Charles Ballard - Michigan State University

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Charles Ballard - Michigan State University

Professor: Charles Ballard

Department: Economics

College: Michigan State University

Rating # 1

Overview:

Course: EC201
Grade Received: A+
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 2.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Amazing prof!!! Lots of lectures but very easy to follow (put on 2x speed). He goes really slowly and hes really easy to understand. Gives past exams and answers, practice quizzes and answers, doesnt use lockdown browser for exams. Super nice guy who just wants everyone to succeed. Love this man

Rating # 2

Overview:

Course: EC201
Grade Received: A-
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 2.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

the best professor. weekly quizzes, but gives a practice set with answers that are almost exact to the quiz. exams arent bad as long as you study and take the practice exams he uploads. made econ fun to learn- highly recommend and hope to have another class with prof ballard!

Rating # 3

Overview:

Course: EC201
Grade Received: B
Overall Rating: 2.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I took his class during COVID and it was all online. This class is asynchronous and only had video lectures. I didn't find the lectures helpful but I found the problem sets he gave helpful. It honestly was a boring class and it was easy to fall behind. You also are only graded on exams and tests so there's really no room for error. Very difficult.

Rating # 4

Overview:

Course: EC201
Grade Received: A
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Unfortunately, I had to take EC201 online. However, Professor Ballard made the best of the situation. He is test and lecture heavy, but the way he breaks down concepts and interacts with his students keeps it interesting. I always felt like what he was talking about was relevant and important. Make sure you do the practice exams!!!!

Rating # 5

Overview:

Course: EC201
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Taking this class online we didn't meet for zoom but there is videos he posts per lesson which are very boring. I wish this class was easier to be engaged with. In this class you get a problem set and a quiz to follow which are very similar. There are three exams which make up a huge chunk of your grade which are nothing like the material we learn.

Rating # 6

Overview:

Course: EC201
Grade Received: A
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

You can't go wrong with him. Thorough explanations and straight forward.

Rating # 7

Overview:

Course: EC201
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Course was asynchronous so all lectures are prerecorded. Lectures felt similar to what they would have been in person and were easy to listen to, which I really appreciated. The only graded thing for the class were quizzes/exams, and he provides a lot of resources to prepare. I'd recommend not buying the book and using a library copy if you need it

Rating # 8

Overview:

Course: EC201
Grade Received: A+
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 2.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Seriously the best professor I have found so far at MSU. His quizzes and exams are super easy because they line up perfectly with the practice quizzes and his lectures. He is funny and makes things easy to understand. Professors at MSU could take a lesson from this teacher.

Rating # 9

Overview:

Course: EC201
Grade Received: A
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Ballard is an awesome guy that really cares about what he teaches and his class won't be too hard if you just watch all of the lectures and pay attention. He's also got a pretty massive tie collection.

Rating # 10

Overview:

Course: EC201
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I cannot stress enough how amazing Prof. Ballard was for EC 201. His recorded lectures were very informational and engaging. As long as you watch the lectures on time, take the practice exams (almost exactly like the exam), and do the problem sets for the quizzes you will do great. He really wants his students to succeed and I learned a LOT.

Rating # 11

Overview:

Course: EC201
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 4.0
Course Difficulty: 2.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Had him Fall 2019. He's a good guy and good professor, GO OVER THE PRACTICE EXAMS. He makes class interesting. Only thing I don't like is that my final ended up being such a huge % of my grade cause I only got an 80% for the first one (94% for the second one) so if the first exam is your lowest then the final is huge, I needed an 87-88% to get 3.5.

Rating # 12

Overview:

Course: EC201
Grade Received: C
Overall Rating: 4.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

He is a great guy and fun prof. I'm bad with econ but I still passed with him so there's hope for all of us! Always made lectures as fun as econ can be. I had a HUGE class but it was fine. Went to office hours to get some advice/chat and he was very kind and helpful and fun to talk to one-on-one. Didn't really need the book- only used to study.

Rating # 13

Overview:

Course: ECON201
Grade Received: A+
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 2.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I missed this class fairly often and still did fine. He uses top hat for attendance and you get some drops. I would have my friend send me the notes. Professor Ballard is a very sweet guy who makes lectures fairly engaging and I didnt have trouble getting a 4.0 in the class!

Rating # 14

Overview:

Course: EC201
Grade Received: A
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 2.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

He really cares about his students. If you show up to class and take notes you will be good and his exams aren't too bad if you do the practice tests he posts on d2l.

Rating # 15

Overview:

Course: ECON201
Grade Received: A
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 2.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Ballard was the reason I decided to major in economics! He is such an amazing professor and you can truly tell he cares that his students do well. DO THE PRACTICE EXAMS!!!! They are almost identical to the actual exams!

Rating # 16

Overview:

Course: EC201
Grade Received: C+
Overall Rating: 4.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Ballard is a colorful professor: I can wager that if you take this course, you won't find yourself bored during any of his lectures. This is crucial, because you HAVE to attend his lectures. He's extremely lenient on absences but this is a trap: if you don't hear his anecdotes in class, you won't be able to survive on notes and textbooks alone.

Rating # 17

Overview:

Course: MICROECONOMICS
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Ballard is really passionate in what he teaches and makes his lectures interesting. Taking notes and and studying your notes often will make the class a lot easier. The material isnt hard, its just a lot of material to learn and remember.

Rating # 18

Overview:

Course: MICROECONOMICS
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 3.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: No
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

He is a nice guy, he really cares about students and you can tell he has passion for what he is doing, but the grading system is just tough and your grade depends only on exams.

Rating # 19

Overview:

Course: EC201
Grade Received: A-
Overall Rating: 4.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Effective professor, gives good lectures, tries to make economics as interesting as possible, which helps students stay engaged. YOU DO NOT NEED TO SPEND $100 ON THE TEXTBOOK AS LONG AS YOU SHOW UP TO CLASS AND TAKE GOOD NOTES!! Also his grading scale is extremely harsh (>92.5 for 4.0), and he won't round up.

Rating # 20

Overview:

Course: EC201
Grade Received: A+
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 2.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Going to class helps a lot, and try to pay attention. The class is very organized, and the weekly quizzes are super easy. Tests are fairly straight forward, and the best way to study for them is going to his review sessions and taking the practice tests he gives out.

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