Western Kentucky University / M / Andrew McMichael
Averages:
Overall Rating
OKv
Grade Received
Bv
Course Difficulty
Difficultv
Quantity of Notes
Overkillv
Tag Summary:
Multiple Choice: 2
Matching: 1
Fill in the Blank: 1
Essays: 40
Mandatory Final: 32
Cumulative Final: 14
Textbook Required: 34
Extra Credit: 26
Attendance Required: 28
41 Total Evaluations
HIST-341 : Atlantic World - Posted 2/16/2013
Overall Rating:
Poor
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
Main problem: unprofessional
Class difficult without cause. Notes overly complex, lacking good structure. He's a show-off who takes joy in being rude, particularly if he can also be political. His emails are unprofessional and I'm told he's barred from emailing the faculty and staff because he acts like a teenager (which I can believe). And... he's assistant Dean.
HIST- : Western Civ To 1648 - Posted 11/16/2010
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
Not Specified
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
McMichael is an excellent professor and I thoroughly enjoyed the class BUT his tests and papers are difficult because he is extremely picky. He has a guide to everything you do in the class and if it's not exactly right you will get deducted points. He allows you to write a one page paper each week for 10 extra credit points which was great. Take his class and I promise you will enjoy it, but you will definitely have to work for your grade.
HIST-240 : History Before 1868 - Posted 7/14/2010
Overall Rating:
Poor
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
All you do is write, and the writing expected is that of a 400 level course. Hardest class I have ever taken.
HIST-535 : Historiography (online) - Posted 5/19/2010
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Few/None
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
This class is required if you are doing a masters in history and you look at the way people have written about history (primarily in the 20th century). There's a good deal of reading for this class and most of the books really suck, but you can get through it.
For every three weeks of the class there are two weeks of discussion online and one essay assignment. For the online discussions you respond to a question or two (or something three) that McMichael feels is important. You have to post a minimum of three times but I'd recommend posting at least six times and citing the readings in your responses. The essay assignments are five to seven pages each and ask you to synthesize the readings for the three week period under consideration. Overall, each of your online discussions is worth 100 points (ditto for your essays) and you have four total essays for the course. One of the discussions takes place one evening in Second Life but that's cake if you participate.
Your final exam is a historiographical essay about how a certain event in American history has been studied in the 20th century. This essay has to be at least 20 pages long and you have to have at least 50 readings cited in it.
McMichael doesn't grade hard, but you can't really tell because after February he didn't submit grades for any of our assignments on Blackboard. Everyone would check and he wouldn't post things and then he just posted our final grade. So no one really knew where they stood heading into the final or even knows what they scored on it! However, McMichael does respond to e-mail pretty quickly if you have problems so there you go.
HIST-541 : American Revolution/early Republic (online) - Posted 12/20/2009
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Few/None
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
This was an online graduate course for the American Revolution/Early Republic. If you like writing short essays then this is the class for you because there are no exams.
The breakdown for the class is 50% for a final term paper that you do near the end of the semester, 29% is based on discussion board postings, and 21% is based on short essays that you do over the course of the semester.
Since this is a graduate class you can expect to do a ton of reading. You have to read six books in the class and you MUST keep yourself disciplined to read them and about ten journal articles that are assigned over the course of the semester.
You can see the class as being broken down into 2 week periods. On the first week you have to post responses to discussion board questions and you have to post at least an initial response in 2 days and at least 2 responses to other people's posts. McMichael expects you to use the readings and cite these in your responses so put effort into it. The second week will see McMichael post a reaction essay where you will have to answer a question based on the readings. This is to be 4-6 pages double spaced and have about 30 footnotes where you cite the readings (and any outside ones you have done on the subject).
I would definitely suggest gradually working on your term paper throughout the semester because it can sneak up on you quickly with all the other work you have to do in this class. The term paper has to be 15-20 pages, double spaced, and make an original argument. It also has to be based on primary sources so the trick is to find something that there is primary source material for, but the library has some nice volumes of writings from George Washington, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson so there are resources there that can help you. McMichael is also helpful as far as providing suggestions and helping with research. He responds to e-mails quickly.
The class also meets in Second Life at midterm. This is an online virtual community and WKU has its own island. This replaces one of your required online discussion board postings for the week and is pretty fun. You just have to download the software and be prepared for it.
Overall, the class is fine if you have time to do the readings and stay on top of things. My only gripe is that many of our essay assignments were ungraded near the last week of the semester so some were unsure about where their grades stood. I find that McMichael isn't a tough grader as long as you follow directions and put forth the effort so if your interested in this time period this is a pretty good class to take.
HIST-240 : Us History - Posted 5/11/2008
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
He is an excellent teacher and actually has a sense of humor. He is never boring, and often lets class out early. There are no in class tests, only out of class essays. There are several books to read, and will benefit you greatly on the assigned papers if you buy and read them.
