Very nice, smart, and passionate about economics. The structure of the class made the material unnecessarily confusing at times. Seems to have some trouble getting to the root of the paper and what he wants us to know.

Dr. Hansen is a really kind person. Although his lectures tend to put people to sleep, he does really well in explaining the concepts clearly and effectively. The course definitly requires some efforts to succeed but all the necessary asistances will be provided when you actually need them.

I feel conflicted as Dr. Hansen seems like such a kind human being and really cares about us all as students, but this lectures are incredibly dry and the material is organized in a way that is so difficult to understand. This is the hardest course I have taken at UW-Madison so far, but there is a large curve on the class to help.

His voice really does put you to sleep at times that he should make an ASMR channel. Lectures are dry so I really never paid attention and only showed up to do the top hat questions. If you're a half-decent procrastinator and absentee from class you can binge the lecture recordings the day before or day of the exam and get a B in the class easily

Professor Hansen is kind, generous, personable, and an engaging lecturer. Your mileage may vary depending on your interest in statistics, but Dr. Hansen seems to me like the platonic ideal of an economics professor

This subject is really really tough. Prepare yourself. The professor is really passionate about explaining things and tries to relate every statistical method with a real-world example. A very well-respected and recorded lecture is provided. You just have to work extra hard

The class material is incredibly difficult--but Hansen is the best lecturer I've had so far. He knows the concepts, will be flexible about due dates, and posts everything to Canvas. One of the few profs who are actually trying to get students to succeed. People complaining about Hansen either haven't attended class or are upset about hard grading.

Really polite and effective professor. Appreciates questions but probably would be better off moving on with material and not answering repeat/elementary questions for half the class. MindTap Homework can be a pain but definitely important to do(20% of grade). Discussion feels like a waste of time, go anyways. Hard class, but don't be intimated.

Prof Hansen is a fine professor and tries to be engaging but overall lectures are very boring. Material is hard to learn in class and you will spend lots of time teaching yourself material. Also Tophat in lectures.

Dr. Hansen is genuinely a good guy. 310 is an extremely difficult class, but he knows the material very well. He goes through many helpful examples during class and always stops after every slide to ask if anyone has questions. The lectures were a little dry, but that is just due to the content of the class. Just prepare for a lot of studying.

Really really nice guy who will go out of his way to make students feel included in lectures and in office hours. However, we went over two chapters in two class periods three days before the final exam. So, the material is so dry and so hard that it takes weeks to grasp it conceptually. Very hard class, boring lectures but a really good guy.

Professor Hansen is a poor lecturer who has little interest in making the class interesting. It is formula heavy and many of them are useless/ meaningless.

For such a hard topic as Game Theory, he actually tried his best to manage the material. If you are interested in it, I would definitely recommend the course to you, but if you care about GPA more, it might be a bad choice.

Conceptually, Econ 310 was one of the hardest classes I've taken. However, professor Hanson made it doable with step-by-step homework and going through top hat quizzes. Overall, professor Hansen is a good professor, but even better person. The material gets much harder as you go along in the course, so make sure you start strong.

His lectures are purely going through simplified examples but the homework problems and exam problems are much harder than examples he does in class. I guess that's only natural though. I thought that his lectures were very helpful conceptually since he does do a good job of avoiding jargon and repeating old concepts as he introduces new ones.

David's a really nice guy who cares a great deal about the material and making sure you learn it. His teaching is very good, if you are able to understand lecture, you won't need the textbook. The class is very hard, and the exams are among the hardest I've ever taken. If you decide to learn game theory, I recommend taking this class with him.

He's a very nice guy as others have said. However, the class is really hard. It's just how it's designed. Hansen's lectures can be a bit dry, but overall if you're the type who seeks out professors for help with stuff Hansen is a good fit because he is really willing to help you understand stuff. Good guy, the class is just not great.

Hansen actually has a higher average grade than any other ECON310 Professor (3.10 versus 2.90). This class is hard, obviously, but reserve your anger at Hansen even if it is cathartic mid-semester. The truth is, he is nothing but kind and willing to help. He records lectures, posts past exams, practice problems, and detailed exam outlines.

AVOID!! So I saw someone left a positive review, and since I believe in honesty, I created this account to set this straight. This is the WORST class I have ever taken. I intend on seeking a refund for the course. Unfair tests, no learning, self-taught. The class is a joke. David is a nice guy but that only goes so far. Grade comes down to luck.

have fun spending way too much time on confusing cengage homeworks that do not at all get you prepared for the exams. T

Honestly, most of the criticism I hear about David doesn't actually pertain to his teaching style, but rather it's just about the difficulty of the class. It is really hard to pack so much information into about 3 months of class, especially on a topic like stats. David is an extremely nice professor and does the best he can teaching a hard class.

Great guy with a positive mindset, but his lectures are just so dry and boring. I often pay attention in lecture and walk out feeling like i learned nothing. TopHat in lectures

it's simplely difficult.

