(All quoted responses are taken from various university permanently documented teaching evaluations, mostly from Marshall University teaching evaluations, or from permanently recorded, unsolicited, emails from students. Not listed chronologically.)

"I would like to start to say that I loved having Dr. McBride as my professor. At first, I didn't like him so much, but as soon as learned what he was actually about, that changed. He was very helpful and just wants students to learn. You could literally just show up to his office and he would (if he could) stop what he was doing to help. Yes, this course is extremely hard (at least for me), but it doesn't take away from the fact that Dr. McBride did everything he could to help students so they could pass."

"This was honestly one of the more difficult classes I have ever taken. Although it was difficult, this was also the most I have ever learned in a class. I think I really struggled in the beginning of the semester learning the ECANSU process [Equations, Cancel, Algebra, Numbers, Significant figures, Units]. This was difficult for me because I would use different methods to get problems correct but still miss most of the points. After I got the hang of it though, I really started to learn. This process not only helped me get questions right, but also learn the process of the questions and why this process was used. Dr. McBride was one of the best teachers I have ever had. He was always really good at explaining concepts and his lectures were great. He also had some awesome demonstrations that really got me interested in the topics we went over. Additionally, he was always enthusiastic about the topics we went over and made learning physics fun at times. I'd say the best thing about Dr. McBride was how available he made himself to the students. If you sent him an email, you would normally get a response within 30 minutes which was always helpful. HERD hours was also great because we could discuss topics and homework questions with him and our classmates. This was a big thing that helped me learn the content and become more confident with the topics we went over."

"Overall, I really enjoyed this course! I thrive in a structured environment, and I really think my learning and grades have reflected this. I know Dr. McBride can have expectations of intense and unreasonable difficulty attached to his name. However, I think he represents what a true college professor should be. A true college professor is someone that can hold their students accountable to an honest grade, only cut slack when necessary, provide all resources possible, always accessible, and has a passion to teach. Dr. McBride practices these daily and it truly reflects in his classroom. He has open contact at all times throughout the week, actively seeks advice on how to improve his teaching and the course itself, and holds you accountable to an honest grade. I think for this level of structure is why I have such a well-rounded understanding of physics. This course is not an easy A or even B, but something on this level should not be and it feels so rewarding to say I have put in all possible effort to accomplish and pass the course."

"I found HERD Hours very helpful if I had questions about any homework or quiz problem, or if I just wanted to discuss the class. I liked the way the class was laid out. The weekly quizzes were helpful in learning and retaining lecture material, and I liked that we were given both individual and group quizzes. The exams were fair. Dr. McBride tells the class that he doesn't try to trick the class with the exams, and he really doesn't. The exams are based off of past quizzes and homework, which Dr. McBride always provided rubrics for. This meant that there were no surprises on the exams, and everyone had the opportunity to do very well on them by studying the quizzes and homework. In dealing with Dr. McBride personally, he was very helpful when answering questions I had. He would always answer my emails very promptly, even at late hours, and was very patient with me when I had trouble wrapping my head around some of the topics. Dr. McBride truly cares about his students and about the content he teaches them."

"Stellar physics course. Challenged me appropriately and allowed me to climb to new heights of knowledge."

"Dr. McBride is probably the hardest college professor I've had so far; and he is also probably the greatest college professor I've had, and maybe one of the greatest teachers I've ever had (comparing him to high school teachers). He has his very difficult PHY 211 - 202 class set up extremely well and has it tailored to get through everything needed while still making sure everyone actually learns and truly understands everything. He explains everything very well. Everything from the syllabus, the class schedule, the grading scale, the material, how to get help, and anything else you can think of is explained in great detail throughout the whole semester. Dr. McBride has everything structured very well, and, though his material is very difficult and fast-paced, he offers tons of help in the form of his open-door policy, quick responses to email, HERD hours, and his great respect for students and his will for them to learn. You can tell that Dr. McBride puts a lot more effort in his class than a lot of other professors do. He explains everything and lectures by hand-written notes and works out example problems for everything. This is so much better than skimming through a bunch of powerpoint slides. Through his methods of and effort in lecturing and explaining the material, he made all these big, scary physics concepts seem approachable and doable. Dr. McBride used class time very well. He worked through the lectures, examples, and explanations efficiently while throwing in some fun, interactive demonstrations here and there to make things seem a little more simple, approachable, and fun. Dr. McBride really makes just about every effort he can to make sure all his students understand the material and concepts truly and are able to use them in their future classes, degrees, and careers. It was also very helpful that he always posted the quiz and homework solutions after every quiz and after every homework was due. This allowed me to be able to learn from my mistakes, and I often used these to study for exams. I truly do not have any major suggestions for Dr. McBride and the PHY 211 - 202 class. The layout and pacing of the class, while difficult, I felt was almost necessary to truly learn and understand these difficult physics concepts and to be able to know how to use them."