Overall he is challenging, but an excellent teacher. I will take him again for future history classes.
HIST-119 : Western Civ - Posted 1/26/2008
Overall Rating:
Poor
Grade:
C
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
mcmichales is an ok teacher. he knows his stuff but he's hard. if you have a heavy course load don't take him because the course requires a lot of outside work. good luck.
HIST-119 : Western Civ To 1648 - Posted 1/10/2008
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
While this would be considered by most standards to be a difficult class, it is very worthwhile. I took this my freshman year (i'm now a junior) and it was a lot to take on but it is manageable. I can honestly say I probably learned more from this class than I have most others that I have taken since then. There are several papers that you have to write during the course of the semester and he does expect them to be well-written with a lot of thought and effort put into them. The tests are also essay and require as much detail as you can remember. If you study, though, and do the best you can, you will have no problem in this course. It also helps that McMichael is an excellent professor and very easy to get along with. He is sarcastic, so if you can't handle that, then he's probably not the right teacher for you. You definitely won't forget him, though, and he's really good about helping his students with anything even after they have completed his class. Definitely take him!
HIST-119 : Western Civ. Before - Posted 12/20/2007
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
C
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
He gives you way too many unneccissary notes, basically if you focus on the treatment of women through out the ages, you'll get an A. I played online poker throughout all of his classes and i still managed to make a solid C in the class if that tells you anything. Aside from all that, he was really understanding and willing to help and discuss things further, i'd definitly reccommend him.
HIST-240 : U.s. History Until 1865 - Posted 12/18/2007
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
If you're good at writing papers I suggest this class. You read 4 books and write eassays over each. The midterm and final papers were the hardest paper I've written in college. You have to link history together. You get 20 sets of 3 vocab. words each and you pick one from each set and have to explain it and tell how it caused the next vocab word or was an effect of the previous word. Make sure you come to class, after 3 or 4 absences you're done. And if you don't do a paper or do bad on one it can affect your grade a lot. Also, there's no exams, everything is a paper.
HIST- : Us History To 1865 - Posted 12/1/2007
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
This class can become extremely hard if you do not work on your writing skills. You have to read a variety of small books and write papers on them for this class, although I did take the methods class. At first I did not like his grading system but if you talk with him then it is extremely helpful. He is also really fair and funny. If you are not a very good writer then take someone else, but if you do not mind it then he is your man.
HIST-240 : U.s. History - Posted 4/16/2007
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
Not Specified
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
There are ALOT of notes. He is a nice guy, he really knows his stuff. There are no tests, just papers to write. He requires you to have 6 books for the class. But 5 of them are tiny books, and the last one is the textbook. For the mid-term you have to "link history" together. It is a pain in the butt, but it is pretty easy if you follow his guidelines for writing the papers. There are weekly extra credit, but it can be hard to find. For extra credit you have to find a newspaper article that relates somehow to whatever you have been discussing that previous week. I took him on Tuesday and Thursday so the extra credit was due Tuesday. The extra credit is worth 5 points, which you may need. He is an easy-going guy that is always willing to talk to you if you have a problem. I suggest you take him!!
HIST-119 : Western Civ - Posted 2/11/2007
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
C
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
You have to study for this class....he is a nice guy and gives 10 point extra credit papers every week that helps your grade tremendously in the end. It's very hard but if you study you should be okay.
HIST-119 : Western Civ Before - Posted 12/14/2006
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Professor McMichael is an extremely smart and very fun teacher to have. You will take a whole lot of notes in his class and the test are only in essay format. Beyond those to facts he is an extremely helpful and fun teacher to have and if you enjoy history I would strongly recommend that you take his class.
HIST-119 : Western Civ To 1648 - Posted 11/5/2006
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Western Civ is a difficult class. If you are looking for a class that you can avoid class work or studying, no Western Civ class is one you want to take. If you are going to take Western Civ and you plan to put forth some effort, I recommend Professor McMichael. He is a great teacher! He cares about his students which means soooooo much! He tries to keep the class interesting. Even if I do not get an A+ in the class I would still give him an A+! I wish he taught more subjects then just History... oh well... too bad.
HIST-119 : Western Civ. Until 1648 - Posted 6/23/2005
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
You do have to read to pass his class! There is a short quiz EVERY class period. He does provide for extra credit based on several criteria. He is super nice, go to his office and he will always talk to you. He is kind of arrogant at times, and at the beginning he will make it sound like his class will KILL YOU! It WONT! He just likes to intimidate you! :) The tests are ESSAYS...buy bluebooks! There are a few multiple choice/matching...but Essays are on all exams. But, he will give you samples of what may be on the exam via a studyguide which is available well in advance.
