Zahir was one of the best profs I've ever had. He's hilarious and a lot of his teachings come from his personal experiences. He's an interesting and very caring person. He really cares that his students do well and is very flexible if you need help or extra time. Tests were very fair and he made them easy to study for. I hope I take more with him.

Genuinely cares about his students and the quality of work they submit, and is willing to work with you. He is very prepared and is very knowledgeable about the content and makes it interesting with an appropriate number of real life examples from his own personal life and outside examples.

Probably the best prof I've ever had. Super engaged, passionate, and well-educated even beyond academia, brings liveliness and his own experiences that are applicable to the material. His classes were the highlight of my week.

Zahir wants all of his students to succeed. Exam review questions are the main topics we should know, but he doesn't necessarily say what he expects the answers to be. He is also a tough marker. I just wish that he gave clearer grading criteria, as he also doesn't give feedback. Overall, he is very engaging and very knowledgable in his field.

He really cares about his students passing and getting a good mark. He's a bit of a tough marker but not too bad.

Professor Kolia really does want all of his students to succeed, and although he is a great person, personally I just didn't like his teaching style. I found myself being bored with the content and sometimes the ways that he explained the content was confusing. Solid person, but not the best lecturer. You will still enjoy his class if you have him.

Professor Kolia is a very caring person and will extend deadlines if necessary. He didn't really use the textbook all that much in his class and on the midterm and final there were barely any questions that came from the textbook. But I would still read it because it explains things clearly if you are confused in his lectures.

Love this prof, midterm and exam questions were given ahead of time. Have to show up to lecture as attendance is counted for, but wasnt difficult to show up due to his good looks (honestly my main motivation to show up) and lecture style

Kolia is my favourite professor at Ryerson. Unlike what the previous review said, Kolia does not make you feel uncomfortable when he gets heated. He is the realist Prof I have ever experienced. He gets the struggle of being a student and is flexible. He has high standards in regards to marking but his feedback is great. His lectures are amazing!!

The prof himself is an amazing person, he's passionate and knowledgeable about the content. Most material covered in actual lecture is not on the exam you still have to attend because 20% of your grade is participation. His exams are solely based of readings. He uses a grader to mark exams which can be a problem for some. Takes long to give grades

Professor Kolia is probably the most passionate professor that will use personal stories and media examples to explain the material. He gives the exam questions in advance, but the multiple choice is not. He can ask some specific questions with the multiple choice, so its best to do the readings. Overall, great prof but you need to study.

He as a person was awesome. Genuinely cares about his students and loved to engage the class in conversation. I didn't find the lectures helpful. Readings are what we're tested on. I felt that the paper was also a little too broad so it can be hard to find a direction. Dont slack on reading because u will end up with 200+ pages to read

Dr Kolia will challenge how you see the justice system and basically not sugar coat anything. POC really appreciate him because he does not shy away from topics like racism. I personally loved his lectures because he brings in examples from many places, even his own life and movie clips, they really helped me understand the readings better.

He is the best. lectures are fun to be in and he makes everything really easy to understand. his exams are really easy to prepare for he gives the best outlines and is overall just the best. I want to take more classes that he teaches but im not sure what else he does so if you know let me know

He's easily the best prof I had. For every assignment he is accessible and provides good feedback, and his exams are also great because he gives clear topics to study that actually show up on the exam. His lectures are always fun yet on topic, and he lets student speak. He made me look forward to every class and I'd 100% take other classes of his.

Professor Kolia was a great professor! There are only 3 assessments so messing up on one could easily affect your mark. Didnt have to study for the midterm/final exam too much as he gave us the questions beforehand. Super understanding and just wants you to do the readings. Lectures are a bit long as he wants to hear everyones opinions.

the best prof I've ever had. He is a chill teacher who makes his lectures quite interesting and adds in a few jokes here and there. Tests are easy especially because he gives out reviews and those are basically the test. funny, respectful, and easily accessible outside of class

An extremely passionate professor. He talks about issues many people are afraid to hear such as race and sexualization in criminal justice. Study the topics given for the exams and you've got an easy B. Actually read the textbook and you've now got an A. Many students (including myself) didn't do as well due to not reading the textbook.

