2.4
Quality3.9
Difficulty45%
Would Retake118
Reviews45%
Would Retake
118
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
24
4
13
3
13
2
29
1
39
What Students Say
“Unless you are a math wiz who already knows all of it, avoid this teacher at all costs”
MATH1314122 - 1.0 rating“He doesn't take it step by step or explains at all really”
1314 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
82%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.32 avg changeRatings by Course
MTH0305
5.0
(1)0306
5.0
(1)MATH305
5.0
(1)MATH1332
5.0
(1)ALGE1304
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
1326
5.0
20145
5.0
MATH1603
5.0
MATHTEC
5.0
ALGEBRA1301
5.0
Reviews (118)
everybody in my class says the same thing about mr. smith what in the heck is he talking about. if you need a math class a you are not smart i advise you not to take him he soes not make sense
Very unclear. I stayed for 2 weeks and the only stuff I understood was what I had taken in pre-algebra. I would not recommend him unless you already know everything about college algebra or unless you can teach yourself math.
He is rude. Does not know a thing about teaching. You have to teach yourself. He does not even finish working problem he will draw a line and tell you that you are already suppose to know that.
Do not take this guy. He'll start class like you should know everything. Started in intermediate algebra and hadn't taken math in 6 years. Thinks you should know everything and his tests are hard.
He breaks the old cliche about boring professors. I took his evening course and had fun, and learned more that I had in other classes. He works the problems for you and will break down and explain all steps, and best of all dosent mind staying and helping
In his Business Calculus course and I cannot understand a thing. He does make it hard to understand the material by only working the easy examples in the book. He then puts hard problems on his test and it makes it difficult to learn anything.
I can understand why some people would have a problem w/ Mr. Smith. He expects you to do your homework and put forth your best effort. He's not going to babysit you, but is very willing to help you understand the material.
i have only been in his class about 2 weeks and his has been very clear and is sure to work through any problem you have a question with. so far i really wnjoy him. he takes time to make math easy.
didn't understand this guy, he worked out some of the problems wrong and we corrected him. Sometimes you get that feeling that the college just hired him because they had a shortage or somehting.
I took him for Intermediate Alg and his class was very hard. He does not explain things well. He will work a problem on the board and do several steps in his head so you can't follow along with him, half the time he only works half the problem and then stops. I made an A but I had to teach myself
class seemed ok. he didnt explain things in a understandable fashion. has his ownsince of humor but overall teaching is not up to par. the only plus is he omits problems or adds points to tests. that helps alot.
this guy sucked... he teaches too slow... the only reason i did any good was because i am good at math... mainly slept through his class... or skipped.... too boring
He went way to fast did not explain himself never turned around from the chalk board and very modertoned. I do not recommed him to any one not even my enimies.
Good instructor.Not the instructors fault you don't like the subject.Is a little hard to comprehend at time but if you put forth an effort he will break it down for you.Your education is not just about the instructor teaching you, but also you learning and asking questions.You have to do your part.
His teaching style is fast and furious. He sometimes talks above your level, but if you read the chapter before class not so bad. Answers most questions if in the best interest of class. Gives lots of homework and his tests are handwritten very sloppy and the problems are crowded together. No review
If you want to lower your GPA, then take him. you will not learn anything and have to teach yourself. I dropped him, then took steele, who was perfect!
this instructor is not one to take if you are not good at math.he does not explain well and is very sloppy in his work and explinations.he needs to teach a igher level math than can grasps his style and speed of teachin.would not recogmend to anyone.
do not take this teacher. not very helpful and doesnt explain things clearly. expects you to know everything.
very unclear and not very helpful
SLACKERS...DO NOT TAKE!!! on the other hand he was nice i just hate homework you do have to teach yourslef and its alot easier if you do the days assighnment* before hand. take eska! super easy just be sure to buy the solutoins manuel ahhhh! -solutions manuel!
