2.7
Quality4.1
Difficulty23%
Would Retake124
Reviews23%
Would Retake
124
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
124 total ratings5
32
4
17
3
14
2
9
1
52
What Students Say
“THE WORST PROFESSOR EVER”
MTH231 - 1.0 rating“taking calculus 3 in the summer with prof issam is a heck of a work , he doesnt do enough examples he does only proofs all day if you dont study outside class extremely youre doomed to fail”
MTH233 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
78%
Textbook Required
31%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.35 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH121
5.0
(1)MTH121221
5.0
(2)MATH020
5.0
(1)MTH214
5.0
(1)MATH123
3.8
(5)Difficulty by Course
MAT130
5.0
MTH122
5.0
MATH232
4.8
MATH233
4.6
MATH123
4.4
Reviews (123)
This professor teaches 121 & 221. He's really great, he posts the answers to the homework on his website. He also posts the test answers on his site after the exam. He's really helpful and knows what he's talking about. He makes math a lot easier.
Fits in well with most other csi teachers bc cant understand a word he says horrible teacher. spends more time on material not on tests. half the class either failed or dropped
This prof gives excellent class notes. Although he is fast you must stay on top of the work load. You must be twice as fast to stay @ his pace. But you must complete all HW to do awesome on exams.
This professor is really helpful, he explains the material very clearly. Grading policy is fair.
I had him 3 years ago. My best math professor i had. He's very nice and willing to help you. Will explain further if you dont understand. Even though he has an accent he teaches math great, very into the subject. I would recommend him to anyone taking a math course he teaches.
He's absolutely great! He has an accent which sometimes may throw some off.. but i was able to look past it without even noticing it any longer. He explains unbelievably well.. anything you don't understand, just ask. He doesn't pick on anyone, and gives great reviews. Tests are basically from the HWs, which are optional. He's GREAT!
very good prof, awesome notes. must do hw to stay on top of the game. And teaches really fast, so you gotta keep up with the pace. Each day is a new lesson
He is a very good teacher. Most professors just copy from their notes, but you will notice everything is from his memory. His tests are extremely fair, no tricks at all.
if you are not familiar with the work you will be left behind. teaches fast expects you to comprehend everything. you must make an extra effort by studying daily to maintain. his accent also makes it very difficult. the only class i ever dropped. =( n he smells funny
horrible professor though he is willing to help you. he is too fast in teaching.
This professor is terrific. he is good at what he does. his test are similar to the homeworks that he gives. just go thru d corrections in his website. And if u dont understand, he is always there to help u out. And go thru ur note 'cos he give alot of examples. dont miss a class 'cos if u do, u've missed almost a whole topic. Good luck.
most of what we learned was not too difficult.. he gave good notes and alot of examples.. just take him and copy the notes on the board if u listen to him speak his accent will get u confused
This professor is terrible.First of all you can't even understand him when he speaks. He also talks down to you like a child. He doesn't respect his students and treats them like children. Do not stay with him
Horrible at teaching and downright belligerent. In-fact, i wouldn't be surprised if his behavior (towards a particular student) wasn racially motivated. Refused to take my attendance because I left for 5min to use the restroom and told me to stay home when i told him i was sick. He is very good friends with lady chairperson of MTH Dept.
Professor loves math so it made it easy to work with him. Gave lots of notes so class attendance is mandatory. Review sheets before each exam are exactly what is on the test. If you need an easy A for a math class I suggest taking this professor. He's available during office hours for any extra help you may need! Good luck!
Good teacher, doesnt joke around much but when he does, he's extremely funny. He just wants all of the kids to do well. Ask him anything and he's willing to help.
This prof has an accent but as time goes you'll be used to it.His tests are average. He's the kind of prof that will answer ur quest.You should study the review quests that he assigns & the problems he goes over in class.Also, do the computer hw because it can boost up your grade.What made me pass this course was the final. His final was real easy.
horrible prof. this man cannot teach 4 life! the accent is strong and his hws are very confusing. tests are really hard and he's also a very ignorant person!
