Mr. Van is a nice teacher. He does not give any tests or a final exam but by the end of the year you would end up WISHING he would have given them instead of the LOAD OF WORK he requires his students to do. SOOO much work i went INSANE. DO NOT recommend

Mr van is as easy as they come. the is no test, no final, and midterm. just homework, participation, and two easy which are very simple and unlimited amount of extra credit assignments... highly recomeneded....

I WAS NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO TAKING ANY TYPE OF HISTORY BUT THIS PROFESSOR MADE THIS CLASS REALLY ENJOYABLE AND EDUCATIONAL. I GIVE MR. VAN A ++ BECAUSE HE TAUGHT ME A LOT AND HE IS SO KING AND CARING TO HIS PATIENTS!!

nice professor! very helpful and very patient as well.. i highly recommend him to all..

Forget Spring Break you will be writing a play script!!! Long detailed essay questions every week (BE SPECIFIC!) Difficult special project instead of final. Interesting teacher - way too much homework. He's is an English buff. Nice guy.

He is very nice and sincere,but it was not easy. Prepare yourself for lots of work.If u are lazy,you will not do well in this class.Not an easy class.

very nice guy but very boring. gives alot of homework, more of an english class than a history class. no tests or final, lots of short quizzes. grades on a curve, i got a good grade, B, without hardly ever turning in homework. i didnt do any of the essays or the script, i just turned in my special project. my advice: dont sweat the homework to much you'll be fine.

his lectures are long, but if you do the work you should notbe afraid because he is a helpful teacher. i recomend him.

very nice guy. his lectures are not as lively but it is clear. just make sure you ask alot of questions, do your hw, and you'll be fine.

I adored Mr. Van. He lectured a lot, but also had us do group work every so often. Encourages discussion and is very easy going. Quizzes are easy, as was the final. DO THE READING. Mini-essays every week on chapters in the book, but really easy. Just read and you'll be fine. He recommends doing flash cards; DO THEM. It'll help a lot. GREAT

He is great,but at times,I fell asleep in his class.I love hist.and I love reading,but his lectures were not lively.Also,he deducts points for poor grammarKnow all answers on the s.guide,do the HW and u will be ok.He cares about his students.Dr.Van,some of us are foreigners,and please don't grade our Eng.instead of our HW.However,U are still my #1

Great teacher! Quizes almost every week but if you read the chapter and pay attention to his classnotes you should be fine. There is a lot of homework, which is not a big deal if you read the chapter. He is also a good grader, grades on a curve. There is an eight page essay, somewhat a research paper, due at the end of semester. Higly reccomended!

Mr.Van is the best teacher by far!He tries to help his students so much and is willing to have study session b4 class.His quizes are easy if you read the material. he gets his mid term Qs from the quizes!Lot of hw but, if you do the reading its not hard! He is the best!!He aknowledges the ones that try and he is very fair!

Just a fantastic teacher. Kind, creative and fair. The quizzes are not the easiest I've ever taken, but are by no means hard. Asks very interesting questions for discussion that are actually fun to answer. Not a cakewalk by any means but if you do the work and try hard you'll be rewarded with a good grade. If only every teacher was like this!

Great teacher. I took the class online this Summer. The project was not hard, I finished it within one week. Nice and seems to be very down-to-earth. Take him because he is not such a hard grader and it is very easy to ask questions which he will respond as a.s.a.p

Perhaps the best professor I have ever had. Professor Van encourages discussion, emphasizes critical thinking, and makes history a stimulating subject. Unlike some professors who are irritated by questions Professor Van encourages interaction and opposing viewpoints.. I looked forward to each class and left many with my head buzzing with ideas..

Trust me, only take this class if you're a history major. Hist. is an elective however he believes that its the most import. subj. in the world. He gives quizzes every week and gives a final, even though he said he wouldn't on the first day of class. Dont take him, you'll waste import. time studying for this class.

EXCELLENT TEACHER. REALLY ENJOYED HIS CLASS. LECTURES WERE VERY INTERESTING AND HELPFUL. IF YOU DID YOUR HOMEWORK IT WAS VERY EASY TO SUCCEED IN HIS CLASS.