HIST- : Western Civilization - Posted 1/19/2005
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
Prf. McMichael is an awesome teacher. But this doesnt mean that the class is easy. As you might have assumed, history is not an easy class, and it's not definitely a fun class if its not your interest. But Prf. McMichael makes the material interesting and less boring. He knows his material very well. He is very smart and might seem like a smart ass if/when you ask questions but dont take it personally......if you show up for class everyday, take notes, read the chapter, keep up with your id's as you go....basically do everything like you're supposed to then an A is not impossible. Also, the best part about Prf. McMichael is that he gives extra credit.....tons of points...every week you can turn a page of basically like a summary of the week's reading, turn it in the first day of class that week and if it's ok, you get the points. I did all the extra credit except for a couple and it paid off in the end because for the final exam i didnt have to do as well and still get an A because of the extra credits.
HIST-119 : Western Civilization To 1648 - Posted 12/17/2004
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Professor McMichael is a good professor if you like to have unorthodox teaching. His methods of having his students learn is quite different than the usual college professor. Be prepared to play computer games (usually cost around $35.00 each) like Civilization III and Patrician II for papers you'll have to write(a 3-5 page and a 7-9 page); I stress, DON'T slack off in those just because they're games. Note taking in his class is overkill, but it really helps you on the exams, which are essay and identification. There are roughly 15 quizzes you'll have to take over the semester once a week, consisting of maps and multiple choice. Be sure to study for those; they may only be worth 10 points a piece, but they'll come back and bite you in the butt later. He's a fair grader, but getting papers back takes a long time: he likes to go over them thoroughly. Be sure to buy the text book, it's crucial to have. If you like a challenge, take McMichael.
HIST-119 : Western Civ - Posted 11/10/2004
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
YOu have to work hard, I had him my first semester here and was failing right up to the end, but I went every class period and met with him, that helps alot!!!! There are alot of notes, but they help because you have a quiz once a week, but the textbook helps too. The text helps you to understand your notes a little better, but the tests are all essay which sucks, you have to REALLY know what you are talking about to get a good grade!
HIST-241 : - Posted 9/29/2004
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
This was a very tough class because the subject matter is approached in an extremely boring way. Not only do most people not care about history but when you view it socially like he's inclined to, it becomes even more intolerably boring. He doesn't complete thoughts. He is too smart for his own good and too well read on his subject. Right in the middle of a sentence he'll remember something sort of connected and tell you and it won't be anything of importance. Everything he gives you is essay. You read a lot and you write a lot. Its boooring and tedious and inconsiderate when you consider other classes you might be taking. Give me dates to regurgitate any old day. However, I liked the professor. He's good people and I didn't deserve my A, I deserved a B, and so stay on his good side and do your assignments. Read the books he assigns, take part in class discussions, make yourself identifiable. Its better if your teacher can attach your face to your paper when he's grading it.
HIST-463 : Atlantic World - Posted 6/1/2004
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
In any of McMichael's classes, speak up. Class Participation is worth 35 percent of the total grade, and if you do not talk at all but do well on the other material, it will still hurt you. Also attend class, because he will fail you after 6 absences. This was a very interesting class!
HIST-119 : Western Civ To 1648 - Posted 1/14/2004
Overall Rating:
Poor
Grade:
C
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
If you do not want to have to study constantly and do homework in order to understand the exams, do not take this professor. He is really hard and terrible teacher. DO NOT TAKE HIM
COLL-301 : History & The Internet - Posted 1/13/2004
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Few/None
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
This class was really frustrating to me. The Internet history was interesting, but the final group project was not, perhaps because the class picked a topic that I could really care less about. We had to construct a website about that topic as a class. Dr. McMichael is okay, but hard to read.
HIST-119 : Western Civ - Posted 12/12/2003
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
Not Specified
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Dr. McMichael is a very good teacher who really knows what he's talking about. He gives everyone a lot of chances for extra credit. If you do most of your extra credit assignments then you should be in pretty good shape. Also be sure to do the readings for each week so that you can be prepared for a quiz (there is one quiz each week). His tests are fairly easy if you just glance over your notes. The papers may seem difficult at first, but in the end they become very easy and you will get it done in no time. He's not a very picky grader, so you can usually get away by just writing a lot of b/s. I would recommend this class to everyone.
HIST-119 : Western Civ. Before - Posted 12/10/2003
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
McMichael is a good teacher. He definitely knows his stuff and he is very willing to answer any questions you may have about the topics you go over. His class is not easy by any means but you learn a lot of stuff. The tests are hard and the papers are harder but I strongly recommend that you take his class!
HIST-119 : Western Civ Before 1648 - Posted 12/6/2003
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
Great teacher he has fun with the topic. A little hard work in his class will yield a A for you.
HIST-119 : - Posted 11/14/2003
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
He is a great teacher that makes boring topics interesting. If you have to take this classyou might as well enjoy it. Lots of notes lots of information and work.... but worth it.
