2.2
Quality3.1
Difficulty14%
Would Retake91
Reviews14%
Would Retake
91
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
7
4
11
3
16
2
30
1
27
What Students Say
“I feel bad about giving him such a low rating but I think it's accurate”
MATH266 - 1.0 rating“Office hours are useless, he doesnt do well in 1-on-1”
MATH267 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
8%
Textbook Required
82%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.48 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH421
4.0
(1)MATHK
4.0
(1)MATH166
3.1
(13)140
3.0
(1)MF
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
140
5.0
MATHN
5.0
TRIG142
5.0
MATH266
4.2
MTH151
4.0
Reviews (91)
Awesome prof. nice guy. lots of examples. not lazy. excellent overall
Very poor teacher, couldn't teach a dog to bark
horrible teacher...never went to class and still got an A...easiest prof ever...
Best math teacher I've had. Explains everything well, no tricks on tests.
If your having trouble in Calc...definitely try to get this guy. Great teacher
Do his practice exams! they're exactly like the regular exams. Lets you use calculator and sheet of notes for calc 2 exams.
No Comments
practice tests/quizzes are almost identical to actual ones. has pretty clear explanations for most problems
Hated the lectures, quizzes were almost the same as the practice quizzes.
Easy if you try. Doesn't throw too much at you.
Kramer's cool. The people who were having trouble apparently got a lot out of his lectures. I understood the material well and was often too lazy to go to class, but still got an A, so he grades based on performance, which is great.
Easy A, but don't plan to get much out of the class. If you can perform well on the practice tests, you are guaranteed to do well on the tests.
gives the best practice tests ever
This guy's practice and real exams are very similar. Even though actual "learning" seems to be an option, b/c it is easy to get an A, you can learn alot from his lectures.
Easiest yet most boring class ever.
He does a poor job teaching the subjects and can barely explain himself when speaking. Just don't like his teaching style.
He is the absolute worst math teacher I have had. He is very unorganized when he puts things on the board. Granted differential equations is a tough class, he doesn't make it any easier though.
I also think he is the worst math teacher ever. His lectures are ridiculous, he makes lots of mistakes and is quite boring. His tests are way too long, and he doesn't give those practice tests anymore, so you're on your own. I would not recommend taking this class to anyone.
This guy is 100% the worst math teacher dead or alive. Woe to the soul who takes his class. Heed these words, and take them to heart. P.S. If you do get stuck in here, you better have a really big eraser....cuz lecture is 20% teaching and 80% correcting mistakes makes.
Here is a vrey bright man, but he was not meant to teach students. He cannot relate the material very well. He makes many things overly complicated. Do not take this class with him unless you have to, there are good teachers available for this challenging subject.
online couse is near impossible maple ta sucks
No Comments
Recieved an A in the class, yet i feel short changed. I would have liked a professor that had had a good grasp of the material, along with a better understanding of student's needs. Many headaches from this man, aviod at all costs.
Sucks at teaching, spent half the class correcting his mistakes, does not prepare you for the tests, my TA did a better job of explaining the concept then he ever did in class, half way through the semester the class was takinjg frequent naps because he is soooooo boring and hard to listen to
This guy is terrible, he makes an otherwise easy course difficult by doing things the most complicated way possible, its hard to not throw things at him in class, you'll know what i mean if you get stuck with this guy. Worst teacher i have EVER had in my life, avoid at all costs.
No Comments
This class had me pantomiming stabbing my eyes out every time I went. Makes simple math errors that have to pointed out by the class, writes stuff on the board and then says "Well, this'll be long, and you know how to do it, so I'm not going to do it, the answer is (answer)."
I don't think i learned anything from this class. The professor is very unhelpful. When you ask him questions he mubbles and you are never quite sure what he says. The general theme for this class and the professor is "Pretty much sucks!" Avoid him at all costs.
No Comments
Complete useless...mumbles on and on about high-brow mathematics that no one is ever going to need...
crappy teacher, never take him.
this guy messes up more than i did in kindergarten. i would never take him again.
It is definitely not necessary to go to this class. I went occassionally just to see what section we were on and what the recitation quizzes would be over. I taught myself Calc 2 the entire semester and my grade does not reflect his teaching. He stammers so much during lecture and messes up examples that are written directly in the book.
this guys was SOOOO useless he already gets it and does not feel the need to exaplin whatsoever he and the book are useless the book doesn't show you hardly anything and he teaches right out of the book and doens't explain either GET OUT OF HIS CLASS!
Class is completely optional all he does is go over examples in the book that you could do yourself. You'll be clueless on homework until recitation for the TA to answer questions. Extra credit before test is nice, but other than that the class is incredibly boring.
This guy is real nut.He is hard to follow in class because of his fast talking and constant stuttering.Always proving theroms which is not any help.When he does attempt a problem on the board he flies through them using methods learned in higher class and doesnt explain why he did that.worst of all he completely messes up problems on a dayly basis.
