Very difficult to contact him outside of class. He wastes time in class talking to students and then rushes through example problems. None of the video lectures were made by him, and definitely would not recommend him to a friend. Hes a nice guy but not a great teacher.

Completely unable to maintain interest in class or explain things. Sets literally impossible quiz times, enforces them with a rigidity that suggests he mostly loves a power trip. Regularly takes days to respond to emails. Has difficulty answering student questions clearly. Sets unclear standards for grading tests and enforces them rigidly

He rushed into tons of examples right after introducing the concepts in every class. He assigned group work every week, and we needed to meet with the group members outside of class. He doesn't know how to ask questions in class. When he asked a question, he did not give us time to think, and he said we were not participating in his class.

This professor does not care about people in extenuating situations. I tried to get help from him but he rejected every request from me. All other professors offered help and weight adjustment to give me a chance to pass the course. He is the worst professor I have ever met this semester.

His exams are just trick questions. I really aced all of my written ones, but the true false part are just nonsense.

He's quite condescending, and also automatically assumes students just want to cheat and get away with things. That will be his default perception if you ask him about anything.

I'd only take him if given no other choice tbh.

(Review for Math 104, it wasn't listed as an option) Eric breezes through practice problems without explaining how he got the numbers he's using. There is lots of homework with confusing "help" available on mathlab that just confuses more. He's very personable but I have no clue what I'm doing in this class.

very condescending a lot of the time and doesn't explain the material well.

He was just an overall poor professor. He is so lecture heavy, but does not even make the lectures semi captivating so many students just end up never showing up. The class is extremely exam heavy so if you do bad on one exam your grade will suffer. He tries to be funny but it gets old very fast. All in all just a bad professor.

Ridiculous grading on tests, answers that are supposed to be right but aren't in a specific format of his liking is marked for no credit, super condescending, makes fun of students when they ask questions, and "funny" during lectures.

so confused about how this course was so bad this semester. we are fed up. he doesn't grade assignments before exams, his correction is lousy with NO feedback on assignments. also - theres a final 30% of our grade and midterm 20% but 11 hws and 11 quizzes worth so little. Each HW has 9-10 long questions due every week. horrid.

Oh Hell No

Graded HW and Quizzes harshly (makes up 40% of grade). Graded all HW and Quizzes extremely late and provided no feedback. Graded midterm and final even harsher and never showed us how he graded--all we saw was the final number grade on the exam. Doesn't post any notes/slides anywhere so good luck if you miss any classes.

Math 235 was awful the lectures were awful honestly you would better off skipping lectures and reading the text book and online resources, lectures don't help and the past exam practices are awful and the homworks don't even prepare you for exam you'll have to practice supplementary exercises from the text book to have a fighting chance for exams.

I'm not quite sure what happened to Eric but he ruined his legacy this semester. He graded homeworks very late and graded exams extremely harshly. He also tried to squeeze in as much material as possible without benefit to the class.

I feel like he got in his head this semester, exams were hard and homeworks very long

This man really does not know how to teach. His lectures were hard to follow and they did not cover most of the content for the exams, homeworks, and quizzes. His grading was extremely harsh for someone who did not cover the content nearly as well as he should have and most of the time it felt like I was teaching myself this class. DO NOT RECOMMEND

Just don't take this class with him... your looking at a 5 long homework's and 5 quizzes each week minimum. He doesn't teach the class himself had his TA's do it with extremely poor pacing, notes, and difficult to understand.

Exam much harder than you expected

He is a good guy but he does not know how to teach. He makes everything so complicated when it can be explained in simpler terms. The homework's thankfully have a feature where you can teach yourself the topic because he does not go over what will be covered on the exams and homework's.

Don't take

Makes too many errors when teaching, which is definitely not what you would expect from the course chair. Exam grading is extremely harsh, considering the examples he goes over in class and quality of teaching. A better use of time would be doing the mastery questions on the pearson textbook (which is mandatory), rather than going to lecture.

