Professor: Volic Course format: Lecture w/section Number of respondents: 27 Total Enrollment: 37 Class Composition: Froshs: 15 Sophs: 14 Jrs: 4 Srs: 3 Concs: 7 Non-Concs: 16 Don't Know: 2

Instructor Average: 1.15 Course Average: 1.35

“Linear Algebra” is intended to teach basic topics from this branch of mathematics that will be useful for those pursuing science, engineering or economics. Although calculus is considered a prerequisite for this course, most students found that a good grasp of high school math was enough to succeed.

This class was taught by graduate student Ismar Volic, and all students appreciated his style of teaching and praised his sense of humor and ability to make this subject enjoyable. Students described his lectures as clear, organized, and easy to understand. Ismar provided good explanations and clear examples, and encouraged students to ask questions. He was available and willing to help, and students found him very approachable and responsive to student feedback. Reviewers described him as committed to teaching and energetic, and some said that they thoroughly enjoyed his lectures. Students also said that they were allowed to vote on an application to learn at the end of the semester, which made the end of the course quite interesting.

The work for this class consisted of a midterm, a final, weekly homework, and quizzes. Students criticized the midterm, which was not written by Ismar but by the head professor, as being difficult and handwritten and thus hard to read. Some felt that there were too many quizzes and that the quizzes were an ineffective use of class time, but many believed that the workload was fair. The majority of the students found the textbook hard to understand, and said that class notes were more useful than the book in studying for exams. Ismar himself recommended changing the textbook in the future.

Most students spent between two and seven hours on this class, which either met their expectations or was less than the amount expected. In general, students recommended taking “Linear Algebra,” as it is useful for many other fields. However, reviewers suggested that prospective students shop all sections, as this course can vary greatly depending on the graduate student who teaches it.

View MA/0052 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.