2.9
Quality4.0
Difficulty29%
Would Retake109
Reviews29%
Would Retake
109
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
22
4
22
3
23
2
22
1
20
What Students Say
“Good guy that clearly knows the subject well”
MATH151 - 3.0 rating“It's kind of funny because you will see him smile if you ask him questions because he loves teaching it”
MATH111 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
50%
Textbook Required
13%
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Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
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Declining
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MATH106
5.0
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4.3
(3)MATH211
4.0
(2)095
4.0
(1)MATH095
4.0
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1111989761
5.0
COLLEGEALGEBRA
5.0
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5.0
MATH7095
5.0
CALC153
5.0
Reviews (109)
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At first I didn't care for him because he wasn't as dynamic as Casillas. Eventually I figured him out. He's very procedural; if you ask the right questions though, he will elucidate the gen. concepts nicely. I will probably take more classes from him.
Tends to teach in proofs so put your calculators away. Very methodical lectures. But if you don't understand it one way he has trouble finding to angles of explaining. I prefer a teach who can relate classwork to the real world.
He seemed kinda stressed out all the time and I felt like we spent a lot of time trying to figure out where he went wrong in his explaination. It is much easier to read the book before class, that is for sure.
He has no clue how this math is used in the real world; he's really big on theory. Beware, he has limited understanding of student's life and circumstances, and has a zero tolerance policy on everything.
Mark is an excellent mathematician, very concise and logical. It's a style that worked well for me and not so well for some of my classmates. I'm told, it's better to take his afternoon classes.
Having had him for three classes, I think this was the hardest. Calc requires a conceptual leap that I don't think he is good at facilitating. He does rely more on theory than applications, which is ok, but probably not for the first class in a series.
Good teacher in my opinion. I got an A- and I don't exactly know how. Does have a zero tolerance policy which isn't good.
Elliot's pretty okay.His main flaws are also his good points. He tends to focus on theory, proofs and pretty abstract explanations.This can make his lectures not very usefull in solving homework problems but they are broad and quite engaging which makes the course fun and enlightening.
Excellent teacher !!!
Difficult tests. Work your a** off all week on the take-home test in order to understand and get an 'A' and somehow still get an 'F' on the in-class tests. I am a B+ or A student but this class was tough! Doesn't seem to like teaching anymore.
He makes things easy to understand. He made math pretty interesting for math that is. And I found him funny when he tried to tell jokes, not the jokes themselves but him trying to be funny.
He was Great!
Mark is an okay guy, and pleasant. The issues most of my class found with him were pretty much the same. When a student was confused or didn't understand, he would ask "What is it about this that you don't understand?" Our, the students, consensus was "If I knew what I don't understand then I might be able to figure this out." It isn't much help.
Good professor. He is quite reasonable if you are failing to understand, but doesn't handhold or coddle. If you do the recommended homework, and practice tests (if available), you should have no problem getting at least a B in the class. Though his tests can be difficult, he give good prepatory examples and rarely gives curveballs.
Not impressed with his teaching style. Has little tolerance for stupid questions.
This professor speaks in formal proof and it is not only confusing, but very difficult. He cares little for people not going on in math and wants everyone to know math like a mathmatician. I think I could get at least a B if it wasn't for this joker.
Stay clear of his class, 75% of the class dropped and the 7 of the 15 people left were retaking the class with me during the summer.
I took this guy 4 times and really enjoyed it. Its a little tougher and he doesn't grade homework so it can be up to you to make sure you're keeping up, but if you stick at it and want to learn you will come out of this class with a lot of valuable new information and skills. Highly recommend him to anyone willing to advance their math skills.
Terrible terrible teacher. He is easy to understand and good at explaining things, but his tests are beyond difficult. Almost all students failed my class and while I had a never recieved lower than and A in a math class I failed this class as well. He is very smart, but doesn't enjoy teaching much. I thought I learned alot, but grades count too!!
He really knows his stuff...and his tests are way easy if you do the homework. On all of his tests, there's an opportunity to get over 100% (except maybe the final). Plus, his jokes were so dorky that they were funny. He was boring at times though, but that's excusable for how easy his class was.
