2.5
Quality3.5
Difficulty38%
Would Retake92
Reviews38%
Would Retake
92
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
15
4
12
3
13
2
15
1
37
What Students Say
“I honestly don't know why his reviews are so low”
MATH107 - 5.0 rating“I got below a 50 on first exam and have a B overall”
MATH107 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
71%
Textbook Required
46%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.92 avg changeRatings by Course
MTH108
5.0
(1)MATH310
5.0
(1)MATH221
5.0
(2)MATH330
4.0
(3)MATH107
3.7
(3)Difficulty by Course
MATH221
4.5
106
4.3
MATH114
3.8
MATH106
3.7
MATH102
3.7
Reviews (92)
DON'T TAKE HIM!!!! He is a horrible teacher and he shouldn't be teaching at all. He should get fired and never be allowed to teach anywhere. More then half of the class dropped out. Collects HW every class and tests are impossible.
He sucks as a teacher and tests are impossible. Half the class dropped after first test and others are struggling. Grades every homework assignment and calls on you even when you dont want to answer. Shouldnt be teaching here.
No Comments
nice guy, awful teacher, tries to explain things too much and thus confuses the students. three fourths of the class is failing, and the tests are impossible! final is also cummulative which he doesnt review for
No Comments
unclear, annoying professor. doesn't correct homework, but uses homework to create exams. doesn't care about student progress. makes explanations ridiculously difficult. talks in circles. avoid, if possible.
Nice guy, but tries to explain things too much and ultimately confuses himself and the class. Tests aren't that hard if you put the time in to study the assigned problems. He doesn't collect homework because he doesn't assign any. I would only recommend him if you're taking it as a refresher course.
No Comments
Shimkus was far and away the worst teacher I have ever had. He is flawlessly unclear and offers no partial credit. So if you miss the easily-missable online quizzes, you're screwed. He's a really nice guy, but that makes it worse because you'll want to be furious with him because he's such a bad teacher, but you cant! AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
hes an awesome guy and hes always looking to help.. he doesnt like when you know more than him though, so dont show him your own way to do a problem because he gets offended.. its bad when a girl in your class can do a better job of teaching than him for some lessons.. definitely take him though!! hes so great!!!
possbily the stupidest teacher ever. he doesnt know what he's teaching. he always repeats himself like 5 times in different ways and it just makes it more confusing. most of the people in class are smarter than him and can teach the class better. he's a nice guy, just a horrible teacher. dont take him
worst math teacher i've ever had...he doesnt know how to teach he basically just stand there and does problems and even confuses himself, routinely makes mistakes. also : the quizzes are all done online at home so you have whatever sources you want and the final is monitored in a lab, you end up not learning anything. not a good strategy.
Took pre-calc with him, first 3/4 of the course was a breeze, he gives the test to you ahead of time and then just changes the order and a few numbers. Flew through trig and I didn't understand anything he did.
Dr. Shimkus is a great guy. Took him for actuarial math. He teaches at a swift pace which will keep your interest. Homework is graded on correctness so you do need to concentrate on it. You need to go to class or you'll be lost in the next one. Class time flies by!
Avoid Dr. Shimkus' class at all costs. He is boring, not helpful, and he makes the material much more complicated than it needs to be.
Shimkus taught a tedious math course. the material sucked but he was a really nice guy and always willing to help if you were willing to ask. do not say u understand if u dont because it just gets harder.
He is such a nice guy but he cant teach very well. I am tutoring people for his class right now and pretty much teaching them everything. material isnt hard, but he cant explain anything very well. Avoid him if you can if you cant teach yourself well.
When teaching to a class, Dr. Shimkus is flat-out terrible. But one on one, he actually knows his stuff. I learned all of this stuff in high school so the course was really boring for me. I ended up helping my classmates out when they were confused. An inevitable course to take for an EDUC major, so just buckle down and you'll make it through!
