Barber, Cliff  

Dr. Barber can sometimes be difficult to learn from, but overall is a good teacher because he attemps to put his students in real worl situations. You will be frustrated in his class and that is what he probably wants.

This was one of the harder classes ive had a cal poly but also the one i learned the most from. Barber gives you this huge project which he knows you cant really do and then watches you stress out all quarter until its done and then finally you realize thats thats what he was his whole point. He also gives homework everyweek that really helps your grade. If i did more of the homework i would have gotten an A. Barber is also a really cool guy with a witty sense of humor. I actually enjoyed listening to him in class.

Barber perposfully (and admittadly) makes his lectures as veague as possible... and actually won't ask questions posed by students. He get's joy out of frustrating his students... but this pushes them to do what he calls 'self directed learning'. Basically get an A on the project. Don't bother with the quizes and homework as much and feel free to miss class (if he doesn't cancell it) we had about 1.5 classes a week cancelled as near as I can tell. Barber likes to bluff so don't let it scare you into dropping the class... but if you can take this class with Kimbal it'll make your life much easyer.

Barber is great if you can get past his tangents, he does know alot but becareful he is RANDOM!! He also likes to antagonize indivuals in class. I learned alot, I don't know how much of it was about MIS or CAD but hey it was entertaining. Barber is the biggest slacker so if you can prove yourself to be as good a BSer as him you've got it made.

Funny fucker

The only positive thing about Barber is he's funny. He really is. Other than a good laugh, there's no reason to take him. His tests are hard, he grades projects very roughly, and he never lectures on specific topics, just generalities. I don't know about you, but I came to college to learn SPECIFICS! The entire class I was wondering what the hell I was even suppose to be getting out of it. If you want to learn anything or get a good grade, avoid Barber like an STD.

Mr. Barber has a completely different way of teaching then I have ever experienced. You probably notice that I scored him below average for how the course material is presented and the ability for the instructor to recognize and clarify student difficulties. However, overall I rate Mr. Barber as well above average. If you want a glimpse of how things are going to be in the real world, this is the class to take. Mr. Barber does not teach you anything in this class about the course

not such a hard class like everyone says it is. Homework points and exam points worth the same, so its not hard to pick up your grade. Overall Easy class if you do the homework (not hard) and take the three exams. FInal was optional based if you wanted to improve your grade

Pure comic genius. Class is a peice of cake don't bother buying the books, except maybe the goal. We need more teachers like this instead of the stiffs like mcquaid and others.

the main reason why i went to class is to figure out what the hell was going on. He was not clear on anything. no one knew what or when somthing was due. He was really funny but i dont think it made up for the boring class. He would ramble about nothing, show us a video and we would be out in like 45 minutes. The class is not hard, 3 tests and 7 hw assignments. He is funny but i didnt learn a think about IT from barber.

Don't learn much in this class...great because you always get out early, and there isn't a lot of work involved. Don't spend too much time on the homework because you get credit just for trying and the homework is way harder than anything you will find on the tests. Don't have to take the final if you have an A in the class which was nice...tests are not difficult but they are kind of tricky, so even if you know the material you might not do well on the test.

There were four multiple choice tests in total (final included), but if I remember right, he was averaging your best three tests so if you had a high enough grade on the first few, you wouldn't need to take the final. There was one in class project, and there was a book "The Goal" that we had to read as well. Some people say that you don't really need to read the thing for his test, but I suggest reading it if you want to guarantee getting at least a C. Finish the readings, which isn't much, and thats a guaranteed B and maybe A. His class is laid back, fun to listen to him talk, and don't expect in depth lectures for IT 371. His talks can be very general as he tends to use the time to impart his wisdom to help prepare you for life after school.

You don't learn anything in this class. However, he is sort of entertaining, but loves to embarrass his students by asking them dumb questions. I found that on his first midterm the questions were random and was like under this section which was under this section in the book what is this. Completely retarded. Don't take this class if you want to learn something (he also doesn't even go over Microsoft Office). Do take him if you want an easy grade.