I cannot stand this man. He cannot teach effectively, his handwriting is completely illegible, he does not post notes on time as promised, he is impossible to understand. As chair of department he makes TERRIBLE exams which you aren't allowed to ask for clarification on questions for.5hr regrade window after taking 3 weeks to grade the exam. AVOID

Just took his final and he made a girl SOB for 45 minutes after taking away her cheat sheet. This sums up how awful he is and how little he cares. worst class at umass. I wish I could report him but the best I can do is warn students to TAKE 545 WITH SOMEONE ELSE!!

This guy doesn't deserve a salary. Might as well send his entire salary to the author of the textbook and 3blue1brown on youtube. Do not take any classes with him he cannot teach.

He made our midterm exam radically different then the practice exam and was paranoid about cheating. the class average was a 56. I am reporting him to the school for unethical teaching practices. Avoid at all costs

test was wicked hard. takes points off for anything. Just awful this is already a hard class but somehow he elevates it to another level.

Absolute madness for the exam. Unnecessarily strict with grading. His online winter course is just not feasible. Better to read an actual textbook and learn more. In the test, he cares more about doing things his own way than actual learning. Don't take him.

The exam was not the same material that we were given leading up to it. I studied stuff that wasnt on the exam. It is misleading. Like completely misleading. He also doesn't make any sense his lectures are a joke. More concerned about power tripping and calling out "cheating".

Long homeworks, awful exams. A non-american with a thick accent who makes mistakes on his own lectures, making it hard to learn anything. Just wait until he's not teaching the class to take it.

Eric sarfo is a bad teacher. dont take him over the winter he doesn't want you to get by. He makes everything as hard as possible.

Too paranoid of people cheating

He's just such a headache bro. We're cooked ong

Extremely difficult final. Had a 2 hr time frame to do at least 3 hours of work. Overcomplicates things and makes submitting the exam very difficult. He's crazy about cheaters which is ironic because maybe there wouldn't be an incentive to cheat if the exam wasn't so overly difficult. nothing from the notes is on the exam. Just avoid him

Cares more about cheating then actually teaching.

I crushed his final and he immediately accused me of cheating. Thats all you need to know about this teacher

Dont take.

Tries to be likable and funny but just comes off as someone who tries a little too hard. Nobody actually likes him or finds him funny. Very strict also

The lectures are terrible , tons of mistakes and barely speaks English. Honestly better off just reading the textbook. Horror stories about his exams though likely mean it doesn't matter what you study. :(

extremely inconsistent grading that does not reflect an objective view of the work submitted, work of varying quality receives totally inconsistent grades. very suffocating sensation

In class there are multiple mistakes during his lectures. If you try out the problems you'll get a different answer then what he gets. Also he overcomplicates problems and there are much easier ways to solve them, but if you don't do it his way, he'll take points off, even if its the right answer. Is more concerned with being in power then teaching

Absolutely the worst professor I have ever interacted with. Extremely unprofessional, requires you to spam the regrade request on Canvas, and gives wildly different grades for the same work. Also, he will cancel class but then schedule an impromptu zoom lecture THAT HE TAKES ATTENDANCE FOR

Gets aggressive and angry if questioned about regrade. He should be fired, very quick to conflict. Wacky grading system that literally makes no sense. Provides little to no feedback on problems he gives a zero for despite work being shown. He doesn't want you to succeed avoid at all costs

he shouldn't be a teacher. When you get a test back, you could do 2 problems the exact same way and he will give you full credit for one and then a zero on the other and provide no explanation for anything. He structures it so basically your at his mercy, regardless of what you study. Do not take him it's not worth the headache.

Sets you to up fail. if he's the only option for linear just don't take and wait until a competent teacher is teaching it

If you pass it def won't be an A or B. That's IF you pass, which a lot of kids don't. He expects u to become a linear algebra wizard and completely master the material. you could be tested on literally anything from the textbook not what u studied. TRASH

material taught is not the material u are tested on.

