2.9
Quality4.1
Difficulty18%
Would Retake109
Reviews18%
Would Retake
109
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
31
4
13
3
17
2
22
1
26
What Students Say
“His tests are another story”
MTH163 - 4.0 rating“Worst Teacher ever what he told in class was completely different from my math labs, his accent makes things difficult and hard to understand his hand writing is horrible and is just not a good teacher at all”
MATH151 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
77%
Textbook Required
18%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.03 avg changeRatings by Course
CALC13
5.0
(1)MTH004
5.0
(2)MATH100
5.0
(1)004151
5.0
(1)VECTORCALCDE
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
271
5.0
MYH04
5.0
MTH4
5.0
MTH261
5.0
MTH264
5.0
Reviews (109)
If you know math like the back of your hand and you can read your teachers mind then dr.gooden is the one for you. But if you are like most people and need explanations, help, clarification, and just plain kindness....stay away.
hes not as good as dr horn
I had him for MTH 003 and 004. Good teacher, fair grader. I liked him, but in my opinion Ms. Staudt is better.
Very tough teacher, but you will have a firm grasp of the concepts in the end.
Good teacher, I hate math, but he's a good teacher, very helpful!
in my opinion he is not a helpful teacher. he expects you to already no what you are doing before he teaches it. Stay clear from dr. gooden. his notes sucks and his tests are hard.
A very demanding teacher! He required me to make math my first priority to pass his class. I did learn a lot, but he doesn't grade approprietly for the amount of work required. The dean of the math division said his class is usually a grade lower than others. If possible, stay away!!!!
I really hate math, but I learned more in his class than any other math class I've taken. He's very easy to comprehend. Best math teacher I've had!
GREAT TEACHER
Too much homework, but I learned a lot. He's a very good teacher. He goes over whatever anyone has questions on until they understand it. He gives an easy extra credit project at the end of the course.I'd take him again.
Dr. Gooden made this class fun and interesting to learn. You need to sit in the middle or left side of the classroom if you want to see what he writes on the board because he is left-handed and he tends to stand in the way. Darn those left-handed professors:0) you can never see around what they write down. Overall this class was interesting.
Math 174, I found him to be unfair and hard. Take Drucker or Horn if you can.
He has an accent and is very hard to understand at times. At the beginning of the semester I told him that I was getting married in 2 weeks and if I couldn't make up the work to let me know. He told me it wouldn't be a problem. When I got back from my honey moon he wouldn't let me make up the lab or the quiz that I missed. It really hurt my grade.
No Comments
His accent makes it difficult to understand what is required for you to do. After the first 2 weeks half the class dropped his course. And even more just stopped showing up, his teaching methods are very boring and dry. His quizzes are never what the homework consisted of. Do yourself a favor and DO not sign up for this class!
he is a good teacher but very hard and requires a lot of work. You have to do home work, lab,assignment, and he gives quiz almost every week. The material in the class isn't enought to cover for the quiz or test. He will take the point out in your test where you least expected. DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS or you'll regret. mostly students drop in 2 week
Whatever you do, do not take this class. Because of his strong accent it is very hard to understand half the stuff he is talking about. If you want to pass, DO NOT TAKE THIS COURSE WITH THIS PROFESSOR.
Mr gooden is a great teacher. He is very helpful. His test and quiz are not to hard it you study. If you want to learn something take his class. It's passable.
I don't know why he's gotten so many bad reviews -- he's a good teacher. I've had him for developmental math (so he's like a tutor in that class), and he's quite friendly and helpful. I don't personally find his accent difficult to understand, either. I'm taking Staudt for my next class, but I wouldn't be opposed to having Gooden again.
He is an excellent teacher.He does have an accent but it is not hard to understand. Please dont be mad because he can teach and YOU just dont get the materials! Do your homework and study hard you can get through it! Dr. Gooden is a GREAT professor!!!
I studied both Vector Calculus & Differential Equations as independent study courses under Dr. Gooden, so it was incumbent on me to do a lot of reading & thinking on my own, yet Dr. Gooden was always available to explain the concepts that were truly difficult. He is a superb teacher & I highly recommend him to any serious student. Dan B.
I just wanted to let all know that this teacher is def. worth taking! He's not the easiest teacher in the world, but it’s also math were talking about! If you let him know you’re struggling with the info. and that you’re trying to succeed, he'll def. give a helping hand! I'm ok at math and ended up with a B in this course! Look forward to Math 16
Hes helpful and nice. However he's not a good teacher. I think you should take his class if and only if you really love math and challenges in math courses. He gives take home quizzes but its hard to find examples in the book to do them. I feel he makes math harder than it has to be. Again take this class if you really love math and challenges.
