests are STRAIGHT from the lectures, and just rearranged versions of the TWO practice tests he puts online. Weird jokes, but awesome teacher.

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I heart Gowdy!

safari

This class was my weekly social time. I sat in the back row with my friends and chit-chatted the whole time and still got a 100 in the class. He does, however, do a great job of taking an already cool subject and making it better. He made it really fun. I've considered taking his class over again just for the hell of it.

I actually learned stuff in this class. Print the quizzes from online; the questions are verbatum on the tests. This guy knows his stuff ..he's friggin brilliant. He's not exactly funny, but he's really easy-going and doesn't mind if you sit in the back and cut up with your friends all class, as long as you keep it down. Use your clickers -it's definitely worth the extra points. And go to the science museum for the starwatch project. It's way easier and more fun than the phases of the moon or satellites.

I am taking this class for my physical science requirement, and I def. recommend this class! You don't need to buy any of the books, he posts everything on his website! Even all of the possible test questions! There is no way you can not get an A in this class.

He is a good teacher and his test are not very hard. He gives you practice test which are where most of the real test questions come from

I LOVE DR. GOWDY! He's so intresting, and his laugh is hillarious! Keeps the class entertaining, and he never fails to always wear his cowboy hat.

really cute old man. very smart and pretty good at explaining. take his class!

We are nearing the end of the semester, and i can easily say this was a good class. People are given the option to not come, but Gowdy is so interesting and funny that people show up anyway (and this is a morning class im in!). Gives you all the test questions on his site, 2 advance study guides with most of them on it, use them! HE IS GREAT.

The class is extremely easy, esp. if you do the extra credit. Don't buy the book if you plan to make a habit out of going to class, but if you don't, then buy that book. He can be funny when he wants to be and he always wears a cowboy hat. I definitely recommed it.

Great professor, goes slow on lessons and has no problem with helping you outside of class. Very entergetic and gets excited over his own material. You'll LOVE his laugh. That class gets more challenging through out the semester.

Strangely enough, Astr is interesting stuff and Dr. Gowdy makes it funny. He's very animated and easy to understand. A lot of info to grasp, but the class is not too difficult.

Such a great, easy class.

Extremely easy class. If you don't like going to class, then do the online discussion regularly. And if you don't want to buy the book, just use the online study guide. All of the test questions come directly from the questions online. Just study those and this class should be an easy A. The observing project was the hardest thing about this class.

Great Professor. Ihad a bad high school physics teacher and this man brought back an excitment on the subject. THe way he describes situations makes it VERY easy to comprehend. He is fair, intruiging and basically if you are interested in physics as a major or just interested in physics itself, be sure to get Gowdy as your professor.

easy "A." the project in 103 was not hard, the easiest is the moon observation & he doesnt grade them harshly. i took 103 1st & that was easier than 101. the test questions in 101 were tricky, so u have 2 pay attention 2 them. in 103 you could look @ da 1st word in the sentence & know the answer. if only he taught all phys classes.

By far the best teacher I've had at VCU. Gotta love the hat. The class isn't that hard, but you learn a good ammount of material at the same time Really knows how to teach.

I was dreading this class but Gowdy made it fun and easy...practice tests are amazingly helpful to prepare for his tests.

EASY! The 3 hour long class was a bit much for me and tended to drag on. He's a funny old guy and is helpful when you need him. Exams were pretty easy as he gives you practice tests and all the material is online if you miss a class, but he does take attendance in every class. (Stupid clickers!)

This class is a joke. I never went to class. didn't have a clicker. I just did all of the forums needed. Just memorize the answers in each implication of each module. Do both practice test and you should be getting over 90s on each test.

Very easy and Gowdy is an amazing teacher. If you don't understand physics you'll get an A in his class. He is the best prof I've had in my three years at VCU and most people will tell you the same.

I stopped going to class, did the 2 practice tests an hour before class, took the test in 13 min and got a B. The lesson: Get someone to do your clicker and tkae the practice tests.

you do not have to be a physics person to get an "A" in this class. Gowdy is the best .....

