1.7
Quality3.9
Difficulty36%
Would Retake94
Reviews36%
Would Retake
94
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
2
4
7
3
9
2
23
1
53
What Students Say
“I spent a lot of time outside class reteaching myself in ways I'd best remember the subjects”
TOPICS - 3.0 rating“Fan your effort, he will greatly reward you”
MATH1028 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
35%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.80 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH030
4.0
(1)MATH1028
3.7
(3)MATH10283
3.1
(9)MATH30613
3.0
(1)MATH20524
2.3
(3)Difficulty by Course
CAL
5.0
CALCULUS
5.0
MATH11030
5.0
TOPICS10033
5.0
APPCALC
5.0
Reviews (94)
Do not take a class from him if you do not want to teach yourself everything you need to know. Between the stupid analagies and chinese accent you can't understand anything he is trying to teach. I highly don't recommend him.
Don't take from him. He doesn't teach anything and never goes with the book. Half the time he doesn't even know what he assigned. Fan's class is just frustrating!
Prepare to teach yourself Calculus, and Chinese, cause what he does to the Enlgish language should be considered a crime. Sometimes its funny, but only when you have someone to laugh with you.
If you don't show EVERY step he will accuse you of cheating, even if it is a simple addition problem. Difficult to understand and I ended up trying to teach myself. MY ONLY F! (without that I have a 3.5 if that means anything)
URRG!! This guy is so crapy! you can't understand a word he says, he writes his own test & when you can't speak english you really can't write it! he'll take off if you dont show every step, even if he didn't show you that step. He doesn't fallow the book
he is not a very good teacher. class WOULD be easy if he taught in a manner that was easy to understand
Don't take his class if you think topics of mathimatics is easy. Maybe it's easy with other teachers, but not him. And if you don't understand what he is talking about, he will make fun of you.
can't speak english. doesn't explain well at all. makes people even more confused.
This man should not be allowed to teach. Everything you here is true. Do not take under any circumstances. Wait until Doran opens up
Horrible. Absolutely not good. Hard to understand, very unhelpful and hard tests. He's been here forever though- can't mess with him, just avoid him.
No Comments
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!!!!! You will regret it. I had to teach myself everything, he uses metaphors to describe his lessons, and he never follows the book. He's very confusing.
No Comments
Worst. Teacher. Ever. He can't speak English well, so it's easy to get confused. The material's not hard, so you can basically teach yourself, but TCU costs a bit too much to teach yourself.
He loves the material, but it's hard to understand him sometimes because English is not his first language. Be prepared to teach yourself!
If I could give him a zero I would. He is absolutely without a doubt the worst teacher ever. avoid like the plague. He canceled clas because he had Jet-Rag.
AVOID.
No Comments
if i cant cuse i cant do the man justice! AVOID!
he sucks
math is hard enough as it is, so don't try to take it from someone who can't speak english. he tries to help, but doesn't do a good job. if you take him, you'll end up at the math center or teaching yourself. he offers comedic relief and chinese proverbs. also gives 5 pts. on tests for being quiet
He is horrible! Not comprehendable, and very unhelpful!
hardest math class i've EVER taken. He doesnt speak english well and when you ask for help he tells you to "look it up on google" AVOID AT ALL COSTS
could not understand and he is very smart but does not teach
He's an adorable man, but also the worst teacher I've ever had in my life. That sounds harsh, but I feel like he should owe me $1800. There is a definite language barrier and he doesn't use correct english sentence structure. It's easy to tell he's a genius, but he can't teach worth anything.
doesnt speak or understand english very well. you will ask a question and he will never understand you. you basically have to teach yourself the course
he's smart, but needs to learn the language and how to teach. he has double standards for everything, especially grading tests, etc. if the class average is a 62, something is obviously not wrong w/ the students, it's the teacher. he needs to be fired
Easy if you pay attention and take a little initiative to learn some things on your own. He can be hard to understand sometimes because of his Chinese accent. Obviously knows his stuff, but can't always explain concepts well. Wouldn't recommend taking from him if you don't "get" math already.
This teacher is nice but living in oblivion. I thought it would be impossible for Math Topics to be hard, but I guess I was wrong. He just needs better teaching skills, because he knows the material, but his Chinese accent makes it impossible to understand what he is trying to teach.
DONT TAKE THIS CLASS IF YOU HATE MATH, IT'S A GUARENTEE TO FAIL AND RUIN AND I MEAN RUIN YOUR GPA IF YOU DO BAD!!!