You will learn the material if you work hard and listen, because he can teach. But he grades really hard and it's extremely difficult to get a good grade.
Doctor Gooden is an excellent teacher. He does not dumb down material and makes YOU WORK. You earn your grade. He does not curve. He is strict and fair. If you work hard and understand, you will do well. He does not hand out grades ad lib. His accent is only a problem when you don't listen, don't do your work, and don't care. SO LISTEN UP AND WORK!
Good teacher; very helpful if you want to learn. Has high standards so if you are expecting an easy class don't take him. If you enjoy the challenge and are willing to work, there's none better.
If you like math this class is for you. He is very challenging and gives alot of homework.And his quiz, omg, very hard.
He knows his material. His class is kind of boring. He doesn't make math any easier. His quiz are extremely hard.If you like math then this course is for you.
Great teacher, he'll give you problems that require some thought. Also I like that he proves most of the ideas he gives, he doesn't let you just use it. He does grade pretty exactly, but if you know the material you should do well. Most of the class did not think the class was easy. Not for people who dislike math.
Do not take this teacher!! He failing 75% of the class. The entire class was not even shooting for an A towards the end of the class, but more along the lines of trying to pass.
This is a very hard course. Approx. 20-30 ppl in class to start, nine (so far) left at end. Hard grader, grades on tests and quizzes only. Learned a lot from him, but grade does not reflect.
Terrible teacher, Test and quizzes were harder then they should have been.
He is a bad teacher. I really suggest looking for someone else as your math teacher. He doesnt teach well and you cant understand what hes saying. I basically failed his class because I couldnt understand what he was saying. Listening to the DVDS is much better than listening to him lecture you.
I absolutely love math. I did all my homework and studied really hard and still failed the class. When people were confused he didn't explain things in a diffrent way, just repeated what he already said. Quizzes and tests were much harder then they needed to be. I do not recommend this professor.
Its hard to hear what this man says. I honestly didn't try in the class, so id say mr.gooden is actually a decent professor.
I do not recommend this teacher. I tested into this class after precalculus at my high school in which I got a B. I worked extremely hard for Dr. Gooden, did every single homework assignment, asked questions during class and went to see him several times, but still received a C for the class. In other words, I don't think succeeding in this class is just a matter of hard work, because I did that. You have to be REALLY good at math.
He has a island accent, he teach very strict like. On test there is not multiple choice you have to know every formula and the extra credit is worthless. The homework doesn't get collected it's just for your own practice. He just doesn't whether you come to class or not, he makes corny jokes. I got B but I had to get help and teach myself.
Great teacher, knows math inside out. But REALLY tough grading.
Good teacher, knows a lot about math. If you are good in math take him if your not drop him or you will have a hard time in the class.
he is the easiest teacher ever
Only take him if you understand math. if you have trouble like i do, and you dont get it the first time and you need explaining, dont take him. He's very smart, but he's too smart to be a college teacher. he should be like one of those people in a lab doing like math for fun. you have to know how to factor, if you dont, you'll fail. i promise. fact
Dr. Gooden is only for people who have previously taken the class he is teaching. If you should have gone to MIT then take him, if not then it is very difficult to get above a C and near impossible to get an A unless math is your life. This class has to be at least as hard as any advanced Calc. class that you would take at a big university.
This professor changed my life. I was terrible at math my entire life and needed to take this class to get into calculus and to transfer to nice college in new york. He MAKES you stop acting lazy and to earn your grade, fairly. I worked really hard in his class, and I have no problem with math at all.
Dr. Gooden is a very good teacher, although he expects alot from his students. The good thing is though, that if you pass his class you know you learned the material. Tests are very difficult but often have a small curve.
Dr. Gooden is a good teacher who expects his students to put forth effort. If you are looking to major in engineering or science then I highly recommend him because you will know the material. If you are lazy or don't like a challenge then I recommend you take someone else.
Wonderful man and very cool and easy to talk to, very approachable. However, as others have said, unless you LOVE math and are exceptionally good at it, I would think twice before taking him. His tests are extremely difficult at times.
I think he is the best Math teacher at Nova : He is very organized and he always provides you the essential methods to get successful . If u do correctly (til u master ) all the homeworks he give u , u will do well on the test (he is honest) .
