EC 308

Student Comments for Economics 308

Fall 2003 EC 308-004

Very challenging course, but instructor prepares us enough that if we work really hard, we get good grades. One of the best teachers I've had - cares more about my doing well in the course than I do!

Dr. Hoover is a little crazy, but overall is a great teacher. He is more than willing t help us outside of class and is fair w/ work and grading. He can be a little harsh at times and he may have a little hostility, but don't let that fool you, b/c he is just concerned with his students doing well, which I believe is rare in a lot of professors.

I really liked Mr. Hoover because he explained everything really well & made sure everyone understood the material.

Great teacher. Very well prepared. Hard but more than fair.

Dr. Hoover is a great, effective teacher! I have learn so much in his class.

Dr. Hoover may be crazy, but he's a darn good teacher.

Hoover is a good teacher. He makes you learn all the information but he is always willing to help out.

Dr. Hoover rocks!!

Dr. Hoover is an effective and prepared teacher, but the course is difficult. I think he could make the questions count less on the tests and have more questions.

He's a fine teacher. Final counts too much!

Hoover is a good teacher. He explains everything thoroughly w/ out dragging on about easily understood concepts. He makes sure everyone has ample time to grasp the idea & ask questions. The HW assignments are very beneficial. The TA's office hrs. are extremely helpful. The tests reflect the HW & lectures. Strict!

Overall, good teacher!

Dr. Hoover has been a great teacher. He explains everything well in class. I have learned more in 308 than I did in EC 110 and 111. The change I would make is for the homework to be worth more.

Great teacher!

Of all the instructors I have had, Dr. Hoover has really showed concern about his students. Most people consider him hard & mean, but they are just not use to have a caring and concerned instructor who make you work for what you want.

Spring 2002 EC 308-002

Although this class was often difficult, I truly enjoyed it. I feel that I learned a lot of useful information that will be beneficial to me in the future.

One of the best teachers I have had at this university. Makes class very interesting and worth going to. I wish I could have him for more classes. I have learned more in this one class than any other that I have ever taken.

Hoover is a great teacher but a sarcastic bastard in class. It is always best to treat him with the utmost respect in class and during his office hours, but to really bust his balls away from school & let him know I ain't skeered. He cares about the kids that work, but could give a damn about the ones who don't, he knows who works and who doesn't.

Too much weight on the final.

Clear and informative lectures. Good summarization of the book. Partial credits could be given at some questions (in a more charitable amount).

He is a good teacher. Most of the times he made the material clear. He made Econ fun. Grading could get a little better. Overall he is a good teacher for this class.

Dr. Hoover is available but not necessarily always willing to help students outside of class. He reminds us he does more than just teach. I learned lots in this class, but because there is no partial credit, my grade is lower than I had hoped. I did enjoy this class overall. He is an excellent teacher.

A good teacher. Keeps students attention while making class interesting. Encourages out of class help that is one-on-one.

The University needs more teachers like Dr. Hoover. He actually cares if we learn the material or not!

One of the best teachers I have had here at UA, even if he is full of himself. Very engaging & effective teacher.

He is a good teacher but when he yells at you in front of the whole class you just want to hide. He reminds me of a drill sergeant that is legally insane.

You work for this class, but I learned more from Hoover than I had in EC 110/111 but this class made me understand what I didn't learn in that series.

Hoover is a good communicator of material. Given that, one might forgive his need for putting down others in order to feel in control. He has issues.

Tests graded a little tough.

This teacher taught very well and made the subject understandable. He was a little hard on us sometimes, but he still was liked. He tried really hard to help the students that needed it.

One of the best teachers I've ever had. Encourages students to come to his office/TA to get help outside of class. He has a great outgoing personality.

The class is intimidating at first, but Professor Hoover makes the material easy to understand, and is always available to provide extra help.

He is an excellent teacher. Test should possibly changed to matching and some fill-in-the-blanks.

Great class & teacher! Maybe HW should count more, but overall I thought the class was great.

I really enjoyed this class and Mr. Hoover was by far the best professor I've had here at the University. He had a very hands on teaching method and worked well with students to try and help them. I hope to get him again in another class.

Dr. H makes himself available to students, however his confrontational nature makes office-hour visits very unpleasant. Overall he is a wonderful component of the EC department.