I really liked this guy. Took history 11 online with him - lots of reading involved, but hey this is history. I learned a LOT from this guy - if you keep up with the weekly reading and assignments easy to get a good grade in this class and learn a lot.

Mr. Van. is unbelievably knowledgeable about history. You can tell he is really excited about what he's teaching. I got an 'A' in his course, but, he is a very tough grader. If he says he wants a minimum 2,000 word essay, be prepared to write 4,000 minimum to get an A. We had to read five long, intense books for his course. Not an easy 'A'.

Prof Van is fair. For those who wish to advance into respectable universities, take his class. It took me study groups before tests and had readings twice a week but i got an A. He appreciates participation. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT. If you think he is hard, you are still stuck in "high school" mode.

Excellent class for those who like to think outside the box. Am a UCLA graduate and this class was better than most GE glasses. Felt more like an upper division seminar. Excellent professor, too. Great analytical thinking and an amazing breadth of knowledge. For those who think this class is hard, this is NOT high school. It's college.

Lots of busy-work, but definitely worth it if you have any stake in being a well-rounded, educated individual. Very approachable and interesting guy. I would take him again in a heartbeat if he were given more on-campus classes.

His assignments and quizzes are pretty easy. The only thing I disliked about Mr. Van was his lack of communication with the class -- worse than an on-campus class

I took his online History of California class and it was awesome. You have to do all the reading though and set aside plenty of time for his writing assignments. But I found that if you stay on top of them, you'll have about half the week off. Mr. Van has a great sense of humor that he was able to share even though he couln't actually be seen. I f

A good course.

I really like this teacher. He is very helpful and encouraging. He wants students to learn and do well. He will understand if you have a bad week here or there if you're normally a good student. He rewards improvement. Enjoyable class. Quizzes every other week and two essays. Lots of work but one of the nicest professors I've ever had. Take him!

Totally worth it. Thoughtful, funny, and a fabulous person.

Online summer History of CA course. Hardest history class I've ever taken. Lots of reading (entire textbook plus Where I Was From- boring book and difficult to understand). Don't expect to do well in this class if you don't read ALL the material. Writing assignments take a LONG time. Professor Van is nice and helpful.Don't take unless history major

Mr. Van is very nice, extremely helpful, and very clear. He grades papers, assignments, and quizzes quickly. He also offers extra credit! However, his lectures are incredibly dry, there is a quiz every week, and there is a TON of reading material. Show up EVERY day, drink coffee, and stay on top of the reading. Seriously, you'll fail if you don't.

Interesting subject matter, good communication, fair grading. A considerable amount of reading/self teaching (most likely due to online format), doesn't comment directly - - as he used to - - on the weekly discussions. All-in-all, an excellent teacher. You will do well if you read the assignments, do the weekly tests and discussions. A+ professor!

I took his online history of California class and it was very, very demanding. All of the work you'll do for his classes are essay writing, so if you're a slow or weak writer, beware. Hardest history teacher at SMC, period.

I took History 11 online with him. All I go to say is that he is a good professor because he is fair and gives you comments on your work. He's a nice guy.

A terrific, passionate and giving professor. Thought provoking discussion questions, encourages debate, critical thought and strong point of view. Imbues students with study skills and weekly feedback that will influence work in future classes. Appreciates enthusiasm and self drive. He very approachable and has his students best interests in mind.

I took the Hist20 online class. It was hard. There was a quiz every other week and a discussion every week. N tests,just final essay, two essays and a project to go to a historical place. he responded fast and commented everything. prepare for a lot of writing and reading. must read the books,quizzes and essays are based on the books

6-wk Summer course, interesting, nice and helpful professor, but A LOT of work. Weekly in-class essays, homework assignments, 5-pg take-home mid-term, and 2-hr in-class essay Final - NO multi choice! Uses the book cover-to-cover. Great prof for anyone thinking of majoring in history... no easy A for the rest of us!