HE DOESNT BELIEVE IN CALCULATORS!!!!!! He expects you to know how to work everything out by hand. The class isnt that hard but u have to know how to work problems out by hand
One of the worst teachers I have ever had. Does not explain, hard to understand, and very sloppy.
ill put it to you this way i call him Dr. Dumbass. i had to correct him on many equations on several occations. just needs to retire and sit in ol' rocker. the only reason why i got an A is that im very good in math. DONT TAKE
I had already taken this class at COM and made a 90.I am going in to the nursing program and needed an A in College Algebra, so I took his class just as a refresser. I dropped because I was making 60's on the tests after doing all homework. Would not recommend.
Mumbles and teaches the chalkboard more than the students. When asked for help, told to look in the book. Isn't that what teachers are for?! To HELP you! Not this one!!
This teacher is very nice, but if you are not very good at math, don't take his class. You basically have to teach yourself,he doesn't explain things very well. The good thing is you don't have to turn in your homework until test day! But if you are like me and wait until the last minute, you will spend a loooong time doing homework the day before
This Teacher will confuse you. His lectures are very "scratch the surface" and and i don't feel that he want's to help the students, but i feel he wants to confuse them.
If you follow the examples and do the homework, it is easy. Lectures were kind of boring. Sort of reminded me of Ben Stein's character on 'Ferris Bueler's Day Off'.
very easy to understand.
He is verey confusing. Teaches too fast, and on all of the tests and the final will be conperhension, meaning there are no multiple answers given, it is wath you worked out that becomes the answer.
Dr. Smith is a great teacher, i had no problem understanding him. he is not confusing at all. I had took this class like 5 times before i just could not understand it but Dr. Smith helped me and i got a B! Take him he's funny, smart, very cool guy! Way to go Smitty!
Mr. Smith is awesome. I hated math with a passion and after taking Smith, i learned it really isn't that bad. He's very helpful. Basically if you take notes during class, and do the homwork you'll breeze through the test. His test are open answer but your a goof if you don't pass. He gives partial credit and gives great curves!!!! highly reccommen
His class is pretty easy. All you have to do is your homework and attend class and you will pass his class. He is pretty cool.
Smith was confusing. Teaches vert fast and tends to get off subject a lot! I don't recommend taking him if Math is hard for you!
I thought he was very confusing and he jumped around a lot on subjects so then you got confused of what you were doing before and skipped a lot of steps. Homework is graded. Takes attendence in the first half and second half and if you leave 5 min early after the second attendance is taken he will take you off. In my class no reviews were given.
no good
OMG!! My WORST professor at San Jac so far! Doesn't give good notes and moves way too fast! Grades home work and gives way too much of it. Do NOT take him if you struggle in Math!
WORST PERSON TO TEACH THIS SUBJECT. ALTHOUGH ITS THE EASIEST CLASS EVER. HE NEVER TEACHES ANYTHING, HE JUST SHOWS OFF STUPID THINGS. YOU HAVE TO TEACH URSELF, BUT HE GRADES OVER COMPLETION, JUST STUDY FOR THE TESTS, GO TO CLASS OCCASIONALLY AND YOU WILL PASS, BUT MUST BE ABLE TO TEACH YOURSELF THE MATH FROM THE BOOK OR IT WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT!!!!
He is fast however must tell him to slow down. He will show you over and over if you tell him you just dont understand. Homework is a must but it is all odd numbers buy the solution man and easy 100..grades notebooks at the time of test. I am going to take him again for 1314. I have not taken math in 12 years. So if I can get it so can you!
Started Out with 32 people and only 8 people stayed... that should tell you something.makes up his own questions for the tests, and there nothing like the examples he uses from the book
Great!! Will take again for higher math! He explains the problems and ask you questions. He allows you to ask questions and stop him if you just don't get it. Yes his tests are hard however if you do the ACTUAL homework and not just copy the solu man then you will pass! He gives curves and points for partial workout problems. Show up do the homewor
Great teacher! Do the homework and just do not copy from the solution manual and review your notes and ask questions if you don't understand. Stop him if he goes too fast. VERY HELPFUL and is always in his office if you need him for help!
