2.7
Quality3.5
Difficulty15%
Would Retake118
Reviews15%
Would Retake
118
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
27
4
14
3
17
2
27
1
33
What Students Say
“He is a very smart man but has no respect for his students”
MATH2101 - 2.0 rating“The professor often trailed off topic and is very difficult to understand”
MATH1001 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
69%
Textbook Required
33%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.13 avg changeRatings by Course
TRIG
5.0
(1)MATHCALC
5.0
(1)MATHD
5.0
(1)CALCI
4.7
(3)CALCII
4.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
A2101
5.0
ALGEBRA1111
4.2
1101
4.0
PRECAL
4.0
CALC1501
4.0
Reviews (118)
Dr. Zabdawi is the best teacher I've ever had! I could learn anything from him. If you must take Calculus at Gordon College, just make sure that you ask for him by name.
Dr. Zabdawi was the best professor I've ever hard. He is very organized and clear. He gives every student every possible opportunity not simply to pass and not even succeed but rather excell in his field.
His a funny professor! Gives you many times to pass his class as he can. Would take him again if I could.
A good professor, but not as good as Lewellen for hardcore math/science. Occasionally he goes to fast, but explains concepts well. Friendly also.
great teacher... first two test where take home!! He expains very well! worth taking
he is a great math teacher. he will do everything he can so you can pass his class. many of our tests were take home.
Very Good teacher! Test are somewhat confusing, multiple choice test, only scantron counts. Homework and attendence help out alot in here! survived and Earn a B!! worth taking:O)!!
Dr. Zabdawi is an awesome professor. He gives every opportunity to succeed in his class. Calculus was very tough, but with homework counting as a grade and giving one take home test this semester he wants his students to do the best. He gives you every chance to make a good grade in his class. I made an 89 in his class. HIghly recommended!
HE HAS A TEMPER. DOES NOT LIKE TO REPEAT ANYTHING IN CLASS TO HELP YOU.
Students do not make the grades here -he GIVES them the grades based on take home tests. He wants his grades to appear higher than other math teachers so that he can get tenure.That is why he has so many favorable comments posted.This professor has his best interest, not yours, at heart.
He goes very fast and the faster he talks the more he lowers his voice
Dr. Zabdawi is an excellent professor. He is very organized and professional. He is always willing to help students in and out of class.
a great math teacher. I had him for Calc I last year. I had to work hard for my grade.. Yes he does give two take homes, but his take owns are much harder then in class test are. he excepts you to earn your grade. Homework and attendence count and I think it should!! Recommended if you have to take calc I and II you won't be wasting your money lol!
Terrible teacher. He knows what he's talking about (I assume) but no one else does because you can't understand him!! Not only is his accent thick but he talks 90 mph. Don't ask him to repeat something, he'll get pissed off. Not very helpful at all.
He is horrible. He talks really fast…you have to attend every single class. He talks ½ point for not being in class for the whole average. It seems like he knows his stuff but no one understands him. He tries to make things easy, but it doesn’t work and he makes every one confused.
Despite the reckless and baseless charges listed on this website, Dr. Z is the man! You can learn a lot from Dr. Z, not just math. Make sure you listen in class, and are not taking a class that you are not prepared for; it really slows things down, and has the potential to irritate Dr. Z. I highly recommend him.
He explains/shows how to solve a problem so fast that you'll get lost. Also, he'll spend a very long time expalining how a formula is derived but hardly anytime at all on how to apply it. Although, he has an extreme amount of knowledge of Math and if he'd find a way to simplify his methods he'd be awesome. Also, his website can be very helpful.
Dr. Z has a tendency to talk fast. He also had a tendency to pick a favorite girl. He is a nice teacher, but you have to work hard to keep up and understand. You will work hard for your grade. And if you need help you better go see him before the test!
