he is nice. class is hard.

Explains things well. Calculus requires work, and he helps you out so you understand the material well.

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Great teacher! He is funny, loves his job, and makes sure to explain things well. Class is easy as long as you do the homework. A very fair grader too!!

This class was supposed to be so hard, but i have to say this guy is a good teacher.He will give you his own formulas for some things but they are usually good ones.I enjoyed him, very fair grader. would take him again. and he speaks spanglish, :)

Good professor. If you go to class, do all the homework problems, the test shouldn't be too bad. Calculus is hard, but he found a way to make it a little more interesting. Funny guy too.

Very charismatic and funny. Sometimes makes his tests hard but he grades them leniently so it all works out. Do the homework and you'll be fine. Occasionally goes on tangents but they're always funny and it keeps the class awake.

He is a really funny teacher, and makes calculus fun. I actually have an A in his class and I barely study for it, Do all your homework and then redo your homework before the test and you will get an A and do as much extra credit as possible.

He's awesome. Funny and twisted. Best math teacher I've ever had....and I went to Annapolis (Naval Academy) for a year.

This guy is awesome! Extra credit on everything, take five tests drop one!

the most awesome math teacher i've had

Excellent teacher. The test problems are all taken from the homework so if you keep up with the homework (the math lab is a big help with that one) the class is a breeze. This goes for the final as well. If you want to pass DE then go with Islas.

The BEST math teacher I've ever had-ended up with an "A". Be sure to do all the HW problems assigned because test questions come from there. He also offers tons of extra credit, this is the type of class where you just need to put in the effort.

Best teacher at UCF, He cares about students and makes CALC fun. proves that the stuff is easy, and makes fun of mexico, his home land

he good, he talk too much, make you want to go to sleep. But overall easy teacher. Do your hw those

VERY FUNNY

This guy rocks. His tests are easy. He offers extra credit. Plus he's funny. Nothing else to say.

You must do the HW to pass. His tests are hard, and the final seems impossible to pass, but i guess i passed it, managed to get a C, but if i would have studied more for the 3rd and 4th test, i would have gotten a B. You will learn alot from him, but he makes it harder than it should be.

Good teacher, DO ALL HOMEWORK, The first 10 mins of class he will answer all HW questions. alots of extra credit. Do your best(pass) on all the test. Test are hard. If u study u will do fine. FINAL IS IMPOSSIBLE(trust me). I got a C because the final. He helps doing office hours.

He will get you ready for Calc II... if you are willing to put the time into the class. Homework was e.c. but he now gives in class quizzes for e.c. He will also help you during his office hours. You have to do some work to earn your grade in this class - don't be afraid to ask questions!!!

If you've gotta take calc, take it with this guy. it's the only math class i've ever looked forward to going to. he makes it fun and if you do all the homework and make an effort you should do just fine. i got a B and i didn't even study for the final.

really good teacher. might not understand what he says "arbitratily close to" for limits, now you know what he's saying. realy nice guy really funny. its all about how much you know going into the class though. i didnt study, never did the homework and got a B but other kids who studied a lot failed

A good teacher but a hard class. He gives plenty of extra credit, posible 10 pts per test. But he will double the number of questions on the test at some point, so you have to be fast.

This teacher is so badass. No other calc teachers will give extra credit quizzes. If you do homework, you will get an A on his tests. He takes the questions exactly and directly from the homework problems. He doesn't give you things you've never seen before. And he's hilarious. Awesome awesome

I LOVE ISLAS! Hes the best teacher ever! He can TEACH! Just do homework and make sure you can do them on your own, bc theyre test questions. If they are not in the book you can easily do them on your own. Best math teacher ever! This is the first math class I got an A in =D. just WORK HARD N STUDY!

If you've never taken AP calc, beware. IF you don't bust your but, you will fail. Offers alot of extra credit and is really funny. I loved going to the class. HE loosens up after the class size cuts in half after Withdrawl deadline. He is cool and if you go to his office and do hwk, he will remember

I had heard horror stories about this class. This professor made it super easy and pretty fun. Although it should be noted that I had IB calculus in High School so this class was kind of a review up until chapters 5 and 6. This professor is awesome though!

before my friend told me that his quizzes were worth extra credit, now they're not. Gets annoying have 1 every week. Wish he would drop the lowest test and quiz. He really skips alot of steps, he would be easier if i took calculus before. wouldn't recommend.

