3.4

Lori Holcombe

Mathematics - California State University Chico

3.4
Quality
3.6
Difficulty
50%
Would Retake
87
Reviews
3.4
Quality
3.6
Difficulty
3.5
Helpful
3.2
Clarity

50%

Would Retake

87

Reviews

Rating Distribution
Official

5

37

4

16

3

5

2

13

1

16

What Students Say

unhelpful, never answers questions

MATH109 - 2.0 rating

I had Lori for Calc last, she is one of the worst teachers I have had at Chico so far

MATH109 - 2.0 rating
Class Info

Attendance Mandatory

100%

Textbook Required

100%

Grade Predictor

Your expected effort level

LowHigh

Predicted Grade

B

74% confidence
Based on 8 grades
Most common grades:
Not sure yet (2)
A (2)
B+ (2)
Grade Distribution
A(2)B(0)C(2)D(2)F(0)A-/B+(3)
Based on 11 reported grades
Not sure yet: 2
A: 2
B+: 2
A-: 1
Common Tags
Skip class? You won't pass. (2)
Clear grading criteria (1)
Caring (1)
Tough Grader (1)
LOTS OF HOMEWORK (1)
Rating Trend

Declining

-0.34 avg change
Dec
Jan
Apr
May
Mar
Apr
Last 6 months
Ratings by Course

MATH006

5.0

(3)

MATH

5.0

(1)

MATH10

5.0

(1)

MATH6A

5.0

(1)

MATH66X

5.0

(1)
+21 more courses
Difficulty by Course

119

5.0

MATH31

5.0

MATH012

5.0

CALC1

5.0

109

4.5

Reviews (87)
5.0
3.0
MATH006
Feb 26, 2003

Wonderful prof. Highly recommend taking pre-calc from her. Hard working and really nice.

5.0
3.0
MATH6
Feb 27, 2003

Brilliant woman with lots of knowledge to share. Such a stickler for perfection though.

5.0
2.0
MATH
Mar 3, 2003

I have never had Lori for a formal class, but she has helped me a lot with my math homework when I go to her office hours. She is a great person and really knows how to teach math.

5.0
3.0
MATH6
Mar 12, 2003

Lori is the best teacher ever, if I could have her for all my classes I would.

5.0
2.0
MATH6
May 7, 2003

Lori is a great teacher. She really knows exactly what she is doing. Most of this stems from the fact that she has wanted to be a teacher since the second grade. She extends help to students in every way possible. One of the best professors at Chico.

5.0
3.0
MATH10
Jun 19, 2003

No Comments

5.0
3.0
MATH006
Dec 8, 2003

Lori is an amazingly passionate teacher who doesn't play games. She is serious about teaching and really cares about her students. I'd say Lori is one of the most impressive teachers I've seen in a long time. Very fair. Very objective. Flexible. Wow.

5.0
3.0
MATH6
Feb 11, 2004

The best mathematics teacher I have ever had the pleasure of learning from. Without a doubt an asset to the CSUC Mathematics department. I only wish she tought upper division classes. Expect to work in groups.

5.0
3.0
MATH6
Apr 8, 2004

Very helpfull and clear. Friendly atmosphere and overall a good teacher

5.0
3.0
MATH6
May 12, 2004

very helpful teacher, the best ive ever had actually. smart, funny, witty, and always there to help.

1.0
4.0
MATH6
May 21, 2004

Caters toward the MATH gifted. Believes in GROUP math work - if you are the best in the Group, you get practice going fast - if you are slow, you get worse and worse from lack of info and help. Likes to tease students into improvement. Only half the cl

5.0
2.0
MATH6
Jul 28, 2004

Lori is Awesome!!!! She makes you learn. I really feel ready for calculus now that she has given me the tools necessary. Everyone I talk to says she helped them do well in calculus and I look forward to taking it now.

5.0
4.0
MATH6A
Oct 28, 2004

Lori was a great teacher & makes you learn the subject material. She is available during office hours & when ever is convienent with the students schedule. I felt that I learned more in Lori's class than almost all of my college courses.

