Professor Portwood is a great guy. It was his first semester at USC so there were a few hiccups. He can teach a little slowly, so we never covered a few chapters but weren't on the exam. His test is straight from his lectures so though attendance isn't mandatory, I would recommend going since he doesn't post many notes on blackboard.

Took Portwood for Business Calc. He explains things very well and is a nice guy. Attendance isnt required but I would highly suggest it because it is a tough concept. Homework is due the day of the exam and it is not a lot. Tests are just like the review guide.

Professor Portwood is a smart guy & knows what he is teaching. If you do not know Calc then this class may be a little difficult for you. I did not know calculus at all but I am ending the class with a high B. available out of class and does want you to end with a good grade. If you do take him I would recommend getting a tutor set up before hand

He is one the kindest people I have ever met. He is really smart which means he sometimes goes too quick in lectures since he thinks everyone gets it. I am horrible at math but if you go to office hours work problems with him and show you are trying and really care you are going to do great. He cares about his class and loves math

Portwood is a very sweet guy and I do think he cares about his students. He is switching around the final to allow students to bring up their grades on previous exams which I think is very helpful of him. However, I did struggle with his teaching style a little bit, but I think it got better throughout the year.

Mr. Portwood was a great teacher and gave lots of example problems to help us work through what we didn't understand. He always made sure if anyone didn't know anything that he was available.

Portwood was such a nice and caring professor. Although he was not the best at teaching, if you go to himself for individual questions, he is very helpful and wants you to succeed. If you do that and go to the SI sessions you will be fine, the tests were pretty straightforward.

Professor Portwood was a good professor and was pretty fair in his grading. He was always easy to go to after class if you had an issue and was always willing to help if you tried to get it. This class was honestly easier than Calc in high school.

He trys really hard and is super nice. He is always willing to let you make up work and wants the class to not be boring. He can be cheesy and awkward at times but he really helps explain the material. I could not have passed this class without him as my professor

such a cool guy. always extends deadlines and made the final optional. super chill

Professor Portwood always had a smile on his face and would sometimes allow us to leave class early for random reasons. Yes, the lectures can get long and boring but its math so you should already know that going in. Quiz every Thursday and before the class he clearly lays out what will be on the quiz as well as the test. Get this teacher for calc.

Good teacher and breaks down topics well; flexible to your schedule in case you miss something; attendance not mandatory; was able to exempt out of final exam; curves exams as well

Mr. Portwood has a positive attitude and does everything he can to explain how to solve a topic. He cares about teaching and will make practice exams and homework that are relevant to the actual exams. He doesn't yell in the class and instead talks in a calm voice. Some people will not hear him well because they are sitting in the back. I recommend

He honestly sucks at teaching, you will end up doing most of the teaching yourself. However, he gives a ton of extra credit for tests and has a super easy project that was worth a decent amount. Also tests were graded very leniently; basically if you put some sort of numbers down you will get a decent amount of credit for the problem

Super nice guy. Can be unclear at times but if you go to class and pay attention he can be a great teacher. Make use of his office hours too they are very helpful

For me and my learning style he was amazing! I learned and understood most of everything just by attending lectures. He does do a 2 question quiz often but he always tells you about it and how to prepare for it the class before. Majority of your grade is based on exams but he provides a really helpful test review.

He is a very easy professor and easy to talk to. He is soft-spoken, so sit up front so you can hear him clearly. He is very respectful to you if you are respectful to him. He tells you everything that will be on the exams and what will be on the quizzes.

Portwood was great. He was a chill professor and attendance was not mandatory. However, assignments were pretty unclear because he rarely used blackboard. So, I would recommend going to class to stay aware of the work and lectures he is giving out.

Professor Portwood is very kind and is always willing to help you if you're struggling with certain topics taught in class, definitely go to his office hours to clear up any confusion. His teaching could be a little better, but it's not the worst. He usually gives out quizzes every week with 2-3 problems with three exams plus the final.

Made it super clear he wanted the whole class to succeed and wanted to help in any way he could. Didn't take attendance and was super flexible with missed content when absent. Super open to questions and corrections. I think this goes for some other MATH 122 professors, but anyone who's 3 tests averaged to an A (90+) was exempt from the final.

I loved having Portwood for math my first semester at college. He explains math in a great way, is pretty chill, answers questions, and listens to our suggestions. We even suggested having a notecard on the final and he got it approved! Only downside is that he doesn't put much in blackboard, but he does give back quiz's and tests fast.

Math122 is easy with portwood if you took AP calculus in high school. Final exam is optional if your grade is an A in the class. We barely had any homework (we used wileyplus). Exams are just like the practice exams, but the words and numbers are changed. Portwood was extremely slow at grading. Got my grade within the last two weeks of the sem.

His lectures and notes are a bit all over the place but I still understood the material. He gives a lot of partial credit and is really nice. As long as you study and put in the work, it should be an easy A. If you ask him for help during the exam, he's really helpful & would even give me the "answer" sometimes or point me in the right direction.

really nice guy, does everything he can to help with grades. calc isn't a super easy or fun class but he does his best to make it enjoyable and always responds to questions during class. i would love to buy him a mini microphone or something though, because he's a tad soft spoken so maybe sit in the front.

