3.0
Quality3.5
Difficulty75%
Would Retake111
Reviews75%
Would Retake
111
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
111 total ratings5
24
4
32
3
9
2
23
1
23
What Students Say
“Go to class (His lectures are very thorough)”
MATH151152163 - 5.0 rating“Can't believe the poor rating on here, Mr”
MAT152 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
32%
Textbook Required
94%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.80 avg changeRatings by Course
151
5.0
(1)MAT12456
5.0
(1)MAT098
5.0
(1)MATH151152163
5.0
(1)MATH224
4.3
(3)Difficulty by Course
MAT126
5.0
MAT125
5.0
MAT220
5.0
MATH220
4.7
MATH142
4.3
Reviews (110)
I found that he was very unfriendly and abrasive. I felt that he thought of me as his enemy for some reason or another. If you are a student at NSCC DO NOT take any of his classes unless you absolutely have to. He told me on one occassion that he would flunk me because he did not like my attitude.
He's very difficult to understand when he speaks, and he shouts at the class. While I believe he is a brilliant mathematician, I think he is a horrible professor.
Excellent professor, if you would like to actually learn some math and not just waste your money. This professor has a strong accent, but if you understand it well, interested in math, and show good attitude, you will definitely succeed (I had 3.9 and 4.0 in his classes)
I think he's a brilliant mathematician but I don't know what he's talking about. He's nice but he has a reall relly strong accent that makes it impossible for me to understand him. If you're not really good at Math i suggest not to take his class
Strong accent, took two weeks to learn his version of English. Explains ok, but throws you curve balls on tests and gives you little time to do them. He knows his math but he should not be a teacher. Take someone else if you value your GPA and humility.
it's impossible to understand anything out of his mouth, eccept for one word, "what"
DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT TAKE HON LI. There is a reason he hasn't been giving out course evalutions to his students at the end of each quarter.
Terrible class experience. I scored a 4.0 in both Calc I and Calc II before taking Hon Li. He is a poor communicator and very rude to students with questions. He constantly said, "you should already know this!" as an answer to my questions. He judges and humiliates students. 23 students started the class, 14 dropped. The class test average... 0.8!
Do not take this teacher. He is horrible. His english is so bad that you don't understand a thing. He constantly asks himself "what"... so weird. Test are super hard and he is not willing to help you before or after. No evaluation at the end..... no wonder!!!
He is hard to understand at first, but is thorough, clear, and complete, and once you get past his "abrasive" shell, he is actually pretty funny. If you are willing to put the time in and not get discouraged if you don't immediately understand something, Hon Li is a good teacher. If you are looking for someone who coddles you, look somewhere else
worst teacher out there. hard to understand him although his notes are very clear and helpfull for the test. i thought that he is speaking chinese in class for the first two weeks. i manage to get a 3.7 but i wouldnt have taked the class if i knew about him. homework problems are graded and are 10% of the grades. tests are ****ing hard and long. to
I found his class extremely difficult and had to withdraw from the class(1st time ever). He can be hard to understand and the tests were extremely hard. 7/15 students flunked the last test I took. He gives a practice test but the questions did not help prepare for the real test. I felt that asking questions was not encouraged and he says what alot!
Yes, he is hard to understand at first, but I got used to it, and if you are patient, you'll get it in the second or third round he says the word. He writes great notes on the board (good handwriting); he's a very good teacher. He is hilarious. If you get math you can tell he's very bright. He also gave us practice tests, which was really nice.
OMG.. WORST TEACHER EVER.. HE ALWAYS saids "WHAT" and I had very hard time understanding him. he teaches math OK BUT.. his exams are out of the world hard.. Plus NO TIME TO FINISH IT.. most ppl experience same problem.. Very rude if u ask him questions
He is extremly rude if you ask him questions. Other ppl's comments were correct.. HE ALWAYS "WHAT" I always hold my laughs back when he saids that. I got one of the worst grade from him... my friend got 4.0 though.. I though he was hard, hard to approach..
He is tricky, never considers take home tests seriously, never grades them at all, Counts in- class tests only. The question is why NSCC keeps him teaching most Math important classes? NSCC knows if they assign him lower math classes none would register with him, student would signup elswhere.NSCC corners you 2 take himcoz you dont have a choice.
He is really good teacher. He explaines good, sometimes it is hard to understand because of his accent, but he writes everithing down on the board, so go to class and you will know everything. Also his take-home exams are extremely helpful, do those and some alike exercises and you will get great knowledge ang a good grade. Take his class
The best teacher I've ever had. He cares. He wants you to learn. His tests are tough. Don't take his class unless you are serious about learning.
