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Professor Ratings & Grade Distribution Data for Deborah Smith

Deborah Smith

Professor (2000 – 2012)
Virginia Tech (VT)
Mathematics

Rate Professor

Overall rating

Rated by 231 students

2.74

Avg GPA

across 7 classes

Spring 2012 Schedule

No classes for this semester.

All Classes

MATH 1015

MATH 1205

MATH 1224

MATH 1525

MATH 1526

MATH 2016

NR 5984

Most Helpful Favorable Professor Review

Most Helpful Critical Professor Review

MATH 1525 - Calculus with Matrices

Professor rated by: Finance, Insurance, and Business Student on 1/11/10

Helpful Rating?

YES

+2 Helpful

MATH 1525 - Calculus with Matrices

Professor rated by: Management Student on 12/11/09

Helpful Rating?

YES

+5 Helpful

Student Ratings 1 - 20 of 231

MATH 1525

Calculus with Matrices

This class basically made my first semester of freshmen year horrible. I have always been pretty good at math however I never learned calculus in high school (i took advanced alg. w/ trig senior year) and so had to try and learn it all by myself online. I spent hours upon hours every week and still struggled. I had to get someone I knew who learned the math in high school to literally teach me entire chapters. When he would teach me he would be blown away by how they tell you to do the problem. They basically make you do it the hardest most confusing way. I think it horrible that you are forced to take this class by reading it online without a teacher and that i am paying for that. I am opting to take my next semester of it at a community college over the summer with a teacher. This was the worst class i have ever taken. If you know calc you might like this but if you dont good luck. as for the instructor..the only time i actually saw her was at the introduction to the class so i dont really have an opinion on her.

Professor rated by: Management Student on December 11, 2009

Helpful Rating?

YES

MATH 1525

Calculus with Matrices

Smith isn't really around all that much since it is an online class. I hated it for this reason. I learn better with an actual teacher there to help me. The way I see it, my family isn't dishing out thousands of dollars a year so I can teach myself. Anyways, it is a relatively medium hard class. You just need to find the motivation to keep up with it since it is all at your own pace and you have deadlines for quizzes every week. If you set out a schedule for when you will do it, you will do fine. Quizzes are relatively easy depending on how much you prepare for them. If you need help you can go to the EMPO or ask the teacher. I recommend going to the EMPO because the helpers there know a lot. She drops your four lowest quiz grades. The exams are decent. It is all cumulative so that sucks. If you just do the work, put in the time, and refresh yourself every now and then, you will be fine. I pulled off an A in that class.

Professor rated by: Finance, Insurance, and Business Student on January 11, 2010

Helpful Rating?

YES

MATH 1526

Elem Calc w/Matrices

The teacher in this class is basically irrelevant because she has about 2000 students. The Empo is a good idea that was implemented horribly. The quiz and test questions are many times completely different from the lessons. If you miss a question the only help it gives you is to go back to the lesson page which probably doesn't even have an example like that. With a better designed system this class would be bearable but which incompetent math tutors, a teacher you never see, and a horrible testing system this class is very undesirable.

Professor rated by: Finance, Insurance, and Business Student on January 18, 2007

Helpful Rating?

YES

MATH 1526

Elem Calc w/Matrices

Pros: Class done at own pace. What you put in is what you'll get out.

Cons: Lessons are long and confusing. If you hadn't taken calc in High School and are still reeling from teaching yourself in 1525, you will be exposed to the same thing. I hated this class, as does everyone. When I asked Deb for help once, she almost laughed at me. Take at community college, salvage your peace of mind and get the grade and knowledge you deserve.

Professor rated by: Finance, Insurance, and Business Student on March 29, 2011

Helpful Rating?

YES

MATH 1526

Elem Calc w/Matrices

Pros: -Can take quizzes and tests whenever you want to

Cons: -You don't have a teacher and you are teaching yourself -You'll spend hours at the math empo teaching yourself math -Sometimes the exams are difficult and the math helpers are not always helpful -The math empo becomes crowded during exam days, so you need to make sure to take you're exam earlier than right before your deadline

Professor rated by: Marketing Student on June 4, 2010

Helpful Rating?

YES

MATH 1525

Calculus with Matrices

Pros: - Easy class if you learn "ways" to do the problem

Cons: - No teacher

- Confusing online text

- I didn't learn much except tricks to get an A

You only see the teacher once on the first day. This class can be considered hard because it is an online course and it pretty inconvenient to go to the math empo every time you have a question about the materials. If you only take this class just because you have to and only want an A and doesn't care about knowing how to solve for derivative, I would just say forget the online text because I find them to be confusing and unhelpful most of the time. Go straight to the lesson problem and try to know how to do all of them since the questions on the quiz/exam/final are pulled from the same pool of question. I did work hard for this class (many sleepless nights at the empo) so I got an A. But I think if you put anough effort, a B is no problem at all.

Professor rated by: Economics Student on December 13, 2011

Helpful Rating?

YES

MATH 1525

Calculus with Matrices

I can't really rate the teacher because I only saw her once, but when I did she seemed nice and helpful.

As far as the course, it is self-taught, no actual class to go to, which I like. Most people hate the fact that it's not taught by a professor, but I like that I don't have to attend a class. The online notes are very helpful and I didn't have to ask for help at the Emporium ever. If you take lots of practice quizzes before quizzes and exams, and take time to learn it, you'll do fine.

I took Calculus in High School, but didn't learn anything. Really, I got a 1 on the AP exam. They only reason I passed is because everyone found a way to get the answers and everyone copied hw off each other. So, I didn't know much about Calc before this. It takes time, but you can learn it if you try hard. I got an A.

Professor rated by: Finance, Insurance, and Business Student on December 13, 2007

Helpful Rating?

