2.4
Quality3.9
Difficulty33%
Would Retake234
Reviews33%
Would Retake
234
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
36
4
23
3
38
2
68
1
69
What Students Say
“He's a nice guy, but a terrible professor”
MTH256 - 2.0 rating“Scarborough is a true gem of a man”
MTH256 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
83%
Textbook Required
86%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
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Stable
-0.20 avg changeRatings by Course
MTH341
5.0
(4)MTH2512
5.0
(1)MTH245
4.0
(1)MTH231232
3.5
(2)MTH255
3.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
112
5.0
MTH
5.0
AVOID
5.0
HST254
5.0
MTH004
5.0
Reviews (234)
The man is a genius. But he can't teach.
Knows his stuff, but can't help students that don't understand.
Too smart, expects WAY TOO MUCH from his students...we are not his SON!!!
Expects you to know toooo much!!!! Better know your calc before taking this
Excellect professor if you are into math
Math was this man's life, but not mine. Avoid this prof.
has no mercy!
It's been one of my favorite classes at OSU, he took off only one point and a problem I got totally wrong, but had the right idea. My friends don't like him though
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This man knows his stuff cold. Explains everything in full detail. Show up to class, do the homework and your good to pass atleast. Nice guy, likes to talk about his genius son.
This man was awesome!
The sort of guy that you *NEVER* want for a math course that might be at all stretched to be called Applied he's the sort of guy that.. math just lights his fire, if you're really into numbers for the sake of numbers cool, if not... he's horrible.
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sure scarborough knows his stuff.. to bad he hasnt decided to enlighten the rest of us.. lol
This guy was probably picked on when he was in school!
Tests on material not covered in homework or class.
He seems like a nice person. Although those silly examples get on my nerves, at times. And, like most people I know, I tend to doze in that class... Maybe it's his voice...
wow...class is pretty easy...tests are soooo hard. completely conceptual. PAY ATTENTION
Moves through material without a thought for students. Know the material somewhat before having this teacher or you'll get completely lost
Worst prof I've ever had. Period.
Very hard multiple choice tests on material barely covered. Moves too fast in class.
Study and ask questions, you will get a good grade. This guy can seem condescending. Talks about his kid like he cured AID's or something.
Test is easy if you do the homework. But i didn't like his multiple choice exam cuz you do'nt get partial credit
For Math 231 he was one of the best teachers I've ever had, but for some reason, he was much less effective in Math 232.
When you ask a question in lecture, he treats you like an idiot. Steer clear.
If you pay attention in class, you can pass. He tests on what he writes on the board.
Doesn't take time to make sure students understand. Constantly writing on board. Doesn't take a break and explain very well.
this teacher does nothign but talk about his kids and how much smarter they are than you and his trip everyday from eugene where he lives with his wife and how he taught himself calculus and how freaking smart he is an overall worthless professor.
Honestly Who gives multiple choice math tests this guy really doesnt know how to teach he loves to talk about his kid though.
Worst class I have ever taken. He is incredibly lame and teaches memorization math instead of theory. Horrible class.
This guy is horrible! He has bad handwriting that is impossible to read. Half the time he stands in front of it so you can't see the board. His teaching style is awful. I would drop it, but I can't afford to. wich me luck!
He writes down inane comments on the board, but will leave out important steps. He stands in front of the board so it's hard to keep up. If he wasn't so proud of himself he'd be a better teacher.
Very horrid teacher. Writes stuff on board, but doesn't bother to explain. Doesn't answer questions clearly or respectfully.
Very hard course. This proffesor, before answering any question, makes you feel so dumb. Then he will answer only 50% of your question. In the exam you must use the answer to one question to start the next one!!
Not a good prof. Laughed at a student when he asked a question in class one time and didn't even answer him. Has multiple choice tests cause he's too lazy to grade...makes it much harder.
Friendly teacher, if you like the subject. Occasionally unclear, but like any class, out of class studying is needed too.
if you don't like or weak at mth, don't take his class, because his exams will really screw you over if you don't study. on the other hand, this guy's pretty cool & concise, always searching for a shortcut to solve problems.
This guy can't teach anything. Basically, he bobbles his head in class and writes down theorems from the book. Sometimes he will prove them, but we already know they are true. He does not teach anything. He is the worse teacher I have ever had.
I don't know why this guy still has a job.
I have had troubles learninf in his class. He doesn't seem to teach the right material and at that he doesn't even do it well. I can't wait to be done with this class.
Well to make this short and sweet lets cover his main teaching styles. He bobbles his head a lot, and laughs at his students. He doesn't teach us relavent information, and this un-relavent information is taught to us in a poorly maner. Worse class ever!
The TA's should be teaching this class, they are the only chance you have at learning the material covered in this course. Listening to his lectures is about as helpful as reading the book (it's not). Homework assigned is irrelevent to the topic.
Compared to Brian Camp he is really good!!!!! Compared to other teachers who teach the course i dont know.
