2.9
Quality3.9
Difficulty100%
Would Retake85
Reviews100%
Would Retake
85
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
12
4
23
3
20
2
17
1
13
What Students Say
“I'm surprised to see this many low ratings”
MATH4A - 4.0 rating“I would recommend doing CLAS and going to math drop-in”
MATH4A - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
83%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.44 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH5A
5.0
(1)CS120
5.0
(1)MATH221C
5.0
(1)MATH8
4.4
(5)MATH
4.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
34B
5.0
MATH3
5.0
MATH145
4.5
MATH3A
4.3
MATH3B
4.1
Reviews (85)
No Comments
tries to teach but his ego gets in the way
wow - can you say ****? he clearly thinks he's a genious (he's clearly not). he actually lowered my friend's final grade just for asking him what his grading system was on a question.
He should be less concurned that we learn and more concurned that we pass. I got really tired of asking him questions and he'd explane, explane, explane. I just want the answer.
My gf thinks he's hot but I don't see it. She likes his Hokey-Pokey jokes, & she's got a thing for old, shabby guys. Should I drop her?
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His English seems OK, so why lecture in Russian? (Or maybe it was Polish?) TA's translation on board helped. He must get dressed in the dark - eg mismatched shoes! The dance part was fun - plus movies & field trips to big math sites.
you wear a pyramed during exams - its hard to get foil if you live in a dorm but otherwise OK. mostly lectures clear and end on time, but sometimes dancing went over. I skipped weekend field trips - so did my TA!
Know 3A in your sleep - else you're toast. For easier problems, take course with Prof. Hilbert. But grades are fair & the dancing helps you relax. 'Math vow of celibacy' was weird.
No Comments
Sarcastic humor makes the class quite enjoyable... Well, so does the math I guess... Easy to follow, works well with the book. Tests may require somewhat "abstract" thinking, of course, but are usually not too difficult, given you know the ma
Condescending, acts like you are stupid if you ask a question. Tries to relate material to real life, but it just makes it more confusing.
He is rude to the students. He tells them to go back to kindergarden. He tries to make math jokes that are absolutely retarded. Your homework is due at night on the computer.
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Do NOT take his Math 3B class! He can't teach at all. It is not worth working so hard all quarter just to fail.
He had a generous curve on tests, tests were not too bad if you understood concepts. Some people hated him, others loved him. I was just happy that I passed
His sense of language is the best in math department. He is the only in department who slightly resebles Cedric(Walter Scott 'Ivanhoe'). I consider that ancient tong superior to Isla-Vista_Daily_Nexus garbige.
good man, but a little intimidating to approach.
No Comments
Dr. Scharlemann is a true educator whose passion exudes an engrossing teaching style that will never abandon a thoughtful student.
You've not seen passion 'til you see him explain the Invariance of Domain! He should be teaching French poetry I think, and so does my roommate.
took his class in 1985-86. still remember this guy. really drives home the conceptual understanding of math rather than getting by with rote memorization. guy was hilarious. pretty spaced out, like he was thinking on another plane from where students were. gr8 time.
No Comments
He was a good teacher, but 5 days before the final I sent him a yes or no question about the final and he never answered, sent again 2 days later and still didnt answer, really made me mad.
boring, BAD JOKES. everyday i wanted to throw something at him. hard tests and hard online hw. nice guy, but annoying teacher
Class is actually easy and he's an easy-grader. I got a better grade than I thought I would. Don't really understand what he's lecturing; just do problems in the book and you're going to be fine. Also he's a very suspicious guy. If you could actually cheat during tests I'd congratulate you.
His lectures always follow the textbook. It is a good idea to bring the textbook to lectures. Beisdes that, he likes to post the solutions of the homework and exams on the course web page. Remember to read them! Just like in Spring 2005, the final exam reused a lot of problems in the previous mid-terms. Also, he likes to tell jokes in lectures! :-P
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Really not that great of a teacher. Should stick to sitting in a bunker doing theoretical math than continue teaching.Lectures are not too informative, really doesn't stress what is on the exam.He definitley does not get you excited to do math.He does a good job of making an understandable topic, tedious and confusing. Take some one else. boo hsss!
If you think this teacher is good, then you have never had a good teacher. Just read the evaluations about him on the course website, they tell it like it is. Bad. Too bad the average student cannot read the reviews before hand,you need a password. Fig/Newton is the user/pass, read it.I have no respect for teachers that do not teach.
He spends far too much time deriving formulas and not enough doing examples. He will not explain his grading policy when you ask. He also does not care how his students do. Class will only confuse you more, but he gives pop quizzes when there are a large number of people missing.
Marty's an awesome prof!