Hon Li is one of the clearest math teachers ever, despite of his heavy chinese accent. He lines things up so they make sense and assigns homework in such a way that it will help you understand the material. He may seem cold as a person - but that is a misleading impression. He has a great sense of humor and really cares about his students.
he is one of the best Math teachers in NSCC.
He is very nice and his exams are extremely easy. You don't even need to study in his classes! I got 4.0 in his math 124 and 125. His explainations might be hard to understand because of his strog chinese accent. He says "what" a lot in his classes.
He is very knowledgeable, but and if you can read his handwriting he is an awesome teacher. He has a very heavy accent, impossible to understand verbally. Also, if you ask him for one-on-one assistance, he will hand you written information to help you, but will not spend the time to help you understand. Impatient, maybe it's just his age.
he's vry helpful, esp when a lot of the students get bad scores in the tests.. he asked us to re-do it at home to improve our scores..however, it's hard to understand what he's saying.. well, xcept for 1 word, "WA?"-> what? n he's quite rude when u ask questions..
He is very helpful and nice, but if you catch him in a bad mood or get on his bad side then he will be mean to you. Overall he is a good teacher despite his accent but he writes everything on the board very clearly and answers questions before tests. His tests are similar to his reviews so if you do them, you'll do great on the tests.
Cannot understand a word he says
Worked my butt off! Still only got an 3.0! SUX
How can NSCC employ a professor who cannot speak understandable English? Ask the Dean how many complaints have been filed. You are really on your own in if you take his class.
he is a nice teacher considering if u dun get on his bad side by talking in class. his accent is a lil hard to understand but if u go to class often u will get used to it. pay attention when ur in his class cuz every problem he does will be helpful towards exams. ask questions when u dun understand something, he will do it on the board step by step
I took all three calculus classes with him and got 3 straight 4.0s. Yes, he does say 'what' very very often, but you actually need no more than one month to understand him IF you really try to understand him. Even if he is unclear, he wrote everything on the board. So, I think his accent is never be a problem for students who really want to learn.
Ignore the accent, he's a really good teacvher, you just have to be in class and watch what his focal points are and what he writes on the board and youll do just fine on the test. I missed a few days of school and just by doing the homework and practice tests I finished the class with an A. The Math lab helps out if you miss days as well.
Hon Li says wonderful things like "no suprises, what we talk about in class is what will be on test" and "tomorrow we will review for the test". He is a good math teacher. I would recommend him. I never saw him become angry when students asked questions like some of the posters here said he does. He's a nice person and a good teacher.
if anyone going to take this class DON'T!!!! He doesn't help you at all!! all what he does is he mumble in front of the board and talks to himself a lot!! No one comes to his class yet I come to his class everyday and participate it everyday and do all he assigned. Still I got only 2.1 IMPOSSIBLE!!! I'm an A student in my high school. He is sucks!!
I like Hon LI! A little hard to understand in the beginning but if you go to class regularly you can understand him great. He writes everything important he says on the board so if you still don't understand him, he writes it in plain english. Also he gives you a practice test prior to all tests that is pretty much like the exam you are given.
In my opinion hes by far one of the best math teachers at nscc! He explains and writes everything out on the board clearly so theres really no excuse in not understanding him. He really does care about his students so if u put in the effort u'll get a good grade. [=
Great teacher. By my understanding, he must be the easiest math teacher in school by far. He is very willing to help student, but only if you are trying hard and don't ask bs questions.
If you're majoring science, then take him. business? don't. i took different math teacher for every single term since calc1, although overall he is not the best math teacher, but he definitely the smartest math teacher in nscc. he always says 'what?' every second. his exam quite hard, but as long as you practice, you can do it.
do not take his class even though you are good at math. if you take his class, you will get a lot of homework. it was my mistake that taking his math class.
Hon is a fantastic professor. I am a country bumpkin that hasn't really experienced his accent before but was able to understand him within a week of classes. His explanations are fine and he takes the time to explain why the math works, different ways of solving problems, and critical topics that most prof ignore. Study hard and you'll do fine.
If you want to good in Hon Li's classes, you have to invest the time in the homework and practice tests. Thoroughly invest. Don't get caught up on his accent, because it doesn't matter. People who talk negatively about his accent are showing us the strongest argument they have. If you have a question, ask. If it's not enough, go to his office.
He provides thorough documentation, including practice tests. Leaving aside language/speech problems, his visuals used in class were useless due to being illegible. He asks students to participate in class, but actually likes to lecture without interruption by questions. He gets to the point of displaying anger towards students who ask for help.
