3.0
Quality4.0
Difficulty19%
Would Retake90
Reviews19%
Would Retake
90
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
32
4
9
3
8
2
12
1
29
What Students Say
“He teaches his class like a graduate-level course”
MATH150A - 3.0 rating“:) Loves math which explains his Ph D”
MATH150A - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
64%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.51 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH299
5.0
(1)142F
5.0
(1)151F
5.0
(1)MATH20
4.9
(10)150A
4.0
(4)Difficulty by Course
MATH250A
5.0
MATH141
5.0
250B
5.0
MATH250B
5.0
MATH151HF
4.9
Reviews (90)
Nice guy but makes an easy course more difficult than it is. Dosen't clearly answer your questions, is a bit disorganized.
Dr. Clahane is a good teacher! People think that he is a hard teacher.. but i think that the material is hard (calc, in general), not him. O, and when he makes jokes.. he's pretty funny.
Worst experience with math in my entire life. The class was spent "trying" to prove identidies, with high school students correcting him most of the time. He does not care if you succeed or not. AVOID!
I took with him in the summer. He was unorganized and hard to understand. If you enroll w/him, you are basically taking a self-study course. NOTE: He takes off pts for grammar.
Dr. Clahane is the greatest! He answers any question and is very patient and nice. He does all of his lectures without using notes, and obviously knows what he is doing. Hilarious too. We all clapped when he asked the whiners in the back to leave.
I liked Dr. Clahane, alot. Disorganized? Definitely not. The guy teaches stats really deeply as far as theory. He doesn't treat you like a high schooler by passing out gay fliers. Totally nice guy and very very clear if you ask alot of questions.
At first I bombed this class because I was lazy. Dana talked to me though and encouraged me to start doing the homework. Now I'm getting B's! He's a cool guy, you just have to do your homework, or you will fail his class. Great at going over homework with our class too. Just don't slack ofF!!!
He is a very nice teacher and really goes out of his way to help out. I don't think he should teach the lower level math classes though. His language went over most people's heads. He does take off point for ridiculous things too. Overall it was a good experience though.
I have Dr. Clahane now and he lets the class out most of the time twenty minutes before the hour so the "TWENTY MINUTE EARLY" thing that was said below is pretty boneheaded. He's not an automatic A or B but you will learn if u follow him and do the work. just don't be an ass. Don't slack- do hw!
I took algebra 2 in high school so I knew the material. This guy made it so wordy and complicated that I could hardly understand what he was talking about. It was easier to learn from the book than it was from him!!
I have Math 20 and it's true that Dr. Clahane doesn't lecture for long. But I don't want to listen to anyone for 2 hours, so that's not really a problem for me. I like the fact that he always answers homework questions nicely. He always answered any question I had in class or in his office.
Dana's a wonderful teacher. He seems like a very nice guy and bends over backwards to help you. I really like that. His "definitions" and "theorems" look hard at first. But if you spend time thinking about them, it really helps. I definitely would take him at any level - he boosted my confidenc
Really nice and very patient. Will answer every question you ask and isn't rude.
He breaks math problems completely down using language. I started getting 90's once I started copying his language off the board and making sure that I understood it. It's the key to being able to solve all of the problems. Do exactly what he tells you to do and you will also like the class.
I talked to Dr. Clahane about that. He told me that like many teachers, he uses the book's test bank. These tests are designed to be one hour. His final was also in the test bank and is a two hour test. Tests aren't written by Clahane for this course, so he's not to blame for that.
Not interesting at all. Just keep doing writing on the board. Please Dont take him.
He's pretty serious. I wish I knew that the class wasn't going to slow down because it's in summer. Don't take him unless you plan on doing alot of homework EVERY DAY. If u fall behind on homework, you get killed fast. Nice guy but doesn't mess around.
He's very likable. Seems very patient and likes answering questions. You can't help but feel comfortable listening to him. A+ teacher definitely.
He is A excellent Teacher... Gives us a lot of home work, but that helps us in exams.... Please Take Dr. Clahane's Class.
He gave us alot of homework and wanted us to try the problems. He breaks the problems down and helps after the end of the classwork period if you ask him. Dr. Clahane's one of the nicest teachers I ever had.
