2.9
Quality3.1
Difficulty46%
Would Retake90
Reviews46%
Would Retake
90
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
90 total ratings5
35
4
4
3
7
2
11
1
33
What Students Say
“Easiest D+ of my life”
ENGG130 - 5.0 rating“If you are in his class, switch out now”
ENGG130 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
43%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.13 avg changeRatings by Course
CIVE779
3.5
(14)ENGG51270
3.0
(2)ENGG130
2.9
(68)CIV779
2.6
(5)Difficulty by Course
ENGG130
3.2
CIV779
3.2
ENGG51270
3.0
CIVE779
2.7
Reviews (89)
Convoluted examples, horrible accent, writing is messy and it seems like he doesn't even know what he is teaching. You need the textbook to teach yourself.
Very unclear explanations and doesn't really know how to explain things another way. He's a nice guy though. You'll have to learn it on your own.
communication is a problem.
He cannot explain things. If you are in his class, save your time and don't go to lectures. Reading the textbook will be a lot more beneficial.
Prepare to teach yourself. Lectures are essentially a waste of time, get in the textbook.
He's really good one-on-one. My issue with him is primarily how he explains concepts in a very denotative manner. I think he should prep for his lectures ahead of time, or bring an answer key with him, so that he doesn't waste time doing a sample problem for half an hour. He's a good marker though; he will give you marks if you gave effort.
This guy is dope. He is pretty funny guy. Yes he has an accent and his writing skills are questionable; however he really knows the material and if you go to his office hours you should be fine. and his in class examples are really good.
This guy is MVP at office hours. Best advice, read the textbook and if there is something you don't get just ask him during his office hours. He knows the material inside out(although it may not look like that) and is a pretty cool guy.
Worst ever teacher I had in my life. I wish he do something else other than teaching. He 'll ruin your course you wont understand anything. I would have given him O rating but it doesn't let me do it so putting one.
His new to U of A. Very tough to understand. You can tell he cares about your learning. His language barrier makes it very tough for him to teach a very difficult class. Since the exam is consolidated, its better you find another prof for the class and do well in the class. Notes all posted on eclass very clearly so no bother attending class.
Amazing
The key to his class is to prep and nail down the concepts during lectures, and attend his office hours!!! For some reason I understand him better that way. He's very approachable and will help you.
Since this was his first year at the UofA ill give him some slack, but otherwise he has some lackluster hand writing and his accent (this is coming from another chinese person) is difficult to understand. He will get confused at his own words and stand there confused at his own stuff/the powerpoint for 10 minutes trying to figure it out.
Chen is a really nice and funny guy. But his teaching is absolutely horrible. Had to learn the whole course through the textbook. But for his first semester of teaching it was somewhat understandable. He's a really smart guy, he just has a hard time communicating his knowledge to his students.
The worst prof i ever had. He teaches one thing and tests us on something else. If you want a D or F, then go ahead with this guy. There are better statics profs.
Makes me doubt I study in a University that's rated in Top 100 in the world.
There are a ton of communication difficulties in class, including a thick accent and abysmal handwriting. Lecture is not worth attending as long as you have the textbook. A difficult course regardless of prof, try everything to get a different professor for ENGG 130.
He speaks with a heavy accent, so, if you're not great at hearing/English isn't your first language, it can definitely be hard to understand him. His lectures are very textbook-dependent, but he gives good (quick) examples of how to do the work. He is pretty good at explaining things one-on-one, and gives occasional motivational speeches in class.
AMAZING!!!!!!!
Difficult to read the notes in class, and he mumbles to himself so it is almost impossible to follow along. He would frequently get major topics wrong when doing examples in class and he never came across as prepared for lectures. Avoid if you can, the textbook is way better than this guy. He isn't a bad guy, but hes a bad professor.
He has a very heavy accent which makes his speech difficult to comprehend. In addition, he has a shabby handwriting while writing the problems to solutions. His labs aren't typically easy either. He wouldn't be a good choice to be honest. Better off looking elsewhere.
Awesome office hours. Extremely helpful one on one. Very kind and explains things very well and thoroughly. Lectures are terrible; he mumbles and his handwriting is horrible. I don't recommend going to his lectures but read the textbook and see him if you need help and you'll do really well.
the best professor ever detailed notes, clear lectures, easy exams all hail the legend yuxiang
okay he's a nice guy... but... I had to teach myself the entire course, and engg130 is very tough one. his accent is so thick and he mispronounces every single word. he's labs are quite difficult. and he only shows simple examples which are 100% different than what you would get in an actual exam. would never take his class again.
