18.06: Linear Algebra

Table of contents

  1. Course Info
  2. Realistic Prerequisites
  3. Subject Matter
  4. Course Staff
  5. Lectures
  6. Problem Sets
  7. Exams
  8. Resources
  9. Grading
  10. Advice to Future Students

Course Info

Class Size 184
Hours/Week 9.2 (59 responses)
Instructors Steven Johnson
Overall Rating 5.2/7.0

Realistic Prerequisites

  • Students recommended 18.01, and 18.02 for its content on vector calculus.

Subject Matter

  • Lecture content was more theoretical, and recitations and psets contained more applied content.

Course Staff

  • Students found the course staff very knowledgeable, and they answered Piazza posts very quickly.
  • Students found the undergraduate TAs very helpful.
  • Some students expressed difficulty in obtaining extensions.

Lectures

  • Some students disliked the organization of the lectures.
  • Most students learned from the lectures, and referred to the course notes and Piazza as well.

Problem Sets

  • Students found psets interesting and somewhat challenging.
  • Students noted going to office hours helped them complete the psets.

Exams

  • Exam problems were relatively straightforward.
  • Students mentioned difficulty completing exams in the given time.
  • Many noted using practice problems to help them prepare for exams.

Resources

  • Students used the notes on GitHub, the Piazza, and Prof. Strang’s OCW videos for class content.
  • A few students noted using the course textbook.

Grading

  • Students felt that grading was fair.
  • Grade cutoffs were not clear.

Advice to Future Students

  1. “Do the practice problems provided for the exams, they are very helpful.”
  2. “It should be a fun class, enjoy :).”