Nice guy, but not a good class. Lectures were incredibly boring and the material was difficult to comprehend. However, I went into his office hours and he was helpful.

Even though his lecture is pretty dry, he focuses a lot on examples, which is somehow interesting and easy to understand. During office hours, he's willing to answer all questions and even advices me for grad school! Homework is hard but interesting, so it's worth to do it. The average of all exams is around 62-63%, but the class curves a lot.

Hansen is a great guy but awful professor. Lectures were incredibly boring and even when I tried to pay attention, I walked away not learning anything. Homework helps a lot but takes a long time to do. You get 3 tries so its easy to get 100% on homework. Exams are crazy hard, I think I failed the final but I still did well in the class.

I know that he's trying to get better, but the tests were still brutal. The avg on the final was 46%, and has historically been very low. The homework on Aplia isn't bad, but can be tedious so don't wait on it.

His lectures were clear and organized, and the midterms were okay. However, the final was very hard and the average of the class was 69/150. Yes, not even 50%. Not sure why he made the final to be like that but people don't need to worry too much about it since this is a curve.

His classroom notes are among the most organized ones I've seen. Attendence is not mandatory but there will be in-class questions that count towards the final grade. The exams are not very hard as long as you spend time to do the practice problems. His very accessible outside of the classroom as well.

The mandatory lectures are so painfully boring and nothing is learned. The guy knows stats but clearly he cannot teach it. Do not take this class with him.

A very challenging course. Dr. Hansen is super nice, but hws and exams are very difficult. The average score in the first midterm is about 56/100.

Way too technical and spends entire class standing at the front doing examples without teaching the concepts. Working through homework was the only way I did decent in the class. Tests were way too hard and averages were below 50%

I had prof Hansen for Econ 310 and 521. He may not have the most exciting lectures, but he goes over relevant examples that are very similar to questions you'll see on the exams. He provides a large amount of review material and practice exams that show you what to expect from the real thing. Do practice / discussion problems and you'll do well.

Isn't as bad as some people say. There are tons of practice problems from the textbook, lecture, and discussion. Moreover, he posts practice tests and solutions on Aplia. My advice: do well on the first exam to give yourself a nice cushion - midterm 2 and the final are substantially harder. Difficult course, but I feel well prepared for 410.

Professor Hanson is improving his teaching method, but Econ 310 is still a difficult course with him. Lectures are dry and confusing, with no economic emphasis whatsoever. Aplia problems are not useful for tests and tedious. But, there is a decent cushion in the grade besides exams and the curve is large, so its not hard to get a B.

I think Hansen is really trying to improve based off feedback, and it's working. If you go to lecture and then read the book, you will do fine in the class. I think his main problem now is writing exams, because he really can't write an exam that has grades in a bell distribution. However, he has a fair curve, and teaches you everything you need.

I've had Hansen for both Econ 310 and 521, and I cannot think of a worse professor that I've had. Lecture is boring beyond belief, weekly problem sets take several hours to complete, and test averages are regularly below 50%. He also regularly posts practice problems and with incorrect solutions. Nice guy, but DO NOT take a class with him.

Had Hansen for both ECON 310 and 521. He clearly knows his stuff as far as Stats is concerned, but does a poor job conveying it to students, forcing you to learn everything on your own. Won't pass Game Theory without attending lecture, as they relate to problem sets and exams. Hardest exams I've had in college; curveballs galore. Generous curves.

Lectures are basically just him going through examples. Can be dry, but it is at least always directly relevant to hw and exams. Book isn't very helpful and lecture notes are useless, so it can be difficult to understand things if you miss lecture.

Pretty good looking professor, little short but eh nice voice and hot name. Not much hw compared to other classes. Theres Hw due weekly for most weeks and given extra credit for completion of course evaluation & gives curve. Stay focus during lecture, sit in front. He makes sure to answer any of your questions during lecture

The exams are really tough but you get to drop one midterm and they are curved a lot. I didn't attend lecture or discussion since lectures were very hard to pay attention to and discussion handouts were posted online. Do the hw and practice exams and make sure you understand it, not just plug & chug because the questions change and are tricky!

David Hansen is friendly and easily accessible outside of class hours. Unfortunately, taking ECON310 with him will be a bear if you don't have a ton of time to personally invest yourself in the material. Courses like STAT301, MATH221 and ECON301 felt like cake by comparison.

Worst class of my four semesters at UW. Take it with a different professor or consider taking it a different semester. I found Hansen's lectures to be dry, disconnected to any intuitive explanations, and generally unhelpful to my understanding of the material. The tests were murderous and way harder than the other professor's MT2 avg. was 29%

Econ 310 was the hardest course I've ever taken. The average on our second midterm was a 29 and I doubt the final will be higher. Take a different professor.