Good professor. Explains everything thoroughly. Posts homework corrections which are very useful for the exams.
He is by far the best I have had at CSI, he knows his stuff well, he is very concerned about his students learning
his accent is bad u can rarely understand him the notes u take is your review sheet so he says and instead of showing you how to do the problem he explains in words which is extremely confusing nd he shows u too many ways of solving the problem
By far the worst professor I've ever taken at CSI, his accent is too thick, he doesn't give too many examples of what he's teaching and he moves on too fast. Don't take him, because you will not learn anything from him, better off learning from the book because he doesn't take his time explaining and expect you to know the material the first time.
He spends time in the tutoring center up stairs in 1S to help you during his office hours. He is beyond a great professor. Although his class is far from an easy A. ITS COLLEGE. Yes his accent is a little heavy but his english is perfectly fine. He is very understanding and try's to help all he can.
Just wonderful professor. He is very interested in the success of his students. By far he is the best I had at CSI.
This professor knows the subject very well and he teaches you tricks to help understand. i took his class but feel ill and had to drop it because of attendance. Im taking the course again with another professor and he has taught me nothing. El-Achkar is the only reason i know what i know now!
He taught me a lot about college. Sometimes you just have to teach yourself. His accent was way too thick for me and although I learned the material prior to college, I still had trouble. I just typed the lesson in youtube and did the questions on the syllabus. He loves when you ask questions. The help is there if you use it.
Very good professor , if you dont understand something ask him and he will help!
This professor was very helpful. However,his class did require a lot of homework and studying. Stay on top of the work. Go to him if you need help he will help you!.Not a easy A at ALL. Be prepared to WORK.
Very good and fair professor. He wants every student to pass but grades strictly on tests scores with no curve. Overall, I would take another one of his math courses in the future
"Teaches" right out of the book with examples. If you're good at math and can teach yourself then take him. If you'r bad at math stay far away because he's a very strict grader as well.
This Professor doesn't give a review sheet for any exams. He asks you if you have any questions on the material. It's you know it or pray. I like the way he teaches the class but his study methods are horrible. Doesn't count Hw or Attendance. The last day he didn't even review for the final he just said to look over the solution sheets from exams.
His way of teaching the material is questionable. He doesn't review for any tests unless you ask him and does not give study guides or sheets. Not an easy A. More like an easy F. Doesn't care if you show up or not. Bad professor.
If you are bad at math and wish to teach yourself throughout the semester then I suggest you DON'T TAKE HIM. He seriously does not care if the class passes or not. However, he will answer your questions and help you out if you ask him (which is the only good thing about him). He teaches way too fast and is hard to understand!! AVOID HIM!!
I took him in the summer, he's passable as long as you practice both webwork and textbook problems. His exams could be a bit extreme though. Caution if you want a B grade unless your good with math.
His class is only difficult if you do not study and do not come to class. He is more than willing to help. Go to his office hours; you'll be fine
I took him this past summer and he was terrible. 3.5 hour class, twice a week and he did not let us out a minute early. He wastes time showing you proofs of everything which makes it so much more confusing. I would't take him again. Good luck if you have him.
This professor honestly saved my life. He cares about his students. I took him in the summer so the class was very fast but he would go over things until students understood. Would put up answers to the homework worked out so you had something to look at. You do have to work for your grade but it's worth it!
This Professor is really good, I sadly took advantage of his skills too late when the semester was almost over. I got a C but because I didnt get into the class material and didnt study enough due to my job interfering with my school. If you study enough before exams, you'll definitely do great. Would definitely recommend him. Good Luck!
I took him for math 123 last year, he was honestly one of the best professors I've ever taken. He is extremely clear in explaining what he is teaching. Also, if you do not understand, he is not condescending at all, he is very willing to go over things until you learn the material at hand. If you get a chance to take him, do so.
