James Balch

School: Wichita State University
Department: Medicine
Location: Wichita, KS
Overall Rating
rated by 20 students
Helpfulness
Clarity
Easiness
Rating Comment
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He is very diffcult to understand. He would work a very long problem out and frequently mess up and redo it. It became rather confusing at times. He's a nice guy, and refers to John Wayne a lot. haha. However, I would advise not taking him, especially if you're not very good at math. He never held the classes attention, and was often very diffcult to understand. I usually make great grades in math, but this professor was definitely a challenge.
Exams: Very very difficult. Almost nobody passed the first time! He always had to give a retest. The retests were a lot like the first one, just with different numbers. He always provided a study guide. It sounds so easy, but believe me, it wasn't!
Homework: At least 15 problems per night. You turned in the homework via a notecard with the problems you got wrong or right. If you say you got it right, he'll call on you to help him work it out on the board. So, you can't really lie and pretend you did it.
Textbook: You will need to purchase the textbook in order to compelte the homework and try to make sense of what the professor was saying. The textbook often showed a more clear, easier way to complete the problems.
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it is unexplainable how boring this guy is. he is retiring and just seems lazy. he had a very monotone voice and just worked problems out on the board. luckily, i am fairly good in math and i didn't listen to him most of the time and still made it out pretty good. especially with the retests. if you are not good in math i would not suggest taking him. but he was alright. i probably wouldnt take him again given the chance but, it certainly wasn't the worst class i've had.
Exams: i liked the way he graded the tests. if you attempted the problem whether you were close or not, he gave you some points for trying. also, we had retests on all of them and i got so many points added to my tests because of these retests.
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DO NOT TAKE HIM.he was the worst that I've ever had.He's nice but he confuses you.He solves a problem on the board and half way through he sees that he's done something wrong so he goes like oh i made a mistake,so it was really difficult to learn anything.I'm not happy with him at all,don't take him .Its a waste of your money and time.
Exams: The test were as confusing as him!!The whole class would fail,and he would let us re-test.He would give out the key to the test that we already had taken,and on the re-test he would change the questions,it may sound easy but it wasnt it was just like taking another test!!!
Homework: he would give out problems,every section that we had covered ,he would give out at least 20 problems for homework.
Textbook: Dont really like the book.
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He is one of the sweetest professors that I have had. He is very caring and wants to make it a fun class. I missed quite a few classes and he was always willing to work with me. I missed one class a week and I still got a B in the class. I would definitely take him again.
Exams: His tests came from tests that he gave years ago. And he always handed out study guides and the tests came straight off of it.
Homework: HW every night. He does not grade these fairly. We wrote the problems that we got correct on a notecard and he would just call on people during class to answer that got them right. I was honest about the problems that I got correct and only missed 10 over the entire semster and received an 85 for HW somehow.
Textbook: Don't buy a graphing calculator if you don'y have one. I already had one, but he did not show us how to relate the problems that we did to the calculator.
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Mr.Balch is the nicest man EVER! He's brilliant when it comes to math.I'd be lying if I said some of his lectures didn't leave me a little cold and clueless.But I'd go to his office and he'd clear it up.He's got zillions of math books in there.If you are a math major/minor and have to take calculus anyways,you should take him.He lets you make your own formula sheet(full size,not notecard!!)For the finance math test,he made us a formula sheet in flowchart form that helped us know when to use what formula.Definitely did not have to do that!So,if you're into accounting or just love math,and don't view MATH 1630 as just another prerequisite,Mr.Balch is your man.Don't pay any attention to the bad reviews he has on myspace.If you get excited about math,this is your professor.Very nice to speak with in his office.
Exams: tests covered about 3 chapters each..handwritten..a lot of material squeezed into one lil test!!!