He was great! Gowdy really loves teaching physics, and you can tell. I hated physics in high school, but he made me actually enjoy it. HIGHLY RECOMMEND HIM!

Gowdy is an awesome professor. I'm in no way a scientifically inclined person, & I got A's in both the lecture and the lab. Go to class, do the CPS quizzes (EASY!), and the tests are based ENTIRELY on the quizzes! And he leaves them online for you to study from. He also promptly answers any questions you email him. TAKE THIS CLASS! 4 EASY CREDITS!

Gowdy's a good guy. He does his best to keep his students interested and entertained, and clearly tries to help everyone do as well as possible. Probably the easiest class I've taken since middle school.

Gowdy is a nice guy but Astronomy was a seriously boring class, I used to color during class. Maybe that's why I got a B. Tests are hard.

Great Class. by far one of the easiest here at vcu. his practice tests aer a big help if you're the type that doesnt like going to class

Tests are easy, class is easy, and dont let anyone touch your clicker or you get to meet the honor committee for a violation!!!

He's insane... but nice and tries way too hard to funny, but he keeps me entertained. Look over the practice exams, they will be your way through the class.

SO EASY. attend. not nec. neither is book (waste)..everything is online, including test ?s. 3 tests, 1 proj. (moon watching easiest, include pics & commentary & you'll get 100), and attend/quiz grade which can be done thru forums. every test and EXAM ? is on his website, just remember them and youll get an A..so easy i finished with a 100 average

Gowdy is the man. He really explains things in a way that you can understand and is pretty entertaining along the way. Gotta love the hat too.

I was dreading taking Physics but I love Mr. Gowdy! Science isnt my thing but the way he does his grading and attendence is so helpful. You would have to be incredibly slow to fail his class. Make somewhat of an effort and you will make the grade!

gowdy = great. it is tough to sit through astronomy for 3 hours, he is a little eager at times to move forward in material if time allows. his cowboy hat is wonderful. this class is designed so that its IMPOSSIBLE to fail. go to class, clicker quizzes(easy!), exams are from study guides, discussion brd if you miss class, book=online. gowdy=genius!

Dr. Gowdy is the MAN! He is the most adorable man I've ever seen! And you gotta love his hat! He is a good teacher. If you look over the practice exams and if you know how to do everything on them, you're good to go for the real tests.

GOWDY RULES!

I love Gowdy! He is so adorably cheesy in lecture, I love it. It grabs your attention. :) As for the class, we have those annoying CPS clickers but that was my only complaint. Tests are hard, but study the previous tests posted on BB and you should be OK. The project isn't bad. I recommend moon-watching. It's the easiest. Definitely take his class!

You don't even have to go to class; but it's mandatory since he has clicker questions every period that count as quizzes. These help your grade. Also does extra credit by allowing you to post in forums. If you do the practice tests before every exam, you are guaranteed an A. Same goes with the final. No math skills required for this course!

Great Professor! If you go to class and review before test you can understand concepts and get an "A". Very helpful teacher, relates material to real life. A++++++++++++ Teacher!

Gowdy is a hoot and a holler. How can you not love the man? Attendance is pretty much mandatory, but you can make up lost points by participating in bboard discussions. If you go to class and review the slides, you are almost promised an A.

He's sweet and entertaining, and I actually learned a lot. Attendance is only mandatory because of the clicker, and the tests are easy if you do the online practice quizzes (he takes a lot of test questions from there.) My only advice: DON'T DO THE OBSERVATION PROJECT IF YOU LIVE IN THE DORMS. It brought me down from a 94 to an 86 :(

class is amazing, keeps it interesting, class is not mandatory. Every single class is a quiz grade, but only on the clickers, you have to try to not get an A on the quiz grades. If you don't show up to class you can redeem yourself my making 15 post on blackboard. DO THE PRACTICE TEST- THOSE ARE THE TEST QUESTIONS

SOOO easy.Study the online quized before the test and you are sure to get an A.I have barely listened all semester and have 100's on every test.If you are taking a heavy semester, take his class it is a breeze.