Class is fast paced but if you do your homework (not required)and the practice tests you'll do well. He is always available for help during office hours. Nice guy. I'd take him again but be prepared to take lightning quick notes or you'll miss something.
If no one in the class is asking questions, he moves on. His study guide with his sample questions had half the answers wrong. He told us the test would be easier than the SG, but the test was harder and too long for all but 2 people to finish. When working problems in class, he skips steps. Expect 3 hrs of homework a night.
I am a Math Major and it's really hard for me to find a decent teacher. best math teacher i have ever had. completely helpful. If you dont get it ASK because he will move on if no one asks. He is always available during office hours and through emails. HW not required. If you do part of it and the Study guide, you will pass the class no problem!
Being someone who actually likes math and has never had a grade lower than a B+ in any math class, elliots class was just a little too hard. It was very fast paced. ASK QUESTIONS if you don't get it. Tests were extremely difficult, even if you do study, its not too easy to pass.i had to drop the class and wait for another quarter to retake.
Spends more time explaining why something works rather than how. Also adds extra steps to every problem that are unnecessary. Okay guy, bgut as a teacher, not very good, especially for the high difficulty of the courses he teaches.
Not so helpful for me. Had to drop out.
He is very smart and is willing to explain any questions his students have...you just have to ASK! The class is difficult and fast paced but I have found that if you do the take home quizes and the practice test there is no reason for you to get less than a B- on the in class tests. All I can say is ask questions! He will answer them!
Monotone and very engineer-like. Social skill and humor are almost non-existent. But, all the aside, was very good at math and tried to help students understand the best they could.
Smart teacher - definitely knows his stuff. He teaches things that sometimes don't appear in the homework, or in the book, so studying for a test that includes something you went over once in class, that doesn't appear in the book, can be a little tough. He's picky with how you write your answers, even if you do it exactly the way he does. Be caref
I really liked Mr Elliott. He really knows a lot about math and is a good source to go to if you want to clarify anything dealing with it. This calculus class was very challenging, I studied most nights and did all the take home quizes and practice tests. Just make sure to do the assigned Homework as well and you'll do fine.
Tests are too long & hard as he always picks ?s that don't look anything like our homework. I have done lrg majority of homework & all of take-home quizzes, yet averaging less than 70% on the actual in-class exams. I'm mostly an A student. Class avg is under 70% on exams & doesn't grade on curve. Only a couple people able finish exam in time given.
Worst math professor. For those who can read a calculus textbook and learn without any help from the teacher are eligible to take his class. If you are a genius, you will get an A. If you are normal, your grade won't be high guarantee!
Great teacher! His explanations in class are crystal clear and he always offers his office hours to students that are having difficulty with certain concepts. The take home worksheets were always a little on the tough side but they weren't a large chunk of your grade either.
Hes a great teacher, that is Mark Elliott. I received an A- in Finite Mathematics and an A in Business Calculus. His finals are tougher than his regular tests, but he is helpful and provides an abundance of clarity, if one wants help he is more than willing to help you, my favorite professor, very competent. You have to put the time in the class.
Worst math professor I've had. I consider myself a very quick learner [currently a junior in high school with A+'s from algebra to trig, and trig was a college class] but I could not learn from him. His method seemed like he would throw ugly numbers at us and say, "here, just do this!" and we would have NO idea how, why, or what he did.
I didn't care for who taught me when I registered for calc II. This guy's a very good explainer; although he pushes very hard for the students to learn the material inside and out. He's funny if you have a formal sense of humor. I take calc II and he doesn't require homework to be turned in. Grade is based on quizzes and tests.
Calc II. I love math and have had nothing but an A in every math class to this point. Elliot is obviously very smart but has no understanding of how to teach.All quizzes and tests are way harder than anything in the book. Average test scores for the class are 48%. Something is wrong with that. Ive done every problem in the book and still struggle
Worst teacher at Clark College without a doubt. Worst.
Terrible instructor. He will make your life miserable for 3 months.
Doesn't seem to curve the tests as much as he should considering what the class average is but I got a B- and only did the mandatory takehome quizes and not the homework, so the teacher can't be too hard. Do your homework!