Dr. Z is an excellent professor. He makes sure that everyone in class fully undestands the concepts. He is very helpful in the office, and he gives fun projects as applications to the theory. His grading is very fair, and the HW is never a burden. He even helps the class with the HW. He is awesome, and I strongly recommend him.
This is one of the worst professors that I have ever had. He thinks that he is better than everyone else. He doesn't listen to his students and hates repeating himself. The first day of class he said he was NEVER late. He was late every day that semester. Worst. Don't take him.
Dr. Z was a TERRIBLE professor! He thought that he was perfect & that he was always right about everything. If he screwed something up, he would say that it was because he stayed up to late the night before. Dont give me that crap! I dreaded class EVERY DAY. Im a good math student & I made an A in the class but I had to work my butt off to get it.
VERY HARD!!! HE is very accent thick and expects you to do everything his way. He tells you one thing and does another. He is nice, but unless all you want to do is math, do NOT take him!!!!!!!!!
No Comments
Not a good professor at all!! Can't understand nothing he's saying or writing!!! He gets very mad when you don't understand his teaching techniques which are a complete MESS!!!
I have never had a problem with math in the past, and I signed up to take his class thinking that it was be easy, because of the level it was, but I was wrong. It isn't that it wasn't easy, but he is very frustrating, speaks in a low voice and very quickly. He might be okay to take for a 50 minute class, but not longer
Excellent teacher. Very strict, but cares about his students and makes sure that everyone understands the material. I highly recommend him.
Great would take him again anytime!!!!! Test are really easy!!!
If your looking for someone to teach you forgetit.He can't explain things he is to worried about impressinng you with how fast he can write on the board. Which is why you cant read his hand writing.You better already know it because he won't teach it!
Best Math professor I've ever had.
Excellent professor. Always prepared, uses interactive powerpoint presentations. Helps with HW in and out of class. Very considerate and professional. I waited a whole semester to take him again; he is awesomne.
Best professor at Gordon College
Dr. Z is the hottest thing i have ever seen. he also really funny and a good teacher.
Dr. Z is a very smart man that isn't a great teacher. The way he explains things can be extremely confusing and if you question him he can get aggravated very quickly. There is good news though, the tests are all multiple choice and he drops your lowest test grade making it difficult to fail the class. Don't expect an A to come easily though.
Dr. Z should also be a philosopher- he will teach you a lot about life. Math.. err, not so much. He doesn't explain very well and will get frustrated when you don't understand. But he is a very nice guy, considerate guy and I enjoyed his class.
Dr. Z is funny and incredibly smart...but he is a HORRIBLE professor. He's the kind of person that needs to be doing a 'real' job, not teaching college. He gets frustrated easily when you ask questions, and he often tries to show off his knowledge by going way off subject and it just confuses everyone.
Best professor I've ever had. I strongly recommend him.
HORRIBLE TEACHER.Would not wish this class on anyone. He would get mad if you did not understand him and did not like for you to ask questions.Math is not one of my better subjects and he did not helpthat at all.
Awsome professor. Math was not my area, and I always had problems with Math, but he made it easy and appealing. I got a B in his class; I srongly recoomend him.
This was a hard class...He went over homework in class. You must go to class or else you will loose points.
This class was okay as far as easiness... But he is not professional at all. He picks favorites and during one of our exams he "grazed" a students face and told her how "precious" she was... eerie
Best Professor at Gordon College. I strongly recommend him for every student who really wants to learn.
This is a difficult class but if you do the home work and really study you will be o.k. He does grade homework but he goes over problems in class. You will get points taken off your grade if you don't show up. Posts sample exams for students to look at and study. He goes really fast so pay attention and ask questions if you don't get something.
His class is really hard!! I had him for pre-calculus. If you need extra help he has office hours where he will help you.
Nice teacher. You really learn from him whenever he goes over homework, which he gives every night. He has a strong accent and talks a little fast sometimes so you have to pay attention. He also gives you a great cushion to help your grade out at the end of the semester. His tests are usually short and simple, no tricks.