I took calc in high school and found this class easier. He simplifies concepts as much as possible but occasionally makes computational errors (not a big deal). I definitely recommend sitting towards the front where he can be heard. He does take weeks to put grades into blackboard, but will work with you if you talk to him. He wants you to succeed!

He is very caring and will help you if you need anything. However, the homework is on Wiley+ which you have to buy. There is three main tests then the final. He drops the lowest test and quiz grade. Quizzes are almost weekly but only a few questions that he goes over before

He has a traditional lecture style that worked great for me, although it can sometimes be hard to follow along. He is very accessible after class and through email, and he wants you to succeed. I learned more from attending office hours and speaking to him outside of class than I did from the lectures themselves. Caring and friendly!

The professor is so nice. He teaches very well, makes sure you understand the material, and has tutoring hours. I would take him again.

Loved Prof. Portwood so much. He was genuinely one of the kindest and most thoughtful professors I have ever had. Learned so much and was so accommodating of people registered with the SDRC. Genuinely wanted everyone to do well. Such great help in and out of class, and will give extra credit for showing up to class on off days etc. Great guy.

Overall, Professor Portwood is a very nice and caring guy. He ensures that no one is distracted and everyone is on track. 111 at the start is an easy class but exponentially gets harder. The only complaint I would say is he has a weird way of teaching certain parts of his curriculum. He gives really big curves on his tests which is nice.

Yes, it wasn't easy, but it was manageable. I honestly shouldnt of passed but he made sure he did everything he could so I would. I always talked to him after class and asked him what I could do to get my grade up. He is very fair and funny. The only thing is he doesn't put grades in blackboard, so I never knew my grade until the semester was over.

Professor Portwood was a great professor. I recommend doing well on tests/homeworks/pop quizzes because there aren't a lot of things to get graded on. Light workload, very laid back and an overall kind teacher. 10/10 would take again!

Such a sweet man who genuinely really wants his students to succeed and is beyond accommodating for anything you need. Curves grades heavily and exams aren't bad. He isn't great about putting grades in blackboard. His notes can be confusing but the concepts aren't too complicated so it's very manageable. Overall a great guy I definitely recommend!

very monotone, but will make jokes, he's chill. not too much to get graded on. we had 3 exams which were short, straightforward, and easy. We have quizzes almost weekly but they were always low pressure, at the end of class, and like three maybe four questions. Sometimes doesn't make sense when explaining, but is very approachable.

He is a very nice guy and pretty good at teaching. Only flaws are the test are not like the review at all they are a good bit harder and he is not great at responding to emails but he does offer points back on test and some extra credit.

Attendance is not mandatory. Tests were like the study guide. If you show up to class you will be fine.

great person, really caring and sweet. overall, he wants the best for every student.

Very kind and understanding teacher! He doesn't take attendance but the lectures are really helpful for test preparation since he explains which questions might come up. He also posts study guides that are really helpful and similar.

Easy dif eq prof. Doesn't really give homework and isn't anal about deadlines (you can submit whenever). Tells you exactly what will be on the exams and doesn't make problems too difficult. I don't know why anyone would dislike his 242 lecture its so easy I got a perfect score on every exam and I haven't taken calc in 3 years.

He's such a caring teacher and wants everyone to succeed. I highly recommend him for any class he may be teaching.

Making dumplings and remembered I forgot to rate Portwood. Very good professor. His teaching style is going over a topic and then letting the class work on a problem and the going over said problem. Which works very well for learning Math. He is also grades based on if the correct techniques are done instead of the answer. If you fail you suck

He was very chill and gave very light hw and tests. 100% would take again

He truly cares about students passing the class and understanding the material to the extent they need. The study guides are almost exact replicas of the test, the quizzes are all questions you've done in class, he gives partial credit even when you're completely wrong (as long as you show your work) and is genuinely a kind individual.

He is super sweet, gives extra credit, and will sit down and help with your grade and help you learn. Lectures are a little hard, though. Would definitely recommend taking his classes, he's awesome!!

Very caring, nice grader, wants his students to do well and willing to work with students who are struggling. The way he teaches can sometimes be confusing.

His lectures are kind of boring but I think it's just cause the content is really easy. He's really nice once you start engaging in class and he wants you too. Test are pretty easy and he's grades well. As long as the answer is right he's not strict on how you got there. Id recommend

Absolute legend, so chill and nice, easy class too. Can't say anything bad about him or the class.

he is quite literally the chillest professor ever. we only had 3 exams that were all pretty straightforward and self explanatory. the only downside about him is the fact that he takes forever to grade. other than that, he is a pretty decent professor. make sure you sit in the middle or the front because you will not be able to hear him in the back.

A great professor who cares about his students, but he just doesn't put grades on the blackboard. Otherwise, is awesome with an easy class.

I consider myself terrible at math and do not like it at all but he made it bearable. I went to his office frequently and he always helped me. 3 tests and he lets you correct them. It's hard to fail this class you just have to try and study a bit. He is the slowest grader ever though. Still don't know my final exam grade and i took it 7 days ago.

Very easy math111 professor. 3 exams and a final, some homework, some quizzes. He is funny but the lectures were kind of confusing. Had to learn some stuff off YouTube a few times. He gave test corrections and give partial credit for everything as long as you have something written. Had to buy a $70 online homework program only to use it once.