Theresa Vail

School: Cal Poly Pomona
Department: Mathematics
Location:Pomona, CA
Overall Rating
rated by 16 students
Helpfulness
Clarity
Easiness
Rating Comment
Overall
Helpfulness
Clarity
Easiness
 Pros: Goes out of her way to help students
Friendly teacher
Always available in office hours
Cons: Explains material too fast
Hard grader
Difficult tests and final
If you are good at math, you will have no problem getting a C or B in her class. Unfortunately, I am not good at math, i studied for 4 to 5 hours daily and i still got a D. Her test are really hard, and her study guide is basically a chapter summary, which doesn't specify the type of problems that could be on the test. She is friendly in class, but expects students to know everything she is talking about, she lectures fast. 4 quizzes, 1 test and a final. She does not curve, if you are not good at math i recommend you to look somewhere else for math 125.
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 Pros: Straight-forward teaching
Funny
Cons: Dictates how home work should be done
Vail is a cool teacher, had her during the summer session. Is straight forward with how she teaches; cracks a joke every now and then; homwwork is given frequently. She always told everyone to go to MaSH.
Grade given: C+ for not trying
Overall
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Easiness
 Pros: She is a great teacher, she is very funny, and does want students to achieve.
Cons: There is a lot of homework, but this is to be expected with a college math course
I actually took her for Math 125 (Business Calculus). If you keep practicing the home work problems and concepts covered in class you'll be fine. She is readily available to help you when needed as well.
Overall
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Easiness
 Pros: Very enthusiastic
Willing to help
Well prepared, knows her subject
Speaks clear
Cons: Kind of too much homework
Sometimes she makes mistakes in lectures
A little strict
I TOOK MAT 116, NOT MAT106 WITH HER. I rated MAT106 because she isn't in the prof list of 116. She is very nice and helpful. However she has slightly higher expectation on her students therefore her grading is stricter than other prof.
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 Pros: The way Ms. Vail taught, made the subject and tests easy. She taught very well and wrote down all the steps, thoroughly explained why each step is needed and how to do it. She kept the lectures interesting and made me want to learn and complete my assignments.
Cons: NONE.
I never tried in math class before, hence the reason i was there, but Mrs. Vail made me want to learn and try. She is stern, which is a good quality because her class respects her. I enjoyed this class and would take her again if every math class didn't just say "staff" when i registered. Sadly, my former math teacher is no Mrs. Vail. We had a lot of homework, but it was worth it because I recieved an A.
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 Pros: - goes over everything
-always is there for her office hours
- makes study groups for students
-always on time
Professor Vail was very upbeat and always really helpful which made it very easy to learn. That and the fact that she knew what she was teaching. She always made sure everyone knew what she was going over that day. She loved when people participated and she always would help giving extra hw points if you printed out stuff from blackboard or did things like make and memorize a sheet of powers. I definitely would take her for 105 or any other class she will be teaching. GREAT PROFESSOR.
Overall
Helpfulness
Clarity
Easiness
 Pros: Offers great help
final is not cumulative
great notes
Cons: she does not curve at all
there are about 3 midterms
gets behind on a few lessons
teaches very fast
quiz every week
She is a great and helpful teacher, but she will not bump you up a few points if your closer to another grade. Ex: I needed .5 points for a B to go onto 114, she gave me a B- and i was there every single time, did all the hw, showed up to all the quizzes, did the extra credit offered, and no! But she does care for her students to learn the material and pass the class at least.
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 Off the bat, Professor Vail teaches the class like as if we were all still freshmen in high school. She can get sidetracked easily and gets temperamental often. Her quizzes are of the easy to moderate level. However, her exams can get very difficult. Professor Vail provides study guides which are of no aide whatsoever to the exams. She has a certain way of handling problems and if you do not oblige to solve math problems by her teaching method, she will take points off. Nevertheless, she respects and appreciates you if you show up to class everyday, do your homework, and participate in class.
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 Pros: unorganized. she's a horrible professor. She puts things that aren't even on the exam or quizzes on there..the homework is tedious and a waste of time.. she treats us like we are children.
Cons: unorganized. she's a horrible professor. She puts things that aren't even on the exam or quizzes on there..the homework is tedious and a waste of time.. she treats us like we are children.
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 This professor is crazy! Although I found the material boring, she made it a little more interesting. If you have trouble in algebra DEFINITELY take it with this professor. She goes out of her way to make sure students know the material.
Overall
Helpfulness
Clarity
Easiness
 Pros: -Very Helpful
-Knowledgeable
-Nice
Cons: -Picky when grading homework, but it's to prepare you for higher level math
As of now I am a Freshmen, the last math course I took was Calculus AB in High school. I didn't do so great on the MDPT, so I was placed in MAT105. I really underestimated this class, I have learned a lot in this class. Mrs. Vail is a great professor, she explains everything and is always willing to answer questions from students. When she assigns homework please do it neatly and put effort into it, if you turn in complete garbage, then you won't get a good grade on it. Her quizzes and tests aren't hard, you just need to study for them ahead of time. If you need to take MAT 105 please take her class, it will definitely prepare you for the Calculus. My engineers please take her
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 Pros: you actually learn in that class
Cons: a lot of work
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 VERY good professor. Explains everything very clearly and makes sure everyone understands. Posts outlines of chapter on Blackboard and helpful worksheets to bring to class. Answers to even problems are posted after homework is turned in. Easy quizzes, easy exams. Very helpful at office hours too!
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 i actually took mrs vail for math 12, and she was very nice, as long as you pay attention, you should do fine, she makes the quizzes really easy to help your grade, and the midterms are not too bad either, the only problem is how easily she gets distracted by the class, it was unbelievably annoying, i walked out several times. she can also be very confusing when she tries to explain things to you, as long as you can teach yourself by the book, you can just ask her questions, you should be fine. she also likes to take her time, for example if you ask her a small question on how to do something simple, she will continue to work out the problem, the WHOLE problem, taking much longer, and it can also confuse you, overall, she was very nice, and i would suggest taking her if you already know math 12... not recommended if your a 1st timer. Grade Received: C
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 Very good professor. easy to speak with. grades easily. shows you how to improve. shows exactly what will be on tests. on hand nearly 24/7 for help. mathzone was just implemented when i had her for fall 2009. so we had alot of bug issues. the homework is based mostly on mathzone. which is weird since it clearly removes the need for a textbook. but id still hold onto it for when youre out of college and need a hand in remembering how you covered certain areas. since mat11 is basically highschool math. your children may wanna have your textbook instead of the ones the school gives out. the highschool texts skip steps. id recommend her to anyone for mat 11. Grade Received: B
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 i loved her! she was a great teacher. i used to hate math but after having her, i kind of enjoy it now. i think she is a very good teacher. get her if you can! she is amazing! Grade Received: B

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