2.5
Quality3.6
Difficulty21%
Would Retake183
Reviews21%
Would Retake
183
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
183 total ratings5
30
4
27
3
21
2
34
1
71
What Students Say
“For the love of all that is good, don't take his class”
MATH4A - 1.0 rating“Dai is not a great teacher, as the comments below have affirmed, but this applies to most of my professors in general”
MATH4A - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
11%
Textbook Required
40%
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B
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147
5.0
(1)MATH117
5.0
(1)MATH240A
5.0
(1)MATH240B
5.0
(1)MATH102AANDB
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
MATH240A
5.0
147a
5.0
147
4.0
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Reviews (182)
He's pretty good at explaining concepts and stuff. His tests are reasonable and he's solid all around. He has slight Chinese accent but its not too bad. I would recommend him.
hes an awesome teacher, made me love math again, and he goes out of his way every class to tell a story, says we need a break
Makes class more bearable with his random (but very funny) jokes, not an overwhelming amount of homework, and I'm actually learning things in math for once. Too cool. Take him for Math 3A.
prof. dai is really cool! he teaches well and he makes sure everyone understands the material. i love his little jokes! i go to class everytime waiting for him to tell us the joke of the day!
Pretty good at explaining stuff. Makes some funny and random jokes. Tests are reasonable as is the curve. I would definitely recommend him
professor dai actually goes through and explains examples so that everybody can understand them. he makes calculus easy. his funny jokes make the lectures more interesting. take his class if you get the chance.
He's an awesome teacher! I love his little jokes, they are so cute, and it actually makes the hour and fifteen minutes of calculus enjoyable!
The prof is def. the best i've ever had. If he can explain calculus to me, he can basically teach it to a monkey. I actually enjoyed an hour and a half of math! Wait, did i just say that? Anyway, i am passing with a B, and i totally failed last quart
Joke Time Rocks
great teacher! he explains everything clearly. final was kinda tough, though. still, way better than gerstein. take math with dai if you get the chance. story time rules!
great professor, very funny with his jokes. the class was not very hard
goes around in circles and doesnt know what to do sometimes...then just gives a joke to keep everyone in the class and get a decent eval
funny teacher...he's a great lecturer and has a really odd sense of humor. He made me laugh pretty often and understands the need to ligten up when it comes to math.
Hard class. Good prof. He tries to explain things well and wants to give you an A. He jokes are a little random but appreciated. Office hours are helpful if you don't understand homework. He wants you to learn it and he wants you to do well, so he tries hard and it helps.
Small class, professional invironment. Lectures are rather introductory and supplementary for a lot of reading and exersizing (what is good for me). The course is extremely difficult unless you are fluent in algebra, analysis, and topology.
This course was really hard for me and Dai didn't help. His tests were harder than the homework and his lectures were unclear but the subject matter was difficult so i don't blame him for everything.
Stable, professional class. 240b was a little easier than 240a after some adaptation to specifics of geometry.
Wants you to do good in the course. Very helpful. Good examples. Explains things clearly. Homework can be difficult but his tests aren't too bad. He listens to students comments. Math 102B is easier than 102A.
Great guy, terrible teacher. Constantly blows past steps w/o explanation. Puts random stuff on the homework that was not touched in class. Really nice guy, just not a great teacher, too smart to teach this low level of a class, he assumes everyone shares his math brain.
Prof. Dai is a really good teacher. He explains things really well. I get everything unlike someone I know... Ohohohohohohoho~ Ohohohohohoho~ Ohohohohohohohoho~
This class was extremely difficult. Homework is very limited and does not give enough practice for the students to grasp the concepts at hand. The midterms and finals were all very hard. Dai is a smart man but is too smart for the class.
Good Jokes in class to keep us entertained.Nice Guy as well. However, midterms and final was extremely harder than the homework and practice tests. Does not explain very well and assigns homework far too easy. Do not recommend him for any Lower division math courses unless you are a math genius
Sounded more like he was trying to teach himself the material instead of the class. And he always avoided questions from students.
This professor was not helpful one bit. I am so upset I stayed in this class, I should have dropped it once I knew he wouldn't teach me a single thing. Shouldn't be teaching.
Class was fine. Professor handed out comprehensive practice tests and solutions. No reason to get less than an A if you put in even minimal effort. Freshmen tend to go to lecture and talk the entire time/not study, lower the curve for everyone else, then run to ratemyprofessors.com to cry.
Very easy class. The midterms and the final were very similar to the practice exams he posted on the website.
