Elgin Johnston - Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Professor: Elgin Johnston

Department: Mathematics

College: Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: MATH165
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Johnston is a great professor, however team based learning can be a struggle at times. Team based learning does have more homework than other sections but the additional problems help you master the material and do well on exams. With the way the class is structured your exams are worth less of your grade.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: MATH165
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Johnston taught this class as Team-Based Learning (TBL). It is a lot of work, more than the regular calculus class, however, the grading is also less harsh (less emphasis on exams). He does care about his students, he always sends notifications before an assignment is due. Overall a pretty positive experience, just a lot of work.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: MATH165
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Good man at heart, if you read the textbook, actually understand all the projects, watch all the videos, and study you will be just fine. All calc classes take the same exam, team based learning is ok

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: MATH166
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

In case he is using the TBL method, you are screwed. There is barely any class without a quiz, ends up giving up 4 test/quizes for each topic. Exams are not at all easy. Only good thing about him is there is lot of extra credit. He is a good person to talk to but not a good choice as a professor. Try to get out of class asap.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: MATH166
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Johnston is a good teacher, although you do have to study hard if you want to ace his class.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: MATH166
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Elgin is nice man and very knowledgeable, however Team-Based Learning has to go. It makes learning the content harder and it take more time. This is by far the most time-consuming class I have ever taken.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: MATH166
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Elgin is a fantastic man. However, a lot of people do not like this class because it is team-based and you will occasionally find someone who isn't too bright. Regardless, Elgin makes the most of it and ensures that will enjoy your experience in Calc 2. I always left class with a smile on my face and the knowledge of calculus in my brain.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: MATH166
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Johnston is not a very good teacher. When I am in this class I feel like I waste lots of time doing the group projects that no one really understands. He doesn't post recommended book problems to study but instead assigns tons of problems online that are not of any use for learning the material. His videos are bad and extremely time-consuming.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: MATH166
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Elgin is so bad. He expects his students to make Calculus their life outside of class. The only people who perform well on his exams are the people who make math their religion and constantly visit him in his office hours every day.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: MATH166
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The team based learning is kind of hit or miss. It's a TON of work, but i feel like it helps me understand the material a bit more than a typical lecture-based class. Granted, you need to be fine with learning topics yourself, which is made difficult due to the poorly explained lecture videos. Take only if you're ok with lots of hands-on work.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: MATH166
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Worst class I have ever taken. Terrible teacher, terrible class. I didn't learn anything.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: MATH166
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

TERRIBLE, this class consumes every minute that Im a ale and I still dont learn anything. He makes us watch 50 minutes of videos of another professor teaching before coming I class so he can give us graded group assignments in class. Then he assigns hours upon hours of homework on top of that. This is by far the worst class I have ever taken.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: MATH165
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Elgin has a big heart. He really cares if his students pass or not. He goes out of his way to make class a little more fun every day. He is probably the most helpful professor I have had here. Go to his office hours and he'll sit down and walk you through anything. Team Based Learning and his tests can be hard, but you will actually learn.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: MATH165
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

TBL is pretty difficult, but if you put in the time and go to his office hours (of which he has plenty), you will do well. He is very friendly, and very helpful. The dude loves calculus.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: MATH165
• Grade Received: C-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

This isn't the first team based class I've heard of but because of a learning community I didn't have a choice about switching to a different class be very careful when picking classes that are team based. They require a lot of extra attention outside of class and relying on team members in class to help clarify things which is not always helpful.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: MATH165
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Johnston uses team-based learning, which works out depending on what group you are assigned too. The group projects weren't too much to handle, but you need to show up to do them. His written tests are fairly hard, so be prepared, as they make the department exams seem easy. He arranges a bunch of office hours and they were very helpful.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: MATH165
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Not a fan of team based learning, basically had to teach ourselves the entire course content. Doesn't help when your team doesn't understand either.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: MATH165
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Most of his tests aren't a measure of math ability, rather the speed at which you can write. It feels like he uses the team-based learning as an excuse for not teaching. He seems like a friendly guy.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: MATH165
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

His course is designed for people that have a background in calculus. The majority of the class is weighted on pre-tests which is ridiculous because the post tests are worth less. This makes it so your grade is more dependent on your prior knowledge rather than what you learned. Also the worst test grader ever right answer right Work 0/10 score.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: MATH165
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I don't have any doubt that Elgin is an okay instructor, but the way that the course is setup is terrible. I had team based learning and he spent more time going over the group problems/quizzes we had to take rather than teaching. I had to learn everything on my own. He's a great guy, just the team based learning curriculum is terrible.