2.5
Quality3.8
Difficulty24%
Would Retake120
Reviews24%
Would Retake
120
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
14
4
26
3
21
2
21
1
38
What Students Say
“Worst professor I've ever had at State”
FLS101 - 1.0 rating“Defiantly the worst teacher I have ever had”
FLS101 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
96%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.20 avg changeRatings by Course
101
4.0
(1)FLS001
4.0
(1)FL101
2.7
(15)FLS101
2.6
(94)FLS333
2.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
FLS101601
4.3
101
4.0
SPAN101
4.0
FLS333
4.0
FL101
3.8
Reviews (120)
I took this class online (601). It's easy enough - read the textbook pages, send in two e-mails a week to show you've done the work. For tests - just do a quick review. It's just boring, repetitive and you need to have discipline to actually DO the work. The teacher is nice enough, but may take a few days to get back to your e-mails.
Some days I wonder how this guy hasnt chased out the entire class. His class starts off easy at first and continues to get amazingly hard...its somewhat ridiculous...My current class cant stand having him as a teacher...I would advise you to take this class with anyone else if possible
Unfair professor. Has a RIDICULOUS attendance policy, so if you can't make it to your Friday morning classes, don't even bother. The class starts off seemingly easy, then gets rapidly harder in a matter of days. Changes up the rules to how he wants the Quia homework to be done without warning, so beware. As a whole, I wouldn't recommend him.
Prior to this class, I was very interested in Spanish. Now, I never want to take another Spanish class ever again. This professor is completely unfair and his policies are ludicrous. If you miss one class, it is impossible to earn an A. I wouldn't recommend this professor to my worst enemy!
This professor is a horrible teacher. He is unhelpful, unfair, and most of the time it appears that his soul purpose in teaching is to lower his students grades. If you truly want to learn spanish, please, please take this course with another professor.
Wow...Dont know what else to say. I am a Junior at NCSU and this Scott Despain is my first professor that I have ever actually had issues with. He has ridiculous policies that change without warning. His tests start easy then become challenging, which is expected. He seems like his sole purpose in life is to take away from the students learning...
Is not a very helpful teacher at all. Makes the student ask any questions they have in Spanish so if you are confused he is not the one to ask. Class is suprisingly difficult and not a lot of knowledge takenfrom this teacher.
Not a very good teacher at all. He thinks everyone is a cheater and freaks out about it on every test. He is not helpful at all. So if you can get another teacher, I would try to get one.
The worst professor that I have ever had! It would take him up to a week to respond to emails, his tests are absolutely impossible, and he is unhelpful when you need clarification. I was so excited to learn Spanish before taking this class, however, I almost want to cry when I think about having to take it next semester, too!
He expects you to know things that are on your homework assignment and flips out any time he thinks someone is cheating. He's extremely repetitive in everything he says and in his assignments as well. I'd advise finding another teacher
He makes class extremely hard. His tests are for native speakers. He thinks everyone cheats and it not very helpful. I would not recommended this class.
Awesome and caring Professor. He challenges his students and I really had a Great time in this class.
The worst professor I have ever had. His tests are not on lectured material. Enjoys taking points away from students and does not provide guidance for improvement or for what he looks for on the exams. DO NOT take his class!!!! HORRIBLE TEACHER!
He may be an egomaniac and he might annoy the crap out of you at times, but classmates and I agree that he's a good teacher. Study the book, which is very helpful, and pay attention in class. Your TAs should be a lot of help. They do everything for him. Just bear through his actual character and you'll be fine.
He may be an egomaniac and he might annoy the crap out of you at times, but classmates and I agree that he's a good teacher. Study the book, which is very helpful, and pay attention in class. Your TAs should be a lot of help. They do everything for him. Just bear through his actual character and you'll be fine.
Slightly, insultingly paranoid about cheating, but a good teacher for the beginner's nature of his subject and large class size. Not difficult to make an A, just do the homework and ATTEND CLASS. (5 points off final grade for missing certain number of days)
Pretty easy class. He is helpful if you need it, but mostly rely on the TA's for help. All in all he is a good teacher, and he's actually pretty funny.