Very hard,homework and class lessons from the book,useless to do because the test problems are ones that he made up he doesn't give extra credit although he gives a effort grade.If u are good at teaching yourself hes the teacher for u.Hes very fast,expects you already know it,teaches the chalkboard not u notes are nothing like the test.I DO NOT REC
Enjoyed this class. thought he was very hepful and informative.
WORST TEACHER EVER!!!!! i woud most definetly never take him again or recommend him to anyone else. He's very rude and expects you to know all the material before he's even done teaching it. nobody likes to ask him questions because he makes you feel stuoid. he teaches very fast and moves to the next secton before your ready. HORRIBLE HORRIBLE!!!!
very helpful teacher. he explains problems very well and breaks them down if you need more help. his tests are not that bad. go over the homework problems, review some notes, and you'll do fine.
He's not very good at teaching and doesnt explain very well at all.
He's not very good at teaching or explaining. Keep up with your hw! Ask questions he's willing to help you! It's a very fast paced course.
Very good teacher, I took college algebra and the math before that with him and got A in both of them.. like all maths u just have to keep up with HW, in his class counts as 20% of ur grade.. generous grading. Wants to help you as long as u know at least u show up to class,not gonna help the lazy ass who shows up the 1st day and then 4 the final
Very good teacher, I took college algebra and the math before that with him and got A in both of them.. like all maths u just have to keep up with HW, in his class counts as 20% of ur grade.. generous grading. Wants to help you as long as u know at least u show up to class,not gonna help the lazy ass who shows up the 1st day and then 4 the final
Hes a nice teacher, loves football,but very hard on test keep up with homework. Hard to undrstand sometimes.
Horrible! He expects you to know everything because you are in college algebra, does not teach, you have to read your textbook and teach yourself. He gives you the assignment then asks questions the next day, he only shows you how to set up the problem, the rest is up to you. Go somewhere else for 1314.
get the book, teach yourself. the work isnt hard but do your homework.
This professor was so hard!! I do not recommend him! LOTS AND LOTS of hw that is mandatory! At least 30 problems per section he teaches. Overwhelming for someone who hates math like me. I will not ever take him again! He's old and you can't hardly understand him. Don't take him if you dont want to have to teach yourself!!
He moves on to the next chapter way too fast. Doesnt explain the problems he puts on the board.
i would not recommend this proffesor at all! he teaches fast and dosent explain the problems plus his test are not specific at all
Gives a lot of homework which is mandatory. Tests are incredibly difficult. Believes that anything lower than an A in applied calculus will result in you being un-hire-able in the workforce. I wouldn't recommend him.
Do your homework, if you are confused ask questions, if you don't you are only screwing yourself! He assumes you know what he's talking about unless you prove him wrong...
UGH. First of all, I wasn't looking forward to taking this in the first place. The fact that this guy didn't teach at all didn't help, and I had him MWF at 8:30am. He gave us a ridiculous amt. of hw that he didn't explain ahead of time, and the next day, we'd "check" it, then be assigned the next part of hw and be sent on our way. Horrible teacher.
Beaware! The college pulled the classic bait and switch. I registared for a college algebra with a different professor and got Mr Smith. The negative posts are true!
He's is a really nice guy in my opinion! It's true that he does give quite a lot of homework but he'll help you if u ask him. Attendance is mandatory and u will be teaching yourself pretty much all of the material. If your good at math and have no problem teaching yourself from the textbook (or having a good study buddy) you should take his class.
this guy is not a good choice to take.. he is hard i am good in math and loved it previous to this but he is making me hate math.. he dont teach he just solves problems on the chalkboard. he can finish a book in one day if he wanted too. i think it would be easier to take an online class which would probably explain better and in more detail.