Dr. Gooden is a fair teacher. In the first class he made clear that to succeed in math working hard is a must. Just do the homework( which he won't collect),the take home quizzes,4 tests and the final. It helped me a lot to come prepared to class. Review concepts or watch the video lecture prior to coming to his class.
Very helpful teacher. Works the problems out and makes your understand the concepts. Make you sure you attend classes otherwise you will have to teach yourself the lesson missed. Several take home quizzes. No hw from the textbook is mandatory but math lab counts towards grade. I highly recommend him bc you actually learn unlike other math teachers.
Fantaxtic! Im not gonna lie this was my third time taking 151 and it finally clicked! Im terrible at Math but I finally got it! Hes well organized you always know whats expected of you. 5 quizzes and all quizzes are take home 3 tests no midterm and a final. He goes through the book section by section so you can follow along Amazing!
I won't deny that he knows math, but he seems to feel that everyone in the class is a math major. Myself & about 3 of the 8 remaining students are required to take the class for an associates but our major doesn't require it. The students passing the class either failed him previously & are retaking or have only this class to focus on.
Having taken Dr. Gooden for three semesters of calc, I would have to say he is the best math teacher at NOVA. He makes you work hard, but it's so you will learn the material. If you want to learn, and have the motivation, I highly recommend him.
Even though I think I just failed his class (I am a straight A student otherwise), he is a great professor. HOWEVER, if you arent willing to work extremmeelyyy hard you wont succeed. He expects a lot and is very demanding. I would say for every hour spent in class (5/week) you should be committing AT LEAST 5 hours of sit-down, shut up studying.
I took MTH 151 6week Summer class. He is a good teacher, but the class is very fast paced. With course compass the math homeworks/quizes are easy. There's one midterm & one final, the other assignments are done online (easy!)
Good teacher. 6 week course forces him to deliver a ton of info fast. He gives online homework and quizzes. Mid term and final are all written and detailed work is expected. Recommended.
Is negative to students, insisting we should know things already despite those things being what we're there to learn. I actually took a similar class before (earned a B+) but didn't feel like transferring it, but even familiar material is baffling when presented by him. Loved math before this class, now dreading it.
This teacher is ridiculous. He does care about you . You know how other teachers would care and say I don't want to you fail. He is the opposite. He would not give formulas on the test you have to memorize it. He is unorganized. The next mintue we doing something and then he would flip it. He likes to play favorites. I took quiz last week.
If you love math take him. He goes very fast though so u need to work hard. his tests are tricky. he makes the quizes and tests in a way where if u dont know the material fully, ull fail. all the quizes are take home so thats good. ull learn alot but that wont necessarily reflect in ur grade
Professor Gooden can probably teach anything else BUT math. He rambles on and on about useless stuff, he does not answer questions students ask, and talks up until the very last 30 seconds of class. The only good parts of his class was that the quizzes were online, and the homework was very easy. If you need to take MTH 151, take Drucker.
Excellent Professor. Knows his material inside and out. Well organized - has all the class instruction material written out for the entire class and stays on his lesson plans. Gave 5 take home quizzes which tested you on the material. Graded them and returned all before the exams. Exams like quizzes. Excellent and highly recommended.
Dr. Gooden is an amazing professor! He explains everything very thoroughly. He always starts class with student's questions on the online homework, then he chooses problems from the textbook to go over in class. His class has 5 open book quizzes and 4 tests (not multiple choice),including the final. They are a little difficult, so be prepared!
Not a very good professor. If you do not really know your stuff you will not pass. First class I ever had to drop. I got an A with a different professor but am not sure if I would have even gotten a C in his class 2nd time.
Although he has a deep accent, you understand what he says. He teaches the class is through proofs so you understand why it is before you actually do it. Take home quizzes are difficult, but make sure you get the highest grade on them, because it is that and tests that count. Do all your homework(bookwork). Easy with work
Dr. Gooden is the best math teacher I have ever had. He answers all your questions about homework and all quizes are take-home. These quizes are not easy, but you have hours to work with your textbook. It is very hard, but if you pass even with a C you really know calculus
To controlling in class. No open mind for discussion or for students idea
I do not recommend taking this class unless you are really good at math. He was not helpful and if you ask a question he is rude and acts like you should already know the answer. It's a lot of work especially on mymathlab and that's only 10-20% of your grade. I tried really hard in this class and still failed.