This class freaking sucked. The professor is an idiot. Not only does he not make any sense during lecture, he just throws up formulas and expects you to know them. No help at all and when you go in to talk to the guy, deadpan, nothing. Even with a tutor, it is extremely difficult. So unless you're a mathmatical genius, seriously good luck.
Rich Kramer ayez was not a too good Prof. He demanded a lot of an online class, that was easy, but he refused to round my final grade up from A- to A, and the margin was off by .01 % !!!!!!!!
not so helpful,dont care
horrible.
Worst prof ever. I've never talken calc before, and it was impossible to figure it out when he assumed everyone had a prior knowledge even though there were no prerequisites. And whats up with the comb-over.
He is a good teacher. He tries to be very clear with what he is saying, and he is really good about asking for questions after explaining everything.
I took Calc in HS and I still remember the majority of it, so I just needed to attend class to remind myself of the steps. I thought the class was easy. The kid that sat beside me had no previous experience with Calc and had a really hard time with the class. If you have a strong math background or have taken calc, take him; otherwise don't.
Overall, I felt that Professor kramer was a good teacher. However, it is important that the student cares about working some things out themself. He won't necessarily spoon feed students, but is happy to answer questions.Chances are others have the same questions you do, so don't be afraid to ask.
Prof. Kramer isn't too bad. He's a bit lazy and just uses the examples out of the book, but explains things well enough that you can usually pick up on them. He will go over problems, but does often make mistakes (usually the students can spot them no problem). I actually don't mind this guy and I would take him again.
Had for differential Equations. Just proves theorems which are useless for the test and homework. He's kind of lazy but his class is easy. No homeworks or quizzes.he posted practice exams which had almost identical problems as the exam. Speaks english as a native language which is more than can be said about most profs teaching upper level math
worst math teacher ever! I went to lecture for the 1st week and stopped after that. Homework is graded on completion instead of how many you get right so thats nice and old tests are exactly the same as the new ones! Easy class if you have some knowledge of calc but dont count on him to teach you anything!
Professor isn't great but class is easy. Homework is easy points, and old tests are about the same as the actual ones. Extra credit for knowing section number on tests. He is pretty boring in lecture. My TA for this class was horrible, and they are the ones who really end up teaching the material since recitation each week is mandatory.
Awful teacher. Gives nothing to review before tests, and just does examples already in the book. Worst teacher I have had yet in college.
He is a terrible teacher with a lack of common hygiene.
Classes aren't mandatory, however, you have a better chance of succeeding if you go. Professor is a complete waste of time, and don't bother going to his office either b/c you will feel even MORE confused! My TA was really good, but it is difficult to teach 2 days of lecture in 45 minutes of recitation. Good Luck and get a tutor!
Completely worthless. I got more out of figuring it out on my own then ever going to class. I thought the class itself was super easy. I always got all the homework problems right and though the test problems were just as easy. But I ended up with a C+ not sure what was up with that?!
Very intelligent, you can learn a lot if you don't act like a tool and actually show up to class. There's alot more good than bad about this professor so don't pay attention to the haters!
Seriously the worst teacher ever. drop the class asap. I seriously think my dog could teach better than him.
Class is pointless. He just does examples from the textbook. Has pop quizzes. Worthless teacher. Learned mostly from the book
Poor teacher. Does only long, obscure and unnecessary proofs. Once took whole class working one problem that he never finsished.
Horrible. he says in class the textbook is wrong, however does not push for it so everyone learns wrong material, impossible to work with, very closed minded. messes up frequently in class when doing examples from the book where they SHOW you how to do it however he still finds a way to mess them up. good luck if you take any class taught by kramer
Awful. Teacher does examples from the book only. Recitation instructors are Math Grad students and are awful as well. Complete waste of time and money.
Sometimes covers the same content for several days in a row. Cannot get concepts across. Has difficulty getting through one step of a proof without either second-guessing or becoming confused. Difficult to follow. Does not tell students which topics are important.
If you are in his section, switch out as soon as you can. If you can't, get a tutor immediately. His lectures are beyond useless, he makes the most basic of concepts overly-complicated and you will learn nothing from the lecture. Most people in the class end up falling asleep or playing angry birds.
Have to correct his work at least 4 times a class, takes the entire lecture to do a example that is not on the test, boring ass lecture, HUGE curve.
I heard bad things about his class but it honestly wasn't bad at all. He's pretty intelligent and class isn't hard. If you had prior knowledge in calculus, class is an easy A. Recitation is required but useless, don't expect to learn much there.
Prof Kramer is awful. If you have to take this class, get a tudor! He does NOT know how to teach at all. Going to class made me more confused than anything else. He is all over the place and makes many mistakes, hates when people asks questions and rarely answers them. Also half the class failed and there was no curve!!
He is awful... don't take his class
I used all of my previous knowledge to pass this class from high school. If I hadn't taken pre clac and Intro to clac in high school I would have struggled a lot. He does not teach very well, you are better off teaching yourself from the book. Quizes or tests every Friday.
Class was cake if you had background knowledge in calculus. Recitation was required and boring, plus the TAs are really particular about the way you write things. Practice exams are exact same as real exams.