If you do the Quia and study you'll be good to go. This class requires work but is not hard.
It's an easy A as long as you do the assignments. The TAs do most of Despain's work other than teaching.
Be ready to study and do homework EVERY night .
Challenging class but if you put in the effort it is passable. Do ALL assignments and ask TA's for help if something is unclear.
He is funny. Make sure you do ALL of the bookwork because he gives many pop quizzes. Also, stay on top of Quia! (It will catch up to you fast, so try and stay ahead!) He is overall a good teacher. The TA's will be your main resource of help. If you don't let the work catch up to you, and study a little bit every night, you will be completely fine.
A very good, funny teacher. Do ALL hw assignments if you want to pass the quizzes, and memorize the vocabulary when it's assigned. He does a lot of group work, so be prepared to talk to new people and know your stuff. If you miss more than 3 classes, it counts against your grade SO COME TO CLASS. All in all, a AWESOME teacher. Would take him again
Despain is a HILARIOUS professor. Do ALL homework... random quizes come from this. Tests are easy if you listen and do the homework. Attend class, for he deducts points from your final grade after the 3rd absence. Overall, great instructor. Will take again.
for an intro level spanish, despain ONLY spoke in Spanish. from day 1, no english at all. if you are into that go for it, but for someone who walked in with only high school spnish, being drowned in full spanish talk was terrible. he also passes around a mic and makes everyone in the class speak. talk about being pointed out. remember all in spnish
I'm really not sure what everyone is talking about saying he is a horrible professor. He was actually a very good professor who just actually expected work to be done by his students. He was very nice and helpful and his lectures were pretty entertaining and I learned a lot from him. Take Spanish from him, he is a great teacher.
He was a great teacher who DID NOT JUST TALK IN SPANISH THE WHOLE TIME whoever made that comment obviously didn't pay attention in class honestly he will do both. He only expects you to know what the book has in it. Do ALL THE HW he does random in class quizes and you can use your hw for them and your book. Great teacher!!!
Classes go by quick, he's very entertaining! If you study your Spanish, it's not hard to get an A.
Awesome teacher! I'm not sure why everyone is saying he is terrible.. I came in with only 2 yrs of high school spanish and came out with a high A in the class. He's really entertaining and nice! Really - awesome teacher! Take this class with him!
I hate Spanish, but this class was always the highlight of my day. Dr. Despain keeps you on your toes with the microphone, but also shows mercy on you if he knows you are trying. He is very, very animated and shows lots of adorable videos of his kids speaking Spanish. He's extremely nice and very helpful. I would for sure take him again if I could!
This 101 level was harder than 102 and 201 I got a B in 101 and As in the next two levels. He makes the class harder than it needs to be I dreaded going to this class but I also dread Spanish in general so..
Dr. Despain was an amazing professor! I came in having NO Spanish whatsoever and he made it super easy and fun to learn. He is really sarcastic and even though he does put you on the spot with the microphone he helps you out if he knows you're trying. The tests were easy and the quizzes are straight from your homework. TAKE HIS CLASS!
I had taken three years of spanish prior to this class and still did not receive a high A in his online class. There are a ton of assignments that can sometimes vary in due dates (I am a very organized person but it was too much). Tests were easy, but the other small assignments can mess you up. Do NOT take this class online
It was a hard class. He is super obsessed with cheating. Assigns a lot of work, but if you do it you should get a good grade. Not super hard but you have to study and work.
I thought this was an excellent online course. Having no prior Spanish courses, I managed to get an A in this class. It did require a lot of work, though. There is some assignment due nearly every day, and you should constantly check the schedule to stay on track. He and his wife teach the online course together and are a little comical in lectures
He makes learning spanish interesting! Even if Spanish isnt your thing his lectures are funny and entertaining at the least! Tests are not bad if you pay attention in class and you have to make sure you do the homework because his quizzes are literally just copying your homework answers- he gives you like 15 seconds to do them.