He's a very nice and understanding professor, he tries very hard to make you understand the class but could be confusing at times, all you need to do is study the home works and you'll get 100's on the exams, unnecessary to copy the power points because they confuse you more, overall just study the homeworks and you'll do awesome!!!
Has a bit of an accent. goes a little fast. your must study or you wont pass his class. gives 3 exams. Willing to work with you. really cares about his students.
Calc is not an easy course, period! This guy does his absolute best to make this course a bit more doable. He goes over any question anyone has about any topic and he will meet you half-way if you're not doing so well. Overall, great guy.
He is the best math professor i have taken at CSI. He explains everything so well, step by step, goes over everything multiple times. He is also very nice and will answer any questions you have! Pay attention and take the notes, he writes out everything on the board. There is no reason why you shouldnt pass unless you are lazy & end up dropping it.
Professor El-Achkar is a nice guy. He will go over as many examples as possible and he understands the life of a college student. He does however have a slight accent, but you'll get used to it after a a few days. Doesn't do review per se, but he does a Q&A session. His test may be aggressive in some cases but if you do the H.w you'll be fine.
Great professor, very understandable, and willing to help out when you're in need of it. Would definitely recommend.
A very good lecturer, and he's actually very good at giving life advice. He has a very logical outlook on life, and you'll learn a lot. He explains the theory decently, but his examples are definitely something you cannot miss. His exams weren't too demanding, so you'll do fine if you stay on top of things.
terrible, that's all i have to say.
Great instructor, he really knows his stuff.
By far he is the best professor I had at CSI, Finally I was able to learn and pass with some knowledge a math course at CSI, I strongly recommend him. He is very fair
Great professor, I would definitely recommend taking a course with him, very organized and fair, he gives great timely feedback
Great professor! I took him twice and both times I was able to pass his course as much as I am horrible at math. Come to class and put the effort in and you will do well.
taking calculus 3 in the summer with prof issam is a heck of a work , he doesnt do enough examples he does only proofs all day if you dont study outside class extremely youre doomed to fail
you have to study hard but he's a great professor, really knows his stuff
I took him in the summer and got A in class. He was very clear, but sometimes he went a bit fast. He curve which actually the only reason I got an A :) you can ask questions and he will answer. He got light accent, but you will get used to it fast. All test were based on covered material. No tricky questions. Final exam was easier then the rest.
Amazing professor, he is always there to answer questions and talk to you after class. Explains the material very well and cares about his students. The only thing is that he does not give review sheets but his tests are fair all based on what you've learned in class. I would definitely take him again! :)
Great professor, one of my most enjoyable math classes i have ever taken. He is always there for you to help you out. No matter how stupid of a question you might have he will make it clear for you. Over all he was a great professor and i would definitely take him again!
THE WORST PROFESSOR EVER! Do not take him under any circumstances, he is awful, rude& condescending. He says he loves questions but when he answers, its solely to make you feel stupid. He speeds through everything! He has a thick accent & if you end up in a class where some students are understanding it, he figures the ones that dont are stupid.
If you are not genius at math, DO NOT TAKE HIM, never ever!!! He is the WORST math professor. I took weekend class, which is once a week, so class lasts 3h20min. Be prepared to sit all 3h20m, cause he's not gonna give you a brake. For our first exam, he even didn't give us a review sheet. At the classes he speaks vaguely. I did a biggest mistake!
He's explains everything perfectly you just HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION. If you arent focused you WILL miss something and be lost. Can't use the bathroom because alot can happen in 5 seconds of math. The homework is annoying but its actually helpful
The best math professor at CSI, I hope I will be able to have him for all my other math courses.
Listen, this Professor is great! He always answers everyone's questions. While he is lecturing, he is the type of professor who will stop lecturing to answer a question from you. He explains everything in full detail! Its true that he doesn't give reviews for tests, but thats because everything on his exams comes from WebAssign homework questions.
