2.5
Quality4.4
Difficulty100%
Would Retake91
Reviews100%
Would Retake
91
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
15
4
13
3
15
2
23
1
25
What Students Say
“She was too confusing in classes but she did offer after hours tutoring which was a little helpful”
MATH1720 - 3.0 rating“Honestly, she wasn't an overall bad teacher”
PRECALCULUS2 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
75%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.42 avg changeRatings by Course
1950
5.0
(1)MTH214
5.0
(1)MATHEDUC
5.0
(1)SONONLY
4.0
(1)ABAABAB
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
1900
5.0
MATH136
5.0
MATH196
5.0
SONONLY
5.0
ABAABAB
5.0
Reviews (91)
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No Comments
The class was entirely too hard. Darken embarrassed alot of people if they did not get the concept that she thought was easy!! There is not excuse for a teacher to make a student uncomfortable.
No Comments
Ms. Darken is a tough teacher, but she has the student's best interests in mind. In addition, she has a lot of office hours to answer questions. However, do not take this class if you have a heavy course load already.
Dr. Darken can take an easy Math course and turned it upside down. She is extremely rude and not very coherent when explaining concepts of Math. Does not always follow the book and at tmes makes up her "vocabulary" for test.
I am very lucky to have had Dr. Darken. Her class was difficult, but I learned a great deal of information!!
Dr. Darken is a very bad teacher!!! She is rude to students and is not an effective teacher at all!!! BEWARE!!!
Dr. Darken is the worst professor ever. I am good in math and recieved an A in her class, yet agree with the people that have rated her poorly. She indeed is rude to students and explains information poorly. Unless you like two and a half hours of homework every night, don't take her.
If you aren't willing to work, don't take this class. But Dr. Darken is eager to help students. She's very willing to help outside of class. The class was really difficult, but easy A's aren't what college is all about.
There is a ridiculous amount of work outside of class..ridiculous! It is all graded by correctness. But she is definitely willing to help you when you dont understand.
don't choose her
Her class requires a lot of work. If you don't like doing homework don't take her class. She is willing to help out as much as possible.
She gives A LOT of work, but it helps you in the end. She is not always clear, but it VERY willing to help especially if she sees that you are trying. She also gives many opportunities to help improve your grade.
A neat, quirky lady, but beware her class. She is more willing than effective at helping you; she rushes through things without much clarity. She often gets mixed up in the middle of her explanations, making them increasingly confuzing. Oh - she may not tell you, but she DOES grade for correctness on any homework she asks you to turn in. Good luck!
Gives out alot of h/w...if your not willing to participate dont take this class...also if you dont do well on test and need alot of explaining she dosent do a very good job helping you...she is very rude too
yall are lazy, get use to college, college requires work, you dont want to work, then get out of college and work at burger king, get use to life, she shows you how its gonna be with some crazy math problems, complaining + lazyness= people who dont succeed, this doesnt go to the people who liked Ms. Darken.
she was a good teacher and she'll pass you if you show that you are trying
The class requires a lot of homework, graded for correctness. The tests are pretty standard, and if you take the practice tests, its the same as the actual test. She is sort of confusing and gets jumbled up in the middle of problems. And she blocks the board a lot, making it hard for the right side of the room to see since she's left handed.
Dr. Darken is not a good teacher. I failed her class and had to take it again the next semester and passed it with an A. Darken made it very difficult to understand. She was willing to help but her help is not good. Take another teacher for Math 106.
She is the worst teacher ever. She is terrible at explaining things, and makes the simplest things complicated. She is very rude to students and makes it known many times a day that she is in charge and she has all the power. She is an awful teacher. Don't take her.
Dr. Darken is the rudest teacher I have ever had
She is very disrespectful, and sometimes makes fun of students as if she thinks she's better than us.
do NOT take her...its not even necessary for me to go into detail
Dr. D.'s a prime example of the Math dept at UTC taking themselves too seriously! Doesn't follow a text book. Unfortunately, I don't have a strong math background. However she does care immensely and will sincerely HELP YOU. Make her think you're real dedicated, and you’ll do ok. Dr. Keissling follows book, however she isn't teaching 215 this fall ‘07!
All of the people who have made negative comments about Dr. Darken are the people who expect college to be easy. She give you the opportunity to do extra credit. I am horrible at math, but if you apply yourself and actually try, you'll make an a. She's so helpful and wants you to do well.
Worst teacher ever.....
