Cathleen Platt

A teacher who knows how to teach math. Her style is very simple. So as long as you attend class, you are guaranteed a good grade. Keep up with the homework and make sure you understand the practice final thoroughly. Ms. Platt will take the higher of the two grading options. Final 100% or Quizzes 50% and Final 50%. It is easy to get an A in her class. Good to soften a heavily loaded semester.

I had never taken a calc class before and I slacked off in high school trig (my junior year) so I went into this class pretty much blind. I thought it was an easy class, I should have gotten a better grade. The teacher LOST our first test though, I'm not sure what she did to even out that grade.

Platt has a great sense of humor which is very important when sitting in a math class for 3 hours. The tests are way harder than the homework, so study hard and you'll pass the class.

Knows her material and conveys it well to students. She's very open to questions. Good exams and assignments that are not too burdensome. Her only weakness is her self-consciousness. I'd recommend her.

Hopefully you will appreciate Professor Platt's dry, wacky sense of humor as much as I did, it makes a dull subject entertaining.

She will explain a concept then let you work in groups to use it yourself which is very effective and also makes for a social and relaxed class atmosphere. This is not a hard class to do well in if you go to class and pay attention. I respect that Prof Platt tries new teaching methods in response to students feedback. I think she is a very competent teacher.

My only complaint is the lack of a syllabus and the feeling that she was not available out of class, as she refers people to the Math and Stats lab (this is, by the way, a great place to go and meet up with classmates to study and before the in class quizzes etc - in Science 220).

Prof. Platt made learning algebra and calculus an easy and memorable experience for me because of her personality. I was NOT at all a great math student and after taking her class, I feel much more confident about calculus. She turns mathematical terms into words students actually understand. She wants her students to understand her lectures and therefore welcomes questions about homework and/or classwork. Prof. Platt is very approachable which makes learning in her class even easier because of the fact that she doesn't have an intimidating attitude.

Before any quiz, she passes out a "practice" quiz with problems that will be similar to the actual quiz. Same format for the final. In the final, she even throws in some EXTRA CREDIT opportunities (30 points worth). What more can you ask for? She makes every effort to make sure that her students are given the chance to pass. If you're looking for a professor who is passionate and concerned about their students and their performance, I suggest taking Prof. Platt.

BUS510 Summer 2002

Class is fairly straight forward. She has two grading methods. One is to count quizes in class, take home, homework notebook for 50% of your grade, while the final is worth 50%.

The second methond weights your final at 100%.

Which ever you score higher on that is the grade you will recieve.

As a professor she is very fair and patient with students. She enjoys what she does and is not afraid to admit it. Listen to her carefully it is frequently the subtle points that she focuses on for grades and special points. If you are a graduate student you should be able to get at least a solid B in this class. It you work 5% harder you can get an easy A. Of course this is a Math class and not a Management course, so if you are a math head it is a piece of cake otherwise, it is still easy, but requires work. I am not a math head and I got an A.

Remember to do the math problems at least 3 times a week since she does NOT give partial credit for much of anything.

Taking this course in the summer, I think is the best move I've made yet. Summer sessions are usually very easy, but you'll still need to work for it at times.

I would recommend having this teacher for BA110. I took wing before and another teacher, and they really weren't that great. Platt lectures well and explains things clearly. Also she is genuinely concerned about everyone passing the class. Her final has 130 possible points, meaning 30 extra credit points. It doesnt get any better than that. What teacher do you know offers an additional 30 possible points for a final? After my friends and I had other teachers, platt seemed like a way better choice.

At first I was put off by her snootiness but I soon got over that. I also didn't like the way that she would give us in-class quizes that only had 3 problems. I mean, what the hell, you miss one and you got the F. Why not just have only 1 problem and save the trouble?

HOWEVER, She explains calculus concepts really well and sometimes she has a witty sense of humor.

Here is how you will suceed in her class:

1) Attend class everyday, especially in the summer session. You will pick up a lot of techniques for solving problems and also she requires you to indicate particular things about the solution to a problem on her homework, quizes, and tests. If you don't know these then you are screwed.

2) Decide early on what grading method you are on. At least for the summer session she had two grading methods. The first totaled a combination of your scores on in-class quizes, take-home quizes, homework, homework folder, and final. The second had the total weight of the class 100% on the final. She will pick the best of the two when she gives you the final grade.

At first I messed up on many of the in-class quizes because I missed some classes. Later, I did my homework and organized by homework folder. Later, I decided to screw the whole thing and just base everything on the final exam. I still did the homework for my own training. She gave a final exam review sheet which really gave you insight about what will be on the final.

I did very well. I HIGHLY recommend this teacher over those other assholes - you know who I'm talking about - Wing and that other Chinese old guy. This is no BS; take her and you will be satisified with actually learning something and doing well.