Nice and fair teacher, but don't expect to learn anything from him. I hadn't learned any calculus before this class which put me at a pretty big disadvantage considering that my TA was worthless and I never went to lecture. I scraped out a B thanks to CLAS, but I felt like I could have done much better with quality instruction.
Could not understand anything he was saying. Eventhough he is a very smart, nice guy he does not know how to teach one bit. Midterms and Final so much harder than the practice tests. Run while you can!!
he was really hard to understand, though he tried really hard to keep the class entertained with his little drawings and jokes
A nice little Asian guy. Tries to make jokes during class but he can be hard to understand sometimes. I would recommend taking CLAS and you will pass this class with an A. his tests are quite easy if you keep up with the material. DO NOT BUY THE BOOK...waste of money. you never use it.
not a bad professor. He spent too much time with his drawings and little explanation but his exams were very similar to the practice exams he posted so that made it easy just get help beforehand and easy final and midterm
His lectures are not necessary to go to because you could find everything online, but they are helpful since most of the homework is based off of his lecture. He does have an accent that you have to get used to so it is tough in the beginning. But once you move past that you can just follow his notes for the homework and tests, since they are clear
had almost no clue what he was saying first day, but after a few lectures you understand everything
This professor is one of the best I've had. He has a great sense of humor and if you pay attention in class, you'll will understand it 100%. The homework also helps you understand and it usually isn't a lot of questions. Take any class you can with him. Highly recommended.
Professor Dai is an awesome person. He enjoys to tell jokes and he likes to make his students laugh. Midterm and Final are all homework based, so if you do the homework, tests should come easy. He teaches general math concepts and then incorporates examples, which really help understanding the material.
Very funny guy and good at explaining the material. Problem is he makes the final extremely difficult. I did well in everything but the final and ended up failing the class even though I knew the material.
Clearest math prof ever; makes everything seem straightforward. Cracks a lot of jokes in class. It's not one of those classes where you go for fun, but his lectures are definitely more bearable than a lot of other classes. Basically, he rewards the people who study hard, so make sure you do that because you really only have so many assignments.
Good professor. Midterm was easy, final was relatively hard.
Professor Dai is one of the better math professors. He made learning the information easy and relatively straightforward (at least for a math class.) The exams were homework based: the midterm was extremely easy but the final was actually really difficult. Overall I think that he's a professor worth taking--if nothing else than for his Euler jokes!
He is a fantastic professor and his lectures are really interesting. I really did not like my TA, and I slacked on my homework which is why I did not do as well as I thought I would. If you take this class, definitely go to all the lectures and you will be fine.
Class kind of derailed after we ran out of webwork assignments. Final was pretty tricky, especially after being told it would look exactly like our HW (which it only slightly did) I managed to get full points in the class up to the final, but after the final I got a B overall. However, he is hilarious, and seems to actually care about his students.
He's an amazing professor! He's very clear; his notes are posted online but go to class so you can see the examples. If you go to lectures and do the hw, you should be fine. The final was harder than the midterm but not impossible. He's also hilarious with his Euler jokes!
Very organized. Good clear lecturer, doesn't move too fast.Wants student feedback. Lots of difficult homework, but the midterms and final are exactly like the homework. Clear expectations of students. Final worth 50% of grade. Very helpful at office hours. Tells math jokes to cheer students up a little. Though he's tough, overall very good teacher!
my favorite math professor! make difficult materials clear and simple. Just do your hw, you'll be fine.
One of the worst professors I had at UCSB. His lectures were slow and confusing. He lost me many times. He would spent a bunch of time on one concept and then skip the next one. Quizes were useless and repeated each other. Tests were all trick questions that didn't actually test a students knowledge of the material. Stay away at all costs.
Funny but not that good of a professor.
Even if you fully understand the material, you'd most likely receive an unsatisfying grade from trick questions on midterms/finals. I would not recommend
I didn't think he was a bad professor at all. He is a little hard to understand at times but he has a good sense of humor and is always willing to help. If you have trouble understanding him TAs or CLAS is very helpful too. Definitely go to review sessions before midterms and the final because there is a lot of vocab in 4A.
Dai's lectures consisted of him flipping hastily through confusing/unhelpful PPT slides (never enough time to get notes down), online homework problems usually had no connection to things 'taught' in lecture (everyone I knew in the class used yahoo answers on the daily), and test questions were often excessively tricky. Would not recommend him.
Simply reads off the powerpoint slides during lecture. Exams are very thorough and therefore not easy. Homework is not very helpful in preparing for the exams -- go to section!