YES

MATH 1526

Elem Calc w/Matrices

the class was horrible along with the instructor (although the instructor doesnt even teach the class). if you need help you have to rely on the tutors and it takes like 15 minutes for one to get to you. there are times when the math empo server may have problems which screws up your timetable (i had to take 2 quizzes and an exam in one week becaues of this. all in all the math empo is a horrible concept to begin with but it could be made a bit better if the people who ran it were a bit more competent. after taking my final walking out of the empo knowing i would never have to come back was a great feeling.

my advise is that you try to take this class at a community college and transfer the credits over.

Professor rated by: University Course Series Student on December 10, 2007

Helpful Rating?

YES

MATH 1525

Calculus with Matrices

If you're familiar with Math Emporium protocol then you know Mrs. Smith isn't really your "teacher" more than she is the person who calculates your final grade and gives you the orientation speech. I wasn't available during her help sessions, but when I went to the Emporium during her availability hours she ignored my requests for her help from other Emporium helpers. And then when I received instruction from her, she seemed very rushed and didn't go into the detail I was expecting considering my wait. So my suggestion is definitely find someone to study with, because the quality of help at the Emporium is very inconsistent.

Professor rated by: Management Student on December 16, 2009

Helpful Rating?

YES

MATH 1526

Elem Calc w/Matrices

you have to teach this to yourself... get a tutor if you're having problems or study in a group because only some of the people at the math emporium actually help you get through stuff---the other ones are either annoyed that you have more than one question or are screaming so loud you cant concentrate...

if you dont get behind, you wont have a problem...

also, give yourself at least 3 hours for the tests, because even when i studied and knew what i was doing, i would do one problem all out wrong and have wasted 20 minutes then end up having to rush at the end

Professor rated by: Economics Student on December 13, 2007

Helpful Rating?

YES

MATH 1526

Elem Calc w/Matrices

Pros: None. This class is absolutely awful.

Cons: Horrible teacher. Empo math is awful. The lesson doesn't help. The quizzes and tests aren't even similar to the lesson problems. The class overall is just awful.

unfortunately this is a required class for business students, and you will struggle. The professor and all the other aides are completely uninformed about the material so it is almost impossible to get educated help, especially because Deb Smith is ignorant and rude. Taking a math at the empo is hard as is, and this class makes it even more painful.

Professor rated by: Management Student on May 3, 2011

Helpful Rating?

YES

MATH 1526

Elem Calc w/Matrices

Pros: The quizzes are easy.

Cons: Quizzes don't really count for much of your grade and you will probably spend a lot of time in the Math Empo for nothing. Also, they way this class is set up (very poorly) if you miss one or two problems on an exam (out of 18) then you will have a hard time getting an A in this class because the final (which is out of 25) is not easy and you can only miss a few problems on it. In other words, if you miss about 8 problems (combined) over all exams, good luck getting an A.

Professor rated by: Finance, Insurance, and Business Student on December 6, 2011

Helpful Rating?

YES

MATH 1526

Elem Calc w/Matrices

If you have never taken calculus in high school, calculus at the math emporium will be challenging. It is hard to get in the groove of teaching yourself topics which you are used to having people teach you. It is definitely possible to do well in this class though. This just means you have to spend a lot of time going over the lessons and doing practice quizzes. You may also need to go to the emporium before your quizzes or exams and ask for help from the tutors.

Professor rated by: Marketing Student on October 15, 2009

Helpful Rating?

YES

MATH 1526

Elem Calc w/Matrices

Mrs. Smith has been incredibly helpful and understanding with any problems i had at the Empo. I hate online math don't get me wrong it's my second time taking it and it's still not looking good but without her it would be soo much worse. She's fair, so as long as she realizes it's a legit problem and not some other student trying to BS her she'll help you out.

Professor rated by: Hospitality and Tourism Management Student on December 12, 2008

Helpful Rating?

YES

MATH 1526

Elem Calc w/Matrices

Mrs. Smith is good about responding to e-mails and is available in the emporium when you need her. The online text makes it pretty easy to teach yourself. The only bad thing about this class is that the grade scale is a little unforgiving and a single mistake on a test can really affect your grade.

Professor rated by: Finance, Insurance, and Business Student on October 20, 2009

Helpful Rating?

YES

MATH 1526

Elem Calc w/Matrices

this was my 4th semester at the math empo, so i found it to be incredibly easy. got a 99 overall. once you know the way to study for the quizzes and exams, any empo course is no problem. not really any "instructor" for the course.

Professor rated by: Architecture Student on December 16, 2009

Helpful Rating?

YES

MATH 1525

Calculus with Matrices

Math Emporium is the worst place I've ever been. It's impossible to teach yourself math. I had to retake 1525 and got a C in both 1525 and 1526. What you get on exams is luck. You could get all easy questions as the tests are random.

Professor rated by: Management Student on March 15, 2007

Helpful Rating?

YES

MATH 1526

Elem Calc w/Matrices

Pros: NONE

Cons: You have to go to empo

People at Empo know nothing

Even when i did ask and get help just got more confused

Do not take this class. You have to teach it all to yourself. Empo people dont help. Only do if you are a math person.

Professor rated by: Geography Student on April 22, 2011

Helpful Rating?

YES

MATH 1526

Elem Calc w/Matrices

this is like every othe empo math class although she did email us a lot with tips on the quizes and tests. shes helpful and in the empo a good amount but in the end your still teaching yourself with makes the class hard.

Professor rated by: University Course Series Student on February 3, 2008

Helpful Rating?

YES

MATH 1526

Elem Calc w/Matrices

Never really talked to her since this is an Empo class. I don't really know how to rate her because we've never actually spoken. I feel sorry for those people who have to learn calculus through this course.

Professor rated by: Marketing Student on October 17, 2008

Helpful Rating?

YES

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