Dr. Hansen clearly knows his statistics very well, but isn't able to translate that into engaging lectures. For this class, most of the learning comes from TAs (if you get a good one) and from reading the book in it's entirety. His exams are the hardest I've ever taken, with the class average on the second being below a 30%. 0/10 wouldn't recommend

David Hanson obviously knows how to do statistics, but doesn't know how to teach. He is extremely dry, drab and unexciting, and the majority of the class will not be paying attention at any moment. The way to succeed is by memorizing the book.

His lectures are long and useless. If you have to take the class with him, you better have a good TA or you won't pass. The homework was long, but doable and his tests are the hardest I've ever taken, but he has a generous curve.

Dr. Hansen gets a bad rep, but he is a very hard instructor. His test are extremely difficult and it is imperative that you study hard for the exams. His homework can be quite overwhelming so take advantage of office hours if you need to take 301 with him.

Professor Hansen provided inspirational cases of statistics in class and explained course matters quite clearly. He gave out sample tests early and provided a formula sheet with everything needed for the exam. Yes, everything, unless you didn't study the course materials well during the final week. One thing that matters is to figure out the tests.

Hansen's Econ 310 class is a disaster. As others have said, memorization is key. Book and lecture geared to applying statistics, making it difficult to gain fundamental understanding. To succeed, go to class, do the HW, make formula/concept flashcards, and do practice problems. An A is doable w/ work. Curve: 15% A, 20AB, 30B, 20BC, 10C, 5D/F.

Hansen is the most boring, useless teacher I've ever had at UW - Madison. His lectures consist of him dryly rattling off things from the book that won't help you. Half the stuff he will write down are formulas taken straight out of the book. On top of that, you better know the entire 800 page book because these are the most brutal tests I've taken.

Extremely boring and unclear... but he does always ask "are there any questions" and no one asks any... probably because no one wants to ask "can we start over from... EVERYTHING" but he seems to be a nice guy... maybe supplement (or replace) his lecture with youtube

David Hansen is the worst instructor I've ever met. He is terrible and the lectures are boring and long. The homework is hard and make up a large percent of overall grades. U can drop one of the two midterms and take the highest grades. But the midterms are hard. Overall, the professor is useless and the grading sucks. But the TA is pretty good.

Taking 310 with Hansen will be a demoralizing experience. The exams require strong understanding of the material and will look nothing like the homework or lecture examples. That being said, most people will get a B because of how the course is graded.

The lectures were a bit long but useful in terms of information presented. There are weekly online homework assignments and tests are insanely difficult but with a very generous curve. Overall, not a bad teacher

Took 301 as a summer class meaning the lectures were longer and probably more boring than normal. He does not use numeric examples often, and it feels like he's doing proofs all class. Textbook was not that helpful. The midterms and final were definitely not easy but the curve was tremendous. I got a 42% on both and ended with a B in the class.

He doesn't write important information on the board and uses excel to do the calculations in class and doesn't teach how to use it. The final exam was awful, and absolutely pointless. It didn't reflect any of the homework, discussion handouts, or lecture examples. Be prepared to memorize at least 30 formulas AND all of their conditions.

Worst college experience ever. Lecture desperately boring, keep saying uh uh uh like 4 times in one single sentence. Homework is endless, prbbly took you about 10 hrs per week, like a nightmare. Final exam is unsolvably hard, since it has absolutely nothing to do with lec, hw or dis. Econ 310 was a fine class, however ruined by him. Plz, stay from!

worst professor ever. Useless lecture and most difficult final exam I have ever taken in my life. Spent half of the weekend on those aplia assignments and problem sets. Never take his class.

Prof. Hansen is a really nice and approachable professor but unfortunately that does not mean he is a good teacher. Game Theory is a difficult subject and he seemed to struggle to explain the concepts. I had a very hard time in this class but he was always very available to meet with.

Hard material made harder by the fact that Hansen can't teach, and when he tries, the examples he gives are way too basic to know how to do the extremely difficult homework questions that are graded on correctness. Exams are difficult as well.

Not the worst class but not the best. Lectures are pretty useless and you can use the study guide he gives out before tests to know what to study from the book. Second midterm was impossible. Pretty nice curve at the end of the class. Really nice professor. Do the extra credit!!

Hard exams. Let you drop lowest midterm of the two. Problem sets doable. Lecture is ridiculously useless. Really hard class to be honest. He is a super dry nerdy professor, not enthusiastic and course subject matter is super demanding.

i took the class during this summer. i have him again next semester for ECON 464 and i'm looking forward for it bc he is really nice and willing to help you whenever you need one. i liked the way how he doesnt use ppt but actually writes things down on the board. the exams were very hard but the curves were amazing! to get an A, def need hard work

Dr. Hansen might be a smart economist, but teaching is really not his cup of tea. He only covers the very superficial cases of basic examples. His lectures are confusing, and attendance is not necessary if you can go to the discussion. He might have tried his best, but discussion is way more helpful than his lecture.

Dr. Hansen is a very bright guy, teaching a subject that is VERY difficult to understand. He does the best he can with the difficulty of the subject matter. Game Theory is not easy. The highest average on an exam was 52%. But he really does everything he can to help you and explain everything.