2.8
Quality3.4
Difficulty36%
Would Retake116
Reviews36%
Would Retake
116
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
29
4
15
3
18
2
18
1
36
What Students Say
“ISNT THE POINT OF SCHOOL TO LEARN”
SOM120 - 1.0 rating“No homework (you're gonna wish he assigned homework)”
SOM120 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
50%
Textbook Required
54%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.54 avg changeRatings by Course
455
5.0
(1)IS335IS455
5.0
(1)SOM591
5.0
(1)IS455
4.0
(9)BUS
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
IS431
4.0
BUS302
3.7
SOM120
3.7
SOM306
3.5
BUS
3.0
Reviews (116)
Nice guy. Wants you to learn. Great class format.
This professor is so unclear about the projects he assigns, it's not even funny. My group and I were asking him questions and he'd talk but never answer our questions. He goes off on a tangent alll the time and never returns to the subject matter.
nice guy
Good guy and teaches the old stuff for 311 well but he's not up to date on current technology and favors some students over others... if you want be friends with im then bring him computer parts and he will keep that in the back of his mind when doing gra
Good teachers,exams are open book,open internet,open everything...just come to his class and take notes to get an A. Also very nice person too.
Very easy class if you pay attention. Sit near the front of the room so that you can see the overhead projector clearly. Also try to talk to him to get on his good side. Tests are open note and open book but the programming problems can be tricky.
Every thing is possible here at CSUN! Even teaching. Anybody can do it. If Sankaran does it.
Good teacher, as someone else said he favors some over others so be on his good side by attending his class.He does go off on tangents when you ask him a question but with wisdom you can guide him back to answering your question.His tests are open book open notes.
Awesome teacher...all he wants is for you to participate, do that and write down notes to do good in his class...easy A!
Very nice teacher, helpful, wants the class to learn and assign things in class, so he can guide the class better and help. Easy grading, always there to help. No favoritism in class. Take good notes, easy A. Exams are easy, not hard, whatever he teaches, he takes the exam from there, exact stuff.
I LOVE THIS GUY!
The Best IS Prof
good guy
He is cool, easy and has a good sense of humor. Attend class every day, take notes, do the assigntments, you have an easy A.
Tests are open book/open notes. There are two lab assignments and one presentation. Professor Sankaran is nice, but sometimes it's hard to understand what he's saying.
He is a nice guy and the test aren't hard. But man I have a hard time understanding him! Good thing I know the subject, otherwise I would be lost
No Comments
The class is very easy, as are the tests.. He tires to keep the class intersacted wich is nice, and is always willing to help..
This guy was hard to understand, not just because of his accent, but becuase he is unclear. His syllibus is listed online, and it makes it hard to keep up because he doesn't post things until the last minute, and he refuses to tell you in person.I had to teach myself out of the book, which was VERY poorly written as well. He also has a temper.
HE TOTALLY SUCKS! NOT BECAUSE I AM A BAD STUDENT EITHER! I GOT A B. BUT, IT WAS ALL ME AND NOT HIM! HE'S ANNOYING AND TOO ENTHUSIASTIC. HE TEACHES THE CLASS LIKE WE ALL LOVE IT! RECC. WENDEL! SANKARAN 4gets it's a 100 level class....Sorry dude!
THIS PROFESSOR IS REALLY REALLY ANNOYING AND HE REFUSES TO HELP STUDENTS CORRECT THEIR WORK THAT THEY HAVE DONE WRONG. ALL HE DID WAS GO OVER THE POWER POINT WHICH WE COULD HAVE VIWED IT OURSELVES. HE WAS NO HELP AT ALL*******WORST TEACHER I HAVE EVER TAKEN AT CSUN*********BE AWARE*******
He’s enthusiastic about the subject but has a thick accent and mumbles a lot. Couldn’t understand anything he was saying. His assignments are super time consuming. Be prepared to put it a lot of time and effort into this class. He’s willing to help you when you go up to him with questions but very unclear of what he wants.
Nice guy. I don't know why people are complaining about his accent, its not that bad. He is a very good teacher and willing to help you out as much as possibe. He even had group study sessions on saturdays if people were willing to come. The test aren't that bad either. His IS 335 class was also very good.