He doesn't lecture and expects you to come into class with all of the material from the reading prepared. He has a microphone and will pass it to you randomly so be prepared to answer whatever he asks you. The tests are fair but hard. I would think he would be good for an upper level FLS class but he wasn't great for 101.
I loved Dr. Despain! He is so funny and made class fly by. As long as you study on your own time to learn conjugations and vocabulary, the tests will be a piece of cake. Make sure you do the assigned book work because he gives pop quizzes on it and only allows like 3-5 minutes but you can copy straight from your homework. I would take this again!
Dr Despain is very funny but his class is tough. Expect 7 oral assignments with your TA. He isn't too clear for being a 101 class. Without prior spanish classes, it would have been a disaster! He will pass out multiple microphones in class for conversation between students but isn't strict if you don't know. Take with someone else if available.
Dr. Despain is the worst. His tests are hard and the class is damn near impossible for anyone who has never done Spanish before.
The key to this class is preparation. If you do your homework, you should be fine, and he checks this by passing the microphone around class and giving 30 sec. quizzes that you can copy straight from your hw. Participation is taken very seriously, and there is strict grading on the tests. Made a B+ with no previous Spanish experience.
Do not take this class online! I have spend 5 hours a day on homework and have a D in the class. With no prior Spanish knowledge this class is almost impossible.
Emails back fast. Makes comical videos with his wife. Does not update grades as often as he should. TA takes a week to grade exams (returned sometimes after you have taken the next exam). DO NOT TAKE ONLINE in summer. The work is excessive & you will have NO life. Clear expectations but this class was VERY difficult especially not knowing Spanish.
Despain is charismatic, and lectures are never boring. The book is very easy to understand. There is a lot of homework (but group work in the book is not required!), and attendance is mandatory. TA office hours are available and I would highly recommend attending those. Tests are fair and really not that hard if you put the work into it.
I took his class this this fall as a freshman. I had no clue what I was getting myself into. Defiantly the worst teacher I have ever had. I would not ever advise taking his class. He passes around a microphone in a 200 person lecture hall and Im pretty sure his goal is to just make people look stupid.
The homework is every night and usually takes about an hour if you are doing it right but it teaches you really well- it is what you learn off of in class so you really can't get out of not doing it. Professor Despain is really fun and energetic and I enjoy learning from him, definitely recommend. Class really isn't hard but just takes work.
I did not enjoy Despain at all. He thinks he's hilarious and he really is not. He doesn't really teach anything. I would not have gotten an A without the textbook where I essentially taught myself everything. He should spend less time focused on passing around a microphone and spend more time teaching. Wish I could've taken 101 with someone else.
Probably the worst thing about this class is that attendance can effect your grade, especially since you do a lot of learning yourself. If you do the homework the way it's intended (actually watch the videos) and make quizlets for vocab this class isn't that hard. Sometimes he gives pop quizzes, but they're straight from the homework.
This professor is one of the worst I have ever had in my college career. His class is completely unreasonable for a first year Spanish student. Would absolutely not recommend him .
This is by far the worst class I have ever taken. SO much homework. This was supposed to be a beginner spanish class, but seems to be far from that.
Very difficult. More homework than most of my other classes combined.
This is by far the worst class and professor I have ever had. Very difficult and completely unreasonable for a beginner level spanish course. I am honestly amazed...I don't understand how this was a 101 course.
Worst class and professor I've had here at State. Tries to seem charming, but very critical. Be ready to spend lots of time studying and doing homework to pass his class. I wouldn't recommend this class with him at all.
Annoying after a couple of weeks to the point where I kept checking my watch to leave all the time. I studied a lot for his tests. Fortunately I really like Spanish. He is passionate about Spanish which is good. But he loves to hear himself speak and class was his personal stage. We had 6 TA's who you could tell grew tired off his shenanigans.
