The Insurance and Risk Management Department always ranks among the top
teaching departments in the School. The Department's average score on
teaching quality in student evaluations is above 3.00 (on the new
0.00-4.00 scale) semester after semester. Student comments are provided below.
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KENT
SMETTERS |
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INSURANCE 205 |
Professor Doherty is amazing. He is very enthusiastic and knows the material and is always prepared.
Excellent professor! He was able to stimulate the student’s interests.
He is a fabulous teacher. The best I’ve had this semester and one of the best I’ve had in Wharton.
Professor Doherty is very nice and shows concern for student understanding
Doherty was very good in making the subject material fun and presenting it in an interesting way.
Professor Doherty is a very personable guy. He tells good stories, makes funny comments in class and makes the lectures more interesting.
A refreshing change to hear a British accent and have other intellectual insights from this obviously very interesting man.
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INSURANCE 811 |
Professor Doherty is a very good teacher. Enjoyed the class.
Fantastic class, excellent professor preparation, gained a great deal of technical insight into insurance problems. Thanks!
Professor Doherty is an excellent educator. He teaches with stories, diagrams, and pictures that teach, explain and keep you interested. You walk out of class having learned a lot and having enjoyed the experience.
He makes the class very interesting. I highly recommend him for finance majors.
The course was excellent and took a very fresh look at risk management.
Professor Doherty was fantastic and is one of my best professors at Penn. He is well organized, a great communicator, and an extremely intelligent man.
Professor Doherty is an excellent teacher who is excited about materials.
Great class; simple concepts and small numbers which can be stretched to show some really interesting result. Professor Doherty is great.
Truly grateful for the opportunity to be exposed to a new discipline and a great teacher.
Good course because it expanded my awareness of the relative vale of debt and equity in a business.
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INSURANCE 222/823 |
This is an amazing class that everybody should take. It’s more of a “life planning” course rather then an insurance course.
Best pure teacher I have taken at Wharton. A pleasure to take his classes.
Great job Professor Hallman! I really enjoyed the class and got a lot out of it. You are an excellent professor.
Professor Hallman has really been one of my favorite professors during my time at Penn. He not only has a great understanding of the material, but shows a genuine concern toward the students and ensures that the material is made clear. His sense of humor really adds to make the class a fun and worthwhile learning environment.
Professor Hallman is a wonderful professor. He makes himself available to the students. It is a great class to learn about life insurance and personal taxation. I highly recommend this course.
The professor clearly cares about teaching and his students. He is one of the nicest professors at WhartonThis course was worthwhile. I learned a great deal about planning for the future. Dr. Hallman is also great. He is amazingly nice. The book is easy to read and understand. This is one of the best choices for a class in Wharton that I’ve ever taken.
Professor Hallman is the best professor that I have had in my two years at Wharton. He communicates the material he teaches very effectively. He is demanding, but always fair. More importantly, he is always available to spend time helping students. It is clearly evident that teaching is not just his job, but his gift and passion. I fully recommend giving him the best bonus you can.
He is very knowledgeable and is the nicest professor I’ve had here at Wharton.
He makes the class very interesting. The information is probably the most valuable information that I have learned at Wharton.
One of the best courses and best professors at Wharton. Professor Hallman is excellent. He is polite, very willing to listen to students, humble and above all, very knowledgeable. He knows the subject matter so well. I respect him very much.
He really knows his stuff. A great class to be taken before you graduate.
I have learned a lot from this course. It it beneficial for anyone who wants to thoughtfully manage their own finances. It is essential for someone interested in private wealth management.
I learned more practical information in this course than in any other Wharton course. Prof. Hallman does a nice job explaining assorted concepts. He has great real world example. I really enjoyed this course!
Professor Hallman is always well prepared and very eager to answer questions. I very much enjoyed the course and would recommend the course and instructor to others.
This class was a jewel. Definitely worth taking.
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INSURANCE 251/829 |
Jean Lemaire is a legend! It is worth taking his class just to watch him perform --> Legendary.
Professor was attentive about my progress in the class and showed concern when I wasn't doing well. Always available for help. Very nice and approachable.
Great professor. Great professors are hard to come by.
The professor is very friendly!
Dr. Lemaire is an extraordinary professor.
Great course! I’m learning a lot. Not much work but the recitations (study sessions) help give more of a practical knowledge. It’s amazing this is an actuarial course, since the information is useful to anyone who gets a loan.
I had such a great time in this class. I learned so much and Lemaire is always prepared and forthright in discussion and clarification
Professor Lemaire was an excellent teacher. He was highly organized and very effective in his methods.
Very good professor; should be given an award.
Dr. Lemaire is really willing to communicate even outside of class. I like him as a teacher and mentor.
It was a pleasure being a part of this class. I think I've learned more in INSR 251 than any other course I've taken at Penn.
Professor Lemaire has an amazing ability to stimulate students and make the material exciting. I enjoyed the course very much!
Everyone loves Dr. Lemaire!
Clear, well-organized lectures. Excellent preparation for exams.
This class prepared me well for exam FM. Dr. Lemaire is the best professor in Wharton
I rule this class. Really awesome easy course. Most prepare and efficient professor of all time.
Jean Lemaire is one of the best professors I have had at Wharton. Must be retained at all costs and given some award as well.