The test are hard, but not matter how horrible you do on them you will at least get a B in the class. If you want an A, study a little harder than everyone else and you will. You can also do some extra credit. You don't really have to read "The Goal"... I read the Sparknotes and that was enough to get the main idea. Oh and the goal quiz is definitely a joke so don't stress about it... the real questions are on the test. I really didn't learn anything in this class, but I got an easy B and he was intertainging and let us out early all the time. If you get embarrassed easily, that sucks because he picks on everyone no matter where you sit. It's really funny actually.

Barber is ridiculous! In a good way though. In the beginning of the quarter, he told me that, because he couldn't pronounce my name, he would remember me and I would get an A. Through the quarter, we had 3 midterms and an optional final. On all the midterms, I got around an 80% after the curve. He curved 2 out of the 3 midterms. Also, there was a midterm on The Goal, but it didn't count for anything. In the end, I somehow pulled off an A. I didn't take the final. I think it's because he gives "participation" points as a part of your grade. If he picks on you enough (with me, he picked on me all the time because of my name), he will give you full credit for participation. Overall, he's a good professor and makes sure that, if you put in an effort, you are rewarded for it. The material though... I remember none of it and I took it last quarter.

Professor Barber is seriously the coolest teacher I have had at cal poly. He curves the tests a bunch so all you have to do is show up and your pretty much guaranteed at least a B. And our classes got out like an hour early every class. BARBER IS THE MAN

This was the most pointless class I have ever taken. It was frustrating to sit through his "lectures" that told us absolutely nothing about what was going to be on the test. Yeah, I got an A, but it was a struggle to sit through class everyday for me.

Ok, here we go. I didn't come into this class expecting much. I was right not to. Professor Barber had an aneurysm a couple of years ago. It left his entire left side paralyzed and resulted in a slight disconnect between his thoughts and his speech. He thus tends to ramble and does not offer any in depth instruction. It in no way affected his intellect (he is a very intelligent man), but, in all honesty, it left him unable to properly teach this class. The lectures typically lasted no longer than one hour, excepting the days he assigned an in-class assignment from the book. When going over a chapter, he takes a PowerPoint created by the authors of the textbook and simply flips through the slides, hardly ever commenting on the material. It normally takes 20 minutes. The other 40 minutes are spent, like I said earlier, rambling about unrelated topics: his life, his past jobs etc. The in-class assignments are somewhat difficult, but you work on them in teams. I would suggest finding the smartest looking individuals in the room and sitting with them from day one. Also, as a side note, sit up front and on his right side. I can't stress that enough. He is blind in his left eye and he will never notice you if you sit on that side of the classroom; however, if he does notice you, and learns your name, YOU ARE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO GET AN A. On to the tests. These are very difficult. Professor Barber's condition renders it nearly impossible for him to create his own tests. Accordingly, he uses a test bank, also created by the authors of the book. You take the tests online, in class, and 50 random questions will be pulled from the test bank. These are very specific. They could be from nearly any line of text from the chapters being tested. Consequently, to receive an A on a test, you must MEMORIZE THE TEXTBOOK (which, by the way, is incredibly verbose). I am not exaggerating. It's what I did. Normally, he curves the tests quite a bit because, as you can imagine, not many people spend the necessary amount of time studying to do well in this class. However, unfortunately for my classmates and I, there were a few individuals in my class that kept getting 100%'s on the test. The rest of the class typically received a C or lower on all exams. Nevertheless, there was no curve for my class. There are 4 midterms and 1 final during the quarter, so you will be studying for an exam every other weekend which, when you have to memorize the book, gets quite tiresome. In all honesty, Professor Barber is a great guy and I enjoyed going to class if only because he could make everyone laugh. Yet he is not a good teacher. In reality, he did not teach the class; I taught it to myself. If I wanted to do that, I would have taken an online course. This class is not impossible. The quarter is not over yet, but I believe I’m going to end up with a good grade (B+ or higher in my book). To succeed: Memorize textbook, get all possible points from in-class assignments and take advantage of every extra credit opportunity. That said, if you must take IT 371, take it from Barber only as a last resort.