Very tough teacher and sometimes his toughness made him incredibly unfair. However, he knows what he is talking about. His attitude makes it intimidating to approach him w/ questions.

There is much too much weight on the final. It really hurts the students who work hard all semester, but are not great test takers. The teacher is effective and I learned a lot, but at times he can be a bit scary.

I wish he would give more partial credit on the test.

I liked taking this class and I hope to have Dr. Hoover as one of my teachers in the future.

Spring 2001, EC 308-003

Feeble attempts of intimidation while students are taking tests is not exactly constructive. Otherwise, great teacher. Students interested in hearing what he has to say.

Don't take this class if you can help it!

At first I thought I was going to drop the class because I thought it was too difficult. After I bombed the first test and came to talk to him, it became a class I enjoy going to.

Dr. Hoover is a great professor. Sometimes he is very sarcastic, but he makes this class interesting.

Professor Hoover is a very effective instructor. He is very engaging and has a sense of humor that works well with students!

Great teacher, learned a whole lot, but he grades homework & Test very hard, little partial credit.

I think that perhaps the instructor is too strict on grading homework and tests, but I must say that he is by far the best teacher I have had at the University of Alabama.

Enjoyed him and his class!

Effective teacher, but grading scale is not clear, and he's moody often.

The instructor keeps class interesting.

FALL 2000, EC 308-002

Dr. Hoover is an excellent teacher although sometimes he makes me feel like a freak of nature. He tells me I scare him and it makes me feel like a small woodland creature running from a larger more threatening woodland creature such as a bear. Yes that's it I am a small rabbit and he is a large bear chasing me. I hear him laughing and snarling as he approaches. I am frightened and turn to the right hoping to evade him, but he is to quick. I cry out loud but my crys fall on deaf ears.

Dr. Hoover is a "Pimp-o-manic" Dr. Hoover was gracious enough to share his vast knowledge with our class this semester. He enlightened us on the joy of economics, and how much fun it can really be. Before taking this class I had very little self-esteem, now after being exposed to Dr. Hoover I have no self-esteem.

Hoover is a great teacher. An arrogant, condensing, impatient person. I would recommend him as a teacher.

Instructor's attitude makes him unapproachable at times.

Teacher needs to take on a better attitude with students.

Dr. Hoover does a great job and makes economics interesting and fun.

I really enjoyed this class. Dr. Hoover mad the material, which would otherwise be boring, very interesting. He involved the class and learned everyone's names.

I like the class. I think that instructors should refrain from using profanity in class. Most students find it funny, some of us don't!

Dr. Hoover is one of the best instructors I've had since enrolling in C&BA. He takes every effort possible to ensure the subject matter is understood. All in all he is a great teacher.

You should have more patience for your students. Also, you should answer their questions. A lot of times you just turned the tables and dismissed them. That's the easy way out.

Do not be strict with grading the homeworks.

I think Dr. Hoover is a great teacher and is always willing to talk and help outside of class.

This has been an excellent course. I actually don't mind going to class. He is one of the best instructors I've had since I've been here. I have learned a tremendous amount.

Spring 1999, EC 308-003

Needs to give more partial credit.

Dr. Hoover does a great job teaching. However I feel that we would benefit more form reviewing the homework and discussing it in class. The TA's work is often hard to read and difficult to understand.

This is a hard class, and he makes it even harder than it should be.

He is a wonderful instructor and I learned a lot. He just seems a little cocky at times.

He is a good teacher and his course is very hard but you learn a lot and he does not let you quit.

The teacher makes a strong effort to assure his class will be successful.

Instructor is very concerned with students understanding information. Stresses out of class learning during office hours.

He is the best teacher I've had at the university.

Dr. Hoover is a tough teacher but he offers himself to the students whenever needed. He is the only Prof. I've had who really cared.

Gary Hoover is a very good teacher. He makes you pay attention and makes it very interesting to learn. He really seems to care if you make good or not and wants every student to achieve. He is very knowledgeable of what he teaches.

Teacher should have more available office hours because that is very difficult course. Also Teaching assistants office hours are not near enough. Overall, teacher is a very good teacher but material is very hard and Econ 110 is not enough of a prerequisite for this class.

Cares about students.