As my first semester in business, I found I liked the majority of my classes, but in every basket of "goodies" there's always a few ... rotten apples. I was transferring from engineering but I felt I got dumber in her class. I never got a syllabus and even if I had, she never kept to it. Exams/quizzes were delayed weeks on end. She hardly ever checks homework (but assigns a great deal), so I tend to wonder why I even try. In short, I'm not motivated by her approach to the class. The questions on her test are most of the time fair, but sometimes confusing or lacking of specific information. From the onset, she might seem to be an easy teacher, but that's not a good enough reason to take her, that's my take.

Based on my time with Prof. Platt in BA 510, I was surprised and disappointed by her lack of organization and unnannouced absences. Her approach to BA 512 emphasizes data analysis so there is not a lot of number crunching and use of obtuse formulas. She is very generous in letting students bring notes to class for tests. The course was not very demanding, but her performance as a teacher was a little unsettling. Overall, it was a fairly painless way to get this requirement out of the way.

Prof. Platt has a good, off-beat sense of humor and a way of making the material less intimidating. She needs to improve her ability to clearly respond to student's questions in class. She offers adequate study aids for doing well on her exams. I took the class over the summer and it was a real whirlwind, but she kept us on schedule and on track.

Teacher personality: Positive aspects Professor Cathy Platt enjoys teaching business statistics. It is nice to study under a professor that is really into her subject. The book we used in class uses real life examples making it easier to learn the material. When I had problems with the homework, she always helped me after class. Professor Platt was always very patient and understanding taking time to make sure I understood the problems. You will learn a lot.

Negatives The only draw back was that the class had no syllabus with quizzes or test dates. Also there was no planned schedule of what chapters we were to cover for the semester. At the last week of the end of the semester, we rushed through the last three chapter. This sucked because it was on the final and the class did not get time to truly prepare. Secondly, we were supposes to keep homework journal which she checks randomly through out the semester. This put a lot of pressure to complete the homework assignment on time or face losing points. All and all it was a good class.

Class structure

Cathy Platt has a two unique grading structure to insure one gets a good passing grade for her class. The system is as follows: System1-Homework 10%, Quizzes 20%, Midterm 25% and Comprehensive Final 45% or System 2- Homework 5%, Quizzes 5%, Midterm 5% and Comprehensive Final 85%. How does this work? Basically, if a student does poorly on all the quizzes and midterm "as I did" and gets a higher grade" say a B" on the final. You pass the class with the higher grade on the final using system 2, but if you did better on the quizzes and midterm then the final then you get the higher averaged out grade using system 1.

She is one of the nicest professors at SFSU. She doesn't mind helping you out if you don't understand the material. She grades more than fair and knows what she's teaching. She's a little peculiar, but that's sort of what makes the class a little more fun to be in. She teaches a good class and you leave understanding the material. I would definitely choose her class if I had the chance again. So far, I've taken her for BA 110 and BA 212.

I thought she would be good. But she just does not care weather you understand not. The good part is that she is always on time and her classes are regular and she has a good nature. The sad part is that she just does not know to grade. The highest she gives is a B- and the average is C. She is more bothered about her looks than her students understanding her lectures. The amount of homework assignments she gives is just impossible to do. Hope she improves her teaching style.

She scares you into doing well. The quizzes and practice final are very difficult but fair. If you study the problems she gives, you will pass. There are no tricks or other nonsense.

There was one quirk though. one time, she didn't show up to class. No note, no warning, no nothing. The next lecture, there was no mention at all, no apology, she just picked up and moved along. Weird.

By far, she was the best math teacher I ever took! Cathleen Platt was great and I wish she would teach higher division BA courses such as (BA 412). There was approximately 1 test the FINAL, 3 quizes, she never picked up the notebook, (with homework due on that specific RaNdOm day) but SHE MIGHT! The FINAL was either 45% of your grade or 90%, depending which gave you the highest mark. What I recommend, is to do the homework and please buy the solution manual for the course. IT'S VERY HELPFUL! The FINAL was based on the homework she distributed every week or so, PLEASE DO THE HoMeWorK (also study passed homework assignments, quizes and the {Pre-Olympics exam})! Actually, the homework was challenging but do-able. She made the course as lively as could be and has a sweet, lovable and vivacious attitude! I hope I don't sound to mushy. She made the subject very understandable and was willing to help anyone who had any questions about Calculus. Cathy was high spirited every class time and loved what she was doing. Dr. Platt never got off the subject and never catered to particular students. The text is a little hard, but when Cathy teaches she makes the text look like a coloring book. And finally, Dr. Cathy Platt was always prepared for the course and you'll love her teaching style cause I sure did.

First and foremostly I thought i was going to fail this class. We had about 11 quizzes (i think only 1 was a in class) Every weekend i would be working on her quizzes a scratching my head. None of her problems looked remotely like the problems in the book. I did terribly in all the quizzes mostly F's and D's. She has a practice final and a final. the practice final actually helps alot. Oh and remember to keep all the quizzes she hands back (she gives yuou the answers too)SHe requires you to keep a notebook of all your homework problems. (i didn't really do it, just copied from answers in book and when she did problems in class)

Tips to succeed: Look at all past quizzes starting from quiz 5 (anything before that isn't necessary.) Do all the problems over and over again until you understand it. Quiz 5 thru the Practice final. Look at the practice final because this is the format of the final. Each quiz doesn't contain alot, about 10-15 problems.

