Fantastic professor. I rarely write Bruinwalk reviews, and usually only do so for professors I think people should avoid. However, Niko Nordendale is excellent. His lectures are very concise and simple, breaking down complex topics in ways that even the most below average engineer may understand. Additionally, he is very articulate and speaks slowly enough to digest everything that he is saying. As for the homework, there were between 2-5 problems a week. Usually this was broken down by difficulty, with 2 being easy, 2 moderate, and 1 hard problem. They were very fair and most of the information needed to solve the problem could be found from the class notes or the book. If this isn't good enough for you yet, the exams were very reflective of the class material. The best part was the class before the exams where Niko would do a set number of practice problems, the same number of problems that just happened to be on the test. Without explicitly reusing the questions, if you understand the formulas for each of the problems (this class is more formulas heavy than almost any other course) then you were basically guaranteed a B or above on all of the exams.

Could not recommend him more. Would take again.

Professor Nordendale is one of the best instructors I've had the pleasure of taking a course from. He lectures well, with clear and organized slides. He gives plenty of examples and explains concepts thoroughly and concisely. His exams were extremely fair with no curveballs, and he prepared us well by giving plenty of review examples. Not that this is necessary, but I highly recommend watching Jeff Hanson's Statics and Mechanics videos to supplement your learning on the side. The videos go hand in hand with class content and helped reinforce topics for me. Great class taught by a great professor!

Great guy, engaging lectures.

Lectures often recorded, and posts slides online (however sometimes he works out problems in lecture which he does not post with the slides, a fair balance). Everything is super organized, like referencing textbook chapters, although the textbook is too high level and not too helpful. However, is the type of class you can miss some lectures and have resources to catch up yourself.

Exams are fair and he gives review/practice problems the lecture before. Homework is kinda tough, like the avg engineering class.

Definitely as good a professor as you can get.

This was my first MechE class. I thought all of the concepts were explained very clearly, and he gave many examples on all of the topics. Homework, one midterm, and final are weighted at 33-33-34 percent. Homework is easy; six or seven problems per week. The midterm was also pretty easy (I think the average was around 96%), but the final was harder. However, the final was on Canvas so I was able to go home early for break. Overall, I liked the class and would recommend taking it with Dr. Nordendale.

Professor is an expert in his field and an excellent lecturer. He articulates complex concepts in a very digestible manner. He can be a bit monotone at times, but if you listen to his lectures, you will definitely learn a lot. There's weekly homework graded mostly for completion which are relatively simple, which counts for 1/3 of your grade. Then the midterm is 1/3 of your grade and the final is 1/3 of your grade. The midterm was incredibly easy, but the final was much more difficult. There were a lot of questions in a short amount of time. I got a 100 on the midterm but probably at best got an 85 on the final exam. Overall would recommend.

Nordendale is a one-in-a-million professor. His lectures are clear and straight to the point and his tests are always fair without any trick questions. 156A is normally a hard class and I found it quite manageable with Nordendale. Make sure to go to his office hours as well!

IF YOU CAN TAKE THIS CLASS WITH NORDENDALE PLEASE DO IT!! This class was extremely clear and straight forward in all aspects. Nordendale's homework's were straight from lecture examples, and exams were taken almost directly from lectures and homework. Even if it wasn't exactly, he was clear what would be on it to be properly prepared. The class is equation heavy, but he allows one note sheet for the midterm, and two for the final, as well as providing many of the equations himself. As long as you go over all the examples given, this class is honestly an easy A.

Niko is the best professor in the MAE department. Well structured, lots of examples, plus he's a nice dude with fresh fits.

I usually don't write reviews for the professor, but he was so good that I had to write it.
Professor Nordendale is the best! His lectures are VERY organized, and homework are reasonable but still makes you review the material (8 hws total, due every Thursday), and he is SO willing to help during office hour (was right after class for spring quarter), even staying overtime to answer questions. He is one of the best instructors I had at UCLA, and he makes stressful material not as stressful. He is very considerate about student learning, having review sessions before the exam to make sure students know what to study for the exam. He also goes through derivations more briefly and does a lot of examples and applications, which was very helpful as a student who wants to know what is really used in the industry. I can really feel that he is a good person who tries to make class useful to the student but not as burdensome. The workload for the class was not a lot (8 hws, 1 midterm, 1 final) compared to other MechE major classes, and the lectures are also recorded and posted on canvas.

Dr. Nordendale is absolutely fantastic. Best teaching style I've seen. His tests were extremely fair, with questions just like the homework or lecture problems with slightly different applications. Super, super helpful -- truly cares about students learning the material and helping them out.