The exams were very detailed so it was hard to get full points on every problem. The material wasn't too difficult, but it was asked in confusing ways. He's funny and I enjoyed going to lecture and section, I just wished his exams were more straight forward.
Lecture is practically useless, and be prepared to get lost really easily since he literally tells you the theorem and then expects you to take it for granted from that moment onward, rarely giving a comprehensive proof or explanation for why the proof works. Exams are very tedious (final had large fractions), but also very easy.
Lectures are confusing. Very few examples and lots of powerpoint slides where he explains the proof and theorem in the most confusing way possible. Very unclear on whats on the midterm and what we need to know. Hes funny and nice, but is just not the greatest of professors
Very poor lecturer, often uses terminology and calculations without explaining how and where they came from, and what they mean. Pray you get a good TA.
Not bad.
Dr. Dai 's class style is humorous. He will show examples to every point he mentions in his class. He is patient to explain the concepts you don't understand, after class or in his office hours.
His English is not that good. As for teaching, he is ok. But he gives hard tests.
Understood material pretty well but could've studied more. Failed both midterms. Grading rubric too tough. He doesn't prepare you well for the exams and the hw/quizzes are in no way related to the tests. Test questions are tricky & convoluted. People go to lecture for iClicker points but it's not worth your time.
Professor Dai is a funny person and seems like a really nice guy. He is very knowledgeable about the material, but is simply not skilled at conveying this information to his students. Lectures are convoluted and never finish on time, the homework is rather buggy, and the midterms are difficult as they do not reflect the homework or classwork.
Do the homework! Ask as many questions as you can about how to do the homework. Hard class by nature, but midterms and final are based directly from homework problems. Cool dude.
Don't listen to all of the bad reviews, this professor is great. He gives lots of examples after introducing concepts and is very patient when asking questions. He also tells a lot of math jokes that are pretty dry but that is what makes them funny. As long as you pay attention in class,you should be just fine.
Professor Dai, to put it mildly, made us Dai. His lectures and curriculum are poorly organized. He tries to be funny with bad memes and Star Wars references (sometimes Transformers) but wastes time doing it. His homework makes the class seem easy, but then he destroys you with his tests. For the love of all that is good, don't take his class.
People love to rant about Dai mainly because he has a heavy accent. But apart from that, his lectures are very straightforward and easy to follow. The course itself can be quite easy as long as you focus in class and do make use of CLAS (get Vince Zaccone if you can). Do the homework and focus in class. You'll be fine.
His homework for this class could be a bit excessive sometimes. 10 problems isn't bad, but writing everything out can take a while and there were always like 1-2 hard problems per set. Exams are straight off of the homework problems, but make sure you understand the tough ones. Dude threw the hardest ones in the final and wrecked everyone.
Lectures are mandatory but you are better off trying to teach yourself from the textbook. He's that bad.
He can be a little confusing and its hard to stay awake for lectures, but he does his best. He seems to care about the students. I ended up learning a lot outside of class with section, CLAS, and the homework. It isn't too difficult if you work hard to understand the key concepts at the beginning.
absurd tests. who assigns a hundred problems in a textbook for the study guide, and then puts two questions on the final that none of those problems would help you with...
He knows his stuff, but can't seem to express it clearly. If you make enough of an effort to review his notes and read the textbook, you'll pass. Also just do the HW and iClicker stuff, its free points.
Dai is a really funny and seems to care about his students, but he wasn't very good at explaining the material and answering his students questions. I attended the lectures only for iClicker. Reading the textbook and attending CLAS was really helpful for his class. If you do take him, make sure you do the homework seriously.
He tries to make you remember stuff with dumb phrases that don't make sense or aren't memorable
It's a math class and you see more letters than you see numbers. He only teaches the concepts and not how to do problems so it's really up to you to actually learn and be able to apply that knowledge to the problems on the midterm and Final. If you're a bio major, go take stats instead honestly, don't even stress
Worst professor I've ever seen. He won't even explain concepts clearly before he actually talked about it. Spoke very slow and spent a long time on easy ones and almost skipped hard ones. So regretful taking this class.
He seems like a nice person, but his lectures just don't cut it if you want to do well. The reason I'm going to get an A is that I signed up for CLAS, and if you want an A, do the same. With CLAS the class is easy. Bonderson was awesome. Dai though will walk through easy stuff really slowly, then explain completely new concepts in a few minutes.
The tests weigh 85%. Miss a number? You are screwed. Almost 1k students, what do you expect to learn?