Best course ever, this course should be recommended for everyone to understand finance.
Lemaire is an amazing professor! I've never had a professor who is so accessible.
Excellent professor, truly cares about students, ensures everyone understands material, goes at steady, workable pace!
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INSURANCE
252/830 |
In preparing for SOA exam M, Professor Lemaire has given me a great starting point. He is the best teacher at Wharton.
Clone him and have him teach all courses at Penn.
I appreciated when he talked through the problems instead of just posting numbers on the board.
Lemaire is great! He explains concepts well and efficiently - with good examples.
Professor Lemaire is really an excellent educator. I feel lucky that I have learned this material from him. Thanks.
Thanks for the wonderful teaching you have done over the last two semesters in INSR 251 and 252. You are, without question, the best professor I have had in my three years at Penn.
Professor Lemaire's on excellent teacher who prepares his class for the SOA exams very well.
Dr. Lemaire is an outstanding professor -- very eloquent, charismatic speaker. It shows that he puts heart into the class.
Dr. Lemaire is the best professor I have had at Penn thus far.
Professor Lemaire is a great teacher. I just wish I had one more year to take more of his classes.
Very interesting course and the Professor is great. Penn must make every effort to keep him here for a long time.
Professor Lemaire is the nicest professor!
Great class! Great professor!
Professor Lemaire is a great teacher who takes a great deal of interest in his students -- both academically and professionally.
Best teacher at Penn, hands down.
Easily one of the best professors at Penn. Looking forward to 253.
Professor Lemaire is excellent and very helpful and available for office house and outside help. And the focus on exam material (Ac. Sci exams) is useful.
Professor Lemaire is an extremely thorough lecturer. I feel very prepared in my future actuarial career after going through his four courses.
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INSURANCE 253/833 |
Dr. Lemaire is a very nice man who cares about his students and their learning of the material. The class material was difficult but useful in everyday applications.
This is the best insurance class I have taken so far. The information learned is interesting and useful in the real world.
Professor Lemaire is a great instructor who really helps you prepare for the actuarial exams.
Professor Lemaire is not only an excellent academic and effective educator, but also a genuine person who brings the touch of humanity to classes with his charm, kindness and humility. He is an extraordinary gentlemen. A true asset tot he Wharton community.
Excellent professor. One of the very best Penn has to offer.
Dr. Lemaire is an excellent professor, his overall energy in the classroom is very inspiring.
Professor Lemaire is an excellent professor who knows what he is talking about. Very practical applications for actuarial field.
Dr. Lemaire is by far the best professor at all of Penn. He is legendary to say the least.
Is there a very excellent bubble? Dr. Lemaire is the best professor at Penn. I was blown away by his genetics and bonus lectures.
Excellent class. Professor Lemaire is awesome.
The best class I've taken at Penn?
Professor Lemaire is an amazing professor and the course is well-taught.
I love Dr. Lemaire.
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INSURANCE 260/832 |
Amazing Professor. Explained the material very well.
Dr. Lemaire is simply the best!
Professor Lemaire is very thorough and explains concepts very clearly.
Dr. Lemaire is phenomenal.
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INSURANCE 205/805 |
I really like Professor Mitchell. She was very friendly and clear about the subject matter.
I like the qualitative analysis to help reinforce previously learned quantitative concepts. Also, I like how she encouraged in-class participation.
Professor Mitchell is amazing. I want to take another class with her stimulating teaching style.
This is a VERY useful course. All three instructors were EXCELLENT. I loved the course. It taught me a lot, and it can be useful to even non-Wharton students.
Professor Mitchell is a very engaging professor -- very sincere, articulate and intelligent.
Professor Mitchell has excellent communication skills and I learned a lot of practical knowledge.
Phenomenal teacher! Dr. Mitchell is talented at making the subject matter relevant and interesting with real life examples. I feel like I am knowledgeable about disability/health insurance and other benefits now. Thanks!
Professor Mitchell is incredible. I really enjoyed the course and her expertise in the area. I would recommend the class to anyone interested in pensions and insurance.
I really like the class format with three different teachers. It makes the class much more interesting.
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INSURANCE 221/822/922 |
Great class! Thanks!
Professor Mitchell is really great. I have learned a good deal regarding health care benefits, pensions, and planning. She also does a great job of bringing in her own experience in the field to help us understand concepts.
Great class! I enjoyed the small size of the class and the discussions. Very personalized class.
Dr. Mitchell is an excellent teacher. The handouts were very clear. Presentation was a useful experience for learning.
Excellent class and instructor.
Professor Mitchell really knows her stuff. If somebody know more about pension, I'd like to meet him/her. I enjoyed coming to this class every Monday and Wednesday.
Really enjoyed the course and the professor. A great survey of benefits for those with a limited background in the field.
I've found this course to be very enlightening and I've also enjoyed the format very much!
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INSURANCE 205/805 |
Professor Smetters is very entertaining.
I really enjoyed the lecturers. Overall, Professor Smetters is an excellent instructor.
The professor is organized, knowledgeable, humorous and friendly.
The professor has a great personality.
Professor Smetters made this class more interesting than it should be. I wouldn't be surprised if he became one of the best professors at Wharton. He is on his way there.
Professor Smetters is very personable. Anecdotes make the class more interesting. Posting the lecture slides made following along much easier. Thanks.