I hated this class, had to really focus to understand what he was saying, had to give a grp presentation, tests were multiple choice open note, it's good to pay attention because he'll call on you if he sees that you aren't
His accent makes him hard to understand and he mumbels on top of it. He is willing to give help but on saturday when most people have to work. He caters his class to the people who understand rather than the people who dont. He expects you to memorize every formula. I passed upperdivision but dont think i'm going to pass this lower division class
DONT TAKE HIM!! Worst teacher I have ever had!!
He lectures straight from power point slides and does not really do actual problems in class. But is very helpful on Saturday reviews. You should try to go to the Saturday reviews because he gives bonus points towards your exams and case study! He truly cares about his students doing well. Tests r pretty easy if u study.
WARNING DO NOT TAKE HIM!!!!!DO NOT TAKE HIM AT ALL HE FAILED ME AFTER GOING TO EVERY SINGLE CLASS MEET AND GETTING D'S ON THE EXAMS AND DOING OK THE THE PAPER ASSIGNMENT HE IS CRAZY I TOOK PROFESSOR WEDEL AND HAD A BETTER UNDERSTANDING IN THE COURSE THEN THIS GUY SANKARAN HE HAS A REALLY BAD ACCENT AND YOU WILL FALL ASLEEP IN HIS CLASS....DO NOT EV
You must study hard. It's true--the Prof didn't really teach; he just showed ppt slides which you can dL from his page (not that it's helpful anyway). I mainly studied the book. Do the 3 assignments, esp last case study. Stealthily checks attendance. He gives extra credit ops on Saturday review mtgs. 3 midterms, 1 final. Got a 'B' in the class.
He's not too bad. He's a really nice guy with an accent who tries to joke around, but only half of the students pay attention...or less. You really need to keep up in class to remember all the material and REALLY participate and pay attention. It's hard material but the class isn't too bad. Saturday review meetings are helpful!!!!!
class is easy. test questions are retarded. the prof is a nice guy. he checks attendance! thats a no no for me, but I dealt with it.
Porf. Sankaran is a really good professor that cares about students learning. But, you have to make an effort. If you don't wait untill the last min to study and read ahead of time and study, you should be fine. He even helped us by reviewing for exams on saturdays..... what professor does that?
This Prof. is a very nice person, but sometimes his lectures are hard to understand. Very delicate and understanding. Willing to help students as much as he can (review sessions on saturdays, office appointments ...) But you do have to study hard and pay attention, specially on the final project.
No Comments
Great teacher. His accent isn't that bad. Tried to help as much as possible. Few extra credits. Shows PPTs which you can download but does not do problems. Those you have to do yourself. Go over PPTs, do problems and you'll be fine on the tests. Be prepared for the case study though. I'm usually a C student, got a B in his class.
Very nice guy. Come to class, read the book every week and do the problems. Study weel for the tests and do the case study and you will get at least a B. I got an A and it wasn't that hard. He is very helpful and I hope that I could have him for my other classes
He is a very nice and carrying professor. He really cares for his students to learn the material. He puts extra review sessions which are helpful (he even feeds u !!!) . The subject is not easy but if I had to retake the class, I would retake it with Mr. Sankaran. Do really good on the project and the final and you will have no trouble passing the
He is caring teacher, but very boring...(he tries too hard)His tests are difficult. Only way to pass his class is to read the book
Well, I think he isn't that bad, but he has problem with trusting people, and his accent gives you hard time. This subject would be harder w/o him, but i would take different prof.
He isn't as bad as they say. He's helpful if you ask. He does have an accent so just sit in front. A bit boring but do-able. His tests are a bit hard, but study his notes and his powerpoints and it shouldn't be that bad. The only thing hard is his case study, but if you do it in time, he'll help you out with most of it. Just show interest.
he is one of the best professors I cam accross. If you want an easy A in your elective, take him
he is funny. hard grader, strict on attendance, useless for BUS 302 class, but he had to teach it anyway.He is an SOM teacher!get on his good side, do all assignments, go to class. STAY AWAY FROM JAMES MACKLIN for BUS 302. He is not too bad. Not Great, but not too bad..