He is a very tough professor, however this is a good thing! He makes sure that you learn all the material through his homework and pop quizzes. He's helping you learn the language, not just pass the class.
I thought I'd hate his class. He expects a lot of you during class but he makes it fun. Everyone is nervous to speak Spanish into a microphone. He makes it easy. A lot of homework though. Luckily, tests are fairly easy. The online homework is the worst though.
Worst prof. for a beginners Spanish class, completely unreasonable workload and does not teach this intro. class in an effective matter. He passes around a microphone and I swear he lives for our confusion and embarrassment. Also, he gives an insane amount of work for each night, more than all my other classes. combined. Do not take.
Worst professor I've ever had at State. Insane amount of homework. Isn't a beginner level Spanish class at all. This is a flipped classroom so you pretty much teach yourself and come to class to watch and listen to him pass around a microphone to embarrass you. Hard tests. Very passive aggressive. Would not recommend to anyone. Get out of it.
A really funny and charismatic person. However, he answers your questions in Spanish which can be annoying when you don't know Spanish. Expect a lot of homework.
Thank goodness i took spanish in high school or i would be so lost. So hard for a spanish 101 class. We learn a lot of things at one time and could get very confusing. He passes around a mic during class and you have to speak in front of 150+ people. A very nerve-wracking, stressful course. Take it with a different professor!!!!!!!
If you get anxious at the thought of having to answer questions into a microphone in front of 150 students then don't take this class. There was a lot of homework, but if you do it and prepare before class then the class itself isn't hard. However, the worst part is the fact that every day there's a chance that you'll get the microphone.
I would advise against taking Dr. Despain. The work load is almost unbearable and the flipped teaching style doesn't work. You will get completely left behind in class if you do not already have a basic understanding of the language. The use of a microphone in class leaves you feeling more anxious about having to speak rather than paying attention.
Dr. Despain made the worst impression on my freshman year. He is insane with the amount of homework he gives which is 95% busy work. No help when you ask him. TA's are hit or miss, mine was miss. The stupid microphone became the focus of the class and no actual learning was done in the mandatory lectures. No way to pass without previous spanish.
TERRIBLE teacher. I took the online FLS101 course which is Elementry Spanish. Both he and his wife teach the class and they give you about 29-40 HW assignments every two days. If you want to get an A, KNOW Spanish. DONT be fooled. Also, they do assign homework during vacation. I cannot describe with such few characters how awful but, don't take.
ENGINEERING level difficulty/workload - INTRO foreign language. No prior Spanish knowledge coming into this course, and was prepared to put in the work. Spent 20 hours/week studying the material and learning it. when it comes to the exam they deduct points for everything that isn't perfect. Exam audio is hard to comprehend. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!
This ISN'T a beginning Spanish course with Despain expecting you to have background knowledge of the language. 99% of the class is self-teaching. Class activities are limited to Despain passing the mic around, making students uncomfortable speaking in front of the entire class while he makes passive-aggressive comments to everyone. DO NOT TAKE.
Despain is a great person but not the best professor for a beginning level course. You literally teach yourself all the content for the whole semester then just review in class. He grades you on a lot but it helps get your grade up. He expects a work load on a senior-level. If you took Spanish in high school you'll have some background knowledge
This class was terrible, he speaks in spanish the whole time even though it is elementary spanish. Get a different professor if you can.
This guy openly mocks his students and will do NOTHING to help people who are struggling in his class. Over half my class dropped in the first 2 weeks because this guy was so unnecessarily hard for and INTRODUCTORY level Spanish course. Don't even take his class as a last resort, if all other professors are filled, take it over the summer.
Despain was a funny teacher but very hard. Attendance policy is VERY strict and there is a crap ton of homework in his class. There are also numerous projects, some of which seemed pretty pointless to me. You also will have to talk in front of large groups of people as it's a 101 class and he makes you use a mic. Textbook/access code are needed.
