Welcome to the Wall of Strategic Fame (or Blame, depending on who you ask)!
Below you will find the unfiltered wisdom of your fellow students who "survived" BUS479. And by "unfiltered," I mean meticulously cherry-picked testimonials during moments of post-presentation euphoria.
Full disclosure: Studies show professors who bring cookies to class get better evaluations. Did I bring cookies when students did my evaluations? Maybe. Did that influence these reviews? Absolutely not! I mean correlation is not causation, right?
These testimonials were gathered through the completely scientific process of catching students in that vulnerable sweet spot between finishing their final project and checking their grades.
Besides, social proof is overrated. And while 9 out of 10 dentists, I mean students (but also dentists), recommend this class, you don't have to take their word for it. Scroll down to see what your fellow peers REALLY (no, seriously, these are all real) think about the class.
Warning: May contains traces of actual learning, unexpected personal growth, and an unhealthy amount of AI jargon.
STUDENT TESTIMONIALS
I think this class is phenomenal! I was nervous with the syllabus at the beginning of the semester. But it gets easier through the semester [BUS479]
Dr. Nikolaev's lectures and class discussions were so engaging that I found myself wanting to complete the readings or hw beforehand to get the most out of them. I learned so much in this class and had fun doing it! [BUS479]
Professor Nikolaev is a very caring, engaging, and knowledgeable professor and he was great at having high expectations for our class and holding students accountable in their work and learning. Nikolaev is one of the better and most engaging professors I have had. I never got bored in class and standards were held high which I liked [BUS479]The learning environment was the most interactive classroom I have ever been in. Students were engaged throughout every lecture and many students participated in countless activities and discussions. [BUS479]
“Professor Nikolaev was one of the best professors I have ever had at CSU. [...] [BUS479]
The capstone did not feel like just a project class, it felt like a class that was really preparing me for my career outside of university.” [BUS479]
“I cannot emphasize enough the tremendous impact that the professor and this class had on me. This has hands down been the most influential and impactful class I have taken in my college career.”
“Dr. Nikolaev’s lessons on AI taught me how to build a gpt, prompt it correctly, and understand its challenges and limitations. I am truly excited to bring this knowledge to my future job.”
I have truly enjoyed this class. This was the first time that I didn’t want a class to end. I’m very thankful that Professor Nikolaev provided a way for us to access important materials after we complete the course. I will be referencing and re-reading these materials often. [BUS479]
He was very open with the developing AI tech. It was so refreshing to have a professor who embraced this technology and actively encourage students to experiment with it and learn more. It was cool to learn about more AI tech itself and its impact on the business realm. I wish more professors were as open to discussing it and the possibilities as Dr. Nikolaev was. [BUS479]
The learning environment was very growth supporting and full of circulating ideas. This was one of the most educating classes I have ever taken. A very useful course that taught me how to use AI tools and ever-changing technology. [MGT380A1]
Incorporating AI into this class made it interesting, interactive, and enjoyable. [BUS479]
All of these students will take everything they’ve learned [about AI] and apply it to real world and be successful, you can already see students starting amazing projects and companies. [MGT380A1]
Use of AI was great because in the workforce we will be using AI so it was great to prepare and practice now. [BUS479]
This was a very unique learning environment that I haven’t experienced in too many classes. It was very engaging and fun for the entire class. [BUS479]
We talked about things that were extremely interesting and relevant in present-day business (AI), which helped us much more than other classes that make us look at irrelevant pointless information. [BUS479]
Boris has been the most influential and amazing professor I have had at CSU. I admire who he is as an instructor and loved the valuable activities we completed throughout the semester! [BUS479]
Seriously, best class I’ve ever taken. This class brought out the best in some of the most intelligent student, and brought it out in a way that provided the entire class with [MGT380A1]
INCREDIBLE amounts of value. All of these students will take everything they’ve learned and apply it to real world and be successful, you can already see students starting amazing projects and companies. The prof helped teach people how to learn and adapt as individuals in this space. Perfection. [MGT380A1]
I think Dr. N is very different from every professor I have had before. I think he spends more time on this class and cares more than any professor I have had (except one). Everyone should have the skills we now have. No matter what anyone says about this class we all agree - we know more about AI than anyone else on this campus. We are a force to be reckoned with. Imagine if all students had the tools we have. [MGT380A1]
Dr. Nikolaev deserves a raise and promotion. Extremely intelligent, good class manager, and obviously cares about his students. [MGT380A1]
Professor Nikolaev has been my favorite professor I have taken during my college career. He makes all of us feel welcome and accepted in the classroom. I really enjoy his unique sense of humor and making coming to class fun. I can honestly say that I looked forward to coming to class every single day. I was very hesitant about the extremely strict no phone or laptop policies in the classroom, as I primarily take my notes on my laptop. However, I learned that I was so much more attentive if I was not tempted with these distractions. I wish more professors implemented a very strict no technology policy in their classrooms. I truly believe that it will lead to students being more attentive and being less distracted from their devices. I also enjoyed that he has a very long and extensive syllabus. It provides all the dates and deadlines and clearly states the assignment requirements. If you read the whole syllabus, theoretically you should never have to ask a question. I look forward to traveling to Bulgaria someday! [BUS479]