No Comments
Not only are his jokes utterly lame, but he spends way too much time deriving formulas rather than giving a variety of CLEAR examples. Lecture did not help me at all, the only way I passed was through CLAS and the only reason I forced myself to go to these painful lectures was because of his threat of pop quizzes...ugh
Prof. is a pretty good teacher, but often spends too much of the lecture doing the algebra of a given problem instead of simply showing the setup and then moving onto another type of problem. Works from two overheads side by side -- not a bad class; exams are moderate/difficult (I got a "B"). Watch out for pop quizzes on Friday classes though :(
If u took calcAB in H.S. &understood it, the 1st half of class should be a breeze.the 2nd half is new material and was difficult for me to understand. His lectures are confusing and dont really make perfect sense esp. if he's in a rush.allows 3x5 card on exams.final worth 40%.this can make/break your grade. went into final with A- got D+on final=B-
Exams often give tricky and abnormal problems instead of testing on true understanding of the material. Often stuff you don't even expect. Textbook was useless later on too. But other than that the lectures and all were good.
An avatar for Martin Scharlemann, who is sometimes too 'distracted' to teach. Marty is more helpful but not as clear; friendlier but fuzzier on the rules; does not have dancing or field trips but tells better jokes. Definitely take the class from this one if you have the choice.
it should have been review the first half but ended up being a pain. the way he taught didnt help me understand any of the actual concepts. he used lots of examples but they never really made much sense. the tests were stupid. no cheatsheets allowed; also tests weren't about pure concepts. they were more difficult.
Worked from the most complicated form backwards to simplest, but by the time we got there everyone was lost. This man was not meant to be a teacher; the main reason I did well was a strong background from high school.
has pop quizzes so you have to attend class. his tests are harder than homework assigned so make sure you study. overall he is a good teacher if you pay attention.
he is the hardest math teacher you will have. his curve will either kill you or praise you
hands down the hardest math professor I have ever had. Going to CLAS, doing the homework, and going to math lab did not help with this guy. He lectures well but his tests are ridiculously difficult so be prepared. His curve is ridiculously stupid.
the tests are so hard it's ridiculous. He is so unfair and seems like he doesn't want anyone to get a good grade. do not get this professor. teaches you the basis of integrals and then gives you tests that are way above anything he taught.
He is so unfair and seems like he doesn't want anyone to get a good grade. teaches you the basis of integrals and then gives you tests that are way above anything he taught.
Makes class harder than its supposed to be. Does not explain the concepts well. Tests were unreasonable. Does not even know how to write a fair test. Avoid him at all costs for lower division math courses.
is basically a talking text book. doesnt know how to teach the material. if not for clas i would have failed. the homework and practice exams are nothing like the actual tests.
Worst instructor ever. Explains basic material during lecture and tests you with advanced problems. Took AP calc in high school and got a 5 on the exam...Although I attended every lecture and completed all the homework, I am currently bordering between a C-/D+ because of the difficult midterms. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
Avoid him at all costs. Sounds like a talk show host when he gives lectures and coughs really loudly directly into mic. Questions on tests are a twisted weird version of what he teaches in class. if you must take this class, GO TO CLAS!
The pluses - organized; cheap text (u choose); `class webpage' full of stuff (videos, evals, wierd rules) Minuses - 500(!) students; he's excited - we're bored; truly hard hwk & exams, `practice midterms' waste of time
this guy just doesnt know how to teach, he,s boring, the tests arent anythng like the homework, we have to buy an expensive book but we never used it. do not get him for math 3b do ur best to avoid him.
Notes very hard to understand. Difficult tests. HARD!
This professor is HORRIBLE. You NEED to take CLAS to understand the concepts presented in class. His midterms/final are also tricky versions of the way you should do the problem, so everyone got bad grades. Homework was due monday, and he taught you what you needed to know to do it on Friday, so noone could ask questions to TA's/CLAS
This is probably the worst teacher in the math department. While he teaches alright, he then makes his tests 10X harder. He gives practice tests but they are of little help as he then goes and gives you a test that is not like the practice test at all. TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE...gives pop quizzes after he tells you its ok to fall asleep...JUST BAD!
The questions on the exam were asked in such a confusing manner that it was difficult to understand what he was getting at. The curve was very generous because very few people did well.
By far the worst experience I have ever had. He is horrible and expects you to be able to derive every thing rather than doing the problem itself. He comes up with the most confusing and horrible ways of explaining, although he is really smart, he is impossible. DO NOT TAKE HIM.
One of the WORST professors I've experienced so far. His expectations were really high, his notes and lectures were hard to follow and his test were difficult. Not to mention he himself was very rude. I got a D+ but when I retook the class with a different professor I got a B+
STAY AWAY. Had to retake this class after this guy. I got a C+ in his class and an A in the class taught by another professor. Seriously, stay away if you want to keep your sanity.
