Professor

Tetsuya Iwasaki

AD
4.6
Overall Ratings
Based on 16 Users
Easiness 2.3 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Workload 3.1 / 5 How light the workload is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Clarity 4.8 / 5 How clear the professor is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Helpfulness 4.7 / 5 How helpful the professor is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

Reviews (16)

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MECH&AE 171A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Dec. 29, 2020
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: A-

Awesome professor, super glad I took this class with him. The material is easier than 107 but he explained every concept really well and the workload was a lot less than 107. I thought his midterm was difficult, short problem multiple choice instead of the long 2-4 problems per midterm most of my other professors gave. Final was longer problems and average was a bit higher than midterm (75 vs 73). Gave opportunity for people who did poorly on midterm to take another midterm to boost their grade up to the average. Best advice is for material pre-midterm to really go through all of the nuances and special cases, especially for things like stability, as a lot of midterm problems dealt with cases outside of lecture and needed to be done quickly. Get a good MATLAB script for running root locus, bode, and nyquist plots for the final as it's a very easy way to check your work.

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March 26, 2020
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: B+

Iwasaki is an incredible professor. He went though everything step by step and made it all super clear, did tons of example problems, and connected everything to actual physical examples. The homework was good practice and reasonable, the only issue was that exams were pretty tough. Still, I 100% taking this class with this professor.

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Dec. 17, 2022
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A

Literally the best lectures I have ever listened to. He’s clearly a veteran. He also either preemptively answered any questions or knew how to answer them quickly. Homework is generally pretty reasonable, due weekly. The exams were incredibly fair and were directly on what was taught and what was reviewed before exams, he didn’t throw any curveballs. Midterm was multiple choice and final was not. I did not attend discussion section at all, first of all because it was Fridays at 8am and second of all because the professor covered the content very thoroughly. You don’t need to reference the book either.

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0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Dec. 20, 2012
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A

one of the best professors in the ME department. His lectures are well porpared and very clear. He gives many examples which helped me understand new concepts. the exams are multiple choice form, but you really need to know the answers to get the right answers because there could be no answer or more than one answers. also the exams require you clearly understand the concepts, so just having the equations down on your cheat sheets is not enough. I highly recommend him and his lectures for those who are interested in controls.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Dec. 25, 2023
Quarter: Fall 2023
Grade: A

This class was composed of 8 homework's (20%), 1 midterm (35%), and 1 final (45%). The homework's were straightforward and reflected what we learned in the lectures. However, when I took the class the homework's did NOT reflect the midterm. The midterm was multiple choice and the final was free response. I believe the averages for both were in the mid 70s. Here are some tips for it:

1. If you can, try to get your hands on past midterms. Its not the same questions but it will help you know what to expect when going into the test. If you can't then its completely okay, you can still do fine. Just make sure you can work FAST. The problems will be easier than what you saw on the homework but you'll need to be able to complete each question really fast. Also, he grades based off your work and not your final answer, so if your process is right you'll get like 90% of the credit. To study, go over the hw and understand lecture notes. Also, do the practice problems he gives as it slightly reflects the midterm. But do note that some problems will be a little tricky but they're simple, which is why if you get past midterms you'll be set.
2. For the final, it will be entirely based on the material covered after the midterm. Really understand Nyquist and Bode plots and understand how to design a lead-lag system using bode plots (last topic). As that is probably what the questions will be composed of. Overall, this was easier than the midterm so don't stress this one but do study for it and understand the last half really well. You'll probably not see much material from before the midterm
3. GO TO LECTURE. You can't pass without doing this and he's honestly a good lecturer.

Overall, the class wasn't that bad. Its just that preparing for the midterm can be a little tricky because the format is so much different than the homework. But I would definitely take this class with him again! Good luck :)

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MECH&AE 171A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Jan. 21, 2021
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: I

For some reason, professor puts homework problems on things he hasn't taught in class. His lectures are very clear and well-thought out, but it feels like he's setting up students to fail when homework has problems ahead of the current class position.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MECH&AE 171A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Dec. 30, 2020
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: A-

Super kind professor and clear class! Although I get only A-. If more questions set can be provided before exam, it would be better.