While he is hard to understand most of the time. The important thing to note is the work he does on the board. Just take down good notes and do your homework and use the yellow note sheet for exams and you'll do just fine. Though, if you write down everything, your hand will be tired at the end of the day. I recommend him.
Hon Li is the best math teacher I've ever had. Don't be afraid of his accent; he writes everything down in complete sentences and repeats everything he says. He explains everything without skipping steps, and anticipates where there might be confusion by giving "refreshers" for math you may have forgotten.
he didnt like me at all for no reason. when you ask him a simple comprehension question on a quiz he freaks out and gets made.... all i asked was to to clarify a question.
Okay, so he has a bad accent. He's not really that funny. He says "what." ALOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT. But he's a GREAT professor. He tries to walk everything out and shows steps. Maybe its just the material... but I 3.6ed the class without trying a lot. I'm totally serious, you have to just understand the material. If you don't get it, office hours!!!!!!!
Don't mind with his accent, you just need to understand what he wrote on the board. Study his sample exam and you'll pass his class with a GREAT score.
Hon Li has a REALLY bad accent and appears not to like students making questions (??). But he DOES write EVERY single thing on the board so that you can understand what he is trying to say.
First off, I have always enjoyed math and done well with it, Hon Li is somewhat hard to understand but he does give tons of examples. Lots of work, main problem is entire grade is basically based on the tests and they are the hardest I have ever taken. Also not enough time, 90% of the class didn't complete them in an hour.
Knows his material, 90% of grades based on the tests. He has a strong accent, but he has great clarity of mind and I've learned more from him than any other calculus professor.
He has a very very strong accent which is sometimes (mostly)really hard for me to understand. I'm usually good at understanding accents but this one is pretty heavy. The entrance test to my Calc II class with him was more advanced material than I had ever encountered in Calc I. I DO NOT RECOMMEND.
Yeah, he has an accent and he grades you mostly on your test scores. Do yourself a favor and take a class from a difficult prof, who knows what he's doing and challenges you to think. Bottom line: if you aren't passing the test, you aren't learning the material.
Difficult tests, tough to understand, gets annoyed when someone asks him a question. NOT RECOMMENDED except if you can learn independently.
this class was the most disorganised class i ever took. most of the time the lecture, assignment and the test were in diffrent topics. his exams are not hard but you can't finish them on time. I have a 4 and 3.6 from privious courses but i am happy to get a 3 in this one. avoid this class but if decided to take the class, take not in class.
Horrible. Exams are difficult and long. 90+% of the overall grade are based on tests.
He seems to know his material, but he goes through all of it very quickly with no explanations or connections. He becomes visibly annoyed when asked questions. He has a thick accent and is difficult to understand. The homework material does not match the test material. I have never had a worse teacher than hon li.
quite easy 4.0 class! I'm serious! I don't know what's wrong with this instructor that makes him deserve such low rate! I don't know what's wrong with him, what? what? what? what? what? what? what? what? what? what? what? what? what? what?
Maybe in the beginning he gives an easy exam, but the times goes by it becomes super complicated. Well actually the question is not very hard, but most of the times he gives a very complicated calculation. Moreover, he gives no mercy, if you're wrong, you receive almost no points (1 or 0) oout of 8 points. He doesn't give any extra-credit.
He doesn't do diapers.
He is impossible. I had him 3 quarters (not my choice--they kept changing the teacher at the last minute) and still couldnt understand his accent by the end. Nice guy, friendly and all, but the class is utterly impossible unless you love math and have lots of time to devote to studying.
this class is quite hard, but as u learn his style more and more, it's an easy class
Difficult to understand, but need not fear, you don't have to understand what he says (it does get easier to understand him as the quarter goes on). Just write down everything he writes on the board and it will make sense.
I was taking his class on Spring, it was a fun class. Unfortunately I can't take 153 with him. So I end up with other instructor. Hon li is the best math professor ever!
Mr hon li does not teach. He writes problems on the board, with no reference to how they are used or why. He does not prepare for exams, and claims his class is easy. Your right it is easy for you since you do nothing. I enjoyed teaching myself ode.
once you get past the accent he's actually pretty good (takes a week to get used to it). the fact that i do pretty well on his in-class tests means ive learned something. but his take-home exams and entrance test are crazy ridiculous. and he gets kind of annoyed when we don't know the answer to a question in class
You'll know how to do calculus, you just won't understand it. Not that I'm complaining, but he never assigns the word problems from the text which could be a problem if you're an engineering major
i guess the comments are justified, but you'll get used to his accent. i think he's an engineer or something. i like his shortcuts sometimes. his take home tests are crazy hard but he posts solutions. in-class tests are always something you've seen in class. he allows a cheat sheet too.
