Reviews of professor Simon Kern

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Although I was not fond of taking a public speaking course, Prof Kern made it very enjoyable.This course can be difficult for those who are not the best at public speaking, but you will definitely see improvement after the first couple speeches. Work consists of 5 small writing assignments, 2 speeches, and one debate.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
I would definitely recommend his class! The assignments are graded pretty hard but he's very clear about the rubric and the atmosphere in the class is very chill. Usually won't care about attendance unless it's for the debates near finals.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 2.0/5
He tries to be funny/connect w students when he isn't. Sometimes belittles you, pretty fair easy class, don't miss speeches! or debates! (that's your entire grade), sometimes he comes off as condescending. 
Want to make yourself stand out? ... Eat pickles in his class or bring him peanut butter snacks he loves those. Talks about his poor love life.

Rating: 2.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Professor Kern tried to make the class fun but in turn would often end up talking about random things unrelated to the lecture. He graded extremely harshly especially on speeches, despite saying you did a great job in class. There were a lot of speeches over zoom w/ camera on where he was picky about everything, even the way you were standing.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
I was really bad at public speaking but this class helped me improve a lot. People say he's a tough grader, but as long as you follow exactly what he tells you to do, you will get a good grade. Writing assignments are hard to get 100% on unless you go above and beyond. Also he cusses a lot which is funny. Great teacher (Class taken Spring 2024)

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Professor Kern is an amazing professor who really understands how to communicate effectively and wants the students to appreciate and improve their communicative abilities. In my opinion, the class is difficult, but he does a good job of creating conversation and making the class interesting.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Very funny teacher, explains topics well. You need to put a lot of work and time into the assignments to get full credit. For speeches, he offers examples that are very easy to follow and use as a reference, and has clear grading criteria. Doesn't give you full credit unless you're perfect and full work was put in.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Simon explained everything well and made the 3 hour class enjoyable. He had a clear grading criteria but expect to work hard for your grade. He gives good feedback on speeches to improve, majority of your grade depends on the 3 speech performances.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Overall, Simon Kern was a reasonable teacher who gave engaging, digestible lectures. One thing I didn't like is that he avoids giving perfect scores. Tip: If he gives you a writing assignment and it says 1-2 pages, write like 4 pages to get full points. 

For fellow DRC kids, forget your attendance accommodations. If you miss a speech... good luck.