He's pretty strict and a hard grader. Make sure to attend class. Kind of boring, but OK if there's no other choice.
This is not an easy subject. If you attend class, pay attentino, and do the practice problems, you will be fine. Homework is not assigned, so you are left on your own as far as practice. Make sure to start your case study early, and ask him for help. He will be more than happy to lend a hand. He makes some funny/corny jokes in class. Good teacher.
I'll be completely honest. He knows the subject very well, but he just can't teach. It's nothing personal and he's a nice guy, but I just can't understand anything he says due to the Indian accent and I probably wouldn't pass the class if I didn't start learning on my own with out. I got a good grade in class, but I would never take him again.
I'll be completely honest. He knows the subject very well, but he just can't teach. It's nothing personal and he's a nice guy, but I just can't understand anything he says due to the Indian accent and I probably wouldn't pass the class if I didn't start learning on my own with out. I got a good grade in class, but I would never take him again.
He knows the material and loves teaching, but it was really hard to comprehend. It's boring but unfortunately it's a class one must take. I really hated that class!
SUPER BORING. He talks on and on (something so boring)....He tries his best but unfortunately his teaching skills are poor plus his case study is hard. I dont recommend him
He knows the material but is completely inaudible. Meanders into other topics. Not the most helpful of teachers. An example of a professor who is long on talent but short on teaching skills. Avoid him unless you're content with learning all the material on your own.
Nice and smart guy. BUT he cannot teach. Hes ambiguous when you try to ask for help. Who knows what his grading criteria is (he makes stuff up to mark down points)If its not exactly how he would do it, then its wrong and you're graded down. Siva you are a nice guy but you are the worst teacher ive ever had. He is truthfully a terrible instructor
This teacher should be evaluated! he has No business teaching gateway classes.
I got really cumulative high score on midterm and final but screwed up the CASE STUDIES!If you fail the Case studies,you fail the class.Only 60% of the studnets in my class came to the final!Strong Accent. He's trying to help student but the lecture sucks.
I think he means well, but he is really not that great. He is very rude when you want to ask a question. Even when you are trying to work one on one on a problem he dumbs you down and is extremely rude. In my class he picked one student as his favorite and ignores everyone else. Try to avoid this teacher!!!
AVOID AVOID AVOID!!! If you are a self learner, then he would be great! If you need any amount of help ever, do not take him. He will yell at you if you ask for help with your homework and gives you a case but will not help with it. He is one of the worst teachers I have ever had. He also plays favorites in the class.
DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS! He is a horrible prof, he knows his stuff, but does not know how to explain it. If you end up taking his class set up a study group because you will need it. He has 3 midterms, a group paper, homework, and a final. He is not helpful, ask him a question and he gives you the run around. Overall try not to take his class!!
HORRIBLE!! Do not take him. He should not be teaching. He is a horrible grader. I have no idea how he comes up with these grades. He kinda had an accent and does not explain anything well.AVOID!!!
Not a good professor. Cannot understand what he is talkin about so its hard to follow him. He can't explain anything, he should not be teaching.
I don't know what all these people are talking about...I am currently taking him for a summer session and he is the BEST professor I have come across in my 4 years at CSUN. He is extremely helpful and will go out of his way to make sure you pass! Must take him if you want to learn, PASS, and have a few laughs in class!
He is not as hard as everyone is saying. If you go to his lectures, do all the homework and also attend his office hours, you'll be fine. Most of the questions on the exam are from the PowerPoint slides.
Awesome guy! Great professor! Very knowledgeable about the subject. He uses real life examples to make hard concepts must easier to understand. He also has a quirky sense of humor! Honestly, his class is not hard and his tests are very straight forward. Take his class!
terrible class. all topics expect u to be experienced and know the topics given. Tests are unfair as they expect you to know exact code lines. Has portion of open notes and closed notes. open questions and multiple choice. 4 projects
VERY good cool teacher ..loves the subject..very nicee....uses good examples...tests are pretty good..just print his slidshows
I wonder why his ratings are low. I took him for Gateway ans got an A. He's pretty nice too.