Homework: about 10-15 problems a night due the next class meeting. you have to fill out a notecard for each assignment and turn it in so he can see what problems need to be worked in class.he only takes up the card,not the homework itself.but beware...HE WILL CALL ON YOU IF U SAY YOU GOT A CERTAIN PROB. CORRECT!!I recommend buying the solutions manual.EXTREMELY helpful for homework and studying for tests.
Textbook: Book is okay.I guess one could get by without it but only with a reiable person to share with.I can't say it enough..HALF.COM!!! I got the book brand new for 69 bux when it's 83 bux used in all conditions.
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This teacher is horrible, I have never in my whole life had this much trouble in school. Even when I took anatomy. After the first few weeks I just stop coming to class as much because I never understood him, even the math lab could not help me. I talked to several people in other stats classes and they had no idea what he was talking about on his tests. If you have this teacher DROP HIM IMMEDIATELY!!! He is the most horrible teacher I have ever had.
Exams: They Were horrible, you had no idea what he was even asking you to do. Nothing matched what he had taught and what was in the book. I made an 8 on one of them and I am not that kind of student just look at my GPA and thats after two Anatomy's!
Homework: Just problems out of the book, which didn.t help you any because nothing like them was on the tests.
Textbook: No because the way he teaches and the tests do not match the book at all.
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This man was the most boring, dull, most predictable man ever. He wore wranglers every day, and he has maybe 4 polos, 5 at most. The class corrected him on the daily. He's lost a couple circuits in his brain, I do believe. Don't take him. Just DON'T!
Exams: He gives partial credit, but sometimes it didn't seem fair. But if you don't know how to do it, at least put a formula down. We always got to use a formula sheet and we always got to take a restest, because the teacher effing sucks and the class always did terrible.
Homework: He assigned homework every night. You didn't have to turn the homework in, but you did have to identify on a notecard which problems you achieved, and which ones you didn't get. If you didn't get it, make sure you put it on the Unsuccessful side because he WILL call on you. It's a B**ch, too.
Textbook: You have to have it to do the homework problems.
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This professor is the nicest guy but the worst professor I ever had. By all means do not take this professor for any course. He would do a long problem on the board and right when you think you understand it, he realizes he made a mistake at the beginning messing thr whole thing up..He always made mistakes and confused the class and himself. DONT TAKR THIS GUY.
Exams: Test were out of the problems he did on the board and the homework
Homework: HW every night. lots of problems due to summer session. the homework was turned in the next day with the ones you got right and that counted as an extra grade. however, balch doesnt grade fair and allows his "favorites" to turn hw in late which is wrong since the person who has the most homework problems correct gets the highest grade.
Textbook: you need it to teach this course to yourself as this professor couldnt teach at all
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OK. this guy was a character. people said to me not to take him but i had to. he would always get confused when working out a problem and have to start over. that makes you very mad when you think you got it down and then have to go back. it happened every day. i just started teaching the material to myself and had to go to the math lab every day to get help cause he couldnt explain what he did. he would do calculations in his head and i would check with a calculator and tell him hes wrong. but he graded fairly and was a overall nice guy who meant well, so i would take him again if i had to but i dont.
Exams: tests were from the HW and what we went over in class. he gave a practice test before each test was great to get an idea on what to study for. he was also very generous with partial credit for attempting the problem.
Homework: HW every night and you had to turn in a notecard with what problems you got right and ones you got wrong. he did the ones people got wrong as a majority and he would call on people to do the problem who said they got it right. the HW counted as a test grade. whoever had the most problems done correctly got 100 and the next person got 99 all the way down.
Textbook: good book but balch knows his math so he only refernces the book.
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Mr. Balch knows his stuff. If you are willing to wait on him, he'll wait on you. This is not a fast paced course. We managed to cover quite a bit, but class goes by very slow. The class is what you make it... We had 3 tests and a final. We also had an optional homework grade. Say he assigns 100 problems, but Super Student Susie does the most by completing 80. 80 hw problems is now 100% and however many you did will fall under that. BUT if that hw grade brings down your test average, then he won't count it... becuase afterall if you can make As on the test, why do homework?