He may be difficult to understand, but the way he writes out math problems are SO clear! However, he gives out plenty of homework, and his exams can be on the very difficult side. Although his instructions are great, and by the time the quarter is over you really feel like you've learned a lot.
Teaches really well. You just got to get used to the accent and everything he writes and says will come together. Made my math better by critically grading my work. Tests and homework are crazy but it's pretty similar to one another. Other reviewers says he's horrible but he's just a hardcore math teacher.
Yes it was hard to understand him the first week but as long as you go everyday to class you realize that he is really clear at what he is teaching. I placed at math 84 when I started at NSCC so i would not consider myself a math pro, but by paying attention and doing all the work he gave I learned a lot and got a 3.7 in his class. Great teacher!
His spoken English and accent may be very confusing. He gives long calculations on problems, and especially in a Differential Equation class, it's horrible and mind-exhausting. Practice, practice, practice. And always manage your time during tests, because some problems take very long.
Provides comprehensive and exhaustive proofs to the main problems in Calculus and DiffeQ. But if you pay attention, do all the worksheets and problems he assigns, there is no reason you cant do well in his class...all exam questions are either from worksheets or related and you will come away having become fairly proficient in Calculus and DiffeQ.
I had him with 3 calculus classes. He is very helpful and make me fall in love with Math. At first, You will feel hard to understand him, but after 2-3 weeks, everything will be ok. Just go to class, take note clearly, do HW problems and all the worksheet. Tests are similarly to the problems that he gave and HW from book. You will easy get an A.
Great Professor. Always ensures you understand the essential concepts. Never surprises you on his tests. Computationally very challenging, but never leaves you hanging. Always gives you all the tools you need to figure it out. Wish I'd taken him for every class
Hands down WORST teacher EVER... The material isn't very difficult although the way it is taught is. He jumps all over the place from problem to problem, method to method making it very hard to understand exactly what he is trying to explain. The most unreasonable heartless man to walk the earth!
This guy throws in the word "what" as every third word or so, some days it gets very annoying. He is also super unclear and almost always talks with his accent facing the board, making it near impossible to understand. Also, he stands in front of the board so half the class cant see what is going on. Good luck!
If you like being challenged, I recommend him. Otherwise don't bother. His class was very hard, but he has a good understanding of the material and knows how to ingrain important concepts into you. However he's rather grumpy and not the clearest at explaining things.
This is not an easy class. If you want a good grade you must sit in the front he is difficult to understand, go to class everyday, do ALL the problems on worksheets, and correct your worksheets and previous tests, A lot of people would disagree with me but I thoroughly enjoyed Hon. Hon really emphasizes the beauty of mathematics. WHATWHATWHAT
Very hard to understand. He never got the class involved so it was always silent . When people asked questions he was very rude and short with them. His tests are very long. It took me two weeks to realize that he was saying "what" like every other word, which makes his accent even harder to understand. By far the worst math teacher iv'e ever had.
The tests are fair with every problem being from homework or take-home worksheets. However, the computation is very challenging and be prepared to learn almost everything on your own. Not the best at explaining how to solve problems. Also expects you to know some of the most obscure calculations by memory (e.g. sin(arctan(csc(2/3))))
He is a very good teacher. You can learn many knowledge from him.
His class is probably one of the hardest. You will have to definitely study on your own. You will also have to try hard to understand him. He says the word "what" like every third word one along with his accent. He expects you to know some vey complicated things.
Honestly, you get used to the accent, and you just have to put in time and work to get the most out of the class. He's understanding, and sometimes, he even cracks a joke! He grades fairly (so far) and there's actual structure in the class, unlike a few others at North. Take his class - you won't regret it.
TAKE THIS CLASS. YOU WOULD NOT REGRET.
Took his class during Spring 2014. His accent and slang "what" in almost every sentence. His questions in exam are quite easy, as long as u make notes during class and do the exercises. Don't piss him off and sometimes, show your talent to answer the correct answer when he is doing question on the white board(this is what I did) and got 4.0
Easily the most difficult teacher I've taken at North. Tests are full of trick questions targeted at tripping you up, and he expects you to memorize a great deal of information- not learn it. Almost no proofs, and asking for clarification or explanation is usually met with scorn. Don't know what happened to this once 'inspirational' teacher.