I'm taking the online Hist 12 class. He seems like a really nice guy but gives far too much work for a 3 unit class. It is literally more work than my 5 unit Chem class. Not a class for a non history major like myself.You also have to basically teach yourself and read everything from the book.He gives an overview of the chapters but no real lecture

OMG! More work than ANY other class of any subject even 5 unit courses I have ever taken. If you are a History major might be good for you otherwise avoid at all cost unless you have 10 hours a week to spend on reading and homework. Work has to be done at his schedule and you cannot do homework in advance.

Great professor and class, but be prepared to spend a lot of time on assignments. Reading is necessary to complete them, and they get progressively more time-consuming throughout the semester. If you hate writing, don't take. Gives extra points for doing extremely well on posts but you must go above and beyond on essays if you want an A.

Professor Vanbenschoten is a great, helpful and knowledgeable Professor that seems very genuine. He does however expect you to work hard in class, it's not an easy class if you slack/miss a lot of classes. I got an A in the class but I had to work very hard for it. Read the textbook carefully!

I took his summer class. He is not a very exciting lecturer (make sure to drink some coffee) but he was very clear and helpful. The summer class is easy to pass and does not involve any brain power or memorization. You just have to do LOTS of reading and writing.

Took his summer class.Had weekly in class essay questions with few definitions, few documents/article assignments here and there,and a final exam. You need the textbook. Overall it was interesting and I learned a lot.

So I must say Professor Van is a wonderful professor. As long as you give him your best and fully engage yourself into the course, he will award you with acknowledgment and good grades. I had no interest in US History, but thanks to his respect for history his assignments had me intrigued. Great class to take!

Mr. Van puts a lot of effort into his classes and if you are engaged in the class you will get a good grade. He also goes out of his way to answer questions and concerns about the class. One of my favorite teachers yet!

I haven't taken any US History class that goes in depth and so I'm a novice but it was an easy A as long as you participate in his discussion threads. I learned a lot from this class. Best History class! He also gives extra credit points.

His lectures are clear. The material is pretty straightforward. I took it as a winter class so it was pretty quick but as long as you pay attention and take notes you should be able to receive a passing grade.

I don't even like HIstory but I really enjoyed this class. He is very organized and helpful. If you read the material and do all the homework you will be fine. I would definitely take him again. He is a great professor!

Professional teacher. He knows what he's doing, and he knows why he's good. He's personable, interesting, and inspires deep thought and reflection. Highly recommended for anyone.

I read through alot of the reviews on professor Vanbenschoten, and they would have put me off from ever taking him if I hadn't taken a chancer. The semester was compressed into 6 weeks so it was fast paced but manageable, he gave a single weekly quiz (open notes), as well as open note exams. Pay attention, take good notes, and you'll do well.

Seems like an amazing teacher but WAY too much work for an online class. Probably consists of more work than 2 of my 4 classes combined. This was my first online class and it put a very bad taste in my mouth.

way too much homework, very tough grader

Not set up for working students, almost all work due every Thurs but my days off to focus on school are the weekend. Tricky questions on the quiz, his wording makes it easy to miss points even if you know the info. Grading scale very confusing. I dropped bc I felt this class would ruin my 4.0. Sad bc I was so excited and he seemed really nice.

One of the more enjoyable online courses I've taken, if for no other reason than Professor Van seems like a human and not a robot his feedback on assignments is both constructive and sociable. He outlines most everything is his syllabus and is very clear with instructions. There is a lot of reading but it's not terrible if you can manage time well

My first semester at SMC and he's the best professor I had! He's very smart and the readings and discussions are always interesting, just don't forget to post! Plus he's very good at responding to emails. He doesn't take late work. I made sure to sign up for his history 20 online class during Spring because I want to take him again. Take him!

Best class I've taken in a while. It is a lot of work (weekly essay and bi-weekly quiz, along with a midterm essay and final essay) but Prof. Van wants you to succeed. He is happy to help with any questions and responds to your weekly essays with helpful comments. Read the material and apply yourself and you'll get an A. You learn so much!

