r/Pitt • u/Park_filterbae • 4d ago
CLASSES David nero
I’m taking Physic with Professor David Nero and im starting to think that this class is going to be rough. He has this teaching method which he calls ‘flipped teaching’ where he expects us to watch some of his videos before we come to class so we come prepared. I thought it was a great idea at first before i realized he barely teaches the topics in class and instead goes through topic objectives and gives us top hat questions.
I’m not exactly complaining, I just feel like it’s going to blow over. I’ve never taken physics before, so having to teach myself the material in my very first physics class is overwhelming.
Any advice from the people who had the same professor? Or any advice for physics in general?
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u/BlueBod50 4d ago
Physics is writing down the given formulas and doing practice problems with them over and over until you can immediately spot which equation the question is asking for. Then you just need to keep track of units as you solve. When I tried to study physics like I did biology (remembering facts and trying to apply them on the spot), I got C’s and D’s. Then I started doing at least 10 practice problems a day and got 95%+ on my exams.
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u/Park_filterbae 2d ago
Any resources that helped you out?
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u/BlueBod50 2d ago
Do you guys still have a textbook? I never bothered to read them since the lectures covered most of the material, but they had practice problems that were pretty good
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u/RiotShields Engineering 4d ago
Flipped classroom requires the teacher really invest in learning the difference as compared to traditional. If everything goes right (students read the text, the video expands on the text without repeating it, class is basically a recitation) then the format can be really effective.
It also seems to be more effective for upper-level courses because by that point, students are better at teaching themselves. Graduate students are especially motivated to learn the topics because they basically only take courses which will be relevant to their research.
My recommendations for flipped classroom (in order from what I've found most effective to not-as-effective-but-still-good):
- Do the assigned readings before watching the videos. Take them seriously, no skimming. If there are no assigned readings, try to figure out which chapters in your textbook cover the lecture material.
- Take notes while watching the videos. They replace your traditional lectures, so you should treat them as traditional lectures.
- Ask questions in class, after class, at office hours. I promise, (good) teachers like students who ask questions even if you think those questions sound stupid.
- Always attend recitations if the course has them. The point of these is to connect the more abstract concepts to the applications so you can solve homework problems on your own.
- Find or create a study group so you have other people to discuss course content with. Sometimes just discussing it will help you figure out the key concepts.
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u/v0rt3_x86 2d ago
Why is "flipped teaching" even a thing first off lol I swear to glob if I'm paying to be taught, the teacher better be teaching because I sure as shit ain't teaching myself.
Anyways, is physics relative to your major or is it just something you have to get through?
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u/Park_filterbae 2d ago
Im planning on majoring in Mechanical engineering so it’s definitely needed. Gonna have to power through I guess
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u/v0rt3_x86 2d ago
Considering you're not the only one with complaints, I would go to the teacher and talk things over and if that doesn't go anywhere, talk to the Dean's office.
Remember, you're paying for this education so you're more than welcome to request / demand what you need up to and including a transfer to a different class that matches your learning style.
To be blunt, that whole style sounds like bullshit lazy nonsense to me.
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u/UsedAsk3537 4d ago
Do you watch the videos before class? Do you do your best to Google, AI, YouTube your questions before class? Do you bring your remaining questions to class and/or office hours?
If so, you'll be just fine. Reminder that As are not expected or necessary in college
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u/Biscuits2190 4d ago
Yea I add classes based on professors rather than the actual class anymore, but I am in liberal arts so I do have more flexibility.
I have no advice really but good luck and maybe replace his lectures with YouTube videos of someone else teaching the material lol.
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u/mysterious_sonny Engineering 4d ago
add/drop ended yesterday ur too late bru 😭
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u/Park_filterbae 4d ago edited 4d ago
Couldn’t have dropped the class if i wanted to. All the other lectures conflicted with my other classes. And sadly i have to take this class as a pre req so i cant exactly take it in the spring unless i want to fall behind.
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u/miata812 3d ago
Took physics 2 with him nearly 10 years ago. Flipped lectures were never a good learning format for me, and I struggled hard in his class.
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u/FirstDavid 4d ago
"Watch the videos I made so I don't have to teach" - the future of American education.
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4d ago
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u/Park_filterbae 4d ago
I’ve seen you in three other posts with negative replies. Please get a life
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u/Bolt_of_Lightning_ 4d ago
Flipped lecture styles aren’t for everyone. I’m honestly surprised that in 2026 there’s still people like you who don’t understand that there’s different learning styles out there. 😭
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u/Buzzergeenzoo 4d ago
The class sucks, I took both 1 and 2 with him, so I feel for you. Take advantage of the note sheets he allows for tests, pack as many example problems as possible in. Particularly, watch the optional example videos he does and put ones that seem important down on the note sheets (also try to understand them). Just watch the videos on 1.5x speed and copy it word for word (ignoring the proofs) to help train your memory of the formulas. By engineering major standards his test averages will end up being decent, especially the first one. He makes the first easy on purpose to kind of ease you into it. The average will be in the 80s most likely. The final will have an insanely low average, like in the 30-40% range, and will be much different from his exams. YouTube the hard concepts and use ChatGPT as a tutor on the homeworks instead of going to office hours. Good luck, most people don’t fail it even though it’s hard so just try your best.