Dr. Clahane's a nice guy. Anytime I had a question, he always answered it after the practice tests were over and he broke the problems down well whenever we needed help. His class seemed easy when i did the work - which I didn't always do. :( There was a weird meth freak, hyper old guy **** in the back that just kept talking the entire class.
Great teacher. Take him and get an EASY A.
he was helpful
Explains things well, but it's a hard class. He gives ALOT of homework. Very friendly and comfortable to be around. I wish he would let us go early but he made us do classwork at the end til the last second.
When I was taking his class he has no control during his small Lectures and a very low tone voice. He was dominated by half of the class with students screaming, every day during class work and test taking that was very hard to do when I was Struggling with math.
Dr. Clahane is sometimes very funny. There is quite a bit of homework but I am glad I have him as an instructor. If you have to take a math class after his, you will be ready for it. I feel really comfortable asking him for help when I'm stuck.
He is an excellent teacher. He makes sure the students understand the material. Just perfect.
Best math teacher I've ever had. He focuses on rigorously defining everything. Unlike with so many other teachers, I actually leave the classroom with some kind of understanding of the material. This is not the teacher for you if you just want to learn to do the problems on the exam and not really understand what you're talking about.
Instead of teaching new material he goes over homework for the majority of the class, which means all the new work you have to teach yourself how to do.if he does teach in class its incomprehensible(he can't explain things and has REALLY messy writing)you have to do ALL odd numbers for homework and use a cover sheet, bad cover sheet = 0 points
He is easy as long as you do your homework. Test are based on the homework so the more you practice the easier the test will seem.
He is a great advisor for math research. He gives you a lot of guidance if you need it. And you can see how he is willing to share his passion of math with you. : )
Dana is a really nice guy. He is very encouraging. His lectures can be confusing, as he speaks as if we were in a calculus class at times, instead of Elementary Algebra. The large amount of material is hard to retain, especially when it goes so fast in the summer. He really does want you to succeed though.:)
Mr. Clahane is a dedicated teacher. But expects too much from students for even a low grade. Work done in class, at home, and for tests appears to be three different styles of problems. This causes students to teach themselves how to do problems at home and guess what will be on the test.
Have never had more trouble in any other math class.
Dr. Clahane class is not easy he gives tons of HW but offers tons of EXcredit his lectures are hard to understand but he answers any questions u have about the class his exams are hard but he curves them Great Teacher best i ever had take advantage of his office hours. This class also requires lots of self teaching this class is not an easy ride
He is expects too much from the students, self teaching most of the time, too much frustration from it. Feeling like their is no hope for me. Too hard to teach myself.
Type B. Doesn't take attendance. Homework=reasonable - not too much, too little. Teaches calc RIGOROUSLY - constantly adds things to theorems/definitions the book omits. Very accessible by email (in office hours, I don't know). Overall very helpful. Writes impossible tests but curves grades, eg I got A on one w/ 47%. Expected C in class but got A.
This teacher loves math. Tests are hard because it is completely random. If there is 86 questions in a chapter, then your exam can have the super easy question number 1 or the impossible question at the end. Don't lose hope if your exam has number impossible though b/c all of your classmates will get it wrong too. Except the genius.
Avoid this man at all costs! He assigns you a lot of homework and it is due the next day. For example, during summer school, he goes over three sections of math. And for each section, you must complete every single odd problem. During lecture, he spends 45 minutes trying to prove one problem, and for each problem that you do you must explain what y
If calculus doesnt represent a challenge for you, take him. This professor will give you the opportunity to do other stuff besides what you learn in class. he will encourage you to represent Fullerton College in math contest, or he will encourage you to do a little research project. Thats more fun than just learning calculus
Self teach. If you've already taken calc in HS, it should be a breeze. All the tests question are from the book. If you get atleast a C on the final, he automatically passes you.
If you're willing to do the work, you would pass. For those interested to transfer, he's the professor to take. He's super helpful, you just have to ask. He can be a bit difficult to understand but you just have to keep at it. He gives you opportunities to do things that could help boost your transcripts.
Self teach class. Read the book and understand the basic concepts of each chapter. Grading scale based on how the class does on exams. ex: 20% was a C once-get on his good side by participating in math related events. His tests are completely random from the book. Simply put- if you understand the basic gist of what you are doing you will do fine.
