Foster, Theodore  

Doc Foster is truely one of the best professors that I've had while at Cal Poly. If you've read the other reviews, you probably have the mindset that he's a mad professor, and honestly, he kinda is. I had him for both lecture and lab, and in each class hour he'd have at least 2 demonstrations. His class was set up like this: each tuesday there was homework due (always 8 problems, very straight forward), and on thursday there was a 15 point quiz (again very straight foward and the questions were taken from homework, lecture, and lab). There were no midterms, and there also wasn't a book. His quizzes are very fair, and he always posts homework answers outside of his office so you can check to see what answers you missed and why. In lab, he'd set up about 10 activities for you to do, but he'd also go around and answer any questions as well as do some of the activities together as a group. One thing about him though is that he doesn't seem very approchable. However, he is very helpful if you do seek his help one on one. Just some interesting tidbits about him, he memorized everybody's name the first day (as well as any weird spelling), and he has the funniest sayings that he'll just bring up in class, such as "This is truely a bestill my heart moment." If you have the choice of taking PSC103 from Foster, or any other class from him, I'd stronly recommend it. He'll make the material easy to understand, and you'll have a little bit of fun too.

Dr. Foster tries to make class interesting, but all the demonstrations do not necesarily help people understand. When I had a question, I would ask him to clarify, and he would never manage to answer what I had asked. (Other people in the class also noticed this.) He heavily emphasized only one section of the curriculum, astronomy, because he enjoys it, and did not cover everything he was supposed to. There was no textbook for the class, so you had to rely on what he said. However, I stopped taking notes after the 6th week or so, because I gave up on trying to absorb much from his lectures. I got an A through muddling through things on my own, and getting help from friends. His homework is insane. He writes questions that ramble on and on, and do not make sense. The kind of things he has you do for homework often amount to meaningless, time-consuming nonsense. (He will sometimes write out a big convoluted mess about some demonstration, and then ask you if you thought it was exciting, yes or no.) If possible, take this class from another professor. Yeah, I did okay, but I hated every minute of class.

Professor foster is one wacky guy...he doesnt know how to teach but when he is trying it's really hard to concentrate...i think he is a little mentally slow and has terrets. the entire hour he just rambled on about the dumbest shit. one day he said something about how his friend didnt like buying green bananas...what the hell? i thought it was physical science...oh well. if you have the choice, dont take from professor foster.

A good guy, whose whole class is demonstrations. He assigns homework problems, just memorize the answers to them and you will do well on his weekly quizzes.

If you want to watch demonstration after demonstration of things that have nothing to do with what you are supposed to learn or anything you will be tested on take this class. If you want a teacher who teaches on the subject matter that they will be testing you on don't take this class. Foster should have thrown in the towel along time ago and retired. He is a below average teacher that will only get worse as the year goes on.

I had him for stupid physics because I'm a BUS major getting a GE out of the way. I hate physics. For it being a GE, the class wasn't so bad. Just get the homeowrk answers memorized and you'll do well on weekly quizzes. He must have some sort of neat curve because I was really expecting a B and ended up with an A. So no complaints, if you get him, no big deal, don't worry. Hope you like seeing a guy squint his eyes over and over, it's so cute.

This guy is so dope. He's gettin up there in age but he is the nicest dude ever. The first day you might be startled by his monotone but you'll eventually find him hilarious. This class was very interesting and I have never taken Physics before and this was so extremely easy. Take him if you are capable of recieving such a luxury. Quizes are a joke and the final is just questions off the quiz. He's always doin these funny little experiments and they're interesting. This guy is awesome, easy/interesting "A", do it

This is probably the easiest GE class you could ever take!! Even if you aren't good in physics all you have to do is read the book, do the hw problems, memorize them and take a weekly quiz. The class only consists of a quiz every Wed that mostly come directly from hw problems and a 50 pt final. Foster is a cute old man who blinks alot and is not the best lecturer. There were times I felt going to class was pointless because he just does a bunch of demos that you're never tested on.

Foster is a great guy. He really loves physics, and does quite a few demonstrations a day. He gives nightly hw, but never grades it. If you do all the hw and attend the lectures, it's an easy "A". He doesn't try to fool anyone- all his material is plain and simple.