Best way I can describe her is "Very caring and helpful" however those qualities combined with a HUGE workload/lots of studying make the class very difficult. She is upfront with you and says its like a full time job. If you have high level courses/work to pay for college/have a lot of stuff to do then don't pick this class. Nice lady, impracticabl
In all honesty, considered the worst teacher at UTC. It is not worth your time and money to listen to this ornery woman speak to the whiteboard about algebra for a whole semester. If you want to LEARN algebra and pass with a good grade and knowledge, take Vincent Betro. He is incredible
Second times is the charm baby. whoooo! If you suck at math like I do take one less class then you usually do and use the extra time to study for this class more. After getting killed the first time the second time I made a B in my least favorite subject. Do the homework and learn from her corrections. It will burn you out but thats college.
Betsie Darken is an awesome person that will help you with anything you ask her to...but, she is quite possibly the worst teacher I have ever had. Her class is very disorganized, and her lectures have nothing to do with what is on her tests. I am an all A student, and I walked out of her class with a high D... DO NOT TAKE HER CLASS
This professor was rude to my face. She mumbles during class and I couldn't understand a word that this lady was saying. Her handouts are not helpful, and thats an unerstatement. She favors students who sit in the front row. This lady was the worst teacher I have ever had. If you want to be a suck up, take her class.
Terribly unclear teaching.
Take anyone but her. It takes longer to understand her directions than it does to do the assignment. She tries to give the least amount of A's and well...does a good job of it no matter how hard you try. I'm a straight A student but made a B in her class.
I love her. Most people do not like her but I have a B in the class and am learning a lot. If you do take her put forth effort and listen closely. I have never been very good at math but I have learned so many useful concepts from her this semester that I really wish I would have learned in high school. I wish I could take her for Math 216.
Do not take Dr. Darken! She is very scatter brained and disorganized. She erases things before you can write them down, she can be hard to understand, she laughs at things that are not funny, and I really never understood what was going on. I wish I wold have picked a better teacher so that I would have left this class understanding something!
This is by far one of the worst professors I have ever had. She makes everything she teaches more complicated then it really is. The keys to this class are doing the Handouts, memorizing the formulas, and completely ignoring what she says.
Seriously take anyone but her. I've gone to her office for help, and all she does is give methods to understanding. It's insanely hard when it shouldn't be. People in the other 123 class have no clue what we're doing. If you HAVE to take her, make sure you understand Excel thoroughly.
Well She is very annoying and likes to give you assignments and then 2 weeks later actually teach you what was in that assignment, Her test can be hard and she loves giving quizes. She also sounds like a turkey sometimes..
Tons of Homework, and by Homework, I mean these ridiculous excel projects! There is no point and it will stress you to death! She makes the class way harder than it needs to be. Do the right thing, Don't take the Darken.
Professor Darken is a very interesting, odd lady. She gives ALOT of work and excel projects. I did very bad the first part of the semester but I am slowly bringing my grade up. She is very willing to help outside of class if you put forth the effort to go to her office. The tests are very hard. but if you try, you will do pretty good. good luck!
Darken means well. but this class causes so much unneeded stress. she is always willing to help you out if you are struggling, and you learn helpful daily mathmatical concepts, but so stressful.
Dr. Darken's class shouldn't be very difficult for students. However she tends to make things much more complicated than they need to be. I wouldn't recommend her as a teacher for any class. She does definitely always OFFER her help to you, but her help is useless. If you're really good at math you should be fine but if not you should reconsider.
I do not recommend anyone taking this Dr. Darken. I have hardly learned anything in her class. She doesn't follow the book and makes her own definitions of problems. She makes the simplest math difficult. I've had to go back to my high school math teachers for help so I can understand what I'm doing in that class. It's hard to keep up with her also
definitely don't take this one. Assigns homework before teaching about it. She mumbles in her lectures and I could never really understand what she was saying. The material is not really hard, but her grading is, and even if your answer is right, and you don't write it her way she will mark it wrong. Most everyone is my class was failing.
She'll try and help you as much as possible, but it's no good. She made this class way harder than it was. She rambles, mumbles, and goes way too fast. Gives homework, then teaches it 2 weeks later after you fail the homework. Focused on the last 25% of the course work, do not take unless you like working really hard for otherwise really simple mat
Although her teaching style is kind of confusing and she is quite a character if you try you will be fine. She gave an extraordinary amount of extra credit if you cared enough to do it and if you go to her office hours she will be more than happy to help you out.
I have a hard time with math in general, but I will say that even though I'm not doing well in class(im bad at taking tests) she is really helpful. I go to her office a lot and she is willing to help you. Yeah she has her interesting moments, but I liked her.
She'll give insane amounts of work for this to be a low level math class. I already knew how to do the work before this class and she will mark off points for commas, dollar signs and not writing it the way she wants it. She grades really tough when it isn't that big of a deal. If you wanna work hard, go ahead but my advice is stay away...