If you don't want to memorize A LOT of material this is not the course for you.For my midterms I got a D,A,B.I got an A for the project.I had to work harder in this class compared to my other classes.I did this course as an elective expectin an easy A and that was def.not the case. The final is cumulative :( which is a lot of material!

He gives quizzes using the clicker questions, so attendance is important. However you can make up quizzes by doing forum postings. Tests are almost exactly like the practice tests on his website. He seems passionate about the subject, and taught well. I got an A in the class.

A great professor who not only is an easy A, but will also teach you a lot. You can't skip class and pass this one, but as long as you go and pay attention your studying will be minimal.

I really enjoyed this class, as long as you do the work and attend class your grade will show. I worked really hard on my observation project and went out of the way to make it my best. I really enjoyed the class and the quizzes that we had in the course helped so much with the tests!

Great class, great professor. I really enjoyed it and Dr. Gowdy made it about as easy as possible to get an A. You only need to go 2 out of every 3 days which is pretty cool. I'd highly recommend this class if you need something to fill your science requirement.

Great guy but honestly if you pre-view the powerpoints online class gets real boring. pre-view the slides, come to class, get an A.

He is so nice! I put minimal effort in and came away with a B, he lets you know exactly what to expect from the class and exams cover the same material as practice ones and cps questions, not to mention he is super passionate and tells adorable jokes!

Take this class! clicker points are involved BUT if you post of the discussion board it takes place of points you miss. Super nice and grandpa like. Just look at that picture. Definitely my most memorable big class professor. Tests arent extremely easy but all test questions are on his website.

This class was super into the technical side of astronomy. I was really looking forward to learning about constellations & etc, but we didnt even touch on them. Too much Physics, not enough stars. Despite this, I didnt find the class that challenging -- show up with your clicker & study for exams & you should be fine.

This man is hilarious. Anyone who says the class was difficult might actually have a mental disability. He makes this class extremely easy, and I'm terrible at science. Every lecture is posted online with practice questions. If you miss class, all you have to do is post in the forum. You have to be a moron to fail this class. And he has great hats.

Never went to class, studied the online lectures a couple days before each test, made an easy A. If you do what I did though, you do have to make sure you don't fall behind on the extra credit forum that makes up for not going to class.

Easiest professor ever. All the lectures online with quiz questions to test yourself and sample tests to study with. And he is pretty funny and adorable like a grandpa with his cowboy hat.

so nice. so helpful. Great class. I have no interest in science, but I really enjoyed learning about astronomy. Really funny guy. If anyone failed this class they shouldn't be in college.

Easy A.............

Ive been sitting here for the last 5 minutes laughing at some of these comments. Noone should get anything below a C in this class. He curves exams, gives you practice tests that have similar questions on the exam, and gives plenty of extra credit.

Really liked his class. He made it really easy and you didn't even have to attend to get an A. Seriously doubt any reviewer's comments who says they got less than a B or C in this class!

here are the basics, if you study, you will do really well, if you don't study, god help you, attendance is mandatory because of clicker questions, tests are straight forward but can be tricky, teacher is awesome, have fun, it will be your easiest 3 credit hour class ever, that is if you study

No book needed. Funny b/c he's so corny, love the hats! you have to study at least a little b/c the material can get a little hard, but all in all, great class

Rob Gowdy: Great Guy.

Easy class. His laugh is funny. Good teacher to.

Easy class. He basically gives you what will be on the exam. Just study the module questions and loncapa. The final was not hard either. Look over past exams and loncapa. Also curves a lot! Take advantage of going to class to get a high grade for clickers which are worth 1 exam. Clickers are easy go use a laptop and follow along for the quizes.

He's a good teacher and obviously interested in the material! The class is very straight forward and you can easily get an A if you study the notes he puts online. The tests never had unexpected questions and he even gives you practice tests to take before the exams.

AWESOME TEACHER!!! He has everything organized and everything online. It's all there. All the test questions and everything. All you have to do is memorize the material and you're in there! Love it! Love him! And extra credit on test=cool! get it!

AWESOME Professor! All you have to do in this class is study. And get the clicker questions right. And as long as you're listening you will. Getting an A should be no problem!

