Maddren, Jesse  

Dr. Maddren is one of the best professors I have had at Cal Poly. His lectures are well organized and he does lots of example problems in class. His midterms are fair, yet the final was super long and took everyone the entire three hours. I wasn't even able to complete one of the problems. However, I had an 83 going into the final and I ended up with a B+ so he curves the grades to make it fair. If Dr. Maddren is available for a class you need to take make sure you take him!

Jesse is one of the best ME profs i've had. He really wanted everyone to understand before he moved on. tests are straight forward (even though plenty of people fail)and well graded. but do your homework cause i had an A test avg and still gotta B cause of HW.

jesse "madd dog" is one of the best professors i have ever had. he presented the material very clearly, did many example problems in class and was EXCELLENT during office hours. his lectures were very thorough and easy to follow. he explained thermo so that it actually made sense and you will come out of his class feeling that you actually learned the material. his tests were long and challenging, but straight forward. he is a super nice guy and is easily approachable. it is well worth taking a priority to get the madd dog for thermo.

Whoever Said Football Players Can't Pass Thermo was just proved wrong... Easy Class, Great Professor...

Good Prof. Got an A because he was a good teacher. I had to understand it however. Would take him again but it's not my major. Oh well.

Prof. Maddren presented the material extremly well and I was able to understand the homework and material without much difficulty. The two midterm exams where challanging becuase he tests using time restraints. It does not matter how well you know the information as much as how fast you take the test. In my opinion this was the one course this quarter I felt most prepared for and knowledgable. However, his final was extremly different from anything presented in class or the homework. There is no way I could have been prepared for his final. The final I took and the one from the previous quarter where both "unfair".

Pretty standard course layout. Homework's straight out of the book, and the midterms are pretty simple homework-style problems. I say the midterms are simple despite just about everyone doing bad. Why? Time, for the first one, and it must have been brain farts for the second one. When the class would go over a midterm problem, there seemed to be a big resounding smack on the forhead from the class as we realized how easy the test really was. He clearly curves, though, so pay attention to averages. The final, however, was pretty tough. Just make sure you do the homework, and you should be pleased. Maddren's lectures are amazingly clear, so don't miss out. Great teacher, great course.

Maddren's a really good guy, and a really good professor. Tons of examples, partial credit, grades on a curve, gives sample exams, has fair exams, the works. 2 exams worth 25% of your grade each, 5% homework, and a 45% final. Take him, he's one of the best.

Maddren is a really nice guy and makes everything very straight forward. I think the only downfall of his teaching style is that he makes it too simple, to the point where maintaining interest in the class is very difficult. His simplicity may be the reason for the bad midterm grades, I would perhaps suggest taking a more challenging professor if you get bored easily in classes. No homework is collected, two midterms 25 percent each and the final for 50 percent.

Awesome, flat out awesome. This guy does tons of example problems, and walks through them step by step. His tests are reasonable, and he makes clear exactly what he wants. Maddren is a pimp.

Thermo is the twin of fluids. Both are highly theoretical and not quite so straightforward. Maddren, however, makes thermo bearable and accessible. The material can be rough at times, but Maddren is very patient understanding. The midterms and final were fair. They covered example problems and homework problems. Also Maddren isn't so harsh as other ME professor's when it comes to grading. Overall, he's a good guy and I'd take him for any class.

Dr. Maddren is a really good professor to take for thermo. I am a graduating senior who put thermo off until the last quarter. I didn't think I would like it as much as I did in the end. Dr. Maddren had alot to do with it. Good -Very clear lectures -Plenty of example problems -Helpful -Sense of humor There isn't too much on the bad side except the first two midterms felt TOO long. I think it was because the material didn't sink in yet. However, on the final it all comes together and it was a reasonable test. I haven't received a grade yet, but im sure I did ok. Just wanted to post before I forgot.

J-Madd is a great teacher. He really goes out of his way to make the material understandable. He drills heavily on key concepts making sure exactly what students need to know. Piston Cylinder anyone?

Pimp

One of the best professors that I have ever had at Cal Poly Explains concepts clearly, does examples in class, and has really neat handwriting. Do the hw (even though its not due) with the solutions in front of you. He turned a class that I was dreading taking into one of my favorites.