Professor Shimkus is definitely a TERRIBLE teacher. He knows what he's doing and one on one he's great! I always asked questions and he helped me everytime. But, i ended up getting a tutor because i got so confused. Its an easy course, but you can get confused easily. He doesnt care about attendance at least so that doesnt affect your grade.
He is absolutely horrible. Lectures are incredibly boring and refers to drawings as "this guy" and "that guy" which doesn't help for note-taking. Accidentally pronounce a word wrong and he will belittle you for the rest of the semester. Don't ask for help because he won't help you. This is NOT your standard geometry. Worst professor I've ever had.
I honestly don't know why his reviews are so low. Dr. Shimkus is a good teacher and an unbelievably nice guy. If you ever have any problems in the class just go to him and I can promise you he will straighten it out. All his assignments are online and you know your grade then and there so there are no surprises. GO TO CLASS!
He is one of the best professors. He is very nice and explains problems fully. He has always been there to help, and I highly recommend him. Don't listen to the other negative comments.
Very knowledgeable but can be very confusing when explaining topics. Get a tutor, it will only benefit you. Professor is much more helpful and clear during office hours.
Very useless when it comes to needing help. Very selective on who he wants to help and who he wants to focus on helping. Only teaches favorited students which become favorited the first day of class. If he doesn't like you then you're basically left to manage for yourself. But its okay this is more than half the class so you can all work together.
This class is by far the easiest class I've ever taken. It's an easy A as long as you pay attention while he explains the concepts. After that it's like you're in a 7th grade math class. Warning: there will be people who don't understand and you will want to bang your head against the wall.
Dr. Shimkus was a great teacher for stat. The workload was not bad at all, tests were graded fairly, and all expectations were very clear. People complained about the class a lot, but participating a little and showing you cared was all that was needed to make it a great experience. I would take Dr. Shimkus again, he is a great teacher!
This rating really does not give Dr. Shimkus justice. He's a great guy and a good teacher. It's a very independent-learning-based class, and it's treated as such. Talks in circles a lot, but he usually gets to the point eventually. Confuses himself sometimes too. He's a funny guy if you get him out of his shell. Final was hard, but it wasn't graded
Not a great professor. He does not do a very well job teaching the material, but if you get a tutor and meet with him/her once or twice a week, you will do fine. It is perfectly manageable if you put in the time with and without your tutor.
Shimkus is a genuinely great guy. If you're good at math, you'll do fine. This class is intimidating at first, but definitely gets better. Plenty of homework assigned, but it is fair and prepares you well for the test. Highly recommended for any future actuaries or business majors.
The man, the myth, the legend. Shimkus is an incredible professor who absolutely loves what he teaches. The material is difficult but he does a lot of practice problems before moving onto the next section. The class was entirely computer based and the online homework counts for a significant amount of your grade. 3 exams and a cumulative final.
Super nice, caring and helpful during his office hours, he'll work with you until you get it. No pop quizzes, There's also a huge curve at the end of the course. I got below a 50 on first exam and have a B overall. If you ask for help on homework he'll do the whole problem for you. He's nerdy but he is insanely smart. I recommend him 10/10.
This is an online math course which you get unlimited practice problems. There isnt many options for professors. But I can say that I used this class to do other work. Then I just had my tutor teach me the information. It was too hard to learn from him. Hes a mathematical genius, but the class is a grind (he moves quick).
Dr. Shimkus is a very solid and caring professor. If you practice enough and do all of the homeworks, you will get an A.
Dr. Shimkus is a great professor. His moves through the material quickly, but he is willing to take extra time to make sure that each person in the class understands what he's talking about. Online homework is assigned every couple days - nothing too demanding. The tests aren't bad as long as you continually practice the material.
Super helpful in office hours, will teach to the bell in every class. Heavy with AiM (online homework and quizzes) had a 54% at midterms and finished with an A. huge curve at end and second half of semester is always easier. Lectures/homework/quizzes dont overlap a lot so youll have to pt in a lot of work but he meets more than halfway.