Dr. Chen does get better as the semester goes on, but starting out in eng with him was a huge mistake. Engg130 is already hard enough, and his heavy accent (I can barely understand what he's saying) and his very messy notes make it extremely hard to understand what's happening. I would strongly recommend choosing a different prof for this course
Never take again
This guy is useless. His heavy accent makes it impossible to understand him in class. The power-points sometimes don't match the stuff on the board. The class average in 2017 was 18/40, and the passing grade was 13/40. If you are in his class, switch out now.
His heavy accent makes it hard to understand what he's saying. The notes are not very clear and his handwriting is really hard to read. You're better off not attending his lectures. Just read the textbook it's more helpful.
Chen is a good prof, Don't know why his score is so low. A thoughtful and respectful teacher who is always available in class and outside class. Maybe his accent makes him kinda hard to understand, but his office hour is really helpful. It's a pity that he only teaches ENGG130 or I'll definitely take his class again.
Doesn't speak loud enough, mumbles to himself, has a heavy accent that is difficult to understand when in class, has pretty crude handwriting and notes; however, always sends out emails and has changed office hours to help more students. Textbook/tutors/TAs really help and are better, don't go to class at all. ENGG130 is hard, get a different prof.
Definitely won't take his class again.
Now it is quite clear that he is not a good instructor, but my recommendation to those who are stuck with him is to try to attend the classes and understand his lectures.
wanna pass ? office hours and learn it on your own. don't go to class. This guy is useless at teaching a crowd.
Chen isn't a bad prof if you go to him during office hours, but the lectures are hard to follow due to his accent and messy writing. I recommend to read the textbook. Do not want to take again.
Wonderful!
BEST PROF in CANADA.
He is a nice guy
he is patient and nice.
easily get A in his section
his lecture is easy to understand and I like his note. actually, I got a by practicing examples he posted.
A good proessor. His notes are organized.
Easily followed him during class time. Office Hour is also useful.
Strongly Recommend Chen
Best Prof EVER
Chen is really helpful and cares a lot about his students. It may be hard to understand him at first due to his thick accent, but you get used to it as the semester goes on. He is very accessible outside of lecture. You don't need to copy notes in class as he posts them online. This is really nice because it makes it easier to understand material.
AMAZING. As much as I hated this class Chen helped me find a silvering lining. HIGHLY recommend getting to know him on a personal level, if he knows your name he goes out of his way to assure you are always doing well in the class. Chen cares about his students and it shows.
excellent man
Easiest D+ of my life
Chen teaches you the basics of eng 130, however it is difficult if you solely depend on him and his notes for studying for the midterm/finals. Although, he is friendly and his office hours are helpful. If you want to do well in his class, I would recommend reviewing his notes, and all of the available midterm/final practice exams.
Get B without midterm mark. Best prof.
Not bad but definitely isn't amazing either. If you are ever stuck in his class his lectures are very hard to follow because of his accent and his very messy handwriting. he's an awesome professor 1 on 1 and he is always willing to help his students whenever. If you have him you're not in a terrible situation, but not in the best one either.
Dr. Chen is a good guy. He cares about the students and is funny in class. That's where his positives end for me. His lectures mainly consist of him explaining simple topics and then skipping most of the examples. He is worse than the textbook for any competent student. Clear concepts can become confusing after his lectures. I recommend skipping.
He knows his stuff but his attitude is bad which just spoils the whole learning experience.
Not worth it.
Just no, plz just don't take this prof, anyone else is better. Unless you want ENGG130 to completely destroy, don't take this professor.
This man inspires me not to be a civil engineer. Everyday I contemplate whether this engineering degree is worth it because of this man. He cares about you, but not your grades. You're better off watching Carlos Cruz videos.
Take a different prof for your own sanity.
Horrible experience, albeit we are all adjusting to online schooling. He uses very specific notation and his skims over examples that are paramount to understanding the concepts. The midterms and final had no part marks and it seems that many people did poorly on those two tests. Grades were not good reflections of understanding.
