Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes

This professor has taught: MATH136, MATH140, MATH310, MATH401, STAT410, SURV410

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Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH401 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/27/2024	Overall I enjoyed this class. The typical week had a lecture on Tuesday where we would look at some application of linear algebra, derive how we can use linear algebra to solve it, then maybe an example problem. On Thursday we would split into groups and do a matlab worksheet. The next week we would move onto a new, but often related topic. The topics and a lot of the coursework were derived from Justin's 401 notes, found on his website. The applications were generally straightforward enough with some practice and the worksheets were pretty doable. Lectures were pretty clear and thorough, but sometimes we got a little too into the weeds when it came to some of the derivations. Perhaps if you're a math major some of the more proofy derivations would be more interesting to you. The exams could be a bit tricky. Since the only coursework consisted of the matlab worksheets (no homework or anything) it was sometimes a little difficult to know what to practice. He provided some practice problems for each of the two midterms and the final. Typically there was a theoretical practice problem set and an applications practice problem set. Application practice can be supplemented with relevant sections of Justin's notes. Both parts were needed for the exam. Exams were usually mostly applications, with a couple proofs/derivations pulled from the practice worksheet (or fairly similar). These generally weren't long or difficult proofs, but often relied on some trick that you need to know. Applications were fairly straightforward, know how to use the formulas and shortcuts used in class. Especially for the final there are a lot of formulas to remember. There was also typically one theoretical problem or two that went beyond what we learned in class. You kind of had to figure out the answer on the fly. These weren't worth a ton of points, but to do well you needed to figure them out. With a good knowledge of linear algebra and some decent intuition, these were doable but not easy. Exam median scores were 78% and 79% for the midterms, and 75% for the final. The cutoffs were adjusted at the end of the semester. Of course this will vary semester to semester, but the cutoffs for this semester were: A- 89%, B- 76.1%, C- 62.2%.
Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH401 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/10/2024	I'm afraid he's going to get negatively reviewed by others this semester when he taught Math 401 because I feel like I was one of the few who genuinely enjoyed the course and liked his teaching style. I agree that sometimes he tends to choose the most complicated way to explain something or introduce very weird notation that doesn't make sense at first. But like scrambled eggs, it comes together eventually. You just have to be patient and not interrupt the guy like every two seconds. He's very funny during lectures and is extremely patient when answering students' questions. I don't have many things to say but that's because I really enjoyed the course and loved his lectures. I would take him again if he teaches something I haven't taken yet. My advice if you're taking this class with him: be sure to brush up on your linear algebra before the semester starts. It's technically a prerequisite so don't expect him to review anything you already learnt in 461/240. Some things you must know before the first class: what are bases, linear transformations, eigen vectors/values, gaussian elmination, taking inverse of matrices, ...
Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH401 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/04/2024	Studying MATH401 with Professor Rigoberto had its ups and downs. Rigoberto knows his stuff, but explaining it can be tough. His lectures often left me confused, but luckily, I found help in Justin's notes and online videos. One good thing about the class was no regular homework, but the group work sessions felt like busywork. The exams were tricky. They focused a lot on theory and proofs, even though the class is supposed to be about practical applications. Rigoberto did cover some of it in class, but it wasn't enough, and most people got low scores. Overall, MATH401 with Rigoberto was okay. He's smart, but his teaching could be better, and the exams were tough.
Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH310 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 01/26/2024	Rigoberto was a really nice professor who gave very clear and helpful lectures. He is also lenient with homework deadlines and late work and will help out anyone who puts in an effort, and probably those who don't as well.
Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH310 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 01/18/2024	Super clear lecturer and provided very helpful notes. Helpful to students and a nice guy as well. Tests were not overly difficult. I just didn't study as hard as I should have for the final so I ended with a B+, but if you put in the work in this class you will be fine with Rigo.
Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH310 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/15/2023	Good professor. Lectures were pretty good for this class, although they did get confusing at times. Homeworks weren't bad at all and often saved the grade. Quizzes were somewhat hard, however, he did provide answers or the quiz questions ahead of time if the topic was particularly difficult. Exams were difficult to say the least. Make sure you study a lot and know your definitions! Overall, nice professor and does try to help the students as much as he can. Would take him for 310. The transition from computational math to 310 is hard, but just keep practicing and eventually things will come into place.
Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH136 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/15/2023	Nice professor but overcomplicates things and makes it hard to stay focused during class. I learned the most from going to discussion. The TA's were great, and the exams were fair and very similar to the practice exams he would post. Homework load is light.
Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH136 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/07/2023	Easy class, horrible professor. Can be very rude (called someone uncultured for not knowing a specific formula) and hard to understand. He enjoys over complicating some topics while undercomplicating others effectively confusing the entire class. Very quickly attendance at his lectures declined heavily. However, his exams are almost the same as his practice exam which is the one redeeming quality of this class.
Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH140 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 07/23/2023	I took calc 1 with him in the spring. He seems like a nice guy but he's a bad teacher. He overcomplicated the topics like crazy. Most of the time I was confused sitting through the lecture. But to be fair, his exams looked very similar to the practice exams so that's a plus.
Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH140 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 06/01/2023	i took chadwick last semester and completely failed, mostly on my own fault but rigo this semester offered so much help and prioritized his students. - Posts all of the lecture notes on ELMS - Drops a couple of homeworks, quizzes, worksheets, and one midterm - If you can't make a homework deadline, you have the option to give yourself a personal extension of 48 hrs - Lets you know what exact content will be on the quiz - His practice exams for the midterms are the EXACT format as the actual midterm. Genuinely a lifesaver and you know what to study for the midterm (while chadwick's midterms were more difficult and not like his practice exams) I would definitely study a ton more and make use of his office hours (very helpful). The class is pretty difficult but Rigo makes it very manageable and a bit enjoying- he's genuinely a great guy and answers your questions, holds long review sessions near midterms/exams and dedicates his time to clearing up any confusion in the content. Leaving this class satisfied with my knowledge in calc. If you have the opportunity to take Rigo instead of Chadwick, DO SO!
Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH140 Expecting a B- sialessis 05/24/2023	Rigo is a pretty decent professor. He's good at explaining the material, and his practice exams are identical to the real ones. I did find at times he would give more complicated explanations than when I would watch videos online, but overall he's pretty good. He posts all his notes and drops one exam, two quizzes, and two worksheets. Just make sure to go to lecture and study regularly, and you should be fine.
Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH140 Anonymous 05/23/2023	Such an Amazing Professor, very engaging, quick to reply, and more than willing to answer questions. Practice exams were very similar to his exams. He also drops some of the homework and quiz grades. He also drops the lowest exam score.
Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH140 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/19/2023	A very skilled lecturer who made lectures entertaining while still explaining things thoroughly. The class structure was two homeworks a week, 1 quiz in discussion a week, 4 midterms, and 1 final. Lowest midterm gets dropped. On the exams themselves partial credit was given out generously I thought. If he is available definitely take him.
Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH140 Expecting a C dotwell123 05/18/2023	He is a good professor who definitely does all he can to make sure you understand the subject matter. His lectures are often fast paced as he is trying to cram in as much information as possible in the 50 minutes he has. There is a weekly quiz that are each worth ten points. Webassign assignments are due every tuesday and thursday. There are four exams, the lowest grade gets dropped. As well as the two lowest quiz scores, four lowest webassign grades, and two lowest discussion worksheet grades. The final exam is tough but fair. You are given a decades worth of previous final exams in the MATH140 test bank and if you start practicing those more than a week before the final exam you will do well. The exam is basically a mixture of the previous few years exams. There was a curve at the end of the class that was worth a few percentage points. Overall, I would recommend Professor Rigo if you plan on taking MATH140.
Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH140 Expecting a C- Anonymous 05/16/2023	Now do not get me wrong, he is a great dude; he is kind and likes to crack "funny" jokes. However, he makes countless errors, telling us to take a look at his notes (which he does post and they are quite helpful), and he skips over several steps, confusing the class and causing unnecessary questions and confusion. His exams are not too difficult if you understand the concepts and follow the practice tests he provides. The TAs are okay with assisting with problems but sometimes they're clueless. The worksheets, in my discussion, were solely graded on writing your name at the top, and the quizzes are pretty easy since he tells you what questions are going to be on them (he gives the questions during the lecture).
Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH140 Expecting a C Anonymous 05/11/2023	Genuinely not that bad, I never went to class so my grade is my fault but he truly wants to make sure his students understand the topics and gives two easy exams at the beginning of the semester and then the last two he makes a little more difficult, so really understand why you have to do certain steps in a problem. I don't know the other calc professors that well, but I would say he is probably one of the best (solely based off reviews I've seen from other profs).
Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH140 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/08/2023	Best math professor ever. He is so straightforward and clear with the content and almost explicitly shows you the problems that will be on the quiz. Posts all his notes and is NEAT. I find it so hard when math professors are messy cuz then I can't follow along, but he color codes as he lectures and is so organized with the work. Highly recommend him for any math course. If you pay attention to lectures or notes, you'll have no issues, you get to drop one exam and some quizes + hw so I started to skip at the end of the semester but I am still chilling
Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH140 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/04/2023	Good teacher, extremely accomodating if you talk to him. Exams fairly easy (compared to other teachers) and generously graded. Minor downside may be that he sometimes rushes but all the material is posted. (Also he stays after class most days to help people with things they don't understand)
Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH140 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/03/2023	He is the best!! Makes jokes and is really kind. He always pauses and asks if anyone has any questions before he moves on from something in lecture. He never makes you feel dumb or afraid to ask questions. His practice exams are nearly identical to the real ones and his notes are easy to understand and follow. Writes clearly and is excellent at explaining concepts.
Jose Rigoberto Enrique Zelada Cifuentes MATH140 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 04/18/2023	Honestly the best math teacher I’ve ever had. Engaging. Funny. And overall keeps an upbeat mood to keep you into what he’s teaching.