Radhakrishnan J. Aiyar

I graduated from SFSU in 1983 with a B.A. in Geography. Sometime circa 1980 I took Rad's Calculus course. Being a naive lad at the time, I used to think that I reached my zenith for learning mathematics with calculus, following a succession of "A"s and "B"s earned in algebra, geometry, trigonometry and statistics. Now I'm realizing after reading these amusing reviews posted here that it was that blasted accent, the ridiculous speed of lecturing and that awful handwriting after all. 25 years later and nothing has changed! So one see how useful it is to critique courses and their professors... Took me half a damn semester to realize that Mr. Rad's "DER-reh-ri-tive" was his way of pronouncing derivitive!

This guy is in retirement but came back to teach when Eckstrand broke her leg in the begining of the semester. I don't know who would have been worse to take this class with. Eckstand is an awful teacher, Aiyer is not much better. Here is my list of dislikes...

1. His board skills are terrible...awful! x's look like r's, i's look like j's and a 2 on the board could be any other number...who knows...no one can read it. I spent half of the time in class trying to figure out what he wrote on the board. He goes soo fast that it is a constant struggle to keep up with him, let alone figure out what he wrote on the board. Also, he neglects to erase the board fully. When he erases there are random stray marks left all over the board. So a 2 from a previous example may stay on the board and when he writes a new equation the new equation looks like it is raised to the power of 2. This is a constant problem...you wonder if the 2 is supoposed to be there or if it is just left over from sloppy erasing. So to sum up, he writes fast, sloppy, and leaves stray marks on the board that leave you wondering if you can even trust your notes.

2. The accent. Most of the time he is understandable...but...the faster he teaches, the thicker his accent gets and the harder it is to understand him. Not a big deal, except most of the time he is teaching at light speed. This accent combined with the speed of his lecture and the sloppiness of the boardwork really hinders the learning process. The subject is difficult enough, it sucks to have this make it harder.

3. The grading system is encrypted. An A is 90 or above, a B is 80 to 90, a C is 60 to 80. The only problem is that the first two midterms had a mean in the 50's. so over half of the class failed, even with this generous curve. Partial credit is very difficult to get. If you integrate the wrong area of a unit square, but do the other 5 processes in the problem correctly, expect to get 0 out of 20 points. No mercy. The grader for the homework is just as ruthless. All or nothing seems to be the grading standard. Although there is more partial credit given on the hw then on the tests, this is really no saying much.

I could write more, but I think the general idea has been communicated. I have been lucky in the math department up to this semester, but the upper division statistics teachers really seem horrible as a group. Good luck to you if you have to take this class...Aiyar is awful and so is Eckstrand...I hear Kafia is no walk in the park either...maybe a better taecher will come along. I would go with an unknown teacher rather then take any of these Prof's if given the chance.

Professor Aiyar is a good teacher, who gives open book quizzes and tests, with no homework. He teaches well, but he has a VERY heavy accent. Along with his accent, his handwriting is terrible, so it is difficult to concentrate on his lectures, and quizzes/tests are based on the lectures. If you have a hard time understanding people with Middle Eastern accents, DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. Otherwise, he's a good teacher.

Professor Aiyar is a great professor if you are willing to do your homework and attend class regularly. His quizzes and tests are straight from the book, which should be a reason to earn an A. The only problem I personally had is that he teaches very fast...the hardest part in his class is following the lectures at his speed. He has a great attitude and is willing to explain problems you may not understand DURING OFFICE HOURS..I give him an A

All I gotta say is that he goes waaaay too fast in class and he's always blocking the board. When he steps out of the way, there's the chance to copy what's on the board but while you're copying, he's moving on to something new so it's almost impossible to be here. I want to pull my skin off!!!! He's not a bad teacher, he's actually kind of nice. But when someone asks a question, it seems like he doesn't really want to answer it--he makes it seem like we're slow. But oh well. I'm doing kind of bad so far....

Mr. Aiyar has a very thick accent that is hard to understand at first. His homework assignment is daily and quite challenging. Quizes are weekly and are reasonable. The tests are difficult but he gives a very generous curve.

He is always willing to help, but in this class you cannot expect to be taught, you must teach yourself.

60 percent is a C, but he even lowers it.

You have to try your best.

His exams are really straight forward (right out of the book). Quizzes and exams are open-book. He is very familiar with the material. His lectures are easy to follow once you get used to his accent (which isnt that bad) and his handwriting (which takes some straining sometimes on a word or two). He is a good teacher and very willing to help.

Some people claim that he has a strong accent but I find it easy to understand, which is in sharp contrast to other math teachers that I have taken classes with. I find that he lectures are very well done, he explains ideas and problems properly, and alos makes the class interesting.

He has a really heavy accent. Sometimes, I have trouble understanding him. The one thing I don't like about him the most is that when students ask him a question, he would say "i did a similar problem before, it's easy, why don't you know how to do it" HELLO, does he think if we know the problem ,we would still ASK!!! He makes it sound like we are stupid or something. Also, he doesn't really go through homework problems. I wouldn't recommand him to anyone.

Professor Aiyar is very knowledgeable about the subjects he teaches, but his accent is very thick and may interfer with understanding his lectures. If you want a fairly easy Statistics teacher, then he is the one for you!! He gives about 8-9 quizzes straight from the book, he chooses problems in the book for test questions (3 midterms/10 questions each), and his final is straight from chapter reviews!! Just go to class, do homework questions and you're set!! He doesn't trick students by asking tricky questions and is always available for his students!! I highly recommend him if you're looking for a good grade in class and actually UNDERSTANDING the material!

Aiyar is a pretty cool teacher. Except his accent maybe a bit hard to understand. If you pay attention in class and do all the homework, then you'll do fine. One of the main problem in his class is that he doesn't have time to go through the homework problems. He doesn't post up the answer problems. That sucks!! His weekly quizzes isn't really that hard either. However, until the Mid-term, that's when you'll fall apart. The good thing is that he has a FAT ass curve. So only the really stupid people will fail his class. So if I can pass his class with a "C", then I'm sure a lot more people can do better.

Prof. Aiyar is a first rate teacher. If you are serious about learning than he is for you. He really knows the materials. He is willing to help, but be willing to show efforts! He loves his subject! He was always there to encourage me to learn more on my own.

Dr. Aiyar is a very difficult teacher. He went very fast, and his accent is sometimes difficult to understand. He takes personal offense if someone doesn't understand something the first time. I barely passed his class, and I got an A in Calculus I.

I wouldn't recommend him unless you are a math whiz.

The book is useless except as a source of problems. It is the Calculus book that has the musical clef on it.

mr. aiyar know's his shit, but he's rushing through the class.. maybe because he only has an hour, or because he's required to teach a certain amount of calculus in the time given. half the class got under 50%.....maybe its not his fault, but I got B's in my other 2 math classess and am struggling in this one......... my suggestion is get lots of help from tutors...