Dai's lectures were alright, and so was the homework. The final was horrible, and nothing like the practice problems (even though the midterm was exactly like the practice problems he gave us..). I got an A- on the midterm and had 100% on everything else but the final is worth so much so my grade still sucks and I don't know if he curves.
Everyone has already mentioned how his lectures suck and he how doesn't teach. But I'd also like to add that his grading is really really weird and brutal. I got a poor grade on the final and idk if the class will be curved or not. I hope there's just a high school style curve where he just adds percentages to grades, but idk if that will happen.
As a 1st quarter freshman, I just want to say that college marks a severe drop in the quality of education we receive. Dai is not a great teacher, as the comments below have affirmed, but this applies to most of my professors in general. You just do everything by yourself and show up to the tests. You pay for a degree, not an education. Pathetic.
He doesnt go in depth at all (he barely speaks English) and then tests on things that were never discussed, in homework, on quizzes, or in the textbook. Also, quizzes and homework were worth basically nothing so if you did poorly on the midterm or final, youre screwed. Not a good or fair teacher at all.
Professor Dai cannot teach at the level that should be expected at a University of this caliber. Lectures and lecture notes are borderline useless and most sections will not be helpful as well. The only way I got through this was with CLAS. You basically have to teach yourself the entire course. Use 3B1B on youtube and if you can, do not take Dai.
Professor Dai illustrated everything very clearly during the classes. He is a very logical and knowledgeable person, having accent but can be accepted. For those people who say this class is hard, think of how much work you paid for this class. If you are not a stupid and pay enough for this class, then you will succeed.
He spends too much time explaining theorems and not enough showing how to solve problems so I learned all of the material in CLAS. The midterm and final are really straightforward and there arent any curveballs. Its definitely possible to get 100% on both of them if you make sure you get how to do all the practice problems he gives you.
This guy was amazing in class, personality is amazing (this guy is a legend), and class was manageable up until the final. The final had material on it the we never covered! There was practically no curve. Since the final is worth 55% of the grade if you get screwed on the final you're done. So he made the final super hard on purpose. Never again.
Dai's personality is nice and he tries to be funny. It's like he was a failed stand up comic and decided he would try teaching and incorporate his "comedy there." The students that attended lecture would pity clap him. His lectures were the powerpoint word for word, with huge matrices. His explanations would skip HUGE steps. Take CLAS.
He's a very friendly guy who tries his best to help students. However, he's really bad at lecturing. It's like he dances around the theory behind major concepts, but is unable to emphasize the important connections that make the material stick. Some may dig that; I didn't. Read along and load up on CLAS and tutoring hours to make up the difference.
Only a 2% curve I believe, so naturally, my grade didn't get boosted at all. You'd think he'd at least give you a 3% curve so that everyone's letter grade got boosted by one stage, especially considering his inability to teach well.
He tried his best teaching the material and making lectures interesting. His hw is tedious and doesn't emphasize key concepts well. Work through the book problems because they're more straightforward and you'll pass
The curve was slight for the final and only by half a grade. There's one midterm and one final. The midterm weighed 30% and the final weighed 55%. His lectures are generally boring and he records/posts them so there's no need to go. Sections are important with quizzes but they're generally pretty easy and TAs are so helpful.
Professor Dai is just not good at explaining any of the concepts. Even though he posts all of his lectures online, which is very helpful, I would rewatch them several times and still not understand the concept. You just have to hope for a good TA and make sure you ask them a lot of questions.
Our final had a question (worth 8% of the final with little partial credit) that was NEVER seen before. Dai later uploaded the graded final to gradescope, unannounced. Most students are probably still unaware of how brutally he graded our test. It seems designed to cull our averages so more students would be in the B range. I guess he succeeded.
Do not take his class. If you can afford to take it with a teacher with a better rating at another time then do it. He is awful at teaching and nothing makes sense. If it was not for my awesome TA, I probably would not have even passed the class. He is absolutely terrible. The class is graded on a few things.
nice person, material itself is not that bad, but lectures werent helpful . learning myself most of the time. never tried this hard for a B. there is a curve, but barely raised my grade. good luck
Dude makes no sense. He doesnt explain any math problems, all of his lecture are arbitrary and he is terrible at answering questions, you might as well not go to lecture, it might just confuse you more. Pray you have a good TA! the only saving grace was the MASSIVE curve(15%), and for some reason at the end everyone's quiz grades raised to 100%
Lectures were okay. TA was ehhh. I went to CLAS and it helped guide me through the difficult concepts. I took the midterm got an A, then took the Final and got an F. I think (just a suggestion) you shouldn't make the final so incredibly difficult especially if it is worth 55% of your grade. This class totally ruined my major gpa.