Racist and prejudice. Me and my friend got the same answers on several problems yet somehow he got a 10/10 on them and I got a 1/10. Same answers and we both did the problems the exact same way. It's wild that this guy is a teacher. Do better umass

Gives zeros with NO FEEDBACK

He's like a bully. Super condescending and will talk down to you if you ask questions. Students don't seem to respect him much and it makes sense based on the way he treats them. He loves the power trip. We gave him the nickname Eric the Enforcer because he cares more about enforcing rules then actually helping you learn

Teacher is racist towards white students and we have direct evidence that proves it. Me and my friend did multiple problems the exact same way and got the same answer but on the midyear I got a 0/10 on the problems while he got a 10/10. Purposely provides no feedback on the problems so he can get away with it. Extremely rude to students :(

He is very paranoid of students cheating. His online lecture videos are full of mistakes and he doesn't even get the right answer sometimes. He tries hard to come across as a nice guy but in reality he doesn't respect anyone. He should not be in a teaching position with the attitude he has.

Accused me of cheating then tried to gas light me into admitting to something I didn't do. Was willing to show him my notes, everything but was not open to negotiation. Scored a 70 btw, not even that high of a score. Like why is this guy even a teacher. Also strange that there are several 5 star reviews all with the term “ESA”, and same formatting.

Don't even bother taking him bro. ur so cooked ong

Without a doubt the worst and most unlikable person teaching at Umass

Makes tons of mistakes during lectures, isn't funny, makes exams nothing like the material taught in class, grades extremely harshly, and is obsessed with cheaters. Before our last exam instead of doing a review he spent the lecture ranting about cheating and how he was good at “catching” it. Nobody cheated, but everyone failed the exam.

He gaslighted everyone for cheating the exam, in which nobody did. Eric has a fetish for failing students and wanting them to not pass the class, whether it would be exams & purposely messing up in his lectures. He should NOT be a 'professor' at UMass, and I wish UMass fires him immediately. I never want to see him on campus again. I will have PTSD

Eric, i'm sure ur a good guy outside of school but ur legit the worst teacher i've ever had

There are at least 2 mistakes a lecture. nothing from the lectures are on the exam just similar topics to what he teaches.

He is the only teacher i've ever had that truly doesn't want you to succeed and will fail students with no mercy. Purposely rigged exams, lectures make no sense, no feedback on anything, etc. Passing the class is done by luck and has nothing to do with what you know or study.

He creates this impossible game where ur expected to magically anticipate his trick questions, memorize the entire textbook, and somehow not break one of his dozens of rigid rules along the way. And then he acts shocked and offended when students push back or struggle. Like come on

Not nice to students. Better off taking an 8am or a 5pm class than putting up with his antics.

Terrible in every way imaginable

On true/false page of exam he said I didn't show enough work on the problems and wrote zero for the entire page, even though EVERY PROBLEM WAS RIGHT. Minus automatic 20 points thanks man.

Most kids who take him fail or get a C at best. The department has already taken notice due to conflicts with just about every student in our class. Just avoid him if he still has his job by next semester

He has more attitude than a 14 year old girl. His students are more mature than him. Having him as a teacher is like having your annoying classmate that nobody likes as a teacher.

If you're white he'll make sure you do not score higher then a C. Without a doubt marks correct problems wrong at his discretion.

The fall-off of Eric should be studied. In my 5 years at UMass never have I seen a guy go from universally liked to universally hated in about 2 years. At first I thought it was fake! Kinda surprised he hasn't been fired yet

Did not grade homeworks until after the first midterm. Did not grade ANY of the quizzes. It is currently week 11 and not a single quiz has been graded. No communication about the midterm date until less than a week before the exam. No communication about the final date in any formal way. No feedback on exam.

He actually changed our midyear exam time and basically ambushed us giving us only a few days to study, not like that matters anyway because he'll make sure its none of the same material from the notes and lectures

terrible absolutely terrible. i took 545 with him, he seemed like the kind of guy with an agenda against everyone somehow. no hws were graded and they were barely a percent of our grade despite them being extremely long? the exam was so long? for no reason? the grading for so harsh? for no reason?