Horrible teacher
This class was really hard for me. Did all of the Homework, took my time and got B's on my quiz's, but when tests come around its a whole another story. I had to withdrawal after the second test. Pretty sure the rest of my class was doing poor as well. Very hard professor.
I already didn't like math before this class and this class just punished me. He is a really cool guy and extremely nice but his class is so hard. All of his quizzes are take home but they are extremely hard. His tests are another story. I studied for all of them and I still got lower than a 50%. If your good at math take him if not STAY AWAY.
This is one hard class, mostly due to the subject and syllabus. Professor is nice, explains well, but he is strict with quiz deadline. Quiz is hard but they are all take-home. Best part of his class is that he gives enough partial mark for calculation error (not for wrong method). You must try to get 100% on all quizzes to survive this class.
He is tough but its worth it! he even helped me get a job as a tutor! work hard in his class and be on time and he will see it. It is good to see him in his office though.
He is really nice and funny in a way. Tough class over all and he tries to make it as clear as possible. There were 4 take home quizzes they were hard and the exams were another thing. He gives partial credit when it comes to grading so that's not so bad. Make sure to do the homework and the class can be doable.
I had to withdraw from his class because I was failing. He expects you to memorize every formula in the book. You have to do every homework assignment and go to every class or you'll be completely lost.
Does not explain the class very well. Takes notes on a piece of paper and writes it on the board and expects us to know. Handwriting is horrible
Only take him if you are amazing in calculus. Otherwise you will struggle. Since I'm not good at math, I would do all the necessary homework and practice and still failed so don't take him unless you're amazing. Not good but amazing.
Do the homework and take notes and you will pass. The homework was harder then the test for me but you have 2 times to fix your quiz grade. Take every note he writes on the board. He has a funny sense of humor, all around nice guy. Do the final review it will help major on the final. If you buy mymathlab to do hmkw dont need textbook. never used.
Don't take. Good luck understanding a Jamaican that was raised in London... seriously. No formula sheets allowed.
I had no problem with his accent; just pay attention. If you are good at math and really want/need to learn, this is who you should take. He's intelligent, very nice and easy-going and is always willing to help during his office hours. I learned a lot from him but I worked hard and earned the grade I wanted.
Professor Gooden knows his calc however his voice is often monotone and lectures at rather than to. The class moves fast and in order to have a b n a test or quiz you have to have the material mastered. forget a's they are nearly impossible unless you are really good at math and have a strong math skills in Algbrea one and two.
I liked him. However, take this rating with a grain of salt as I had taking this course in high school the year before. For me he moved at a nice pace and was easy to follow. He does take home quizzes which are a blessing, and the online homework helps you figure out what you are doing wrong. Has a bit of a creepy laugh, though. Pushed back HW.
didnt like him, it was hard to understand what he was teaching
I went to every class. I took diligent notes. I participated in class. I got 100s on all the homework. I am fearful of getting a D in the class. What is wrong with this picture? His tests are 10x harder than any homework or in class examples. 9/10 wouldn't recommend.
DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR ! No extra credit. No multiple choice on homework, tests and quizzes. He does not give many examples for for new chapters. He does not go out of the way for his students to understand the material. Told him I was thinking about dropping and he didn't even care to help me in the class. Honestly the worst professor ever.
The worse experience I have had at NOVA. I am a straight A & B student and work hard to maintain a high GPA. This Professor was absolutely horrible. Yes he allows you to take home a quiz and do your best on it, however he is so patronizing when he reviews it in class. Makes you feel like a failure at every turn. Find another teacher!
Horrible. Accent is weird. Test and quiz reviews are full of sarcasm. Lectures go fast, only 1-2 examples per topic, expects you to know everything in the course even if he did not teach you. NO review for quiz or test. 1 review for final, no explanation. Attacks you with sarcasm when asked a question and answers are not specific. Bad handwriting.
Honestly the worst professor I have had at NOVA. Does not assist students who are struggling. Accent is difficult to understand. I am an A&B student and failed this class. If you get behind even a little just DROP the class, not worth trying to catch up. Take home quizzes are nice, if he did an adequate job of explaining the material.
Easily the worst Math professor I have ever had. While he does explain how to solve problems in class he is hard to understand and only gives 1 or 2 examples each. Most of your grade in this class will be the take home quizzes and the 2 in-class tests, final is cumulative.
He wasn't clear about the topics we discussed and I really felt more confused every time we tried to do a problem. There were only a handful of times where I actually understood what we were doing in class. I barely had reason to pay attention.