The text is required because it will be used for discussions. Do invest your time on the discussion questions because they require everything you learned for assigned reading and documents. That's where the majority of your grade depends on. I hated history but taking course made me appreciate and actually learn to love it

Took World Civ 1 with professor Van online, it's a lot of reading and there's a discussion due every week. I would not recommend this course online if you don't have the discipline for it. That being said Professor Van is a great teacher and outlines assignments very specifically, as long as your stick to the readings and assignments you'll pass

I took his history 33 class online and there was a lot of work!!! Discussions are worth most of your grade and he grades them pretty tough. I was determined to get an A in his class but towards the end of the semester I concluded that I was going to get a B. But he graded the final exam pretty easy and he also has awesome Extra Credit.

Hard class but Professor Van made it enjoyable. Discussions (basically essays) are worth 50% of the grade and there are 12 of them. Quizzes are easy, but the class is mainly writing. I did enjoy how critically he made me think about history and all of the work helped me internalize the information. Good professor but hard, must be dedicated.

I took a summer course with this prof. He is very knowledgable and cares about his students. Yes you have to read, and the assignments require effort, but isn't that the case with any college level class? Do your assignments, put genuine effort into them, & you will do well. He is a very fair grader, and you learn a lot, everyone seemed to love it.

I had him for H 12 during spring semester with P/No P grad. I felt so desperate after doing what I thought helps my grade, wrong! when you get a low grade, go to his office ASAP for help. My grade from 39 went to 76. I wish I asked for help earlier not after a month and half. After this class you will be a better writer for your future classes!!!!!

I took his class over the summer online, with failing every history class in high school I got a 92 percent in his class. keep in mind half of your grade is a discussion essay. so u must-read. but I did mostly 50/50 on them. all quizzes are easy and he's super funny and nice.

Don't listen to any review that says this class is hard. Every week is an assignment + quiz which are easy. Instead of tests there are three essays. There is a field trip project. I probably spent around 1-2 hours a week doing homework. Papers take only a few hours to do. Professor Van really cares about his students and offers amazing feedback.

Professor Van is a great person! He gives great lectures and has detailed discussions. He doesn't grade harshly, but according to very well-defined criteria, so you can definitely do well if you follow instructions and work hard. Although some aspects were challenging, overall, he absolutely provides a stimulating experience. Thanks Professor Van!

I took his class over the summer and I liked it a lot he is very organized and will not let you fall behind in anything. It was fast passed and there is a lot of primary source analyzing, but if you read the chapters you will be fine. His lectures are good if you have a hard time understanding something. He is super nice and understanding.

Mr. Van is a real gem, unlike many other teachers he makes you work for your grade. He gives great feedback and encourages students to do their best in each assignment. He's made history fun and interesting. He offers optional zoom meetings which I recommend you attend. He's very clear on what he's asking from students. I totally recommend.

Fantastic professor! Genuinely loves history and is enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge. Textbook is online. Class was very organized and Prof. Van is easily accessible and friendly to converse with. I'd love to take another class of his.

I did not expect to love this class as much as I did but I had so much fun doing all the assignments, this is not a dull course at all. I can say this course truly taught me the importance of history. The professor replies to emails quickly, and genuinely cares about his students' success. I took this during the spring and will remember it fondly.

He is not that bad. There is a lot of reading however and has strict grading criteria. Personally, it was something to get used to as the course goes by. I think this is great if you're a history major, but if its a general. Choose something else.

He assigns a decent amount per week and if you manage it well you should be able to exceed in the class. There is a lot of reading which can be difficult. Otherwise he critiques well and makes the class engaging.

I took his online class during the summer, which was 6 weeks long. He was a great teacher and even though I suck at writing papers he was a nice grader. No midterm but the final was two essays with a minimum of 1200 words. He was really cool and gave extra credit when he thought something a student wrote was funny.

Prof. Van's HIST12 class has a fair amount of reading and writing, but using tools like unstuck ai can make the workload more manageable. He's a tough grader but engaged and willing to help. Overall, a challenging yet rewarding course.

Dr. Van is a great professor. He does assign a lot of reading and writing, but no class I have taken throughout my college career (5 years) has improved my writing skills as much as this course did. He gives excellent feedback and cares about your success. His assignments are fun and engaging. I would highly recommend this course. Thank you!