RIT SG Professor Evaluations ca. 2005

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Ratings for Seshavadhani Kumar

Rating	Quarter	Comment
95	20023	He is the best math teacher I ahve had in a long time. It is quite easy to have conflicts in him but if you follow him you will learn for sure. It all depends on what you look for in a teacher, someone who will expect you to learn it all yourself or tries to give meaning behind everything. At least I thought he did a great job explaining everything.
48	20023	Absolutly the worst professor I have had at this school. Terrible all around. If there is a professor to fire at this school he is the one.
53	20023	Kumar means well. However, he can only teach in one style. If you ask him to explain a theory in a different context he ends up confusing you even more. The wordings of his questions are so confusing that the text is more comprehendible. However, even if you read and understand the text, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will do well. Data Analysis, in my mind, is a fairly straightforward entry-level statistics course. Does it really have to be taught like a theory based upper level statistics course?
85	20023	Kumar Uses Lots of Power point projection however he does gives students a copy of it which is good. To take his class you have to keep up with the reading requirement or else your LOST, if he sees a certain problem that the class doesnt understand he will spend time ( and i mean time ~ 30min ) just explaining it which can be a good thing or a bad thing depends the way you look at it
58	20023	Very high schoolish attitude. Expects full control over you and your every move in the classroom. He will actually monitor you and make sure you aren't nodding off, or doing something non-statistics during his class...as if he is the one paying $20k a quarter to sit there.
85	20023	Knows what he is teaching but sometimes has a little trouble getting the points across to the students (not all the time though). He relies a LOT on powerpoint for his lectures... which is bad because he doesn't know much about technology and will easily spend half the class trying to get his computer to work, but is also good because he passes out copies of the presentations/notes at the beginning of class so you don't have to copy it all down, and it gives you a good study aid.
65	20023	A very knowledgable man; however, his grading policies seem extremely questionable. You may loss points for not giving extra information when answering questions or for solving problems in ways that are not what he was looking for, even if those other methods have been taught in the class. Problems on the test may or may not have been seen before. His grading is also inconsistant and even though people have put the same answers on test questions, different points have been rewarded. Although you will learn a lot, the final grade that you get will not coincide with the amount of effort or your knowledge of the material.
75	20012	He can be hard to follow and his homework is always extra hard, but you do learn the material eventually.
95	20012	he is a great professor but hard. the person who is very fond of calculus and wants to know everything about calculus should DEFINETELY take him. if the person is taking just because it is a stupid degree req. and is not really interesteed in mastering it and just get an easy A should not. i love calculus and i love to learn it. i LEARNT A LOT in his class. i know calc on my tips now. i got a B for his class though. but i am sure..i am a really good in calc. i dare say that. thanks dr.kumar
48	20012	I wish there was a grade lower than F-, because i definitely think that Kumar deserves it. If I could give one word of wisdom to the next person who even thinks about taking Kumar as a professor, think again. He is the EVIL REINCARNATE of calculus. He is constantly teaching with a condescending attitude towards his pupils. He requires a two and a half page essay written answer for each of his homework questions. One thing i don't understand is how he can penalize students more than half of the points that the question is worth, even though they have the right answer, speaking from a personal experience. He constantly singles out students and humilates them in front of the rest of the students. No one in their right mind would ever want him as a professor. To all the students who unfortunately have him now, MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON YOUR SOUL!!!!
48	20012	Kumar seems to understand the material covered in Calc 252, but he fails to be able to teach it to others. He is an extremely tough grader who expects all equations to be accompanied by long explanations - on homework and on tests. He also likes to pick out certain students during class or workshops and criticize them in front of others. His accent makes him hard to understand at times. AVOID THIS PROFESSOR.
48	20012	WORST TEACHER I EVER HAD. DO NOT TAKE UNLESS YOU CAN DEAL WITH A GRADE OF D, F OR W. Everyone in my class withdrew except for 8 kids, who are mostly failing and doing horrible. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. He will waste your time, money and effort and give you 50's on all your homework no matter how hard you try. He will take off points no matter how right the question is. He also singles out people who are talking or even looking at their watch. He will make a mockery of you in front of the class #he did it to numerous people #and he also tells you that you are wrong no matter what you do. AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID!!!! He should not be allowed to teach at RIT.