As everyone has said Foster assigns homework everyday but never collects them. There are quizzes every Wednesday. Most of the questions are directly out of the homework. There are about 9 quizzes and he drops the lowest one. Each quiz is worth 15 points. The final is mostly from old quizzes and is worth 50 points. He mostly does experiments during lecture. All the answers to the homework are posted near his office. Overall not too difficult a class if you study the homework.

As a business major I should have never taken this course. He is kind of a funny guy, but that doesn't make this class worth the time. There are homework problems that become your quiz every wednesday. These quizzes combined with a comprehensive final becomes your grade. He is old and wears the EXACT same outfit everyday. I got an A and studied, but there are far better GEs to take.

Has a quiz every wednesday, however they are questions directly from the homework! So every tuesday night I would go to his office to look up the answers and just write them down, then the next day, you are bound to remember them, they are pretty easy to understand too. Lowest score is dropped. Final was just as easy. The first couple of quizzes i jacked up on so that's why I ended up with a C.

Dr. Foster, if you get to know him, is a very friendly guy. I'm sorry I have to says this and I hope he reads it for the sake of his future students: He has a serious body odor problem. There I said it, but man its hard to concentrate during his office hours when you are being overpowered by the BO. Just say no to BO! If you do go to office hours, try rubbing some ben-gay on your upper lip. This seemed to work. Anyways, he does seem to be sincerely concerned about his students. His labs are great because he uses them to supplement the lecture. Meaning: his labs are NOT like another class altogether because there are no quizzes or exams to take. That was nice. One last complaint, he assigns grades based on how you compare with other students in the class. He knows ahead of time how A's and how many F's he is going to give. This means that if your course work was at a C level BUT you were also the lowest grade in the class - then you get a big fat F. It DOES NOT MATTER how well you do, it matters how you compared to your classmates. This is just silly because it fosters an unfriendly environment in the class. No one wants to help out anyone else because it could lower their own grade. Man that Blows. I believe that I should have had an A except there were some freaks-of-nature in my class that never missed any points on their quizzes. Sucks for me.

Foster is an interesting/weird/funny teacher. He presents material in a monotonous tone so it's hard to focus on what he's saying. There is a quiz every tuesday - each worth 15 points - and a final worth 60 points. There is homework every week that is not collected but the quizzes are based completely off the homework so if you understand all the homework problems, you will do fine on the quizzes. I did badly because I don't understand physics but Foster does not help much either - you can't really go to him with questions because he will most likely just confuse you more. If you understand physics yourself, you will probably be fine in this class.

Foster reminds me of a crazy old professor. He know definetly knows his stuff and can teach it. Physics is just a tough course and his class is a lot of work, but you can do it.

Foster is very interesting... His class is strictly quiz based and the final is pretty subjective. The questions are mostly form the homework, but if you miss one or 2 stupid things your grade goes down on the quizes quickly. You never really know where your at the class because the final is weighteed really heavy. Foster is a nice enough guy, but the first day of lecture I was really wondering. He talks like a robot and is VERY SLOW at explaining things. If given a choice I might take his class again depending. I've heard he's better than many other Physics teachers sooooo And manye people really like him.....

Foster is a crazy old physicist but he really knows how to teach. Homework is assigned weekly but never turned in for points. There is one quiz each week containing questions that are directly modified from the homework. The material can be fairly challenging but he posts all homework answers and gives ample time in class and lab to ask questions. The labs are not very exciting but they also don't count for a grade so you can sort of BS your way through them. Not an easy class, but the professor is great.

He knows his stuff as a physics professor, but he does not know how to teach the material to his students. His lectures had nothing to do with the hw and the quizzes that he gives. The first 20min of class he rambles about nothing and wastes time so we have less time to work on our labs. He is not a good GE teacher because his grading is all based on class ranking. So there will always be people who fail his class. He expects you to know the material by doing the homework because he does not teach or go over anything. I could learn more by sitting in my own room and reading the textbook which is also not a very good book. Its only used because a cal poly professor wrote it. He gives quizzes every week and the grades are only based on the quizzes and midterms. After a quarter I did not learn anything from him whatsoever.

Such a funny old guy, at first he seems kind of monotone and I was afraid I would constantly fall asleep in class, but he's actually really amusing. He gives lots of demonstrations and practice problems, but seems to have a hard time answering student's questions, though it's obvious he knows what he's talking about.

