AI Rate Professor

Mathematics

Sam Needham

MATH192 · MATH195 · MATH124 · MATH121 · 28 lifetime ratings

AI rating
51/100
RMP rating
3.0/5
Take again
52%
Difficulty
3.5

The decision

if you can learn independently from the textbook and .

Best fit · Self Taught ProSelf-taught structureTest heavyHelpful in office hoursMixed clarityHeavy reading
  • Needham is often described as knowledgeable and sometimes helpful, but many students say the class relies heavily on self-teaching.
  • , so one poor test can be hard to recover from.
  • Some students find the , while others call them hard, tricky, and heavily weighted.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

54/100

Some sections can be an easy A with notes and preparation, but and self-teaching make the A unreliable.

Online evidence is harsher because students describe pure independent study, while and hard test warnings.

Is the course easy?

Standard

44/100

Lower-level courses can feel manageable, but discrete math and students.

Online courses sound more difficult because of limited lectures, while .

Is attendance flexible?

Varies

62/100

Some students say , but others say lectures are important to avoid getting lost.

, while in-person attendance varies from optional-feeling to important for understanding.

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

50/100

and use office hours, but many warn against the test-heavy and low-lecture structure.

Online reviews are less favorable overall, while courses.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

48/100

Partial credit and , but and little grade recovery create real grading risk.

Format shift

Online reviews emphasize harsh recovery after bad tests, while and easy test comments.

Workload

Heavy

28/100

Students repeatedly , and exam preparation, especially in discrete math.

Format shift

Online workload is reading-heavy and self-directed, while , and exams.

Teaching experience

Average

52/100

He is often knowledgeable and helpful with questions, but many students say lectures are limited, unclear, boring, or replaced by textbook learning.

Format shift

Online teaching is commonly described as minimal, while real lectures.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

88/100

Reviews repeatedly say exams and as practice or a small portion.

Format shift

Both formats are test heavy, with online reviews especially emphasizing exams as the dominant grade factor.

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

18 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

lower math courses and harsher criticism in discrete math for self-teaching and difficult exams.

Main concern

Discrete math students often complain and limited teaching.

What students said

“If you know the material the tests and the class are an easy A.”
MATH195
“This class is entirely self taught, there are whatsoever.”
MATH195
“I loved Professor Needham's lectures and humor.”
MATH121

Remote format

Online

11 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online reviews are mostly cautious because students report minimal lecture support, heavy reading, and .

Main concern

The main problem is that online sections .

What students said

“Zero lecture (not even recorded ones), 3-4 textbook chapters a week of pure independent study”
MATH195
“PURELY SELF TAUGHT CLASS”
MATH195
“He lets you use one page of notes on the test though and a calculator!”
MATH124

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

because tests are heavily weighted, sometimes hard or tricky, and exam rules vary by course.

Test HeavyIn-Person ExamsNotes Allowed In Some SectionsNo Notes In Some SectionsProctorio On Quizzes

Assessment risk

Strict

35/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

discrete math section, Proctorio on quizzes, and difficult heavily weighted tests, but do not clearly prove closed-book rules for every course.

No Notes In One SectionProctorio On QuizzesHeavily Weighted TestsFrequent Quizzes
“ and heavily weighed, no notes of .”
MATH195
“ .”
MATH195
“lots of quizzes and tests.”
MATH121

Online

Online reviews explicitly support in-person exams, one page of notes in one course, weekly online quizzes, and , but do not clearly prove webcam or Lockdown Browser use.

In-Person ExamsOne Page Of Notes In Some SectionsWeekly Online QuizzesTest Heavy
“ ”
MATH124
“He lets you use one page of notes on the test though and a calculator!”
MATH124
“ and bi-monthly tests.”
MATH192

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“you have to teach yourself most of the material.”

Voice snapshots generated from 29 reviews, highlighting key themes in , and exams; credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

52/100

“I loved Professor Needham's lectures and humor.”

📚 Self-Teaching Load

28/100

“you have to teach yourself most of the material.”

🧪

35/100

“ and heavily weighed, no notes of .”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • and is always ready for questions.
  • Do not expect to learn anything in lecture meetings.
  • This class is entirely self taught, there are whatsoever.

Theme 2

🧪 About Tests And Grades

  • Tests and .
  • He's very forgiving with partial credit, and I think you have more than enough time on all the tests.
  • Once you get one bad test score there is no way you can recover.

Theme 3

📚 About Workload

  • 3-4 textbook chapters a week of pure independent study
  • A lot of homework.
  • question if youre having a hard time

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

29

Recent reviews read by the AI

28

Lifetime ratings

87/100

Evidence confidence

The analysis is based on 29 reviews across many years and both formats, with , and mixed support.

Inside 29 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 58
4 out of 55
3 out of 55
2 out of 54
1 out of 57

Course coverage

MATH19515 reviews
MATH1248 reviews
MATH1214 reviews
MATH1922 reviews

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

23 reported outcomes

A range

13

A+ 3 · A 8 · A- 2

B range

3

B+ 1 · B 2

C range

1

C 1

D range

0

No reported values

F

1

F 1

No letter grade reported

5

Drop/Withdrawal 1 · Incomplete 1 · Not sure yet 3