Teaches fast and expects you to know your stuff. If you do know your math then the class will be easy. He nice and if you ask for the help he is there to help.
teaches way too fast and he skips many steps. avoid at all costs
This professor is super nice BUT he is a horrible math teacher. He works problems so fast on the board you have no time to even attempt to solve them yourself. He gives a TON of homework. If you are really good in math and don't need anyone to teach you anything, i'm sure he would work just fine if not, plan on spending time in the math lab
DID NOT TAKE HIS CLASS! I took for the summer which was brutual enough, but not knowing how to work the problems made it even worse. This professor is really nice, but he does not know how to explain problems or answer questions right. If you ask him a question, he'll answer with something that is not relevent to the question. DID NOT TAKE HIM!!!!
WARNING WARNING!!!! He goes by the nickname Buddy Smith "But Do Not Be Fooled" He is not your buddy. He gives lots of hw, he doesn't give out reviews, there are no multiple choice on test must show all work on hw and test. You will be teaching yourself. If you are taking him go and ahead and take that W and save yourself the hassle.
Gives tons of homework, and must teach yourself to understand material. If you're working full time and full time courses, that 1:30 minutes in class will be a waste of time. He is so unorganized doesn't remember some of the assignments he gave the previous class. Take if you can go over the book on your own w/o a problem.
Horrible! Does not teach right, gives a TON of homework. I work a full time job and with this class, I can't even do the homework because he's always adding on to it. If you ask for help he says read the book. Take another professor if you wanna pass.
You will be teaching yourself if you take this class. He depends on the book to explain all of the concepts and is unwilling to emphasize on a concept if it will take longer than 2 minutes to work and explain the problem.
Do not take this class! Awful
He was really nice and understanding, taught me duel credit PreCal over the summer, and adequate prepared me to enter Calculus in only 5 weeks. Everyone who showed up and did there homework did well, it's really not that complicated.
Homework was easy for the most part. Only failed one test, bust i aced the final which replaced that grade. Still made an A.
WARNING! Do NOT take him, worst teacher I have ever had in my life!!!!I loved math until this class. All tests are free response and graded really hard! Elderly man that often gets off track. Save yourself now
Great and cool teacher, but you need to do your HW. If you can work the HW, then you can pass the test. Covers everything you need to know
Horrible teacher! He says all these statistics but doesn't understand that math is a slow learning process that takes time and patience to do. He expects you to read the book and understand everything by just using the examples, he should get fired or told that is teaching style for math is incorrect.
San jac should be ashamed that they call him a teacher. He does not teach at all! And is extremely unorganized. All hw is pre-assigned and he doesn't teach any of it to you, he just asks if anyone has questions on it afterwards. Unless you are a math wiz who already knows all of it, avoid this teacher at all costs! Horrible!! Made me hate math!
He is a VERY hard teacher! I love math and have always done excellent but he's not very good at teaching, he was somewhat helpful when you needed it. You pretty much have to teach yourself with the book. By some MIRACLE I passed his class. But definitely if you suck at math don't take him.
WARNING: AVOID AT ALL COST!!!! DO NOT TAKE THIS PROF!!!! I am an A+ (3.9 GPA) student and I ended up dropping his class... I cannot stress enough how bad this teacher is.
WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN????? He expects you to be textbook knowledgeable right off the bat, he skips steps, and doesnt even really follow the book. Seriously, if this is your very first semester in college and you have to take college algebra, AVOID AT ALL COST! He doesn't post grades online, so you'll have no idea how your doing.
Mr. Smith is an elderly teacher, lets get that out there first. He's very old fashioned and believes that studying at least 10 hours a week will help you pass his class, and he is correct. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE FOR THE SUNDAY BEFORE YOUR EXAM TO DO YOUR ASSIGNMENTS. EVERYTHING IS TAKEN STRAIGHT FROM THE BOOK. Overall, he is not so bad, just elderly
Started with 29 students, he makes you count. As the semester passed, fewer and fewer people attended class because; his lectures were boring & his tests were amazingly hard. Did I mention, he wears the same shirt every day? (no joke). To make a long story short, the day of the final there were only 11 students: and only 6 were passing.
He spends the first half of most every lecture ranting about the format of homework and tales of how he failed people for putting triangles around correct problems rather then circling them. Then the rest of the lecture is fragments of old HW problems. He often will skip multiple steps along the way.