Exams: Pay attention to how he sets problems up in class. Often he'll give you the first step and ask for the second.
Homework: Homework everynight, at least 10 problems.
Textbook: Often I would tune him out and just read the textbook... usually made more sense.
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Dr. Balch is a very nice person. He does confuse you quite a bit but if you study hard and read the sections, you will do just fine. It can get very boring in his class. He does know a lot about math and I do agree with some of the other comments, he does sometimes teach above your head but just pay attention and you will do good.
Exams: They were typical math tests with problems you had to work out. They are not easy but they are not hard either. If you study you should do fine. He at least gives you credit on problems you got partially right. He also gives you a study key before the test. The keys let you know exactly what problems are on the test and which ones to study for.
Homework: We had homework each night. Only a couple of problems out of a section. At each class meeting you have to turn in a note card with the problems you got correct and incorrect. He will do the ones a lot of people missed on the board.
Textbook: Of course you need the text book. It's a math class.
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Mr. Balch is a very nice person and knows ALOT about what he is talking about, HOWEVER he doesn't keep the classes attention AT ALL! I know that he could pass any test with an A himself but he didn't teach his knowledge to us very well at all! I might take him again, but only if I had too.
Exams: He always let the class do re-tests mainly because if he didn't, half the class would have failed! There were always several students who got 100's and the other few who always got F's. Not much middle ground.
Homework: Homework from the book and you would have to turn in a notecard with the problem you did and didn't understand. And you you wrote that you understood it but didn't show any work, he would call on you and class to explain it! It is a good idea to know what the material is before coming to class
Textbook: The book was not very helpful but we had to use it for homework anyways.
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I set out to make an A in this class and worked very hard to achieve my goal. The material is not easy and requires work. I spent many hours doing the homework until I understood it. Once I spent over eight hours on a Saturday trying to learn a section. I also made several trips to Dr. Balch's office for assistance where he was extremely helpful and generous with his time. I also made a point to try to understand everything that he was doing in class. My point is that I got out of the class what I put into it. Dr. Balch is a very smart man and a good instructor; however, he cannot put the material in a person's head. It is the student's responsibility.
Exams: He gave us a review sheet which contained problems of the type that would likely be on the test. This was very helpful. He graded fairly and gave partial credit somewhat generously.
Homework: He assigned problems from the text every class. I don't think that he counted it against those who chose not to do it. I think that it could only help your grade. Ultimately, I found that if I could do the homework, then I could do the test. I highly recommend completing the homework in his class.
Textbook: Textbook was relevant and useful.
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This professor shouldn't be teaching period! He is the worst teacher i have ever had and that is why i dropped him while i had a chance. He was teaching class one day and we were working a long a** problem out with him on the board. And the man confused himself and we had to start the entire thing over again. So what does that tell you. Take anyone but him or you will regret it!
Exams: His tests were horrible. He didn't teach you the material clearly at all to prepare for the tests.
Homework: You had to turn in a note card telling which problems you had right and which ones you got wrong and he graded it. If you did get if right he would make you tell the class how you got the answer. A real load of B.S!
Textbook: Texts was extremely hard to understand. But it did explain the material better than Balch could.
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I liked Mr. Balch. He was a good teacher who could handle stupid people and their ignorance. He could slow down when needed and explain things many times over, but the class was stupid and didn't get it.
Exams: The tests weren't hard. My class was dumb and so it slowed Mr. Balch down which made it a little boring to me because I understood the information the first time around and I got bored/tired of hearing people complain about how he wasn't teaching it clearly.
Homework: He gave a daily homework assignment of a few problems which we had gone over that day in class. Nothing hard.
Textbook: The book was hand picked by Mr. Balch and his collegues because they felt it was the best book available for the course.