He is sooooo smart, but he has no clue how to teach! I recommend not taking this class unless you want to teach yourself from the book the whole semester!
JUST LOOK AT THE NAME PEOPLE...word of advice for freshman - Take a Prof with an Anglo-Saxon name. I had to teach myself everything from the book as well as teach my chinese and english which I call "Chinglish"...very interesting dialect. Anyhoo DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS YOU WILL NOT LIVE TO REGRET IT!
This is the worst teacher I have ever had! It is a shame that someone who could be nice is so full of himself and rude. He is unfair in his grading system, and has no business teachin in college! If he makes a mistake he won't say that he was wrong he will just say that you cheated.
No Comments
I thought this class was easy, but I can see why others thought it was hard. i had calc 1 in high school, so i wouldn't recommend if you havent. he can be hard to understand and isnt very helpful. very friendly and intelligent, so if you are just taking the class to review, i recommend him. tests are basic review.
do NOT take this class unless you are some kind of genius in math. his tests have nothing to do w/ his "review" and he makes sure to make you feel like a dumba** if you don't know an answer when he calls on you in front of the class. they seriously need to fire this guy
awful...very hard to understand...teaches at an impossible pace if you havent had calc before...he is a genius but cant teach period...my worst professor by far...boooooooo!
This prof knows his stuff but doesnt teach it very well. Taught myself entirely from book. Has a heavy accent - difficult to understand at times. Helpful outside of class, but his approach is still hard to understand. Attendance taken. Tests are fair- not too bad if you understand the material. Not recommended w/out previous calc. experience
Great person willing to help anybody. His class is not that hard to pick and everything is explained in the textbook. He has communication problems with explaining some of the exercises. It is not a hard class and everybody who says that it is hard does not put effort in it. DO THE HOMEWORKS and check the examples in the texbook and you'll get A!!
Hard to understand but I gave him a fair chance. I made a 97 in precal and bombed when I came to Fan's class.
He's not a very good teacher. He's nice and awkwardly funny, but not very good. He's hard to understand at times and not very tactful. I dropped the class.
Couldn't understand him, did not know how to teach. My advisor knows the guy and told me to drop.
He is VERY smart and knows his stuff, but sometimes can't communicate concepts in a simple enough way (and no it's not because of his accent!). He is really helpful and gave our class a lot of breaks. I would not recommend his class to someone who struggles with math. Sometimes he makes really corny jokes, but it's pretty entertaining.
DO NOT TAKE! I would rather take any other class besides his. He can not explain anything if youre having problems. I've learned more from other students than him. He's also rude in class.
Very entertaining class. Doesn't have a structure/plan to what/how he teaches. His tests usually have 7 questions, and aren't hard if you are good at math. If you have trouble understanding you will probably end up teaching yourself. Only 5 homework questions. If you are good at math take it, if you struggle at all leave.
He is hard to understand at times but very funny and entertaining. I made an easy A in his class but did not learn a whole lot from him. I would suggest not taking him unless you are pretty familiar with the material already.
He is hard to understand. He makes up his own formulas. Overall a horrible teacher.
He starts teaching without any structure & creates his own methods. If you demonstrate a lack of understanding he tends to mock you. He asks the class a lot "Is that really that hard?" "I don't understand why you can't get it." He has a heavy accent. and teaches easy examples but tests very hard. I don't recommend him for anyone.
He has no plans of what lessons he wants to teach. He tells lame jokes that are sometimes irrelevant to the class. He likes to call you out in front of everyone if you do or don't understand. His English is very difficult to interpret. So is his handwriting. There is more!!
Mr. Fan is so funny and very cute! His English kept me entertained through the whole semester. He definitely has a spunky personality. I've never made good grades in math and I got a B. He explained things creatively which I appreciate. I spent a lot of time outside class reteaching myself in ways I'd best remember the subjects. Fun teacher!
Quite honestly the worst teacher I've ever taken. His tests are insanely difficult if you follow his reviews (which basically means his reviews are utterly useless). He's difficult to understand and most of the class time is spent trying to figure out how to do the homework from the previous day. Don't take him even if you want a challenge.
TERRIBLE!!!!!!!! Do not take this class!