Professor Gowdy is awesome, and adorable. He is a funny guy and his lectures were enjoyable. Attend class, listen to the lectures, and take advantage of the extra credit/discussion board opportunities, as well as SI if you need it and you will do great. Also, the book was not required, all the material/lectures are online which is great.

Gowdy's class is very boring but it was so simple. He has the answers to clicker questions on his modules online and I just copied and pasted them before class and would get the clicker questions right. For the tests you just have to memorize the clicker questions.

Clicker quiz every class. If you miss a class or need extra credit, you can post 10 times in the forums for that day you missed. Use loncapa to study for exams. BEST CLASS EVER.

He's VERY organized, everything is online on his website. Many of the test questions on his exams come directly from the website questions, if you memorize those you will know a lot of the questions on the test.

I really enjoyed his class. He is very organized, as everything is online. I received a C in the class, but I don't blame him for it, I suck at science. If you only need to take one science class, like me, then I recommend this one! Lectures are usually very interesting and he is a funny guy.

Took him for intro to astronomy. Doesn't use the textbook at all, so don't buy it. Every week he asks clicker questions during lectures for a daily quiz grade. You can make up what you missed online. Very nice guy, really likes the subject. Explains things very well. As long as you go to class, you'll pass, it's really not hard.

I took him for ENG 1301 at tcc and he is just an amazing teacher. Just do your work and pay attention and you will do Great. he doesn't mind you coming in a couple minutes late, but do show up. he is also very funny and interesting. He might get side tracked at times tho.

Good Teacher. Puts everything online and test questions come straight from his lecture websites online. Nerdy Guy, but that's what makes him funny.

Great teacher, I never showed up to class and still received an A! A lot of material goes by, but study for exams using the practice ones he posts because they are almost exactly like the exam, but also review the previous clicker questions, which will show up! Great guy, and easy class. Little efforts will be rewarded with an easy A.

Dr. Gowdy is funny, incredibly smart and always prepared. However, especially in the last two exams and the final, it just felt like we were learning a bunch of random stuff that didn't fit together. Thus, it was hard to study and do well at that point. I ended up doing well, but it just became too much info for a 100 course. Still good though. :)

This class is awesome and Gowdy is adorable! This is the first class where i've found myself fascinated with the material. there can be quite a lot of stuff to memorize but its not hard, and if you study as much as you can and use the lecture site to help you with clickers you can get an A.

Gowdy is awesome, loved his class. Highly recommend.

I was just entirely lost most of the semester. It's not that hard, he's just kind of confusing and soft spoken in lectures. It's a teach yourself kind of class but an easy A. LOTS of clickers by the way!

This is one of the best courses I took - and I'm not a science person but this stuff isn't all that hard to understand and it's interesting. There are plenty of SI sessions and attendance is not mandatory- yeah there are clicker questions but if you write a lot of student journals you never have to worry about. Practice Tests gold. do them or die

He's a really great teacher. Super funny would take again. Never used a textbook just show up for clicker questions and get an A

Easiest A I have ever received! I only went to class four times after fall break and aced every single test and the final because of his awesome 15% curves!!

One of the best teachers I've had. Basic run down of class: Show up you'll have clicker questions worth quiz points every class, but he doesn't take attendance(not showing up means you get a 0 on a quiz though). He will lecture each class. You'll have 3 tests and a final, just like any other science class. Also, you'll have journals to write.

The class is easy if you know how to work it. Show up to class and do the clicker questions, study the questions on the lecture website, do your student letters, and do the extra credit. It's not that hard. He's a nice guy and promptly responds to emails. Pretty easy for a science class. I would recommend it if you're looking to boost your GPA.

Imagine the cutest little old man, then times that by 10 and you get Prof. Gowdy. I love his class, he really knows what he's talking about when he's lecturing. He's also super hilarious and demonstrates planet movements with his body. Seriously, he's adorable.

