Derek is super enthusiastic about the class and material but his tests were very hard (can't stress how hard they were). He likes to talk about concepts more than actual computations

He made me feel confident about college math. Having taken two previous math courses at this university, I can say that this course was definitely made easier with the help of this professor. He will probably remain one of my favorite professors here on campus. If you have to take a math course, make sure it is with him!!

The tests are fair, but homework is hard. (Some HW take a whole day to finish). If you make a good cheat sheet, the exams will be a breeze.

By far the best math professor I have had at UCSB so far.

He was a great professor! He was very clear in his explanations of the material in class and was reasonable on exam difficulty. He tried to teach the class more to non-math majors, which was great. Definitely the one of the best professors in the UCSB Math department.

Great professor. Class wasn't too hard if you do the work and pay attention in class. Cool guy and great beard. Explains things well. Overall one of the better math professors I've had. Final and midterm were very straight forward and fair.

nice teaching?

Derek did an excellent job. he covers a lot of material very quickly, so make sure you come to class attentive and ready. The few times I was confused on concepts, he did a great job explaining the problem after class and/or answering questions during lecture. The exams were very fair. Bonus: he has the coolest beard.

He was pretty good during the first half of the quarter but he doesn't quite realize that most of the students in that class have not had experience with 3-dimensional modeling before so when he draws diagrams in class, he often goes too quickly for the average student to completely comprehend. Easy to get lost in his class.

pretty good teacher. tests are very similar to homework problems.

Very helpful and dedicated professor.

Despite the fact that he is a grad student, he is by far the best math professor I've had here at ucsb! The fact that he is a grad student makes him more humble and is more willing to help students than most other professors. He writes all notes on the chalk board (very helpful) and also relates the subject to real life applications. Best teacher!

Lectures were easy to follow and well-organized. Tests were fair and preparation for tests was good. Would have preferred a better homework system. Professor has an amazing beard.

Professor taught extremely well compared to previous professors I've had. His grading system is rather lenient and he allows a page of notes on tests. Overall, he makes the class easy to digest.

Fantastic lecture. Straightforward Finals, but know the material. If you can do all the homework and practice test, you are golden. Understand the physical aspect - try to make that connection it helps. Derek is a very reasonable teacher, his lectures were clear, concise and COHESIVE.

Really easy class. Lots of examples during lecture and doing the hw was actually useful. Probably the best math class experience ive had at ucsb

Lectures are really helpful, although he can go a bit fast. He also gives really good practice exams.

He goes through the material kind of fast, but if you pay attention you should be able to do well on the tests just through what you learn in lecture, without using the textbook. Also, tries to make it interesting by relating the material to the real world, and gives amazing practice tests :).

Great teacher. Better than any professor in the mat dept i've had.