GREAT teacher he knows his stuff. He responds to studnets questions with respect and his lectures don't beat around the bush. He may not be the easiest teacher but then again the class is an intro into theorectical mth field. This is how college classes should be.Challenging and fair. Simple, put in the time and reap the reward. Welcome to College!
Everyone has made a big deal about Elliot being a bad teacher but quite frankly I think he's one of the best in Clark's math department. You get what you put into his class. All of the quizzes are take home and his tests are easier than what he puts on the study guides. He's not difficult, the material itself is difficult. Take him! He's great :)
Poor teacher. This is coming from a person that gets A's and B's in math. He failed a large number of people in my class including me. His grading is horrible. The test length's are horrible. Test and quiz problems are very difficult and nothing like the book. If you ask a question in class he will shrug you off. The whole class seemed rushed also.
He is the hardest teacher I have ever had and in his class I cussed him daily during homework and I wanted to fight him after test. The level of difficulty is unacceptable in a way however, IF you pass his class you WILL completely understand what you are doing. If you actually want to learn and not just check the box this is your guy.
The class was reduced from about 30 students to 7 by the final. I failed the class, but got an A after retaking with Milner. Elliot can be very condescending towards students. The class is difficult, but more so because he makes it difficult rather than the material being difficult. I felt like MATH153 was a completely different class with Milner.
I was told he was challenging but to take him if I really wanted to learn the material. Not only did I not learn the material, but I feel more confused than when I entered the class. Very monotone, slightly condescending and difficult teaching style. Be prepared to teach yourself the material.
Professor Elliot is extremely professional which many of my classmates interpreted as arrogant. He helped with any questions I had during or out of class. If you are looking for an easy A this is not the class to take. If you are looking for a very thorough understanding of a mathematics class you will need to put in time and effort.
This guy needs no defending, his curriculum speaks for itself. Professor Elliot is dedicated to making sure his students understand the course material as it comes, and is able to deliver said material approximately as tentatively outlined in his syllabus. Boom.
People bag on Elliot a lot for moving on too quickly, and not being clear enough. But after every example, he asks if the class understands, and if even one person doesnt understand he will take the time to make sure they do. He is a great teacher, and if you interact with him and let him help you, you'll like him.
Good teacher overall. Has a difficult time explaining something differently if first explanation confuses students, but usually can clear it up during an office hour no problem. Goes over proper definitions and proofs. Shows rigorous methods for solving math problems. Homework concepts represent test material well.
Explains things in a very practical manner. He has a sarcastic sense of humor I think some people take offense to, but is very helpful if you don't understand something. He doesn't allow for the use of calculators or cheat sheets so keep this in mind when taking a class with him, but on the upside I feel like I learned the concepts better that way
Great teacher, has a great ability to really get to the heart of what he is teaching. No notecards allowed though, so you are really forced to learn the material. Great teacher if you really want to grasp the fundamentals. Some people think him mean but he just has a monty python-esque sense of humour. Highly recommend.
Terrible teacher had him fro trig! He is a smart man and knows what he is talking about but dosn't know how to teach! On our 2nd exam our average was 50% and we cannot retake exams! The class is based on exams and the final and 14% on quizzes! you dont get credit for participation attendance or hw! Dont take this class!
Worst math teacher ever. No notes on any test ever, expects you to memorize EVERYTHING. Skips steps when explaining and rarely has time to complete lessons during class. Not good at explaining majority of concepts. Grade based entirely off how well you do on tests/final.
Elliott was a decent teacher. He offered office hours for help and after every section he would ask for questions and would take the time to answer them. You don't get credit for homework, but you don't have to turn it in (or do it). Elliot is very impersonal and kind of boring. The class isn't terrible but not one that I would highly recomend.
He was a good teacher but the subject he teaches is hard and he is very strict on late work. However he does grade his tests on a curve but not his quizzes and the quizzes are incredibly hard!
Decent teacher, but gives so many take home quizzes that I tend to not do homework. Usually at least two tests a week, even when there is a test including one that was due on test day. I like quizzes, but one a week is plenty to see how I am keeping up. Tests are also a bit long for 50min class period.
Be ready to spend your live at tutoring and office hours, nice guy but not so great teacher. Your grade depends on tests and he gives lots of quizzes, but don't expect them to save your grade they are only worth 14%.