I took Clac I with him last year and he was the best math prof I've had. The problems on the test come from the HW. Yeah they might be hard if you haven't done them before.

great teacher overall. If you do your homework and study, it's an easy A. The book sucks, but he explains it well. Also, he is very clear about what will be on the test.

He makes the class fun with his real-life applications and his thick Mexican accent. It's an easy class overall; the quiz and test problems are exact hw problems, so just do the hw and you're set. I loved him.

islas is a good person and a great teacher. kids who complain are expecting everything to be handed to them. its calc not algebra. try paying attention and doing HW. he stopped doing HW probs in class but would do one just like it to follow. he curves, and a good grade is easy to get with effort. yes effort, your in college.

This guy is a stereotypical teacher, here for research not to teach. He is very clear, and always willing to help, and he's funny too, but the material is far from easy.

Self study, but he is very helpful

he's so funny, which makes the class more interesting. he maybe strict at times, but the tests and quizzes are from the book, which is the greatest thing a math professor can do...take him!

The BEST math teacher I've ever had! SO funny, and cares about his students. Changes grading scale a lot (to students' benefit). Tests from book. SO good at explaining. Makes Calc FUN!!

I took him for Calc I and II. The class isn't extremely hard as long as you have a lot of time to devote to it. All the test problems are from the chapter, so if you have time to master them, you'll do well in the class. He is a good teacher, but he follows no guideline; just makes up the syllabus as he goes along. He's a really funny dude too.

He made us work pretty hard but I was able ot pass Calc 11 and 111. He really cares about the students and gives lots of office hoursif you want to learn. The tests are all from HW problems.

Great Techer! Calc is hard but he is always willing ot help and keeps the class interesting.

This professor was amazing. It was my second time taking this course (I failed MISERABLY the first time). He incorporates real world applications to everything he teaches and always spends time to get you understand. We spent a lot of time going over problems in the text. Overall nice person and great teacher.

He expects alot but is really helpful. Hes nota pushoverlike some profs but if you want to learn this class is for you. He goes over alot of problems from the text and the HWs.

Wonderful Person. CALCULUS IS A VERY HARD SUBJECT; DON'T EXPECT IT TO BE EASY. If you put in your studying, it will pay off. Takes questions straight from the book. His grading is tough, though, and he does not curve.

this class was somewhat difficult. i took calc in high school and that definitly helped. if i hadnt this guy would be a little difficult to learn from. he is a nice guy and very helpful. he is also easily convinced to help the grades and does give extra credit. not a bad professor considerin its calc.

He's hilarious..he says the most random things in class. He's mostly an upper-level math teacher and this was a trig class so I think he expected more out of us. All the tests problems were from the chapter reviews in the book.

Prof. Islas is very helpful if you are willing to visit his office hours. He is a genius. A background of physics and calculus is preferred before taking his class.

Im not good at math but this was an easy A. Daily quizzes are basically free attendance pts, tells you EXACTLY what u need to study in book and pulls test probs straight from book. Some ppl did poorly in his class but he did curve 1st test a lot, +30 pts on an 80pt test. Recommended + he has a good personality!

It will be a difficult class but if you struggle, just visit his office. He is very willing to help you understand the concept. I definitely think its possible to pass his class and not get an NC. You just have to try and push yourself a little. He may not pronounce everything right but you just have to ask him to repeat whatever he said.

Do all the homework and go to him for help. He is very helpful one on one. Put in the work, the class is very fair.

really awesome teacher in my opinion, hes funny and really really helpful if you go to his office hours. yes, the class might be hard but you can definitely pass the class. tests were hard sometimes but he also curved alot of tests. you will have to push yourself to study and do the hw but you can def pass the class

The students in my class were so overly rude and disrespectful to him for no reason at all. He was a genuinely nice guy and was totally willing to help anyone if they asked. I got an A+ in this class because I studied and went to class. Everyone who failed did so because they were rude & didnt bother attending. I would recommend him.

I took this professor this past fall and he's great! Very nice guy and is very helpful. Math is hard in general but if you study the guides he gives you and use coursecompass alot, you should get an A.

Teaches well you know what to expect on his tests because he tells you what to expect. Good teacher, except he changes up the syllabus.