I studied for three hours on quiz 8,9, & practice final. A when time came for the final, I aced it. And that was my final grade. She didn't even count the quizzes. (thank god!!)

You don't really need to go to class because all she does is go over homework. but it's better because you can learn the easy way to do the homework. And yes she does take the fear out of calculus. Didn't even feel like it.

Mrs. Platt is probably one of the best math teachers I have ever had in my college career so far. She makes math a fun subject, goes over the material that is most important to know to advance to the next level, and also is a nice person to boot. She does have some faults like missing classes sometimes without letting you know she will not be there i.e. last minute things and sometimes coming to class late but I think there was a method to her technique of coming late because noone interrupted class coming in after her. It is very easy to get an A in her class if you work hard, do all the homework, take a lot of notes in class, and just show up. But most importantly if you have a problem go to her office time or see a tutor and you will have no problem in her class.

If you plan to take either BA110 or 212, you should take those classes from her. The best thing she states everything so clear including lecture, assignment, grading, exam, etc. She understands there are studnets who don't like math or never get the idea of math (but still have to take those classes for their major requirement). Therefore, she always clarify what we need to do to pass or to get 'A' in the class to minimize the studnets effort. If there is anything you don't understand, you can always ask for help during her office hours (I actually did it!). She will be very kind and give you an advice. Both classes go pretty fast and covers lots of materials (especially in BA212) , but this is the same in every BA110 & 212 class and there is noway you can avoid studying outside the class... Finally, she might not an entertainer, but very fair and fun enough to take both classes.

Platt is one of the most airheaded math teachers I have ever have. She knows her materials, but she does not know how to present it in an organized fashion. She comes in late at least once a week. Then she takes ten minutes setting up here stuff. I don't think we should sit there for 20 min just to wait for her to get herself prepare. If you want to learn about math do not take her class. You will end up falling alsleep!

Professor Platt is a great teacher- but she does move fast, so have considerable math background before taking her class, for instance if you took math analysis in high school you would be fine. If not, then just be in class every meeting, and do all the homework, pay attention to lecture.

Overall I would say that Professor Platt was a good teacher. But in this class be prepared for lots of homework (every class session) and lots of take home & in-class quizes (I had 11) . Her teaching technique includes some funny jokes and she trys to make math seem easy. However, because she is moving through the material at such a fast pace I found that I didn't truely understand what she was teach until a couple months before the end of class. She is always willing to go over problems you have questions on and is available after class as well. She is a hard grader on quizes and tests, but she does offer quite a bit of extra credit. Be ready to WORK HARD for your grade in this class!

An extremely good teacher who makes learning math almost fun, but be warned . . . her grading is harsh! She is not over-generous with partial credit on problems where you may have made stupid mistakes, so if your math is sloppy find another instructor! Her tardiness is a major problem (I can count the number of times she showed up on time on one hand!), and she has frequently been absent. On quizzes/tests, she does lean towards tough problems - no easy As in this class. There are few extra credit assignments, but she does have a dual final-grade formula which will give you the highest score possible.

Professor Platt takes the fear out of calculus. If you've had instructors in the past who've only confused and befuddled you, take her class. She adds a little humor to the material, but, even more importantly, she explains things clearly. Most of the people I have heard bitterly complaining have been people who do not do even the minimum homework assignments, much less the extra credit homework. She usually is about ten minutes late, but she has to lug a lot of equipment with her to class. Also, I've noticed that most of the stragglers that always seem to accompany a 40+ class have all arrived by the time she does. It might be premeditated on her part to keep the distractions to her lecture to a minimum. Listen to her lectures, do the homework, and take your time during the assignments and quizzes/test-- you'll do very well.

Mrs.Platt teaches a fairly easy class, and she gives the student the best possible opportunity to pass. She even has different grading procedures that allow you to either take advantage of homework and takehome test scores or the other method weighs heavily on the final exam. either way you should do well if you pay attention.

Dr. Platt is an excellant professor who really cares about the student and learning the material. She is willing to go the extra effort to assist students who she feels are trying. She takes a boring / dry subject and makes it as interesting as possible.

Her grading and testing are fair ... although the tests can be difficult.

Professor Platt has a talent of teaching. She really knows all the best ways to present the material in class. You have to be very stupid and lazy at the same time, if you don't understand her explanations. It is very easy to follow her and she always comes back and explains things again and again. Her grading system is tough, I mean really tough. If you did not finish the problem - no mercy for you, thank you and come again. She would also come to class 10 or 15 minutes late every time. That was not nice at all, because she never said she was sorry or anything, as if it was all right. I really admire her teaching abilities, even though I am not her biggest fan.