There are take home quizzes that are 14% and the tests are 54% of your grade. He knows what he is doing but does not know how to teach. You will have to teach yourself many of the concepts. He does not show that he truly cares if half the class fails. I would highly recommend not to take this class, there are more reliable professors.
Professor Elliot is an amazing professor that actually took a subject that I hated, and made it enjoyable. He has open office hours and is extremely helpful, his lectures are simple and wont move on until everyone understands. He is a great professor and would definitely take him again.
Honestly, he's a very very nice guy and I can tell he cares deeply about the subject but I just could not get through this class. All the assignments are: 4 tests, and then 1-2 take home quizzes per week. I withdrew after 5 weeks because I was scared I was going to get a C or below. He's a very hard grader and it's hard to get points in the classs
I loved Mr. Elliot! A lot of kids didn't like him because he was boring but honestly, if you just respect him he will respect you. It's kind of funny because you will see him smile if you ask him questions because he loves teaching it. He will make sure the class knows when he's available for one-on-one questions which is helpful.
He definitely knows what he's talking about. However on his test and quizzes the harder problems are worth more. If you get it wrong it basically destroys any chance at getting a decent grade because he grades it super flippen hard. Show up to class. Good Luck.
Prof. Elliot has a very bland teaching style. However, he has a dry sense of humor which makes Calculus more bearable. If you don't understand a concept he will help you during office hours. Highly recommended that you keep up with the assigned problems until you are comfortable with the concepts.
This was my worst experience in Math, and also worst experience in Clark College. I would NEVER suggest him. -Professor Elliot has same tone of voice during whole class -You should know exact words he likes to see or he will mark you off(no matter if your answer is correct you should read his mind) -He's not clear about what he teaches and asks
One of the hardest professors at Clark but by far the most professional. Every set of lecture notes is posted online right after class, he sends you an email the night before anything is due and he is always happy to help in his office hours. His sense of humor takes some getting used to but by the third week I found him hilarious.
Teaches by showing proofs in the book, then moving on without actually explaining the proof. Very monotone and quiet speaker with tough tests. If you take this class, expect to have to teach yourself every chapter with no idea other than the vaguest outline on what will show up on a test. Most of my classmates dropped it and retook in next quarter.
Professor Elliot knows his stuff, to be sure, and he seems like a nice guy. However, in Calc 4 he breezed through concepts, taking for granted that we could recall with detail everything we'd learned in Calc 2 & 3, and at times seemed almost surprised when we couldn't remember exactly how to do stuff some of us haven't touched in over a year.
When the class average for a rectangular is a C-, itd not a problem with the class, but a problem with the teacher.
Only take home quizzes and tests graded. You can use notes or tutors on the quizzes but most of the time not even the tutors know what the questions are asking for. Extremely difficult tests with challenging problems worth sometimes close to 1/4 of your grade on the test. Doesn't update grades online but does send out emails and announcements
Good guy that clearly knows the subject well. Awkward funny sense of humor. The class is almost entirely based on tests (90%). He writes very difficult and tricky tests and quizzes, and those determine everything. Knows his stuff, but I don't think he knows how to get the best out of his students (only 12 of 35 of us even made it to finals day).
Best math professor EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Known this guy for almost my entire life since I have tons of connections to the math department. Always loved this handsome fella. Super clever, super relatable, great smile and always leaves one on your face. Such a blessing to take a class from him. He made me work for my grade but in the end I felt like I earned it. You go Mr. Elliott!
Personally he's nice. He teaches directly from the book, doesn't collect/grade book homework (bad), the weekly graded take home quizzes are so hard everyone needs help (yes everyone). Watched Professor Leonard videos to pass. Beware of teachers who grade on curve & he does. Unless you can learn from a math textbook, DO NOT take class with him.
Lectures are boring and hard to understand. Would not recommend as first year calculus professor.
Overall, i would say he does a good job at teaching the material. For someone like me who's fairly good at math, the class wasn't too hard. Your homework is take home quizzes. One thing that got annoying was you have to show almost every step of work to get the full credit on the problem. He's a really nice guy though, a little odd in a good way.