Best teacher I've had at Cal Poly so far! He works at a slow pace and always makes sure that students are following along, frequently asking the class if they have any questions. You might be crunched for time on the midterms, but he curves them(just compare your grade to the class avg). A really down-to-earth, nice guy that cares about his students. Would take him again!

meh. his tests are hard and he grades hard but curves them. he seems busy with his higher level classes to care about about the 300 level ones. He's alright. Not great, but not horrible.

I took Maddren's class based on the poly ratings. He is straightforward and his tests are fair. The grade was based on two midterms and a final. Open book and you are allowed a formula sheet. I'm a CE and didn't ever bother with this class. I didn't do a single hw assignment (even though he GIVES you the solutions), only studied the night before exams, and I'm quite proud of my C. I would recommend putting in more time and doing the homework if good grades are important to you. Take good notes because thermo also shows up on the EIT exam if you plan to take that.

Helpful lectures, examples, and handouts. Light on homework. Exams are just like the homework. His tests are easy compared to what I've seen from Keller's and Locascio's sections. Class exam averages tend to float around 65%, likely because 1) Maddren doesn't collect homework thus noone does it, and 2) Students feel they don't need to study for open book tests. Sorry, you still need to know the material to complete the test in 50 minutes. One thing to watch out for: he'll always put exactly ONE tricky problem per exam that no amount of homework will prepare you for. But he's great on partial credit. Spend a day before each test to understand & complete the homework and you'll get a "B" easy. With some honest studying, earning an "A" is not much harder.

Maddren is an excellent professor. If you have to take thermo, he is the professor to take it with. He doesn't collect homework so if you need that to motivate you, then he probably isn't the right teacher for you. But he spends most of class doing problem examples which are extremely relevant to the exams. Take Maddren, you'll be happy that you did!

Maddren is the best!! His in-class problems are extremely relevant. It is good to do the homework, even thought it is not collected. Start each problem with the same general equations, and the assumptions you make allow the problem simplification. The class is really straightforward and enjoyable and Maddren is simply amazing! He is also EXTREMELY helpful during Office Hours! He really just wants you to learn the material. Take Maddren!!

I felt a little misled from his good polyratings. He is a good teacher but he made a very difficult final which sucked! And since the only graded work is two midterms and the final I felt my grade didn't represent how much I actually learned. Bit of a hard grader too.

Professor Maddren explains the material very well. If I could, I would take him again. For our class, the exams were not open book and they sometimes did not reflect the homework. The problems tend to be a bit harder than some of the homework problems, but the homework does prepare you for the midterms/final. The average on the midterms were roughly a D. He does curve the class, but if you fall around the average, you are looking at a C. The final wasn't too bad. I thought it was easier than the second midterm.

Great Professor for thermo. His class is based off of examples, and he explains everything super clearly. He is also very good at answering questions, you can tell he knows his stuff. The class is based of two midterms and the final, there is no homework collected. The tests are very fast, but he curves at the end. Overall, he is by far one of my favorite Professors here at Poly, and I would highly recommend him.

A solid teacher. That's the best way to describe him. Everyday was either concise lecture or example problems, we had a TON of complete example problems by the end of the class. Three tests make up the entire grade for the class, as homework is optional. His lecturing does get very dry, and the class passes by very slowly by the end of the quarter, but that could just be thermodynamics. For example, the most exciting day of the quarter was when some dumbass in front of me spilled his soda on the carpet and madden made fun of him. Solid teacher though, you'll learn some good thermo.

OVERALL: Maddren was very clear and straightforward in his approach to teaching: the material was well explained and his examples try to help you understand actual systems, not just theoretical models. FORMAT: 2 Tests (25% Each), 1 Final (50%), Homework assigned but not collected COMMENTS: My challenges with Dr. Maddren concern the examinations we received. I am not a fast test-taker, but Dr. Maddren's tests are very difficult if you do not work quickly. The questions are fairly challenging (though not impossible), but you cannot waste time. This is not to say that this is bad: if you are a good test-taker and work quickly then this may be better for you.

10/10. He's super genuine, approachable, and considerate professor. (literally the best professor I've had at Cal Poly) Material-wise, he presents thermo in such a concise and straightforward manner. His midterms were such a time crunch, but definitely doable if you knew what you were doing. I actually failed the first midterm and did a little above average on the second, but you can boost or save your grade with the final.