This teacher really needs to know how to help his students. I asked him for help a million times and he always told me to do my own work.For the case study I needed serious help and he did not bother to help me at all. His lectures would have been good if he gave more examples and speak more clearly to be able to understand him.
This teacher is great. He went out of his way to use powerpoints which highlight the important concepts. You don't really need the book because the slides cover everything needed. There is a case study which he went over in detail. Attendance is crucial because he only test on what he goes over in class. He will also go out of his way to help.
All test questions are based off of the powerpoints,he just changes the numbers.Do the hw questions in the powerpoint & go to office hours if you don't understand.2 tests & a case study. Go to class as he goes through case study step by step. The teacher does his part but the student has to be willing to put in work as well. I got an A in the class
All the comments here are accurate. YOU WILL NEED TO BE BLE TO STUDY ON YOUR OWN AND DO IT YOURSELF. There are som tutors in cobae so be ready to use them instead of the prof. Good luck. your gonna need it . muahaha
Wasn't crazy about him. He wasn't that friendly. Don't really need to look at the book; the powerpoints were enough for me.
He is not only suspicious but mean as well....take with another professor!
Doesn't understand the concept that students need their questions answered. He will completely disregard a question if he believes he has already answered it. Spends more time discussing the importance of statistics rather than the actual subject. Do not take.
Okay, lets start off with the fact that he has NO regard for the feelings of his students. ISNT THE POINT OF SCHOOL TO LEARN? This guy refuses to answer any one's questions, because to him repetition is the destruction of the world. It's ridiculous. He is lazy, and takes advantage of his ten year status. He only cares about himself and is useless.
I love this man. He's so funny and so nice. The class isn't a piece of cake. Do all his problems over and over again. You have to study hard for it but his personality makes the class more fun than it is and he is really caring and is always willing to talk to the students.
Took summer class.2 profs for this class.He teaches 2nd half.He's nice.Pay attention or you won't understand him.He talks softly and mumbles a bit.It's easy if you have a good foundation with STATS.DO HW.Make sure you understand HW then you'll be fine on the test.Not that hard really unless your STATS totally sucks.just review slides & HW for exam
Pretty chill professor. Assignments are easy. Tests can be a little tricky, but nothing too difficult, just study power point slides and go over the exercises and assignments.
So I took this class because every business major has to take this class. He is a nice guy, hard to understand but does have a sense of humor. He is originally a stats professor so alot of your group projects will revolve around that.. My group got through it with all B's. Would have had higher grade if instructions were more clear. You pick group
The tests are straight from his lecturespps. The assignments are fungraded upon completion and teach you a new program that will be useful in the future. He is always there for you to answer any questions and tends to explain with clear examples. One of the bestpassionate professors who actually cares about teaching the subject.
Don't bother. Just take another professor. Has thick accent, talks fast and mumbles a lot. idk what he's saying half the time. Doesn't answer your questions during class. Sees you raising your hand, and just continues to lecture cause doesn't think your understanding of the equation matters. Worst professor I've every had honestly.
I agree that he is a good professor indeed. I don't know what all these people are talking about...I am currently taking him for a summer session and he is very good professor. He is extremely helpful and will go out of his way to make sure you pass! Must take him if you want to learn, PASS, and have a few laughs in class!
He has a lot of mistakes in his lecture. Confusing class because you have to study self. His test are hard and sometimes tricky. His accent is big problem .
He is one of the worst professors at CSUN. Tons of mistakes during his lecture and uncompleted PPT does not cover to study for exam. His tests are tricky and sometimes confusing. A lot of students don t understand him because he cant speak well . no any additional problem and solving at class. He is very lazy man.
SOM 306 is hard class and he makes harder and confusing. My biggest mistake took this class because i did not learn anything at this class.
Get ready to study by self. He is PPT professor , but his lectures and PPT not useful to study for exams and quizzes . He tries to wasting time rather lecture. don't take him.
