MATH 115AH
Linear Algebra (Honors)
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, two hours. Requisite: course 33A with grade of B or better. Honors course parallel to course 115A. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
2 of 2
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2025 - My experience with him was a mix of instructional strengths and several interpersonal and policy-based issues that made the class more frustrating than it needed to be. The workload was definitely too much in the beginning but got better throughout the quarter. Overall, the material was good and the exams were fair, but Moraga’s behavior and handling of students often felt immature, which overshadowed the strengths of the course. Pros: Moraga clearly knows mathematics well. His board work, both on whiteboards and chalkboards, is excellent: neat and organized. He also provides solid test preparation materials and gives exams that feel fair and aligned with what he teaches. Looking back, the actual course content wasn’t overtly difficult. Cons: The difficulties came mostly from classroom policies and interactions. Early in the quarter, he enforced unusually strict homework formatting rules, such as requiring assignments to be written only on printer paper, not lined paper. Although I understand the need for clarity for graders, he initially refused to accept assignments without offering second chances, even though the instructions were not entirely clear. This was not a great start to the class. Another early red flag occurred before class one day when a small group of us were talking (more than 5 minutes before class) and getting to know each other. Moraga told us that if we had time to talk, we should instead be reading past lecture notes or the textbook. He later added that "talking before class makes it seem like the class is too easy." I asked whether socializing could actually help us form study groups or learn the material collaboratively, but he shut that down by saying socialization should happen "out there," pointing outside the room. That exchange made the classroom feel a little uncomfortable from then on to be honest. It felt like an attempt to control how students behaved before class, which felt inappropriate and not conducive to a healthy learning environment. His lecture slides were also difficult to navigate: each slide was just the previous slide with one additional sentence added. This ballooned 40-slide lectures into 200-300 slides, which made finding information a chore. I think he could use "\documentclass[handout]{beamer}" in his LaTex code to fix that but after my previous interactions with him, I didn't really want to say anything. Although he used Discord for class communication, he managed it in a surprisingly inflexible way--frequently removing messages and responding selectively, which discouraged open discussion rather than facilitating it. There were also inconsistencies in his expectations on exams. He told us to avoid doing lengthy computations and instead focus on demonstrating conceptual understanding. I followed that instruction and still lost 40% on a problem because I hadn’t included the calculations he said not to do. The mixed messaging made test strategy confusing. Toward the end of the quarter, I asked him privately about my grade--not to negotiate, but because I genuinely wanted to understand what material I had mastered and where I fell short, especially since we didn’t know our grades (until the last week) or how they were calculated (still don't, he never responded). Instead of responding to me, he told another student that I was trying to ask for a higher grade, which was deeply upsetting and quite unprofessional. I simply wanted a direct, respectful conversation about my performance. Moraga, I enjoyed the mathematical material, and I appreciated the clarity of your lectures. I just wish the rest of the class had matched the quality of the content. I wanted to be treated like a human being and have open conversations when needed, and I'm still not sure what I did that made you respond the way you did. Interpret this as you will--this was my experience in the course.