Personally I dreaded walking to this class in the morning. Attendance is super strict so I dont recommend taking it at 8:30 if you arent a morning person. You have homework every night as well. Way too much work for such an easy subject
Just try to take the class at Wake Tech or another community college over the summer, he gives frustrating and completely pointless amounts of busy work and homework, not to mention you essentially teach yourself and come to class to watch the mic be passed around.
Despain not only was the worst professor (or teacher in general) I have ever had, he was a very rude person in general. I had no Spanish experience before this class and he was no help. I felt like an idiot every time I asked him a question in email or office hours. God forbid you mess up talking in the mic he passes around the class of 200. Awful.
Avoid this class at all costs. I didn't think it was possible to have a bad professor for an online class but my expectations were far exceeded in the worst possible way. He is degrading, rude, unaccommodating, and doesn't listen to a word his students say. There is no excuse for this course to be so difficult-- it's Spanish 101, not Astrophysics.
Scott is a very funny man and makes foreign language class significantly entertaining. The class is also defined, so you know what you are expected of and what to put into the class in order to achieve.
Scott is a great teacher. Very worth taking this class. Some people might not like that he gives out a lot of homework and that he makes you work for the A, but he is a hilarious man that gives out smarties. His class is a joyride of fun. WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO ANYONE.
would not recommend this professor. Runs his class very elementary. We had assigned seating by last name in a lecture of over 100, then he rotates our seats after every unit. It's really pointless. He does pop quizzes at least twice a week but there's always at least one a week. Way too much homework and passes a mic around during lecture.
Prof. Despain is a great Professor and he does his best to make learning fun. Unfortunately, I personally felt that the bar was set too high for students who have zero background in Spanish. If you have no experience in Spanish be aware that this class will be extremely testing and will require extensive commitment outside of class to pass.
Ugh, this class was awful. He's a nice guy but his class was BAD. You don't learn anything in class so you have to teach yourself everything on your own but are required to attend so it's just a waste of time. Most frustrating part is nothing is ever corrected so you don't know what you're doing wrong. Made me resent learning Spanish which is sad
This class was an ABSOULTE DISASTER! I would avoid taking his class at all costs. There was so much homework, his lectures were pointless and I didn't understand a thing. Way too hard of a class for someone without any background knowledge of the language. I would give him less than 1 star if I could!!
First off, he is the most annoying person I have ever met. He has gotten so much worse since his good reviews. His lectures are pointless, he yells at you for messing up once, you have to teach the whole class to yourself, and the homework is way too long for no reason. His tests are impossible for no reason, he doesn't listen to his students.
He did not adapt well to teaching online. Tests are very hard to begin with, but the formats are awful. He asked us how he could improve them, but did not take any of our suggestions. He might be okay if it was in person, but don't take his class online. Too much homework, and it's mostly a self taught course. Strict participation/attendance.
Granted, Im not sure how he teaches his class in person. However, his online class is an absolute mess. Dr. Despain is very unaccommodating and not understanding when it comes to tests. He speaks in Spanish 80% of the time and when the class if full of students who are inexperienced with the language it only causes more confusion
Hands down the WORST professor Ive ever had at NCSU. He gives insane amounts of homework and has way too high of expectations for an elementary Spanish class. Ive never had an online class that had the ridiculous requirements this man had. He does not care about the student and their success in the course. If I could rate him lower, I sure would!
Scott Despain does not listen to his students input and is very set in his ways. The level of difficulty for an intro to Spanish class is absurd. I have no good words to say about this man.
This man literally not compromise with any of his students because hes "been teaching like this for 25 years" which is a super annoying quality in a human being let alone the Assistant Director of the Foreign Language Department. He curved his test just so his students were above failing and thinks hes doing a good job as a teacher. Good Job Scott!
I would hope he is better in class than online. He talks in spanish the whole class and a majority of the students have no previous experience in Spanish. Seems like a nice guy honestly but he is not a good professor. I
Do yourself a favor and DO NOT take this class. Do it at a community college. This professor is extremely set in his ways and offers no extra credit. This is NOT a beginning Spanish course. The worst professor I've had at NC State. Test heavy class with no chance to learn any material on zoom because of how poorly the class is formatted.