Professor Maddren's lectures are very clear and organized. He presents the material very clearly. Be prepared to be screwed on his tests though! Your lucky if you get to finish in the time allowed and some of the problems have absolutely no relevance to example or H.W. problems.

Dr. Maddren is an awesome professor. Always presents the material clearly and answers questions well. It's a hard class because there is a ton of material to cover, but if you put time into the hw and go to office hours its not bad. Tests are fair, like the hw but a little easier. He's a very fair grader. i would defintaly take him agian.

Very approachable, very clear, very HARD. Maddren is one of the toughest professors I've had. He likes to throw curve balls on the tests. I enjoyed him as a teacher because he presents material in a clear manner. I definately would take him again.

Take Maddren. Very good, lots of examples, straightforward exams. Two 25% exams, and a 50% final. He has a real dry sense of humor, and his class can be very enjoyable. Take him.

Maddren does a great job at presenting material clearly and effectively. He is always willing to answer questions and is extremely helpful in office hours. His class is tough to get a good grade in simply because the grading is entirely based on two midterms and final, and he grades rather tough. The homework is all out the book and I recommend that you keep up with it even though it isn't turned in, or else it's easy to fall behind and not be able to follow the lecture. His tests were pretty tough, but do-able. All of the test problems were book problems or slight variations of book problems.

Best teacher for fluids. Exams are very fair, and he is very helpful in office hours. Also I have never had a teacher be so helpful with questions over email.

Excellent professor! He teaches fluid very clearly and is very helpful if you have questions. The two midterms(25% each) and a final (50%) are the only things that count toward your grades. Homework is not collected. Just make sure you know the example problems, do a few homework problems, and beat the average on the tests. He curves fat!

If you can take Maddren for 343 do it. The material is complicated but he explains it so well that the class is not too bad. As long as you don't fall behind on the HW you will get an A or a B.

As many people have said, he is pretty clear in lecture. His class is tough because of the grading and if you don't do well on an exam, IT WILL KILL YOUR GRADE. His exam are designed for speed not knowledge. I don't really care for him since he has shown to be very lazy in his instructions and teaching style. As mentioned, his homeworks are thorough but you have no feed back on anything unless it's the exam. Yes, you can feel like you understand the material since you have done all the homework but still don't do well in the class. The grade I received doesn't reflect a small portion of what I know of the material.

Maddren is a great professor. He always comes to class prepared and uses class time very effectively. He answers all questions that we ask and does so pretty well. I didn't do well on the first midterm which led me to get a B- overall in the class but that's definitely all on me. You have to keep up with the homework to really understand the material and I didn't really do that until I got slammed by the first midterm. Final was designed to be as long as two midterms but he gave the full 3 hours. Would recommend Maddren for 350, or fluids or thermo.

I believe the word is genuine.

Dr. Maddren is the greatest. One of the few professors who you can tell really cares about the students. Take him if you have the chance.

Jesse is one of the best teachers in the ME department, if you can get a class with him take it.

For lecture...did the homework, but didn't study. Midterm and final were not too bad, but very LONG. In fact, the last problem on the final was the most god-awful test problem I have EVER seen. One of those problems where if you begin from the right angle, it's easy, but if you don't, you'll never finish. As far as lab goes, awesome awesome project. Really ties everything together. We designed and built a beer can cooler! Oh, and the best part...he doesn't make you buy a book. Hooray for all the ME profs keeping college (sorta) affordable!

Professor Maddren aka MadDog is a friendly, genuine professor. He always responds to e-mails, is a very fair grader, and tries his best to make the class realistic/practical despite the material sucking at times. Tests were mediocre difficulty, homework was a bit excessive at first, the lab was hell although that\'s common for this class, and the project was fun. Take him if you get the chance!

Maddren is the man. He cares about his students; it's as simple as that. He is not the easiest professor you'll have, nor the hardest. If you want to learn the material, he makes sure you do. If you can, take him, for any class.

Professor Maddren is one of the best professors I have had during my time at Cal Poly. He genuinely cares about his students and their success. Going to lecture and doing the home work was enough for me. But any time I did have questions, he did his best to answer them and never made me feel dumb. His grading is tough but fair. If you made a valiant effort on the lab and had reasonable answers and explanations, you received most of the points. If you ever have the chance to take his class, do so! You will not regret it.

Taking this instructor is like being in a Twilight Zone episode. You just can