I really enjoyed attending his lectures, they were super interesting. Make sure you finish all the readings in order to do well on the exams. He really makes you work for a good mark. During his lectures, there is a lot of class discussion and him sharing personal stories. Overall I learned a lot in his class

The best professor I have ever had, so funny and down to earth despite having multiple degrees, come to class and listen (which isnt hard to do in his class) and you should be able to do amazing (exams and tests are taken directly from the outline he provides.) Would take again and again and again if I could.

THE BEST. He is so passionate, you learn SO much, his powerpoints are neat and clear. Honestly the exams killed me bc there was so much writing, but its worth it to be in his class. Class is really important, go to it. He explains and clears things up a lot, he's also REALLY funny. It was so much fun having him as a prof. Really helpful too

Content is super interesting and I enjoyed the detailed lectures. With everything going on with Covid he has put in an effort to check-in with us and provided a ton of extra materials to use for the assignments. I just wish the exams were not completely multiple choice because I do better with writing.

Kolia's an amazing prof. His online lectures are long but full of detail and he challenges us to think and change our preconceived notions about social issues. I've learned so much from this one class that I can apply those concepts to other classes and in real life. I wish I had the pleasure of meeting him in person but take him you wont regret it

He is honestly a good teacher but his test questions are textbook and readings heavy, so STUDY!!

Overall, he's a very nice prof and makes you think critically, but his tests are very confusing as he words them very weirdly. I would recommend taking him.

Dr. Kolia is such an inspirational prof that really made me rethink my view on the Canadian criminal justice system. Exam and midterm were fair as long as you studied, and the assignment was a little hard and was marked a little bit on the hard side. His lectures were always fascinating and he gave critical points of view and really made you think.

I learned so much with Professor Kolia, he tries his best to get you to think deeper about the concept. He is a fair marker and he gives really good feed back on how to improve.

I absolutely loved Dr. Kolia. I was so eager to be in this class. He assigned readings from the textbook and some articles and lecture videos every week. There was an optional zoom session each week, but the class was not live. His lectures basically covered the readings (were lengthy) so I did not have to do the readings. Mostly quiz/exam based.

Dr. Kolia was one of my favourite professors last semester. His lectures are very dense and so are some of the readings. You have to put in the effort of taking good notes on everything to do well on the exams/quizzes but you will learn a lot! His side stories during lectures are always fun though. Great prof and very knowledgeable :)

Took CRM 100 in Fall 2019 and CRM 402 Winter 2020 because he is an amazing prof. I prefered him in CRM 402 because his stories and examples related more to the topics of that class. I love the fact that he gives you the questions that will come in the exam, so you know exactly what to study. Is a lot of writing tho for the short and long answers.

Amazing prof. The lectures are super interesting. I find it very hard to focus on lectures in general but this guy has my attention every single time.

Prof. Kolia has been such a great professor to have as a first year. His lectures are personal and he always has his own stories to relate back to course content which makes them much more interesting and deep. His work and grading is fair, doesn't ask for the impossible but wants you to follow instructions and try your best. He's a simple guys.

Amazing prof. Extremely accommodating during COVID - 19 and his lectures were always very interesting. He truly wants to see students do well which can be hard to come by sometimes. Totally would take his class again.

Professor Kolia's lectures were super interesting and he kept the class engaged. While the grader was a really hard marker, this does not really fall on professor Kolia in my opinion. You will learn a ton in this class, but you will definitely work for it so if that is not for you, best to stay clear.

I was in his first year class and this class. He prioritizes issues related to BIPOC and social justice. He gave us the exam questions in advance and covered how to answer them beforehand. For our final paper he even granted an extra week extension for the whole class. Just do the readings, listen to the lectures, and attend the extra sessions

I personally believe a lot of the bad reviews are just petty students who expected this class to be a breeze. Personally, Prof. Kolia's passion and great lectures were one of the primary reason's I was engaged and pushed towards doing better. He made an otherwise dense class interesting and digestable. Grind and you'll get an A, it's not that deep.

