Weiqing Xie

School: Cal Poly Pomona
Department: Mathematics
Location:Pomona, CA
Overall Rating
rated by 20 students
Helpfulness
Clarity
Easiness
Rating Comment
Overall
Helpfulness
Clarity
Easiness
Pros: He knows the material
Cons: Everything else
-Hard accent to understand
-Cannot explain things clearly
-Not helpful or willing to help
-Talks about Random stuff
If you have the option of taking another profesor, DO IT, or if you can afford to wait a quarter and try to get another profesor DO IT, it is not worth having him teach you. It is obvious, other than by his accent, that English is not his first language, and sometimes has a hard time explaining things. I went to his office hours to ask him about questions I had about something on the test, and he talks to you like you are a moron because it's so simple. I am not someone who usually has trouble in math, but this class was difficult. The material was not hard, I did all the homework and classwork fine, but when it came to the tests and the way he graded, it didn't make sense. It was almost as if there was no partial credit given. He would also circle somethings that you did wrong, like every teacher, but then he would leave other things on the test UNMARKED, but they were also incorrect. He told me that he only marks somethings, but not all of them, how does this help us learn from our mistakes? It doesn't because we don't know we made a mistake. I have honestly never had such a bad experience with a professor.
If I could give him no stars, I would.
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Pros: Knows his subject
Curves your final overall grade
Cons: Doesn't answer e-mails
Doesn't clearly answer questions
Nonspecific grading on exams
Not generally very helpful
This professor is a nice enough guy and I have nothing against him personally, but if you plan on passing your next math class, the first step is to avoid him LIKE THE FRICKEN PLAGUE. His accent is a bit difficult to understand, but that is nothing compared to his general inability to explain concepts. He's just one of those professors that is too smart to teach, so he can't simplify it enough for students. Also, his exams suck. Yes, they mimic homework or in class examples, but when he gives back your exam, it's a photocopy, so if you submitted a separate sheet of paper with your work, you will most likely never see it again. When he grades your exams, he isn't clear about exactly what is wrong, and he takes of a lot of points for small mistakes. When you go to him to clarify either concepts or even your exam grade, you just leave even more confused. He's also difficult to get into contact with; don't even bother with emails, because he'll never answer them. I don't even know how I passed. The only people who should even attempt to take him are people who already have a good understanding of the subject beforehand, and even then I would still avoid him. Take him at your own risk.
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Pros: Very intelligent. Does not make any mistakes during lecture(basically he s like Einstein). Only few hw problems are given to do.
Cons: Extremely Hard Homeworks. (took me several hours to solve 3 problems)
Insanely difficult mid-term ( final was not this hard)
Horrible accent( cant understand anything that comes out from his mouth)
Basically, if you are good at math, this guy will challenge and boost your skills. But please do avoid him if you are not a math person. This guy doesn't understand people who are not made for math.
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Pros: Knows about the Mathematics field
Can be friendly
Cons: Assumes you are already familiar with the subject material
Grades with above assumption
Skips some parts while working out problems which may be confusing for some students
His accent is not as bad as people say. Just remember that "Edgewood" is his word for non-calculus math, usually referring to addition/subtraction/multiplication/division.
His curve isn't much; all he told me is that a 65 in the class is a solid C.
I felt some of his grading was harsh. There were problems that I solved differently/simplified/plugged in that he gave me partial credit when some of them I had the answer he gave us in my work. I had one problem on the midterm where both parts were right and he gave me 12/15 points for it.
But, he will fix it if you talk to him and argue your case.
I do not recommend unless you know your Math lingo, or if this is one of the only classes left with open seats.
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Pros: Provides a challenge
Lessons follow the book
Cons: Does not explain anything that he's doing
You will not be tested on the material that class is supposed to cover
Doesn't understand what you are asking him and therefore doesn't answer anything
DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR!! IF YOU GET HIM, WAIT A QUARTER TO TAKE THE CLASS.