5.0
2.0
MATH6
Nov 3, 2004

Lori made going to an early morning class more fun, and explained everything clearly. Would recommed; I only wish she taught more upper division math courses! Watch out for being treated like a kid, though. Oh, and the jokes ... are lame, as are most all math jokes.

5.0
3.0
MATH6
Nov 7, 2004

good teacher

1.0
3.0
MATH06
Nov 9, 2004

Don't have the same name as someone else in the class or she will make you change your name. She constantly says that if you do not laugh at her jokes she will fail you. Avoid at all costs math majors, for those who don't care about math, the choice is yours.

5.0
1.0
MATH006
Dec 7, 2004

I was in a program over the summer with Lori, so I was already used to her teaching style. While she does do group work everyday, she makes math fun in any way possible. She also goes out of her way to make sure you understand what she is saying. Take her, it's worth it.

1.0
3.0
MATH6
Feb 4, 2005

Horible teacher,If you like a Elementary style teacher then get To this class, because all she does is group work.

2.0
3.0
MATH6
Feb 9, 2005

I can honestly said that she is the missing link between high school and elementary. Totally unprofessional, in her teaching style and everything she tries to teach, especially her jokes. If you want a elementary teacher as your math professor, than take her.

4.0
3.0
MATH050B
Feb 19, 2005

Prepare for lots, and lots of homework! The class is fun because of all the group work (okay, all we do is group work). But her teaching style is a little too elementary and tends to get from everyone the "rolling eyes" look. Too much into being perfect about EVERYTHING!!!

1.0
4.0
MATH50B
Apr 2, 2005

HORRIBLE teacher! Seriously if you have her GET OUT! She treats everyone like they are stupid and she is miss queen of the world!

2.0
4.0
MATH50B
Apr 19, 2005

Super anal about everything, she nit picks your work so you cant get full credit on homework, and there is a lot of it. The actual class isnt hard regarding material or tests, but she is such a freaking nazi it's a struggle to get through...find another instuctor

2.0
3.0
MATH50B
Apr 24, 2005

Worst teacher i have ever had! She treats you like you are 5 years old and always has to comment on what u are doing wrong. tons of homework and group work. She grades hard because she is sooo anal.

5.0
1.0
PRECALC
May 10, 2005

Cut down on amount of homework this semester. Group activities make class go faster & are helpful. Insists that things are perfect, helps learning process. WILL go out of her way to help you understand, IF you ask for help. Tries to be funny, just humor her. TAKE her it's a good learning experience

1.0
5.0
PRECALC
May 15, 2005

STAY AWAY!!!!!!!! I passed this class in high school but took it at college to refresh my skills, she failed me. She treats you like your 5, trys to teach you knew ways of math that no one uses, tons of homework that doesnt correlate to the tests and very very very anal on grading. She can be a nice lady but she wont be a good math teacher.

5.0
4.0
MATH66X
May 15, 2005

She is an amazing teacher. she will go out of her way to help you when you ask for it. She does expect you to work for your grade so not doing homework or skiping out of class is not an option. If you are going on to calclus she will get you ready for it. (i had to take the class twice) the 6x class is very helpfull

2.0
3.0
50B
Aug 8, 2005

JUST WALK AWAY! If you want to do a lot of homework and have it count for practicly nothing then stay! She treats you like ur 5! did all the homework, went to every class and she still failed me and 45% of her class! Very Confusing! Just walk away!

3.0
3.0
MATH119
Oct 7, 2005

She is horrible. If you know have her, GET OUT!!!! It's too late for me. She's a horrible teacher. She does treat you like you're in elementary school and her jokes are horrible. She's very rude too! Get out while you can!