A very friendly, reasonable, and professional professor. Presented information in relatable ways and met us where the class’s needs were. Excellent professor and I would enjoy having him as a teacher again! [MGT380A1]
best class ever. Most value I’ve ever received from a class. I’ve never accomplished such amazing things I’m passionate about that will apply to my future career and passions outside of college. [MGT380A1]
Though challenging, I learned so much about myself and my limits in this class. Professor Nikolaev had a challenging environment with high support. I was able to go to him multiple times throughout the semester about various topics whether they were school or personal. He genuinely cared about his students and challenges them to try new things, specifically pertaining to AI and how important it will be in the future. [BUS479]
Though the expectations were high, it was a high intensity environment established by professor Nikolaev which I feel was extremely helpful in my learning experience. It is rare that a class has such an interactive environment, especially with the students participating and holding each other accountable [BUS479]
The learning environment was great because class was full every time and there was active participation from a lot of people. It made the learning space interesting and engaging and good conversations were spread. [BUS479]
Great assignments, the AI assignments were some of the best assignments I have ever had. they are assignments I think will go further than anything else I have done in any business class and some others. [BUS479]
Dr. Nikolaev's lessons on AI taught me how to build a gpt, prompt it correctly, and understand its challenges and limitations. I am truly excited to bring this knowledge to my future job. He is an amazing professor with a unique view on life, and I am so happy I had him this semester! [BUS479]
This was a wonderful class, and I learned a lot more about both AI and business practices than ever before. Thank you for a great educational experience! [MGT380A1]
Professor Nikolaev, It was a pleasure to be in class. Every day was new and unexpected on what you discovered emerging in the news. The course was fun and interactive. [BUS479]
I believe that the professor for this course was absolutely fantastic. I truly feel that he was one of if not the best professor I had in my entire college career. I could tell and feel that the professor actually cared for my peers and I, which you honestly don’t feel in most other classes. We talked about things that were extremely interesting and relevant in present-day business, which helped us much more than other classes that make us look at irrelevant pointless information. Overall, I believe that this professor was able to prepare us for our real world careers more than basically all of my other professors. [BUS479]
Extremely passionate teacher and shows the same energy for the material we are learning about. Gave 100% every class and made it a great environment. Personally one of the best teachers I have had at CSU. Thanks for a great class! [BUS479]
This professor has instilled invaluable life lessons that I will continue to apply in my everyday life. Dr. Ns dedication toward ensuring the success of each individual was apparent and resonated profoundly. His candor was commendable, with his proactive efforts to design a course that will benefit future students. I wish every student the opportunity to learn from someone like Dr. N. [BUS479]
Boris was such a great instructor. In my time at CSU, he was one of four teachers that made a significant impact on me. The way he teaches makes learning so much more easy and valuable for me and the rest of the class. He is one of the top instructors in the College of Business. CSU should keep him around for a long time [BUS479]
Boris is an amazing professor and person. His genuine passion for teaching and his genuine care for us as students, is something that is so rare. I learned a lot from him and he help me challenge myself and grow in different areas. [BUS479]
He made my Capstone something that I will remember and something that I will look back on fondly. It was a pleasure to be in his class and be apart of the experience. Thank you, Professor Nikolaev [BUS479]
“He was a great professor!!” [BUS479]
“Again professor N. was a great professor who really challenged the class.” [BUS479]
“His A.I. lectures were amazing and very eye-opening.” [BUS479]
“I really enjoyed this class and think that Dr. N taught in a way that was thought-provoking and fun!”[BUS479]
“I would not have wanted to take this capstone with any other professor and am thankful for what I learned in this course with him!”[BUS479]
Professor Nikolaev was one of the best professors I have ever had at CSU. He is with the likes of Bill Schuster and Matt Camper, two very respected and excellent professors. He was always supportive of all of his students and went the extra mile every day to really motivate us to learn. The capstone did not feel like just a project class, it felt like a class that was really preparing me for my career outside of university. If I could recommend any professor to take this capstone with I would 100% recommend professor Nikolaev. [BUS479]
“Thank you for a great last semester at CSU!” [BUS479]
“Dr. Nikolaev has been one of the best instructors I’ve had during my time at CSU.” [BUS479]
“He cares about students and our success and growth in professional and personal life.” [BUS479]
“I feel like this class challenged me in a good way.” [BUS479]
