I am currently taking his MATH 4A in 2020 fall quarter. He is amazing. I really enjoy his smiles before every lecture and his humorous emails. He has replaced the midterms with little quizzes every week. He extends hw deadlines due to chem and physics exams. Planning to take his 6A next quarter.
He is not that great with online teaching. While the situation isn't his fault, it seems like he hasn't properly adapted to it. His lessons are all very bland and do not have great explanations. He also is terrible at enforcing deadlines so work due one week ago is due today.
I took Math 4B with Garfield online for Spring 2020. Unlike other reviews, I actually found it to be challenging. The homeworks took a lot of time for me to complete, but the tests werent too bad. We also didnt learn like 3 full weeks of material so I am probably screwed for future classes. Very disorganized but seems like a nice guy.
Peter is a really nice guy. He made the material fun to learn, however, he doesn't delve too deep into things so make sure you're reading the text and going to office hours. Not too consistent with getting tests back on time which is a bit frustrating. Ashwin is a tough grader.
Do the homework, it really helps a lot. His lectures were okay, but he seemed like a good guy. The midterms were similar to his practice exams but a little bit difficult but doable. The final was optional though because of what was happening at the time.
Every math prof I met is so niceMath 4A is not hard, and the class notes are all you need. The notes given by Garfield is so well-organized, and the examples will help you a lot! I will definitely take his class again.
The class itself is definitely tougher than 34A but very manageable with Peter. Hes super understanding and wants to help students. Theres homework due a few times a week but if you take the time to do it, itll definitely help your grade.
He is a pretty good teacher. His lectures were really helpful in understanding. However, he is so disorganized and somehow managed to leave 2 to 3 weeks of lectures untaught. Extreme procrastinator, never take his classes if it's online unless you want to fail other classes that uses differential equations as well. Ps. never replies to emails.
Peter is such a cool and funny professor. go to his office hours for candy. this class was so easy and not much effort had to be put in
HE IS SUPER UNORGANIZED AND PROCRASTINATED TO POST HIS SLIDES. LEARNED NOTHING but still got a+ if its NOT your last math class, you probably will suffer in future math classes
(TAKEN REMOTELY SPRNG 2020) Good teacher, I liked his explanations and although his slides had mistakes, they were clear and easy to understand. As long as you go through his lectures its an easy A. Never had to read the textbook. Biggest problem is he didn't publish 2 weeks of lectures... so that might hurt in my future math studies...
peter's a literal gem. he interacts with his students during class and uses iclicker (enforces mandatory attendance) to ensure that students understand the material. if you get at least a C in his class, he rounds it up to a B! homework is not that bad, as most answers are in the book. 12 questions due at 8am before every class, takes not even 1 hr
Literally an embarrassment to the math department, even though the UCSB math department is an embarrassment in itself. This man had not finished the lectures for week 5, when we were literally going into week 9, so he had to skip a few. Does not know how to teach. He always has multiple mistakes on his slides every lecture, which is annoying. Lazy
Many mistakes in slides, never posted office hourse, was 8 lectures behind most of the time. Overall terrible teacher, but I got an A so whatever
Garfield is pretty clear and focused, but he is super disorganized and forgets to upload lectures. I find myself having to play catch up when he uploads 3-4 lectures a couple days before exams. Class is pretty homework heavy too. I honestly learned best through CLAS and by reading the textbook
Clear lectures. A lot of homework (one for each lecture) but they're not too bad and he explains things pretty well overall.
I took Peter for Math 34A, and am now in his 34B class. Peter is a nice guy, and he cares about his students. Unfortunately, the 34 calculus series is difficult, all over the place and can be confusing, none of which is Peter's fault, he does his best to help students. His main downfall is he rarely responds to emails, or he takes forever.
if you need math for GE, this is your guy. did not take ap calc and still got an A- for both 2a and 2b. class is straight forward, prob the best math prof at least for lower div math. if you go to lecture and understand hw, as well as do practice exams, you will at least pass guaranteed. he is ur best friend and is a light of hope for freshmans
I didn't get the chance to see how he actually teaches in person. I have in as an online professor. His videos are fast and unclear. He talks straight through it and sometimes switches the screen to show himself, I dont get the point of that. He uses pure slides, so if you need to see how things are done or are a visual learner, he aint the one.
Peter is an awesome professor!! Would definitely recommend to take him if you can for math 34A/B. He is very clear in his lectures and makes sure to slow down and answer any questions the class may have. His practice exams are extremely helpful. He is very kind and funny in lectures, which makes the overall class very fun!! Amazing professor!!
Peter Garfield is MY HERO! I have always struggled with math but he changed that. He takes the time in class to explain concepts and uses the iclicker to gauge what students don't understand, going over these topics. He gives you amazing study guides that ensure you will ace the 3 midterms/1final, if you study and understand the material. TAKE HIM!
Super sweet and genuinely wants his students to do well. Class is graded off 3 midterms and a final and then a homework/attendance grade. Theres homework due usually 2-3 times a week but its usually pretty easy and doesn't take too much time.
Not going to lie, for people who don't have any calculus experience, this class is not easier than 3B, it is equivalent. However, this class was not so hard for me because I had taken AP Calc AB in high school.
Class hard if you don't have prior calc experience. Lectures often confusing, so online hw can be difficult (but he often extends hw deadlines). Very nice curve this quarter. Peter is approachable & holds many OHs, though he's not the most efficient during them. Section attendance not mandatory but would recommend bc TA's solve hard hw problems.