Seems to care about the students, always answers questions, and loves calculus. Provides lots of homework which coincidentally prepares you for the quizzes. Knows exactly what he's doing, provides good written examples on the board, and always notes what is expected of the student. Couldn't have found a more full-package prof.
This professor is not clear at all . Dont take his class !!! I would try to concentrate my best and even write all the notes study and he was not useful he expects you to know everything and when you ask a question because you dont understand he gets mad . He does not help and I basically taught myself there was no reviews ! Just dont take him
Very difficult, Teaches concepts straight from book, Unorganized, Unclear, Very homework heavy (3-4 homework assignments a week), take home quizzes, in class tests. I believe almost half of the class has dropped halfway through the class.
Professor Gooden is a nice guy overall but this was one of the hardest classes I've taken. If you fail the quizzes and tests, you're gonna have a hard time bringing your grade up. He's an EXTREMELY tough grader. You don't even get partial credit for showing your work.
All of his lectures are straight out of the book. His poor explanations, paired with (sometimes) difficult to understand accent and sloppy handwriting results in poorly received information. He's not approachable for help, as he will just scoff and say you should know everything already. Highly recommend to stay away.
Doesn't teach very well and hard to understand. Not approchable for help and won't review things even if the class doesn't understand. I will never take his class again.
Professor Gooden was a hard professor. When asking questions, he would explain it in a way that just made it more confusing. On top of that, he expected us to remember formulas and equations that we did in high school geometry (probably around 10th grade).
How he's still "teaching," if you can call it that. Writing isn't legible, gets mad when no one automatically understands the material, & WILL give a face to the questioner. He does assume that everyone excels at math & grasps his teaching style. He'll assign a problem, and in secs "go over it." In reality, he just goes over it himself & continue.
Take home quizzes are extremely hard, as are his exams. Lectures can be confusing. The first class that I ever failed (later retook and passed with an A with a different prof). The material is already very difficult, and the professor does not do much to help out. You will hear many times of the difficult integration problems he has done himself
If you suck at math and you're expecting someone to help you understand the concept, well this class is not for you. You basically learn from mymathlab and he has take home quizes which are nice, but it doesn't matter if you don't understand it. Also, if you asks questions, prepare for him to make you feel like you're a sack of potatoes. Good luck.
hard to understand, kinda of old school. He doesn't really go into details with new topics. Hand writing is hard to understand. Assigns too much homework. 10/10 wouldn't recommend. He expects all his students know the answers to his questions. He's a good person just not a good teacher.
Teaches consistantly and thuroughly, good person.
Worst Teacher ever what he told in class was completely different from my math labs, his accent makes things difficult and hard to understand his hand writing is horrible and is just not a good teacher at all
Dr. Gooden is a pretty okay professor. I just feel that students have to be independent in his class. Back when I took him for my class. He wasn't the most strict but he had a tendency of giving us pop quizzes from time to time. You have to teach yourself in his class. I would say practice math problems and go to the tutoring center.
Don't take his class if you can't teach yourself
Hes extremely rude when asked questions about math, he expects you to know everything already. Hes not lenient and has a thick accent. He explains things in a way that makes things even more confusing
He is a nice guy and teaches well.
He is the worst math teacher i have ever come across. I don't recommend him at all. If you didn't understand something he would make you feel dumb. Didn't like being asked questions and made math a lot harder then it needed to be. Don't Take him !!!
Very straightforward teaching method. Puts it on the board and leaves it. Is very condescending to students, especially when asked questions pertaining to material. I scraped by in his course because my questions went unanswered and when I did get a response, It was very matter-of-fact like I should know the material straight from his own mind.
Not only did everyone but 3 or 4 people fail the class, but those 3 or 4 people passes by the skin on their teeth. Whenever our classes bombed on a test he would place the blame on us instead of his own teaching. You will have a very hard time hearing him through his accent let alone reading anything he does, considering he has doctor handwriting.
I ended up with so much homework being dumped on me that I had to drop the class because there was no way to reasonably keep up with it and my other classes. I'll let that speak for itself, among the accurate complaints from others who have rated this guy.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
77%
Textbook Required
18%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.03 avg changeRatings by Course
CALC13
5.0
(1)MTH004
5.0
(2)MATH100
5.0
(1)004151
5.0
(1)VECTORCALCDE
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
271
5.0
MYH04
5.0
MTH4
5.0
MTH261
5.0
MTH264
5.0