1 midterm. 1 final. No homework (you're gonna wish he assigned homework). HEAVY, HEAVY, accent. PowerPoints. Just lectures. Always uses a water bottle as a example. Goes off topic at times. When you need help, he'll go over it but if you still don't understand it he tells you to leave. OVERALL.... Just NOPE. ABORTTTTTTTT!!!!
I DO NOT RECOMMEND HIM. He is rude, he talks fast, mumbles, and has a thick accent. Not a good combination. I found myself focusing more on what he was actually saying, rather than learning the material.
If you want to learn from the professor, this is not the professor to take. I thought, "how bad could it be?" Bad. I spent 90% of the time trying to figure out what the words coming out of his mouth are actually saying rather than focusing on the lecture. His teaching method sucks, one case study which he does not even explain. Two tests. bad.
I like this professor. He is knowledgeable,funny and cares. This class is not easy. There is so much info to absorb. He goes through chapters very fast that you will have to read on your own to try to understand Stats. If you ask him questions, he will try to explain. midterm, final and case study, which you will have to ask him what he wants.
Very bad professor, talks about becoming Doctor/Surgeon in a Systems Operation Management. He believes human operation is similar to system operation. He can be a good professor if he cared for the students and did not see us as students who do not want to pass/take school seriously.
This professor's main objective is the development of the students. He does an extremely good job teaching concepts and helping us apply them to real world scenarios. Very fair, very kind, and his enthusiasm for learning is contagious!
I liked this professor, he can be a bit soft spoken at times so I always sat at the front of his class. His big thing was reading the powerpoints for the next week ahead of time so that you would have some exposure to the material before the class, and I could see why, it seemed to help me. Solid professor if you are willing to do the work.
I think he was an amazing professor and very helpful. Really cares about the students and tries really hard emphasizing on lectures.
At first, I could not stand this class. Professor Sankaran was soft spoken and a bit boring during lectures. As you get to know him and actually want to learn the subject, things get better. He does care for his students if they show they care too. His tests are difficult but asking him for help will go a long way. He is always willing to help out!
Prof wants his students to truly understand the material, but also gets frustrated & talks down to some who don't get it. Leave a positive first impression bc he has extreme favoratism. 1 group project, 2 tests. Heavily curved class. Midterm was as study guide. Final different from study guide bc he said he was finding students that understand lol
Professor Sankaran is great! I'm not sure where negative reviews are coming from. He is really caring and if you participate in the class discussions as well as read his slides before the class- you will get a great grade. The final was unexpectedly difficult but based on the entire class performance he curved our grades. Great professor!
This professor is horrible if you actually want to learn. I did not learn a single thing in his class but passed with a C. It doesnt matter that I passed Because I took absolutely no knowledge with me. Curves the class but sucks at teaching.
Prof Sankaran is a very nice guy. He's always willing to answer questions and really wants his students to succeed. The one complaint I heard from students was that they had difficulty understanding him at times due to his accent. Ask him to use his mic in every lecture and don't be shy to ask him to repeat if you don't understand something he said
Dr. Sankaran is truly an amazing professor. He's super knowledgeable, funny and passionate about what he is teaching. Some people have a hard time understanding him due to his accent but if you sit in the front row you'll be fine. 5 R assignments, 1 midterm, 1 final, and participation points. I would take him again if I needed another SOM class.
His lectures are low energy and terrible. You're better off watching youtube videos where you can actually understand the lecturer. There are few extra credit opportunities and he does not prepare you well for the tests. If you can, I would avoid taking this professor. He's helpful and nice but an overall terrible professor.
Monotone so it is pretty hard to stay awake in his class so Make sure to do your homeworks before meetings since it helped me to understand what he's saying during lectures. Tests and quizzes are fairly easy as long as you study the homework questions!
Boring class, boring material. He was a fine professor.
The only thing you need to worry about is the tests and homework for a good grade. Although he's the most boring teacher I have ever had. The amount of times he talked about a machine producing a bottle with a variance of water. I had no problem with his accent but this class will only be easy if you can teach yourself at home.