VERY easy class. The only people who get bad grades are the ones who never showed up/never did the coursecompass work. Its a teach yourself kind of class,and you prob. dont need to show up, but he explains the work if you attend class. Any bad grades should not be blamed on this professor, because everything you need to learn the material is online

Overall fairly easy, can be confusing some times but just do the suggested problems and you will be good. Gives pop quizzes which are basically free points. Tells you exactly what to expect for the test and grades fairly. P.S. look out for his Trig tests they are impossible

Islas may be a boring teacher but if you complete the online homeworks and quizzes before the deadline and frequently (not just one time) use the practice tests that Islas gives prior to the 3 tests and final exam, then you should get an A in the course.

He acts like a rockstar. (But he totally is...)

Really funny to say, but I browsed some his ratings islas wuz getting on mfg and I have to say this... first off, you guys are a little wussy. I mean, what do you want? A kindergarten teacher? He is hard sometimes, but there is NO problem understanding him and he is very helpful. I think some of my fellow raters need some special ed help. (wtf?)

Most of the works online but he's very fair and has a lot of perspective on life that's useful. That's what makes the class great. Super easy... unless, well,... you didn't learn basic 7th grade math in high school. :)

It's clear he really loves math, but the way he talks to the students kind of makes you feel like you have a lot to learn not just about math and learning stuff but also living and how to be a good person. The class is sooooo freakin' hard. I am happy Im in it though.

Good teacher. Good class. Will probably end up taking him again. If you take him, ask him about the walrus story.

Well,... he's not the best prof in the world but not the worst. He's super easy and he knows the material, but really I could have just taken this class completely online. Great personality though... I imagine his upper level classes are awesome.

The man is hard as beans. But he really cares about the students a lot and it shows. It's a huge frickin' class but somehow he makes you feel like he's looking out for you.

Just give the man the mic and let him go! ;) Honestly, I didn't need to take this course. It is so easy it's like grade school math all over again. But now that I've taken him, I will definitely take him again. Was worried I might not understand a foreign professor but he's super easy. No language barrier at all.

Islas is tough, or maybe I just suck. dunno. But his take on things is funny but in a meaningful, half-hearted but serious sort of way. I wish he taught history or something other than math. I am learning but really its a waste cause you just do all the online stuff. He's very easy to get though and super nice.

Useless class. Great teacher. Talent just going to waste. So sad. If you take him, make sure you bring up "the walrus".

really awesome guy. Makes you want to be good at math but doesn't make you feel bad for not knowing. :)

islas rocks. will take again. so nice he makes you feel bad when you're late

i was never very good at math before dr islas. now i understand a lot and god help me I might just like it... cool guy.

OMG! The walrus story is enough for me to take his class again! He is really, really nice and its like he feels bad when you dont get something. Such a sweet guy. ;)

Good teacher. Take again if I can.

He's friendly and really interested in helping you succeed. A really cool guy.

I hate to admit this, but he makes me want to be better at math. And the "walrus" story. If you take him, DO NOT try to mess with him because if not you will just become part of the "walrus" story. Awesome class. Super teacher. Tries hard and it shows.

Average class but he's an awesome teacher. Will take again if he has another class and if I HAVE to take math again. Super cool guy.

Islas is great. Mostly work is online. Class is too easy for me. But he handles a massive amount of students with the ease of a professional ringmaster.

I didnt like math before islas but now its ok. He gets sad when you dont lern it and it makes you want to get better.

islas is the man! wouldv'e given him perfect score for helpfulness but mostly the class is an online endeavor... then again, the class is huge. don't know how one man could possibly help everyone personally... he did for me though.

islas is cool. has a lot of fun stories and ramblings but still manages to communicate the course material very well. class is really, really easy if you have half a brain. would take him again. he's such a gentleman! ;)

Good prof. will take again

It's tough to really rate just him and NOT the class (which sucks). read some of his other reviews and can say I agree. He is a great guy and really shows concern for the students. the class is just such a waste. I have to take more math classes though so I will hopefully get him again for something more substantial. His walrus story is... amazing.

Super easy. super nice. wish all my professors were like him.

Not a very good teacher. I ended up teaching 90% of the stuff to myself. I pulled out a B after I realized I wasn't going to get any help from him. He isn't very organized and doesn't update your grade often at all so it's a guessing game. Definitely try to take someone else if you can.

Islas really is a great man. Finite is kind of different, therefore a bit hard. I got really frustrated with people in my class who focused so much on his accent and talked the whole time and then complained about their grades when they didn't even go to get help. Just do the online hw, he takes his test questions straight from it.