He's terrible at explaining things. He doesn't go through examples and there's a ton of homework on stuff never talked about in class. Don't buy the book it's dry and unhelpful. DEFINITELY find a CLAS teacher if you have Dai so you can actually learn. Got 84% on the midterm and 55% on the final worth 55%. Actually cried real tears during the final
His lecture is boring but regular, which can completely convey what a student should know for this class. The amount of homework is little and the grading is loose, so MATH 4A teaches by him would not be a hard class.
Not good
Dai is an excellent professor and accessible outside the class. I am not really good at math but I eventually got A. His notes and power point are organized. Just go over it after each class. Midterm and quiz are pretty easy. Final is easy with only one fair question he did not mention before. I used 10 minutes to figure that question out.
I don't understand why so many people think Dai is not good. You can't expect all the questions on final are easy and taught before. If you are math major and come from China or India, this class will be very easy and fundamental. At least 80% of people I know got A or A+.
The homework was very numbers-based, but then on the midterm and final, it was mostly proofs and not many actual problems to solve. Received almost perfect scores on all homework and quizzes, but the exams were impossible. He's a great teacher with lots of enthusiasm, however, the examples given didn't help much for preparing to take the test.
Not a lot of room to write so I'll make bullets: -okay/average lecturer -has a sense of humor, tries to make class enjoyable -very important to read the book -go to TA's office hours -tests are mostly based off hw, so try to really understand it -bad at responding to emails -don't think he prepared me well enough for upper division math courses
TBH Dai is not that good at explaining math stuffs and his lectures can be boring but he does seem caring. The class is primarily based on 1 midterm & 1 final. Most questions are fair if you read the textbook & do the hw and a few of them are slightly harder. If u learned linear algebra before/work hard on textbook&hw it's not hard to get an A.
The lectures and homework teach enough to pass, but you'll want to go to CLAS to get an A/B. The exams are much harder than the homework and the textbook is horrible so it's hard to study, but if you go to CLAS and keep up with homework you should be fine. He's an average lecturer, not amazing but not horrible.
do not take his class
Math major. Took this as my first math class at UCSB. I didn't do well for the midterm, but I studied hard for the final and got an A. After taking a lot of math courses, I think he is one of the several professors that explain things clear and organized. If you want to get an A, just do all the homework and all the recommended exercises!
Very clear lecture notes. Lots of homework but exams are not that hard as homework.
hypocritical
Almost failed his class, dropped halfway through, took it with another professor later and got A. Gives trivial examples in class while homework seem like rocket science. This guy is too busy to accommodate students for extra office hours. Had other classes during his office hours so I had no chance to ask him questions, consequently the near fail.
I really really like this professor. His lectures were really nice and he made the material approachable. It is a pretty difficult course and you definitely need to spend time outside of class reading the textbook and understanding the material, but the midterm/final were both very fair, though challenging.
He was an amazing lecturer who really wanted everyone to succeed, you could tell he cared so much about all of his students. He was really helpful in office hours and gave homework hints during lecture. The homework was super hard, midterm was chill, final was brutal but fair if you did all of the homework/went over examples from lecture.
honestly. NOT that bad of a math professor, especially at UCSB. UCSB math professors often suck, but Dai is pretty good. sure his lectures arent the greatest, but if you do the homework and study outside of class you will do good. the two midterms and final are pretty easy if you do exactly that.
The worst professor ever lectures are awful and non informative
Prof. Dai for 4A is okay, you don't need to come to lecture as long as you review the slides. Two online midterms which were easy too. He is really funny as a professor.
Dai is a patient and enthusiastic professor. His teaching skill is okay and his slides are comprehensive and helpful. Attendance at lectures is optional. Midterms are easy. Besides that, I also had a fantastic TA, Connor, his sessions really helped me to improve.
Couldn't understand anything he said during lectures and they were halfway empty two weeks into the quarter. Had a goated TA Nicholas who explained concepts well but basically self taught myself whole course. Homework is hard but midterms (15% of grade) are take home and super easy. Final is in person and worth 60% of the grade
Lectures were hard to understand, he mostly just shows the theorems/formal definitions. Basically had to self-teach myself everything. Final was 60% of the grade so if you get small things off the final your whole grade is gone. Homework was really hard in comparison to lecture material, took hours. Some funny memes in slides though. Take CLAS.