He demands attendance and calls you out when you don't show up (attendance doesn't carry credit btw). Did not understand anything he taught. Starts off so slow and then rushes through the tough topics at the end of the same. Exam review is useless, does not grade HWs until finals week so no real feedback. Notes not provided on canvas

embarrassing excuse of a teacher

Exam is extremely difficult and misleading. Very harsh and strange grading.

I emailed him because I was having trouble with a few problems that he poorly explained how to do and he responded calling me dumb and said i should just drop the class. honestly can't even believe this guy is real

His attitude has been covered, so let's talk something diff. He is a bad teacher. The entire class time is wasted copying definitions which could easily just be put on canvas and you can spend more time teaching the actual material. The exams are grading so horribly. Her is an idea: if everyone is saying the same bad things, time to change buddy.

Creates the worst exams ever they r insanely hard and he is paranoid of cheating.

Exams are completely different from the notes and other materials he provides to study for them. Don't study anything he gives u I can assure you it won't be on the exam. Textbook covers some stuff from it but not really

Yep, final exam was indeed horrible. Instructions had key words like “diagonalize” and other words that he never said or used once during his lectures or notes, which only adds confusion. Also a lot of the problems were a lot more difficult then the ones we were told to practice.

If you have adhd or have hard time paying attention he'll make sure to call you out and borderline bully/humilate you for not listening. He does attendance even though its not part of your grade. Also for some reason he thinks that everyones trying to cheat and thinks everyone has an agenda against him.

If you study for the exam and only use the materials he gives you to study for it you might actually get a zero.

Very hard class but i felt like he made it much harder then it needed to be. And also he wasn't nice to us.

doesn't give any feedback for anything. He just writes a zero. For multi part problems if you get one part of it wrong, he'll also give u a zero, even if every other part of it is correct.

Do not take him over the summer, literally take any other instructor but him. When i took it last summer half the class dropped it after the first exam after everyone failed. It's a nightmare. Taking him online is even worse there's like all these weird rules of his u have to follow.

just a dirt bag. theres no other way to put it.

He bumped me down an entire letter grade for missing class 4 times unexcused. In a class where attendance isn't part of your grade. Like he really took it that far… only after I finished with an A. Suddenly he cares about my attendance after I get an A. Get the point? Suddenly 4 missed classes is a big deal for someone who got an A. Screw this guy

Imagine paying thousands of dollars to have Eric sarfo as your teacher lmao.

You could get almost every problem right and end up with a 50. He just takes points off at his discretion. Grading has nothing to do with what you know.

He thinks he is a really good teacher but in reality he's terrible and everyone fails his exams. During lectures he makes a lot of mistakes, and none of the problems he goes over are on the exam. Repeating what everyone else has said about him because of how true it is.

If you want a fighting chance on the exam. Don't go to class, don't ask for help, don't review anything he gives you, and don't waste time on the homework. Buy the textbook and review the questions at the end of each chapter. Those somewhat resemble the exam questions. Also if he incorrectly grades your exam tell the dean the words been getting out

If he gives you a bad grade and marks problems wrong that shouldn't be wrong, do not hit the regrade request button on gradescope. That just enables him to justify grading your exam badly. Instead screenshot your graded exam and email it to the dean and tell them that your exam wasn't fairly graded. Watch somehow a 30 should've actually been an 80.

Extremely unprofessional teaching methods. You'll feel like you're being taught by a 4th grade hall monitor. He's such a bad teacher on top of it. like my god he really is that unlikable

Has no compassion for students, their time or money. Makes you purchase a Pearson account to do assignments and quizzes and exams are monitored through Honorlock. You HAVE to get at least a 50% on the average of the 2 exams in order to pass. If you don't, even if you did all assignments and quizzes and could've passed the class, he fails you.

Makes things so much more complicated than they are. Grades very harshly and gives you no credit for an exam problem even though he could've mustered up at least one point for showing work. Unprofessional: throws shade at stuff past students have said about him in his lectures.

