Professor Nelson knows a lot and deeply cares about his students. He tries his best to make the course as fruitful as possible but too many stuffs are crammed into a 10 weeks introductory course and the lectures notes are hard to follow and sometimes incorrect. The material spans a wide number of topics, yet falls shallow in terms of depth.
He is absurdly disorganized and a terrible lecturer. His lectures are unhelpful and he is too distracted by his own thoughts to teach anything. Do not take at all costs, he will not help in any teaching.
Nelson shines insights on concepts that are not explicit in the textbook and blends his lectures with his rich experience in the field. The lecture notes and homework are poorly worded and hard to follow so attending the lectures would be necessary.
The most disorganized physics professor I've had so far. About 40% of lecture is off topic and talks about random tangents which god knows why. Has no section problems, and no structure for course schedule. I have no idea why he is rated so high. I'm 4 weeks in so maybe he gives easy tests but if you want to learn, avoid him at all costs.
Very good professor. It's just that I don't know why section needs so many iclickers. In addition, the homework are a bit difficult.
Super nice guy with lots of stories to tell. Clear grading criteria, was very generous with grading. Go to his office hours hes a very good person to talk to
Never a lecture I didn't love. Grading policies are pretty fair. But he handled not having TAs horrendously. tests had to be multiple choice & he refused to give answer keys to practices, forget worked solutions. Made it hard to know what to study which sucks in a class that is so fast paced and material dense....
There is weekly homework which is to be expected from most STEM classes. His lectures are super engaging and I can tell that he really cares about teaching. I also get a sense that he cares about the students. The sections were a little annoying though.
Super funny guy, made me excited to learn about physics. Homework was pretty hard, sometimes containing things he hadn't gone over in lecture. Tests were multiple choice and weren't too bad. Doesn't curve the final grade.
Super high energy. Like a puppy after 15 cups of coffee. His class was a bit disorganized, but I had fun and I learned a lot.
Nelson is THE MAN!!! He's super smart, helpful, and always wants the best for his students. If you get the chance to take a physics class with him, DO IT! You won't regret it.
Nelson is by far the best physics professor I have had at UCSB. He is always eager to answer questions, and excited to teach the material. He clearly loves what he is doing and takes teaching very seriously, though his easy going outwardly demeanor sometimes suggests differently. Finishing my last class with him was definitely bittersweet.
Best physics professor I've ever had. Had him for nearly two years straight, and loved every minute. If you ever get the chance to take physics with Nelson, you won't regret it.
He is an amazing teacher, extremely intelligent and just a great person all around. He answers all question eagerly, in great detail and makes the answer seem both exciting and interesting. Also he is very entertaining in a dorky way that most physics majors can appreciate.
Awesome professor! He makes class so entertaining and enjoyable.
Irreverent, Capricious, Enthusiastic, Loud, Playful, Understanding, INCREDIBLY SMART, and an amazing first physics professor. He's made this quarter a much nicer place to spend some time.
Very, very good professor. Really loves Physics and will try his best to make sure you understand every concept. He even brought us donuts!
Incredible teacher. Knows his stuff and does an excelent job conveying information to students. Overall a great guy who will teach you alot about physics.
He's a funny, good teacher. Cares about his students in and out of the classroom. Really made the classes interesting. The first time I ever saw anybody run across the room with a laptop to demonstrate the doppler effect.
Nelson is so far the most entertaining physics prof I've had.
Nelson was awesome, had him for a couple of classes. But seriously, has anyone seen Dumb and Dumber??? It's uncanny.....
Made quantum mechanics very fun, answered questions in class. Homeworks were not too long. Office hours were very flexible. Grading was very fair.
Excellent teacher and very flexible. The easiness rating is bunk because it's impossible to make quantum mechanics easy, but he dosen't give us incredibly hard things to do. Also, he's very nice and not socially inept like a lot of brainiacs.
Also had him for Physics 115B. He's a great guy, our whole class begged him to teach 115C. Really knows his stuff and is really friendly and helpful. Twelve Thumbs up!