He is genuinely one of the worst professors I have ever had. He mumbled and stuttered his way through class, and he barely spoke English. I don't understand how the school let him teach an 800-person lecture. I think he should consider a different profession than teaching and pursue something else, because what he's doing is not working. HE SUCKS.
Math 4A is a definitely not for the faint of heart. This math course introduces concepts that are much more abstract than simply plug and chug. That being said, I believe that if you attend your office hours regularly, and dedicate a portion of your day to reviewing the materials you are destined to succeed. Claire is an amazing TA!
His mid terms are way to easy to bait u in then give u impossible math to do on the final
The professor gave alright lectures, the midterms are not horrible, and the homework is definitely great. The issue is with the 60% final he gives. It was absolutely horrendous. His class is alright, but take it with someone else if you can. Otherwise buckle down for a tough final.
Where do I even begin. The course was not enjoyable and the professor made it even worse. The final was not made in order to show who understood the concepts but rather to spend 3 hours row reducing. Also, chances of there being a curve were diminished when students were unsupervised and searching answers. The class expectations are unreasonable.
I saw people cheating during the final exam. They were using their phones to search for answers and discussing the questions with their friends, and it seemed like there was no one invigilating the exam, so no one stopped them. I studied hard for this subject, and this feels very unfair to me.
I would say this exam was a hard and unreasonable exam. Furthermore, it was an invalid exam as the mass turning the test in started searching up answers and cheating with their friends.
He is the greatest professor of all time and I wish I could take his class every quarter. The F was not his fault but mine, if I professed my feelings for him earlier I could've probably gotten a high D instead.
This is the worst class I've ever taken. The final was worth 60% of your grade and nearly impossible without a calculator. There were two different versions of the final—one was reasonable and the other was horrendous. It was almost entirely fraction answers and ridiculously hard. Dai is also a terrible teacher.
I'm not sure whether UCSB has an academic integrity office, but they should really look into this final. I've never seen so many students blatantly cheating on an exam worth 60% of the grade. What is the exam even aiming for? Testing the strength of AI? I know supervising 700–800 people is hard, but what happened was still ridiculous.
What a mess. Ragebaits you with two easy online midterms with no proctoring and gives you an unreasonable final. The final isn't hard but the numbers he gives you to do RREF with was absolutely insane, with huge fractions. Cheating scandal was prevalent as well, and the only saving grace about Prof. Dai is he's a nice guy and has good slides.
This examination was absolutely out of control. Not only was the test difficult but the exam security was jeopardized when students were outwardly cheating on the final. This is not okay and hopefully gets addressed. It is not fair to the students who put in the time and dedication into receiving a fair grade!
Lectures are really not great, slide concepts are explained weirdly or breezed thru. The midterms are super easy and then the final is insanely hard. This is compounded by my test version being uniquely bad, with insane fractions and stuff for a no calculator test, and the fact that so many people were blatantly cheating w/ AI or talking to others.
Honestly, the 60% final can really screw you over, however, the numbers on the final were high, but taking your time and checking each step goes a long way... A bit screwed up for him to do that but all the other problems were fair. So I wouldn't really say the final was hard. Dai's lectures are optional; just look at the slides and learn yourself.
The midterms are so easy that you can basically finish them under 20 minutes with 100% In this class, the lecture notes are not helpful at all. The notation is quite different from the textbook; Professor Dai is really bad at summarizing the theorems. The final should be one of the hardest linear algebra exams among all US public universities.
I don't even know what to say about this professor and class. Would not take again. The final exam was harder than the midterm, which clearly did not prepare anyone for the final. Everyone was using phones to cheat, and copying off of each other changing answers outside of Campbell Hall while in line. Where do we draw the line of academic honesty?
OMG is it just me or did everyone hate the final? So bad for students who actually studied and good for the ones who stood in line, copied off of each other, and used chat gpt (you know who you are.) One girl even went the bathroom to do her final. Why weren't the TA's doing their job of proctoring an exam so academic integrity is maintained.
There is a reason why 43 (make it 44 now) of the 134 reviews he has are 1 star. I'd give it zero if I could. TA Nicholas is just as bad as Professor Dai. I asked him for paper during the final and he practically threw it at me. If you're unhappy proctoring an exam (doing your job), Im sorry, but don't take it out on students who are stressed enough
Prof Dai is genuinely a nice guy who seems caring and passionate about what he teaches. Unfortunately not a great lecturer. If u want a good understanding of linear algebra don't take his course. If you want to chat gpt ur way thru to get an A, then I highly recommend this class, since he lets u use ur phone in every exam (but not calculators ofc).