HIST-119 : History Up To 1648 - Posted 11/8/2003
Overall Rating:
Poor
Grade:
Withdrew
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
I went to this class everyday up until the week of the first test and then I lost my book and knew there was NO WAY I would pass without studying my book. This guy is really arrogant and he is on some kind of power trip. He would make jokes about grades as if he held our destiny in his hands. To me, it wasn't about History, it was about pleasing him and kissing his ass, and I wasn't gonna do that. There are tons of notes, some of which you can't get down because he talks way too fast, and he gives a "pop" quiz sometime during the week over assigned reading. The history classes at WKU are hard enough without bad professors...try another professor!
HIST-119 : Western Civilization - Posted 11/2/2003
Overall Rating:
Poor
Grade:
Withdrew
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
I withdrew because it was going to be a pain in the rear. do not take him, do not take him, do not take him!!!
HIST-119 : Western Civ. - Posted 10/23/2003
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
The class is 100% lecture and you take tons of notes. McMichael knows his stuff though, and what's cool is he is always willing to help and gives the opportunity for extra credit every week. There are two mid-terms, three 3-5 page papers, and a cumulative final. It's super tough, but it's possible to do good if you want to try hard.
HIST-119 : Western Civ - Posted 10/15/2003
Overall Rating:
Poor
Grade:
Not Specified
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
Lots of Notes....Lots of Papers...Lots of Lectures....Lots of Boring Sh*t.....SO be prepared, he is a hard ass! It is not easy to pass this class, so do the extra credit! It will make your grade alot better!
HIST- : Various History Course - Posted 9/29/2003
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Prof. McMichael is an excellent teacher. I've taken his upper level courses and have learned a tremendous amount. He helps you to develop a way of examining historical information, which is fantastic if you're a history major. His exams are essay, but you get to take them home. Prof. McMichael was always there to help me when I had questions. His classes are interesting! Take him!
COLL-301 : History And The Internet - Posted 8/19/2003
Overall Rating:
Poor
Grade:
Withdrew
Quantity of Notes:
Not Specified
Difficulty:
Not Specified
Comments
This professor is the most arrogant man I have ever met. His syllabus flagrantly disobeys University Policy and he continuously refers to the employees at the University bookstore as "useless morons." He has no concern for the feelings or well-being of his students.
HIST-119 : Western Civ To 1648 - Posted 5/6/2003
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
While you do take a lot of notes, he makes it easy to decipher what will end up being essay questions (just listen for compare & contrast...). The 3 tests consist of 5 ID terms (brief description and its signifigance to history) and a couple of essays.He's a really cool teacher and obviously well-qualified. I skipped a lot of classes and never opened the book and got a B. The term paper isn't too bad, but a lot more work than anything else in the class.
HIST-241 : Us Before 1865 - Posted 4/15/2003
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
Not Specified
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Professor McMichael is a very helpful teacher. He is quite funny and he really tries to make sure that no one fails. He's not easy, but if you actually go to class and do the work you are sure to get a good grade. The mid-term and final are both take-home essays and you only have to read and write papers on 3 of the 4 books he assigns. He's also very willing to help any student outside of class and is very understanding. Take this professor!
HIST-440 : Formative Period - Posted 4/15/2003
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
Not Specified
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Dr. McMicahel is a very good teacher, he does give a lot of notes, but they are very beneficial in preparing for the tests, which are all take home, except for a portion of the final. There are also a lot fo readings, but as long as you stay caught up it isnt overkill.
HIST-119 : Western Civ. Before - Posted 4/11/2003
Overall Rating:
Poor
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Most boring professor who is stuck on himself you could possibly take at WKU.
HIST-119 : Western Civilizations - Posted 3/14/2003
Overall Rating:
Poor
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
This class was soooo hard. The notes are overkill and so is all the reading. There were only 3 essay tests which were all very hard. If you take his class you will regret it.
HIST-440 : Colonial History - Posted 1/14/2003
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
Very interesting and I learned a lot of stuff that helps in other history classes. Don't fall asleep because he will throw things at you.
HIST-119 : - Posted 12/14/2002
Overall Rating:
Poor
Grade:
Not Specified
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
If you decide to take his class it is pointless to take thousands of notes like he wants you to because he posts each essay and identification on his website so you know exactly what will be on the test. If you just look up the essays and identifications you will be okay. At first he seems pretty cool but he can be a total asshole. Make sure you write a wonderful cited term paper or he will give you a zero and you will not get credit for the class.
HIST-119 : Western Civ To 1648 - Posted 10/22/2002
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
C
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
NOTES!!!!!! You take tons of notes and he talks fast so you are confused sometimes. But he is a nice guy with no attendence policy. His test, well just look over you notes and you should be fine. There is no work in the class, so you grade is your test and the papers you write, and they take time. But it is easy, so take him.