Prof. Gowdy is so cute! He's like a cowboy who loves space. I kind of wish he was my uncle or something. He's also smart as a whip, and you can really tell that he's passionate about astronomy. Was it my favorite class? No. However, all of the possible test questions are on LON-CAPA, so it's easy to study for. Show up to class for the clicker qs!

Gowdy is a professor in the physics department but teaches Astronomy because it is a gen ed. He tries to make lectures interesting and always wears a cowboy hat. He is a very quick grader and will try to help you improve your grade.

Gowdy is a very quirky guy which makes class enjoyable. Don't really have to pay attention in class except for clicker questions which come straight from notes that you can look up and follow but you won't learn that way. Test reviews are essential so use them and the clicker questions to study. Great dude!

4 Exams, drops the lowest one. Easy B to be honest. Just show up, do clicker questions and do okay on exams. Pretty funny at times too.

This is the easiest class I've taken in my whole life including high school. He literally takes questions from the clicker quizzes and puts them on the exams. All you have to do is run through them an hour or two before the exam and you'll pass with flying colors. With that being said, I didn't learn much about Astronomy in this class.

Dr. Gowdy is a sweet older man. He gives lots of extra credit. Participation matters in his class-- you will need a clicker and you will need to show up! You do not need the books, which I which I knew before I bought them. This class is an easy A as long as you do the work!

Very sweet man who cares a lot about his topics. Gives a lot of breaks during the lecture to regroup and process what he said. Would recommend him especially for an early class.

Great Professor. Even though there are 300 + people in this class he teaches well and cares about the individual.

His class is extremely laid back and can be balanced and thoroughly enjoyed while taking other classes that may require most of one's time and effort. At times he can see a bit boring, but his occasional goofy laugh can loop you back into his discussion. Tests are easy/come from clicker responses. Class is semi-mandatory bc of the clicker q's.

Professor Gowdy is pretty boring but funny and entertaining at times. Attendance is mandatory because of clicker questions. You'll pass the tests if you just skim over the material and do the practice tests he provides online. If you just show up and work a little bit, you'll get an A. There was no midterm but the final is cumulative. Good gen-ed.

Take Professor Gowdy, you will love the grading at the end of the semester. I got two 79.5 86, and 69.9 on exams and the a good grade on the final and will still get that A

The easiest 8 am ever. You don't need to take notes because he has a lecture website and he posts practice tests before the exam which is basically the test so if you do bad in this class, it's on you because he literally makes it the easies thing possible.

Adorable and nice professor. His grading is easy and he knows his stuff. The test questions come right from the lecture website so you really don't have to go to class. Tophat allows you to see the daily quiz questions. Tests are the only difficult part. Just study the practice exams and lecture questions and you should pass.

Most of the tests are similar to the practice exams, but just go to class. His TopHat class participation is a big chunk of the grade. Lectures are incredibly boring, but you need the participation grade.

TOPHAT is required, but it helped overall with my grade. There's only four exams and quizzes every class meeting but an easy passing grade can be made with TOPHAT. There are practice quizzes he provided that I used for ALL of my exams and made grades of 90 and above. You dont need a TB. Aside from the assignments, he is very adorable and genuine.

The tests follow the same pattern as his powerpoints, if you do some of the practice questions and read the powerpoints you will do fine on the exams. He was funny and gave good overviews. The Tophat really was not difficult either and the final was a mash of all the tests. It was an easy A if you did what he tells you to do on time.

Easiest class I've taken. That doesn't mean you can slack and get an A, you still have to study - but his class is FAIR, and does not trick you or play mind games with you like most science classes at VCU. Very accessible, responds to e-mails and will address any concerns. 4 exams, 1 final, drops lowest. HUGE curves on exams.

Professor Gowdy is the best at VCU. This man loves astronomy, he is excited about teaching it, and does a little dance everytime he uses TopHat. Attendance isnt mandatory, but I never missed a class because of him. Lots of ways to get an A and keep it. Best professor ever. He also curves his exams by about 13 points.

He is super hilarious. You will definitely need to study but he posts plenty of practice tests on the lecture website. Great professor!

