Burleson, James  

Business

3.22/4.00

27 evaluations


BUS 291


Sophomore
N/A
Required (Major)
Nov 2017
Prof Burleson is honestly a pretty chill professor. His lectures are straightforward, and the midterms are half based on the lectures (pretty direct off his slides) and half on your ability to work through problems on access/excel. The quarter's not over yet but I'll probably get an A. The material isn't super hard, and I've never seriously worked with access or excel before. You are put into a group for the whole quarter, and you do both group projects with them. They're slightly time consuming but he definitely gives you enough time to complete it.

BUS 391


Junior
Credit
Required (Major)
Nov 2014
New Professor. Really nit picky on the homework and stuff so you do well on the exam. Test are really based on his power points and book material with a percentage of it actually involving usage of the computer. He's okay, but not an easy grader.


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
Dec 2014
Straightforward class and instructor overall. The lecture material is so simplistic, I did not have to study for the exam or final. It seems so simplistic that anyone could come in and take an exam and get an A. Very nit picky on the computer portion though (Access, Excel, etc.) and takes off points without saying why. I would not have attended lectures if he did not have a mandatory participation proportion.


Sophomore
B
Required (Major)
Dec 2014
Jim is a good teacher for the most part. He's a nice guy and knows his stuff. His lectures are pretty straightforward and he teaches well during the hands-on application part. I learned enough to be able to confidently say I know how to use Excel and Access. Only thing that could use some improvement is his grading. As others have said, he nitpicks random design flaws in projects an homework even if the output matches his. He takes points off for some pretty random and minor things. While this is understandable because in the long run knowing how to Excel and Access correctly with no design flaws is important, he never actually gives direct feedback on what he took off. Overall, he convinced me to declare as IS.


Junior
B
Required (Major)
Dec 2014
It was Jim Burleson's first quarter at Poly so we have to give him some grace. He actually ended up being a really cool professor. He is very knowledgable and truly tries to make class fun. However, when it comes to Access or Excel moves very fast and so you really need to be attentive for this class. The final exam was very easy and NOT cumulative so that was wonderful and made studying very manageable. There are three very complex group projects that you have to do that are worth 30% of your grade. The midterm is 25% and final is 25%. HW is graded VERY harshly, but it is only 10% of your grade. Attendance/Quizzes/paying attention is the other 10%.


Junior
B
Required (Major)
Mar 2015
I actually really enjoyed this class. You learn a lot about computers and technology. Burleson is a cool mellow dude. He is young and new at teaching, but he presents the material pretty well. The class is straight forward, just show up to class and you'll be fine. The tests consist of a multiple choice part which is from the powerpoint and an access/excel part. He doesn't really give feedback on assignments, unless you ask him directly. If you are ever having trouble in the class he is always willing to help. I'd definitely recommend taking this class with Burleson.


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
Jun 2015
Professor Burleson is a great instructor, but also is a VERY tough grader. It is very tough to get an A, but it can be done with a lot of hard work. Other than that, Prof. Burleson does a great job teaching the subject while making it interesting and enjoyable. I would recommend taking prof. Burleson


Junior
B
Required (Major)
Nov 2015
The pace is very slow, but Professor Burleson is a nice man. Take him for 391, just make sure to pay attention and get a good group or partner. His exams are a bit subjective as he is under the allusion that we are all enchanted with Information Systems. His pace is very slow at times commentary is often dull. Professor Burleson grades rather harshly on homework and projects and offers little to no explanation. IF you are good at staying on top of work and capable of studying a few hours before an exam, you'll be fine. Do not buy the book, I did not touch it once. Pay attention during the computer program part of the class as he rushes through seemingly simple steps.


Freshman
B
Required (Major)
May 2016
This guy not only grades way too hard, but he also has presented information that is 100% incorrect. I had networking certifications coming into this class, and he made statements about things that just are plain wrong. Bottom line - if you have prior knowledge of Excel, Access, networking, computers, etc., don't take 391 from this guy.


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
Nov 2016
The other ratings are wrong. He is a FAIR grader. If you go to class, pay attention, and do your homework/projects ahead of time, you will get a good grade. Go into his office hours and he tells you why he took points off. I had no prior knowledge of access, excel, and technology in general, so I was kind of scared for this class. I stayed on top of my work because there is only 4 homework assignments (5% each) throughout the quarter that he gives a whole week to do each. One midterm that is 25% that is really easy (if you study his slides and pay attention in class). Basically if you choose to be a good student, this class is super manageable and this is a very fair class for someone with no background in tech. Burleson is dope!


