Western Kentucky University / S / William (Mark) Simpson

Mark Simpson is easily one of my top 3 favorite teachers in this entire campus. He is very educated, creative and most of all inspiring. His teaching is sporadic and often never ends up finishing his original though but through this method he handles content that is relevant to the current studies. He will spend entire class periods answering questions and sharing inspirational material that makes it very easy to learn and stay up to date in the field of advertising. I would hands down recommend this teacher for any class he teaches especially digital world. He works very hard to keep students on track by offering any assistance he can and giving students breaks when they need it. He makes sure to address needs of the students as they arise, not when they are convenient for him, as many teacher fail to do. Mark Simpson is an under appreciated gem of this university and has genuinely helped me find what I should be pursuing in life. I would like to personally thank Mark Simpson for all his hard work and determination to the cause of teaching students for the students sake and not to keep a job.

The class itself has no actual notes that are required but it is suggested that you take them to keep up with the material. Tests are normally group or open book and are over content that is pretty much straight from the notes. Books are again a suggestion. The whole class is group work. You find a company locally to create a start to finish advertising campaign. You get to work directly with real clients on real problems that agencies face when promoting a product or service. I highly recommend this class to any student in the school of journalism because the amount of real world experience you gain is incomparable to other classes. The final is a 20min presentation over your entire semesters work. Sounds intimidating but it is very fun... stressful at times, but very rewarding and a great portfolio piece for receiving a job.

I think Mark is the best teacher I have ever taken. I have never learned more from any other teacher in my life. He has a ton of knowledge about advertising and is very interesting to talk to. He is very understanding if you need to miss and is willing to give you ideas and help you with projects. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR...TAKE HIM!!=)

If you have no idea how to use a computer this is your guy!! He explains everything very well and goes through numerous examples! Although, you will have to devote much time to completing the assignments such a website and different projects in the books. The only thing that sucks it that u have to get 3 books! Oh well sell them back later I guess!!

Mark is so awesome. If you have never taken a class with Mark you'll learn what I mean. The entire department is super cool and Mark fits right in. He is so helpful and truly cares about your progress if you do too. He will help you get an A in the class but you have to put forth the effort (duh, it's college). Mark holds at least one Masters Degree in creative design so naturally this class is one of his better subjects to teach. I took this class in the Summer and I had a blast every day. Very relaxed, not flustered, knowledgeable, helpful, cool (all of these describe Mark). Take him sometime!

This is a really easy class but very boring!!!! All you do is sit and listen to him lecture but all of your tests are online and you can use your books, so it is kinda pointless to even go to class but he takes attendance every day!

Mark is not the worst instructor we have here at Western like someone mentioned. His class can get a little boring but he's such a cool guy. He's been in the advertising business all of his life and he knows the material. What he does very well is not teach above the level of the class. He doesn't expect graduate level work out of a 300-level class. The tests are tough but the average college student can easily get an A if you are prepared (like every other class in college). If he assigns an online test you're home free. You still have to know the answers though. Mark gives some extra credit, usually in the form of attending class when some didn't show up at all. He'll sometimes give a pop-quiz when attendance is low and that makes for easy points. He'll ask you a super easy question or two and I think that half of the quiz grade is you getting your name spelled correctly on the paper. This class ties in closely with Prin. of Marketing. I enjoyed being able to associate the two and also learn some differences. Mark is very approachable (as is most of the J&B staff). He's got great ideas for projects and is stellar when it comes to my list of favorite instructors. Ask him about his new Espresso machine. TAKE MARK FOR THIS CLASS!

Mark is one of the nicest, most helpful, sincere people I've ever met. He'll help you w/ anything, even if you're not in his class at the time. Any class you have under him will be a good one. Might be a bit boring considering the subject matter on some things, but in general, Mark is one of the best professor's you can have.

Mark is one of the best teachers at Western. He is very intelligent and tries to make class interesting. He teaches on the student's level and is always willing to help. Principles of Adv. is a pretty interesting class and Mark makes it really easy to get an A. All you have to do is a few easy assignments, the 4 tests are online and you get 24 hours to do them while using your book and there isn't a comprehensive final. There is a final project that takes some work, but it isn't too hard if you start early. This class is a good one.

Perhaps the worst professor at WKU. He doesn't know the material and it is blatantly obvious. I called him out several times on incorrect information. Also, the mini ad campaign he has you develop is a joke and he gives you no guidance on what to do or include in it until like a week before the massive thing is due. I have to give him some credit, he gave several open book online tests. And if you did have questions he was often available by email or in his office. Basically, just try to sound really smart and you'll be fine.

This class was good but also kind of boring. he goes over the slides that are already on the internet and it really just made me glaze over during class. It was kind of neat to find out how advertising works and what all goes into it though.

Mark is by far one of my favorite teachers, not just at Western but all my years in school. He is willing to stay in the computer lab with you all day and night till you understand the work. He is very understanding. Take him over any of the other advertising teachers! If you take him for Jour 232 he admits that almost every student gets an A and he has never failed anyone. Take Mark because he is great!