The professor really is a good guy. He is genuinely trying to teach... and "tries" to make it funny (not always works). However, the class itself is NOT an EASY A. Do A LOT of practice problems and use the supplemental work. Go to his office and he'll help and even give you curves on tests! He really does help if you actually ask for it

Insanely hard class, everyone did so bad on the test they had to offer extra credit. Everything is done online but going to class makes it easier. Nice guy though, tries to be funny and tries to help you learn the material. Will answer any questions in class.

Funny guy, only a dozen or so people attended class out of about 300.. sucks for the people who didn't go because he helped me out a lot. Gives review for the exams that are great. Whether or not you are good at math, he is the professor to take. Received an A with ease.

Hard class but prof is very helpful. Attending class is very useful he gives reviews right before the tests and likes to give partial credit on problems.

Not an easy professor, but not difficult. He'll make you work hard for your grade, but very flexible and willing to help his students get a better grade. Plenty of extra credit opportunities and resources given. Do the homework, study, go to class, you'll do fine.

Dr. Islas is a great teacher. He's very helpful in class, answers questions, and has no problem explaining a concept more than once. Show up, do the homework, and study and you will have no problems passing his class. Great teacher over all.

In the beginning of the year he spent much class time on proofs, but after a couple classes he barely ever mentioned them. He is a good teacher, maybe a little quick, but he encourages us to ask questions in class. He was the extremely fair with partial credit and gave extra-credit opurtunities for most tests. An 'A' is possible, much work required

He likes his job you can tell. Calc 3 isn't an easy subject but if you have made it that far you already know what to expect.

Great Teacher! He gives A LOT of homework through WebAssign. But totally worth it! Extra-credit everywhere you look.

Dr. Islas is an awesome professor! He assigns a lot of homework but it's definitely worth it. Tests are very fair, and he offers plenty of extra credit. Quizzes are given in class, but they ended up just counting for extra credit. Dr. Islas not only covers the material thoroughly, he manages to maintain your interest throughout. Good prof & funny!

This guy gives LOTS of extra credit. for each test you can earn up to 10 points EC from the daily quizzes which are easy. If you pay close attention in class, you'll understand the material. Otherwise you can self teach yourself from the book if you miss a class or space out during a lecture. I found him to be a funny professor and I like the guy.

Calc 2 is hard..Dr.Islas' class is no different. However, he genuinely wants his students to pass. He graded fairly, tests were not overly difficult. The final was open anything (that wasn't an electronic device), at the expense of the final being harder. Do enough practice problems until you can do them quickly and correctly, and you will pass.

Harder tests than any other diff EQ tests I saw from other professors. Teaches with pen and paper and grades hw strictly. Half of the final was take home and impossible to do without the internet. Very easy class, but hard with him.

I had Islas for calculus 2 and 3. He's a very good instructor and his tests are fair and generously graded. If you work to understand the concepts you'll do well.

I thought this was a tough class. Dr Islas was great though. He proved every major theorem and built everything from the ground up. The course was a good mix of computational problems and proofs. I feel like he did a great job preparing students for MAS 3106. If you plan on taking this class you will need to study hard, this class is no joke.

Mandatory EXCEL course, pass/fail basis. Professor was very clear and the course itself was easy.

Students complained about the first exam being too difficult and about too much homework being given. Islas offered make-up points on the first exam and cut down on homework in response. A very helpful teacher who listens to student concerns and answers all questions thoroughly.

I took Professor Alvaro Islas for both Calculus 3 and Differential Equations and scored a B. The trick to getting a good grade is talking to him in his office hours to get a feel for what he would put on a test or quiz. The first test is always the "quota test" aka the hardest but perseverance no matter the grade in the beginning will get you thru

I first took this class with a horrible professor that inspired me to withdraw. I took it again with Prof. Islas and it was so much better! He is very good at explaining things and getting you to connect concepts. He's very willing to help and provides extra credit opportunities. The class is still tough, do the homework, quizzes every week.

Islas is not the best lecturer, I found it hard to understand the concepts as he explained them and would have to read the textbook to understand. However, Islas does want you to pass and works with the students to help them pass , if students didnt feel prepared for a test he would move it back, didnt think a questions was fair he threw it out.

He makes you work quite hard, and I had to resort to studying from the book often to reinforce harder topics. However, he's fair and a good lecturer. Go to his office hours as well, he is nice and helpful. It is not an easy class, but not "hard" if you put in the work practicing.

Alvaro is not your average professor, no, Alvaro teaches with purpose. He relates math to the real world. Sometimes we would just have MATLAB days where he would show how cool and useful something was. I respected this most about him. Though stuff was tough, it was fair and I feel like I came out with useful tools at my disposal.