1.0
5.0
MATH119
Grade: A-
Oct 20, 2005

she is a ****.gosh people get the hell out of her class for real.she suck at teaching and she needs to take a communication class...don't take her for any classes.worst teacher ever on earth...she thinks she is actually teaching but all she does is act like a clown infront of the students.lori likes it her way or the highway. she is bad a teachin

4.0
4.0
MATH120121
Oct 25, 2005

She expects alot but she is there to help you during all her office hours if you want to be ready for the next math class take her you have to learn or you will fail hard work but she wants you to suceed also attendence does count towards your grade

4.0
2.0
MATH119
Oct 27, 2005

She is a great teacher. She has notes for the whole semester so all you have to do is fill in the blank. The notes are great to look back on to study for the tests. Tests are straight forward; no "trick" questions. She ALWAYS offers her help! Homework is due every friday. Great teahcer!

4.0
3.0
MTH119
Dec 22, 2005

she makes her self avalible if you need her help. good teacher

1.0
4.0
PRECAL
Jan 23, 2006

she should not be a teacher, wants group work so that she does not teach, ridiculous and very irrespectfull to some students ( she thinks shes funny) avoid get Ricard Rose

5.0
5.0
PRECALC
Jan 24, 2006

Lori is probably one of the best teachers out there. She understands the process involved in teaching students and if you have a hard time with math, take her class. It's not easy one bit. But you know what, you learn the material. If you put forth the effort to learn, she will teach it to you. She just does it in a diferrent way

2.0
4.0
MATH120
Feb 9, 2006

Terrible. Does Nothing but group work to keep it easy on herself. She concentrates more on how neat your graphs look than actually helping you to understand. She is rude and condescending, thinks she is funny when she humiliates students in class, but she is really just a B@%&!! If you don’t get something she makes you feel stupid. AVOID!!!!

5.0
4.0
MATH119
Apr 17, 2006

Lori provides class notes for the whole semester. She has the class work in groups after the lecture so she can help those who need it, and returns graded group work the next day. Her class totally prepared me for calculus. She's not easy, but neither is Math. Anyone willing to work can learn from her; she's the best.

1.0
4.0
MATH121
May 20, 2006

Do not take Lori if you want a good grade. She is very unfair as a grader, giving out very little partial credit, while make problems for test worth a lot. She hands out “her” notes to you and then makes you sit in and watch her copy the notes on to the black board. She discriminates against athletes, and will tell you so, and student that do not w

1.0
5.0
MATH120
Oct 25, 2006

Shes Crazy

5.0
2.0
MATH118
Feb 28, 2007

Lori is one of the most awesome professors I have ever had. She is SOOO helpful and gives you notes every day and you just fill in the blanks. She's strict but it keeps us on our toes! She's a wonderful person and a great teacher!!! Highly recommend her!!!! :)

4.0
4.0
MATH119
Apr 14, 2007

Lori is a great teacher. She provides notes for the semester, as well as all the homework for the semester so that you can stay ahead. She assigns A LOT of homework and attendence is mandatory. Her tests are very easy though

5.0
1.0
MATH118
Oct 16, 2007

Don't be scurd. I was ready to run the first day of class. She comes across as abraisive and rude. She doesn't miss an opportunity to humiliate you, but she gives extra credit for pointing out her mistakes and humiliating her. She makes herself very available for tutoring. Bottom line: Take her class if you really want to understand the material.

5.0
4.0
MATH119
Jan 15, 2008

If you want to learn math take lori. If you just want to get by because it's a requirement math course find someone else. Lori is an aggresive, thorough teacher. She will help you every chance she can. I almost dropped her class at first but by the end of the semester I saw the method behind the madness and I did well as a result.

5.0
5.0
MATH119
Jan 25, 2008

Lori is one of the best math teachers I have ever had. she will shove math into your head whether you want it or not. she is a great teacher if you plan on taking math in the future. because what you learn in her class, you actually retain.

1.0
5.0
MATH118
Jan 28, 2008

This lady is out of her mind! Why this person is a professor is beyond me. All she wants to do is prove you wrong. If you ask for help all she does is point out your mistakes without showing you how to fix them. I hated this class.

5.0
3.0
MATH120
Oct 15, 2008

Lori is one of the best teachers I've ever had. She has a way of relating difficult material to everyday life scenarios, like relating sine and cosine to the differences between men and women. If you want to learn and retain mathematics, take Lori's class.