Never have I ever felt so much boredom and confusion before. The class started with around 30-34 students and over half the class after the first exam and even more dropped after the 2nd exam leaving the class with 8-11 students now. He expects everyone to study for 35 hours. My pre algebra professor from last semester thinks he's difficult .
Professor Smith is someone who's practiced Math for decades and understand the critical concepts students must understand to make it easy and natrual to figure out math problems. The crazy thing is, he explains things so non complex and understandable! I would strongly reccomend him for first time, or even second time college algebra students!
He gives chances to catch up with homework, if you pay attention and take notes you will do good in this class.
Although he's been teaching math for decades and therefore sometimes doesn't fully explain a topic the first time around, if you ask him to explain into you, he will. He really just wants everyone to do well and is very helpful in that matter. He provides ample time to go over questions on homework or anything else. Very comfortable classroom.
He sure has been teaching for years and tries to teach you the easiest way to do something. If you need help, he will help you if you ask. Homeworks are due every test so it's up to you to do it. He likes to joke around and is not a tough grader. RECOMMEND.
Scared to take him at first cuz of these reviews, but ended up loving the class. This was my 3rd time taking college algebra, and I passed this class with a C! I look the 5 wk summer course, and professor smith was a lot of help. Very encouraging and answered all my questions. However, expect to apply yourself. This is college afterall
Professor Smith always skips steps when solving problems which can be quite confusing. He goes pretty fast so if you're not really good at algebra, you will get lost. He just reads from the text book and you will drown in homework. He is nice and can be funny, but it is not enough for me to recommend him to any one.
Always willing to help anyone who needs it. Excellent explanations and examples. Lots of homework, need the textbook for sure!
Currently taking the class and as a student that struggles with math, I do NOT recommend him. He doesn't take it step by step or explains at all really. He expects you to know everything already because to him everything is basic knowledge. If you ask for further explanation in class he won't give it; he says it takes too long.
Skips steps when working problems, anything he doesn't explain you have to try to get out of the text. His class is more like independent study. Works one example and mores on to something new. Questions on homework that are long he will tell you to see him after class. His method is not clear. Had to drop
He is a really nice professor but for me he's teaching methods didn't help me out at all. Expect a lot of homework and you have to grade it yourself!! Text book is a must! If you really like math then you will do great but if you don't get it or don't comprehend well then don't take him.
Hard professor. We have nothing but tests and he teaches off the board. He doesn't help you learn he just does the problems for you on the board if you don't do it his way on the test it is wrong must have textbook to work on homework problems
He is not a very in depth teacher, his way of teaching is confusing. I do believe he added a few points to test and when you fail half of them the points are needed. I've always been a good student, even in math classes. Never in my life had I ever been so close to failing like I was. If it weren't for me working my butt of I would have failed.
Overall good professor. For algebra he requires a separate homework binder, which is due/graded at each test. It's very helpful when it's time to test, and if you do the homework you're pretty much guaranteed to pass the class. He answers any questions and is always available for office hours.
He NEVER answers his emails! I emailed him 3 times on 2 different emails. He gives you a lot of homework and you have to grade it yourself. He skips a lot of steps, so you have to go into the book to learn it yourself.
Dropped after 1st week. He was unprofessional. He made fun of a previous student who asked basic questions and said that he didn't know how they passed his class. His teaching consisted of students yelling how to solve the problem. I asked for help on a problem and as he solved it, he said if you don't understand something so basic to get tutor.
Dr. Smith, is a great professor he really tries helping out his students as much as he can. His assignments are straight from the textbook and if you don't understand any of the problems he's willing to help you out. Overall he's a great Professor and he's funny so i would take his class again
Don't be afraid of the homework notebook! It's different, but so helpful! Look at his examples and it will make perfect sense. If you don't do the homework, then DO NOT complain because the test is SO easy compared to homework. Ask questions! Listen to his rants and find his humor. It's great ;) Literally the sweetest professor and so funny! fav!