So I took this "hard" professor during Covid-19's reign. We had in person class before it moved online. The reason I give him 5 stars is because this is no "do the bare minimum" class. You gotta actually use the language, and he encourages that excellently. Treat MindTap like a quiz to check yourself. Low ratings here HW complainers. He's great!
If you're not ready to be active and talk at 8:30 am I advise you not to take this class via zoom. Professor is ok I enjoyed my TA since he wasn't a harsh grader with my projects. Expect to learn quickly some exams roll around extremely fast. Do well on your MindTap's and sometimes we have pop quizzes during class. Camera should always be on!
Attendance is required for a reason; because you don't need to go to it. MindTap is the professor and Despain is the TA.
The "lectures" involve him talking in Spanish then sending you to a breakout room with another student to learn. Absolutely not an intro class. At least an hour of busy work every day plus he gives exams with a listening section which he does not prepare you for at all. Wish I had more characters to explain. DO NOT TAKE.
Elementary Spanish should never be this hard. Our test averages were consistently low (low-mid 60s) yet Dr. Despain never made changes to try to help his students improve their test scores. This was very frustrating because many students, myself included, felt as if no matter how much we studied, we would never get the grade we wanted or needed.
Please do yourself a favor and don't take this class! It is worth even taking a different language. I know four other people who took this class and every single one of us hated. Worst professor I have had at NC State by far. Test averages were in the 60s and he always blamed it on our studying not his teaching.
Made the class incredibly hard for an intro class. Didnt really teach since you learn everything through MindTap. Gives no study methods or preparation for tests, then blames the class when the average is low. Bit of a power trip
Make sure you come to class. He grades you on whether you show up to class. There is a lot of vocab in this class (at least 100 words per unit)
Was scared to take his class after I saw his ratings, but now, don't understand why they're so bad. Basically do the learning on your own w/ Cengage and do activities w/ it, took me max 30 min each time. His tests are not easy, but definitely not "hard". I'm a lazy student and got an A, so the ones complaining, I think it's on them. Super nice guy.
Its a very fast pace class so it can seem like hes not a good teacher but I really do not think its his fault. TAs carry the class but mine was pretty good. Make sure you do the mindtap and spend time learning everything and you'll be fine.
Not an intro class. Uses MindTap as teaching method, goes into class rattling off Spanish vocab you most likely never heard before, & then breaks you off with a course mate to answer questions you dont know the answers to. I busted my a** in this class to get the grade I got & its not what I deserved after dealing with Despain. Find someone else.
This class was really easy but I honestly feel like Despain added nothing of value. Made attendance mandatory when all he did was review what we did in mind tap the night before. Just do all the mind tap activities and you'll do fine in the class.
Learning a foregin language is not easy, and he is teaching the basics. He is a really nice professor, but because it is such a large class, he is not able to really help 1on1. He is a great responder and will also work with you. Personally, I did not enjoy the way that he taught, it was a lot of you teaching yourself and just reviewing it in class
60% of your grade are the tests including the final. Doesn't teach, lets the Cenage do all the work and he just creates the tests, which if you're a native speaker you'll do just fine on the listening portion of them. DO NOT TAKE. PICK A DIFFERENT PROFESSOR.
Dr. Despain may be one of the worst professors that I have ever taken. As others have mentioned he does not actually teach you anything in class but expects you to teach yourself from the textbook for HOURS each day. The online programs that accompany the textbook are horrible. DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR IF YOU CAN AVOID IT. I would say more but CL
He relies heavily on TAs for help and hardly gives an individualized help. This is an elementary, basic level class and he speaks little to no English. It's a hard class to keep up with. Attendance is mandatory and will affect your grade if you do not attend. Also, ALSO he has no empathy for sickness. If you're sick, you have to get a doctors note.
