Reviews for Richard H. McCuen
Average Rating:| John Martin Course: ENCE305 Grade Expected: April 26, 2011, 6:25 pm | if you know about fluids and its reputation, you should know how difficult it is. and most people know that mccuen is probably the strictest teacher in civil engineering. however, he is the one professor ive had that kept me engaged in the class and really taught the concepts in an understandable way and a way that related to real world engineering problems. his tests are hard and you have to really know the concepts and be able to retain them instantly. in short, the students who put in the most time and work will do the best in his class. because of that, id say hes a very fair teacher. |
| Anonymous Course: ENCE305 Grade Expected: B January 20, 2011, 2:33 pm | I was not a fan. He knows how to teach the material but goes a little fast. He does not use a text book, only very old handouts which I really did not like. He recommends a text book or two but they do not compare well to the types of problems he does. I did not see him as a very fair professor. He claims to be the most strict grader in the engineering school. I do not know if it is being strict or just taking off an arbitrary amount of points for the solution not being perfect. Not to scare anyone--but 5/31 (or so) people dropped or withdrew from the class. Now recalculate the grade distributions... I would not take him again. But good luck with whoever you take! |
| Anonymous Course: ENCE431 Grade Expected: A- December 28, 2010, 5:25 pm | Dr. McCuen is an excellent professor. He truly wants the best of his students and expects the calibre of work to be of the highest level, which is understandable since 431 is a senior level, design oriented class. Every topic covered has relevance to field work/design. Homeworks and projects were tough but necessary in order to be able to understand the material. This was a great course! |
| Anonymous Course: ENCE431 Grade Expected: August 29, 2010, 1:47 pm | Skating by is not an option in his class. The minimum you can do and still pass is still a lot. This is all done for a reason though. His ultimate goal is for you to learn your stuff. Get ready for nightly homeworks, projects, and manageable (stressful nonetheless) tests. One of UMD's finest teachers. Talk to him any day of the week and he will help you. On a bad note, he does favor female engineers. |
| Anonymous Course: ENCE431 Grade Expected: June 17, 2010, 2:49 pm | FANTASTIC PROFESSOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Teaches the material in a clear, concise way. Combines both theoretical and applied topics in hydrologic engineering, better preparing us for the real world |
| purplemonkey Course: ENCE305 Grade Expected: B December 23, 2009, 7:32 am | McCuen is strict, but he has his students' success at heart. If you go in to seem him for homework help or show concern in your grade, you'll realize his objectives are to prepare students for the real world. That being said, stay on top of the homework, and always always always go to class. He tends to have a pop quiz once or twice in a semester on precisely the day you're not there, and missing it could strongly hurt your grade. You'll learn a lot and remember more material than you'd expect in his classes. |
| Anonymous Course: ENCE305 Grade Expected: A May 20, 2009, 2:23 pm | I wholeheartedly agree with the previous review. |
| Anonymous Course: ENCE305 Grade Expected: A May 7, 2009, 2:25 pm | Dr. McCuen is the best professor I have had at the university, thus far. Although he tends to be strict, his teaching style (very real-world based) and ability to keep us on our toes all throughout class are unlike any professor that I have ever taken. A good number of people drop/fail/do badly in this course and it's known to be one of the hardest classes in the civil engineering curriculum. I think that if you stay on top of your work and get engaged in the subject (which isn't that hard because fluids is very interesting), you have a very good chance of getting at least a B. I like the fact that this is my most challenging course this semester and I will definitely retain the knowledge I gained from this course long after I graduate. |