5.0
2.0
MATH119
Oct 24, 2008

Dude she is the coolest teacher ever. She is just like the guy off of "Stand and Deliver". She helps a lot and makes subjects easy to understand. If u don't pass the class, its because you were not ready for the material. Capeish.

2.0
5.0
MATH119
Dec 31, 2008

She is awful at giving partial credit and doesn't curve so pretty much no chance of doing well if this is your first time covering the material.

4.0
4.0
MATH119
Jan 6, 2009

Great teacher, straight to the point with the techniques and how they are used, what they are for, and ways to remember them. Her own enthusiasm for math boosted my math interest level beyond what i ever thought possible.

5.0
4.0
MATH119
Apr 21, 2009

i took her for precal and calc. she is a very good teacher. i took her at 8 am because she is sogood

3.0
3.0
MATH109
Oct 5, 2009

She wasn't too nice, she likes to put people on the spot and she requires lots of work. You better be in class on time or she will again put you on the spot and make you look stupid. Didn't like the teacher much at all, the math professors at chico state make math too difficult for anyone to learn.

1.0
5.0
MATH31
May 13, 2010

Lori is the craziest math teacher I have ever had in my life. I hated every single day I had with her, and she is extremely rude. She does not like to help you when you need it, and I would give the advice to NOT take her if you do not have to. She is rude, an unfair grader, and she failed more than half of my class.

3.0
2.0
MATH118
May 24, 2010

Lori did not teach me mathematics at all.... She taught me how to teach. -Eric Yust

1.0
5.0
MATH012
Jun 23, 2010

this was the worst professor i have ever had. horrible teacher. does not care how you do in the class. RUDE. does not answer questions. boring. notes are not helpful. she does not give half points for anything. she will mark it completely wrong. all assignments and work are 100 points and never gives you the full 100. DONT TAKE THIS LORI HOLCOMBE!!

5.0
3.0
MATHMATH
Oct 27, 2010

Yeah, she is very odd but that's what makes class so interesting! She has a funny dry humor. She is very helpful in office hours and requires a lot of homework but I actually LEARNED the material. I strongly suggest taking Lori's class.

4.0
5.0
MATH119
Dec 10, 2010

Loves to put you on the spot with confusing, or trick questions. Made you BUY her class notes, which seemed horrible to me. Homework assignments were standard. In class group work was terrible, and always confusing. If you wanted any REAL help from her you had to go in office hours. All tests hard. Barely passing the class.

4.0
3.0
MATH118
Jan 18, 2011

Her teaching is COMPLETELY different than anything I've seen before, but if you really want to pass, do the extra mile and go to her office hours. Test were not that hard. I do recommend this class, it wasn't horrible

2.0
4.0
MATH109
Mar 10, 2011

Horrible teacher! unhelpful, never answers questions. ridiculous grading standards. RUDE.

4.0
4.0
MATH109
Apr 11, 2011

Class is definately challenging. I hated the group work because if you were group leader, you had to go into office hours and correct it, or everyone else would suffer. Even by studying all the old test is was very difficult for me. I spent a couple hours in math lab a week. Also sucks that homework is graded for accuracy, not completion.

4.0
4.0
MATH109
Jun 12, 2011

Pros: great teacher, cares about her students Cons: hard grader, can be ambiguous at times

5.0
3.0
DFKMD120
May 22, 2012

One of the best teacher i have ever had in my life. She really cares about the subject, she even wears a pi necklace. This class is very challenging, but with the help of Lori and collaboratig with othr students it was manageable. The class was an amazing class, i learned so much. Definately try and take Lori she isa a great teacher.

4.0
4.0
MATH121
Dec 17, 2012

Lori is an incredibly hard grader. She expects your homework to be perfect. When it comes to the classroom she teaches at such an accelerated pace that if your lost for one day you'll fall so far behind and be unable to catch up. She offers a lot of office hours, but those are often not worth it.

1.0
5.0
MATH121
Dec 18, 2012

She sucks. That's all I can say.

