Steven Hou - Iowa State University

Professor: Steven Hou

Department: TBD

College: Iowa State University

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: MATH267
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Very theory heavy. Lectures are very dull and hard to follow, they would usually consist of in depth proofs that you don't need to know for the test. He made several mistakes during lecture. This class is much easier if you look up diff eq videos online outside of class. Tests have no surprises which is nice. Would not take a class with him again.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: MATH267
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Hou sometimes messes up in lecture when doing example problems. Those tend to be the book examples, so still pay attention because they explain how to interpret the problems in the book. If you get the methodology, you'll understand the tests. Lastly, his practice tests are very similar to the real tests. I couldve tried harder on the 1st test..

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: MATH267
• 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:

Steve is very dull to listen to while in lecture. He talks a lot about the theory behind solving differential equations when, most of the time, the theory is not very useful. The examples he uses, though, are usually fairly indicative of how the homework will look.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: MATH267
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Hou was a good lecturer. He didn't give you stuff you didn't need to know. He explains things clearly and goes through examples to demonstrate. He posted example exams before each of the tests. His exams aren't really hard. Understand online homework and examples in the book and you should be fine.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: MATH267
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Hou is a decent lecturer. His accent isn't too hard to understand. However, his handwriting is sloppy and it is hard to read it when you are sitting in the middle or further back of the lecture hall. He doesn't post lecture notes on blackboard. His tests are much harder than other profs. When I took it, the other prof had a 20 % higher test avg

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: MATH267
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Hou lectures extremely quickly. It is a struggle to interpret his accent and take down his rapid fire notes at the same time. He uses a blackboard and does not post notes. He rarely announces when online homework is due, and students must check Bb. He often skips steps in examples because "you can do this already."

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: MATH267
• 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:

Skips steps when explaining and then you get super confused. Also, is heavy in theory instead of how to use the material. Not a great professor. Class could be super easy but isn't due to the way he teaches the class.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: MATH207
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Teaches you how to solve problems, rather than trying to give you an understanding of the concepts. Tests were graded fairly. He might have been busy this semester, but he didn't seem to commit much time to the class, sometimes posting practice exams the night before the exam, having typos in exams, never posting notes, etc.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: MATH207
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

One of the worst professors I've ever had. I don't have the space to write everything wrong with him, just make sure if you take his class that you read the book and learn the material that way, because he isn't a good teacher. Tests were similar to his practice exams, which were pretty pathetic btw. He didn't even do exam reviews half the time.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: MATH265
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Seems like knew what he was talking about, but didn't really want to be there. Went through the information relatively quick and when it was time for examples, he chose the one easiest he could come up with, which wasn't very helpful. Exams are easier than other professors.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: MATH265
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Clarity is at a 1 because of how fast he teaches. He teaches well and knows what he is talking about, but it's hard to learn when you can barely keep up. However, his accent is not strong, he is friendly, and his tests are straightforward.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: MATH267
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

I've taken courses with Steve before, and this one wasn't any different. He teaches you exactly what he expects you to be able to do on an exam. There were 5 tests including the final, and Steve allows you to drop the lowest of these five scores provided you do better than 50% on the final. The grading was 16% Homework and 21% for each exam.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: MATH201
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Hou was a great professor to have for an introductory proofs class. He would explain the new material and then go over examples to make everything clear. Overall, there was approximately 1 homework assignment per week (28% of final grade) and 4 tests including the final(3 highest scores, 24% each of final grade for total of 72%).

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: MATH317
• 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: Not Mandatory

Comment:

One of the best mathematics professors I've had. Very clear for a non-native speaker, and test over exactly what is covered in homework and lecture. Homework assignments can be a bit length, but it does help us understand the subject.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: MATH267
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Great professor. Teaches effectively by lecturing concepts then providing examples. Avoids proving theorems, etc (unnecessary stuff). Nice guy too, willing to take questions or meet after class. Fairly easy grader if you show all your work and know the material. Weekly homework. Exams not too difficult. I would definitely recommend for Diff Eq.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: MATH317
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Pretty helpful, especially with homework assignments. Follow what he recommends to study prior to exam. Follows the book pretty closely but sometimes his notation is different which can make the homework confusing without further clarification.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: MATH267
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Best Math Proffessor I've had

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: MATH265
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Calc III - One of the WORST profs I had. He'd make mistakes on tests and dock students for them. When I took it, he had multiple choice tests, no partial credit, and every answer had a none of the above, of which there was always at least 3-4 out of 18 answered that way. Worthless to discuss exams with.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: MATH166
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

One of the better teachers I've had so far. His english is okay and his lectures are pretty informative. Best thing is his grading scale, 83% is an A. I also remembered him giving us an extra credit quiz after everyone bombed a test, so he atleast cares. Just make sure to do the homework.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: MATH267
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

A pretty good professor. He's clear, he knows his stuff, and his English is actually very good once you get used to the accent. He grades easily, giving out plenty of partial credit. His main problem is that he sometimes starts working boring examples that take a looong time for marginal gain.