Worst prof I've ever had, hands down. Stands up in front of class for 50 minutes barfing up proofs in the book, which arent helpful when you read them as it is. Cherry picks the hardest irrelevent problems for homework. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE.
Doesn't do anything but bobble his head and spit out useless theorems and proofs from the book that give no help to homework or exams whatsoever. I've given up going to lecture and just go to recitation to learn the topics from the TA's. Worst. Ever.
He is really good at math. That in no way makes him a good teacher. Without the book he would be as lost as you are after one of his classes.
DO NOT take his class. If you have already taken 232 and know everything, then maybe you can get a decent grade, but if your there to learn, you are in serious trouble. When asked to explain what he just wrote on the board, he says, well its right there.
Worst math professor I've ever had. Avoid like the plague. He acts like he is competing with the students to prove that you're stupid.
Steer clear of this guy
everythings been said
Horrible, Multiple Choice tests for math should be outlawed, especially at this high of level, STAY AWAY
This prof is terrible. He seems to be in a battle with you to prove his superior knowledge in the subject. He does this by spitting the proofs on the board and then looking smugly at the class. No help at all! You'll learn from the TA's!
This guy is tough and comes across as arrogant. However, he is really passionate about math and that his students learn. If you want an easy A, look elsewhere, but if you need to know this material for later classes, I recommend him.
Worst prof I ever had--- he posted the grades and then convienantly made himself "unavaliable" to discuss them till after the break. T T (the TA) was very helpful although he could only do so much (20% of the grade came from hw)
HORRIBLE professor. Teaches nothing and mocks you when you mess up. When asked for help, I got the response: "maybe thats how you do it." Worthless, horrible, should not be instructing AT ALL, EVER! The TAs try but fall short in the end. Avoid!!
WORST PROFESSOR EVER!!! DO NOT TAKE A CLASS FROM HIM. I never learnt a single thing from him, he has spent entire class periods on how to do a problem INCORRECTLY but then "ran out of time" to teach us the right way to do the work. AVOID AT ALL
Good prof. Passionate about math--only take if you are too. Hard class, make sure you pay attention and do the homework.
Sucky teacher. Don't ever take a class from him.
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I love this guy! He's funny and tells the suck ups to shut up. I can see how he would tough for not so smart people to follow but then they shouldn't be in the class.
This guy is terrible. He wants everyone to know how smart he and his freaking son are, and It appears that his only claim to fame is he soved a problem for a biochemist back in the 60's. He screws up in class and is condesending.
He loves math but makes you do many proofs.
Had him for several classes. He's a grade-A ****. Always condescending, telling you how his 12 year old son is smarter than you for no reason. Not helpful, only uses extraneous examples.
This class sucked. He never helped. The material was hard enough as it was, but he brought his son in prepped with the answers to questions he was going to ask. Then, he admitted that he had done that to another class. AVOID HIS CLASSES
this guy dosnt know how to teach, he yells and makes fun of student in class, but his exams were easy.. i skiped 50% of his classes..
This man has taken my love of math class and turned it into a deep, violent dislike. He does not know how to teach; he looks like he should be the janitor cleaning the floors. Consequently, he isn't a whole lot smarter.
I was sad to see so many people didn't like him. I think he is wonderful clear and fun. And I really like that he occasionally tells side stores.
Not helpful, and his examples do not coincide ith the book (which is also a poor choice). His lack of excitement for teaching and concern for our understanding of the material is obvious. He doesn't want to be there, and neither do you!!
He was by far the worst teacher i have ever had. He was NOT interested in helping the students learn. When i asked for help he just told me to read the book. VERY boring teacher, can't teach. He tought math 112 like it was a 300 level math class. His methods are horrible
Did an excellent job in explaining things thoroughly, might be a bit difficult to understand for some people though, expects good knowledge of previous courses.
He is definitely the WORST teacher I have ever had, if he is the only teacher available, I suggest that you just wait to take the class until you can get a better professor.
Do NOT take this Prof! Switch classes! Switch schools! Spends most of lectures facing the chalk board. Doesnt help. Doesnt explain. Honestly doesnt care about students. Damn tenures.
There is a ton someone can say about this guy. He needs to go back to Zoology and keep studying his logistics of giraffes. This guy didnt even go to school for mathematics, and yeah he may know math, he cant teach. Ive had many professors, some bad ones, some good, but he is definetly horrible.
Scarborough is awesome. He proves all his statements and gives some interesting applications. He also really cares about his students and will work with you to help you understand. However, he does believe in a student putting in some time and effort. He won't just give handouts.
Smart guy, knows diff-eq but a really really bad teacher. It would be difficult to understand him explaining how to chew gum.
Easily the worst professor I have ever had the displeasure of taking a class from.
He's hard to follow, and I think he assumes that you know just as much about math as he does...
The worse professor i have ever had. His lecutres will confuse the hell out of you. Tests are hard and make no sense. I dont recommend him to anyone.
I'm decent at math, and I got an A in the class after this that this is supposed to be a prerequisite for. And yet I'm getting a C in this class just because the prof is so horrible, and you can't understand a word he says. 12 people out of 328 got an A on the first test, if that is any indication
he might seem harsh but he teaches exactly what he is going to test on. so get used to it, thats what college is.