Gowdy is the most down-to-earth individual i have ever met. He puts his entire heart into all of his lectures as he absolutely loves the subject(s) he teaches. He keeps the class simple, exams questions are directly from his website, and he wants his students to pass. He really tries hard even for the students that aren't doing the same for him.

PACKBACK PACKBACK PACKBACK! You will use packback in which you will have to make posts and respond to others. this is a source of extra credit! if you do more than asked every week then you will be able to get an A. Tests are NOT hard just memorize topcoat questions and answers along with study guides. He's really nice and dances a lot.

Super cool and nice professor. Really easy to get an A just do like 10 packback Q&A and you're good to go!

Professor Gowdy is an easy going guy. The class starts off very easy but the topics become more complex as the course progresses. Do the tophat hw which is very easy and the packback response (1 question, 2 responses) each week and you should be sure to get an A. Class consists of four 50 question unit tests and a final.

Gowdy is a super nice prof however he is very soft spoken so you might not be able to hear him sometimes. There are TONS of ways to get extra credit its almost impossible to fail. Tophat is graded for attendance but you're able to make up the attendance credit by doing more packsack. A really easy A I definitely reccomend.

Make sure you go to class and take notes. Tests are based off what is presented in class and what is on tophat.

Prof. Gowdy was amazing. I was scared to take his course because seeing "Physics" in the title for someone who does not enjoy math was very terrifying. However, by week two I had a 105% in his class. He is very clear about deadlines and uses TopHat and Packback regularly. He does give random pop quizzes but they barely effect your grade. Recommend!

Professor Gowdy is a great guy. He loves his job and what he teaches. I did all of the work ( packback, Top Hat posts, etc), never missed a lecture, studied all of the packback questions and practice exams, but the tests were HARD. I didn't find it nearly as easy as other have said. Still, it was better than taking Bio or Chem for gen ed science.

Easy class. I never attend lecture. Have an A in the class. The secret: 825 Packback points every week. The secret for acing the exams: Memorize every single Tophat question and answer. If you follow this advice, in addition to doing the homework, then you don't even need to attend class and can easily get an A.

Really easy just study a little and attend because he uses top hat in class

Astronomy is an easy class at VCU. Mr. Gowdy assigns very little homework that takes less than 10 minutes. He does top hat during his lectures, but he allows you to do it from home. He gives his student preview exams to study which are the same exact questions as the test. It would take alot for you to not get an A.

Professor Gowdy is such a sweetheart! I'm really not a science person which led me to take astronomy, but Gowdy clearly knows what he's talking about and explains everything in relatable and easy to understand ways. Definitely take his class if you're interested in the universe, or if you just need a science credit ;P

Professor Gowdy is so nice and you can tell that he really cares about the subject. The homework assigned doesn't take very long to do, the exam material is very similar to the homework, and there's lots of ways to get extra credit in order to make up for missed work.

Great teacher and easy class. The work may feel like a lot at times but is really easy and manageable. He is also very helpful and respectful. He does give extra credit, I didn't do any but still did really well in his class. His class was also really interesting, and I'd love to retake it.

Damn if space isn't cool. He clearly enjoys the topic, and makes it interesting for you as well. DO THE LECTURES, THEY'RE SUPER EASY AND MAKE UP A HUGE PORTION OF YOUR GRADE. It's easy to do well, just keep up in the class. You don't even need to take notes, all of the tests are open book, just be familiar with the textbook.

Gowdy is a wonderful professor who provides lecture content in a clear manner. There are many opportunities for improvement and room for some missed assignments and you can still obtain an A in the course. His lectures are genuinely fulfilling and I learned a lot from this course.

Most of the material is taught through his textbook. Though there's a lot of it, he explains it very well. Tests cover a lot of content, but their open note & unlimited time. The class was time consuming, but not difficult. Prof. Gowdy also made the course material more interesting. He's also flexible with assignment due dates.

This class was asynchronous, so it was dependent on the textbook. The book was written by himself, so it's pretty clear and digestible, and the majority of work is just answering multiple-choice questions that correspond almost word for word with the reading. There are also discussion posts on Packback, but overall the class was pretty unobtrusive.