Got a B+ from this guy, then took it again (w/ Hilbert) and got a D. So I guess he's OK. Warning: scanned midterm answer sheets and didn't tell anybody {:-O{
Best professor ever!!! If you actually want to learn something, take him! He is super organized and very helpful. You have to do the work though.
His lectures are really boring, but since its math, its always boring. His midterms and finals are very tricky and they are worded in a way where people get confused. The hw on the webwork was long and exhausting. I suggest that you avoid this professor if you do not like math. For numbers people like myself, you can survive and get a B or up.
Midterms were kind of easy, final was harder. He's a good lecturer, writes a lot on the board which makes it easy to take notes, keeps a good balance of explaining concepts and doing example problems. Keeps it fairly interesting, which is a pretty big achievement in a math class.
He is not the most interesting lecturer plus he spends a lot of time in lecture on proofs while homework and tests are mostly applications. He puts a limit to the number of hw attempts. His first midterm was fair, but his second midterm he had to curve it because it was so hard that my grade on it went up more than 2 and a half letters.
I don't understand why Scharlemann has so many bad ratings. I thought he was awesome! His tests are fair and the one midterm that was hard he curved very generously. His lectures can get a little boring, although he does like to crack jokes every now and then. If you put the work in you will get a good grade!
Scharlemann is pretty chill and will answer your questions. Tests are curved and aren't that bad if you study.
Martin was one of the best math professors I've had. It helps a lot if you read the book, otherwise you'll be lost in lecture but his tests were NOT hard if you take the time to understand the topics. I would strongly recommend him over any other math professor.
Pretty solid math teacher. Gives lots of opportunities to ask him questions and learn the material. Unfortunately he can get boring at times during lecture, and his jokes aren't that funny. However, his tests were super easy and are curved very generously.
His tests were meh. I felt his lectures were very irrelevant, and often he wouldn't say what was necessary to learn. Essy HW, but I thought he was a little ridiculous.
Pretty boring professor but the slides help a lot. He curves. Didn't use the text book that much. Take CLAS and you'll be fine.
This professor ran through lectures taking little time to make sure students were following along. I went to office hours a number of times to only be shamed for not knowing the material well enough. Tests are not unbearably hard but don't expect to have any leeway with grading. One of the most discouraging math professors I have ever had.
This is an absolutely ridiculous class. This professor was so difficult I wanted to cry after every exam. His tests were like constipated fire and they were curved just about as much as my ruler.
Run while you still can. The tests are extremely difficult and hard to finish. There's absolutely no mercy in the grading and there's barely a curve. Don't expect to get a good grade even if you feel like you know the material well, because this professor is awful. Everything he says is overcomplicated and hard to understand.
Do not take this professor for Math 4A. The disparity between what he teaches, what is in the textbook and what he tests you on is quite ridiculous. Be sure to know each and every definition, theorem and every possible method conceived by man if you want to even think about passing this class. He put me off math for a while, it was that bad.
First an easy midterm, then the drop deadline, then a killer second midterm. But I wore the tin-foil hat, like he says in the syllabus, and did OK (thanks to a great curve). Besides tin-foil, he has a thing about headlamps. I didn't wear one of those. Don't waste your time on the field trips, really.
I'm surprised to see this many low ratings! He's the fourth math professor I've had here, and I think he's pretty good. Lots of helpful examples in lectures and fair tests. If the test wasn't fair, he admitted it and gave a big curve to compensate. The homework is super chill - like 12 problems a week. His lectures can be amusing, too.
Such A horrible professor. all he does is go over proofs in lecture. It is true a lot of math professors dont know how to teach.
Reading the other reviews actually made me submit my first RMP rating ever. This class is not difficult. Martin is not the best (or good lecturer). What he is, is a very fair tester and grader. HW is 12 mental math problems a week. Cake. Final was two midterms with different numbers and last two weeks new material. CLAS + doing book problems A.
He's fairly good at explaining ideas and concepts, and if you pay attention it will definitely make sense. His tests are really difficult considering the homework he gives is a joke (usually 10-20 problems). Even a lot of the book problems are easier than his test questions. Go to CLAS at least once a week and office hours and maybe you'll get a B.
Pretty clear professor and his tests are not too hard as long as you study all of the recommended problems. I would recommend doing CLAS and going to math drop-in.
I really struggled due to the format of the class. His lectures are just him talking through ppt slides, which makes it hard to focus and see what he's doing in each problem. Note taking is next to impossible. His tests are easy though. I hardly knew what I was doing but was able to pull out decent grades because of the friendly format.
good lectures and fair grader
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
83%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.44 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH5A
5.0
(1)CS120
5.0
(1)MATH221C
5.0
(1)MATH8
4.4
(5)MATH
4.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
34B
5.0
MATH3
5.0
MATH145
4.5
MATH3A
4.3
MATH3B
4.1