Has no idea what he is doing.
Good professor, just make sure you do all the homework, and do all the practice tests. If you can study with a group it will help you alot. What's on the homework is usually on the test. He likes to cover a few concepts. Hail to the general solution.
Good Teacher, concepts he emphasizes are on the tests, and for the final beware when you can't use sine. There are two solutions. He had a couple of those. Trig is important in my mind and will help is the rest of your math career as an engineer.
Worst professor i've ever had. I would never take him for another class. To all of you who need to take business calculus take it with another professor. Scarburough is by far the worst professor i've ever taken, after taking his class I was tempted to ask for my tuition money back.
Watch out for this guy. The class was horrible. He told everyone to expect to come to every class, take notes, spend 3-4 hours per homework assignment, do all the reading, and do extra problems just for practice in order to get a good grade. He wasn't kidding and I don't have that kind of time
Steve did a GOOD job of presenting the stuff and explaining it. He is not an easy grader, but this is college, after all...If you really want to learn, take him. If you are just after an easy grade, don't.
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very unprepared teacher. terrible at teaching calculus. i went every day and took notes and studied for the tests and got a C just cuz i put in the time but with a real teacher i may have understood it.
The hardest A I ever earned. Hard tests, but is very helpful in office hours and tries to get to know you there. Go to his office hours!!!
I had no idea what the hell this man was teaching us.. and by the end of the term there were 20 people left. Avoid this prof.. good god.
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This is the worst math teacher I've ever had. I had no idea what he was talking about, he's a horrible teacher. He expects you to do everything on your own and spend your whole day reading the book and solving homework. I had A's in my MTH 251 and MTH 252 classes, but I'm not going to get even a C in this class. He's not helpful at all.
I was always really succesful in high school with math and then i took this class... unless you have already taken calculus and are doing it as a refresher course. DO NOT TAKE IT!!
Tries to intimidate students. Lectures are hard to follow even when you read the section before class. He will try to help if you go to his office hour though.
I dont know what everyone is talking about but I think he's a good teacher. He explains clearly and his tests arent't that bad. The only bad thing is that he needs to be more clear on his exam. Overall a good teacher
His class is hard, has labs. Takes lots of time to suceed in this class. Tests are defeninently harder than average.
Going to his lecture actually makes the class harder. When asked for simplified examples he would go into theory, in turn making it harder. If there is any alternative, take it!
Very unhelpful. Flies through lectures with little explanation. Is offended if you ask questions. He is horrible at explaining material. His tests are extremely hard and horribly scaled. Do not take this professor. he is not good.
Terrible teacher. If you ask a question, he will try his hardest to make you feel like an idiot. Don't take his classes
I don't know why people complain so much about him. I put in a C's effort in the class and got a C out of it. Fair grading scale in the end. My only complaint was that the final material didn't even appear similar to that of either midterm or the practice finals posted online from previous terms. Just put in some MLC time and you'll be fine.
Do the homework, go to class, study the practice exams and you’ll get a decent grade. I got an 82 and 72 on the midterms, studied the practice exams and my notes for about 10-15 hrs for the final and got an A overall. My only complaints are: One, class is oriented solely toward engineers, and two, the test questions are designed to trick people.
I don't know why you people gripe so much about this guy. I got an A and I just did the homework. It's college, you can't just show up and learn it, Do the work and get over it.
Definitely a challenging prof. Be ready and fast at taking note or you'll have a miserable time. The guy will come in the room and start writing and drawing for 50 minutes straight. The bright side is his tests seem much easier than the class and hw assignments. Personally, I think tests are mediocre to slight hard at best in difficulty.
I don't know why everyone hates him, he was pretty much the best math professor I had. He was funny and always brought in random subjects that tied into what we were learning, making it way more interesting. He was very friendly and helpful. Everyone in the class loved him, there must just be some math classes he hates teaching.
Scarborough's a pretty good prof all in all. He doesn't understand the questions people ask once in awhile, but just phrase it differently to get a better answer out of him.
Good professor, passionate about the topic, as long as you're willing to put in some time out of class and like math, you'll do fine.
Excellent professor. A bit rambly, and only stops lecturing when he needs to catch his breath, but otherwise he's great.
I really appreciated his willingness to answer questions and general interest in our ability to understand the material. He doesn't hold your hand through it, but at this point as a student, you shouldn't need your hand held! I had him for MATH 254 as well and thought he did a fine job with the class. His exams are challenging, but fair.
Excellent professor, extremely knowledgable. He's not an easy-A, but if you do the coursework, attend lecture/recitation, you'll be fine. If you're expecting an easy class, go somewhere else.
I took this class having heard mixed reviews about Scarborough. My overall experience with him was negative. As has been mentioned, he writes really fast/messy and while he's a genius, he's not necessarily a good teacher. I've seen him try to intimidate those who ask questions and often acted as though you were stupid if you didn't understand.