Foster is the man I wish my grandpa would be more like, and I never let my real grandpa forget it. Sitting in his class is the equivalent to watching Anchorman, you will gain a plethora of new quotes to repeat over and over that your friends won't get. Pay attention to certain mannerisms such as the long blink, the morose code blink, the slow walk, and, most importantly, the smirk. The smirk is the most subtle of all behaviors observed in the classroom. Foster's quotes, however, prevented me from missing class. Here are some classics... "Be still my heart!" "Poetry in motion on the chalkboard." "What did you learn in physics Johnny?" "Hit him again Johnny!" "Don't ask that question Johnny." "Mamma Mia!"

This class gave me mixed feelings. When I signed up for Physics 121, i thought it would be the "easy" physics. Even though the material is easy enough to understand and clarified with examples made by Professor Foster, I did not like the way he chose to grade us. I wish I would have listened to Polyratings when it told me that Foster grades with a curve in competition with other students. That means someone has to fail it brought a lot of tension to the class. The weekly quizzes were easy if you did the homework which i usually did the night before. I think I could have done better if i would have studied earlier. But, I thought the final was rediculous. I guess it was a "do-able" test but even after days of studying for the test, i felt lost when i read the questions. It may have been because I was so nervous about it. Overall, Foster is a silly old man that likes chatting with his students during lab and plans out cute scenarios during lecture, but i did not enjoy his grading policies.

hes a sorta crazy old dude, but pretty funny. obviously physics is gonna be sorta tough, but he does a pretty good job of teaching it. he tells alot of random stories that are just sorta like 'what the heck?!'to do good in the class i would say pick up the main points in the book first, then listen to his random lectures to help clear up stuff

Dr. Foster was a great professor. I took physics for the first time ever with him and he did a great job. At least for me, physics is kind of a difficult subject and I found going to his office hours to be a huge help.

don't be afraid at the beginning, he will seem like the most boring person ever. but in reality he is weird and entertaining and knows his voice sounds dumb. take him if you can

Nice guy. Good teacher. Weird sense of humor. Weirder grading scale ( watch out if you are in a class of smart people) Be sure to devote your time to practice the work outside of class as the test is only based on the book and not the lecture. He was understanding of my demanding schedule and helped me withdraw when I had no chance of passing. I plan to take foster when i attempt 121 again.

this guy is a crack up. and he's a good teacher. physics was made a lot easier by his hilarious - if not zany - stories and examples. he likes it when you're there everday, and it's worth it to show up. i missed a day once and it took me a while to get caught up. he'll always help you if you do though.

Foster is an okay teacher, he definitely knows physics inside and out. But... he is definitely an older guy who speaks waaaaay too slow so if you lose focus easily or get bored easily, DONT TAKE HIM. You will inevitably end up skipping his lectures because you can pretty much just skim the chapter and get the idea but you will miss out on that one equation he went over and you'll be screwed.

Professor definitely knew his material. Once you get past the blinking and the monotone voice its not a bad class. There are seven weekly quizzes (eight minus 1 lowest score), a midterm and a final. The midterm and the final were tough but if you study enough its not all that bad. Furthermore, he makes it interesting in that he brings in stuff for demonstrations almost every class period.

At first, I thought I would have an excruciating quarter with Dr. Foster. All he does during lecture is demonstrations and I thought he just wasn't teaching us well. I later realized that he's just a very basic, straightforward professor. His exams are very resonable as are the homework assignments. He never throws any curve balls. He teaches you how to do your basic physics and he's actually kinda funny after a while. I'd recommend him, especially to non-physics majors who don't need to go way in-depth.

Foster is a hilarious mad scientist! He even has huge, thick glasses and frizzy hair. I found him very funny in an odd sort of way. I think he did an average job of teaching the class. He kept it interesting with a lot of experiments and in-class visual aides. I enjoyed that. However, he does not grade easily, and the tests are a little on the difficult side.

Foster is a great teacher. I had him for both the lecture and the lab. For the entire lecture class he does demonstrations. The labs were somewhat lame, but they were due at the end of class, so there was no homework or lab write-up. The labs don't count towards your grade, but you have to do all of them or you will have to repeat the course. There are homework problems due every week. It's only 12 problems that don't take too long to do. Tests consist of problems similar to the homework and also refer to the labs. He will help you out if you are having trouble. Just ask.