Zahir is an amazing professor, he is very understanding and will accommodate if necessary. He gives great feedback and his lectures are more on the fun side to attend because of the way he teaches. I definitely recommend being in his class since he is a very good prof and has clear guidelines to pass the class!

Professor Kolia is so understanding and genuinely cares about his students! Classes were engaging!

Took this class online (Covid), but I enjoyed it incredibly. Dr. Kolia is engaging in lectures and passionate about what he teaches. Had to work hard for an A, but it's doable. This is a course that requires a lot of studying. I would absolutely take it again though. Also, participate in class!!! It's important, even on Zoom! Turn on your camera!

He's a really nice guy who's very passionate about what he's teaching. His lecture videos are long but very engaging, also loooots of readings so be prepared since they'll be on the exams. He's also a bit hard but very fair with grading.

I love this man he almost made me cry. He has a lot of real world knowledge he has to share and really makes sure his students are interested in his content and keeps things engaging. The class itself personally wasnt for me but he made it a good class

I had prof Zahir Kolia online and is was such a pleasant experience. One of the best professors at Ryerson. All his lectures for CRM 100 are presented through interactive videos. In addition, Dr. Kolia has sync zoom lectures that go over key concepts from the interactive lecture videos. Do the work, ask questions, participate and you'll do great.

solid dude

He's a really good teacher. You' graded on 1 annotated bibliography, a multiple choice midterm that covers the first half of the course and a final exam that covered the second half. There's also engagement quizzes after each lecture. The lecture videos were long but he added a lot of visuals and integrated videos that flew the time by!

I had Dr. Kolia for Criminal Justice in my first semester of University and he was amazing. He had pre recorded lectures that were super engaging and interesting and included videos and pictures so that it wasnt just if him talking for a whole hour. Super inspirational and cares deeply about his students and their mental well-being.

Dr Kolia's course was very enjoyable and engaging. The content was clearly explained and the lectures were great. Overall he seems like a very genuine person and was always willing to answer questions.

Intellectually challenging but generous grader and v passionate!

This is the second class I've taken with Prof Kolia and he isn't as tough as the other reviews claim. For exams, some questions are directly from the readings with little emphasis on lectures. He has high expectations for the paper but encourages you to reach out for help. Very solid prof that cares a lot about his students' success and well-being.

Super caring professor and teaches really well. Would take his class again.

He posts the powerpoints after class incase you miss anything but it's recommended you go to class as he says extra stuff that can be helpful for the midtrem and exam. Hes very understanding and you can tell he really cares about your well being. Only an Annotated Bibliography, midterm and final exam which he gives the questions for in advance

Overall, a great professor. I skipped many classes and still finished with an A - he's more than happy to help you out even if your attendance/participation is low. He's very well spoken, and incorporates the use of anecdotes in an unforgettable way to help hammer course content home. One downside - feedback for assignments was sometimes vague.

His lectures were very entertaining. Of course everyone's different but personally for this class and year level he's not harsh on marking. However, I will say that if he feels disrespected the class experience will feel different. As long as you respect him he'll respect you.

Zahir is amazing. He is very smart and knows what hes talking about. He posts powerpoints after class but he says more stuff in class so try your best to go. He is also very easy on the eyes and pleasing to look at...that is half of the reason why I showed up to class each week

Great professor! We only have three items that grade: a midterm exam, an annotated bibliography, and a final exam. With the exams, he offered us the questions we'd before, making it so much easier to study. He tells fantastic stories and is quite beautiful (which is why I showed up to sessions).

I would take any of Dr. Koila's classes in the future. He is a great prof that genuinely cares for the students he teaches. Make sure you do the readings and participate in class. He gave us what was going to be on the exam beforehand which made it so much easier to study. Plus he is really fit, which is dope.

Zahir has so many personal stories that all tie into what he is teaching which makes him so easy to listen to and follow along with. He was always willing to hear you out and help you. The class was 3 hours long but he made it go by very fast. Study hard and do the readings!! He is pleasing to look at so trust me when i say sit in the front row!