Worst prof. I have had at the university. I taught myself everything I learned in the class. He could hardly to simple math problems correctly on his own. If its possible take the class with any other instructor!
He was terrible! I went to tutoring 3 times a week just to get by! He hardly ever does the problems correctly the first time. He gives a slight curve at the beginning of the semester and drops your lowest two quizzes but does not curve any more than that at the end! Awful Teacher!!! If you can take it with someone else I would!!!
Extremely hard to pay attention to. Does not explain material well at all. Makes numerous errors while explaining in lecture.
Awful teacher. During lecture he goes over the problems that are explained in the book, and doesn't explain things thoroughly. He has a lack of concern for the students.
Class was somewhat difficult, lectures were quite boring and taught myself mostly through the textbook. Only perk is that Professor is kind of hot.
Class was very easy. I was worried about calculus since I had not taken math for three years prior, but he explains material very well and works out numerous problems.
He's just all around terrible. He can't explain anything well and he only copies down the same problems that are already worked out in the book.
One of the most boring professors to listen to. Lectures are never required, you only learn things through recitation because the TAs are great. Kramer explains math that is hard to understand for undergrads but easy for grad students. Skipped a bunch of lectures but always went to recitation and I'll probably get an A.
He was a straight forward teacher. Doesn't cover much theory or methods he just simply shows you how to do the problems. His tests are like his notes! Take notes and go to class and you'll pretty much guarantee to pass all quizzes/tests
He is the absolute worst teacher alive. If you don't already know calculus expect to teach yourself. Thank goodness I took it in high school or else I wouldn't have passed. He acts as if he has social disability and is unable to relay information back to students. We do around two problems a day in class and they aren't on the test.
I love math, but he was the worst teacher I have had at Iowa State. He talks about material that is irrelevant and frankly I don't know why I attended his lecture. Be prepared to learn a lot on your own. Attend Supplemental Instruction.
I switched to a different section because I could not pay attention to the lecture - that's how boring he was. He worked through book examples without talking about theory, so I never understood anything. He didn't prepare us for tests at all. It was awful. Do not take his class.
Did not help me at all I had to learn calc 3 almost entirely alone. He spent all of lecture time going over examples that did not matter like the square wheel. Would not recommend.
Great teacher, awkward but is very knowledgeable. If you show up to class and do the homework, the grade shouldn't be an issue.
He's a little on the strange side, but still a good professor. Teaches the material well as long as you're paying attention. Homework for the course is appropriate. No quizzes, just tests, at least when I took calc 1 with him.
- Lectures: Sometimes he skips some parts & expect us to read it on our own (which I'm pretty sure not many of us did) - Homework(online): fairly easy (if you know how to make use of your calculator, wolfram, and CalChat) - Test: Study thru your homework, it'll b similar(most of them) ps: there's 4 test + 1 final, expect 1 test every 2/3 weeks
He gives no feedback whatsoever. 90% of the grade is made up of tests, which he posts no solutions to. He also has no clear grading scale so usually no partial credit is given. He is a terrible professor.
I feel bad about giving him such a low rating but I think it's accurate. I became used to teachers posting practice exams (and solutions as too, more often than not). He did class entirely in chalk so he didn't post class notes either. He also spent a lot of class time trying to find mistakes he'd made in his notes. He gives no feedback on exams.
Terrible professor. Admitted that Differential Equations "wasn't his area of expertise." Only explained the theories behind things, not how to actually do the problems. We were lucky if we got through 1 example in class. Also, says "um" every other word. Tests weren't terrible but you are screwed on the departmental final exam. Find a new professor
His lectures have no clear direction: he writes them 30 mintes before class and more or less wings it; this results in him jumping directly into a complex example with little to no explination. Assigns 30 helpful homework problems/week (if you have the time to do them). Test avg. scores 65%. Office hours are useless, he doesnt do well in 1-on-1.
The style of teaching is not for everyone, but if you put enough effort into understanding the problems during lecture and practice a lot on your own, differential equations is not that difficult. Kramer is knowledgeable about the topics and answers questions well. The material is challenging to learn, let alone teach, so I don't blame him.
He is very bad at explaining and teaching what he is doing. I had to basically teach myself by using the book and online materials including videos.
This man is a mess. His lectures are so hard to follow. I wish I would have dropped it and taken it with a different professor. I would go to class and just get more confused.
"UUUHHHH" is honestly the only thing I can say about this professor, since it's the only thing he says himself. He doesn't explain any examples in class; let alone finish them. If he does finish an example he's never sure if he completed it correctly, or not. His partial credit on test and quiz problems varies from student to student. Get a tutor!
I went to lectures for the first 3 weeks or so and was not very impressed. His notes were very sloppy and he messed up in lecture often. After learning that Professor Butler has all of the lecture videos posted on YouTube I was much better off and stopped going to Kramer all together.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
8%
Textbook Required
82%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.48 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH421
4.0
(1)MATHK
4.0
(1)MATH166
3.1
(13)140
3.0
(1)MF
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
140
5.0
MATHN
5.0
TRIG142
5.0
MATH266
4.2
MTH151
4.0