Barber is just the best bottom line. Of those professors you would want to get a beer with after class this is the guy. Really doesn't mater how you do in class cause if he likes you he just gives you an A or B. No one in the class except one person got a C so that just shows you. You really dont learn alot but he is probably the funniest professor i have had and going to class is like going to a comedy show. This guy is a must take and not a hard class at all. Take it from a frat boy this guy is easy.

If you can take Barber for this class, DO IT! I never had to think twice about whether or not I wanted to go to class. I will have to admit I learned more about life and people than the actually subject itself. He has four midterms and final. Students with a solid A in the class after the last midterm do not have to take the final. Four midterms may sound chaotic, but the tests are fair, not tricky, and very basic. The midterms usually take about 30 minutes to complete and no one takes longer than an hour. There are hardly any math problems on his tests. He provides so many opportunities to earn an A in the class and does this because he thinks it is unfair to grade solely on tests because not everyone is a brilliant test taker. Barber may be handicapped, but has an amazing outlook on life. He picks on his students and makes fun of us and himself. You will find yourself laughing every class.

Dr. Barber is your guy for IT. He may struggle with presenting the material in the traditional way that most of us are accustomed to, but unless you wish to pursue a career in IT you will get all the information you need by reading the book. Barber does a great job of challenging students to know what they are talking about (instead of spitting BS and buzzwords) which will prove useful when it comes to job interviews and other work experience. Also, he is hilarious in class when he rips on people so make sure you can take a joke. The tests are curved so it is an easy B, but if you want the A all you have to do is study and do a bit better than everyone on the midterms. Unfortunately there are 4 or so midterms so studying for them all takes commitment but it's worth it because if you have an A you don't take the final.

Barber is hilarious and you'll never be bored in class. Book is not needed, all info can be found in online summaries. There is one project that is the bulk of the grade. A lot of people complain about his lack of actual teaching, but he realizes that no one retains much from any class and tries to make sure you retain a few lessons that will really help you later. The guys experience is proof enough, and he is well WELL networked, so he's a good guy to know.

This can be a fun class if you enter with an open mind and go to class. He tries to make class enjoyable on such a boring topic, but i'm sure if you get used to his dry humor, you'll have a ball. He actually does have good logic to his lectures that will actually help prepare you for real world situations if you pay attention. Negotiation skills are important for everyone going into the real world. The sales presentation represents an extreme situation that you might face, but it is great experience to have, knowing that there are people out there like Barber, and knowing how to deal with them. Course work is another matter as there was barely any. Make sure you prepare your presentation, you will be fine.

Dr. Barber likes to make you thhink and his way of doing it is very unorthodoxed. he does get results, he makes you think. i think the trick to him is to speack in class and get him to know your name. he like people to disagree with him. so play devils advocte.

Dr. Barber is a great guy. He knows his stuff...well maybe. I felt like his style of teaching allows the students to learn on their own by actually figuring out how to do everything. He is there to guide and answer questions but how much you learn is up to you. Lectures are worth going to because he is halirous. "What is Quality?" "What does Value Added mean?" Youll understand when you take the class

He's a good instructor and a funny bastard, but he's kind of a dick. Really cocky. He reminds me of Sen. Samuel Alito. That aside make sure you him at least once, you will learn something and laugh your ass off all quarter.

This class is the most valuable classes in the IT department. Saying that, Dr. Barber is a complete joke. You will complete numerous assignments that he does not even look at. The midterm is impossible and has no impact on your grade. I still do not know how he assigns his final grades. I did not learn a thing from Dr Barber and I feel he is the worst professor I have had at Cal Poly. Besides the pointless lectures you will learn a lot by working in your groups and learning about real life applications of all your previous classes. I highly recommend taking this class and I hope Dr. Barber retires or some how gets fired even though he had his 10 year.

This teacher provides a differet view of business than other classes. This is why the class comes off a difficult. The material is not all the challenging, it's the way sutdents understand the topics and subjects that makes the class difficult. Pay attention, and work hard and you will do fine. He is looking for students to think about a situation and then give a logical well thought out reponse.

What the guy/gal below said. Amen. I too took this class and have long since graduated from Poly, but I was cruising Poly Ratings for a kick and thought that I should pipe in and let you know how much of a joke this prof is.