This is the second time I've had Scarborough. Overall, he's not that bad of a teacher. His lectures are often confusing, but as long as you read the book and study, you should do fine. Also, his tests for 252 were ridiculously easy this term (compared to his practice tests). I'm no math whiz, but I somehow managed to get an A.
I'm the type of student that needs a really good math TEACHER to do well in a course. This guy is really smart but doesn't connect well with his students while he's teaching. So I basically had to teach myself everything, and luckily it worked out well in the end.
This person should not teach mandatory classes. His style fits more along the lines of "math wiz", not math student. While I appreciate his ability to understand math, I feel that he is a completely incompetent professor. I would not take his class unless your grasp of mathematics is high, and you have practically mastered the material.
When people say his lectures are confusing, they are understating reality. He will, more often than not, give you a headache, which he seemingly strives to do. Not a good teacher at all. Seriously, I feel that his TA should replace him - he does a much better job. It's terribly unfortunate that we have no other alternative; Scarborough is the worst
Whatever he teaches will be on his exam..not more than that..So go to his class and take notes and just do that..you will pass with an A
There is never any context given to the topics being discussed. He loves to write a ton of examples on the board (I take about 4 pages of useless notes each lecture) and hope you pick up on the material this way. This guy knows what he is doing and has absolutely no idea how to teach it to others. If you have any other options DO NOT TAKE HIM!
"am I late?" "phew...just a second gotta catch my breath." "don't you have a test coming up?"...yes, this course is a big joke to this guy. He does know the material, but his lectures are filled with examples that fly on and off the board before you have a chance to even think about following his work. Avoid if possible, but know it is do-able.
I don't see why everyone complains so much about this guy. He cares about whether or not his students are understanding the material and he writes his exams according to what he actually teaches in class, which is more than can be said for others in the math department. People who complain about his course probably just didn't do the homework.
Treats Integral like its a grad class, expecting several hours of study A DAY plus a crap load of homework. Expects you to "form study groups" so you can teach each other and he doesn't have to. Tests are impossible. Has an obsession with "being clever." There's no way to get by in his class without a private tutor to teach you what he didn't.
I just graduated. Easiest class, and prof. I've ever had in OSU. Exam was quite straightforward. Whoever complains about his class might have to think about themselve if u have a firm base on math.
hard to follow
The tests were very straightforward and easy when compared to calculus tests that other teachers gave out. However, his lectures were often quite dull and boring, he gave way too many technical definitions and not enough helpful tips, shortcuts, and such.
Worst teacher I've had in my first 3 years of college. He is cocky and finds pleasure in showing how much he knows and how little you know. He should not be teaching. My teacher left for the term for 256 and he filled in. The class started a petition to get someone different because everyone was going to drop if he stayed as teacher.
Mr. Scarborough was not a very good teacher. He wasn't totally awful, except I feel like I didn't learn anything in the lectures. He liked to give long definitions, but not too many examples on how to actually do anything. I would not recommend him.
Good teacher, but hard tests. He is very tricky with answers, so it's hard to do well. Overall not bad though!
Scarborough is a pretty bad math teacher. He knows the material but he doesn't really TEACH it to the class. He expects you to know how to do the problems so he doesn't really spend time going over anything. His lectures are hard to follow and he does come across as arrogant. Heaven forbid a student has a question. You've been WARNED
The beginning of the term he immediately came off as being rather rude and not really caring whether or not we understood what he was attempting to explain in class. He is not very good at explaining the material in a way that makes sense and I began to have to solely rely on the textbook to learn anything.
VERY difficult to learn from. I learned more from my TA an hour each week than I did from three hours a week with Scarborough. Tests were very difficult and he was not helpful in the least bit. Doesn't care about students that don't care.
This is a really bad prof. he knows the matrial but never shows it to students. At the first lecture, he would chellenge the students. If you want to challenge a 35 years calc prof. go with him !!!!! tests are very hard and recitations are useless. A huge load of HW. Every week, there are about 50 questions to turn it. Plus there are hard quizes. N
Very hard to learn from, ended up withdrawing from the course in hopes that someone else will teach it later on.
The professor knew the material, but did not teach us well. He flaunted his knowledge. Showed many examples, but not how they applied to other problems. Did not show each step. Did not explain well enough. Avoid this professor. If you have another choice, then take it. Anything is better than him.
Clear expectations. Generally good professor. Occasionally does not explain how to apply a concept generally enough. (needs to give more examples if there are big differences between examples) Tests are difficult to do well on.
Everyone on here is stupid. This guy is a great teacher. But everyone is right that you have to read the book thoroughly before class to follow his lectures. Besides that his tests are not very hard. They are only over the very basic ideas from each chapter.
If you like math or don't like math, don't take him. Please. Lectures are not very helpful.
Not an easy class in general, but he's a decent one for math. Logical progression through examples, but doesn't vary in his teaching style. Goes heavy into materials in lecture, but the tests only cover basic concepts from each section. Two terms with him and I would recommend.