Sophomore
B
Required (Support)
Dec 2016
Jim is a great teacher in lecture however his office hours are not helpful at all. If you have any questions on the homework he won't answer them and seems to confuse students more. His tests however, are super straight forward. The only challenging piece is the two group projects that seem very confusing at times.


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
Dec 2016
Burleson was a great professor. One of my favorites! He makes the class understandable to students without a strong technical background. At the same time, he keeps the work challenging. Double checking your work will for sure help you in this class.


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
Dec 2016
Professor Burleson has now become one of my favorite professors I've had during my time at Cal Poly. He is very strict about not giving the answer to you during office hours and tends to give you just enough help to try and figure it out. He completely has a "learn by doing" teaching method which is presented by his two main projects on access and excel and about 5 homework assignments. I definitely recommend him to anyone who hasn't taken BUS 391 especially those who are considering concentrating in Info Systems as I honestly believe my class learned a lot more than the other IS classes. He does not require you to buy the textbook but recommends it, but I don't think it's necessary at all. I don't think anyone in my class actually bought the book and we all did fine. You can't download Microsoft Access on a macbook easily but have to buy and install Parallels to be able to download Access. I also don't recommend doing this because: 1. Parallels is like $80 2. You only use Access for 3 homework assignments and the group project 3. You can just use any of the free computers in the library to do your homework (usually they're not too hard and can be done in one sitting except the project or just save in a flash drive/ email it to yourself) Overall, 10/10 would recommend Professor Burleson for this class.


Sophomore
B
Required (Major)
Mar 2017
Jim is great! He is a really nice guy and is a very straight forward and organized professor. Only thing is his office hours are not helpful at all- so if you need extra help don't count on him being useful as he won't answer any homework, project, or real questions in his office hours.


Sophomore
N/A
Required (Major)
Jun 2017
Professor Burleson is by far one of the greatest professors at Cal Poly. He is well organized and definitely knows much about information systems. I went in thinking 391 was going to be an easy class, but let me tell you, I was wrong. His class is difficult since you are trying to learn access and excel and also learning theory. Lots of learn by doing. The project was challenging, but totally doable. He really is just overall a great professor. Funny and nerdy. His tests aren't too difficult, if you study for them, you will definitely pass with a good grade. Overall, I only had like 2 homework assignments and 2 quizzes which were spread throughout the quarter. He really cares for his students. Definitely made me want to concentrate in IS. Will definitely take him for 394, that's how good of a professor he is. :)


Sophomore
A
Required (Support)
Nov 2017
Burleson is a swag guy. He's from texas and has an accent. He explains shit slowly and clearly but if you miss class you're fucked. I never went to office because personally I didn't need it but I heard he's unhelpful in office hours because he wants you to figure things out on your own. Make friends so you have someone to practice the software with. You learn Access and Excel so if you have a MAC prepare to get parallels or anything else. Good luck mah dudes.


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
Dec 2017
The class is split up into two parts: lecture slides and learning Microsoft Access/Excel. Burleson is very good at presenting the lecture material and that half of the class is very clear and straightforward. As for the other half, he is also very good at teaching the material, but he expects A LOT from you. You have an Access group project and an Excel group project and, from what I've heard from other classes, Burleson's are significantly harder... I met with my group regularly, we worked our asses off, went to office hours, and got like a B+ on both of them (FYI the Access one is a lot worse than Excel). He's a great guy who is very available and accommodating to help students out, but he expects way too much from an intro class. That being said, you do gain a little bit better of an understanding of Access/Excel, but I'm not sure if that's worth going through those projects. I would recommend taking him if you don't have a very busy quarter. 1 midterm, 2 quizzes, 2 HW, 2 projects, final. Hard to get an A, pretty reasonable to pull a B.


Sophomore
B
Required (Major)
Apr 2018
Jim is the man! I really loved this class and I feel like I lucked out getting him for 391 (it doesn't seem like he teaches this class that often, just 394). He's definitely the reason why I declared IS as a concentration, even though he is one of the harder professors for 391, he is very fair and we learned a lot more than the other classes. People complain that he doesn't help you out that much during his office hours, but what he does teach you is the thought process behind how to approach his homework and in class work, which is definitely more beneficial for you in the long run because you're able to work out problems on your own for the tests and projects. His Access project was so time consuming, but it's a really great project to add to your resume, since not many people know Access. Overall, I would highly recommend Jim if you get the chance to take his class! He's a really understanding guy and he's very nice and approachable and wants to be a resource to his students, even after you finish his class.