Dr. Darken is an excellent Mathematics teacher. She is devoted to her subject matter and students. Yes, she requires homework. I enjoy just listening to her. She is hard but ethical in her grading. She is always there for her Math students. If you want to learn Math then take her algebra courses.
Dr. Darken literally saved my academic career. I had just started school after a ten year absence and had her class first term back. I HATE math and suffered from severe math anxiety. She encouraged me to keep taking the class and I ended up with an A. Her teaching is actually quite clear but you will have to work HARD!
I was thankful for my B. I had a 4.0 in HS and this dumb class about kicked my butt because of the excel assignments. she's nice and hilarious in class, but her excel assignments are RIDICULOUS! I had a computer tech and my dad doing my homework with me....and we still didnt do well on the assignment.
Worst academic experience of my life. Learned everything on my own. She thinks everyone should come to her office for 'help' but it's a waste of time.
Worst professor by far, I took her fall 2009 failed, she grades unfairly only passes people who are in the Greek system or others she likes, I attend class, did what I could and still failed, is extremely rude and said she didn't like how I did my work until too late can't explain anything. If you're answers aren't like what she says, it's wrong.
Dr.Darken is nice but nice dont work all the time, she was rude when i didnt have my contacts and she is all over the place, for all the people that say they like her teaching they are just suck ups, ive taken several maths in college but its not that the math is hard its the person that is teaching it. So, do not take her!
Very hard! Very fast and hard to follow. She doesn't explain things very well and has a lot of homework and very strict rules for the work. You can to do everything exactly right or she won't give you credit.
Stay far away. I have never complained about a professor on this website before. Which means a lot for what I have to say. She was very unorganized, and the students had to suffer because of this. She had very strict rules and if you did not follow them you automatically received an F. Please save yourself the stress of having to deal with her.
She is a horrible math teacher if you are not already good at math. She does not return emails, barely in her office during her office hours, and is very rude. Don't make the same mistake i did.
She is awful at teaching. She does not teach you anything and is rude beyond belief. I am a student who has been taking math for years and I know what she is teaching. I am doing things right that she is counting wrong because she happens to not like me. She can't do anything right and when she does actually do something right she baffles herself
Will try to help you but ends up making you more confused than before. I always had to teach myself. Her grading is very frustrating, she will take off points without explaining why.
Literally failing her class with two tutors. Have never failed a class before. Very confusing notes.
I never complain about my professors but I feel lke i should on her because i would never want someone to go through this class like i had to. Shes not understanding, gives lots of homework in the book and online. Gives terrible notes in class. ive never missed and a class and i have a tutor and im still failing. DONT TAKE HER.
She is the worst teacher I have ever had! She is not clear and not helpful! Her grading is terrible! DO NOT TAKE HER!!!!!!!!!
I am not even through with this course yet, but I want to ward off other students who might be considering this teacher for 2013 Summer/Fall. DO NOT take her. I thought the ratings on here might have been dramatic, but I have literally never encountered such an incompetent teacher. Teaches 2-3 min over class, irrelevant notes, the list goes on..
Will end with an A, but for Math1130 DO NOT TAKE DARKEN. Inconsistent, unorganized, long tests, have lost more points on hw for not properly writing my name than being incorrect. List goes on, but I must keep the comments clean and just feel bad having so many negative things to say. Thought people were being typical whining UTC students..I wish.
Mrs. Darken was the worst math teacher I have ever taken. She gives a lot of homework and does not go over the material hardly at all. She is not helpful. I am usually an A or B student and I struggled to make a C. I highly advise to take someone else for math is possible!
worst math professor EVER- do no take her
Dr. Darken is the best teacher I have ever had. Her class is hard, but it is supposed to be - it's college. The people who want to really LEARN will love her; the people who just want a stamped piece of paper saying they attended college, will hate her. She wants her students to learn for life, not just until finals are over. THE BEST TEACHER!
I took this class after having made an A in an AP Calc class and she made this class much harder than that! She is completely unfair and did her best to cause me to fail her class. She even gave me incorrect grades on test on which i had to go to her office to dispute. She also gives an ungodly amount of HW AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!
Dr. Darken is the worst professor I've ever had the displeasure of learning from.. Well I actually didn't learn anything from her. I had to learn everything on my own.. She gives terrible notes and her tests are extremely difficult. She also gives an ungodly amount of homework. DO NOT TAKE! AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
I would not recommend! I love math but, I struggled terribly in this class. She makes her test so difficult. She isn't clear when she teaches. I've never struggled so hard to make a 70. I will say that she is very helpful. Meeting up with her and showing her that you are hardworking will help you a lot. She tries to make sure that everyone passes.