Basically Professor Xie cannot teach. He is incredibly intelligent and knows math like the back of his hand. Unfortunately he can't teach math to save his life. He can't understand why you don't understand something because to him its all easy.During class he will write all over the chalkboard all of this work that won't make sense and he won't bother explaining any of it. Even though this class focuses on integration, he really only does crazy algebra manipulation. You end up concentrating more on where he got what and how he manipulated all of the things that you lose sight of integrating methods. One time he began with one method, halfway through he moved to another method, then another method, then out of nowhere the answer appeared. Xie will also run out of material to teach about 30 minutes before class ends, and he'll end up stalling and rambling the rest of the time. For the second midterm, we were supposed to be tested on chapter 7; however, there was only one concept from the many taught in this chapter, and the rest of the test was just a bunch of his algebra manipulation tricks. Now I admit, the material that the class focuses on is not difficult; if you took AP Calculus AB it will all be very familiar. I took the ap test and got a 5 on it, and thought the class would be easy, but it was much more difficult because Xie made it that way. I did not learn anything this quarter, if anything I'm leaving the class with more confusion and less confidence in my calculus skills. I do not recommend taking any class with this professor if your major is at all dependent on math or if you take the class with the intentions of learning something. A lot of people attribute their failure to his heavy accent. Though I do agree that his accent can be a little difficult at times, you get used to it within the first week. It is not the accent that will get you, but his poor teaching skills.
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Pros: He knows the material very well.
Cons: Difficult accent.
Does not teach.
Does not answer questions clearly in class.
I would not recommend this professor to anyone taking MAT 115.
This professor is undoubtedly very smart, and it shows when he does his examples on the board. He rarely makes any mistakes in class. However, although he has a great understanding of the material, his explanations aren't very clear. There are many times when he does an example on the board and the class doesn't not know how he got the result. Then when someone asks a question, he will say it's in the book, or look in your notes. When he does try to explain the steps to a problem, they are not clear.
He doesn't teach the class. He will do examples on the board straight from the book and just solve the problem. That is how most of the class goes. You will pretty much need to teach yourself or go to academic workshops on campus to learn MAT 115.
And when I say he has a bad accent, I mean he has a bad accent. Not worth the risk when it comes to your grade.
He is a great guy! And very smart. However, from my experience in his class, he is not a very good teacher.
If you feel confident enough in yourself to teach yourself MAT 115 then go for it. I personally wouldn't recommend it, because MAT 115 is already a difficult class, so having to teach yourself will be that much more of a challenge.
If he is the last available MAT 115 class, I would just wait till next quarter. I was warned about this professor, however I did not listen, now I am retaking the course with another professor.
Good luck with your classes.
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Pros: detailed lectures
good examples from textbook
helpful during office hours
special grading consideration for final
Cons: hard grading on midterm exams
availability in office may be limited
accent may be hard to understand
In general, lectures are well versed and in-depth. Many examples from the book are used to illustrate important concepts. Weekly homework is important for passing the class (3 missed assignments results in failing the course). Two midterms and one final during finals week. The midterms are graded very specifically and are related directly to the homework. There is a special grading consideration concerning the final exam: if you score 50% or more on each midterm and a 65% or more on the final exam, you will pass the class regardless of your grade going into it. However, if that is not the case then you will be graded on a straight scale (where a 65% is a C). I would highly recommend going to office hours every week before the homework is due. However, since Xie gets many students in his office this may be difficult to do. The book Xie uses for his course is far superior to the text used in every other 224 course. I would go so far as to recommend buying the book listed for his class even if you are taking the course with another professor. Lastly, don't sit in the front row, he tends to spit a lot when he talks, and you may have to get used to his heavy accent.