Prof Dai is a really passionate guy that you can tell cares a lot about his students. His lectures are indeed a bit unclear, but I genuinely think they do help to just absorb information if you attend them. Supplemented with a few online resources, I felt pretty comfortable with the content. Don't listen to the rest of them.
Professor Dai's class feels unfair due to widespread cheating, with phone usage visibly occurring in the exam halls, yet no meaningful action was taken.
Nothing else matters in the class except the final, which was one of the worst finals I have ever taken in my life.
Content wise: good pacing, lectures are somewhat unclear but helpful. Lecture/HW is not enough to learn the material, outside studying is required. Grading: 60% of grade final, lots of ppl cheated; hard but fair Qs. This prof. has a much worse grading curve than other profs (C vs A avg), but getting an A is doable if you study hard outside class.
1. Everyone cheated so there will be no curve for the people who actually did the final 2. 60% is harsh a 100% means nothing before the final 3. There was a way harder version so even if there was a curve he obviously wouldnt take that into account
Terrible final. we got screwed over by there being drastically different finals and cheaters
THE FINAL WAS CRAZY. 4 versions of the final exam and their difficulties were just so different. The class itself was fine. If you are Asian it's not that hard to get an A.
The overall score is only related to the final, and final accounts for 60%.
Got an A+ but lost my sanity on the final, even after getting a 100. Those numbers for pink was surprising. 60% Final really do be messed up.
This class is the reason education in America is so bad. Teacher cannot teach, cheaters are rewarded!
It's literally so scary just dont. I'm a good student and this professor is bs.
OMG JUST DONT TAKE THIS CLASS WITH HIM PERIOD. is anyone gonna do anything about the finals cheating scandal. This needs to be investigated and will be reported to the highest level possible.
This class is insane. Let the math department atleast know what happened! If nothing is done it is basically accepting exam security measures being pointless
So basically this class is for cheaters. If you cheated on the math 4a exam, congratulations, you passed and made it unfair for the people who actually tried. Professor Dai is not qualified to be a teacher or work in an education facility.
His karma and the people who cheated will come back one day…
I can deal with a bad math professor! What I cannot deal with is someone who allows students to cheat on a final worth so many points. Accountability has been lost and I am sorry for the clsss and students who had to endure this treatment!
WTF WAS THE MATH 4A EXAM?! like im sorry but everyone lowkey cheated and instead of the teacher doing something about this viral scandal, chose to dock points for “suspicious looking” answers. like get yourself together. You're a professor who runs a class for the benefit of cheaters. Unacceptable. Filing a complaint to the highest level.
If you failed the final, it means you actually know what you're doing because you likely DIDNT CHEAT on the exam but got f'ed by your classmates who did. A grade doesnt determine your worth!
So I guess at the end of the day the education you receive and how much hard work you put into the class is pointless! Cheaters are going to thrive in this class but you know what this is a learning lesson. Don't sign up for a professor with terrible reviews going into the class!
Dai is a wolf in sheeps clothing. He gives the vibe of a funny professor and puts memes in his powerpoints, but will brutally destroy you on the final. He should give up on teaching.
Hated this prof but I just got insight that something will be done about how bad the final went so I'm hoping I'll be brought to justice
I've received an insight that something is going to happen. Although more people reporting this incident (clearly not to TA or Prof as they do nothing) is vital. Remember, the TA's and prof arent going to take th incident seriously as it is a major fault on their ends!
Midterms were light but the final was crazy. I got lucky with the easier version but I heard about crazy fractions on the other versions on a no calculator exam. Lectures were terrible, CLAS saved me. My TA was a bum and told us he didn't want to be there during our first section so never I bothered to go after that.
The final exam accounts for 60%. Even if I did well in the previous tests, the final exam can still ruin my GPA. Baozi ni kun xu!
Do not take this class. I went into the final with 100% and it was extremely difficult compared to the rest of the work we did in the class. The masses blatantly cheated on the final without consequences sharing answers in line, chatgpt, swapping papers. I've never seen anything like it. I got an 80% RAW and ended the course with a B+. Such bs.
I didn't go to a single class, besides the very first, all I did was study the textbook and all the supplementary material he and his TA's gave us. The hardest part was just not having a calculator bc I would mess up 1- (-1). Its definetely do able and there is def worse professors, don't let all the negative reviews make you think hes the devil.
For those peers who feel unfair, please email math department or ucsb academic integrity office to report this issue. Otherwise no one will save us.
Professor Dai really went about his way in his lectures to teach us the content. Honestly his class isn't that hard if you just do what you're told. I expected the final to be harder than it was.