Professor Darken is a great professor. The course can be difficult, but she is very helpful by allowing students to come to her office for help on homework, quizzes, etc. That definitely helped me out. She gives extra credit for test corrections (up to 20 points each test). She also gives practice tests that are very helpful. I would recommend her!
Tests and quizzes are difficult. Her grading is very picky. Even if you get the right answer on a quiz she'll count it wrong if it isn't done her way. If you are calculator dependent I would suggest you stay away from her. Her tests are 80% Non-Calculator, 20% Calculator. If someone asked me if they should take her class it would be a definite no.
Struggled for a B in this class. Relied on online homework to teach me each chapter. A ton of homework. Dr. Darken will take points off for the dumbest things on homework, quizzes and tests. If it's not her way, it's wrong to her. Very hard class! Would not recommend taking Dr. Darken!
worst professor ever. Never take class
if you take this lady, you are crazy!!! I am really good in math but sadly not in this class. She is the worst professor i ever had . I would never ever take her as my professor ever!!!
No contest, the worst teacher I've ever had. She treats the class like 8th grade, and is generally rude. She makes the class unnecessarily hard, and honestly, I'm baffled why she's still a professor.
If you want to make a good grade in this class, you really have to try hard. She gives fair amount of textbook homework plus online homework but they are manageable. She is really strict about following her directions for the assignments. She actually tries to help you a lot by letting you take quizzes as a team and holding a group study session.
I hated her. She was too confusing in classes but she did offer after hours tutoring which was a little helpful. Her tests are like trying to find the cure for cancer while blind folded on the moon without oxygen. She is old school when it comes to calculators so she prefers you to chisel your work in stone which makes the class that much harder.
It's one of those classes where everything makes sense while she's explaining it, but when the test comes around, she's thrown stuff on there that hasn't even been covered. I'm baffled as to how she's still a professor here.
Dr.Darken is funny sometimes but the worst professor one could ever have. She makes the tests hard. She is somewhat helpful if you go to her office. But personally, I don't understand a thing she talks about in class. I failed every test. If you have any desire to make a A or B in this course, don't take her. She makes the course harder than usual.
She is very precise, and wants you to learn. I aced every test but only because I did all the homework, completed all the online assignments and never skipped class. Over all a fair class and a fair teacher.
While she is willing to help out in office hours I've never had this much of a problem with math. I'm not an expert but she makes it so much harder than it has to be. Tests are harder than needed but passable if this is the only class you have anyways. I have done all my hw and all online hw online I average a B physical hw a F. Do not recommend
Honestly, she wasn't an overall bad teacher. Her class was very difficult, but I feel that I learned a lot. If you need help, she is very helpful in her office hours.
Worst professor I've ever had. Her teaching style is so out-of-order and she mumbles so you can barely understand her.
Try to avoid her if you can. Not the absolute worst professor I have ever had, but she's really confusing and gives TONS of assignments. She also tells you that she won't take something up but then will decide to take it up at the last minute. Hates calculators. Very few extra credit opportunities. Mumbles constantly.
This class was very difficult. I personally like math but not with her. She is always willing to help BUT her lectures are very confusing. Her tests are extremely difficult sometimes over stuff we haven't gone over. Expect some group work! Barely made a B with LOTS of extra credit.
Does not teach - expects you to teach yourself everything
Dr. Darken made me a better mathematician. She is quirky, her tests are tough, and if you want an A you have to work hard for it. COME TO CLASS. Cons: she picks on people to answer questions, and she grades meticulously. Ex. She counts off .5 pt if you use instead of an approximate sign. Her tests are 2 parts: Calculator & No Calculator.
Professor Darken was the best math professor I have ever had. She is the most knowledgeable person I have ever met. I was always afraid to take math courses but she has helped me gain the knowledge I need to complete my Engineering requirements. She will help you endlessly and will never give up on you if you don't give up on the course. Best Ever.
I was taking this course at night from an adjunct professor and was unable to understand anything. I switched to Dr. Darken's class where I was able to understand the material because she explained everything so well. I never thought that I could earn an A in calculus, but thanks to Dr. Darken's amazing teaching skills, I was able to do.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
75%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.42 avg changeRatings by Course
1950
5.0
(1)MTH214
5.0
(1)MATHEDUC
5.0
(1)SONONLY
4.0
(1)ABAABAB
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
1900
5.0
MATH136
5.0
MATH196
5.0
SONONLY
5.0
ABAABAB
5.0