“I appreciate taking a course that is totally different than others and learning about AI.” [BUS479]
“I feel more prepared for my future job.” [BUS479]
I cannot emphasize enough the tremendous impact that the professor and this class had on me. This has hands down been the most influential and impactful class I have taken in my college career. I really enjoyed how the professor took an AI approach, treating it as a friend and as a tool that we should learn to use. Most professors are old and ignorant and just assume it is used for cheating. I feel that these professors are holding all of their students back, because they fail to change with the times and innovate. I really liked how the professor showed us real world examples and relevant news articles about how AI is being used and what the future of AI will look like for us. I had never been fully exposed to information like this before, but I am so grateful that I was. I truly feel that the professor prepared us all to work in an ever-changing business world. I now feel confident that I will not get my job phased out by AI, considering that I know how to use it to better myself and my productivity in the workplace. The CSU business department should adopt a more AI-friendly approach and should treat this amazing technology as a tool to better our lives. It is just like the typewriter, calculator, or Microsoft Excel technologies...if the university doesn't teach us to use it as a tool, and to use it properly, then they are hindering the growth and future of all of their students. [BUS479]
“I love the relevant content and passion Dr. N has.” [BUS479]
“Thank you for a wonderful semester!” [BUS479]
“I really enjoyed learning more about AI and completing all of the assignments!” [BUS479]
“Professor N. is an amazing professor who really challenged us to achieve greatness in class.” [BUS479]
“Overall, the course is great and I learned a lot.” [BUS479]
“Dr. N provided a unique experience in the COB. His approach to classes was enjoyable and made the semester go by fast.” [BUS479]
“He is a good person and you can tell how much time he works outside of school hours to make the course better for us.” [BUS479]
“Thank you, I really enjoyed your class and appreciate the time you put into making this course what it was.” [BUS479]
“Thank you for this semester, I have truly enjoyed your class and how passionate you are about it.” [BUS479]
“Amazing professor, deeply cares about his students, goes above and beyond in course planning to provide relevant material.” [BUS479]
“Loved it Boris!” [BUS479]
“Amazing, loved learning from teams and individual opinions throughout the semester.”
“Awesome course! Super useful.” [BUS479]
“I really liked that he embraces the current state and wants to give students the tools to succeed moving forward.” [BUS479]
I really like the environment that Boris created for the class. He is very passionate, and his passion definitely rubs off on the students. [BUS479]
“Boris was hands down the best professor I’ve had at CSU, his classroom environment is awesome. He really wants us to actually learn something. I can’t wait to take what I’ve learned in his class into the real world.”
“I really liked Boris! His lectures were the most entertaining lectures out of all other teachers I have seen at CSU.”
“Boris is such a fun professor who clearly cares about his student’s learning and has a passion for teaching, which I highly respect. I loved coming to Boris’ class everyday and wish I could take more courses with him!!!”
“I really enjoyed this class and looked forward to it every day. I learned so much in that hour and 15 that I know I will be using within my career. I will now be working smarter and not harder when I can as Boris taught me in his class.”
“Boris was a great instructor. His lectures were engaging, and I appreciated how he began class by looking at current events and leading a discussion on them.”
“Professor Nikolaev is a great professor and deserves to be recognized. I enjoyed this class and he made it engaging and fun and allowed students to learn real life skills. Highly recommend him for your capstone class!”
“The class environment was one of if not the best one in my four years and many many classes that I have been in. He made learning fun and very engaging. The course material was very fun and he was very informative with everything he was talking about.”
“Boris is passionate about what he does and that’s always a great quality in a professor.”
“This class was enjoyable and the projects were fun to complete and watch.”
“I think the learning environment worked well as we talked a lot about things that are happening in real time and how they can affect us in our own personal careers.”
“I really liked this instructor. It was an interesting class that challenged me.”
You were great and I loved your lectures so much. I learned so many applicable things to my life and I love that you covered current events in class.”
“I thought he was awesome and funny. I liked his presentations and they kept me engaged the whole class. I do not like the group presentations and the speaking in front of the class, but that is only because of personal fears. It still was a good project and practice for both working in a group and public speaking. I enjoyed his class and his personality.”
“I learned so much in Dr. Nikolaev’s class. I’m so glad I took it.”
“This was one of the best classes I’ve taken here at CSU. Professor Nikolaev is awesome and taught me real life skills which I didn’t get in any other class here.”
“After four years at CSU and many great and great-looking professors, Professor Nikolaev was far and away the best one. I had the pleasure of being a part of his class and would take it 100 times out of 100. His learning environment was excellent and one of the most engaging that I have been a part of. I would recommend his classes to anyone who has the ability to have him as a professor. Very rarely do I go to a class and look forward to it. Any accolades that may come his way are more than deserved. He works so hard to ensure all the students learn something every class and enjoy the lectures.”