Alright look, he is so sweet & funny. He always tries to teach you the simple way & when we had to take the test he would always exempt 2 problems so you got an extra 10 or 15 points on it. You take 4 test total and he drops the lowest test grade & no quizzes! All the HW is from the textbook & if you do it, it's an easy 100. If you try, you pass!!
I loved Mr. Smith! He is so caring and actually want you to pass! He curves the tests like crazy and even gives partial credit sometimes! He drops your lowest test grade and all you have to do is the homework! Which sometimes I got a little lazy and worked some out then and some later, because he just skims the HW to make sure you're doing it!
He makes you feel dumb for not knowing the answer to questions. He makes fun of his last students for not knowing how to "follow rules". Don't take him, you will regret it.
His teaching method didn't really stick with me. He explains this course to be a refresher course and you should know all of the information so he skims through everything and doesn't thoroughly explain. He is pretty rude and will make you feel dumb for asking questions. Also He treats his students like middle school children. Would not recommend.
Took his class 2 times and Im very horrible at math unless youre a good teacher . This teacher isnt even telling you the steps for the problems hes everywhere so I get super confused on how to do them . He is not in depth with the problems it makes me mad . Even when he curves your grade I still dont pass . Dont take him .
good class, im AWFUL at math but this dude got me interested. theres homework assignments in a binder from the book and then the tests. he skims that you did the homework and the tests are short and easy. 4 tests, the lowest is dropped. i had to work for my grade but it was definitely a class worth taking
This professor was AWFUL!! He doesn't explain anything well. He skips steps and just expects you to know everything already and understand it the first time! He treats his students like middle schoolers. He makes fun of past students and makes you feel really dumb. I am horrible at algebra so this class was a living hell for me. DO NOT TAKE HIM!!!!
Not a bad class, just do the homework and you will pass.
Most awful professor I've ever had. Our first 3 days in class he just talked bad about his past students, he got cut off in the parking lot so he spent 30 minutes drawing a parking lot on the board and giving us driving lessons. Wouldn't teach til last 20 mins of class. We had to go get tutoring from other teachers. His teaching style is horrible.
Doesnt finish explaining and doesnt fully explain the material
He is the Absolute WORST professor ever. You are left on your own and need to teach yourself out of the textbook. You need to be prepared to do a lot of homework , which will be self graded. He gets off topic a lot and doesnt teach, he expects you to know the material already. He writes problems on the board but will not explain how to solve them.
Spends more time talking then teaching. Test every 2 weeks and all homework is due then. Limited office hours and isn't in there a lot. Expects all homework to be done in advance. He teaches the hard way and wants you to do the problems his way. Counts off for tiny things on the test. Expects 2 hours of out of class work for every hour in class.
I actually really liked his class. He may get off topic every once in a while but overall he was a good teacher. I took his 8-week College Algebra class, we had homework everyday and tests every 2-3 weeks. As long as you did your work and studied the homework (redo anything you struggled with) then youll do just fine.
Enough said
Do the homework as soon as you get your code!!!!!!!! This class is basically a self-taught class, in my opinion. He's a good person, but he does give a lot of homework and you are expected to do it. The lowest test grade gets dropped, but try to stay away from anything lower than a B in any of his tests to make sure you're passing at all times.
Ok, dont panic. Hes super nice and helpful. I found out those who leave negative feedback for professors are not the people worry about their future and they dont care about the class. They just need straight A+ without an effort. My score was 99% in his class. Secret of success? Followed what he taught .Never scare to take class based on rating
Funny, nice and polite. Make sure you do your home work. Practice, practice and practice. I got 95% (A) in his class. I don't want to say it's easy, but you can do it and you will. keep working and practicing and you will get A easy.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
82%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.32 avg changeRatings by Course
MTH0305
5.0
(1)0306
5.0
(1)MATH305
5.0
(1)MATH1332
5.0
(1)ALGE1304
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
1326
5.0
20145
5.0
MATH1603
5.0
MATHTEC
5.0
ALGEBRA1301
5.0