Professor Dai has to be one of the respected, hilarious and inspirational teachers at UCSB. He would always include silly memes, often from Star Wars, to keep his classes thoroughly engaging. I remember LOL'ing almost every single lecture due to his hilarious persona. The final is also not too bad!
Lectures consist of theorems straight from the textbook with no explanation on how to apply them in a problem. Enthusiastic about the subject, but you're better off reading the textbook. The final is a brutal 60% of your grade, and is not difficult in content, but rather in being tedious to do without a calculator.
Definitely not as bad as everyone is saying. I got an 88% on the final, and felt the grading on it was very fair. I couldn't get to all the right answers since the numbers were large, but I got plenty of points for knowing how to solve every problem. Lectures were funny and I attended almost every one, just put in the effort and you'll be fine.
Not as bad as people say. The final was 60% but fair.
Lectures were hard to understand. The difficulty of the final depended on what form you got, but the grading placed more emphasis on knowing the concepts than getting the correct answers. I heard people chatting who whole 3 hours of the final and the proctors did nothing.
Lectures are whatever but honestly just self study. Homework and midterms are very easy. Your grade is basically just what you get on the final(60% of your grade is nuts). Depending on your test version, you'll either have a chill time or get an aneurysm, a stroke and a heart attack due to the ungodly arithmetic. It is graded pretty nicely though
Teaching should promote and encourage students to WANT to learn things so concepts can help them later. What an absolute joke of a job by Dai to prevent cheating, and absolutely screwed those who did not cheat. Disrespectful class to education and the UCSB Math department, this guy needs to be investigated.
Lectures were unhelpful and rushed. Had some memes in between the topics, which was fun. Online midterms are useless, and they made your whole grade depend on the final. The final was also useless since they didn't try and stop anyone from cheating and messing up the curve. If you have to take 4A with him, make sure to self-study from the start.
Heavily weighted no calculator final, but also had different versions of the final with WILDLY different difficulties. For instance, one version of the final had very nice fractions like 3/10, and another version had 41/111 as an answer for the same question. This shockingly, is not great.
Just study huge for the final. LOTS of grade bumps this year
Dai is not a good lecturer, and the final was unfair with lots of cheating and one version being much harder than the other. HOWEVER, students brought this to his attention and he did his best to fix it with generous grade bumps and changing the overall grade breakdown. He definitely cares about his students, the situation is just unfortunate.
This class is not as bad as everyone makes it seem. I would def recommend signing up for CLAS, because that is where I learned everything. The midterms were both online, easy 100's. The final was a tad harder but not awful, even though I got the one with impossible fractions. It was number based, not conceptual except for a couple of T/F questions.
The bad reviews are mostly from students who didn't study, skipped lectures, and are now coping with the consequences. The professor is very caring; he knew people cheated on the final and did his best to make it right, which resulted in many grade bumps. His lectures are mid, but his office hours are great. This is an elementary-level class.
Lectures were not very helpful/were not explained well. Forced to relearn concepts on my own time/have TA reteach concepts in section. Final was initially worth 60% but then changed to 50% after the final due to cheating issues(?). 2 midterms each 15%, changed to 20%, which were online and unproctored.
went from an A+ student to a D over the final. went to every class, section, and even took a ton of tutoring for this class. but the amount of cheating on the final, the harsh grading scale, and absolute disrespect from the TAs with their communication made this class go from one i would take again to never wanting to experience.
He is the absolute sweetest person, and clearly loves math so much. But he cannot teach. The subject itself is easy, but I only passed the class because 3blue 1brown, CLAS, the textbook, and the internet taught me everything. The final had straightforward questions, but I spent 99% of it just crunching numbers and holding back tears.
The professor seems very smart and knowledgable, but he cannot speak English. If you take this professor for 4A, sign up for CLAS group instruction and attend those instead of lectures/sections. The lectures are just him reading off the slides (which are posted), so I skipped most of them and did fine. Weekly homework, 2 online midterms, and final.
Dai's lectures were often very convoluted and hard to understand without external resources. Lectures were almost always pretty unhelpful. If you put in a lot of work outside of class and attend CLAS / use CLAS online resources it isn't hard to get an A. Lots of partial credit is given on tests, I got multiple problems wrong and got a 4/5 or a 3/4.
So that just happened
Dai is funny at times and clearly had good intentions. However his inability to lecture and lack of clear explanations on almost everything means self-study is required. Homeworks are very difficult, while midterms are easy. The final counts for most of the grade and is challenging, but doable. This is only my opinion. Your experience may differ.
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