I had Foster for 122 and 123, he loves physics and he takes joy in doing experiments for the fun of it. However, he doesn't seem to be able to keep in mind that all people don't share his love for the subject. He's a funny old man, but he's not that great of a teacher. If you take him you'll end up learning everything out of the book because he tests on the homework. My advice is to do the homework and check your answers (which he posts outside his office because he doesn't believe in computers). Otherwise, he's a sweet guy, but if you want someone to explain things to you take someone else.

wacky to say the least, but knows physics inside and out. found him to be very entertaing and im not a big physics fan. very approachable and the office hours made a big difference.

I know you're going to see Foster's overall and sulk but you need to hear me out. "Yeah yeah, i got the A" but Foster know's his stuff. So he blinks like a thousand times a minute and sounds a tad dull but he can teach. He's very good to you during office hours and this guy loves the SF Giants. He doesn't throw any curve balls at you and wants you to do well. Do the homework and take notes. You're in college now, you're here to learn.

I waited until my senior year at poly to take my physics because i've always been terrible at it, and was afraid of failing it. When i first walked into foster's class, i was thinking "oh, lord this is going to be a long quarter" because he seemed SO boring and monotone. However, as the quarter went on, I realized that Dr. Foster is actually very well knowledged in physics, and also very approachable during lab and office hours. He does a lot of examples in class, but they apply to whatever the subject is that we are learning. Overall, i had a good experience with Foster and I would recommend any student to take him. He is straightforward with the material and very fair with grading.

I Loved Dr. Foster. He lectures clearly, and adds a bit of extra material he feels his interesting (and it always was, funny too). He had weekly quizes, which were modified homework problems. In lab, he was very helpful and excited about the experiments. There was only one test, a final, which was modified homework questions and quizes. He was very very funny and entertaining, and very very nice. I strongly recommend him for both lecturea and lab.

Foster is a brilliant guy. He plays with lenses, mirrors, lasers, and that can be slightly interesting. Other than that, he does NOT know how to teach. He wasn't my style. I basically had to teach myself the material. There's no point in going to class because he won't present anything new that you won't get out of the book. I wouldn't take him again.

Foster is weird, in a charming way. The only problem I saw with his teaching style was that he tended to just ask students to be smart rather than guiding them towards the answer. If you love physics, he's an enthusiastic teacher. If you're just plodding your way through a requirement resentfully, don't kid yourself that he won't notice.

foster is a great instructor as well as a pretty genuine man with a genuine love for physics. he'll entertain you while doing a bang up job of educating you. I highly recommend you take him, BUT... go everyday. physics is a difficult class to pass if you miss lectures or labs. shalom.

Physics 123 is horrible. Circuits, voltage, ...sorry, but that stuff isn't very interesting to me. Foster works very hard, and loves his work and loves physics. He does demonstrations for almost every concept, gives an equation, and then does a sample problem. Good teaching structure, I think. We had weekly quizes, which were mainly 3 multiple choice (either from lab material or from homework) and 7 points of calculating problems. Then a midterm, then a cumulative final. Try to get Foster for lab too, because he doesn't make you turn in lab write-ups. you just get credit for being there and knowing what happened (but he will test you on lab material during the lecture tests). You'll be in class for the entire time, which is annoying because he is so old and hard to listen to, but put up with him. I would recommend Foster. Its not that hard. I dont care what any professor says, physics is just equations! know the equations and you can hack it. fluff

funny.

not only is he funny, he's a fair grader, he explains things very clearly, and he's always willing to help in office hours - although i never really needed to show up because he explained things very well in class. you can see why i took him for every physics class available.

I just had him for 131 lab, but I grew to like him. He is, indeed, a "hilarious mad scientist". He loves to talk about astronomy when there's an eclipse or you can see a planet really well. However we never lost time and always got out of the 3-hour lab early. Also, he doesn't require any formal "lab write-ups"; he doesn't even collect papers at all. You do the lab, you show him your results and that you understand the concepts and the experiment, and he takes your names and tells you "see you next week". Of course, I didn't know who I had for lab until I showed up (it said "STAFF" on the schedule), but I was glad I got this guy.

I never had a class without at least two demonstrations in class. He used the hands on demonstrations along with his lectures to teach the material very efficiently. I would recommend Mr. Foster (despite his monotone).

The man looks like a mad scientist! It cracks me up. As long as you do the homework and go to class everything will turn out okay, and he explains things really well. I had him for lab also and he let us "play" with the liquid nitrogen we froze some stuff and smashed them on the ground, thats just the sort of teacher he is as long as the students learn something from it.

Business majors: A degree for the intellectually impaired, HA HA.

He Is GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!