Dr. Hoover is a good teacher, but tests may be unfairly weighted.

Dr. Hoover made the course entertaining and still made clear the material presented.

He is the most effective ECON teacher I have had. He needs to teach this class to everyone.

I've learned more in this class than in most others I've had and Prof. Hoover is a very effective and entertaining teacher.

Liked the way the instructor encouraged class participation. It made the material much easier to learn and understand. I liked the way Dr. H. tried to make the class enjoyable even at times the material was extremely boring. Thanks for the great experience in one of my first business classes.

Excellent class and Excellent Professor.

Work more problems that are homework related in class.

Fall 1998, EC 308-002

My grade in the class doesn't reflect what I learned. I learned very much but the tests were graded hard.

Hoover is a fair, straightforward teacher. Easily the best I've had at the University.

Communicates the material well, but the material on exams is exponentially harder than the material in class. Dr. Hoover can be unreasonable when it comes to grading exams. Partial credit points are hard to come by in this particular class.

Fall 1999, EC 308-003

I think Gary Hoover is an excellent teacher who really jives in class.

Dr. Hoover explains very well the material, the material is just hard to understand. This is one class which I have actually learned a lot and he has done a good job teaching. He also makes class funny; I actually laugh in his class, but when he begins on material he don't play!

Mr. Hoover is very good at teaching such a difficult class.

Great class, lots of fun to go and it does stay interesting.

He is a good teacher.

Hoover was an exceptional teacher that made sure that people know the material. Class was well structured.

Good teacher but annoying.

Actually made me like economics.

FALL 1998, EC 308-004

Is excellent about out-of-class help.

He could quite be the best teacher I've had.

Of all the econ teacher's I've had, he is the best. He really tries to help and takes a sincere interest in his students. I have recommended him to several others because of this! Great teacher!

FALL 1999, EC 308-003

Dr. Hoover is the best instructor I have had at Alabama. I truly enjoyed coming to every class. He is very affective with making sure every student understands the lessons. He makes the class enjoyable by making jokes but is serious when students have questions concerning the lesson. He is kind of like a military officer. He drills you over and over till you understand everything completely.

I think Dr. Hoover is a great teacher. I have learned more this semester than in all of my other Econ classes. He really helps his students understand the material and continues to help until things are clear. Very effective. Great teacher.

Dr. Hoover is an excellent teacher. He is very effective in explaining concepts and strives to make sure that everyone understands the material. He truly cares about the students and their performance in class. He has great control over the class and encourages participation (which helps in understanding the material). He is one of the best teachers that I have had at Alabama.

Hoover is an outstanding teacher. You can tell he actually cares about our learning what he teaches.

It is clearly explained how students will be evaluated, but the grading of many assignments is done carelessly. In a great number of instances, students who answered homework questions correctly were marked off for them. Even though the value of these questions was minimal, this problem made several issues quite confusing. It seemed as if there wasn't very good communication between Dr. Hoover and the grader.

This has been a very enjoyable class. Dr. Hoover is a very effective teacher and can relate economic concepts so that students stay interested; Understand the material. I do, however, have some problems with the way homework is done in this class. It seems that if the grader were more careful in this regard, there would be less controversy.

Very organized, takes plenty of time to explain things, responsive to questions in class, (tried to) learn everyone's name, his attitude kept class interesting, concerned with student's performance, great teacher!

Dr. Hoover keeps me interested in class and in the material.

I enjoyed the class even though at times in class he seemed somewhat condescending. But in his office he was more than willing to talk one-on-one. I would like to take another class with him.

The reliance of exact definitions and specific examples might not be the best way for everyone. But the enthusiasm Dr. Hoover shows is appreciated and makes the class enjoyable.

Dr. Hoover was a great teacher. He not only taught the material, but made sure everyone was able to utilize the information he taught. I would love to take a class of his in the future.

I am in my fifth year at the University, and until this semester I have had a professor that truly cared about his/her students are learning in his/her class as Dr. Hoover.

Consistently, he pleads with his students to come to his office so that he can assist them with the material. He works very hard to make sure that his students understand the material. For a difficult course, Dr. Hoover goes above and beyond the call of duty to help the students prepare for the homework assignments and the exams. If more professors were more like Dr. Hoover, then the University as a whole would benefit greatly as would the students.