Professor Zahir talks about his own personal life and relates it to a crime he is usually very funny when he tells these stories but this class was a little difficult for me. I do like that he wants people to engage and he seems to actually care about the students learning. He is also amusing to look at

Take him! Dr. Kolia is one of the best professors the university's got. Classes are amazing. Makes a real effort to engage with his students and get to know them. Doesn't just stand at the front and lecture, he creates a real discussion in his classroom. Office hours are amazing cause he's so friendly. gives good feedback. And yes he's good looking

Prof Kolia is extremely engaging, and a very nice person. But this is not an easy course, he is passionate and the exams reflect that. I received a B+ on the final paper with no feedback, it was marked relatively harshly in my opinion. His lectures are great, but this is not a GPA booster.

I took this course as an open elective to take a break from my program's courses, and it really helped me learn something new. I liked this course but there are a lot of readings and memorization of content is required. Def not an easy course, but an informative one about important criminology things. The prof is nice and knowledgable as well

Interesting lectures and is passionate about what he is teaching. His course structure is also very straight forward and if you attend lectures you will do well in this class. Another good thing about Professor Kolia is how he engages in class discussion which is fun. Good elective course to take if you want something that won't be boring.

He is a great prof its just since the lectures are 3 hours it will get kind of boring. However, he is a good lecturer, his lectures are pretty detailed so he's just reading off slides, and he knows what he's talking about unlike other profs. READ THE TEXTBOOK AND GO TO LECTURES IT WILL DEFINIETLY HELP FOR THE EXAMS!!

This course is very interesting and not unnecessarily difficult. Graded out of 3 marks: midterm, one written assignment, & final. Clear/concise study guides are provided for midterm&final. You will get as much out of it as you put into it. If you attend lectures, participate and do a reasonable amount of reading/studying you will get a good mark

Encourages in-class discussions and takes the time to listen to each student's contribution. He explains concepts very well and uses many personal and real-world examples. Occasionally funny when he needs to be. Gives lots of preparation for midterm and final exam. Lectures are in readings (I survived without consistently doing the readings).

Prof Kolia is a very knowledgeable and personable guy. The slides usually cover things but the readings are important. He illuminates the concepts taught with examples from his personal life, making it more engaging. He also values student participation. The midterm/exam & bibliography are reasonably difficult and explained in advance.

So kind and understanding. Clear about timelines, grading and expectations of assignments. Exams and assignment resources all come from lectures.

W professor. He makes his lectures super interesting and entertaining so I was always motivated to go to class.

hes very passionate about what he teaches. lectures are interesting, sometimes the content is boring. ALWAYS take notes, exams are VERY lecture and READING based. take specific notes especially from the videos shown it will be on exam. be sure you attend lectures because he doesn't post all slides. overall hes a great prof, can mark a little tough.

Amazing prof and person! Extremely interesting, knowledgable, passionate, and funny. Exams are mostly lecture based, and I found him to be a pretty fair grader.

Amazing professor, very inspiring and respectable. Wish he taught more classess.

Kolia's assessments can sometimes be difficult but he is very understanding and will explain the material to you if you are confused. There is also room for discussion during his lectures

his teaching is very good and he's quite funny as well. I did fairly well on the assignment and the midterm. Most of the time he'll give you the questions you need to know that will be on the exam.

I enjoyed this class, as Professor Kolia makes his lectures very interesting and values the voices of his students. He is a very approachable professor who truly cares for student success. His tests are reasonable and majority writing-based. He posts the topics that will appear on the test beforehand, which makes studying way easier. I'd recommend!

Kolia was a great prof and I would love to have him again. He applies the stuff you're learning to the real world and his own life which helps you grasp concepts better. Hes also hilarious which is a bonus. Just note that if you attend his class, you cant leave early or else you risk getting called out in front of everyone.

Though lots of reviews say he's a hard marker, I feel like that's something you need to be prepared for in post-secondary. He's an exceptionally interesting lecturer and his marking schemes are similar across courses. Midterm, essay, and exam. I'd say participation is mandatory bc he doesn't post slides. He's attractive as well, which helps!

Brilliant class! Prof. Kolia genuinely seems to care about his students and wants to see them succeed. Very good about answering questions before and after class, and I found his lectures super engaging! While it was a little stressful only having three assessments, if you go to lecture and do the readings you'll be fine.