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Jan. 1, 2023
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A-

This professor has incredible handwriting! So fun to watch him write complex symbols on the chalkboard, also his posted lecture notes on bruinlearn are incredible, Also, he is a great lecturer and clearly spends a lot of time pre-planning his lectures and study guides. He will spend a lot of time breaking down complex problems into simple steps, and will repeat fundamental concepts until they become second nature. The tests are difficult, but he prepares you for them. Both exams (1 midterm and the final) had 3 questions, 2 were very doable and the third was significantly more difficult. I would highly recommend taking this course

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MECH&AE 171A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: A-
Dec. 29, 2020

Awesome professor, super glad I took this class with him. The material is easier than 107 but he explained every concept really well and the workload was a lot less than 107. I thought his midterm was difficult, short problem multiple choice instead of the long 2-4 problems per midterm most of my other professors gave. Final was longer problems and average was a bit higher than midterm (75 vs 73). Gave opportunity for people who did poorly on midterm to take another midterm to boost their grade up to the average. Best advice is for material pre-midterm to really go through all of the nuances and special cases, especially for things like stability, as a lot of midterm problems dealt with cases outside of lecture and needed to be done quickly. Get a good MATLAB script for running root locus, bode, and nyquist plots for the final as it's a very easy way to check your work.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MECH&AE 171A
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: B+
March 26, 2020

Iwasaki is an incredible professor. He went though everything step by step and made it all super clear, did tons of example problems, and connected everything to actual physical examples. The homework was good practice and reasonable, the only issue was that exams were pretty tough. Still, I 100% taking this class with this professor.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MECH&AE 171A
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A
Dec. 17, 2022

Literally the best lectures I have ever listened to. He’s clearly a veteran. He also either preemptively answered any questions or knew how to answer them quickly. Homework is generally pretty reasonable, due weekly. The exams were incredibly fair and were directly on what was taught and what was reviewed before exams, he didn’t throw any curveballs. Midterm was multiple choice and final was not. I did not attend discussion section at all, first of all because it was Fridays at 8am and second of all because the professor covered the content very thoroughly. You don’t need to reference the book either.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MECH&AE 171A
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Dec. 20, 2012

one of the best professors in the ME department. His lectures are well porpared and very clear. He gives many examples which helped me understand new concepts. the exams are multiple choice form, but you really need to know the answers to get the right answers because there could be no answer or more than one answers. also the exams require you clearly understand the concepts, so just having the equations down on your cheat sheets is not enough. I highly recommend him and his lectures for those who are interested in controls.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MECH&AE 171A
Quarter: Fall 2023
Grade: A
Dec. 25, 2023

This class was composed of 8 homework's (20%), 1 midterm (35%), and 1 final (45%). The homework's were straightforward and reflected what we learned in the lectures. However, when I took the class the homework's did NOT reflect the midterm. The midterm was multiple choice and the final was free response. I believe the averages for both were in the mid 70s. Here are some tips for it:

1. If you can, try to get your hands on past midterms. Its not the same questions but it will help you know what to expect when going into the test. If you can't then its completely okay, you can still do fine. Just make sure you can work FAST. The problems will be easier than what you saw on the homework but you'll need to be able to complete each question really fast. Also, he grades based off your work and not your final answer, so if your process is right you'll get like 90% of the credit. To study, go over the hw and understand lecture notes. Also, do the practice problems he gives as it slightly reflects the midterm. But do note that some problems will be a little tricky but they're simple, which is why if you get past midterms you'll be set.
2. For the final, it will be entirely based on the material covered after the midterm. Really understand Nyquist and Bode plots and understand how to design a lead-lag system using bode plots (last topic). As that is probably what the questions will be composed of. Overall, this was easier than the midterm so don't stress this one but do study for it and understand the last half really well. You'll probably not see much material from before the midterm
3. GO TO LECTURE. You can't pass without doing this and he's honestly a good lecturer.

Overall, the class wasn't that bad. Its just that preparing for the midterm can be a little tricky because the format is so much different than the homework. But I would definitely take this class with him again! Good luck :)

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MECH&AE 171A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: I
Jan. 21, 2021

For some reason, professor puts homework problems on things he hasn't taught in class. His lectures are very clear and well-thought out, but it feels like he's setting up students to fail when homework has problems ahead of the current class position.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MECH&AE 171A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: A-
Dec. 30, 2020

Super kind professor and clear class! Although I get only A-. If more questions set can be provided before exam, it would be better.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MECH&AE 171A
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A-
Jan. 1, 2023

This professor has incredible handwriting! So fun to watch him write complex symbols on the chalkboard, also his posted lecture notes on bruinlearn are incredible, Also, he is a great lecturer and clearly spends a lot of time pre-planning his lectures and study guides. He will spend a lot of time breaking down complex problems into simple steps, and will repeat fundamental concepts until they become second nature. The tests are difficult, but he prepares you for them. Both exams (1 midterm and the final) had 3 questions, 2 were very doable and the third was significantly more difficult. I would highly recommend taking this course

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
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