Junior
C
Required (Major)
Dec 2018
Great professor, but fairly difficult. His tests are challenging no matter how long you study for. Will give no assistance during office hours for homework or project help. BUT, he will go above and beyond to help you in other ways. He is easy to talk to and will clarify any questions with course material from the book/ powerpoints. If you're looking for an easy A this isn't the prof for you, but if you're looking to challenge yourself and actually learn something from a respected and knowledgeable person, take him.

BUS 394


Senior
A
Required (Major)
Mar 2015
Burleson grades a little too harshly, actually impossible to get an A. However, pretty easy to get an overall good grade like A-, B+. He really takes an interests in the students and the subject and tells you exactly whats gonna be on the midterm/finals and will help you out if you go to office hours. I'd take him again, after comparing with other classes we learned a lot more than those who took the other professors, and with not too much more work. My only critique is him grading too harshly, but he's a newer professor and its really not that bad.


Junior
A
Required (Major)
Apr 2016
Jim is already one of the best professor in IS despite being here for three years. He's very reasonable, helps students whenever possible (even if you're not in his classes anymore), and is a great lecturer who understands his students. I learned a lot AND got a good grade


Junior
B
Required (Major)
Mar 2017
Burleson is awesome!!! Great professor for BUS 394, really enjoyed his class. The topic may seem dry at times, but once you and your team (choose your teammates wisely early on, not your lazy friends!!!) get started on his quarter long group project, you will utilize all of your learned skills and it'll be dope. His project really is cool, it'll make you think critically about how to improve and upgrade current businesses using technology. Also, learning about use cases and data flow diagrams is super useful in the IS world. Burleson is the sweetest guy ever, and is very approachable when asking questions in class and at office hours. He wants his students to learn and succeed. WOULD RECOMMEND!!!


Junior
B
Required (Major)
Mar 2017
Day 1 thoughts: Jim stands in front of class, starts givin lecture. I was confused. I raised my hand. I asked if he was the fool burelson, he replied "yee". Inner thoughts: Idk if this was barry's idea of a joke, this fool look like he jumped out of the dorms. Freshman lookin ass. Final day thoughts: Jim a fuck boy. This nigga drunk. That final hella hard tho.


Junior
B
Required (Major)
Apr 2017
Decent teacher to listen to. Most of the time was spent on the project which he explained pretty well on how to do based on the assignments he gave. He grades homework pretty hard so watch out for that. Also getting a good team is important for the project because there's a lot to be done, but not too much that you're completely overwhelmed. Pretty good overall.


Senior
B
Required (Major)
Mar 2019
This professor pretends to understand his students, however if a student does not understand the material, he doesn't take it upon himself to question if it's his own teaching abilities as the problem-- which it is. His class requires a ridiculous amount of effort and it is not an effective way to learn in the quarter system. He is an unnecessarily hard grader for all of the work he gives. Unfortunately he is the only BUS 394 teacher. I am tired of learning from white, male professors.


Senior
B
Required (Major)
Mar 2020
Honestly, Burleson is a nice guy but his teaching style is pretty difficult to grasp. He gives assignments throughout the quarter that are just "for credit", meaning not graded and just have to be turned in on time. So that part is pretty easy but you don't learn anything from doing the homework since you don't receive feedback of what is right and wrong. His grading structure on his syllabus seems straight forward at first but when grades come out, everyone had no idea what was going on. He grades pretty harshly and doesn't understand that students have other classes with group projects. I mean ffs when you have 4 classes and each one has group projects in all their classes. Just when you feel like you have a grasp on something and did well (like on take-home quizzes, which aren't easy A's), you see that that was not the case. I believe he fails to recognize he is teaching students, who just learned this material in 8 weeks. Just as the previous eval mentioned he expects his students (again who just learned the material) to come up with perfect proposals and mock-up designs. I busted my ass for a B in his class and an A is pretty difficult to attain. I know he is the only 394 professor, so this is mainly to updated y'all with what the guy is like in the classroom.

EDUC 735


Junior
C
Required (Support)
Nov 2016
he sure does like his women, wet!!