Awful I spent most of my time in a semester working on this course's assignments and it was not worth it He is so rude and torching student for the course.
The worst professor for ENGG 130. His lectures were useless, just a few simplest theories and not many examples. Grading was unfair, there was no part mark given in midterms and final. You can only hope that you didn't get this professor, and if you did, go straight to other professors' lectures.
By far the worst professor and person I have ever worked with. Very rude and unprofessional. Not sure if there is anything useful to be learned from him. Advice: replace him as soon as possible.
Awful Terrible Worst professor ever! He doesn't care about the students. I've emailed him questions, he just replied "read my example", didn't specify which one, and all his examples are not really related to my questions. And one of my classmate asked him a question in class, he replied "Did you even go to high school?" What the hell..
He is so rude and he doesnt care about students. He is the most terrible professor I met before, just dont choose his lecture, and if u have to, u should be careful.
Don't attend is class, save yourself some time. He's very confusing
Slow, unorganized, and unclear teaching style. Would have been my hardest class if it wasn't for online videos from another professor. Would strongly recommend going to another class if you don't like his teaching style. Didn't get much from his later lectures.
Chen was not a great prof, his lectures were unorganized and messy and if it weren't for videos from other profs I would have hated this class. Do not rely only on Chen to do well in this class because his lectures are next to pointless.
Had a class when learning about moment of inertia- said "lets just make up a number for this rather than calculating it" then proceeded to get the entire question wrong even with his made up number, had to be corrected by students many times, really bad midterm exams / final (only get full marks, no part marks for supporting work)
Xuchiang Chen was a good professor, but the midterm format was terrible. It was online and all or nothing, and if you made even a simple sign error, you could easily lose 25% on the midterm. On the good side though, Xuchiang gave us access to asynchronous lectures from last year, which meant that if we skipped a class we didn't have to worry.
Does not care about students, very disrespectful toward students, does not know how to teach, he made a very interesting class terrible.
Dr. Yuxiang Chen's CIVE 779 class is outstanding. His deep knowledge and engaging teaching style make complex building science concepts accessible and exciting. His support and practical coursework significantly enhance learning. Highly recommend for anyone passionate about building science.
This professor is not up to the standards of Canadian higher education. His communication with students is a bit sketchy. I highly recommend not to take his course. It would be better for the institution to kindly review his performance. Most of the students I met do not have good opinion about him.
The professor is fair and the course is very useful if you want to work as a building engineer, which is in high market demand. You will learn a lot if you follow along and are interested in the topic.
Excellent professor who is kind, knowledgeable, and accommodating.
Great teacher. Goes over and beyond for students.
Very caring and considerate
Fantastic professor
He supports team spirit
Mindful examples. Great communication skills
Enthusiastic, energetic and displays positive behavior.
Great professor with excellent knowledge of the course
The professor is incredibly helpful to students, going above and beyond in emergencies.
He is an excellent professor, and I highly recommend his classes. Not only is he incredibly knowledgeable, but he is also caring and thoughtful. His classes are truly inspiring and helped me feel more confident in my choice to pursue engineering.
He is an excellent professor, and I highly recommend his classes. Not only is he incredibly knowledgeable, but he is also caring and thoughtful. His classes are truly inspiring and helped my feel more confident in my choice to pursue engineering
Excellent Professor! Highly recommend taking his class
Great professor. Very helpful and inspiring.
The professor is highly professional, understanding, and approachable, creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment for students. Their extensive knowledge and ability to clearly convey complex concepts make the material engaging and easy to comprehend.
I am really disappointed of the university for even having an instructor like this. I know professors are tough but they should at least respect students. There should be a mutual line of respect between students and instructors.... sadly, Yuxiang Chen does not respect students at all. I had a bad experience taking his course sadly.
I can only review based on my own experience. Maybe Chen is a good researcher (I guess) but when it comes to teaching he needs improvement. Especially when it comes to communicating with students. He just brushes through the important parts and when we ask questions, he ignores. Civil department should look into his teaching performance.
He doesn't deserve to be a professor at the university at all.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
43%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.13 avg changeRatings by Course
CIVE779
3.5
(14)ENGG51270
3.0
(2)ENGG130
2.9
(68)CIV779
2.6
(5)Difficulty by Course
ENGG130
3.2
CIV779
3.2
ENGG51270
3.0
CIVE779
2.7