Dr. Thoren's inquiry-based classes were difficult but rewarding. Unlike most math courses the students worked together every class, which was fun. The courses provided an excellent foundation for upper-division math.

She is the best professor I've ever had here in UCSB. I took her math 3A last quarter (2014 winter) and I'm taking her math 3B this quarter (2015 spring). She made calculus much simpler. Instead of letting you calculate, she wants you really understand what is calculus, why we are using this method. She is very patient and helpful. Love her.

She assigns very "high school" style projects. Lecture is dreadful, she uses i-clickers and asks students for answers. She will wait for someone to answer correctly, so if you value your sanity, speak up when you know the answer.

possibly worst prof I've had, lectures are boring and you learn nothing while the testshomework are extremely difficult and based on things never taught in class or section. Doesn't explain anything she's doing during lecture, just writes and reads off powerpoint. I do not recommend

possibly worst prof I've had, lectures are boring and you learn nothing while the testshomework are extremely difficult and based on things never taught in class or section. Doesn't explain anything she's doing during lecture, just writes and reads off powerpoint. Avoid at all costs

Lecture is important. When presenting a new topic, she usually first proves a theorem, which can be confusing if you don't know what she's doing, but she then shows you a condensed way to solve the problem. She wants you to actually understand the math, rather than mindlessly solve the problem, and this is evident on exams.

If you're the kind of person who immediately grasps unfamiliar concepts with no issue, and who likes to participate in class, this is the professor for you. If, however, new concepts confuse you and you do not immediately grasp unfamiliar material, look elsewhere. She lets the students do a lot of the teaching for her. Oh, and WileyPlus is awful.

Lectures boring, but useful. Uses bad online HW system. HW is MUCH harder than test questions. Tests not that difficult if you study a bit. Bi-weekly paper homework assignments for sections also, which were easy. Attendance is not mandatory, but she uses iClicker to judge attendance that counts for 5% of you grade. Overall, shes OK.

The worst professor I have seen. Always put nothing valuable on ppt.

Lectures were boring but mandatory due to iClicker questions. She spent the majority of lecture asking us to work with our neighbors and waiting for us to offer suggestions on how to go about solving a problem. HW was tricky but exams were pretty fair. She wasn't super helpful during office hours so I would definitely recommend signing up for CLAS

Best Math professor at UCSB I've had so far. She actually cares about her students. Exams were pretty conceptional but straight forward. The homework is pretty tricky and a lot more numerical than the exams. I would concentrate more on lecture notes and discussions projects to study for the class. If you do the work, you'll do well.

She is not the best teacher, her lectures are often confusing and she spends too much time asking for input from students on how to do a problem rather than just showing us how. Tests were what was expected, except for the conceptual questions which were borderline impossible to know unless you literally read and memorized what the textbook says.

I don't know what's with all the bad reviews. She's the best math professor I've had at UCSB so far. You'll be very lucky to have her, her tests are straight forward and discussion projects aren't too bad.

Good teacher. Lectures are dull but clear, exams have no "tricks" and consist of conceptual questions and basic/intermediate problems. Homework is much more complex than exams, so don't sweat individual problems. iClicker for attendance. CLAS/Paul's Online Notes helpful. Don't be afraid of "discussion projects," they're really straightforward.

I don't know about her other classes, but I know for a fact that her inquiry based classes are maybe some of the best classes on campus, with the most pay-off per amount of effort put into class. She actually cared about my learning experience. If the exam wasn't like the practice problems, it was because she wanted us to use our knowledge.

Absolutely terrible professor. Her HWs and study guides are completely irrelevant to her exams. Emphasizes too much on concepts rather than anything helpful towards assigned homework, work projects and exams during lecture. I'm a math person, I go to math lab/clas for homework and have almost an 100% for every assignment yet I still fail her exams.

Dr. Thoren was the coolest professor ever! Sure, maybe the two midterms and the final were a little bit hard, but it's nice to have a little spice in everything we do. Anything that was on the exams were previously said either in lecture, discussion, or homework. If you attend class and do the homework, you can easily get an A in the class.

This was my second time at Math3A as a result of SB's horrid math department. I got A+'s in participation, WebWork, and explanations but the tests literally murdered me. The TA's grade so that even if you get the answer correct you may not get the points. Avoid this professor at all costs, anything covered in text or in class will not be on exams.

literally the worst teacher I have ever had in my entire life. Avoid at all costs. homework totally different than class, which was totally different from the test. Only reason I went to lecture because of iclicker

It takes forever to get things graded. Also, she plays favorites, which gets annoying VERY quickly. The reviews she gives are useless.

I entered this class with having taken AP Calculus and felt pretty confident about this course. Thoren actually made me worse at math than improve. Webwork was long and hard and her tests were comprised of material she never taught or mentioned in lecture. Use the textbook and pray to God you'll pass.

She's so unclear and ridiculous. All she does is read powerpoint and assign WebWork problems that will have nothing to do with the exam. AVOID if you can. Take CLAS if you can't.

Professor Thoren was a great professor! I don't understand all of these negative reviews. As long as you always attend lectures you should be fine. If you start to get lost, CLAS is EXTREMELY helpful. She is very approachable so don't be afraid to ask her questions. Her tests are very straight forward - know the material and you will do well.

One of the best math professors for lower-div. that I have taken thus far simply because she cares about her students succeeding. Go to her office hours because she is adept at answering questions and will often inadvertently hint at exam topics. Homework could be excessive but most questions correlated to exams. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THE CONCEPTS.