48	20012	Not so bad in Calc I and II but once you get to III, he could care less about his students. Ok I'll admit, he's a smart man, and you will learn A LOT with him, especially if you do all the work he assigns (a lot). The problem is with his grading... If you want to spend all your time studying problems he gives you then find out that the test is made up of COMPLETELY different questions, take him! That's how he is, he's failed whole classes and I've recently found out he's on PROBATION for it... Originally I thought he was a good professor and a fair man - but now he's made it obvious that he's neither. Not only does he make it hard to speak up in the classroom, he spends hours going over problems and ideas that we need to learn but then tests us on completely different things. It's NOT fun trying to take one of his BS tests in 50 minutes... It's not true that he's taught everything on his tests, I just finished a test that had questions asking for things we haven't covered. Well I'm done ranting, just remember to avoid him unless he improves A LOT!!
48	20012	Homework is assigned the day the topic is assigned. Not afraid to fail whole classes. Grades extrememly hard. Doesn't care about anything. Tests have topics that are never taught.
48	20012	WORST TEACHER EVER!!!! Dont take unless you want a D at best. Covers material very fast and unorganized. We started with a class of 14, and now we have a class of 6, and the highest grade is a C-. He isnt afraid to fail entire classes, even tho he is on probation for it. Assigned long homework assigments, then marks all the problems wrong no matter how much effort is put into doing them. Hes the most arrogant, unmerciful bastrd I ever met, and theres no way Id ever take a class with him again. He assigned a group project and gave us two weeks to do it, but didnt cover the material that the project was on until the day before it was due, and when we complained he yelled at us for not looking in the book to figure out how to do it. He should have been fired a long long time ago. Hopefully this will be his last quarter so no other poor student will have to put up with his bull sht. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD HE NEEDS TO BE FIRED AND NEVER ALLOWED TO TEACHER ANYWHERE!!! DO NOT TAKE UNLESS LOOKING TO FAIL MISERABLY NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU STUDY OR TRY.
88	20012	Kumar isn't as bad as some make him out to be. He gives a decent amount of homework, but nothing that cannot be done. He does want a little more than "the right answer" on tests and homework, but it's simply to make sure you actually understand what's going on. He does not expect a "half page essay" (as a previous poster commented); I found that simple abbreviations or small phrases along the way were all that he really wanted. Tests are somewhat difficult, but not impossible. They typically require extensive knowledge of the topic #Kumar loves to use oddball cases in his problems, so you had better know them. Everything on his tests has been seen either in class or on the homework, so it's only a surprise if you aren't paying attention. I've learned more Calculus by simply attempting to prepare for his tests than I would have learned otherwise. His class isn't an easy grade, but you will get through if you at least give it some effort.
68	20012	He was a nice guy...which is why I gave him a D and not an F. He wasn't very good at teaching calc 1. Whenever I asked him to clarify a question as to what answer he wanted (for a poorly worded question with multiple possible answers), he'd give me a long winded explination of how to do the problem and not tell me which answer he wanted. He also used the calc project as an excuse to put people in front of the class and ridicule them. All of 7/40 or so people didn't get a C in this class, so unless you're looking for a C, look elsewhere.
58	20012	This "teachers" grading policy is outragious, his class average is in the 40's and his retention rate is about 10%. so unless you want to take Calc just to withdraw like most of the class then don't take teacher
48	20012	Can't speak english, grades extremely rough, way too picky about layout of homework, and makes class as boring as possible. Average grade on last test was a 49 for the class. If you want to do well and learn a lot, he's probably your worst choice.
91	20012	you do a good amount of work, but Kumar knows his isht. Had him for calcII, and when you leave his class, you know your isht, and I know I'm definitely ready for calc III.
65	20012	Nice man but extemely tough on grading, especially on homework. Material is covered with the expectation that the students already have an understanding of the material. You must put loads of extra time into homework and studying to do well. He is extremely picky on neatness and how you set up problems. I do not recomend this Professor, but if you get him, goodluck and be prepared to work hard.
48	20012	I have had Kumar for two straight quarters of Calculus now, thanks to a registration mixup. Besides his lack of teaching ability and the fact that he confuses the students more than helps them, Kumar is an unfair grader who has about 6 students in each class of 33 pass. DO NOT take his class! You will regret it, and your GPA will suffer irreperably.
85	20011	Good professor, but you must know the work thorough.
48	20011	Bad Teacher
48	20011	Doesn't teach. Every minute that I listen to him, I swear I get dumber.
48	20011	Doesn't teach.
71	20011	He has to find a more efficient way to express his ideas across to his students
48	20011	Needs to learn how to speak English clearly. Very stubborn and complex. BEWARE!!