U can tell he knows that he's smarter than his students, and he loves to flaunt it. His tests are VERY predictable though
Horrible math professor. Although he defines the concepts we need to know, he doesn't explain well enough how to apply it in a problem. Although the material is very abstract, the recitation teacher had a better job of explaining when to use it. Tests are RIDICULOUS for the average student. Consider LBCC if you can (only in winter term though)
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Not difficult to get a good grade if you keep up with the material. Tests not hard and curved. My TA pretty much explained how to do all quiz questions before each one. Got an easy A just doing the work that was expected.
Expect this class to hurt you GPA. Doesn't care if you fail. Read the book do tons of practice problems. Good luck if your required to take it. Only a few people get A's
I thought he was going to be an extremely hard professor, but he isn't. His exams are completely predictable, and if you fail the exam, it's kinda your fault. I've done all my homework and I passed with an A. Just do your work, and the class (and the prof) won't be so hard.
Avoid at ALL COSTS! Scarborough does not care about his students and does not care about teaching. Again, avoid at all costs!
This guy was a nightmare.His homework's were so long and unrelated to the tests.Tests were easy though(except for the final that was a ****) if you got past the homework's.An A in this class cost me heavily on other subjects though.Caution is advised.He curves which is the only good thing.
Get a different professor if you can! He does examples so quickly and repeats word for word what the text book says, you might as well read the book and skip class. Homeworks are SOO LONG, if you take this, take an easy load of classes with it, it takes a ton of time. Tests are surprisingly fair though, that's the only bonus.
I had him for both 256 and 254. He is not the best teacher. He goes through many examples but goes quickly and skips steps. For 256 I didn't need to go to class or look at my notes at all. Basically, the whole term I read the book and did the homework. That's how I learned the material. His style fits some. His style didn't fit mine...at all.
What is this fool saying? His teaching method is that of the crapper. My baby could do better at explaining vector calc than him!!
All my knowledge for 254 comes through doing the HW with the answer manual open so I can understand what the Hell I'm doing (He lectures like we already know everything). Tests are hard, but not terrible. If you have the chance to take a different professor do it! --Unless its Brian Smith
his lectures are soo boring! and very unorganized. definitely read or at least look at the assigned pages before going to class. sometimes it seems he jumps from place to place. definitely wouldn't have survived without the helpful pdf homework answers from the book up while doing homework
longest class i've ever had at osu. it literally drains me. so boring and unorganized. suggest reading or at least looking at assigned pages before going to class. sometimes he gets off subject though. tries to be funny. wouldn't have survived without a pdf with answers and how to do them
Most boring teacher ever! Lectures can be helpful, but they are so boring to get through. He makes "jokes" during class, but they are NOT funny...at all. The midterms are decent when you study for them. The final is not like the midterms. It will eff you over.
I like him a lot, lectures are easy to understand, and I feel I am learning.
His jokes are lame, but his lectures make sense. He has good intentions, but the class is still boring. This was my second time taking 251 and it was easy. Easy tests, homework takes about 2 hours a week. Overall not a bad class.
I attended every class, did all of the homework, and aced the skills tests, but the final was very difficult. Let's just say I won't take 252 from him.
He's a somewhat challenging professor, but honestly if you have a solid grip at math, you should be able to come out of it with an A no problem. He may not seem very helpful, but he does care and clearly emphasizes putting in the time on your own and joining a study group. He's a very clear teacher, know's his stuff well, and tests very fairly.
This class as a whole, MTH 306, doesn't make too much sense and conceptually challenging. The book provides almost zero help and Scarborough teaches directly from the book and they both skip over steps of how to do things because they take too long, but then you have no idea how to do them yourself. Things tend to happen by magic.
I loved caculus going into this class, however now i absolutly hate math all together. He isn't iteractive, doesnt allow notecards on tests and gives a boat load of homework. His tests are extremely hard and ridiculous. You can study all night and it probably still won't help you. Do NOT take a class from him.
He can teach the material but it's not very exciting. He just boring and sometimes slow. I took calculus in high school so maybe that influences my rating but I think that if your confidant you know the material, you'll be fine on the test. The required homework is online the textbook work was optional.
Horrible. I learned nothing from him. I had to go teach myself calculus from outside textbooks. He used class time to demonstrate his skills, not teach. He conveyed no conceptual understanding of calculus - at best, he only cranked examples of differentiation. He tested as though he actually taught things, though. Mandatory group work sucked.
he is very boring! gives examples but doesn't explain them well. You have to read the book if you really want to understand the material. Tests are hard! no notecards or notes but you get a calculator which is nice. his tests are mostly multiple choice, but are still hard. Try to get a different teacher that will explain things better!
Provides the easiest examples in class, then gives ridiculous (in terms of relevance; not difficulty) problems on tests.
Very smart professor, articulates well. Only bad thing is the 90s jokes.
I like Dr. Scarborough. His tests were fair, I just didn't understand the material. He does move fast in lectures and uses too simple of examples at times. If I had any complaints, it would be the text book. It is too vague and the problems are all over the place.