Don't take math from Mr.Fan! He is a horrible teacher and his english is very hard to understand. If you want any help out of him you have to stalk his office all the time to actually get some help, and is also impatient when he is trying to help you one on one. I would suggest if you are taking topics of mathematics to take from another teacher.
He was very hard to understand and did not know how to teach. He would often yell at students who were taking notes. He would say "Pay attention to me! Use your INTUSION!" (attempt @ saying intuition?) He would refuse to give formulas and insisted that we use our INTUSION to figure it out. I had to teach myself from the book to pass.
The class in general is very easy if you like math. All I did was sit and doodle. It was more like a refresher for me. If you're bad at math he's really awful at explaining things. He has a thick accent and only one way of explaining things. He does take attendance and it does effect your grade.
PLEASE do NOT take his class!!! He can't comprehend that people don't know math as well as he does. He's very smart, but a BAD teacher. The upside is sometimes he tells cheesy jokes and tries to do in-class activities. So if you are stuck with this teacher, GOOD LUCK.
TOPICS IN MATH - not a fun class to go to. hard to understand what he is saying. teaches topics in hard ways to understand, gives homework every class and makes it mandatory so if you dont do it it really affects your grade. tests are SUPER hard and ALL fill in the blank so if you screw up the first step you get minus 10 points on just 1 problem!
Professor Fan is hard to understand and seems to twist everything to a weird dimension that not even friends in higher level math could understand. He also refused to cut any slack on my part when I had a death in the family which resulted in me failing his final and getting a C+ in the class. Take Kathy Coleman instead.
One of the worst teachers at tcu. He should be the first one on the firing block.
dr. fan is the worst teacher i have ever had. his topics class should've been way less complicated than he made it out to be. not to be rude, but his accent makes it even harder...try to avoid him at all costs. i spent so much money on a tutor, and only to barely pass the class after i chose to take it pass/fail.
WORST teacher i have EVER had. so awful, i spent so much money on an outside tutor and still struggled to pass. avoid him at all costs!!
The textbook is only used for one page and all the homework is online. Hard to understand what he is saying and does not explain topics clearly, says to "use your intuition" instead of providing equations. I made straight As in math in high school, struggled and was shocked that I earned a B in this class.
If you have never taken calculus before or are not a math person, DO NOT take Dr. Fan. He does not explain well or know how to teach the material and is hard to understand because of his accent. He is willing to work with you outside of class, but don't expect to be any less confused once you do.
Hard to understand and bad at explaining even the simplest of concepts. His tests tend to be way harder than the homework or quizes. Stay away if you can.
He is a completely horrible teacher. I dropped out of his class after about a month of not being able to speak Chinese and taking tests over problems we'd never done. Ridiculous.
I take his calculus class MATH 10283. He is a nice, funny, and kind guy. He is really care about his student. He usually delay the deadline for homework when most of student struggle with that. Most of my class get A! Deffitely take his class! Ask him when you need help.
Worst teacher I have ever had. Instead of learning material, he will spend the entire class going over old homeworks. If you want to do well, avoid this teacher!
Dr Fan is a really nice guy, use his office hour times, he helps you out a lot on the test. His class is pretty hard, but if you put the effort and time in to show Dr. Fan your effort, he will greatly reward you.
Even though the problems in the homework are oftentimes proofs or deal with theory, Dr. Fan devotes the vast majority of his lectures to concrete examples, leaving the student with the task of determining why he can make the move he just did. Paired with a less than stellar textbook, and you have a truly winning combination.
Pros: super nice guy, always willing to help, easy tests. Cons: does not prepare well for class, scattered lectures. Tests are taken from the homework (with slight modification of course) so the tests are really easy if you know how to do the homework. Overall, it was an easy A but I didn't learn as much as I should have.
His class formula: 1) assign work he hasn't explained, 2) you find out how to do work, 3) he counts off your grade for not doing it his way... which he never taught you. He's super nice, but super worthless as a professor.
Dr. Fan has by far been one of the worst teachers I have been acquainted with. I was a top math student in high school and am struggling to get through his class. I am going to tutoring at least 6 hours a week to be retaught the lesson that he couldn't teach in the first place. He is a really nice guy, but shouldn't be a teacher.
Please never take his class. I took it because it was the only Applied Calc class left open and thought I could survive the class even with having read all the bad reviews. Took AP Calc in high school and this was still a struggle. grades hw for accuracy. doesnt explain anything. pop quizzes every class.