"Very well organized course with several resources for really learning and understanding the material. The demonstrations provided in class helped to visualize the concepts. The large array of grades was good to both have more opportunity to do better and enhance grades and to stay on top of the schedule and learn the material as it was presented."

"I was someone who was generally not fond of physics before your class, but you really showed me that with hard work and dedication, I could do well and learn to enjoy it in the process as well. I have to say that you are hands-down one of the best (if not the best) professors I have had in my time at Marshall, and your commitment to deliver the best possible experience to your students definitely inspired me to hold myself to a high standard in your class."

"Class was well organized and expectations are clear, and Dr. McBride does a great job at reminding students when assignments are due as well as when exams are. I loved the in-class demonstrations. I disliked the amount of quizzes, however, I do feel like they were beneficial tools for studying. It is obvious that Dr. McBride cares about the success of the students, I always knew where I stood in the class ranks. I appreciated his teaching style. I feel like it is important to incorporate equations into lecture notes, as he did. The equation sheet was exactly what was needed for exams, and if students knew where to look for the equations and how to start them they should have no problems during exams. If there was ever a question, McBride would respond promptly, and was even accommodating when an emergency would arise. The nature of this course is difficult, but I felt like between the homework, quizzes, and solutions being posted on Blackboard, was very helpful for me. The class was 100% geared for student success, and this is one of the few classes that I feel like I have learned the material, instead of just learning to pass exams. I don't usually leave comments, but Dr. McBride's class has instilled the academic confidence I had been lacking."

"This was one of the most organized courses that I have ever been involved. From day 1 the material followed the outline to the letter and was both challenging and interesting."

"This course was very packed with content and was the most challenging course I have taken in my life. I have definitely learned a lot and am definitely more competent in this area because of this course."

"Very hard class for the ill prepared. If you just pay attention and do the homework and try, you'll do good. Good class to have my first semester of college because it forced me to set time aside for studying. Very well laid out course and very fun. Learned a lot."

"Although it is a very hard class, Dr. McBride does a very good job on teaching. I was kind of weary about the homework packet due every Monday and the quizzes/tests every Wednesday going into the course. But looking back from the end of the semester, I am thankful that this was the case as it helped me learn. By doing the material homework every Monday, getting quizzed every Wednesday, and tested every 2-3 weeks, it caused a better understanding of the material at hand. Thank you again for a good semester. Recommending to everyone for later years."

"Dr. McBride is hands-down the best professor I have had at Marshall. He really cares about his students, is very passionate about physics, and does a great job of explaining the concepts so that his students can effectively learn. His "email me anytime with questions" policy and HERD hours were super helpful. I always had questions, and I have never felt more comfortable asking a professor questions before. No matter how basic my question was, he never made me feel bad for asking and took the time to explain the answer in a clear manner. The homework problems, quizzes, and problems presented in lecture were very helpful in helping me learn, and I think he should continue to use all of these methods to help students learn in the future. I also liked how he wrote the notes out in class. Because he hand wrote everything, he never went too fast. This helped me understand how to set up problems step-by-step and also allowed me to ask questions at each level of the setup. This course was definitely challenging....Dr. McBride has totally changed my mind about physics and caused me to truly enjoy physics (although I do not think I would major in it). I am glad I took Dr. McBride for this class, and I have already recommended him to other students I know who have not yet taken physics. "