He goes quickly during lecture, so you have to take notes fast, but you get used to it fast. Test are verrrry straight forward. No trick questions, or ones you did not cover. Do the homework honestly, and you should do well. I would go over the HW again and notes to study. And pulled a high A in the class. Easier than most 252 teachers like Hart!
Hes a pretty good teacher, knows his stuff. The final was extremely easy compared to the midterms. no note cards on tests which sucks. no homework due! skills test sucks! you can take it 3 times but the scoring for it is wack with a 6/10=0 then up from there and its worth 10%. Other than that hes pretty good! really nice guy if you go in and talk t
Had hom for 306 and presently 256. I like him a lot. He is VERY helpful in office. Yeah the jokes are dumb but it is all about the intentions. I mean how far can a prof go in class? I also had Finch for 256 til I had to drop. Scarborough is much clearer.
His tests are very tricky and are mostly multiple choice, so there's no partial credit. And I will just say that his GTA's are better at teaching the material than he is.
Great teacher.
I took Scarborough with Math 251. Since I already knew calculus beforehand I dozed off easily in class. His lecture was so boring and dry but certainly knows what he's talking about. He has years of teaching experience. His test were alright, tricky some parts. Multiple choice and open ended.
Worst class experience I have ever had. His lectures consist of him reading to you what he has written on the board. Not very helpful. When asked questions he replies as if he is shocked that you are questioning his ability. His examples are unclear and he races through the subject. DO NOT take his course!!
Guy knows his stuff. Lots of assumed knowledge. You will do well if you know your trig and algebra inside out. If you are rusty, study up on trig identities, e functions, and chain rule. Study group mandatory unless you are a natural whiz. Lecture: you can do this course from the book. Avoid his lectures. Get a tutor twice a week if you feel lost.
The first part of the class was review for me personally, but if I were seeing the material for the first time I would have been completely lost. He doesn't know how to simplify the material from the book in order to teach it. Definately use your book and all of the problems assigned to help you understand. My TA (Mummy) is very good at explaining.
He really need to improve his way of teaching.. his lecture is boring and sometimes, i would rather to sit at the library and teach my self by reading the textbook...
HE DOES NOT deserve rating this low. Yes, if you have no talent in math or are unmotivated, he is not for you, but if you are looking for a good professor with a lecture style that challenges you to think more in depth about the subject, and actually are planning to go in to science/engineering, I would really recommend him.
Instructor wrote examples too fast for kids to keep up, skipped steps in problems without explaining then and when he was asked a question he would try and embarrass the student that asked the question. He tested on things not covered in class and in his office hours he would be sarcastic and not helpful at all.
I suggest taking your basic calculus courses through a community college. The only way I was able to get through this class was because I had seen the material before. He gets his points across, but sometimes he will trade variables and such and you'll just end up confused.
He goes extremely fast. The only reason I did well was because of high school calculus. If you are taking MTH 252 avoid taking it with him He doesn't explain concepts in a way that someone without prior practice would understand.
Scarborough is a good mathematician but a horrible instructor. He talks down to students and makes them feel stupid for asking basic questions. His lecture is just him doing math problems on the chalkboard.
Worst teacher I've ever had. Makes you feel stupi for asking basic questions and treats people like they're in 3rd grade. If he's the only choice you have, wait to take the class. You'll probably end up retaking it anyway if you have him the first time. I cannot stress enough how horrible of a professor he is.
DO NOT TAKE A CLASS FROM HIM!!!!!! Scarborough had one way of teaching, which was to have pre made hand written notes flashed very quickly across an overhead such that you did not have time to write all the relevant information down, and were too focused on trying to write fast enough that you could not actually comprehend any of the information.
Well, id suggest using khanacademy to learn about 306 rather than trying to understand scarbizzle. His grading curve is actually quite generous though in 306
Scarborough is not a good professor. If you like to take notes, it will be difficult (read: impossible) to keep up with Scarborough tearing through pages of pre-made notes. Disrespectful to students. Grade curve is somewhat fair; he attempts to make up for his poor teaching with a "generous" curve. I personally hate that.
If you're good at math and like learning extra stuff for fun, you'll like his teaching. I found that his lecture notes were largely proof-based, and there's a lot he says that doesn't get written. Fortunately the textbook was better than most and was pretty easy to learn from. Make sure you study the obscure stuff: his favorite things to test on.
This is the worst professor in the whole wide world. NEVER EVER EVER TAKE HIS CLASS OK!!!! I'm still in it and I regret it so much. If he didn't have clicker questions, I would never come to class. His tests does not include things he went over in class. It's hard to keep up with his pre-made notes so I don't even bother.
Showed a general lack of interest in the teaching of students. Would not answer questions clearly. Did not give clear examples of how to do problems. Would not show how to do the math assigned.
Scarborough is the best! He is a kind, jolly genius who loves his students and has a genuine passion for teaching. His class is fair and balanced, and has load of great work as well as pleasurably challenging tests. Scarbizzle fo shizzle!