Instructor unprepared, explanations unclear, and feedback nonexistent. The workload is excessive with outdated material. Exams cover unseen topics. Deadlines are unreasonably strict. The course feels punitive, not educational. Avoid this class.

Cares more about catching cheaters then actually being a teacher. And if you actually studied he'll find a way to make sure you fail.

He's always very angry. No professionalism at all he talks bad about students, posts notes that have nothing to do with the material we are tested on, and makes many mistakes in lectures. In addition to that his grading makes no sense. He will give a zero on a problem you did right, then give partial credit on something you did wrong.

A textbook sociopath that shouldn't be in a teaching position. I'm kind of suprised this is who umass picked to teach linear algebra because he couldn't be any worse.

The course feels more like a punishment then an actual math course. Im mindblown some people find a way to pass it, its almost like he grades at his discretion rather then what you actually deserve. An A in other math classes is worth a C or a C- in his class if your lucky. smh

The worst teacher ive ever had. I wouldn't even call him a teacher.

Aggressive, angry, and unprofessional. There's a very long list of problems with this class but luckily theres several other linear algebra teachers that actually want to help you grow and aren't gate keeping your future

Absolutely horrible, don't take unless you wanna fight to pass.

He wants you to fail

Makes extremely difficult tests, grades extremely harshly. And makes all these weird rules that only apply to his exams. So if you do well he can just accuse you of cheating.

You will learn nothing from taking Math235 with Eric. I repeat, NOTHING! He weaponizes exams instead of using them to test understanding, and his poor attitude towards teaching is already palpable from the start. Even if you do well, you'll walk away feeling worn out. This guy does NOT deserve a paycheck as he thinks students are beneath him.

Teacher is very disrespectful towards students. Doesn't give adequate exam prep, in fact nothing from the exam prep is useful for the actual exam at all. Lectures are filled with over complicated ways of solving problems and him making numerous mistakes. Shows no mercy on exams give unnecessary zeros even when a problem was almost right.

nothing but bad things to say.

Get ready to spend hours doing the homework, only for the exam to be completely different with completely different topics. That's what this class is: terrible. That's not even counting his attitude

Teacher is dishonest about what will be on the test and tell everyone to study things we won't be tested on.

A power tripper, don't take.

Had an attitude whenever asking him a question about something. Seemed to have an agenda against everyone i don't know what his problem is. His default answer and assumption to everything is that ur trying to cheat. Only teacher i've come across like this.

On the exam I did numerous problems right but he gave me zeros because i didn't do it the way he wanted me to. Even though his way was much harder and unnecessary. like literally gave me zeros on correctly done work. Also when he grades he'll just write zero on a problem so you don't even know what you did wrong.

He is hard about homework

don't play his game with the regrade request. If he gives you zeros on problems that shouldn't have been zeros just take a screenshot of your exam and email it to the dean or the math department. It's crazy that eric uses “regrade request” as a reason to poorly grade exams.

Homeworks are hard and very long, and they don't cover exam material well. Professor has a bad attitude.

Grading is very harsh, exam prep is useless. Do not take him.

A racist who shows prejudice against white students, and allows students of other ethnicities less harsh grading. He without a doubt picks favorites it's so obvious by how he grades. TRASH

He does not make exams anything like the practice problems anything else you hear is straight up mis information

Teacher is very rude and disrespectful towards students. Does not care about teaching at all is power hungry and cares more about that then teaching the material

wouldn't take this guy he stinks

Exams are 60% and ridiculously hard to score well on. Lectures are so boring it will make you question whether you have ADHD. Overall not a good experience and the class was extremely unenjoyable.

He cares more about catching cheaters than actually teaching the material. Which is ironic because if he spent as much time teaching as he does trying to catch students there probably wouldn't be many cheaters. Nobody cheats and everyone fails his exams. extremely poor professor do not take.

He basically copies the entire textbook onto the board every class and his lectures are incredibly boring, you won't learn much from them. His exams are absurdly difficult and cover material that wasn't covered in class. Would not recommend under any circumstances!

don't take him unless u want to fail and want to have to retake the course. he will make ur life miserable.