"I did not like physics until this class with Dr. McBride. At first, I was a little worried about this class but before long it became my favorite. I struggled a lot in the beginning but with the help of HERD hours and my physics tutor, I began to pick my grade up. Dr. McBride truly cares about his students and wants them all to succeed. I really loved having such a detailed syllabus and schedule. The precise dates were very helpful to keep up with studying and homework. Some of the most helpful things were HERD hours (although it would have worked out better if more people attended) and review sessions before exams. I also really appreciated how accessible Dr. McBride was, as he answered any of my questions very quick. Overall, I think Dr. McBride is doing everything right! Even though PHY 211 is a difficult course, Dr. McBride made his class fun and made me excited to attend his class. I feel very prepared to move on to PHY 213."

"What a great course! I had come into this course with a prior love for physics from high school and horror stories of college physics. I understand the horror, but the fun and newfound knowledge definitely outweighs the nastier parts including equations. This course rekindled my love for learning. I had never been so proud to show my parents how I could calculate the torque, final velocity, and possibly the angular momentum of something under super specific conditions. MMP and Written HW were components that I used to check my learning after a week of classes--that system was very efficient and productive for me. The individual and group quizzes were also really helpful. I was wary of the group ones, but I found myself studying harder so I wouldn't let them down in case one of them couldn't study. Exams were hard, but they weren't completely foreign. All in all, this was a really fantastic course that definitely requires TIME for studying, but each one of those hours is so very much worth the time put into it.”

"What an awesome instructor. I found myself comparing my other professors to him. The material was difficult, and memorizing some equations/constants/mathematical relations could easily be grueling, but he made it anything but. The live demos were amazing, and showed me how much I don't know. He's a wealth of knowledge, and is uber flexible in the way he teaches--anybody could learn even if they knew absolutely nothing about science.”

"I believe that I have learned a great deal about physics from this course. I believe Dr. Mcbride's real world examples really helped me get a better grasp of the concepts. I do think that most physics books (and textbooks in general) do a poor job of explaining how the concepts pertaining to the course actually work. I would recommend Dr. Mcbride's course to anyone curious about taking a physics course."

"Going into PHY 201 with Dr. McBride, I was very nervous. He is by far one of the best professors I have had. He is very intelligent in his field and is also genuinely concerned by students who work for their grades. I know that if I do not understand something or have any sort of question, I can approach him. I truly loved that he had exam reviews the night before the exam. This gave me a refresher heading into the exam the next morning. Dr. McBride made sure that his students had a multitude of references available outside of class. Some things that benefitted me in the class was that he posted ALL of his lecture notes as well as doing demos in class. His open-door policy was extremely helpful!"

"Dr. McBride was an extremely great professor for the whole semester. He offered an incredible amount of help outside of class time and regularly scheduled office hours. He was always available, extremely kind and understanding, and he knew how to communicate the concepts very clearly. He is not the professor that gets a good evaluation for having an easy course, but he gets a great evaluation based on his ability to make difficult concepts digestible by the students in the classroom. This class was challenging, but the professor made high grades achievable if the students put in the work. I was apprehensive about physics, but following this course, I am confident that I will be able to tackle PHY 203 and whatever else lies ahead. He is one of the best professors I have had at MU, and I am a Senior this year."

"You are definitely one of the best professors I have taken so far at Marshall. I constantly told my friends and parents how much you do for our class! When I was in PHY 211 at the beginning I thought that having a quiz every week would suck, but it actually was pretty helpful and made me stay on top of the material more than I probably would have. I also found it super helpful that you posted quiz, homework, and exam's blank and answer keys after we did them. This helped me get used to your grading style and practice more efficiently. You also never turned me down when I had a question about the class even if you were super busy, so please keep the open door policy. Thanks so much, you actually made this class pretty enjoyable (even though I am not super into physics), so keep up the good work!!!!! As a side note sometimes the mastering physics felt like a huge pain, but it definitely helped me get ready for the written homework."