This guy is terrible. he knows his math but does terribly explaining. His grading is ridiculous he literally looks for anything to grade you down. He assigns 4 sections of hw a night and expects it to be done by the next day. And his syllabus wasnt even ready by the 5th week of class. if you feel like doing a ton of work and getting nada take him.
He is such a math nerd! :) Loves math which explains his Ph D. Such a great guy, BUT if you only need this class to move on w/ your major then take someone else. However, if you are a math major TAKE HIM! you'll thank him in the future. because of him i will NEVER forget why Rolle's Theorem can be applied! :) saaaay whaaaaat!
One of the most disappointing teachers I have ever endured. Makes you worry about definitions, doesn't want to actually check the HW and is often late for his own lectures. Plus, he does a terrible job to explain what will be on the exams. He even encourages you to go to these stupid lectures and join these little clubs. Avoid him at all cost!
-Spends 1.5 hour on one example -Gives average of 30 questions of homework a night -Grades his tests very hard (high scores were always Fs) -Uses his own definitions and does not use the book
Don't listen to these people. His class is indeed difficult since he really wants to be precise, but If you put some efforts in doing your homeworks, you will pass with A. Don't skip the class because his tests are based on his notes. The Professor is really nice and helpful if you ask him. Don't be sad if you get F on the first test, he curves.
His notes are helpful for calculus 1 and 2. But this is trig and he's tough. Lectures mainly on proofs and theorems. Use textbooks only for HW. No study guides so you have to teach yourself. 3 exams and a final are hard. Ended up with a D+ because he curved the final. He's really nice, but too intelligent. lots of HW. GL if your taking him.
Terrible lecturer. Makes math so dry. Also, he gives an insane amount of homework in the summer course. This is the first time he's done this class in the summer, but man... there's at least 60+ problems EVERY DAY as he indiscriminately assigns ALL THE ODDS, thus many of the problems are the long-arduous unnecessary kinds for a lower-division class
do not take if you are not a math major as you are REQUIRED to remember mind numbing theorems and definitions. ex of a test question would be state some theorem WORD FOR WORD its ridiculous. DO NOT TAKE u will not learn math but learn how to regurgitate theorems. hw? try 2-3 hrs daily with perfect format or risk getting a 0
requires a truly ridiculous amount of homework every night. His lecture notes are riddled with mistakes and he uses notation different from that in the textbook, which can easily lead to confusion. Tests are filled with questions requiring large amounts of rote memorization.
I enjoyed Dr. Clahane's class. His lectures are long, his tests are randomized, and he expects thoroughness in problem solving. He really enjoys mathematics, and I can happily say I found his class to be inspiring! I recommend him to any serious STEM major. 14+ hours a week is recommended with a study partner or more.
He teaches his class like a graduate-level course. While this would theoretically be very helpful to prepare you for harder content, the problem lies in the fact that he's very obscure in his grading. Grades are done competitively--it's a big rat race. He's very kind and helpful, but you'll need to put in WAY more effort than you normally would.
Dana Clahane cannot teach a class to save his life. He comes to class and makes up the lectures on the spot often contradicting himself. His organizational skills are beyond horrible. Tests are meant to fail students. Gives lectures on the same say as the test. Your grade will not represent the effort and skill that was put into the class.
If you are the type of person who "does math in their head" without showing work, you will quickly learn that you need to show every single step to get credit. Grading is based on rank. The ones who barely pass often have trouble in later classes, but the ones who manage to get an A are often the ones who have a much easier time down the road.
His lecture is hard to follow, but you will understand calculus. He makes you memorize every single theorem, you will hate it but at the end you'll understand calculus.
Dr. Clahane is one of the best Mathematics professor of Fullerton college. I would say the way he wants students explain all the steps in the solution actually minimizes the chances of making error and helps to remember the problem and its solution. Do not miss any lectures and submit assignments and your hard work will be rewarded at the end.
Take his class if you like having your meme teachers. What I mean by that is that he reminds a lot of this one teacher I had in high school that would mumble and mutter, and make pretty funny jokes but would continue in the lecture without giving the class time to laugh. Very hard tests, but decently nice guy.
