Prof Vitaliy Kurlin: mathematics & computer science

Recognition of excellence in teaching Summary of past student evaluations

Anonymous student comments on modules Past courses taught at different universities

Recognition of excellence in teaching

• Anonymous reviews by students at RateMyProfessors.
• In May 2017 after moving from Mathematics to Computer Science, the following comments were received on COMP315 (Technologies for E-Commerce) taught for the first time in the Department of Computer Science, see the evaluation.
  • "Previous forums have discussed teaching quality, I think its only fair to do the same here. (I believe) I speak for the majority of students when I say that the organization and teaching of this module has been outstanding! In three years of studying I do not believe another module has been this well taught. Thank you."
  • "Agree. Vitaliy's dedication and way of teaching is unique in the department, keeping it very pragmatic and providing different examples and points of view that improve the student experience. Thanks :)"

In May 2013 Dr Vitaliy Kurlin was shortlisted by students as one of 3 final nominees for the Lecturer of the Year award by DSU (Durham Student Union) in the Faculty of Science. Here is the congratulation from DSU (png, 544K) with the gift mug:

• The Lecturer of the Year award goes to the one member of staff from each faculty
  who has performed best in reference to meeting the following criteria:
  • This lecturer will have made you feel like a valued learner.
  • This lecturer will ensure the course is intellectually stimulating.
  • This lecturer will be engaged with an exceptional knowledge and understanding of the subject area.
  • This lecturer will be motivational and inspiring.
  • This lecturer will be Innovative in their delivery.
• Here is a small selection of student comments that were kindly provided by DSU (Durham Student Union):
  • "His unique teaching style make Dr Kurlin's lectures efficient, easy to follow and extremely interesting".
  • "Dr Kurlin explains very hard concepts in such a way that they become absolutely clear.
    Mathematics in my eyes has become easier after attending his lectures".
• In May 2009 students praised the delivery of Topology III by Dr Vitaliy Kurlin.
  As a result, the e-learning methods and tools of Topology III were presented
  at the annual showcase in June 2009 to colleagues across Durham University.
• Dr Vitaliy Kurlin's innovations in teaching are the following:
  • More shorter assignments instead of fewer but longer assignments,
    this practice from 2008 was adopted by the whole department in 2013.
  • Answering anonymous student questions on a discussion board on-line,
    this practice from 2009 was adopted by Peter Bowcock, the deputy head
    (for teaching) in the department and by few other colleagues in 2013.
  • No deadlines, so students can submit all their homework at any time
    to avoid inevitable clashes with similar deadlines in other modules.
  • Draft marking of homework when feedback is given within an hour
    on all first attempts and students may re-submit their updates later.

Back to Top of this page | Back to Home page

Summary of past student evaluations

• Spring 2019 : anonymous comments on COMP315 (Technologies for E-Commerce).
• Spring 2018 : anonymous comments on COMP315 (Technologies for E-Commerce).
• Spring 2017 : anonymous comments on COMP315 (Technologies for E-Commerce).
• Autumn 2016 was a transition to the new department of Computer Science without teaching.
• The maths modules by Dr Vitaliy Kurlin are ranked below among all modules for the same cohort.
  All figures and comments below for 2009-2016 can be confirmed by maths.office@durham.ac.uk.
• Single Maths B in Spring 2016 : see the comments on this service course (multivariable calculus) for 1st year undergraduates whose main subjects are engineering, physics, chemistry, biology etc.
• Topology III, Autumn 2015 : rank 1-2, overall average 93%, comments
  • Content of the module: rank 1, average score 90%
  • Clarity of the lectures: rank 1-2, average score 93%
  • Feedback on homework: rank 1-3, average score 87%
  • On-line resources/support: rank 1, average score 95%
• The academic year 2014 - 2015 was a secondment at Microsoft without teaching.
• Topology III in Spring 2014: rank 1-2, overall average 93%, comments
  • Content of the module: rank 2, average score 92%
  • Clarity of the lectures: rank 3-4, average score 93%
  • Feedback on homework: rank 1, average score 92%
  • On-line resources/support: rank 1-2, average score 96%
• Topology III in Autumn 2013 : rank 1, overall average 96%, comments
  • Content of the module: rank 2-3, average score 91%
  • Clarity of the lectures: rank 1, average score 96%
  • Feedback on homework: rank 1, average score 96%
  • On-line resources/support: rank 1, average score 98%
• Topology III in Spring 2013: comments
  • Content of the module: rank 4, excellent 66.7%, good 30%
  • Clarity of the lectures: rank 3, excellent 86.7%, good 10%
  • Feedback on homework: rank 1, excellent 80%, good 16.7%
  • On-line resources/support: rank 2, excellent 86.7%, good 10%
• The module Analysis in Many Variables II was especially challenging, because of
  the largest class (over 200) in year 2, where some students haven't studied
  the epsilon-delta argument for continuity of even 1-variable functions.
• Analysis in Many Variables II in Autumn 2012: comments
  • Content of the module: rank 3, excellent 51.7%, good 43.3%
  • Clarity of the lectures: rank 4, excellent 52.5%, good 31.7%
  • Feedback on homework: rank 3, excellent 60.8%, good 33.3%
  • On-line resources/support: rank 1, excellent 70%, good 20.8%
• Topology III in Spring 2012:
  • Content of the module: rank 1, excellent 36%, good 46%
  • Clarity of the lectures: rank 2, excellent 49%, good 42%
  • Feedback on homework: rank 2, excellent 42%, good 52%
  • On-line resources/support: rank 1, excellent 79%, good 12%
• Analysis in Many Variables II in Autumn 2011:
  • Content of the module: rank 2, excellent + good 87%
  • Clarity of the lectures: rank 3, excellent + good 88%
  • Feedback on homework: rank 4, excellent + good 85%
  • On-line resources/support: unfortunately not rated
• Topology III in Spring 2011:
  • Content of the module: rank 3, excellent 36%, good 50%
  • Clarity of the lectures: rank 4, excellent 50%, good 36%
  • Feedback on homework: rank 2, excellent 46%, good 27%
  • On-line resources/support: rank 2, excellent 64%, good 23%
• Topology III in Spring 2010:
  • Content of the module: rank 2, excellent 60%, good 25%
  • Clarity of the lectures: rank 1, excellent 70%, good 25%
  • Feedback on homework: rank 1, excellent 50%, good 40%
  • On-line resources/support: rank 1, excellent 85%, good 15%
• Topology III in Autumn 2009:
  • Content of the module: rank 2, excellent + good 94.7%
  • Clarity of the lectures: rank 2, excellent + good 84.2%
  • Feedback on homework: rank 1, excellent + good 89%
  • On-line resources/support: rank 1, excellent + good 94.7%

