Ken Golden - University of Utah

Professor: Ken Golden
Department: Mathematics
College: University of Utah
Rating # 1
Overview:
  • Course: CALC1210
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 5.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
Ken is a ridiculously smart mathematician and sometimes seems to forget that not everyone is as good at math as him so it can be a little difficult to keep up. That being said, he is super understanding and helpful if you have any questions or concerns. He also curves everything very fairly. Midterms, finals and the class as a whole.
Rating # 2
Overview:
  • Course: MATH1210
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 4.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
He goes fast in the lectures so you have to pay attention or get help from Khan Academy. He is funny though and the TAs are very helpful.
Rating # 3
Overview:
  • Course: CALC1210
  • Grade Received: A+
  • Overall Rating: 4.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
The practice exams are very similar to the actual exams and there is not too much homework.
Rating # 4
Overview:
  • Course: CALC1
  • Grade Received: B+
  • Overall Rating: 2.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
He is a really nice guy and he is very entertaining. He will explain things if you ask, but you will likely have to do it a lot. He is a genius mathematician, but I think this has caused him to forget what is was like to learn calculus for the first time. It seems like he assumes everyone understands because it is so easy for him.
Rating # 5
Overview:
  • Course: CALC1
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 1.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
Ken is nice he will help you if you ask for help but, his teaching makes no sense. Half the time he is telling a story or talking about calc 2 or 3 not teaching calc 1. overall he's a nice person but not a very good teacher. if you take this class I suggest you watch the universities calc videos. just look up u of u math videos.
Rating # 6
Overview:
  • Course: MATH1210
  • Grade Received: Not sure yet
  • Overall Rating: 2.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
Pros: Ken is a good guy, you get a cheat sheet on exams, the exams are generally pretty easy. Cons: Unless you know some engineering/physics you will learn close to nothing from lecture. He is very smart and will overcomplicate new material to no end. Shout out to Khan Academy, NancyPi, and OC Tutor for literally teaching me this entire course.
Rating # 7
Overview:
  • Course: MATH1210
  • Grade Received: C+
  • Overall Rating: 1.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Awful professor. I get that he's a genius but it doesn't seem to translate into his teaching. He zooms through the content and then makes a HW set that is the accumulation of weeks of material, and the problems on the homework set are very hard. He doesn't make sure students learn the basics before ramping up problems.
Rating # 8
Overview:
  • Course: CALC2210
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 4.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
He is not a good choice if math is not your strong suit. That being said, if you find STEM fields interesting and don't mind having concepts explained in more abstract ways he is an excellent teacher that is able to build an intuitive understanding into students that are naturally good at math. In short, take only if you truly like math.
Rating # 9
Overview:
  • Course: MATH2210
  • Grade Received: B+
  • Overall Rating: 2.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
how you pass ken's class: go to his test review sessions since he basically tells you the contents of the exam, be prepared to find lots of help online for the tough stuff, read the book. His lectures are 60 % him rambling about examples that 90 % of the class won't understand due to lack of experience, I respect the man, but never again..
Rating # 10
Overview:
  • Course: CALC2210
  • Grade Received: B
  • Overall Rating: 5.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
Golden has a different approach vs other professors in math but he is great. He uses many examples that apply to various different fields too. Golden is lecture HEAVY, so every little thing you learn in lecture will be on the exam. Take good notes and know your math well.
Rating # 11
Overview:
  • Course: MATH2210
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 1.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
Take this class if you're good at math and is a self-learner. Go to his lectures if you love physics, chemistry, and rocket science. Otherwise, take it at your own risk.
Rating # 12
Overview:
  • Course: CALC2210
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 2.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
I suggest starting with Calc I to judge if his teaching style works for you, because he has a very intuitive understanding of mathematics and can only explain it using physics. If you haven't taken physics/don't understand physics, I would steer clear. He also rants and starts late and ends late, which is very disrespectful.
Rating # 13
Overview:
  • Course: MATH2210
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 1.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
He's a good teacher if you already know the material. I don't think he realizes its not a physics or engineering class. Will go on rants that only kind of have to do with the topic. He will also talk for the first 20 minutes, then go 5-10 minuets over because he didn't get everything done. I have no retention from his class.
Rating # 14
Overview:
  • Course: MATH1210
  • Grade Received: A+
  • Overall Rating: 5.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
I was surprised to see the low reviews, I loved Ken. But I did take calc in high school so this class was basically review for me. His tests were basically the same as his review but easier, and he got them graded and in canvas like an hour after we took them which is crazy. This guy is a gem and he loves showing videos of penguins
Rating # 15
Overview:
  • Course: MATH1210
  • Grade Received: A-
  • Overall Rating: 3.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
Go to exam reviews or get notes from someone if you can't go. He doesn't post lecture notes online, so you need to go to class. You'll do well if you go to lecture and watch the calc 1 videos on the U's math website. Don't buy textbook. He really loves math, but I think he'd be better teaching calc 2 or higher. It's hard for him to go down to calc1
Rating # 16
Overview:
  • Course: CALC1210
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 3.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
An extremely smart guy who's passionate about math. However, he is too intelligent to be teaching this level of math, and his lectures are dense and difficult to understand. He goes off topic and fails to clearly present what's needed to know. The review sessions he holds for the tests are a must!
Rating # 17
Overview:
  • Course: MATH1210
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 2.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
"It's so obvious, don't you see it!"
Rating # 18
Overview:
  • Course: MATH1210
  • Grade Received: B
  • Overall Rating: 5.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
Fantastic professor, but sometimes goes a little too quickly, which makes it hard for people who aren't as talented with math to digest the material. Never required to use the textbook; I wouldn't waste my money on it if I took Calc 1 again. Super nice and helpful during office hours, but he's pretty busy. He curved the exams and class too!
Rating # 19
Overview:
  • Course: CALC1210
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 4.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
Golden assumes the class already has a understanding of calculus and this makes it a little difficult. He connects his lectures to the real world and this is helpful. While some of his examples are confusing, he is an amazing teacher. He does everything to give hints for exams and will give as many points back on missed questions.
Rating # 20
Overview:
  • Course: MATH1210
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 1.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
/Teaching is obviously isn't his main focus. He only teaches with single long examples that are always physics focused, it made the class impossible to follow along without a physics background. He also is an incredibly harsh grader, I got 70% on a test when I had 19/20 questions right. He just looks to take away points. Poor experience.
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