Winter 2025 - My experience with him was a mix of instructional strengths and several interpersonal and policy-based issues that made the class more frustrating than it needed to be. The workload was definitely too much in the beginning but got better throughout the quarter. Overall, the material was good and the exams were fair, but Moraga’s behavior and handling of students often felt immature, which overshadowed the strengths of the course. Pros: Moraga clearly knows mathematics well. His board work, both on whiteboards and chalkboards, is excellent: neat and organized. He also provides solid test preparation materials and gives exams that feel fair and aligned with what he teaches. Looking back, the actual course content wasn’t overtly difficult. Cons: The difficulties came mostly from classroom policies and interactions. Early in the quarter, he enforced unusually strict homework formatting rules, such as requiring assignments to be written only on printer paper, not lined paper. Although I understand the need for clarity for graders, he initially refused to accept assignments without offering second chances, even though the instructions were not entirely clear. This was not a great start to the class. Another early red flag occurred before class one day when a small group of us were talking (more than 5 minutes before class) and getting to know each other. Moraga told us that if we had time to talk, we should instead be reading past lecture notes or the textbook. He later added that "talking before class makes it seem like the class is too easy." I asked whether socializing could actually help us form study groups or learn the material collaboratively, but he shut that down by saying socialization should happen "out there," pointing outside the room. That exchange made the classroom feel a little uncomfortable from then on to be honest. It felt like an attempt to control how students behaved before class, which felt inappropriate and not conducive to a healthy learning environment. His lecture slides were also difficult to navigate: each slide was just the previous slide with one additional sentence added. This ballooned 40-slide lectures into 200-300 slides, which made finding information a chore. I think he could use "\documentclass[handout]{beamer}" in his LaTex code to fix that but after my previous interactions with him, I didn't really want to say anything. Although he used Discord for class communication, he managed it in a surprisingly inflexible way--frequently removing messages and responding selectively, which discouraged open discussion rather than facilitating it. There were also inconsistencies in his expectations on exams. He told us to avoid doing lengthy computations and instead focus on demonstrating conceptual understanding. I followed that instruction and still lost 40% on a problem because I hadn’t included the calculations he said not to do. The mixed messaging made test strategy confusing. Toward the end of the quarter, I asked him privately about my grade--not to negotiate, but because I genuinely wanted to understand what material I had mastered and where I fell short, especially since we didn’t know our grades (until the last week) or how they were calculated (still don't, he never responded). Instead of responding to me, he told another student that I was trying to ask for a higher grade, which was deeply upsetting and quite unprofessional. I simply wanted a direct, respectful conversation about my performance. Moraga, I enjoyed the mathematical material, and I appreciated the clarity of your lectures. I just wish the rest of the class had matched the quality of the content. I wanted to be treated like a human being and have open conversations when needed, and I'm still not sure what I did that made you respond the way you did. Interpret this as you will--this was my experience in the course.
Most Helpful Review
Spring 2024 - Morgan is brilliant! Take her for the best intro to upper div math; she covered 115AH material up to the spectral theorem, but also would add elements of abstract algebra, calculus, etc. to lectures/HW/office hours. You should go to office hours, even just to talk more deeply about class topics! Her lectures are extremely clear and logical, and she posts lecture notes before class (attendance is "mandatory", but you should go regardless of policy). HW is long but essential to your success in the class. Discussions are also mandatory and essential to the class (covers additional content). Her exams are extremely fair and have averages in the 80/90 range, and she offered a small amount of extra credit during the course as well! Grading breakdown is forgiving with 20% per midterm and 25% final, and she also offers the "drop one midterm replace with final". Overall, expect to pay your dues in terms of time commitment, expect HWs to take 10-15 hours per week (typeset in LaTeX), etc. but you'll be heavily rewarded. It's a fast-paced honors class after all, but she is a brilliant lecturer, so caring, funny, and clearly gives her all into teaching; you'd be crazy not to love her.
Spring 2024 - Morgan is brilliant! Take her for the best intro to upper div math; she covered 115AH material up to the spectral theorem, but also would add elements of abstract algebra, calculus, etc. to lectures/HW/office hours. You should go to office hours, even just to talk more deeply about class topics! Her lectures are extremely clear and logical, and she posts lecture notes before class (attendance is "mandatory", but you should go regardless of policy). HW is long but essential to your success in the class. Discussions are also mandatory and essential to the class (covers additional content). Her exams are extremely fair and have averages in the 80/90 range, and she offered a small amount of extra credit during the course as well! Grading breakdown is forgiving with 20% per midterm and 25% final, and she also offers the "drop one midterm replace with final". Overall, expect to pay your dues in terms of time commitment, expect HWs to take 10-15 hours per week (typeset in LaTeX), etc. but you'll be heavily rewarded. It's a fast-paced honors class after all, but she is a brilliant lecturer, so caring, funny, and clearly gives her all into teaching; you'd be crazy not to love her.
AD
2 of 2