Gowdy is a helpful and awesome professor, the textbook is written by him and is clear and console (if you choose to read it). Hes lenient on deadlines and his lectures are interesting and easy to understand. Make sure to do the homework as it counts for a large portion of your grade and the exams are open book. It was fun and entertaining !

Easiest A ever

I loved him so much. You just have to do the work and you'll pass. There's a chapter (mostly 2) on tophat to do every week that are pretty easy, just take notes on the chapters and you'll know how to answer the questions that go along with them. He's a pretty enjoyable guy too, he does little dances in lectures and he seems like a very caring guy!

Easy A but needs a lot of works. Tophats, Packback, 4 exams (50 questions), and final exam (required & 120 questions). He gave a lot of opportunities to score higher for those with low grades. But, in my opinion, 5 exams are too much. Anyway this class is easy to get an A.

An easy A as long as you do the tophat. You can google the rest. Great guy as well, he really enjoys teaching

TopHat is the main thing he uses for his class. It's where the readings and lectures are located, so as long as you read and answer the questions the rest of the class is super easy. He's a great guy and super smart. He definitely knows what he's talking about. It is mainly him lecturing, though, which can get kinda boring.

Professor Gowdy is great even though I never met him and the class was asych. There's a lot of homework every week, there are about 5-6 things to do a week, and it's due on different days. TopHot and Packback are where most of your assignments are, but this class is pretty easy, the only "hard" thing is packback bc you run out of questions to ask.

good at teaching, and all tests are open notes.

Elementary astronomy online and am very split. The professor obviously knows his work and is good at explaining the concepts. However, the work load is big, and hard if you don't understand STEM. I probably passed because it was online and open book, but don't take this if you struggle in science and just want to get the credit out of the way.

Super slight asynchronous course. Open book, open-note, no time limit for exams, just make sure you put in the effort. TopHat and Packback required. If you are in the school of business, this is your best shot at an A in a science class.

Although this class can be very time consuming, the material is quite interesting to learn and Dr. Gowdy makes sure that students are attempting the material. The exams are open book and open notes. I really enjoyed this class as there isn't a lot of risk involved, simply asking and answering questions.

Very easy course and the textbook is easy to understand. Lots of homework so get ready for that!

Professor Gowdy is very nice and knowledgeable about astronomy. His class has weekly assignments that are important to keep up with. If you keep up with every assignment, then attendance might not be mandatory for you, but I recommend attending class (I didn't all the time and it came back to bite me lol). All tests were open note.

This is my favorite class. There are 2 homeworks each week, a reading and discussion board which are both easy. It's a great class, lots of interesting topics and Professor Gowdy is clearly passionate about astronomy. There are 4 exams plus 1 final exam so 5 in all, which is a lot, but those are also pretty easy. Loved this class.

All exams were online and open notes. Lots of tophats and packback questions but very easy to do. There were attendance questions but you can very easily do them from home.

This was a very easy class if you just kept up with the weekly tophat assignment and packback post. The exams are fairly easy and everything is opgennote/openbook. He is very clear on when things are due and is fairly understanding. Would take this class again.

Professor Gowdy is an awesome teacher to have at any grade level but he's especially awesome to have as a freshman. I took his online astronomy course and it was super awesome. The video lectures are interesting and the homework and tests are pretty easy. It's also super easy to get ahead on the online course. 10/10 would take again!

This is my favorite prof. I love him and would take all of his classes if I could. Super easy class, I got a B+ because I wasn't too good with the math parts of the class, but everything else was a breeze. Usually ends up giving you the answer before he asks questions in class. Just pay attention and you're set.

I really enjoyed this class even though it was asynchronous. I enjoyed his video lectures and they made me wish I chose his in person course. He allowed people to turn in work late, every test was also open note. Easy A. It's hard not to pass this course.

Very easy but informational class. Everything is accessible online so as long as you turn the work in on time you don't have to physically show up to class. The workload was manageable except for Packback discussion questions that were due weekly. Exams are designed for you to pass them.

class was super easy, everything was open note, homework was pretty manageable and you could do everything from home

Extremely balanced amount of work. All of the tests and work are open notes, but I'd still pay attention as it is still interesting to learn. He can be lenient if you forget something once or twice, just don't abuse it.