“Dr. McBride has been one of the best professors that I have had by far over the course of my time here at Marshall… Herd Hours were also one of the best parts about the class. I loved going to the Herd Hours because I was able to get one-on-one help with my homework to better prepare me for quizzes and exams…. I needed someone to be able to bring the more complicated material down to an easier level to explain and grasp like Dr. McBride does with his students. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this class and would recommend Dr. McBride to any of my fellow students…. I would much rather work hard and be challenged and get a B, than not have to work at class, not have much homework, and not learn much and get an easy A…Thank you Dr. McBride for being an outstanding professor and never giving up on your students. Thank you for pushing us to be our best and keeping us working hard at 110% especially during Herd Hours. I would not have made it through Physics without your help. This professor deserves an A+.”

"Dr. McBride's class was very challenging for me, but with the help of Herd Hours and going to every possible review session before exams I believe I have learned how to work harder in classes, and not to give up. Persistence is key for this class. Dr. McBride truly wants his students to be successfully not only in his class but further down the road applying concepts learned to real life applications. At first this class was very intimating having no physics classes previous to this one, but studying hard and dedication has helped me make it this far."

“Dr. McBride is very possibly the best teacher I`ve had at Marshall. He is always willing to help any student no matter who they are or what their overall grade is. He is great at explaining the material and I would suggest him to anyone who wants to learn physics. He expects a lot out of you, but to fully learn a subject you have to put a lot of time in. He is an amazing teacher, and really easy to get along with.”

“One of the most challenging classes that I have taken, but the class that I have learned the most from. His class is very challenging and if you don't put the time in the class work and study, then you aren't going to pass. I got to spend some time with him during tutoring hours that he has and he is one of the few professors that knows my name and can acknowledge me outside of the classroom.”

“I wanted to thank you for making my first physics experience a memorable one and for actually teaching me the material. This has probably been one of the most challenging things I’ve done so far and you as a professor made it really enjoyable for me.”

“Enjoyed the class very well.  Was honestly my favorite professor for the semester. The course was tough, but Dr. McBride was willing to work with you any time you had questions.”

"I would recommend this class because it teaches you the fundamentals of physics with a good amount of trig/calculus. It's difficult but very interesting and applies math to real life problems and situations. McBride is a very personable professor and gets to know the students who treat the class seriously. He is honestly one of my favorite teachers I've ever had. A few of the class demonstrations were very interesting as well. Advice for students: I recommend that you go to Herd Hours (a study session after class once a week) as well as the Exam review sessions. They are extremely beneficial...."

"[Dr. McBride] truly has a passion for physics and wants his students to share in those aspirations as well, however he will not hold your hand through the process. Since he does want students to learn, he makes the class equally as difficult. He provides many opportunities and resources for the students to have as much access as they need to do well in the course if they are willing to put in the work necessary for it."

“Dr. McBride is the best professor I've had. The class was challenging, but he went out of his way to provide the resources that I needed to succeed. Herd Hours was a real lifesaver.”

“This class challenged me a lot. As a result of this I feel more prepared for the later classes that I will have to take...Dr. McBride will do anything in his power to help you out. Overall this class has prepared me to move on in my academic career. Also "herd hours" was a major help on the homework and help to clarify concepts clearly.”

“Dr. McBride is the best professor I've had at Marshall University so far. He explains concepts exceptionally well. Dr. McBride will take as much [time] as you need to help you on homework problems, explain quiz or exam solutions, etc. I really enjoy the Herd Hours sessions for the homework as he encourages group work, but will also help himself. The class is really fair and he lays out everything in detail when things need to be turned in or concepts covered that day…. Overall I don't think I could fully understand the materials in this course without Dr. McBride and I appreciate all of his hard work and dedication to his students.”
 
“Dr. McBride is probably the best professor I've had at Marshall so far. I've never been in a physics class, but his in depth explanations made everything easy to understand. He really makes an effort to know the students and reaches out if he notices you're struggling. He goes above and beyond with Herd Hours, test reviews, and keeping the class up to date with their grades. He's an excellent professor and I hope I'm lucky enough to take him again.”

