Online, hybrid and in-class lectures are all great options, but many factors can determine your experience with math.

Two students from Victor Valley College had two different experiences with math classes. One student was failing her 105 class while the other received a passing grade. The difference? Their learning styles and scheduling considerations played a part.

Victoria, a former Victor Valley College student, took several math classes with different teachers and variations of class types. She took Rebecca Ramos’ Math 105 twice because she failed the class the first time, “[Professor Ramos’] lectures were extremely boring with fill in the blank notes,” said Victoria. “I found myself getting distracted all the time in class. I felt it was not an effective way of learning because it was not hands on, and she never caught her mistakes on her slides. There would be times where the class would point out an error with her practice problems, and she wouldn’t admit she was wrong. It made the class very frustrating and hard to learn math.”

When asked how to remediate these issues with Professor Ramos, Victoria said, “I would ask her for help on my homework problems and she would be negligent, saying everything we needed to know were on her notes.” The issue was I couldn’t understand her notes because I wasn’t learning anything. This was supposed to be an in-class lecture, not go home and read my slides online class. “I was upset and attempted to drop the class but was already too late in the semester, so I took the F,” said Victoria.

The following semester Victoria took Math 105 again with a teacher named Moriya Armstead. “The outcome of this class was extremely different,” said Victoria. She took another in-class course this time around and learned more in the first two weeks than she had in the last semester of Math 105. “I really enjoyed Professor Armstead’s class because she answered all my questions and made an effort for me to understand the material,” said Victoria. “I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

Victoria also explained her past experiences with math, I have taken online and in-class lectures before and online was easy, maybe because it was Math 90 or because of the way the teacher presented her lectures. “Overall I enjoyed taking online math,” said Victoria. “I am a very independent person, and staying on track to get homework, tests and other tasks were easy for me. Online classes are all about time management.”

Grace, a new Victor Valley College student, had a different experience. She took Math 90 as an in-class lecture course. “In-class lectures were great for me because I am the type of person that needs the constant attention in class,” said Grace. “I have taken online classes before and found I would get distracted easily. I reverted to taking in-class lectures with homework online. I sat in front of the classroom so I could focus on my teacher and not get distracted.”

When asked about her professors teaching methods, Grace said, “Professor Moore was extremely helpful. He gave us notes and would practice the problems with us step by step. He explained everything in a way that was relatable and easy to understand.” She also commented that this was the first time she actually enjoyed a math class.

When looking at both experiences with traditional in-class lectures and homework online, both students had different grading outcomes. Was it the teacher? The way the lessons were being taught?

Reporter’s personal experience:

I’m a Victor Valley College student, and I have taken all three types of courses (online, hybrid, in-class). Here’s what I have found. 

Some teachers are great at teaching math while others are teaching for just a salary. Although Victor Valley has some amazing teachers, there are some that are not as caring and compassionate about their jobs. I have found that online is easy to fit into your schedule if you are someone that is working full time and is trying to finish your degree, but you have no time to attend in-person classes on campus. Online is a perfect solution for this type of student.

If you are someone that is in the same situation – short on time but you need extra help with math – then hybrid is a great option. I would go to class one day a week, and the professor would go over any questions we had on the homework, or anything we were not understanding. It fit in well with my schedule, and I had a great teacher named Professor Toner.

If you are a full time student and want to take an in-class lecture course, then find the teacher with the best reputation. The website RateMyProfessors.com is a great site for seeing what kind of reviews students give to  teachers here at Victor Valley College (or anywhere else, for that matter). The reviews are usually accurate and can be a great way of organizing your school schedule.

Overall, learning from other student experiences is a great way to not make the same mistakes others have encountered. Ask yourself which class works best for your schedule, and use RateMyProfessors.com to check instructor reviews.