Dr. Shimkus is such a great teacher! He is super nice and knows what he is talking about. He is also super smart and can sometimes go a bit fast but will slow down and explain everything until you get it. His tests and quizzes are on AIM and super easy and there is a HUGE curve at the end! He mad pre-calc super fun and I would take him again!
I had him for pre-calc and idk if he only used the aim system cuz of miss rona but that system is a blessing. If you mess up a question it lets you try again without taking too many points off. As long as you pay attention to his lectures and do good on the homework its an easy A, he also gives a nice curve at the end- I ended the class with a 104
If you took calculus in high school like me, this class is a joke, no textbook needed, if you never took pre-cal, he explains and make things harder than it is sometimes. Very nice person, if you're ever confused always ask, and he'll make sure you understand before you move on, you're better off with him than other math professors
This class can be a hit or miss. For me at the current moment, it's a miss. Since this class is online, he uses this program called AIM for homework and it SUCKS. He doesn't teach based off of the text, but based off of what he assigns for homework. He doesn't use actual rules, but makes up his own. He barely helps when you ask questions in class.
Shimkus is an average professor. I had to take him for precalc after taking AP calc in hs so this class was a breeze (for others it might not be). explains things kinda weirdly and is inconsistent with his email responses but he tries his best to help you understand the material.
Shimkus is good at explaining most things, but could be confusing sometimes. He will help you solve problems you are stuck on. Get ready to do homework, because that's where your grade mainly comes from. You could fail the midterm and final and still pass as long as you do good on the homework problems.
A lot of people complain about this class, but as long as you show up, put in the effort, and do the work you should be fine. This class can be a little demanding for students who struggle with math, given that he does not really teach a lot. With all that said, its definitely not a bad class, and the students who do bad don't show up. Good luck!
He uses AIM for the whole course, so there's no partial credit on tests. He teaches the material very well and is engaging, but it's not stuff from the textbook. In my math221 course there are things that I was "supposed to know" from math114 that Shimkus just didn't go through.
Doesn't help in any way. If you have a question, he answers with more problems. Doesn't help during office hours either. Overall, terrible teaching. Do not take if you struggle even the slightest in math.
Professor Shimkus is the worst professor ever. During lecture he was very confusing and it was hard to understand the problems he did on the board. He didn't explain the problems clearly at all. He was all over the place. I didn't learn anything in his class. It is a 4 credit class so a C or a D in a 4 credit class would destroy my GPA.
Mans is obsessed with AIM. Spent most of the time trying to figure out how to plug in my answer into AIM instead of solving the homework problems. HOWEVER, nice man overall. Lectures get pretty boring sometimes and you have to pretend you're paying attention or else he'll call on you. He will be more than willing to go over homework problems.
Dr. Shimkus is a very nice man. However, his class was almost impossible if you have any struggles in math. He wrote and uses his own software to prevent cheating. This made it impossible to get outside help from the internet or even tutors. Once you dig a hole for yourself, it is hard to get out of it.
Class is quite difficult. He is actually a pretty chill guy and willing to help.
I do not recommend I never felt more overwhelmed when I got to class. Shimkus had so much energy that he would be all over the place he even tripped himself up.
This is a very draining class. He teaches and grades by this software that he created (AiM), and there are only two tests, so there's basically no room to improve. Lectures are completely all over the place, office hours are a waste of time, and the homework does nothing for you. He explains everything in the most confusing way possible.
Whatever you do please do not take Mr.Shimkus. He is not a good teacher at all. I was always good with math until I took his class because he made everything so confusing. He also had many complaints made about him by many students. Just do not take any classes with him because you'll probably end up dropping it anyway.
He made me cry
I took this class first semester fresh out of taking Ap Calc AB and BC. Shimkus is a very smart and clever professor. However, he uses a system called AIM making kids not cheat. There is no partial credit on exams which is annoying and AIM is a pain to use. Harder to input answer than do the actual math. You need to be motivated for good grade.