Mark is very smart and helpful. He teaches primarily off of showing examples and rarely explaining theorems (not a fan). I really like how he uploads all the lecture notes onto canvas after class. His homework's are supposed to be hard while his tests easier, but it wasn't quite the case in Calc 4. He does not allow notes, nor a calculator on tests
Mark is very particular on his take home quizzes. I suggest taking him for the whole calculus sequence. He thinks you should also have certain derivatives and integrals memorized by calculus 3. the only goo thing is I'm pretty sure his take home quizzes are harder than his tests and your grade is mostly your tests scores.
He's okay. Very efficient with lecture, very structured and methodical, and lecture heavy. No mandatory homework. Take-Home Quizzes are very difficult, relatively short, but thorough. If you can do his quizzes without help, you will ace his tests. The tests are very fair and fairly timed. Go to his office hours if help is needed, trust me.
Lecture heavy, talked down to the class when asked simply questions which made it unlikely for people to ask questions even if they were struggling so they weren't made to look dumb. No mandatory homework, final was 58% of the grade, test made up the rest. He doesn't give out a study guide at all, so your on your own to study.
After taking the class I found out that Mark makes his classes more difficult then they need to be and I agree. Examples taught in class either closely related the take home quizzes or required quite some time trying to figure out how to do answer them. Mark doesn't collect/grade homework. You are only graded by quizzes, 3 exams, and 1 final.
I would 100% recommend him for 103. If he was teaching 151 at a time that worked with my schedule I would take him. The class is graded on two things: take home quizzes and tests. There's about 20 take home quizzes, 3 exams, and a final. Exams are waiting alot so if you get a low score on one it would be hard to get your grade back up.
You do not want to take Mark for math. He is Obsessed with having his way on assignments. You will spend ALL your time trying to meet his unrealistically high standards. He makes everything 10x more complicated than it needs to be. At one point more than 3/4 of the class was failing.... When you go to his office hours, he talks down to you..
Mark is a tough professor, but well worth having. He has high standards and pushes his students' limits but because of this we come out strong and with a thick skin. I believe if you enjoy challenging yourself you should definitely take his class. Not an easy A, but it's possible. Thank you for the challenge, Mark!
He is rude and difficult. If he does not like you, he decides that he is not going to help you. I have never had a worse college experience so far.
Elliot makes you work hard. If you love math, want to go beyond want you need to know, and already have experience with the material, he is a solid choice. If you are new to the material and are just trying to learn it, pass the class, and get on the next class in the calc series, then his class will be extremely challenging.
He inspired me a lot, and he was very good at keeping us on track. Explained even the dumb questions but didnt make them feel dumb
His lectures are poorly organized with too many sections to keep track of. Lectures go in much more depth than the textbook and his examples are often more complicated. Take-home quizzes are challenging, and his 2nd test was the most ridiculously time-constrictive test I've ever taken. I solved all problems in 4 hours, we were given 1.5...
His feedback on tests and HW are flat out unhelpful, and border on the edge of (or just flat out are) condescending. He assigns a homework assignment 2-4 times a week that have taken me 6+ hours to do, and on top of that, assigns online HW almost every day, that have no reason being so long for how much they're worth. NEVER. TAKE. HIM.
Mark used to be great, but seriously beware now. His old lectures were all no good so eventually he resorted to giving us youtube videos of other professors instead. I had to teach myself this class because Elliot doesn't even do his own lectures anymore. Havr fun with 2-3 quizzes a week!
I took this class online, and basically was taught by youtube videos of other profs that he puts on Canvas. His handwriting when grading is unreadable. There is also timed exams and those were hard for me because of my ADHD. However, I managed to do well because I already had a solid amount of background knowledge on the material. Overall: he's meh
Everyday I left my laptop running while plugged in on top of my pillow in the hopes that I'd burn overnight so that I wouldn't have to deal with Elliott's 7 homework assignments due in one day followed by a quiz that had nothing discussed in the note videos.
