Matthew Malkan
Department of Physics
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2.7
Overall Rating
Based on 21 Users
Easiness 1.5 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 2.5 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 1.3 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 2.8 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

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GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS
12.8%
10.7%
8.5%
6.4%
4.3%
2.1%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

ENROLLMENT DISTRIBUTIONS
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Reviews (15)

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Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
June 16, 2009

I think the best thing to do is to go to workshops if they offer them and study the book by yourself. He pulled exam problems straight out of the book and I did better on the exams when I just studied the book. I guess the only good thing was that he also put notes on the class website, and sometimes he would put practice problems and past exams on there as well.

Malkan really isn't a good teacher - he gets sidetracked a lot and uses powerpoint slides. Even when he uses the chalkboard, he just never seems to solve the problem in a way that helped me understand it better.

Helpful?

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Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
June 11, 2009

He was one of the worst professors I have ever had. I did read some of these reviews, and also got some negative feedback from friends who have had him in the past. I didn't listen, and felt that there was no way a professor could be that bad. But he was. He did not go over one useful item in lecture, and to boot, he was absent for many lectures, including the week of the finals. Honestly, he replacement lecturers did a better job explaining the material.

To make things short, all I want to say is: Avoid this professor at all costs. And don't take this message lightly, this guy is HORRIBLE. I would not put him in charge of a high school physics class.

Helpful?

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Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Dec. 13, 2008

Malkan was TERRIBLE! The worst professor I've had at UCLA. He does not teach whatsoever. He does not do examples on the board either. All he does in class is go over easy clicker problems which are not related to the stuff that ends up on the test.

If you can't learn by yourself, then drop this class immediately and take it next quarter

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
June 12, 2008

This class was a joke, especially when other people were actually LEARNING in Corbin's class. Malkan's "teaching" style is ridiculous in that he doesn't actually teach. He rambles about things that we don't need to know, things that we learn in 1C, and spends half an hour trying to get his laptop working. We were "required" to watch online lectures, but these were also pointless because he just rambled in those too.
The tests were a joke because he'd give us potential problems that could be on the test, and these problems were straight out of the book. He wouldn't change the wording or numbers around, so why even study.
Homework was from the equally ridiculous mastering physics site, which was time-consuming, frustrating, and just pointless altogether.
So, if you feel like teaching yourself all of 1B then please be my guest and take this class. However, if you actually feel like learning something and not wasting time then take Corbin.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
March 28, 2007

This professor is, quite honestly, the worst professor I've had at UCLA. I'll be very honest in evaluating him.

How he "teaches": Malkan does not teach. He simply walks to the front of the class and literally blabs nonsense for about 30 minutes, and then fills up the rest of the class period doing pointless demonstrations. Remember guys, we're no longer in high school, and since you don't have to go to class, I think time-wasting demonstrations are perfectly useless. In terms of the material, I can only say the following; with one of the TAs as my witness, he once spent 40 MINUTES discussing how to calculate electric flux through a surface - about the equivalent of discussing how to calculate force given mass and acceleration. He spends a ridiculous amount of time on very simple concepts, leading many of his students to believe his tests will be just as easy.

How he tests: However, if he tested the same as he taught, everyone would get 100%. So he goes and takes tests he hasn't written (typically from Professor Cowley) and then tests you on material which is appropriate to the level that the class SHOULD be taught. Most people had a terribly difficult time with this though, because they learned from the lectures.

What to do if you decide to take him: Don't go to class, but learn how to do all the type II problems in the book. I attended most of the lectures prior to the first midterm and did well, attended perhaps 25% of the lectures prior to the second midterm and did very very well, and attended 2 lectures prior to the final. And it worked, simply because I learned from the book (which by the way, he likes to bash for "including everything").

This professor is good for you if:
1) You are good at studying alone.
2) You don't wish to learn more physics than is necessary for just that class.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
June 16, 2009

I think the best thing to do is to go to workshops if they offer them and study the book by yourself. He pulled exam problems straight out of the book and I did better on the exams when I just studied the book. I guess the only good thing was that he also put notes on the class website, and sometimes he would put practice problems and past exams on there as well.

Malkan really isn't a good teacher - he gets sidetracked a lot and uses powerpoint slides. Even when he uses the chalkboard, he just never seems to solve the problem in a way that helped me understand it better.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
June 11, 2009

He was one of the worst professors I have ever had. I did read some of these reviews, and also got some negative feedback from friends who have had him in the past. I didn't listen, and felt that there was no way a professor could be that bad. But he was. He did not go over one useful item in lecture, and to boot, he was absent for many lectures, including the week of the finals. Honestly, he replacement lecturers did a better job explaining the material.

To make things short, all I want to say is: Avoid this professor at all costs. And don't take this message lightly, this guy is HORRIBLE. I would not put him in charge of a high school physics class.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Dec. 13, 2008

Malkan was TERRIBLE! The worst professor I've had at UCLA. He does not teach whatsoever. He does not do examples on the board either. All he does in class is go over easy clicker problems which are not related to the stuff that ends up on the test.

If you can't learn by yourself, then drop this class immediately and take it next quarter

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
June 12, 2008

This class was a joke, especially when other people were actually LEARNING in Corbin's class. Malkan's "teaching" style is ridiculous in that he doesn't actually teach. He rambles about things that we don't need to know, things that we learn in 1C, and spends half an hour trying to get his laptop working. We were "required" to watch online lectures, but these were also pointless because he just rambled in those too.
The tests were a joke because he'd give us potential problems that could be on the test, and these problems were straight out of the book. He wouldn't change the wording or numbers around, so why even study.
Homework was from the equally ridiculous mastering physics site, which was time-consuming, frustrating, and just pointless altogether.
So, if you feel like teaching yourself all of 1B then please be my guest and take this class. However, if you actually feel like learning something and not wasting time then take Corbin.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
March 28, 2007

This professor is, quite honestly, the worst professor I've had at UCLA. I'll be very honest in evaluating him.

How he "teaches": Malkan does not teach. He simply walks to the front of the class and literally blabs nonsense for about 30 minutes, and then fills up the rest of the class period doing pointless demonstrations. Remember guys, we're no longer in high school, and since you don't have to go to class, I think time-wasting demonstrations are perfectly useless. In terms of the material, I can only say the following; with one of the TAs as my witness, he once spent 40 MINUTES discussing how to calculate electric flux through a surface - about the equivalent of discussing how to calculate force given mass and acceleration. He spends a ridiculous amount of time on very simple concepts, leading many of his students to believe his tests will be just as easy.

How he tests: However, if he tested the same as he taught, everyone would get 100%. So he goes and takes tests he hasn't written (typically from Professor Cowley) and then tests you on material which is appropriate to the level that the class SHOULD be taught. Most people had a terribly difficult time with this though, because they learned from the lectures.

What to do if you decide to take him: Don't go to class, but learn how to do all the type II problems in the book. I attended most of the lectures prior to the first midterm and did well, attended perhaps 25% of the lectures prior to the second midterm and did very very well, and attended 2 lectures prior to the final. And it worked, simply because I learned from the book (which by the way, he likes to bash for "including everything").

This professor is good for you if:
1) You are good at studying alone.
2) You don't wish to learn more physics than is necessary for just that class.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
2 of 2
2.7
Overall Rating
Based on 21 Users
Easiness 1.5 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 2.5 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 1.3 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 2.8 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

There are no relevant tags for this professor yet.

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