I came to class only to get my attendance points and then went home and self taught myself. He goes off topic so much, is extremely difficult to understand because of his accent, and his handwriting is deplorable. He would tell us our test would be one day and then come in trying to give us the test early. Highly intelligent, but terrible teacher.
Best professor at Gordon College. He is awesome.
If you do all of the homework assignments and read each chapter assigned then it is an easy A. But this is basically a teach yourself course. I did great in his class, but didn't understand one thing he said the whole semester. He is strict with his attendance policy, you have to initial your name on a sheet each class. Makes for easy bonus points.
At times he's arrogant; he gets on his soapbox sometimes and gets off topic. He tends to forget when he scheduled a test, and swore the entire class was lying..don't really know what that's about. I hate math and I got a B, but I also actually tried. He is very straight-forward, tells you what you have to do to pass, and if you do it, you will.
Very hard to understand, talks to softly and writing small and unclear. Tests are from study guides. Tries to get his point across but doesn't. Gives points for attendance. Drops lowest test, only because everyone failed!
I have nothing nice to say about this person!
Dr. Z can be boring, and he does rant a bit, but he goes over the material very thoroughly. I am a weak math student and managed a B. Show up to class even if you can't pay attention-his attendance policy can hurt you at the end of the semester if you are not careful.
He drops your lowest test grade and lets you take one home but, he has a very distintive accent that is hard to understand. He talks really fast and acts arrogant when you try to ask for help. I had to get a tutor. Choose another teacher.
Diff Eq is a fun class. Zabdawi can be hard to understand, but the class is not impossible to make an A in. Sit towards the front and pay constant attention to him. He likes this and will try to help you more if you are always participating and asking questions. He allows a sheet of paper on the final for formulas.
You can not understand a word he says. He talks fast with a really bad accent. Very nice guy but I couldn't understand him.
Hard to understand
He knows what he is talking about, but does not know how to explain it. He goes way too fast for everyone to understand, and gets upset when you ask him to slow down.
He can teach, but he can't explain very well. He writes small and its all bunched together. He speaks very fast and most of the time you can't understand what he is saying. He tries to have a sense of humor but its smart. Although, he adds 10 pts to your grade for attendance and he usually does at least one take home. Overall he isn't that great!
He's a pretty good teacher, but you do have to do some of the work and STUDY, if you don't you will fail. Just go to class and listen he goes over test material and even gives you a practice test, what more could you want? Will be taking him again for pre-calc.
Taking Zabadawi is a gamble. You have to make good grades early on the first or second test. One of the tests is a Take home test and you can cheat on it as long as you don't use the Success center at Gordon, or any of the other profs. 2 last tests r hard so be careful!
Ok, I like Dr. Z, and I think he enjoys teaching and really tries to teach to the best of his ability. That said, I couldn't follow anything that was happening in class, he would spend a lot of time on simple things people should already know, and almost no time on new concepts. Luckily I'm great at math, so the class was an easy A for me.
His accent is so bad I can't understand anything that he says. He does drop the lowest test grade and one of our test was take home. I had to teach myself though.
He knows what he is talking about, but when it comes to explaining it, he is terrible. He moves far too quickly and just assumes everyone already knows all the material. He certainly does not like it when you ask him to slow down or go back and review. He does give one take home test, but it's still not easy. Attendance is part of your grade.
He's not very clear or concise. Also,his grading on extra credit projects appears rather arbitrary. It's a pretty easy A overall though, 10% of the grade is attendance, 70% is quizzes, and 20% is a killer final. If you make a 70 or better on the final he adds 3 points to your total grade. I hope to not take him again :)
I can tell that he is an awsome business man, very well rounded. He knows his math for sure however, he is unable to communicate the information to the students effectivly. I certainly accept my responsibility as a student but he is tough. I like him as a person but not as a professor. He is just plain tough....straight with no chaser!!!!