If you are not a math major, don't take this class. He has a packet of 200 pages that he constantly changes everyday that you need to print out that he wants you to memorize verbatim. The way he wants you to memorize these endless formulas is to write them down for every problem, assumptions and all on hw. you can work 9 hours and get a 3/10 easy.
lectures are confusing since he just reads it off the screen. uses his own (unpublished) textbook and often criticizes the other book. for homework and tests, youre going to end up writing essays more than the actual math itself. avoid him if you can, unless you are a math major then maybe you'll find his class useful.
Clahane will use only his own notes/textbook that he revises during class time. He shows up 10-15 minutes late every session, and really doesnt "teach". He reads from his own notes and then asks, "does everybody understand that?" No, dude. He is a smart dude but he didn't have the ability to translate his knowledge into understandable material.
Don't take this guy, he has a literal book of notes that are constantly changing and he can't decide sometimes what the correct version is. He makes up theorems to fit his teaching style and only reads off the notes without actually explaining anything. If you were a graduate level math major you might be okay, but not an undergrad at juco.
If you can, take another professor. RUN AWAY. I was trying to take his class this summer but his class structure is unfair and not made for a learning environment. A lot of work was expected, I'll give him that. However, we were not allowed to reference the book, only his unpublished notes which everyone found hard to understand.
Don't take his class during the SUMMER. He expects everyone to read his pre-written notes, learn LaTeXML coding in a few days by yourself, and do problems on your own before class. 50+ question assignment is due every day before class. And all he did during class was sit there, answer math-only questions and that's it, no lecture at all.
I took his class and for every hw assignment he would grade it a zero because one way or another it did not meet his grading procedures/expectations resulting in a full 0 rather than partial credit; as for his note he expects you to use them when they barely relate to to the assignment also he expects you to learn LaTeXML I signed up for math notCS
Reversed Style class. His book is extremely rigorous with the definitions/theorems and constantly updates book. His HW assignments can be 100+ questions a week but he just wants you to do as many as you can & grades one question that you resubmit for points. First month is tough but lightens the load later. Odd grading system but super smart dude.
Smartest professor I have ever had and nice person, but his grading system causes lots of unnecessary anxiety and makes it harder to stay motivated to stay on top of coursework, compared to math courses taught by other instructors. Be prepared for highest assignment scores of 3/10 or 4/10. Would recommend for math majors only.
I went in on Day 1 and immediately knew I wanted to drop. Expects anywhere from 5 to 7 hours of work outside of class each day, which is a physically impossible feat. I tried doing the work, but even though I spent the required 5 to 7 hours, I ended up getting a 0/10 (0%) on the assignment. Even after spending HOURS on that pre-class work.
I've never seen so many students drop a course all at once. Week 1 had 35 full chairs; week 2, 15 students. 13 after myself and another left. Dude's smart, but he teaches like we're all well versed in Calculus. It's Calc 1, man, that student just asked what "delta" is. He doesn't answer questions, just tells you what part of his textbook to read.
Knowledgable but insane notes and hw to be done before class(no prior review). Questions asked wont be answered/explained. He will remove points for incomplete and wrong answers. Only source of lecture are notes come straight from HIS OWN book. He said "treat my notes like the BIBLE or whatever religious text" proudly. Time consuming stressful RUN!
His lectures consisted of him correcting mistakes in his textbook while poorly trying to answer any questions that anybody had. Loads of homework with no time to do it. Even if you try to waste your time with the homework, you'll probably just end up with a 0/10 anyways. This class had me stressed 24/7 for the two weeks that I put up with it.
He has you get the textbook but says not to follow the textbooks teaching and to use his own notes that he wrote, which by the way he's always editing in class and spends a ridiculous amount of time during class to do so. Way too much homework, grades based off one problem. ask a question and he says to check his notes + you gotta learn it alone
The teaching style and grading scale that Professor Clahane uses is not what you expect from a class at all.(most amount of drops I've seen). It will scare you at first but at the same time over-prepare you for Calc 2. I will say he is extremely smart and fair to the students, keep up with the lectures and your efforts will be recognized by him.
Dr. Clahane really does encourage you to learn how to make fewer and fewer mistakes as the course goes on. He truly promotes independence and the ability to think critically, in terms of learning his way is the best way. School system however won't allow you to pass this way since letter grade is more significant. Hard class, study harder.