I went into this class thinking that I was going to have the best time of my life. Attending tutoring and asking for help will get you nowhere; he is unsympathetic and does not care if you try your very best. If you get stuck with him, I suggest you run as far as you can because this class was hell for me. He does not give extra credit or reviews.
He is by far the best Math Professor I had. He is very knowledgeable, very caring, takes the time to answers all questions, he gives amazing notes, I strongly recommend him. I am looking forward to take calculus III with him next semester.
He is a very good professor, he knows all the staff, he does a lot of examples and explains well very organized and clear to follow.
lectures can be difficult to follow. make sure you put in the extra time to study at home, you will most likely need it
Horrible professor. He didn't hold a single virtual lecture during the pandemic. He posted slides and just expected us to teach ourselves. Homework is five assignments, 20 questions each, each question has five parts. Do that every week. Horrible!
First of all he expects his students to know EVERYTHING. He doesn't help his students out his lectures are a joke since you can barely understand what he is trying to teach. He is a smart person but he teaches himself and leaves you in the dust. His tests are HARD. He gives you the worst possible problems. Don't take him for your GPA's sake!
Avoid by all means, he makes everything way harder than it should be. his exams are terrible, he changed the grading criteria in the syllabus mid-semester. you can barely understand what he teaches. expects you to know what he is about to teach. doesn't care about his students at all. he expected everyone to do amazing in the middle of a pandemic.
He is a great teacher if you are able to try and practice your math problems. He may seem harsh when he lays out all the requirements and criteria in order to pass the class. Attendance on zoom is mandatory and join early so don't get called out for being late. Also, ask questions if you are confused, he will help you understand the problem better.
Br wise. Run for ur life!! Hes really smart to teach... he doesnt know how to teach students. He flies when he teach this class i cant keep up with writing even. Ull thank me later...
Dont waste ur money on him ur gonna fail like 90% of his calc 2 class spring 21
If you want to pass , do not chose this professor.
Terrible professor. Doesn't give the students a chance to pass the class. I shouldn't have picked him in the first place. He tries his best to make you fail. I wouldn't be surprised if the students fail this class, cause it's not even the student's fault. Tough grader requires you to take pictures of work on the exam.
He knows his stuff, (seen that he does have a PhD) but i'm not sure if it's because it's online class but it seems he speed runs the lectures. Like he assumes i'm majoring in math and not taking the class as a requirement from a different major.
With all due respect, he is a very tough grader he needs to learn to be more lenient towards his students. Another flaw is that he goes through lectures way too fast.
If i could give a 0 for this professor i would.. apparently if we have internet issues is not an acceptable excuse for attendance when its REALLY the main issue.. I guess if i got into a bad car accident he would say the same thing... Grades your paper like it's your last day on earth.. a really really bad professor.
A very horrible professor. He doesn't even know how to teach. Perhaps he was successful in his own studies, but he was not a good teacher. He tried to fail almost everyone. His exam was very difficult. There isn't even enough time for you to complete all the exam questions. He thought almost all the students were geniuses. He speaks very quickly.
Horrible professor the whole class will definitely fail this class, he grades his exams very harsh, and doesn't care about his students. Stay away from this professor. He couldn't care less about his students.
not much good about this teacher unless you like a teacher that doesn't engage with the students, doesn't explain much besides running through definitions, without any context of the problems... not even a decent math teacher
He is good at what he does, but his expectations are way too high so study and practice the problems in the book. Ask questions and if necessary, go to tutoring since he goes very fast. When he teaches it is his way or the highway. Otherwise, he will give you no credit for the problem. Good professor just tough grader.
No review sheets for tests which alone warrants a 1/5 for me. Some homework questions were broken on webwork, he should've given everyone credit for them, instead, you had to send in your work for each one for him to manually update it. Rarely engaged with the class.
If you plan on taking any math course i would suggest RUNNING AWAY FROM THIS PROFFESOR .He's a tough grader, he doesn't care about his students like zero if you do get a course with him good luck because you will for sure need it. AND IF YOU WANT THAT DEGREE IN WHATEVER YOUR MAJORING IN HE IS NOT THE BEST PROFFESOR TO CHOSE!!