Dr. Z is really a good teacher, but he goes so fast and if you struggle with math, that makes it even harder. Attendance is not mandatory, but you get 5 points addede to your grade fro being there everyday. He is fair and his tests are directly from his practice quizes. Hes really not a bad teacher at all, he knows what he is teaching and it works!
His teaching style is very complicated. I attended class every session, my tests grade average was an overall A, the final was so difficult that I landed a B. I'm disappointed, because I worked extremely hard. My final grade was a B. Well I have to add this was the hardest earned B in my entire college history. Only the strong will survive!!!!
If you are exceptional in math then take him otherwise don't waste your time or your money!!!! He is a GPA buster.
His tests are from the book he adds 5points for attendance and 3if you make a 70+on the final. if you ask a question he acts like your stupid. he scolded one woman for not being there when the material was covered even though she was. he likes to rant abt issues that arent related to math like over population and how we need to control our breading
Dr. Z knows his math but he is not a good professor. He talks very low and fast. You cant understand what he is saying. He drops the lowest test grade and gives a take home exam. Attendaance is not mandatory but he gives 5 extra points if you do not miss a day. Overall he gives the information but does not explain it well at all.
I had a very hard time in this class because of how fast he teaches. He is very hard to understand, and does not answer questions very well. He actually gets irratated when people asks questions that he has "covered". Not recommended unless you are very good at math.
Best Professor at Gordon State College. He really cares about the student, and gives us every possible opportunity to succeed.
Best professor I've ever had. He does all of the HW on the board, and gives us practice test prior to every exam; he even drops the worst exam. His lectures are state of the art, camera ready power-point presentations.
Hard to understand. He mumbles and talks really fast. And is one of those :my way or the highway" teachers when it comes to showing your work. He will show you 4 different ways to come up with the right answer but expects you to know which method he wants you to use. If it weren't for learning everything in high school i would not have passed.
Math is not my subject, but I aced his class. He is a bit quirky, but he's extremely helpful. He even allowed us to bring a cheat sheet with all the formulas with us to the tests and the final exam. Put the necessary time in to your notes and you can't miss.
Dr Z is a brilliant professor, but he seems to struggle explaining it to people. It's almost like he is surprised when people don't understand it, because to him it is easy. I love math, but he never explained why we were doing things, he just tried to do the problem as quickly as possible to convey how smart he was to the class. Which, you couldn't read his illegible handwriting either. Take a professor that doesn't try to intimidate you & actually teaches rather than solely working book probs.
He is very hard to understand, and he talks very fast. HE knows what he is talking about but most of my classmates don't. He also doesn't like going back to review, he likes reviewing at his own speed. Also, this guy cannot write. His handwriting is very sloppy. People always have to ask what he wrote. Upside: open book test and one take home test
I took him for Statistics, and he was not good at explaining the material. He has a very strong accent and he does not have legible handwriting. He speaks very fast so I would not suggest this class to anyone who has a hard time in math
He is not explanatory when asking questions in class. He has a very strong accent which usually does not bother me but he also talks very fast and is hard to understand. Seems to get frustrated when asked questions by students. Offers help by stopping by his office but barely has time open.
Probably the worst teacher you will ever have. I made a high B, but that was because of prior knowledge. If you are smart you will make a good grade and I you are ignorant you will make a bad one. I regret taking his class because it made me not want to be an engineer. also hard to understand and grades homework too hard.
Best professor I've ever had at GSC. I've learned a lot from him and especially from the assigned projects. He is tough, but very fair, always willing to help, and still the best.
Dr. Z is the ultimate business man. He is always spiffy/dressed up and quite professional in his lectures. He gives you real case business scenarios in his problems and lectures. I've learned a lot from him He is definitely not easy with the grade, but you learn a lot from him. If you are looking for an easy A, then he is not he prof. for you.
Excellent Professor. He knows the material.
He knows his material well, but does not know how to teach it. I went to class almost everyday and took thorough notes, and still hard a really tough time in his class. The only good thing is that he will drop your lowest test grade.