Great guy, okay professor. Will help outside of class, but during lectures he expects you to know what you're doing before class even starts. Exam questions come straight out of the textbook. Attendance "quizzes" every day in class that add up if you miss a lot. Overall really caring guy, just be sure you're ready to teach yourself.

I had him through the pandemic, and he actually restructured the class more than just "replace projector with zoom". He explains how formulas are derived before introducing them, and tops it off with a dry humor. He does make the tests and weekly quiz questions less straightforward than other teachers, but he has a grade forgiveness so it's even.

His tests and quizzes are HARD. But he's a great, caring teacher and his inspiration and love for mathematics shines through. If you have a solid math background, you will get a lot from this class and should definitely take him. If you are not great at math, take another professor.

Overall, Professor Islas is an incredibly understanding person (Extends deadlines for homework, allowing late submissions of quizzes and tests due to connection issues). He provides interesting tangents and good feedback for specific questions. Just make sure to stop him if you get lost, otherwise, he will skip a lot of steps and go quite fast!

Professor Islas is the best professor I have ever had at UCF. He is caring and thoughtful. His tests are hard but fair because they are similar to book problems. You have to put in the work to do well, and he will help you as long as you ask for it. There are lots of quizzes but they help you prepare for test. Go to his office hours!!

This was not an easy class, but for the most part I could understand what was being taught and ultimately succeeded in his class. Attendance isn't mandatory, however he gave daily pop-quizzes to grade participation. Many classmates struggled and relied on Discord for extra assistance, but overall I respect him as a person and enjoyed his class.

This is one of those professors that forces you to learn the material, you can't just float through. He really cares about the subject and wants students to do well - go to office hours and ask questions. Weekly quizzes are very useful to test your knowledge before tests. Solid choice if you are willing to work hard to grasp a difficult topic.

Lectures are informational and fairly easy to comprehend. About 3 tests total including midterm and final. Weekly quizzes and homework are due, so just stay on top of your work. There are additional lectures provided in mylabs which helps. He works along with students on class activities and homework sometimes and is very helpful. 9/10

Everything is done through math xl. You get a quiz and hw each week. Tests are easy just do the study plan its the EXACT SAME THING. Had a 99 in the class until the final and it dropped me to a 94 because I got an 80. Not sure why but still recommend this teacher.

Reviews before: illigetimate. Pop quizzes are for no credit. All exams-open notes for us. He goes a little quick, but people asked him the dumbest questions late in the course but took time to go over them nicely. Great professor. Take him out of everyone else. Tough material, but he really wants you to succeed & prepare for future harder classes.

Great guy and would go over the tests the day before and then give us the same thing with different numbers. If not then would do open notes tests (Such as the final). Very kind guy but not the best at lecturing. With that said, if you constantly ask questions you are able to learn and he makes sure to explain.

Islas was very caring and wanted students to do well in the course. His lectures weren't great but the tests were very similar to practice tests and the final was open note. He dropped 5 quizzes and replaced the lowest midterm with the final if it helped your grade. If you put in the work to learn the material, it is easy to pass.

As all the others say lectures are useless and he is confused sometimes. But tests are not that hard, if you can do medium level problem on textbook test should be fine. There was 3 tests and one final. If final grade is higher than on of the exams he replaces. Quiz every week but on exam week the quiz answer will be given. No deadline for HW.

Professor Islas is a great teacher when it comes to communicating with students. He is always accessible during office hours and gives very helpful reviews before each test. He does his best to ensure you pass and thinks of every student as family.

Professor Islas is a great teacher. He's caring and accessible with his students. He teaches useful course material in the most enjoyable way. This is a hard course, he gives daily pop quizzes for attendance(5%) and weekly quizzes(15%) that are harder than the general exams(50%). You must study and work hard for everything in this course.

Professor Islas is a very funny guy, and he is also a very good professor. Class is test and quiz heavy, but as long as you study there is no reason to have a failing grade. Islas is very approachable and takes his time in answering your questions.

Islas isn't THAT bad. If you can't find a better prof you'll still be okay. If you actually put in the work you will do fine in this class. A lot of homework and weekly quizzes. Questions directly from free textbook & he tells you where to find them. Gave clear instructions for what would be on each exam. People who say otherwise didn't show up.

Lovely man and extremely understanding of external situations however, pretty tough grader and would occasionally take points off on quizzes where you used textbook methods as opposed to his methods.