Dennis Pence - Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI

Professor: Dennis Pence

Department: Mathematics

College: Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: MATH2720
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

He's a really nice guy and knows his subject well. It's a hybrid class, he'll explain the concept and do some questions in class. Need to study on your own before class or else you'll have no idea what he's talking about. Bad news is there'll be a quiz every week (he curves grade tho). Quiz will be pre announced. Get ready to learn math yourself.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: MATH1180
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

gets off topic by talking about calculators, but everything and more seems to be on the exams

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: MATH1180
• Grade Received: WD
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I am always self proud of how I could be able to do well Maths. Number is not a problem for me until I take this class taught by this professor. His lectures and voices are awful. All the lectures in the class are totally different with the tests and exams. Be aware!

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: MATH1180
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Spends more time teaching you how to use a TI-89 than actually teaching math. Spent first day tell students not to take his class. Also complained that his peers thought his students were ill-prepared for later math courses. Teacher's Aides keep class afloat. Poor text book and online homework off little to no help. Stay away.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: MATH1180
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Unprepared, very confusing. 1st and 2nd day of class he gave a pop quiz trying to weed out people from his class. Explaining if they did poorly they'll never do well in the class. Must read your text as that is how you'll learn, he goes over few examples in class, you basically need to teach yourself. I've never had problems in math, until now.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: MATH1180
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Pence is a good teacher, the lectures are pretty long and boring but if you understand the lesson of the day, you can leave early. Tests are all multiple choice and he makes them fairly easy. The lab is a MUST go-to. This is where you ask any questions from the previous lectures. Easy class with the combination of the lab and lecture.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: MATH1180
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

The lectures are boring, but you should go because you can get key information about upcoming tests and lab quizzes. I didn't learn too much in lecture, but my teaching assistant helped me out during the lab. GO TO YOUR LAB it helps. The exams are not too bad, I would recommend going through each section before the test, and going over past exams.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: MATH1230
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Pence is great. He often goes on tangents, but they are always interesting and are sometimes helpful to the subject material. I enjoyed the way he explained the proofs and it helped me derive the formulas I needed as I took each test. Everything was straightforward so long as you paid attention to what he focused on teaching during lecture.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: MATH5070
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Great coarse. Great Professor.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: MATH1180
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Spends the first 30 minutes discussing the topic, 5-10 minutes after to give an example of the problem, and the remaining 30-35 minutes on how to use a calculator for the topic. Unless you've unfamiliar with a TI-84 or TI-89, feel free to leave once he brings that calculator out. Theres a chance he will curve an exam, since its usually difficult

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: MATH1180
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He is hard to follow in lecture. He uses a calculator to teach.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: MAT1180
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Do not take this class with Pence unless Precalc comes easy to you and you prefer to teach yourself. Im not a bad student and I dont hate math but he is extremely confusing, he doesnt use specific examples so when you get a test applying what you learn is much harder. On top of that he rambles a lot and its all so easy he isnt good at explaining it

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: MATH1180
• Grade Received: INC
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

VERY CLEAR

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: MATH1180
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

yes very good

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: MATH1180
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

took me a time to understand but he is very good

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: MATH1180
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

He skips steps, does math problems wrong, and will use the TI-89 anytime he can. He does not help students, comes to class unprepared, and waste class time arguing EE is harder than ME. If you take Pence, you cripple yourself for the next math course in your program.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: MATH1180
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

The only tangents Prof Pence takes are relevant ones !!!!

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: MATH1180
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

(Precalc) Didnt stay exactly ontopic but I found it interesting and helpful. Thank you.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: MATH1180
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Super friendly, awful at teaching. I've always been good at math, and precalc was a struggle. He would go off on tangents about carbon-14 dating, whales, or how to make flowers on our calculators. The TA's don't know what they're doing either.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: MATH1180
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

An excellent teacher, in every way. Total respect. Unfortunately our class was plagued by several students who had fetishes about their Texas Instruments calcs.