Dr. Zahir Kolia is a fantastic professor. I've had him for two courses now, CRM 100 and CRM 402 and I got to say he's fantastic. His exams involves a lot of writing and the multiple choice are based primarily on the readings, but if you show up to the lectures, do the readings and seek his help when you need it, you'll do just fine in this course

Dr. Kolia was a great professor when it came to teaching Canadian Criminal Justice. He used examples from his past life to make the class more interesting and engaging. I would strongly recommend him for any class you may end up having him for

Dr. Kolia was amazing. He made the course super interesting, and you can see he is passionate about what he teaches. He is caring and makes sure you understand the content. The curse doesn't have a heavy load compared with other CRMs, and it is very fun to take with him. 100% recommend :)

Very passionate professor with the most interesting lectures ever, it actually had me wanting to go to class which is a first. He might seem a bit intimidating but he is really nice, I would love to have him again.

This was by far one of the best classes I've taken since starting university. You can tell professor Kolia is passionate about his job, the class was pretty big too but by the end he knew the regulars who spoke often. He is really an incredible teacher.

Dr. Kolia is a fantastic professor. For people complaining about difficulty, it is a university course; what did you expect? Study, do the readings, be engaged, and you will do great. He is very passionate, knowledgeable, and supportive of his students.

(my fav prof btw) He is super passionate and understanding. He sets his boundaries very clearly and respectfully which honestly just makes the classes better. He's always down for one on ones regarding any questions or grades. He's also just so funny in his own way and makes sure that his lectures are engaging since they are pretty long.

I really enjoyed having him as a professor. He lectured very well and included many relatable examples throughout our course. Would love to take his course again.

Dr Kolia is super nice. He's very funny and engaging in lectures. He's a pretty average grader. Not too hard. If you show up to class and do the readings you will be fine.

He's one of my favourite profs. If you go to class and pay attention, you'll do good. He's accommodating and uses real situations that happened to him to get his point across. I wouldn't say its a bird course, but if you pay attention and read you'll be fine.

he is a really good professor, his lectures are interesting and he is one beautiful man.

Super passionate and engaging, tests are relatively difficult for a first year class but it's a course absolutely worth taking

Really chill guy, funny in class and makes lectures interesting. Only class I didnt skip once all semester was this one. Pretty strict when it comes to grading, but he makes sure to teach well so it kinda cancels out imo. 9/10 would take class again

Professor Kolia is an outstanding professor. CRM100 with him is engaging, clear, and genuinely enjoyable. He truly cares about student success and makes the material easy to understand. Tests and assignments are fair and manageable, allowing motivated students to earn strong grades. His teaching style creates a supportive learning environment too.

his lectures made me realize a few things on how messed up canada really is... he's such a great prof. lot's of reading with textbook readings, but he's a really goof prof! he loved our lecture section, and make sure he remembers you by name, participation matters! ive never had an instructor cuss in lectures like he does! woke us up for an 8 am xD

He is such a good guy, his lectures are dense, but not boring he's great at lecturing. his tests are really fair, you have to know ur stuff, and he's a fair marker for essays. go to class though, you will miss stuff if you don't!

Prof Kolia made lectures so entertaining i actuall wanted to attend, which is good because later in the sem he kinda stops posting slides because no one goes, course is graded off midterm, writing assignment, and the final and its all graded pretty easily. would def take a course with him again!!

Very funny and light-hearted in lectures. The material is interesting and applicable to the real world. Lots of writing (13+ pages double-spaced) for the midterm/final! He's an easy marker if you can prove you know the material. The textbook can be found online, and the readings can show up on exams. He loves to engage with students in lectures.

can't express how much i enjoyed dr.kolias class! he was genuinely such an engaging guy and is extremely passionate in what he teaches. if you're taking this class as a req, i strongly advise you to take his class!

Prof. was an amazing teacher. He was engaging towards his students and always had helpful advices. He would tell life stories every now and then based of his own experiences and those were actually really interesting and fun to listen to. His assessments were very easy and we're mostly based off the readings. Overall, I'm going to miss his class