Dr. Gowdy seems like such a sweet old man in his video lectures. He is very passionate about the subject. There are a lot of assignments but they are short, just keep on top of all the due dates. Packback is an annoying waste of money but what can you do. The exams are straight from his TopHat textbook and open-note. Easy A, definitely take him.

It's not a hard class, but it helps if you have some physics knowledge beforehand. I didn't, so I struggled a bit, but the exams are all open note with unlimited attempts, so it's not too hard to get a good grade regardless. The professor was very kind and had very informative lectures, and the assignments were very easy, just stay on top of them.

Took his course Fall 2023. Well spoken and loves the subject. Course was easy to follow when you went to his lectures, though many didn't. I personally loved his lectures, and in lecture he'd give some interesting information (that wasnt in the textbook) that would be on a test, so go to them.

Dr. Gowdy's PHYS103 class is a great option. The lectures are engaging, and the open-note exams make it manageable. Assignments can be time-consuming, but using resources like unstuckstudy AI alongside the textbook helps stay on top of the workload. Overall, an informative and reasonably easy class.

It's 20 years later and I'm still talking about his course. Wish I could take it again.

This is a very easy class with an amazing professor. I'm a business major, yet I was infatuated with what he was teaching. the HW is easy, and open note tests and attendance are not mandatory. he offers some extra credit tests if needed (you won't need them) 10/10 would recommend it!

Super easy to follow, and he is super understanding.

I took this class to fulfill my credit requirements and it was so easy! It was definitely a breath of fresh air from all my harder classes. Everything is open note and he also allows you to look up anything you're not sure of in his exams. There's a lot of homework, so it can be a bit tedious, but is not hard at all! He's also very passionate.

literally the easiest class offered at this university. if you want a easy class dont look anywhere else.

I would recommend taking this class in person if you enjoy astronomy. Work is due every Saturday, and it looks like a lot but it shouldn't take you that long. Each exam is 50 questions open note, unlimited attempts, and no time limit. I wish he would at least show us what we got after taking each test. The final exam is like 180 questions...

Took the class online and asynchronous. It's a lot of busy work but if you keep on top of it, it's extremely easy to get an A, I just didn't try.

10/10. Easy A.

Best prof ever so happy I took his class he saved my gpa. Very easy grader very understanding all exams and tests are online so you have a very easy workload and no pressure

If you get this prof you are blessed by jesus himself. god took time to make a man named robert gowdy so he could bless students and save their gpa time energy everything. sweet prof 10/10 thank you jesus

very good class. teacher knows most students take this for a gen ed requirement so the courseload is extremely manageable and he is a very nice person. there are two websites you have to pay for and one of them is pretty useless (packback) but it's part of your grade. nonetheless very straightforward class, i recommend it!

Amazing professor, I will say the work load was A LOT (129 assignments) but he is always accessible and willing to help, if you slack you won't pass. This class helps you with time management.

There are A LOT of assignments. But, they are not difficult. Ex, a discussion board where you just say "hello" to get credit. Tophat hmwk and Packback discussions. Exams are open note/book/computer. He is very accommodating. Will open up old assignments if you missed it.

I'm mainly writing this review to advise people to take the in-person version of this course. The async class did not work for me with my workload this semester. The in-person version would probably have been better. Professor Gowdy will reopen assignments which I was really grateful for, but DON'T fall behind! It's hard to catch up on assignments!

His class is overall very easy, just do the tophats (reading and the class presented one) and discussion posts. You'll be set for the semester, his work isn't even that difficult. The textbook and packback are required to do any of the work but otherwise his class is simplistic and very similar to highschool astronomy content.

Caring, accessible, accommodating, and will reopen assignments if you ask. In-person and online options but if you start skipping in-person class, it's easy to fall behind. Lots of assignments but they're easy. Attend in-person for good explanations and demonstrations. All open-note exams so take advantage of your resources and you'll be okay!

Good teacher, very balanced courseload.