Lex Oversteegen - University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL

Professor: Lex Oversteegen

Department: Mathematics

College: University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: MA125
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Presentation Problems, along with homework and attendance, and bonus points and the final exam being quite weightful aid you to make a good grade, but be prepared to work a LOT if you did not take Cal in high school.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: MA125
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Look, I'm going to make this really simple for you. I only had a handful of professors in my years as an undergrad who I consider to be legendary. This man is among them. IF you study his lectures and IF you study the old exams and IF you come to his office and ask questions when you don't understand something, you WILL do well. Amazing teacher.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: MA226
• 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:

This class involves lots of presentations on the board. Dr Oversteegen gives really good feedback if you make a mistake. He answers questions really well, so make sure to ask anything. Most importantly, practice in your own time, because no matter how good a professor may be, you cannot go through math without practice.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: MA125
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This class is great for those that have already taken calculus (ex. AB/BC Cal in High school), but if you haven't had any cal before, or didn't do well with it, this is going to be a hard class for you. He whizzes through the material, and while he explains it well enough, if you don't have prior knowledge of the subject, you're going to struggle.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: MA125
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Large portion of grade includes presentation problems and attendance (helps to boost grade). Lots of textbook problems and webassigns. He teaches the concepts pretty well and is very open to questions. He allows bonus point quizzes after tests to regain a portion of the points missed. You are allowed a notecard on tests (buy the 5x8).

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: MA125
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Oversteegen is very helpful, as long as you make the effort. HOWEVER he does presentation points (you do math problems on the board for a grade), so if you have anxiety or similar, consider a different professor. Advice to pass: Sit and struggle with practice problems before asking for help. You don't learn by copying. (Oh and practice tests!!)

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CAL1
• 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. Oversteegen requires in-class participation of homework problems, which is a lot of work but it's worthwhile when you understand the problems. Do all the practice tests and keep up with the homework.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: MA125
• Grade Received: WD
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Doesnt lecture expects you to just know and figure out calculus on your own

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: MA126
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Cant understand him half of the time bc of his accent. He doesnt care if theres an easier and proven way to solve a math problem, he wants you to spend 30 mins doing it by definition. You also have to present problems in front of the class & if that wasnt bad enough for kids with anxiety problems, he always finds something wrong with it.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: MA226
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Oversteegen requires in class presentation of homework problems and won't hesitate to let you know when you've made a mistake. That said he's always willing to help explain any topics you may be having issues with. Be prepared to participate and stay on top of your assignments and Dr. Oversteegen will bend over backwards to help you succeed.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: MA226
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dutch accent makes lecture less boring. He makes you work presentation problems which with attendence form 25% of the grade. There are tests from past semesters on the uab math website and those are fantastic indicators of what to expect on his tests. Also an A on the final is an A in the class so don't be too discouraged by one test grade.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: MA226
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Oversteegen is a legendary professor, but his calculus classes are certainly not a walk in the park. Be ready to work hard to achieve an A or a B in his classes. His classes require students to present textbook problems on the board for 25% of your grade. He also does not give any partial credit. Mess up a small step and be ready to lose 15 pts

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: MA125
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Overall, Dr. Oversteegen was a really good professor. He just expects you to know calculus and EVERYTHING about it. He teaches you everything and assigns web assign and book work that is presented in class for points. The test were not too bad but you need to participate with the presentation problems or you will not do good!

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: MA125
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Be sure to study for the final because thats what determines your grade. All other tests don't matter. He is a very hard grader no partial credit.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: MA125
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I took his class b/c on here it looked like he was the best & from what I've heard it seems to be true, but this doesn't really mean he's an amazing calculus professor. I had never taken cal before, but he moved so quick that I spent hours each night teaching myself the material. Most days we had to "present" homework problems for 11% of our grade.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: MA226
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Math is not my forte, especially at 8 A.M., but he made it easy to understand, or as easy as calculus can be. He will explain what you get wrong on tests, and there is a make-up quiz where you can earn 1/3 of points lost back. You do have to present problems on the board for participation credit. Goes on rants about global warming. Would recommend.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: MA125
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Very time consuming class. Doesn't assign many HW probs, but they can be difficult, and sometimes with very little explanation. Has students work problems on board, so make sure you do the HW (counts toward participation grade). Crazy tough on grading, but makes errors, so point them out to get pts back!! Offers extra help, and bonus point quizzes.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: MA125
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

TL/DR: Good man, bad teacher. Pros: Knowledgeable Mildly-Humorous Cons: Absurdly Harsh Grader Poor Lecturer High-Degree of Out of Class Work Oversteegen means well, and he shows genuine interest in the effort his students make, but he will demand perfection and cut your legs from beneath you if you fail to deliver that.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: MA125
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Worst calculus teacher ever. He moves way too fast and expects you to already have a prior grasp on calculus; even if you've never taken it in your life.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CAL1
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Tests on things that were not taught.