No review sheets for tests. Even if I try to practice before the test and I didnt complete the previous homeworks, I cant go back into it and redo it because it's late. Doesn't care about the students. Gives baby questions for examples and when given the test or homework it's not a easy question like he gave as the example.
He is good at teaching. First half of class, he will talk about the theorems/topics for the lesson then go over a lot of examples in the second half. Looking back at the tests now, they were fairly easy and he is a lenient grader. No quizzes, only 2 non-cumulative exams and 1 cumulative final. Little to no curves. I don't recommend taking him.
Professor Elachkar is probably the only good math professor, I have ever had. All of my other professors would just define theorems and call it a night but he would explain to you how this theorem relates back to calc2 or calc1 and he gave so many examples from the book and from the hw. Do practice questions from book and hw yo study for exams
Very terrible at teaching, he rushes through everything and no one understands anything because he rushes. He doesn't put effort into his classes and he only grades exams. 10 percent for hw. There is no room for mistakes. impossible to do well and he makes u memorize instead of learning.
dont take him please because he doesnt care about u. he will let u fail, he wants u to fail so his class appears "professional" and "rigorous". he likes to be really fast and doesnt explain enough so that he can just waste our time and money. he likes it when his students suffer and he wants the world to burn.
he got this heavy accent cant understand a single thing he saying. he gotta learn english before trynna teach other. basically wasting my hard earned money and time because he is too lazy to help and speak english properly. Why tf would this school hire professors that cant speak english like what te fjk. professors liek him is roots of all problem
his lectures are so bad it is just sad. honestly cant believe the quality and integrity this man has for his job. i swear i can teach better than him. he just doesnt care enough to put in the work. he is getting the free paycheck while doing no work. guys dont pick him so he gets fired or starts putting in the work to earn his pay. DONT PICK HIM!!!
he waste all the time talking about the concept instead of how to do the problem. He rely on u to do everything urself and learn from online because he doesnt know how to teach. If thats the case why i even have to pay for it.
Dont take him
why he doesnt even grade anything other than exams. Actually dumb to do that and it is so demotivating to learn
He is very very very very bad. I didn't understand a single thing and I am gonna fail.
Don't take this class. You will not understand a single thing because he can't teach at all and doesn't care to. Pick someone else please.
The professor is too messy and uncoordinated. Class lectures do not reflect hw and neither lectures nor hw reflect the exams which is crazy especially when exam is 100 pecent of ur grade! If thats the case we should be just doing exam problems in class but we don't. He just steals the question from the internet anyways. He just half as the class
Love how your entire grade is just your exam score lol. And i wouldnt mind that if the class was taught properly but it aint. I put in all the work and still get screwed because the exam is just about stuff we never learned. He cares more about rushing than letting us learn. Never gets a break with this guy because he is always two units ahead. fck
Exams are worth your entire grade because he doesn't grade anything else. He only grades exams so he can do as little work as possible and make us suffer. How lucky he only has to grade exams. Oh wait, he chooses to only grade exams. Literally don't have to do any work what a lazy pos. mfker waste my money and time.
exam is all ur grade and too hard
bad lectures absolutely cant learn anything.
Baddd lectures
Rude and doesn't care about the students. He very bad and unclear with his lectures and what he wants on the exam. Just a waste of time
He doesn't do review lol. No reviews at all. You're completely on ur own and the homeworks never match the questions of the exam. So fair. Actually the worst pos professor i have ever had.