The most frustrating math teacher I have ever had. He uses his own website that he created himself to prevent cheating. The website is the polar opposite of user friendly. He is terrible at teaching and over explains things. Tests are online and there is no partial credit. Homeworks are impossible to prevent cheating and they won't be on tests.
Do not take prof Shimkus unless you absolutely have to. Zero partial credit while using software that is harder than the math itself makes this course nearly impossible, it is essentially designed for you to fail. He doesnt offer much help as well and refuses to elaborate on things you "should know from precalc." Would rate him a zeri if I could.
Def not the worst math professor at this school, however his class isn't easy nor fair. He uses an online software that makes exams unfair, some students would get easier questions than others. However, he did give out lots of HW which helped boost ur grade. There is also a MASSIVE curve at the end of the course that is extremely helpful.
He is a really good professor, what makes him tough is the online software he uses but other Exams are almost familiar with the reviews he provides. It's a pain in the ass to put the answer in the AIM system otherwise if you did the calc in high school this class would be smooth.
Dr. Shimkus is not a good teacher. He is very hard to work with. He makes it seem like he cares about you and wants to help, but he really just makes life harder. I do not suggest taking him.
If I could rate this professor a 0 I would. He doesn't give proper notes for class goes way to fast over lessons. Uses Aim which is super confusing and the worst website to ever exist. He doesn't explain how to use the website properly. I Went through a family emergency...wasnt willing to reason by grading missing asignments. He told me to withdraw
I thought he was a good professor. He does go a little too much into detail into things you really don't need, but overall really nice person and happy to answer questions. Had two exams and the rest are all homeworks. If you go to class and take notes you'll do well. Only thing I wish is that he had some kind of printed notes to reference.
Dr.Shimkus is overall an excellent professor, but extremely difficult to work with. He goes at an extremely quick pace and side tracks very often. Also, everything is on AIM and entering everything on AIM is the most difficult part. AIM is just an excuse for laziness. Don't take this class if you didn't take pre-calc or calc in high school.
If you are confused or not up to pace with the class he seems extremely unavoidable and is very difficult to work with. I approached him multiple times in office hours and at times it seemed as if he was frustrated by my questions and even uncaring. Sometimes will come off as rude. Do not take if u can. I'd rate a 0 if i could.
Awful teacher, avoid at all costs. He does not care about you in the slightest, even if he says so. Very unhelpful during office hours, answers your questions by making you solve a question. He is consistently condescending to students. I don't know how he has a job let alone the chair of the math department. He should be fired!
No. literally no.
AWFUL!!!!!!!
Dr.Shimkus should not be allowed to teach. He does not care in the slightest about you and will not work with you. He will insult your intelligence in front of you and will call you out. Taking his class was the biggest mistake and he should be fired. He also doesn't allow and feedback because he knows it would all be negative. AVOID!!!!
Worst professor at the U!
One of the most difficult profs I have ever had. His teaching style was disorganized, and lectures were often confusing and hard to follow. He seemed unapproachable and uninterested in helping students succeed. When I asked for clarification, I was often met with dismissive or sarcastic remarks. The experience was frustrating and demotivating.
Very complicated teachings, I used a tutor to teach me the concepts before class so I would have a good understanding.
AIM is awful,,, all the students hate it here. If the university actually cared about us you think they would do something about all the complaints. Not a great professor by any means and sometimes rude.
Very complicated teachings and disorganized.
The whole class used Aim there's no extra credit terrible lectures that are confusing be prepared to get a tutor or teach yourself if you don't already know how to do everything
Shimkus is your average math teacher. never really goes over the material, just dives right into examples. goes VERYYY fast. Not the nicest guy in the world, doesn't love answering questions. All grading is through AIM. test practice problems match up w tests, each test is 8-10 questions. Pretty easy grading. didnt take a hard class w him though
DO NOT TAKE Dr. Shimkus. If you ask him a question he answers it in a condescending way as if you should know everything. He is not approachable and doesn't help when he clearly sees you struggling. He uses AiM which is the most ridiculous system. If you make a mistake typing in your answer then it marks the whole question wrong.
