Fred Hickling - University of Central Arkansas

Professor: Fred Hickling

Department: Mathematics

College: University of Central Arkansas

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: MATH1360
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

If youre trying to get a teacher that will make the math easy, I dont recommend Fred. On one hand, you can tell he genuinely cares about what he teaches and wants everyone to do well. However he has a nasty habit of going on these tangents of information that he heard on the radio the day before that has nothing to do with class & confuses you.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: MATH1496
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Hickling is a very lecture heavy teacher, and half the lectures don't make sense. He works too fast on the board and jokes about working faster. He will make you feel absolutely dumb sometimes, and half the concepts he goes over are not explained for you to understand. Homework just about every night. Quizzes, hard, every Tuesday and Thursday.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: MATH2330
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I liked him. His teaching style takes some getting used to, and as others mentioned he likes to talk about himself. He graded on a gracious curve which was nice. Homework is done in groups, and there's a quiz about once a week. It may take some time to get used to him, but I liked him a lot more than I expected to.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: MATH2471
• 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:

Dr. Hickling was so disorganized for Calculus III. To be fair, it was his first time teaching the course in a long time, but I still would've appreciated more organization on his part. His lectures are very confusing, and he assigns a LOT of homework, which is to be completed in groups. He gives at least one quiz every week unannounced.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: MATH2471
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I had a absolutely superb teacher for Cal 1 and 2, and I was slightly afraid to change professors for Cal 3. Fred Hickling was hard to learn from at first, because his teaching style is drastically different than my previous instructors. He goes on alot of tangents, but thats usually the students fault. Get used to his method and you'll be fine.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: MATH1497
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Fred Hickling is honestly one of the best math professors I've ever had. His class is really structured in that he gives you homework partners and two class period to do homework. He gives you practice exams that are identical to the real thing, and quizzes on every Tuesday and Thursday. Hard content, but good professor. He is also willing to help.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: MATH2471
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Linear Algebra: Honestly, just bad at explaining things. The reason I wrote this review is because he spent the last two days basically skipping conceptual teaching and just going over row operations and arithmetic... If you actually care about building your undergraduate understanding of mathematical concepts and not just getting an easy A... skip

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: MATH3320
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Hardest math course ever. Hickling likes to talk a lot about his past but sometimes it takes valuable time that students need. I am not a math major so when he grades on nothing but proofs and definitions it was very hard for me. Honestly though I am much better for it. I wouldnt take a second time but I am very glad I took once. It opened my eyes

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: MATH1497
• Grade Received: WD
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I had to drop his class. Had no idea what he was doing half the time. He expects everyone to be on his level of thinking and he just goes through the problems without explaining anything. Avoid unless you're amazing at math.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: MATH1497
• Grade Received: WD
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

If you can't do calculus without a calculator, DO NOT TAKE. He doesn't allow calculators on the tests or quizzes. You better be great at algebra too. He will work problems on the board without explaining the crazy shortcuts he does and won't acknowledge that he used one unless you ask him about it.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: MATH1497
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

The only thing hard about this class is the amount of homework he assigns. You work in groups of 3 and have homework assigned Tuesday, then it is due Thursday and you get another assignment. He gives pop quizzes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, that are usually easy. His tests are exactly like his test reviews that he gives, so study that and make an A.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: MATH1497
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I enjoyed Dr. Hickling so much that he is now my math advisor. He definitely knows the subject well but when he's teaching, you won't realize how orderly he teaches until you prepare for your test. Only three test during the semester, quizzes twice a week. Lots of homework. If you want to pass, go to class

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: MATH4385
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

A Dr. Hickling class is as follows. You start by picking (a) homework partner(s). Go ahead and show up to every class, the better he gets to know you, the more likely he is to help you out and give you a good grade. Then he'll start giving you definitions, WRITE THEM DOWN. You need them. Get the HW done. First test is after midterms.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: 1497
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I love this man. He knows his math and he is always willing to help. He spends a lot of his time either in his office or in the math lab. In cal 2 you have to do the homework. I think that even though he has kind of harder tests, he is probably the best teacher for the subject. You have to mess with him to befriend him.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CAL1
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He thinks he is a funny guy, but I did not find him all that entertaining. He can be very rude at times, but he is a laid back guy. If you want help he is more than willing to help you. Office hours are beneficial. His class is hard. If you make it, you will learn, but you have to put in effort Quizzes are easy. Tests are pretty hard. Lots of HW.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: MATH6375
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He litterally told a student in class " I don't care if you don't understand, just integrate". He is not professional and is down right rude.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: MATH14960
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Hickling was both engaging and helpful. He didn't make the class a cake walk, but he was sure to help out any student that needed it. Very enjoyable class. For me personally, I wanted to avoid Mathematics at all cost in college, but he showed me it isn't as intimidating as it sounds. Recommend

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: MATH1497
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I took him for Cal II, and it was a pretty tough class. He does his best to explain the material but often has to rush through lessons due to going off on a tangent. However, he is very good at providing one-on-one help to students who need it. Overall great guy and great teacher.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CAL1591
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

His class is hard, but will answer questions if you go to him and is pretty helpful. His test are extremely difficult and he admits it himself. Be prepared to study a lot! But you do get to do homework in groups, which can make it easier.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: MATH3320
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He is a good teacher. He is difficult, but you know what the quizzes are over. Study the practice and just do what he suggests and asks of you. It's a lot of work, but you will understand Linear once you are done. Which is the whole reason for taking the class, right?