Professor profile for Frank Shirley
Student reviews of Frank Shirley
Review from a student who took M 325K
Okay guys, this professor is a tough professor. Regardless of what major you are in, he teaches this course as if Discrete Math is going to be with you for the rest of your life. He is extremely picky about details and his grading can sometimes be very harsh; you may be 80% correct on a test and get a 60. His homework assignments are probably about 3-4 hours and once a week, but I think this is how most M325K classes are. He also grades on a bell curve. I honestly think he sets it so that 15% of his students get As. He's the kind who will listen to your test scores and straight up say, "The best you can get is a C." even if you completely rock his final. He has a fantastic, energetic personality. He is a very jolly man, and his lectures can get very intense. Early in the Fall semester, he would finish his lectures with very very visible sweat dripping off his forehead and saturated pit areas. It's kinda funny unless you need to get near him to ask him a question... He can also be funny and is very very approachable. He loves having students in his office hours, so go at least once while you take his course.
Okay guys, this professor is a tough professor. Regardless of what major you are in, he teaches this course as if Discrete Math is going to be with you for the rest of your life. He is extremely picky about details and his grading can sometimes be very harsh; you may be 80% correct on a test and get a 60. His homework assignments are probably about 3-4 hours and once a week, but I think this is how most M325K classes are. He also grades on a bell curve. I honestly think he sets it so that 15% of his students get As. He's the kind who will listen to your test scores and straight up say, "The best you can get is a C." even if you completely rock his final. He has a fantastic, energetic personality. He is a very jolly man, and his lectures can get very intense. Early in the Fall semester, he would finish his lectures with very very visible sweat dripping off his forehead and saturated pit areas. It's kinda funny unless you need to get near him to ask him a question... He can also be funny and is very very approachable. He loves having students in his office hours, so go at least once while you take his course.
Review from a student who took M 325k
Do not take him. He gives about 2 assignments a week. The homework is usually very time consuming and the grading is pretty strict. His lectures aren't that bad, but half the class usually skips. He makes this class much harder than it should be.
Do not take him. He gives about 2 assignments a week. The homework is usually very time consuming and the grading is pretty strict. His lectures aren't that bad, but half the class usually skips. He makes this class much harder than it should be.
Review from a student who took M 325K
Don't take him. He hardly gives any A's and the course load is way EXCESSIVE. I'm an EE senior and this class was one of the toughest classes for me this semester. There were 20 homeworks and almost every one had rigourous, long proofs. He his really strict about the proofs in this class. On the flip side, if you really care about learning proofs and logic, he is probably the person to take it with, but if you just need an easy 'A' and (like most of us) will never use this stuff for anything, do not take Shirley.
Don't take him. He hardly gives any A's and the course load is way EXCESSIVE. I'm an EE senior and this class was one of the toughest classes for me this semester. There were 20 homeworks and almost every one had rigourous, long proofs. He his really strict about the proofs in this class. On the flip side, if you really care about learning proofs and logic, he is probably the person to take it with, but if you just need an easy 'A' and (like most of us) will never use this stuff for anything, do not take Shirley.
Review from a student who took M 325K
ridiculous amount of homework as compared to the other M325K profs. My friend had 12 homeworks the entire year whereas I had a total of 21 with, at one point, 3 due in one week. The homeworks are very time consuming as well and he is extremely picky on errors (i.e I forgot to write QED, so -3 every single time even though my proofs were correct. A 100 goes to a 70 or lower very quickly just from nitpicky mistakes) The tests are not hard, however the way he grades them are hard. Getting what normally should be about 90% correct will usually result in a 60-70% grade because he will find some very small thing wrong and dock you several points for it. He is a very jolly guy and extremely friendly though. Very approachable and will help you through. But, I would advise anyone taking M325k to not take this professor.
ridiculous amount of homework as compared to the other M325K profs. My friend had 12 homeworks the entire year whereas I had a total of 21 with, at one point, 3 due in one week. The homeworks are very time consuming as well and he is extremely picky on errors (i.e I forgot to write QED, so -3 every single time even though my proofs were correct. A 100 goes to a 70 or lower very quickly just from nitpicky mistakes) The tests are not hard, however the way he grades them are hard. Getting what normally should be about 90% correct will usually result in a 60-70% grade because he will find some very small thing wrong and dock you several points for it. He is a very jolly guy and extremely friendly though. Very approachable and will help you through. But, I would advise anyone taking M325k to not take this professor.
Review from a student who took M 302
This course and prof. was so average that I barely remember it. From what I can remember, he took attendence for each class and had numerous homework assignments. I also recall the tests to be kind of tricky for a non-major math course. The material taught in the course is also rather useless, but from what I've been told this course is probably the easiest math at UT for a non-major.
This course and prof. was so average that I barely remember it. From what I can remember, he took attendence for each class and had numerous homework assignments. I also recall the tests to be kind of tricky for a non-major math course. The material taught in the course is also rather useless, but from what I've been told this course is probably the easiest math at UT for a non-major.
Review from a student who took M408C
Prof Shirley is very enthusiatic about the course and teaching in general. He makes the otherwise confusing material easy to understand and is very helpful during office hours to help with homework or go over the lecture with you. My grade isnt the highest in the class but he is an outstanding professor.
Prof Shirley is very enthusiatic about the course and teaching in general. He makes the otherwise confusing material easy to understand and is very helpful during office hours to help with homework or go over the lecture with you. My grade isnt the highest in the class but he is an outstanding professor.
Review from a student who took M341
Dr. Shirley knows the course material like the back of his hand. He is very enthusiastic when he teaches and cares about his students understanding. Homeworks are due once a week, sometimes even twice a week and they take 3-4 hours to do. them. His grading is very tough as he takes off points for minor details. He is definitely a hard professor when it comes to grades. The material for this class is really not that hard to comprehend but he makes the class harder than it should be. If you are looking for an easy A or B, this is NOT the professor to take.
Dr. Shirley knows the course material like the back of his hand. He is very enthusiastic when he teaches and cares about his students understanding. Homeworks are due once a week, sometimes even twice a week and they take 3-4 hours to do. them. His grading is very tough as he takes off points for minor details. He is definitely a hard professor when it comes to grades. The material for this class is really not that hard to comprehend but he makes the class harder than it should be. If you are looking for an easy A or B, this is NOT the professor to take.
Review from a student who took rlRAhuDHZAC
8L5PXX Thanks for sharing, this is a fantastic post. Keep writing.
8L5PXX Thanks for sharing, this is a fantastic post. Keep writing.
Review from a student who took M 408D