Beware this professor. I feel he can be best described with the understanding that on the first day of class, 7 people dropped before the class was over. His notes are impossible to understand if you are not a mathematics major, and he often ignores any questions. If he does choose to answer your question, you will find yourself more confused.
He is a good guy however does not teach. As a person I respect them but you have to learn ALL material on your own. He makes use of his own textbook which means YOU have to print over 400 pages of material. No teaching done in class. Only goes over problems and will not give you credit if you re-do them. If YOU can TEACH YOURSELF then take him.
I want to preface with he wants to help his students. HOWEVER, he does not teach. He expects us to do ALL the work by ourselves at home. He has lecture notes that he writes himself and makes you print them yourself (over 400 pages) and is hard to understand if not a math major. Way too much hw and very little inclass explanation.
The course is intense and proof-heavy, but possible even if taken concurrently with Math 251 and 171. It rigorously prepares the students for this and future math subjects. It would be helpful to take Math 171 for a softer intro to proofs and set theory, and an easier adaptation to his notes. He's happy to help so always ask any questions you have!
Professor Dana is an intelligent and well-prepared guy, you can tell he knows its stuff, but he shouldn't be a professor. He doesn't want to teach, he expects to already know all the topics, like, we registered to the class to learn that we're missing, are you for real? Skip him.
I went to office hours frequently when I had questions. Did not receive help, the most he would do is observe my work and not really show me a way to reach the solution that I needed. Don't take this professor, he will not help you and you will be all on your own to learn. He also doesn't give lectures, he kinda just expects you to learn.
Does not really teach. Very harsh grader. Grades homework off of one problem and it always seems to be the one you did not do. Be prepared to have this class as your full time job. The honors requirements are excessive. Wants you to write 5 page research paper and 15 minute presentation.
hes a nice guy that gives good preparation for math majors, but terrible preparation for any other major - hw ranges from 10-50 questions due each class - uses homemade textbook; edits it during class - no lectures; you have to read the book on your own time - if mistake in his book is found, he extends homework due date - proof-based tests
Professor Clahane definitely knows his information, but he does not know how to teach it. He is a nice guy, but he does not really give any more understanding to the subject. His notes make the concepts seem more challenging than they really are. Turning in work to this class is very rigid and overcomplicated.
Tookk his 152 honors calc. Don't take if you don't plan to pursue grad/pHd programs. Class is overly complicated, uses a homemade textbook, and overall, lots of unnecessary work. Honors students required to do various things, such as joining national math Colloquium, and math league. HIGHLY ADVISE against the average student for this class.
He is a harsh grader based on the homework he requires. He asks you to spend an average of 7 hours on his homework, which news flash he doesn't teach in class!! He relies on you to teach yourself this course ; homework is graded on a 0 of 3 scale, and if at least one thing is off on the homework, it will result in a zero. Don't take his courses!!!
Dr. Clahane is an excellent professor and very knowledgeable in his field. His classes will push you to really understand the material at a high level. He is writing his own textbook for Differential Equations to allow his students to have a clear and more detailed resource. Take this professor if you are motivated and able to self-study.
If you ever wanted to teach yourself calculus and get graded on how you did, take dana. If you ever wondered what it was like to be an unpaid editor for someone elses book, take dana. If you want to continuously turn in the same paper to get only one question graded each time while also juggling the current homework, take dana.
The way the class is graded based on ranking creates a lot of stress. However, he is very nice and regularly answered my emails and questions. My best tip is to ask, u're expected to read the material b4 coming to class and ask about anything you don't understand, so make sure you do that. Dont get discouraged from the hw/test, keep trying.
Took him for Honors Calc 2. You don't need to stress about extra credit, even though he says you'll fail without it, some students skipped it and still passed. Just aim for top exam scores in your class. Assignments can be resubmitted until the end of the semester, and late work is accepted. Don't panic, do your best and ask for help, he's nice.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
64%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.51 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH299
5.0
(1)142F
5.0
(1)151F
5.0
(1)MATH20
4.9
(10)150A
4.0
(4)Difficulty by Course
MATH250A
5.0
MATH141
5.0
250B
5.0
MATH250B
5.0
MATH151HF
4.9