Tests are only 6 questions, none of which are in lectures, or the book. Take any other teacher, this man does not know how to teach.
Horrible teacher, does not teach, just sits there and babbles on in bad english about math problems that are not on the test. DO NOT TAKE.
He's a nice guy and he tries hard, but lectures are disorganized and he struggles to explain concepts clearly. At times he's hard to understand, and you might have to teach yourself how to do some problems. Fortunately though, tests come directly from the homework assignments, so once you understand those, you'll be fine.
Really nice professor but his teaching skills are not very good. If you go in during his office hours he is actually extremely helpful. He seems to teach better one on one. He grades really easy and gives lot of partial credit. If he sees that you are trying he is always willing to help. It is a manageable class if you are willing to try,
Professor Fan is not that difficult and super helpful, you just have to ask! He gives 10 point extra credit problems on his tests, and is a pretty fair grader with homework. I'm pretty sure he curves grades at the end. I took him twice for Calc and got As both times. If you're good at math, you'll flourish with him!
Prof. Fan isn't the clearest (in terms of explaining concepts) math teacher I've ever had, but he's not bad at all. What is expected of you in class is clear.
Hard to understand and lectures are boring. Exams are much harder than homework.
Extremely tough teacher. The homework is nothing like the tests, which are extremely hard. If you already know calculus then you'll be fine, but if you need to be taught then you are on your own. Only does proofs, very little examples. Homework every night. By far the worst teacher I've ever had. Will not take him again.
If you are good at math and like to understand all concept behind the topics you learn, not only how to solve problems, then Dr Fan. He's an awesome math professor and an extremely smart guy. Expect homework every class which is very hard but will help you understand all the concepts. He gives an extra 10% on every test.
A very unclear, hard to comprehend, foreign teacher. Lectures are pointless with no clarity. He is very unorganized, problems on the board are unreadable and will eventually be written sideways. Do not take his course.
No. No. No. Rambles of concepts instead of actually teaching you HOW TO ANSWER THE PROBLEMS. Expect a class of a topic were you do not cover the topic and then have homework on the topic. Calculus II is the most difficult calculus, VERY BAD IDEA to go through it with Peng Fan. On a side note, he is quite a funny and amiable guy.
If you are not a person who likes math or is good at math, avoid at all costs. I had to learn everything in office hours which helped but was very annoying. Tests are 7 questions, no multiple choice and way harder than anything from homeworks/notes/quizzes. You do get extra credit opportunity on the final. The final was just old tests
I actually loved fan! He was super helpful outside of class so if you make the time to go to his office hours you will be perfectly fine. You really just need to know the main concepts in his class and you definitely need to make time to study from the textbook. Overall, he was a great teacher and an easy class.
Professor is not a good teacher to the class, but provides ample opportunity for office hours. That was how I scraped a B+. He understands the material, but does not apply it for you during the lecture. Be prepared to spend lots of time on the homework, because that is how you'll learn: by teaching yourself.
Best Math professor
Nice professor but does not teach at you how to do any of the problems on the homework that you have after every class. He likes to talk about the concepts but never applies them to the problems. Also does not speak good english. Only reason I got an A was because of a tutor twice a week.
His class is actually an easy A. Just do the homeworks as he gets the problems for the tests from there. His english is not the best but that makes him teach simpler and you can still understand him. He is also not a tough grader and gives you points if you know the process of solving a problem. Take him! He is a very good professor.
Actually a pretty good professor. Class in an easy high B/A is you work to understand the content. Much easier if you took high school Calc. English isn't perfect but didn't bother me too much. Definitely slept on professor and is a very generous grader in terms of partial credit on tests.
He is a very tough math professor if you didn't take calculus in high school. Most people on here saying his class was fine took calc in high school. With that being said, the best advice I can give is to show up to class because he will often give you a couple of problems that will be on the test.
so hard dont take
This was the WORST class I have taken and hopefully ever have to take at TCU. Peng Fan does not teach ANY of the content in class and expects you to understand everything. He occasionally worked out a single problem on the board and most times did the math wrong. The only reason I even passed this class was because I went to a tutor twice a week.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
35%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.80 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH030
4.0
(1)MATH1028
3.7
(3)MATH10283
3.1
(9)MATH30613
3.0
(1)MATH20524
2.3
(3)Difficulty by Course
CAL
5.0
CALCULUS
5.0
MATH11030
5.0
TOPICS10033
5.0
APPCALC
5.0