He knows his stuff, but doesn't know how to teach. At all.
He knows his material, but doesn't know how to explain it well. Uses the same examples over & over again. He gets off subject A LOT about things we clearly don't care about. His handwriting is NOT clear, it's hard to read it & pay attention when he stays off the subject of math. I've made A's in both my college math classes & I would not recommend
DO NOT TAKE ANY CLASS WITH THIS TEACHER!!!! Very difficult to understand and very unclear teaching ways. I would not recommend anyone to take this class. I cant emphasize enough how horrible of a teacher he is.
I saw a lot of people saying he knows what he's doing but doesn't know how to get it to the students. I didn't understand it til I took the course. He encourages you to ask questions. He knows what he's doing and wants you to understand it. He gives you lots of old tests and quizzes to study with and really wants his students to pass :)
If you're going to Gordon, you're going to run into more than one professor who is hard to understand. Dr. Z is one of them. His handwriting is also terrible. That being said, he is a great professor. He knows what hes talking about and if you're going to take statistics, take Dr. Z! Its not even a math class, its how to course on calculators.1010
He is a very smart man but has no respect for his students. He said since we are not math or science majors taking "hard" math classes like calculus, algebra and precalculus then we should do well in his class. He goes fast and tells students how stupid they are when they ask questions or have him repeat something (you cannot understand him).
I can't stand this class. I am an all A student and received a B in this class. Cannot understand half of the stuff he says. His tests are confusing, he words them in a way that he knows will confuse you, and he only gives 4. Also don't count on homework and quizzes to bring your grade up, there are none. The only grades you get are tests and final
Dr. Zabdawi's lectures can be fast-paced. Every minute of his lecture time is accounted for, so don't ask too many questions during class. Otherwise, if you visit him in his office, he can be more helpful, but he'll just repeat his lecture. His tests and homework are very fair and clear-cut. There will be homework every week, but not a lot.
The professor often trailed off topic and is very difficult to understand. If you like cars, he is obsessed with talking about Mercedes Benz. Many examples are unclear, and test are pretty straightforward. Attendance is counted and he doesn't care if he leaves your grade at 69.9.
Very very hard. First and only D i ever made.
He's a very fast teacher. You look down to do something on the calculator and he's already done with it and then you're behind. I missed one day and got behind on 3 lessons. He's very hard to understand and so is his writing. Would not recommend this teacher.
Very fast talker and ask if you understand then doesn't give time to answer and moves on. His accent makes it hard to understand him at times especially when he talks fast. Only grades that go in are the test which are about 4 not including the final exam. Study is the key in here!!!!
I'm so happy that I am done with his class. He was the worst math teacher, I have ever had. His lectures were fast. I'm disappointed that I received a D in his class instead of a B or C. His tests were hard in my opinion. Btw he does not put grades in the grade book. Sooo Good luck !! :)
You have to go to all his classes to receive an extra 3 points to your final grade! Its really hard to understand him but you can manage! Make sure you pay attention to his lectures! His tests are a little difficult so you have to know the material. He gives one take home test which gives you a chance to make 100 on it. Passed his class with a B
Its important that you attend class because he does provide extra credit points that will help you pass his class. He is hard to understand but you have to work on the material outside of class to pass. He drops the lowest grade and provides you with a take home exam! DO NOT SLACK OFF OR YOU WILL FAIL
Dr. Z is an amazing teacher! he talks kind of fast but its a basic math class, gives one take home test which is an easy A. Honestly recommend him! gives a lot of examples for each problem. Easy A class!
Just not a good teacher. His lectures are so hard to follow and his handwriting is terrible. Im pretty good at math, but this is the first time that I made a C in a math class. Would not recommend to take his class.
Dr. Zabdowi is a very nice and caring individual. However, his method of teaching may be difficult to comprehend for his first-year students due to his lectures being semi-confusing. But, Dr. Z is always willing to help if you have any questions! His class is structured into 4 Tests; The lowest is dropped, and one is a guaranteed take home.