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He will spend a day or more on a single subject and gives a lot of examples. The problem is the examples rarely help with the homework. He does normally go over every homework problem in class, which is helpful. The problems on the 3 midterms and final are practically taken straight from the book, so if you're lucky you already did the problem he puts on the test. The tests are still extremely hard and he grades very tough. Homework is assigned and normally collected, but he grades so harshly on them you will normally get only a 1 out of 2 on it. Luckily homework is only 5% of your grade. His accent takes getting used to, and he does make terrible jokes and go off on random tangents during class. I would highly recommend taking another teacher if you can, but if you get stuck with him you aren't entirely screwed. Grade received: A
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Pros: Repetitive and very knowledgeable
Cons: strong accent- may be difficult to understand
Homework was assigned, but not collected. 3 midterms (1 take home) and 1 final. His exams are similar to the example problems in lecture and homework problems. He actually xerox the midterms for you after he grades them so you can study off of them. Basically, if you put in the effort, and do the homework, you can pass the class.
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Pros: He has neat writing and explains everything in detail
Cons: He has a very thick accent and is very hard to understand
The homework is very similar to the tests, so do it and study it. He emphasizes the important problems in class so take note when he explains a problem more than once (without being asked to). Study groups are very helpful.
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If you see his name when you register for classes, DON'T TAKE THE CLASS!! I had no choice because by the time I registered, his was the only section left open and now I KNOW WHY. His accent is terrible. Half the time you'll be thinking "WHAT?" whenever he asks a question because words like "derivative" and "negative" will come out of his mouth sounding like "delivative" and "nective".
}Don't bother trying to follow what he's lecturing about (well, whatever he lectures about after he wastes half an hour talking about something else). You're better off asking classmates or getting help from tutors to explain how to do a problem. Several times we asked him to do all the steps for a problem and he ends up getting mad and telling us "I showed you the first and last step. You can figure out the rest". Often in his "explanations" he'll say nonsense like "If you know how to play the game, you can solve this easily" or "it's like a Catch 22" and doesn't really clarify much. Whenever we ask him what's going to be on the tests, his usual reply was "whatever I talked about in class". He gave us a "guide" for the final, but I did the homework for the sections he didn't cover in class because most likely he'll sneak in questions from those sections just to screw you over.
}You're confidence will disappear quite fast trying to pass a test in this class. I couldn't even get a C on the first midterm and did even worse on the second midterm. You'll do the homework thinking "I get this!" but once you see the test questions, you'll sit there frustrated trying to solve them. The questions he puts on the tests are really hard and maybe one or two of the questions will be about something simple (some of them he'll take from class examples he did; most likely the really complicated ones). Just try to review the sections as much as you can and hope you'll get at least a C on the tests.
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This class was insanely difficult. However, the key to being successful is working through all the in class examples, doing the hw, asking questions, going to office hours, and studying in groups. Don't feel intimidated if he reprimands you for asking such a "basic" question. You are paying to learn, and he is getting paid to teach you. Dont miss a class. Somtimes he will go over one lesson in a class period and sometime he will go over three. There were 6 quizzes each worth 20 points. i failed 4 of them. There are 2 midterms (failed both of them, but improved on the second one). Even if you are failing this class after the second midterm, there are two rays of hope. a 60% is passing C in his class, and if you get an A/B/C on the final he will give you that grade in the class. so, if you are failing the week before the final, dont give up. I studied very hard the last week before the final and managed a C. The people who failed were the ones who stopped trying and gave up three weeks into the class. This class is no walk in the park, but it is doable. Grade Received: C
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this class didn't seem too challenging, but that may be because I'm right out of high school calculus. this guy obviously knows his stuff, but goes off topic frequently and loses the attention of the class often. one person walked out in the middle of class because they had become so frustrated. If you have the patience to listen to a heavy accent and deal with off topic 'chats', then you may be able to handle professor Xie
