| Information | Review |
|---|---|
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Kenneth Berg
Expecting a C Anonymous 05/09/2014 |
Berg knows his stuff but he isn't the greatest lecturer. That being said, I still recommend him over other professors because he is generous when it comes to his tests. His tests tend to be the easiest among the MATH141 professors. But MATH141 is still an extremely hard course regardless of who you take it with. It seems he's a lot better at explaining things one on one in office hours. My TA was also extremely helpful. Often the TA's explanations were clearer than Dr. Berg's. I went to the math success program in oakland every week for help on the webassigns which also helped me to better comprehend the material. This class is very time consuming and even though I got a C , I was putting more work into this class than any other class I was taking this semester. There was no curve at the end, but he did make the lowest test count for 30% of a normal exam since everyone didn't do so well on the one of the tests. Take Berg if you can!! |
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Kenneth Berg
Expecting an A Anonymous 05/21/2012 |
Professor Berg, overall, was a pretty good math instructor. His lectures were, at times, hard to follow (especially because he has a tendency to make arithmetic errors and/or forget what he's doing) but he still covers everything and is always willing to take questions and clarify a point. However, the best aspect of Berg as a professor is his willingness to help people outside of class. I probably spent roughly three hours going over stuff solo with Berg this semester and it helped a lot. Here's the thing: 141 is a hard class regardless of who you take it with. Berg's exams were pretty straightforward overall and he made the exam that everyone bombed worth only 30% of a normal exam grade so that it didn't hurt people's grades as much as it should have. Oh, and one more thing, Berg is REALLY good about typing up and printing reviews for all the exams and quizzes for everybody in class. I've never had another professor do this; even for a non-technical class. Berg actually cares about your progress and success in his class. Which, honestly, is worth a great deal. He's a great professor, and I'd recommend him for 141 in the future. (Definitely either him or Denny Gulick. Avoid F Gulick and Okodjou at ALL COSTS including if D Gulick has all 8 AMs. Trust me, it's worth it). Final note (literally): The final was really hard this semester but in retrospect Berg prepared us for it pretty well. The truth about 141 is that you're doomed no matter what if you don't work hard both in and out of class. Berg is a great option because you can see him in office hours or email him with questions and he will always respond. Don't make the mistake of a lot of my classmates and not do any work on your own outside of class. If you do that and have a capacity for self-teaching then with a bit of luck you'll get the A in this class. |
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Kenneth Berg
MATH141 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/08/2012 |
Berg is a nice man, and he certainly makes classes entertaining. However his teaching styles leaves something to be desired. There are times where he explains concepts really well, and other times where he couldn't explain why a paper bag is brown. The TAs really help. Berg also grades super lightly. |
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Kenneth Berg
MATH131 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/14/2012 |
I thought Professor Berg was very good. He explained concepts thoroughly and was anxious to help students understand problems. He seems like a really nice guy (kinda reminded me of Santa Claus with his white hair and belly). Exams were graded VERY generously and were very straightforward. He gave out lots of printed notes during lectures which explained step-by-step ways to approach problems. Overall, easy course and MUCH better than MATH141. |
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Kenneth Berg
MATH131 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/28/2011 |
Dr. Berg is a really nice, sweet old man, but he is really a poor instructor. The things he teaches doesn't make sense at all, so I learned everything from the textbook and my TA. However, the reason why I give him 4 stars is because the class is really easy. If he was a poor instructor and the class was really hard, he would have gotten really bad ratings. In my experiences with math, I had to learn and study the concepts behind everything I did to well rather than just knowing the procedures because that always screwed me over during tests. However for this class, you can get away just by memorizing the procedure to solve specific problems. He does not teach clearly on the concepts so it is often confusing. Just memorize the process of how you get the answer and you will be very successful in this class. If you just can't do it, the TA's will help you a lot. All of them are very nice and very smart. |