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Balch, Balch, Balch. What can I say? I have never had any problems in math-until Mr. Balch came along. I did learn one thing in his class: teaching degrees are passed out to everyone who applies! This man is very unclear about what he is teaching. He has the tendency to ignore certain questions asked in class. He will just go about his business "attempting" to teach the class. Please remember this: If you are wanting to LOWER your G.P.A., BALCH is your man!
Exams: He would make several mistakes, and the class average would be so low that he would have to give retests. Don't get your hopes up, it is NOT easy. He changes the test and you only do the ones you got wrong on the original test. He adds up the points that you got right on the 2nd test and divides them by the class average of points earned on the 2nd test (ex: 18pts were earned on the 2nd test. The class average was 50% corrected on the 2nd test. Your new grade= 9+old score (50% of 18). Sorry, it is hard to explain...
Homework: Homework assignments were given at every class meeting. There were not a lot of them (maybe 4 or 5), but I would spend hours trying to teach myself this stuff!!
Textbook: haha! This book is written by people who do NOTHING but math all day, everyday. It is very hard to understand! Learn to teach yourself somehow with this book b/c that is all the help you will get...
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Do NOT take this guy. He is the worst math professor that I have ever had. You will leave the class knowing nothing more than what you did when you went in. Avoid him at all costs.
Exams: All of his tests were handwritten on notebook paper and then photocopied. You couldn't hardly read any of it. He would give a review sheet for each test and go over it. So you thought you understood everything, but then when he passed out the test all of the questions were worded totally different then they were on the review sheet and you were lost.
Homework: Some math problems from each section. He would make you turn in an index card each day stating the homework problems you understood and the ones that didn't understand, and if you didn't want to be called on in class you would turn in your homework paper. But he never passed these papers back out so you never knew what you did wrong.
Textbook: Having the textbook is the only way you are going to learn anything in this class because he doesn't teach you anything.
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Hes a very nice man, hands down. However, dont let that confuse you with hard core math teacher. Hes also VERY boring and he loses the class often in his lectures. I do NOT reccomend this teacher if you have difficulty with mathematics.
Exams: I believe in mathematics, a professor should grade with partial credit. His tests were rougly 8-10 problems and if you got one part wrong, the whole problem was wrong. Id spend several minutes on one problem and get 1/3 grade lower because of one mistake.
Homework: Daily assignments on which you must put on notecards. You write down successful problems and unsuccessful. He counts against you for wrong ones and worse, he calls on you in class to help do them...theres NO lying to this man, or else he embarasses you in front of the whole class.
Textbook: You must get the book to actually understand the course since hes not good at explaining it.
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Professsor Balch means well and is a very nice man, but his lectures are very confusing. As soon as you feel you have grasped a concept he has already moved on to another problem. Although he is available for outside help the math lab was the only way I understood anything in this class. I would only recommend this instructor if you are good at teaching yourself math- I wasn't.
Exams: He made up his own tests. They didn't really follow the homework examples or his study guide.
Homework: daily assigned homework problems. These can be helpful-if you can understand his confusing lecture.
Textbook: definately! I basically had to teach myself from the text book. He means well but his lectures are flighty. It's very important to have the textbook to refer to.
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He is the nicest guy but he has no idea how to teach! He is probably the worst math teacher I have ever had!! Don't take him - you will regret it!!!!
Exams: His tests are all handwritten and very hard to read. Most of the time, stuff on his tests aren't even in the book, or he didn't even teach it in class. Even if you go to the math lab, they can't follow his work.
Homework: You get graded on homework like this: you have to fill out a note card stating which questions on the homework you got right and wrong (you turn it in at the beginning of class). He never looks at your homework, but he grades whether you got the problems right or wrong. You would think you should lie on the note-card -- WRONG!! If you mark that you got the problem right, he will pick the notecards at random & call you out in class to show how you worked the problem!
Textbook: You have to have the book to do the homework.

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