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Professor Xie is a tricky son-of-a-gun. His math skills are a half step shy of flawless, scary. I wouldn't recommend him as a teacher because it takes about two weeks to get to where you can understand his accent. His quiz questions are very tricky and are imposible to prepare for. They often require the use of some small thing that you learned a long time ago and would never expect to apply to the problem or, they require the use of one of the lesser used, hard to remember formulas. For one of his quizes, he asked students to find the surface area of an elipse. It is possible to solve this problem with the material in Calc 2, but you would have to be really dialed-in to get it right. Rather than put 20 questions on the test that each test one concept, he'll put 4 complex questions that each test 5 concepts. The students in his class who had never gone over the material before were so lost that I felt sorry for them. However, on the flip side of things, 60% is a C and the final easier than the midterms and quizes. Do good on the final and you'll do good in the class. Grade Received: B-
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The class was difficult but Prof. Xie knows what he is doing. He answers any of youir questions till you understand and gives you ample oppurtunities to pass the class. he can be difficult to understand but he writes down all he is trying to explain of the board. Overall he was a good teacher to have. Grade Received: B+
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For those who harp on his bad English, it's not that bad and he is understandable. He most definitely knows the material inside and out and he is a quite the challenging instructor imo. He is always eager to help us out in any way he can. (quite contrary to the other reviews I've seen but those are mostly from lower div classes). He tends to leave some problems unfinished but thats just because he wants you to exercise your brain and figure it out yourself (if you cant then use the office hrs, thats what they're for). To receive an A in his class, you will have to know the material very thoroughly. He also gives a lot of partial credit on the exams. Anyway, this course is difficult no matter what professor you take because of the nature of the class itself. Bottom line: take him if you want a challenge. Grade Received: C+
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Dr. Xie is a brilliant man. He understands mathematics very well and can explain the concepts of mathematics well. He does have a bit of an accent. However, it is not bad enough to hinder the comprehension of his insightful explanations. Be patient with him on this. He did not grow up speaking English like many of us. He has two midterms and a final worth 60% and 40% respectively. He assigns, but doesn't collect, homework. His exams are very straightforward. They consist of exact replications of homework and example problems. Tests don't get any easier than that given that you understand all of the homework and example problems. However, he is stingy with partial credit so you must be very explicit about what you are doing. Easy to ace his class if you put some effort into making sure you understand every homework problem. I aced his class, both times, doing exactly that. Easy to fail his class if you don't bother to remedy anything you don't understand. Fair grader and good teacher. Take him if you really want to learn calculus.
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Many of these comments have unfairly denounced professor Xie's efficacy as a lecturer. He is a brilliant man and can provide students with deeper insights into the core concepts of differential calculus. Regardless of his sometimes crude teaching style, he can explain the material very well. He may seem reluctant to help students at first, but only because the questions students ask him are very vague and require him to give completely detailed explanations. If you hear him say 'Good Enough', which he often will, and you still feel perplexed you'd better say that it is NOT 'Good Enough'! If you do not, then he will move one, and he will not refer back to old material easily. Perhaps he is a bit lazy in answering students' questions but with a little tenacity, and specific questions, you should be able to peel some insights off of his brilliant mind.
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Dr. Xie is a good professor, depending on how you approach his class. If you are timid and expect a teacher to explain things to you in great detail, then I do not suggest this professor. If, on the contrary, you are like me, then you should do just fine in his class. What I mean is that you must be very engaging when it comes to asking him questions. He will always explain things to a certain point and then ask 'good enough?' Unless you are assertive and tell him that it is not 'good enough' he will simply move on and you will not get an explanation from him for the rest of the quarter. Also, you must be willing to learn alot of things from the book, since he will often times mention a topic and then give you a page number to look up the information in depth. If you can possess the ability to learn on your own and are assertive when asking for help, you will succeed in his class. If not, I suggest you look for another teacher who can better suit your needs. Grade in class: B.
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Xie does have an accent and his tests are tough. He tends to explain the concepts more than techniques. The tests (5-6 questions, chosen from any hw problem or any book example)always seemed to include one 'impossible?' problem. I liked him and his class, and learned A LOT. A good grade on the cumulative final overrides any bombed midterms. I must say I studied harder than ever before and barely pulled off an A-. I was initially registered for Amelin and had major bad impression of him. Xie was immeasurably better.

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