I just finished taking the final for this class. The two midterms were pretty straight forward, but the final was on an entirely different level. The class itself did not prepare you for the final, and there were no real study guidelines. I would strongly advise not taking this class.
I do no recommend this class; however, when I took this class, I thought I was going to get a C in it. At the end, he curved the grades a lot and ended up with an A. I suggest that if math is one of your worst subjects, DON'T take it from him.
Horrible professor. He goes way too fast and pretty much requires tons of extra time out of class to learn the material. Don't recommend this professor at all.
Once you figure out his system then it really isn't all that hard but it takes a good 8-9 weeks to understand it at which point you don't have much of a chance of getting an A. You're really going to have to work hard outside of class if you want a good grade. He's a cool dude but his class needs some work and his clicker questions are impossible!!
The average on the first test was 62%. He failed half the class, no curve. Go look at the Amazon reviews for the textbook (over half are 1 star). There is no solutions manual, and when I went in to his office hours he told me that he prefers to teach people how to fish rather then handing them fish. Total jerk. He shouldn't be teaching.
Wish I would have picked someone else. Doesn't convey information in a teachable matter.
I was great at math, then I took this class, now I am bad at math. I hate this man.
If you talk to him, he really tries to help you out. This class would have been impossible if I hadn't of talked to him about my concerns and questions.
Don't recommend taking math from him for one main reason: the way he presents in lectures is very dry and not interactive. He puts up notes and you follow along with his premade examples with little to no explanation of why or how to do something. Midterms and finals aren't too difficult. Beware of the skills quiz but you have three attempts.
Poor humored old man, but friendly for the most part. A confusing instructor at times, but if you put in the effort and make it to office hours, and USE YOUR TAs, then you can make this class fairly manageable. If you arent willing to ask some dumb questions once in a while, this class will be difficult...
Worst math professor you can ever have! Be aware if you want to hate math take your course with him!
This is the worst professor you would attend to. Please, DO NOT attempt to do so. The class is boring, and confusing. He expects his students to know the material and always refer to other courses, "You should take MATH 252 before taking MATH 306, you should study French language before writing in English". After all, he is the worst instructor.
I thought Stephen was great. He tells corny math jokes during class and tries to keep it light and interesting. He was always helpful and pleasant during his lectures and office hours. His exams were good because they covered the material that he went over in lecture, homework, and recitation. Do your homework and study and you will pass.
I was an A student in Mathematics. I got A's in all my math classes since high school & during college. HOWEVER, I regret taking this course with the aforementioned instructor. Although he knows maths, he cannot demonstrate his knowledge in a teachable manner. He uses his own-written text book, which is useless and unintelligible. O hardships!
love him! easily the best math professor i've ever had. his lectures are clear, tests are straightforward and nothing unexpected if you attend class and understand the material. also super approachable and nice! as long as you attend his lectures and are somewhat percipient, easy A
He's not the best teacher... If you have specific questions to ask he could probably answer them, but his lectures are the most boring thing ever. He lectures from pre-made notes which he skims over very fast. If you do most of the homework you should have a pretty good understanding of the material. The tests were a lot easier than expected.
If you have a choice in the matter, take your money and time to another math professor. The ONLY reason I passed this class with an A is because I had excellent math instructors prior to Scarborough, and Scarborough's laziness extends to writing extremely similar exams year after year. His lecture notes are pre-written and hardly legible.
I'm not a mathematical "natural," and while I would Prof. Scarborough is indeed quirky and lacks a certain technological flair in his presentation strategy, he is accessible, approachable and willing to take the time to explain. If you aren't getting the grade you want, suck it up buttercup, study and learn to ask the right questions.
Worst math experience I've had at OSU. Scarborough tries to cover way too much material in the term. He even tries to cover material that he doesn't test on, as a result he spends very little time on each subject and it's very hard to actually learn anything. Also the book and online homework he uses are both horrendous.
Every math class I have taken at OSU I have expected an A in this class I expected a C. He's terrible at explaining DifEQ and sped through his notes. The only redeeming factor, I suppose is that the class is set up so its hard to fail. Homework you can click through the solutions, quizes aren't worth much, free clicker points . 1010 Would NOT rec
he gives a lot of extra work in comparison to other teachers and the problem is that he is awful at lectures. Yes, he knows his stuff but he is so smart that he is constantly jumping around and I had to self teach myself all of the lectures.
He is smart and obviously knows what he is doing, but is probably the only one in the room. He does not convey the material clearly and skips steps so often that it can get confusing.
He knows his stuff but simply can't teach at all. I learned everything on youtube, and i mean EVERYTHING. I realized after that how easy the material is. He skips so many steps that its hard to see where he's going. On day one he said, "my goal is to make lecture as boring as possible, because you already know the material".
Over the course of the term I learned nothing from this teacher. I learned everything from the TA, and by teaching my self. His notes aren't great and he does a bunch of example problems that don't really sow you how to actually do the problem. I will avoid him at all costs from now on.