ABSOLUTE WORST. Dr. Shimkus doesn't care about his students and does not care if you are confused. AiM is the worst way to teach math and he is all over the place during lecture. He does at least 4 topics per class and makes simple math confusing. If you take this class get a tutor because they make more sense than he does.
Convinced this guy is the worst professor at the U. Not only does he not care about students but he's also very condescending and overall just seems like a rude person. If you care about your sanity don't even consider taking him for any course. Also AiM is a complete joke.
Dr. Shimkus is a great professor. He is caring and will answer your questions in an easy to understand way. He is great at teaching math, if you pay attention during his lectures, you will 100% leave understanding the material...compared to the other math lectures at the school. after class do ur homework so you rememberfor the quiz youlldo great.
Wouldnt stand within 10 feet of this guy after taking his course. It's hard to believe he is passionate about his students, let alone teaching. Never been talked down to more by someone who I believe should be a figure to look up to and help you grow as a student. I'm truly sickened that he's still teaching let alone the DEPARTMENT CHAIR. 0/10!
GO BIRDS. Would never take a class with him again, sucks as much as his favorite team in the playoffs. (steelers)
Disliked by much, but his teaching worked for me. I'm not a fan of AiM that gives you a penalty with every question you get wrong and that the answers must be typed in a specific way, but I will say that it can be a solid way of practicing math problems. Homework wise its stressful whenever it comes to submitting an answer.
Lowkey not a bad teacher he just teaches very fast. My class was kinda unique because only 5/11 kids in the class stayed so we moved pretty fast. He uses AiM so if you don't like that for some reason (you get more than once chance on tests) don't take.
So should've wrote this awhile ago but I transferred and forgot to put my opinion on this Professor anyways. Yeah never again. Good luck.
Awful. That's it.
Probably the worst professor at the U. Avoid if you have any sense of self respect, he will attempt to deteriorate your self worth by embarrassing you for not understanding things immediately, that probably took him years to learn. HE DOES NOT VALUE CURA PERSONALIS. Should be out of a job by now.
Dr. Shimkus is one of the most caring professors at Scranton. He is always willing to help you prepare for exams and discuss homework outside of class. He personally helped my class before the final to prepare. His homework and exams were done through aim, which was difficult to use, but not impossible and even has benefits. Great class, but hard.
He is the most distracting person ever. Will just yap all class and make random noises.
He goes a million miles an hour, expecting you to keep up. Hope you don't miss a day, or you'll be lost until the next chapter. Quizzes are unforgiving due to them all being online. Never explains a single thing he does. I hated him the whole semester
Was nice but hard to follow. Would go over practice problem in class but expects you to know everything already. Everything is online, tests and homework and those are the only grades. Test every 2 weeks and goes till the last second of class. No extra credit and attendance is graded
Cold calls, goes too fast, makes students feel uncomfortable. Uses the AIM platform, the software is extremely finicky and makes the course a nightmare.
If you can, avoid at all costs! He teaches insanely fast, can't use a calculator in his class, so if you suck at mental math, you're fried. Only calls on the girls in the class and helps them on the tests. Wastes class time going over the same easy problems in the unit, then squeezes in the hardest problems in the last minute of class!
Super easy class if you put in the effort and complete the homework. Professor is nice, but be ready to get called on even if you didn't raise your hand.
Lecture heavy, but he does a very good job breaking down material and making it easy to understand. Need to take notes to do well.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
71%
Textbook Required
46%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.92 avg changeRatings by Course
MTH108
5.0
(1)MATH310
5.0
(1)MATH221
5.0
(2)MATH330
4.0
(3)MATH107
3.7
(3)Difficulty by Course
MATH221
4.5
106
4.3
MATH114
3.8
MATH106
3.7
MATH102
3.7