Selected Opinions of my Students

Overall view

• The professor really is a great guy but the worst teacher I have ever had in my academic career...[he] makes the most simple topics impossible to understand.
• Patience, very good attitude always, enjoys his subject, professor makes tough problems seem easy.
• He should really not be teaching. He might be a great theory maker, but he cannot teach.
• Best Econ teacher I've seen.

About examples

• It's like he's doing the problems for his own benefit and he gives very few examples.
• A little too much was centered around specific examples. Perhaps a little more generality would be useful.
• Concrete real-life examples needed for further understanding.
• Many examples during lectures were helpful.

About math

• The professor is clearly oblivious of the students' level of understanding. "Math 54" and "Math 101" would have been more stimulating because basically all we do in class is "proofs" after "proofs" after "proofs".
• Sometimes he oversimplifies the mathematics because it is apparent that in this class students simply do not know or understand very basic math/calculus (i.e. derivatives, mathematical notation, etc.)
• The course was supposed to be math-intensive, but Volij seemed to not want to use math. This was discouraging at times.
• The rigorous\mathematical presentation of the theory was very clear and useful.

About homeworks

• Questions in problem sets could not be answered without kissing professors's ass during office hours
• Lectures are clear, very helpful, sometimes you don't even need to read the book to do your homework.

Interpersonal comparisons

• In the econ department, many professors are lackluster. Volij teaches well and is kind to students.

Miscellaneous

• Even when asking for help, he often made me feel stupid for asking and only about half the time did I understand.
• A lot of class time is wasted by a few students asking questions that everyone else understands.
• Dr. Volij is too smart for the rest of the class. Several students did not understand and it was too difficult for him to effectively answer their questions.
• I took this class because I am required to take one business course, and I've learned I dislike econ intensely.
• He is a very good professor. He was always well organized. He is always open to questions. Very accessible outside of class. I liked him and his lectures.
• The lectures are very poorly given. The professor is boring. He emphasizes very easy concepts and goes through hard material very quickly.
• Prof. repeats conclusions, etc. which makes it easier to follow along.
• Get a new professor who speaks better English and can better explain things in a straightforward manner.
• Good stories, clear voice, right amount of repetition stressed things that were important, handouts in detail.
• A little more clarification about the theory, otherwise he was great!
• He makes me laugh.
• He answers a million different questions when you just ask one.
• The professor has good sense of humor which helps to retain interest during dry subject matter.
• Professor Volij was always open to questions and tried very hard to help his students understood the material.
• Professor writes too small, don't know what he is writing on the board.
• Nothing outstanding. Just clear and consistent.