2.0
5.0
CALC1
Jan 29, 2013

Terrible, work collected weekly and must be perfect. 2 things wrong out of ~50 problems = F on week work

2.0
4.0
MATH109
Apr 15, 2013

Lori is a terrible teacher. She skims over new material and expects the students to be as smart as her. HW is out of 100 but if you miss a couple problems out of 50 problems then you get minus 30. She reviews the easiest problems for examples then on tests asks extremely complex problems. I've always had A's in math but I'm fight for a C in Lori's.

2.0
5.0
MATH120
May 14, 2013

She teaches lessons too quickly and is a really tough grader; the immense amount of homework assigned does little to prepare you for the tests.

4.0
3.0
MATH120
May 15, 2013

She is without one of the most dedicated teachers I'ver ever met. She is in her office pretty much all day and helps students even when they come in during the hours that aren't her scheduled office hours. At times she makes her lessons more confusing than what they need to be but if you do all of the homework and group activities you will do fine!

1.0
5.0
MATH120
May 22, 2013

This class is difficult even if you do the homework and group activities, and the teacher is incredibly rude. She humiliates students in class and throws things at students when questions are answered incorrectly.

2.0
4.0
MATH120
Aug 20, 2013

The worst teacher I have ever had! Never explains anything, never helps, never answers questions, and she is extremely rude! She says she cares about the students, but what it really seeems like is that she lives to give students a hard time and kiss up to the administration. Lots of HW, hard tests, and horribly ridiculous grader!

2.0
5.0
MATH109
Grade: Drop/Withdrawal
Sep 5, 2013

She is a terrible teacher. Unhelpful, never answers questions. Very rude. Hard grader. I hate her class so much.

1.0
5.0
MATH109
Sep 5, 2013

I do not know how to start to describe this teacher She is horrible, rude, disrespectful. She doesn't teach anything. She expects you to know everything about math, or she would make you looks stupid. Simply she is the worst teacher I have ever had in my life, avoid taking her class. If you don't believe me try to take her class to see her closely

4.0
3.0
MATH120
Oct 18, 2013

shes a very hard grader like many others said but she has a humor to her, if you understand it shes funny, if you take it the wrong way you might get offended, shes always in her office willing to help anybody. yea she is very strict but its college calculous, what do you expect? shes preparing people for 121 220 and so on.

3.0
5.0
MATH120
Oct 23, 2013

Clearly she loves math, and wants everyone to do well. She gives a huge amount of homework every week though and can be incredibly difficult to juggle with other tough classes if you're not a math wiz already. Make sure you keep up; while she's humorous she's pretty unforgiving when asking questions in class about things you should "already know"

4.0
4.0
MATH109
Jun 22, 2014

overall a good teacher, just make sure if you dont understand something to go into her office hours

5.0
4.0
MATH119
Oct 13, 2014

I love Lori she i tough as nails! She is a great teacher who expects nothing but the best from you as a student. Yes, a lot of people do not like her class because it's a lot or work but this is MATH! If youre taking her class you are most likely a STEM major so don't back down from this challenge! She knows what shes doing and she will help you.

3.0
5.0
119
Grade: Not sure yet
Nov 10, 2014

Lori is the hardest grader I have ever had! Two problems wrong on the homework equals a 50% on a weeks worth of homework! You get major points taken off for missing the equal sign, not accurate to her point of view, etc. She is religious and can be rude. She is rude to a point where you are afraid to talk because she will throw her chalk at you.

5.0
3.0
MATH109
Grade: A
Mar 4, 2015

Lori is pretty strict and sticks to their rules. Her class is tough, but she knows her stuff. She's a great professor, and she made calculus easy. If you need help, GO TO HER OFFICE HOURS!!! She's much more helpful there because she doesn't have an entire class of students asking her questions. She really wants everyone to succeed.

5.0
4.0
MATH119
Jul 29, 2015

Because of this professor, I passed Calculus with an EASY A. If you want to actually learn the material, I would HIGHLY recommend Lori.