Back to Top of this page | Back to Home page

Anonymous student comments on taught modules

Spring 2019 | Spring 2018 | Spring 2017 | Spring 2016 | Autumn 2015 | Spring 2014 | Autumn 2013 | Spring 2013 | Autumn 2012

• General comments on lectures of COMP315 (Technologies for E-Commerce) in Spring 2019
  • "Good short questions at the end of slides. Good homework prepared for the exam"
  • "Lecture notes are to the point and detail things just as needed. The homework feedback is a great idea and the module is fantastically taught"
  • "Lecture slides are short but very informative. Homework is also short but asks for the most important parts."
  • "The weekly homework helps a lot about the contents of this module and Vitaliy is very responsible and always encouraged us to think critically."
  • "This module is of use for me to understand the E-Commerce mechanism. Dr. Kurlin's teaching method is very detailed and easy for me to understand, this module set homework in every stage, it gave me a good understanding of this subject."
  • "This was one of the best modules I've attended. Homeworks were a very good way to both evaluate and encourage understanding."
  • "Vitaly is one of the best lecturers. The lecture content is understandable. Each lecture has max 8 slides in total which i prefer as it does not overwhelms you."
  • "Well done with example, fun, reachable."
• Up to three things that students liked about the module
  • "Knowledgeable and passionate professor. Interesting content"
  • "Homework helped with revision and help understand the topics more"
  • "Homework is a good practice."
  • "Lecturer. Content. Flow of the content"
  • "Lecturer's explanation of module content. Detailed homework and solutions. Easy to understand slides"
  • "Length and partitioning of the course. Some history background has been introduced. Homeworks"
  • "Positivity, encouragement of excellence"
  • "Professor is nice, this subject is very applicable, lots of example"
  • "Slide. Homework. Teaching style in class"
  • "The information provided on the slides is sufficient to comprehend everything about the module (as in the slides are self-contained). The lecturer also makes sure to expand on things so that we get a better grasp of the subject"
  • "Well Taught, Engaging, Lecturer is very enthusiastic"
  • "Well taught, the lecturer is clearly interested in the topic and is very good at transferring his knowledge on to us"
  • "the assement and feedback, interesting class"
  • "Homework with solutions and feedback, should be done for all modules"
  • "Lecturer promoted/enforced good learning practices (discipline and others). Lecturer engaged with the class a lot"

