MATH 1190

I took Math 1190 with Professor Kurtz and she is by far the best professor to have. Definitely take Calc with her if you can. She made the class enjoyable, was funny, and would walk through all the steps needed to make sure that we understood what we were learning. She also wrote the 1190/1210 quizzes and exams so she would explain what to expect. Because she wrote the exams, Prof. Kurtz would take student feedback into consideration when writing the next assessment. Prof. Kurtz was always super prepared and cared about you as a person. She is very down to earth and made it clear that perfection is not expected and that no matter what the outcome of your performance in Calc is, you will accomplish what you want in life. The class was very laid back and after going over the first problem, we were often then told to work and teach people around us. I wasn't a fan in the beginning, but as the semester progressed, I liked it more. It was also a great way for the class to bond. Assignments consisted of classpreps (due before each class), Webassigns (every week (access through the textbook)), Friday attendance (the only main difference between 1210), and quizzes and exams. I was in the Standard section so quizzes made up 5% of your grade but each exam was worth 20% and the final was worth 25% (1190 has the same quizzes and exams as 1210 and is not given "easier" exams). MATH 1190/1210 Growth-Based had a different grading system based on the mastery of each learning target. Though I don't know for sure, I was told that Growth-Based has slightly harsher grading and not as much partial credit because they get retakes whereas Standard gets one try but much more partial credit. I found partial credit to be a huge lifesaver. They made it completely possible for you to get full credit on some questions even if you got the wrong answer. One of their main goals is to asses whether or not you understand the process you are supposed to complete rather than focusing on getting the correct answer (on assessments, write down the steps you would take and any important info from the question, even if you don't know which numbers or expressions to use :).

If you aren't sure if you should take 1190 or 1210 I would say that if you have any background in calc and have done decently, take 1210 and leave room in the class for those who have not had experience in calc. The only difference between 1190 and 1210 is that 1190 meets for a longer time and has a Friday session. All 1190/1210 student share the same Canvas page and are expected to complete the same assignments. 1190/1210 quizzes and exams are the exact same and you will test together. Quizzes and exams are all graded the same (they aren't even looking at who they are grading when they are grading and each professor takes a question or two and only grades those questions for all 1190/1210 students- so don't worry about being graded differently based on what section you are in). #tCFS24

I took this class with no prior experience in calculus and received an A- this is due to Professor Kurtz. She has a straightforward and streamlined way of explaining problems, which makes the material easier to understand. She taught 1210 and 1220 before, and she is certainly an effective professor for both of them. I barely had to put any work outside just lecture time, since lectures were enough to understand what I needed to do. I was in the growth-based section, so I did get re-takes, but there was not as much partial credit. However, I prefer the standard-section grading and would not do growth-based again if I had the option. This class doesn't have any trigonometry in it (which I consider to be difficult), and the problems are mostly basic. MATH 1190 is for those who are entering without any experience or want to have an algebra review.