1.0
5.0
109
Aug 4, 2015

Lori is horrible. Don't take her.

5.0
3.0
MATH119
Sep 11, 2015

WOOOO!!! LORI!!!! Hated her in the beginning. Then she grew on me and now she's one of my favorite teachers.

5.0
4.0
109
Grade: A
Oct 17, 2015

Not an easy teacher, she is kinda strange at first but when you get into the flow of things you should do well. When you go over logarithms she literally would scream if you said l n because she wants you to say natural log.

5.0
4.0
MATH109
Grade: Not sure yet
Dec 1, 2015

Lori can be intimidating at first but once class is in full swing she's a wonderful teacher. Make sure to stay on top of the homework and pay attention to everything she says in class. If you're struggling, ask for help and she will be more than happy to help you. Don't be afraid to tell her you need help because she really wants you to succeed.

4.0
4.0
MATH109
Grade: B+
Jan 12, 2016

Lori is a great teacher. She is super nice but can be a little sarcastic at times. IF you have previously taken calc, then this class is a breeze and an easy A or B. If this is your first time taking calc, it may be a bit more difficult. Go to her office hours if you're confused and she will help you out! She also gives ec to help you hw grade!

5.0
4.0
MATH109
Grade: C+
Jan 20, 2016

Lori is a great teacher! Anyone who says otherwise just isn't willing to work for their grade. At first I was intimidated by the class, but I quickly got used to it and began to learn like never before! I was really bad at algebra coming into the class. But I always went to her office hours and spent hours on the homework. Oh yea, learn your TRIG!

2.0
4.0
MATH109
Grade: D
Apr 28, 2016

I had Lori for Calc last, she is one of the worst teachers I have had at Chico so far. With a class of just 14, only half passed with a C or better. I was unfortunately one of the victims. I did all my work, went into her office hours, and attended every 8 am class. Her office hours are a joke. Save yourself and take this course at Butte.

5.0
4.0
MATH120
Grade: C
May 22, 2016

Learning math from Lori, u will get more than u ever expect. It is not an easy class if you are not prepare. Even if you have little time, as long as you put in good effort and try best to understand the concepts. If u get through lori class, u r ready for the world. Go for Lori office hour, you will see a really gentle and nice side of her.

5.0
4.0
MATH120
Grade: B+
Mar 30, 2017
Would take again

If you do not want to REALLY learn about math, dont take her. She is an amazing teacher. Let her be your guide through math you will not regret it. Go to her office hours and take your time on the homework. Youll walk out of the class a math whiz.

Skip class? You won't pass.
Clear grading criteria
Caring
4.0
4.0
MATH119
Apr 25, 2017
Wouldn't take again

I struggled in Lori's class because I don't think I was quite ready to take pre-calc. This had nothing to do with her teaching, I'm just horrible at math and should have taken trig first. That being said, the material is hard, and she is a tough grade, but willing to teach you if you are struggling. She seems scary at first, but is compassionate.

Tough Grader
Skip class? You won't pass.
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
Class Info

Attendance Mandatory

100%

Textbook Required

100%

Grade Predictor

Your expected effort level

LowHigh

Predicted Grade

B

74% confidence
Based on 8 grades
Most common grades:
Not sure yet (2)
A (2)
B+ (2)
Grade Distribution
A(2)B(0)C(2)D(2)F(0)A-/B+(3)
Based on 11 reported grades
Not sure yet: 2
A: 2
B+: 2
A-: 1
Common Tags
Skip class? You won't pass. (2)
Clear grading criteria (1)
Caring (1)
Tough Grader (1)
LOTS OF HOMEWORK (1)
Rating Trend

Declining

-0.34 avg change
Dec
Jan
Apr
May
Mar
Apr
Last 6 months
Ratings by Course

MATH006

5.0

(3)

MATH

5.0

(1)

MATH10

5.0

(1)

MATH6A

5.0

(1)

MATH66X

5.0

(1)
+21 more courses
Difficulty by Course

119

5.0

MATH31

5.0

MATH012

5.0

CALC1

5.0

109

4.5

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