Tries his best to teach the material. Slow talker with an accent that makes it difficult at times to understand. Answers questions to the best of his abilities when asked. Does try his best to help the people struggling but just is not that good at it. Not a terrible professor but definitely not a great one, just very mediocre.
He tries to teach the class however he cannot teach. He constantly loses focus, goes on random tangents, has a very thick accent, and is very monotone. The entire course he taught off a slide and does not explain very well or answer your questions really. I would recommend to stay away from him unless you can deal with teaching yourself.
Professor Sankaran, is just a really boring professor. He doesn't teach, just read off his slides. Just stay away from this Professor, he needs to retire already.
He is a very caring professor, but overall read every review here. Very monotone, semi-heavy accent, lectures are rarely straightforward and go off topic almost all the time. Reads off slides, and does not do so very enough to grasp the concept. Easier to teach yourself.
The professor is very caring and shows respect for his students. He will help you out if needed. His lectures, however, can be somewhat hard to follow due to his accent. You will succeed if you study though. Simply study the homework to the point where you have it down and you will pass. The class requires a lot of studying.
If you're not a good test taker do not take this course. 3 test will make your grade and online homework assignments don't do much for your grade. He does not help and bases his lectures off a slide. He is very by the book so if you pass you pass and of you fail you fail. only take this class If you're good at stats and numbers.
Prof Sankaran needs to retire. Really bad lecturer as he talks very slow, has a thick accent, and tends to repeat the same topics throughout the class. I wouldn't even show up to the class, you're better off teaching yourself through the textbook and just taking his exams. You can tell he wants to care, but he's just a really really bad prof.
This entire semester he would not stop talking about his water bottle, keep in mind these will be the only words you understand because his accent is SO BAD. On one of TWO his tests the entire class got an average of 40, and he refuses to curve it. Terrible lectures (if you can call them that) If I could write a longer review I would.
Such a caring professor. He motivates you and encourages participation. Yes he is hard to understand and you will have to review everything on your own but like all classes you need to put in the work. HE SETS YOU UP FOR SUCCESS IN THE CLASS.
I wouldn't wish this professor on my worst enemy. That's how bad it was. Homework was online, tests are graded heavily, in person, scantron etc... His grading scale is the worst I've ever seen. He will not curve at all as well. (class tried). Class average was C on exams. Thick Accent, take 140 instead not SOM120 with Sankaran.Teach your self vibes
Lectures are boring, he needs to retire. BUT the class itself is easy, with very simple concepts and if you have a good calculator, you can chill. Also, do all the reading & hw! He takes notice of who participates since the whole class is always dead.
Professor Sankaran tries his best, but his lectures can be hard to follow due to his accent. Study the textbook and homework thoroughly - using tools like unstuck AI can help. The class is challenging, but doable if you put in the work.
Avoid if possible. It is impossible to learn from him because of his thick accent. He teaches on slides and does not do practice problems on the board. He frequently goes off-topic and talks gibberish. Online homework that you need to buy and three exams that can make or break your grade. Avoid at all cost. Ai helped a lot but still barely passed.
monotone, boring and cannot teach. strong accent, reads off slides, no practice or anything. gets distracted and rambles on about other stuff. 3 tests that make or break your grade. i had a test in his class today and i was genuinely hoping to crash my car during my commute beforehand. Siva if you're reading this please retire
I'm sorry, I wanted to like this class and I tried but unfortunately Prof. Sankaran unintentionally made it as lame as possible. He talks so low and will spend most of class lecturing on participation. Sweet and genuine personality but not a good professor. Do not take this course w/ this professor.
This class was less statistics and more psychological warfare. The professor doesn't teach, he just punishes. Lectures? Inaudible. Support? Nonexistent. Exams? Designed in hell. If you're wondering what rock bottom feels like, register. Education died here. So did I. When I die Siva, I'll make sure I haunt you. This is not a warning it's a threat.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
50%
Textbook Required
54%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.54 avg changeRatings by Course
455
5.0
(1)IS335IS455
5.0
(1)SOM591
5.0
(1)IS455
4.0
(9)BUS
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
IS431
4.0
BUS302
3.7
SOM120
3.7
SOM306
3.5
BUS
3.0