68	20011	he's a massivly hard grader, and if you havent had calc in hs you are screwed he doesnt even go over radians. but he does give you a better understanding of calc if you understand his accent
85	20011	Dr. Kumar may be unpopular with some, but I learned a lot in his class. His strict discipline and difficult tests forced me to learn the difficult concepts of Calculus III. He keeps you on your toes and succeeding in his class is as good a feeling as you can get for earning a good grade. Generally anything in the text was fair game for a quiz or test, so doing homework and briefly reviewing the problems was enough to earn an adequate grade. I think he prepared me for how college professers teach and grade. His tests were hard, but you had to know how to study for him. I'd take him again if I had the chance.
81	20011	Kumar is an extremely helpful teacher if you go to him for extra help, which he encourages. Don't try to talk during class or think that you can get away with doing nothing. People vote so negatively for him because they are the people that don't do what is expected and should return to high school. He does have downfalls though, i.e. he becomes easily irritated but they may be only because he expects you to focus on math while in his class. Overall I would recommend him.
88	20004	You do the homework...you get an A!
53	20003	This professor is a real gem. The tests are nothing like class or homework as far as difficulty goes. Even having had the material before (and received good grades); my grades in this class are poor to say the least. He is a nice person; but, this class will ruin your GPA because he grades to a different standard than employeers and other professors do. Learning doesn't involve hard work unless your professor is not presenting right. I have learned SO much more (and retained it) from other professors in much more challenging classes (400 and 500 level). Don't waste your time in Kumar's class unless you are a glutton for punishment or have something to prove to yourself.
53	20003	Did not enjoy his class. Did not explain material! Assumed everyone knew what he was talking about. Took shortcuts when explaining material. Avoid at all costs!
48	20003
91	20003	Although many people speak negatively of this professor, I enjoyed his class. Most of the people that don't like him are looking for an easy A, and that you won't get. If you work hard on the homework and go to him with any questions, you will do fine and come out of the course with a good unerstanding of the material. Although some people claim otherwise, I thought the test questions were very similar to the homework questions.
75	20002
48	20002	This teacher is horrible at explaining anything, and takes off as many points as possible on the test. He is extremely mean, and no one in our class would volunteer because he was just make fun of you and say that your wrong. There aren't many good Data teachers around here, just make sure to vote.
75	20002	I took Data Analysis with Kumar. I enjoyed this class #as much as one can enjoy a mathematics lecture, I suppose. He knows the material and had well-prepared slides. However, he does not tolerate talking in class, so be on your best behavior. He's a serious guy. There has been a lot of complaining about tests, but I did alright, and I have a bad history with math courses. If you study for quizzes and then use them as guides for the problems on the test, you'll be fine #at least in his Data Analysis class. I am giving him this grade for "adequate" to "fair" lectures and "good" course material.
48	20002	OH!!!!!!!!Terrible guy... Never take him
75	20002	Difficult tests. Just doing the homework does not guarantee a good grade (or passing). If everybody does poorly on a test, he's flexible. As an aside, it was difficult material and I don't remember any of it now.
48	20001	Never take a class from this guy...EVER!
78	20001	This guy definitely knows his stuff, but tests are extremely difficult. He teaches the material well, but if you want an A on the tests you have to be willing to do a lot of work. Take the class with someone else if you can.
48	20001	Not a good professor, stay far far away. Treats students like they're in high school, yet expects much more than the level he teaches. Tests are too long and difficult to complete in an hour. You can have all the right answers but don't get 100 because you didn't write an essay about the math you did. This guy really needs to lighten up, and learn how to teach. Has been rude and insulting to students who are seeking help numerous times. He knows what he's doing but isn't very good at passing his knowledge to the students. He's way too picky about grading, so I say there should be a grade lower than F-.
53	20001	Got a B both times I had Kumar, but class sucks. One time I was looking down at my notes as he asked a question. The room went silent and I looked up to find him staring at me. He did not call my name and he knew I wasn't looking. He did it BECAUSE I wasn't looking. He also hears the softest whispers and will tell you to ask him whatever question you had-knowing that you don't have a real question. He always waits until the last second to pass out quizzes so that you have to choose between finishing it and getting to your next class on time. Grading is unfair too. Basically, if your answer is wrong, you will receive the same points by just guessing. Worst teacher ever.
65	20001	I felt that this professor definately knew his stuff. But thats not all it takes to make a good teacher. His test are extremely difficult and the worst part is that there is never time to finish. Even if you study your butt off and know the material, you might finish the math in an hour but you'll still get a low grade because hes so unreasonably picky about having to write a paragragh explaining each answer. It really is ridiculous. I would not recomend taking this professor.
53	19993
85	19993	He was possibly the best math teacher I ever had, but unless you are really willing to devote yourself to working hard, don t expect a good grade in his courses.