APMA 1110

Disclaimer: I took this course in-person. My comments may not apply to how this is taught online.

This class was respectable but nothing special. If you took this in high school and are repeating it DO NOT underestimate this course! This is NOT your AP Calculus BC high school class! If you do not put in the work you will NOT have a good time!

Prof. Pisano is nothing special. Tests/quizzes are fair and homework is not bad once you get used to WebAssign. She will not screw you over. The only way you get screwed over in this class if if you do not put in the work!

Professor Pisano was a decent professor. She was very forgiving for me messing up exams with the online format so I really appreciated that, but her lecture style wasn't the best for me. I often had to watch YouTube videos to really understand. This is one class to make sure that you stay on top of material or you could get lost, but it's not terrible. #tCFspring2021

Overall the course is super difficult. No matter what professor you have, this class will be challenging. However, Prof. Pisano is a very nice lady and will help you on assignments. Lectures are online, in which you watch a video and take notes on it before class. In class you work on collaborative worksheets the whole time. I heard in other classes lectures were in person and the worksheets were nightly homework, which would be a pain. Other than the videos, outside of class you are required to complete the weekly homeworks (due every wednesday) which are not bad at all.

I liked the way this class was structured. Most of the time the only homework was to watch the lecture and the Webassigns were due every Wednesday. Although it's a bit difficult to listen to Pisano lecture, having them online made it easier because I could watch at whatever speed I wanted. The tests had problems that were exactly like the worksheets, and if you study the worksheets fully you will do well. The final exam is a different story and was significantly harder than any exam. Overall not too bad.

Professor Pisano breaks the class up into nightly lecture videos that you watch before coming on for class where you usually do worksheets that build off of the video. There are then weekly homework assignments on WebAssign that are usually a lot tougher than they need to be. The 3 midterms aren't too bad as long as you make sure you have the worksheets from the unit down. Those worksheets are THE best thing to study before taking each midterm; almost all of questions on the tests are pulled from them. Then, for the final, oh boy, let's hope you get a miracle. It's without a doubt much much harder than the midterms. Definitely focus on studying a LOT more than you think you need to for it. Other than that, I'd say Pisano is a pretty boring but nice and approachable professor to have for this pretty hard calc 2 class. #tCFF23

Professor Pisano is a great professor for the class. You MUST watch the pre class videos, and if you do, you will do great in the class. Worksheets are harder than the tests, and I recommend reviewing the WebAssign's. She was my favorite professor first semester and made Calc II my favorite class. If you can, please take Pisano, but make sure to take proper notes from the videos she posts, and make sure you do the practice problems and understand them! The final is harder than all the other midterms, but it is difficult because there is so much arithmetic.

If you took calc BC in high school, you'll do fine in this class. If not, I think you will struggle a bit. The exams are very similar to the in class worksheets, so that makes studying pretty simple. The reverse learning is honestly really nice because you can learn at your own pace and her lectures are pretty good. The grading is pretty unforgiving, and she's not great about partial credit. She didn't curve any tests throughout the semester, but did curve the final. She gets kinda annoyed if she can tell that you didn't watch the lecture before class, so ask your groupmates questions first.

Pisano is a very nice professor who genuinely cares for her students, as well as an effective lecturer. This course operates on a "flipped classroom" style, where you watch lectures on your own time and do groupwork during class. You will either love or hate this system, but I really liked it because I think actually practicing math is the best way to learn, and it is easier to do so when you have your classmates and TAs around you. The tests are pretty easy, and I would recommend redoing the worksheets before to study. Definitely attend P2L as well, not just for the extra credit but also because I truly felt like it helped me learn better. The final definitely is significantly harder than the midterms, but as long as you do decently well on the midterms your grade will be fine.

If you actually want to learn in class, don't choose Pisano solely because she expects you to learn the content before class and treats class time as office hours, unless that caters to your learning style. I have ADHD and struggled immensely to pass this class despite enjoying math. This class made me feel stupid because I refuse to watch 30+ min videos everyday. On the other hand, she is understanding and willing to help and if you end up taking this class, WATCH THE VIDEOS BECAUSE ITS A LOT.
#tCFS24

Pisano is a decent professor. She doesn't do much actual lecturing in person -- before each class, you have to watch a recorded video where she explains the concepts, then in class, you and your assigned group-mates do a worksheet together where you can ask her and the TAs for any help. I actually really liked this, because I learn math best by actually working through problems, but this may not be the case for everyone. I would say that the most challenging aspect of this course is the sheer volume of information you are expected to learn in one semester. The concepts themselves aren't too difficult, usually I'd grasp them pretty well within a couple of practice problems, but this is a class that meets four times a week and almost every class you are learning a new topic, so it is a lot to keep up with.

Some tips for success:
-Go to office hours: In my opinion, Pisano is one of those professors who is actually better in office hours. Many times in class, I'd get confused at something she was explaining, but I understood everything perfectly if she went over it with me in her office.
-Go to P2l sessions: These are weekly review sessions held by students who have taken the course in the past. It's one hour per week of practicing problems with other students. The best part about it is that for every 5 sessions you attend, you get 0.5% added to your semester grade. I attended over 10 sessions and I got 1% added to my final grade. This was extremely beneficial because I was at a 92% and with P2L, I earned a 93% semester grade. So P2L literally made the difference between an A- and an A for me. Bottom line: attend these sessions, you never know if the extra credit will make a difference for your GPA, and even if it doesn't, you'll have gotten some good practice out of simply attending.
-Studying for tests: the tests are based primarily on the in-class worksheets. If you go through and redo every worksheet from the unit to study for each test, that will be plenty. The WebAssign problems are much harder, and she never puts questions like those on the tests.
-Studying for the exam: The best piece of advice I have for this doesn't actually have to do with studying, but attending the in-class Q&A days before the exam. Definitely go to those because she will drop hints about what is going to be on the exam and what isn't. Also, be warned: the exam is significantly harder than any of the tests. Just study a lot, and pray for the best.
#tCFF23