Mark elliot ruined my experience at clark. By far the rudest teacher i've had. I gave up on his office hours because he would tell me comments like " well thats just something you should know by now"And"Even if you had 6 hours to take that test you still wouldn't of passed". Avoid the class if you can. He makes Calc 4 times harder then it really is
Quizzes are tough and destroy my grade and tests are extremely time constrained. I would not recommend. The lecture videos are unwatchable because he clears his throat after every word, halfway through the quarter all of his lecture videos are from youtube. Be ready to teach yourself if you take this class.
I really like him. The assignments get you prepared for the class and you don't really need to read the textbook.
Mr. Elliot is: okay. Need to do a lot of time-management to stay ahead. Assignments are semi-difficult especially if you haven't taken math in a while or just suck at it. Work is A LOT. Tests are timed and sometimes hard (depends on your strengths in math). He knows a lot about math, but I recommend someone else when it comes to curriculum.
While many students have given Prof. Elliott bad reviews, he's not all that bad. To be fair, why should a teacher make video lectures explaining a subject when there's already a plethora of information online? I had a 90.25% because I forgot to submit a page from the final and he gave me back points giving me an A! In this way, he's very forgiving.
There's ample homework but you're graded just for completing it. The quizzes are challenging but do a good job of preparing you for the exams. The exams will dominate your grade. The textbook is free. Most of the lectures are YT videos, but the value of a professor is mostly in feedback, structure, and guidance. Mark Elliot excels in all of these.
Makes fun of me if I give wrong answer on office hours. Never gotten 100% on a quiz even though I get answers right, just because I dont show enough work. And when I show enough work Im too sloppy. Overall he made me not sleep at night.
I would definitely not recommend Mark Elliot as a teacher. The feadback he gives on tests and quizzes is rude, condescending, and most often unhelpful. of the three math teachers I have experienced at Clark he is by far the worst.
Absolutely the worst teacher I have ever had. Does nothing to help you. The overall vibe is that he is gate keeping instead of teaching you. He will test you on subjects from previous calc classes "because they were related" but have no mention of their relationship to the subject being taught. Basically he is trying to fail you not teach you.
Luckily for me I had taken Math 111 in high school so I knew the majority of the material because Mr. Elliot was not welcoming to questions, he was condescending and made you feel stupid. His tests were full of trick questions and were too hard for students who just learned the material. His lectures also didn't really apply to the course work.
He asks the student to complete up to 12 assignments and 2 quizzes every week. He gives very little time on the main tests (which of course is the majority of your grade). His "teaching" are just random YouTube videos and any lectures recorded by him 10 years ago are unwatchable because he clears his throat every other word. Do not take his class.
You will have up to 16 assignments a week, as well as 2 quiz's a week. His feedback on quiz's/tests is unhelpful, condescending a rude. The videos he puts out are the most unhelpful things, I had to teach myself the content. He is not willing to work with you at all, he does not care. Late work is not really accepted. DONT TAKE THIS CLASS!
If you wanna save your energy and mental health, dont take this class. I asked for help on a problem and he asked me did you watch the videos? If I understood, I wouldnt be asking for help. Also he didnt see one of my problems and marked me wrong and when I pointed it out where it was, he didnt respond to me.
If hes your last option, make sure to write your answers as if youre the one thats teaching him. He will mark you wrong if theres not enough evidence you did the work yourself. Most questions are 12 points and he will minus 12 points if theres not enough work shown. Also, be prepared to not be prepared for the tests. Gives no time to study.
If you're looking to take online math I'd steer away from this professor or just take an in-person math class instead. Would be way easier doing that than what you would go through having him as your professor. His policies regarding exams and quizzes are unforgiving and are one of the most stressful parts of his class. Doesn't teach at all, AVOID.
In my opinion, the most impressive part of Mark Elliot's teaching is his ability to pause within his lecture, adjust himself to the perspective of the confused student with an obtuse question, and then carefully guide them through the required logic to understand the lecture. Thanks again Mark for teaching me Calc 1, it was awesome. -Ryan Lee
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
50%
Textbook Required
13%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.91 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH106
5.0
(1)MATH105
4.3
(3)MATH211
4.0
(2)095
4.0
(1)MATH095
4.0
(4)Difficulty by Course
1111989761
5.0
COLLEGEALGEBRA
5.0
CALCI
5.0
MATH7095
5.0
CALC153
5.0