Chooses to use PowerPoints to teach, which is fine. However, deviating from the lesson entirely and using an entirely differently and more complicated method than what is presented on the PowerPoints and then basing assessments on methods not taught can be cause for confusion.
His accent is hard to get used too. It is hard to read his handwriting but will rewrite something if you need him too. If you do not understand something he will help you till you understand it. He can confuse you sometimes during the lecture. The main thing is to talk to him about what you do not understand and come to class and take good notes.
worse experience of my life
His accent can be very confusing honestly, and his handwriting is even worse. If your class isn't taking notes or interested he will start explaining again because he thinks you don't understand. There are 6 tests, but they are pretty easy. If you do bad on these tests you will fail because your grade relies almost completely on them.
Possibly the worst math teacher I have ever had. He manages to make simple things like plugging numbers into the quadratic equation look like hes deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. You have absolutely no time to even attempt the problems by your self and if you try to figure out the next step by yourself, he gets 12 steps ahead of you.
If you have any desire to like or understand math, do not take this processors class. He does everything online through Pearsons and his lectures just consist of him showing off how quickly he can complete problems rather than teaching the material. Look for a different professor; one who actually wants to help their students succeed.
not taking again! if youre not good at math, wouldnt recommend. his handwriting is hard to understand and i ended up teaching myself most of the content.
Heavy accent and bad handwriting makes it hard to understand him. Teaches from powerpoints, but the method the powerpoint uses seems completely different than what he does on the board. Goes very fast so it's impossible to keep up with what he does, but he does re-do stuff if you have a question. Overall, worst class I have ever taken.
absolutely terrible. does NOT speak english, talks to the white board, and calls you out when youre sick. the worst and hardest class ive ever taken. 11/10 would NOT recommend
His class is very difficult but I am not very good at math. Ive had him online and in person and I definitely prefer his online class. You will need to buy Webassign or Pearson Mymathlab. The books are included. He doesnt spend much time going over things so you either understand or you dont. This was a hard environment for me to learn in.
Professor Zabdawis class is not best for those who struggle with math. He moves very fast, but offers a space for questions or concerns. My only concern with his class was that the final was weighted heavy and it covered certain things we did not learn during class. No matter what grade you maintained, if you fail the final the class.
Asynchronous class, so you have a bit of freedom for schedule. Unless he makes a mistake and doesn't post an assignment until a day or two before it is due. Who cares if your schedule is full those two days? Will assign homework over break, but won't post it right away or tell you when it is posted. It will be more HW than you've had all semester.
You can't understand the professor and when he deomstrates how to work out a problem its ver sloppy and you cant read what it says.
DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR!!!!!! IT DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU ARE GOOD OR BAD AT MATH. This professor is one of the worst professors I've ever had. He will not help you in any shape or form. You cant even understand him, I was a freshman so I got stuck with him, if i could've changed i would've
I'm taking his online precal class. The semester isn't even over yet and he assigns so much homework with a ton of problems! My current assignment has 72 questions and is due BEFORE the next exam! The last one I had was 50 questions. The only good thing is that he only proctors the final exam but I definitely wouldn't take this class again.
I took his online Calc 1 class and it was a disaster. He has no lectures anywhere and expects students to learn from two different textbooks and Khan Academy videos that he links. It's so simple to just record lectures for each topic. I don't know how he thinks learning from textbooks is acceptable, but I would not take him or the class again.
Ok teacher. As long as you are a self-learner, you should be ok. Be prepared for lots of homework.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
69%
Textbook Required
33%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.13 avg changeRatings by Course
TRIG
5.0
(1)MATHCALC
5.0
(1)MATHD
5.0
(1)CALCI
4.7
(3)CALCII
4.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
A2101
5.0
ALGEBRA1111
4.2
1101
4.0
PRECAL
4.0
CALC1501
4.0