If you are taking him for FLS101 and have little to no spanish background this class is going to be a struggle. There is approximately 30 minutes of homework assigned 3X a week, along with extensive studying that will be needed to succeed in this class. The hardest things in his class is the 1,000+ vocabulary you are expected to know & the pace.
Prof. Despain was a tough teacher because most of the work is done outside of class, and we really had to study and do all of the homework to have any idea what was going on in the class. The tests weren't that hard. Lots of oral exams.
You are expected to learn on your own the entire semester. The class is only for "practice." He moves on very fast; there is not much time to practice. You have to rely on the people in your group to know what's going on to practice. Three of the TAs talked very badly about him. You will not get much out of this class.
Everyone saying you have to teach yourself outside of class, welcome to college, that's just how it is. The content is straight forward and he makes it clear what you should study and know for the tests. He even gives you an opportunity to do extra credit to drop low quiz and test grades. If you put in the work, this class is very easy.
This class was really hard for a 101 class, if you've never taken Spanish I would not recommend it. There's so much homework, four tests, and four speaking projects. Attendance is mandatory and part of your grade, and the cumulative final is 30% of your grade. He was not understanding for students struggling and sent everyone to the TA's.
This course does require a lot of work outside of class but Dr.Despain is a very kind a caring man. The tests aren't that hard if you prepare well and work consistently throughout the course. A LARGE majority of the people who struggled with the course and gave bad reviews put in minimal to no effort so be ready to put in the work.
Just like with Jennifer Despain, he is very bad at actually teaching. You need to learn all the Spanish on your own without any assistance. Please do as many chapas as possible (extra credit) because you'll need it. It's also helpful to meet with the TA often.
Bro obviously does not like or care about his job or the students. He expects you to do everything on your own and does not care to help you as the teacher but will just send you to TAs.
Going into this class I knew it would be a lot of work because it is an online course. More than half of our class was failing and the professors do not care at all. Scott teaches it along with his wife Jenifer, they actually don't do anything. I had multiple experiences where they were the ones who messed something up and I had to fix it.
People who dislike Dr. Despain are not putting in the effort to learn a language. FLS101 is challenging, and it's very fast-paced. Dr. Despain will point you towards the TA's 9/10 times, but he uses class time well and keeps you entertained. He was sweet. If you have a question, just ask. A lot of people just don't, which makes him seem scarier.
If you don't want hours of homework every week, do not take this class. Dr. Despain is fine as a person, funny even, but he gives an insane amount of homework. However, if you do all of the homework, you're good to go. The homework is relevant and doing it will not only help your grade, but it will genuinely teach you the content.
He is not the worst professor ever, but he is not great. If you are an introvert, do not take this class. So much partner work. You have lots of homework online after every class, If you have never taken a Spanish class before, avoid. Lots of projects.He will call on you with no warning. Hard to follow. He does offer some "extra credit".
Dr. Despain's FLS 101 class was a lot more work than I would've expected for an introductory Spanish course. There are hours of homework, due three times a week, so many projects, and the tests are graded harshly. The TAs do most of the work and teaching, so reaching out to them helps a lot. I could've learned more from another teacher.
Would not recommend, Despain focuses more on theatrics than actually teaching the class. He is very condescending when you ask for help or try to participate. Be sure to have a good background in Spanish if you take this course.
FLS101 with Professor Despain is a challenging Spanish course with lots of homework, but engaging lectures and helpful TAs. unstuck AI was a lifesaver for study prep.
Dr. Despain is a great professor despite the negative reviews. In 300‑level classes, especially Sounds of Spanish, he teaches very well. Attendance counts toward your grade, and so does the projects. Always do the work and read the lecture material so you can follow along in class.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
96%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.20 avg changeRatings by Course
101
4.0
(1)FLS001
4.0
(1)FL101
2.7
(15)FLS101
2.6
(94)FLS333
2.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
FLS101601
4.3
101
4.0
SPAN101
4.0
FLS333
4.0
FL101
3.8