“Dr. McBride obviously makes a huge effort to try to help us get through and really understand the material. He puts in a lot of extra time and effort to give us resources to help us succeed. Homework solutions and quiz solutions were always posted online after the fact so that we could be sure to correct our mistakes and see exactly where we went wrong to avoid the same mistakes in the future… Overall, Dr. McBride really works hard to teach this course and help us learn the material. Of the classes I've had at Marshall, I have certainly learned the most in this one. Dr. McBride cares a lot about the success of the students, and you can tell that he puts in a lot of time in outside of the classroom for their benefit. I would certainly recommend Dr. McBride, and would say that his use of Herd Hours and exam study sessions were extremely beneficial…. I did learn a lot in the class and would certainly recommend Dr. McBride as a physics professor.”

"[Dr. McBride] probably cares more about his students learning than any teacher I've ever had. He is literally ALWAYS available to ask questions to (not only during office hours). He encourages students every day to come talk to him."

"[Dr. McBride] is unbelievably clear and precise in his teaching. He is exceptionally friendly during one on one meetings. It is obvious he cares about student success and understands how to teach. His transcribed notes were always meticulous and he performed multiple demonstrations [throughout] the semester. He built a great rapport with the class. Truly, I have nothing bad to say about this professor."

“Perhaps one of the best aspects of Dr. McBride and his class was his willingness to help and his desire for you to not only know the material, but be able to apply it…Another piece of the class that I found to be very helpful was the exam reviews before every exam… Although I will say the class was difficult, I will also say that I learned a tremendous amount and that Dr. McBride is an excellent teacher.”

"Dr. McBride was obviously very concerned about our education. He worked very hard to make sure we knew where we stood in the course and was always prepared and organized in his lectures. The material was challenging, yet comprehensible. I very much appreciate his level of passion for what he was teaching and the education of his students."

“Dr. McBride is one of the best professors that Marshall University has offered me. He seems to genuinely care about his students and takes the time to help each and every one. Dr. McBride has taken time outside of class to hold reviews for his lab students in hopes of catching them up…. Every time I have approached him outside of class for help he has set time aside to help with whatever it is. His lab is very organized and structured with a clear syllabus. He gives 15-minute lecture on the material we will need to know for that day’s lab which I find very helpful….”

“He is one of the great professors that I've ever had. He always summarizes and explains the content and equation in every laboratory. So, if the students who have not learnt the topic of the lab in that week yet, they can understand the concept of that lab.” 
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“McBride was tough, but in the best way possible. He made sure to go out of his way to help his students, even if grades didn't always reflect that. He made the lab as interesting as possible and explained the lab to the best of his abilities. McBride was always available, which was very helpful and [he] never said he just couldn't help. I learned more talking to McBride in his office than I did in my lecture. McBride is passionate and made me actually want to go to class regardless of how much I was dreading the extensive lab manual sheets. He made sure to walk around during lab to help with any questions we had instead of just sitting at the front of the room. Though his exams are very difficult, I would recommend hi[m] to anyone who actually wants to learn and enjoy the subject.”
 
“…thank you for everything you've done for me, from the squirrel problems to the letter of recommendation you wrote! I got accepted into 2/3 of the [X] programs I applied to …I only had you for my physics 1 course but you were my biggest help throughout my whole undergrad career. The lessons you taught me about persistence and actually taking the time to learn the material instead of memorizing it helped carry me through my senior year and I hope all of your current students take the time to listen to your advice because it applies to so much more than just physics.”

“Dr. McBride was, without a doubt, the best professor I have ever had. Many of us students, including myself, would love to see him teaching higher level courses such that we may take one of his courses again. Dr. McBride was so helpful that I would even sometimes turn to him for help with other course work. I can attest to the fact that his is willing to work tirelessly to help all of his students (and some students with other professors) succeed in every way possible.”

"You have an amazing heart and we appreciate how much you care about your students. We know that you deserve the world for putting up with us...""

"Dr. McBride, I am writing with sincere thanks for helping me in pursuing my dreams of attending [X]....If it weren't for you and other professors like you, I'm not sure I would be in the same position that I am in now....I wanted to thank you for taking the time to invest in my application and for also investing in me in the classroom. Best wishes for the fall semester!"

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