Hon Li teaches calculus well, but not its applications. He has an accent but you will get used to it soon enough. Make sure to do the homework and extra credit. His tests are very demanding algebrically but not conceptually. He grades generously though. He makes sure all students understand a concept before he moves on. Easy 4.0 if you do your work
Hon Li is a great teacher. He has an accent, but what he can't communicate verbally he clearly expresses in mathematics. If you have a solid foundation of the preceding math - his class will be engaging and fun. If not, you can be sure he'll do a great job teaching you and helping your foundation strengthen.
Overall I thought he was a good instructor. His accent was hard to get used to at first. If you have a strong math base and put in the time you'll do well. One good thing to know is that the problems he has on the exams are EXACTLY the same as the examples he does in class. Also, don't ever let him see you on your phone, you'll get yelled at!
He knows the textbook and only chooses the best problems from it for homework. He creates his own materials to study from for the tests. He calls them take home tests and gives extra credit for doing them. If you do his homework and take home tests (and know them well) you will do well on the in class tests and get a high grade. Says what a lot.
Horrible teacher. Would not take again. Very difficult to understand and confusing lecture and the book did not help much. His test claim to be from the homework (text book) but I never seen any of those from the homework before. Extremely confusing and difficult to understand.
I recommend to take him because his teaching style is easily understood and also his exams are not really difficult
Great teacher
He gives us many opportunities to understand math.
It's very simple to pass Hon Li's class. All of the questions on his tests are taken from the the take-home test, sample exam, or supplemental homework. Make sure to do & understand all of those and you will be fine. Show up every day and take good notes. Sit up front (he has a heavy accent.) Everything except exams is graded for completion only.
Hon is a excellent math teacher. Lectures are straight forward and very clear. Moves at a good pace. Keep up with the homework, makes a big difference on how much you understand. Tests are tough, but use the sample exams! They help a lot. Would absolutely take again!
Difficult to understand and probably the worst math teacher I've had in all my college experience
This was one of my favorite professors because even though there is a fair amount of work, you learn so much. He is pretty quick with grades and gives clear lectures. I appreciated how similar his sample exams were to the actual exams. And he allows you to ask questions on any of the questions on extra credit, sample exams, ect for test reviews.
Expect 0 partial credit and answers the way he wants them. Very hard to understand, you'd probably be better off teaching yourself...
I loved his class. Things to do: 1. Go to class (His lectures are very thorough). 2. Do your practice tests over and over until you can do it blindfolded. Do those two things and you'll leave with an A. Best part of his class he doesn't do quizzes and HW is graded on completion not correctness so if you can't get an answer skip it and ask later.
Worst class I have ever had. Enough said.
Clear and concise with lectures. he's a bit hard to understand at first but writes everything on the board so it's easy to follow. If you know the material on the sample exams well, you'll get good scores on the exams. He'll go over any problems in class, just gotta ask.
Do your practice, know how to solve problems and you will be good.
Teaches properly through the writings on the board and gives homework problems that are similar if not the same with test problems.
He is a good teacher
Going to class is extremely important - he goes over most homework and sample exam problems step by sep. Extremely clear, concise, and organized. Easy grader, you'll never see anything new on exams. He wants you to do well.
Can't believe the poor rating on here, Mr. Li is an exceptional calculus teacher. Yes, his accent is a bit difficult to understand the first week, but you will pick up on it quick. His lectures and homework are very relevant to the tests. Do the practice exams and you will pass. Highly recommend Mr. Li if you are willing to put in the work!
Hes a genius and his way of teaching is very clear. I love his class, and he only tests us on the questions he explains in the lectures. His review days are also very helpful.
Easy grader. Exams are always similar to the sample exam he gave a week before the exam. So,course-wise, it's an easy to get A's. He gets irritated quite easily. If you do something that annoys him, he'll be annoyed with you for the whole quarter.
you are on your own, lectures are not understandable, constantly speaking but fills any space with a barrage of "what", "for what" ,"or what", sitting in front is a must if u want to decipher his lectures. other than that easy tests
what a pity. He retired. He is a really good professor. If you google his name, an information about his being praised by UW will show up. Don't trust red face here in ratemyprofessor
He doesn't know much math, but his class was rather easy. Sample exams are almost the same as real exams, and they are much easier than the homework. Lectures are sometimes hard to understand.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
32%
Textbook Required
94%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.80 avg changeRatings by Course
151
5.0
(1)MAT12456
5.0
(1)MAT098
5.0
(1)MATH151152163
5.0
(1)MATH224
4.3
(3)Difficulty by Course
MAT126
5.0
MAT125
5.0
MAT220
5.0
MATH220
4.7
MATH142
4.3