Mr. Scarborough is a good instructor, and fair. I also had him in MTH 251. His lectures are proofy and clicker questions challenging. Here is the key to getting an A in his classes: read the material AND try some HW BEFORE his lecture. If you do, the nerdy jokes make sense. Do all hard probs later. Also, take the Mylab tests. It really works.
He doesn't explain his work and skips steps. He also uses pre written notes that 14 are helpful. He can seem more interested in showing off his math skill instead of teaching you.
Does not give time to take notes. Will not accept questions in class. If you read the book and work through practice problems it doesn't matter because the test won't be related.
worst teacher ive ever had at osu. lectures are extremely fast-paced and VERY boring.
Goes through material fast and skips steps. Has a good grading system, although having online homework, paper homework, clicker questions, and recitation labs is annoying. Do the homework and ask him and the TA(s) questions and you will pass.
I'm surprised by all the negative reviews on this dude, he's a great professor. Tests are difficult, but he's willing to work with you. He writes his own notes prior to lecture, so I suggest print out the notes, bring them to class, and add your own. Also don't ask a algebra 2 question in a calc class, he'll make you look like the fool you are.
He goes through the notes way to fast. If you don't print out the notes from his website you will have no way of keeping up in lecture. Also Everything is on his personal website not canvas. You are allowed a note card for the test but it can ONLY have equations NOT examples of how to do the problems and only get to use one side.
doesnt go in depth in lecture at all, flies through poorly premade lecture slides. skips steps in solutions and expects everyone to understand. doesnt repeat anything or solve problems with clarity. exerts zero effort possible to convey topics throughout class then grades midterms and finals like he will die if he gives anything REASONABLE credit
Everything about this class was fine. Nothing bad, but I also had interest in the subject. Tests are pretty straightforward. Quizzes are easy if you've done the homework, but there is quite a bit of homework; if you haven't done the homework, quizzes are reasonable if you've been paying attention.
For starters, he was the worst teacher I have ever had. His lecture consists of him scrolling through his premade notes and him explaining his algebra and none of the concepts. He does not explain the concepts or why we will set up an equation. Don't take this class if you want to learn anything from lecture. You will have to teach yourself.
By far one of the worst experiences I've had at OSU. My impression of Scarborough was that he basically never had a plan. He would just go through lecture notes almost like he's discovering what the lecture is about on the way. I encourage people to just straight up avoid him. He is definitely a nice guy but i mean so what?
Hated this class. He's always asking us questions, trying to lead into the next topic, but it was never clear. I've always understood math and gotten As but I ended up having to withdraw because of my grade. He never works out a problem fully and his usual quote is "the rest is just algebra" even when it isn't clear what comes next.
He gives a lot of online homework as well as weekly written assignments (both from book and printed). The average scores for the two midterms were 54% and 65%. He doesn't round the grades until the end of the semester, and he rounds a lot.
Scarborough flies through poorly pre-made lecture slides each class, leaving the vast majority of us clueless and frustrated. Examples, if given, are also fast and usually with many skipped steps. I learned all the material from the online homework, of which there was A LOT. Tests often contain unpredictable material. Take someone else if you can.
This was a great class. Scarborough explained a complicated topic very clearly. His examples are easy to follow in class, and he does plenty of them. Scarborough goes through the examples at a nice, slow pace so everyone can follow. He is a very friendly person and funny in class also!
Scarborough is an average teacher in lecture. He writes out all his notes and posts them online, except 2-4 examples he'll do in class. BEWARE OF THE GRADE WEIGHTS. There are 2 midterms counting for 20% of your course grade each, and the final counts for 40%. Homework may be easy, but you will quickly fail the class if your tests don't go well.
In lecture, he just goes over the pre-written notes that he already posts online with a couple of example problems he does in class. With his pre-written notes you'd expect him to be a very good and organized teacher but he's terrible at explaining things. He's a nice guy, but a terrible professor. Would not take any class with him again.
Lecture does not prepare you for Homework which makes homework suck up a bunch of time. Test are difficult. He real does teach anything. Be prepared to teach yourself. If you take 306 you will likely have to use the book written by him, which is just as bad. Fe examples that are vague and don't help with the homework exorcises. Poor teaching style
The lecture is too boring his exams are hard ,he just reads the lecture notes
The absolute worst.
The tests are fair. Lectures could be a bit slow but worth sitting through since Dr. S goes over the material in detail. Print the notes and bring them to class. The clicker questions are tricky but helps you learn/review. Would recommend for any math class.
Scarborough was by far the worst math professor I have had. As a student who routinely does the homework and performs well in math I struggled like I have never before. He has clicker questions making attendance mandatory, his homework is way too long to be useful, and he basically reads out pre-written notes during lecture. Avoid at ALL costs!!!
Scarborough is a true gem of a man. From making you print off his perfect lecture notes which he has recycled for probably the past two decades, to writing extremely excruciatingly difficult tests to test your understanding of concepts he mentioned very briefly during class, this is a man who cares greatly for both your learning and your GPA. 10/10
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Attendance Mandatory
83%
Textbook Required
86%
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