Bad experience. Didn't learn anything at all and just wasted my time and money. BS class
The worst Math professor I ever took. If you want to pass his class you have to teach yourself because his lectures are useless. Lectures are based on theorems from the book and does not give examples of the theorem. All your grade is based on the exams and the exam questions are nothing like the homework. Save your time and money by not taking him
A lot of people talk bad about him but I don't think he was that bad. The tests contained homework questions with different numbers. All you need to do is review the homework. His lectures are amazing, he writes everything and has similar homework problems on blackboard with work. You can email him and he will gladly show you the way.
teach like an idiot. accent heavy af, cant understand anything at all. Dont take him, he is garbage at teaching. U wont learn anything at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Absolutely the WORST professor you could ever imagine. Heavy accent, talks fast, and doesn't care to slow down. Does not care if you have other responsibilities outside of class and will fail you for "excessive absences" even though I never actually learned anything in his lectures when I did show up. Prepare to teach yourself and be miserable.
Honestly if you do the homework, you'll do good on the exams since the exams are like the homework. The lectures were kinda bad You might have to self learn the content. No review sheets but again just make sure you understand the homework then you'll do good on the exams.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS I feel like I really understood calculus but this professor is the absolute worst. The only things that were graded were homework and exams, didn't offer ANY partial credit, It was like he was looking to fail everyone. He said the homework is what you need to study for the exam but of course it is NOTHING like the actual exam
Best professor I had and I seriously respect this guy! He knows the material AND knows how to teach. Very few professors have that combo. If you want to learn, take his class and prepare to study. If you want a professor to pass you without doing any work, take someone elses class. For reference, I had him for precalculus and cacl 1.
The best online professor I had at CSI, he always respond to emails and questions in the same day, he provides very clear instructions and reminders to the class in the form of announcements. I will definitely take another course with him, I strongly recommend him.
The man knows his stuff extremely well, his lectures are very organized. He cares a lot about the students progress, he always answer email. I will take as many courses as I can with him. Dr. El-Achkar is a grade A++ professor
I wish I could give his rating as a 0 but not possible. Heavy accent, goes over lectures very fast. He is so not understanding when it comes to anything, will not care about your reason for absence. He will call you out if you are not doing well in his class.
I was clueless going in and coming out of the class. He jumbles around the topic, and he goes super fast. I don't understand how he doesn't give review sheets for any exams, but yet he gives the answer sheet with all the work to all of the students after taking the exam. 0/10. He only grades HW and exams. Likes to be SARCASTIC!
Tough grader; Only grading on exams and hw; no participation or attendance. He does not give extra credit or quizes to boost your grade. No curve on the exams.
The lecture is him speaking fast and writing on a chalkboard. We have homework but you can't submit it late and he won't tell you in class if you have homework.The tests are difficult, the questions are tricky. He only gives 3 exams so when you do bad you're screwed. You will need to sit in the middle to see the board. YOU HAVE TO TAKE NOTES.
He goes over the material too fast and is hard to understand.
The professor's lectures can be unclear, but engaging with the free textbook and attending study sessions helps. Unstuck AI was a game-changer for preparing for exams.
The goat 🐐
If I could rate a zero I would. He doesn't teach nothing on the exams and doesn't care why you were absent he would not excuse it. Very sarcastic in a bad way. Would never take again
Have to come to class for notes, no slides are posted. Not helpful when asked questions on homework. I've asked multiple times just for him to reply with "that is incorrect" and no other feedback. Constantly tells us to go to tutor, doesn't give other resources for help when asked.
This professor is good to take ONLY if you did well in the prerequisites and have a good foundation of trig. If you don't you will be struggling and will play catch up the entire time . Lastly, for his exam reviews he won't provide an actual review. You just come to class and ask questions if you have any.
This class was brutal. Lectures are hard to follow, his explanations often leave you more confused than anywhere, and he has a very strong accent. The worst part? When he talked about the final exam, he literally laughed in class, which feels like failing was expected. Grading is harsh, and you have to rely on yourself to survive this course!
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
78%
Textbook Required
31%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.35 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH121
5.0
(1)MTH121221
5.0
(2)MATH020
5.0
(1)MTH214
5.0
(1)MATH123
3.8
(5)Difficulty by Course
MAT130
5.0
MTH122
5.0
MATH232
4.8
MATH233
4.6
MATH123
4.4