Back to All anonymous comments | Back to Top of this page | Back to Home page

• General comments on lectures of COMP315 (Technologies for E-Commerce) in Spring 2018
  • "Dr. Kurlin is an impressive lecturer. The way he taught the COMP315 fits me well and his lecture notes were clear and updated."
  • "Good lecturer who provided well produced lecture slides."
  • "Lecturer knows and presents material well, very interesting."
  • "Lecturer was enthusiastic and offered good support via vital [a virtual learning environment]."
  • "The module was well run, and it was clear that Vitaliy spent a lot of time preparing lectures"
  • "The teacher is patient and teaches really good."
  • "Very interesting and relevant. Well-taught and easy to understand."
  • "Very interesting topics, thoroughly covered and delivered. In simple words, a fresh start every morning (10 am lectures never felt so good to be very honest). We get a summary of the lecture at the end, some questions to challenge our brains a bit and a lecturer that smiles at all times. Great experience, 10/10, i do not regret choosing this module."
  • "Vitaliy is great, really enjoyable lecturer. Engaging and explains things well and takes time to answer questions, he cares about the students! Lectures run like clock work, perhaps a little too much, would be nice to finish 5 minutes early on occasion. Definitely one of the most enjoyable (if not the most) modules of the year."
  • "the teacher considers and organize the module well, especially the learning materials, it is very useful and greatly teach the module"
• Up to three things that students liked about the module
  • "- Lecturer's accent"
  • "- Well - taught - Interesting and relevant to the course"
  • "- lecturer was enthusiastic and taught well - vital 'wiki' is a good idea, although not overly used"
  • "1) lecturer 2) lecturer slides 3) lecture capture"
  • "1. Well-organized lecture notes 2. Quick responsive reply in email and online forum"
  • "1. interactive learning approach 2. interesting topics 3. class atmosphere"
  • "Dr Vitaliy Kurlin. Content was engaging and interesting. Structure was good"
  • "Really good lecturer"
  • "Subject matter Manner of the presentation"
  • "Teacher makes lesson very interesting"
  • "Useful for employment/ understanding of insustry. Good pacing"
  • "for (i=0; i < infinity; i++) { System.out.println("Slides, Topic, Dr. Kurlin"); }"
  • "punctuality, well-delivery, well-organised"
  • "what the module said is useful"
  • "teacher"
  • "really liked the active learning session for lecture 23, really like the questions at the end of each lecture, really like the idea of an anonymous discussion board"

Back to All anonymous comments | Back to Top of this page | Back to Home page

• Comments on lectures of COMP315 (Technologies for E-Commerce) in Spring 2017
  • "Lecture material very balanced between background and examined content. The delivery of such content was appropriately concise."
  • "Lecturer explained everything thoroughly and was very responsive to any questions. Prepared us very well for the exam. Material was clear and gave us good understanding."
  • "Loved it, professor is really good"
  • "Lovely lecturer"
  • "Module was well taught, no issues, lecturer was very happy to help"
  • "Really great module, very interesting and a great lecturer who is very well organised and enthusiastic about his subject"
  • "The PowerPoints notes of this module are very easy to understand."
  • "every class, our teacher prepares a folder for students to write problems. furthermore, the discuss board in the vital will help us to solve problem"
  • "Its great as it is"
  • "1) Concise lecture material. 2) Relevance of material. 3) White-board 'walk through' examples with a range of opportunities set up to ask / answer questions"
  • "1. Use of past exam questions to reinforce lecture material. 2. Lecturer comes off as enthusiastic. 3. Lecture material is clear and concise."
  • "1. knowledge can be well delivered. 2. less assignments. 3. relevant to current technology."
  • "1. the teacher is very responsible 2. the PPT is concise. 3. i like the lecturer teaching way."
  • "Good lecturer - always available to help and updated slides and listened to feedback etc."
  • "Lecturer is trying to get students involved"
  • "Lecturer was very competent. Lecturer was extremely helpful. Lecturer always made time for our questions."
  • "Lecturers teaching style with the questions at the end and the vital forum."
  • "Well taught. Lecturer enthusiastic and knowledgable"
  • "the lecturer, the subject and how well organised it was"

Back to All anonymous comments | Back to Top of this page | Back to Home page

• Comments on lectures of Single Maths B in Spring 2016
  • "The real exam problem examples used are very useful in providing clarity to the more general notes being made on the material."
  • "Vitaly makes the course interesting and enjoyable."
  • "Brilliant lecturer. Wish we had him last term as well."
  • "Dr kurlin is very good at explaining the (often difficult) material in a way which is easy to follow, and does not move to quickly though the lecture."
  • "Epiphany lecturer was a huge improvement on the Michaelmas one, explains things more thoroughly, examples are more clear and goes over aspects of the homework done poorly."
  • "I love Vitaly. He's funny, does amazing notes, explains things well, clearly loves his subject. I would switch to Maths degree if Vitaly did all my lectures."
  • "I really enjoy smb lectures this term compared to last term and compared to other module lectures."
  • "Lecturer is very good. He makes his lecturers interesting and enjoyable."
  • "Such a good lecturer!"
  • "The lecturer has a great level of interaction with the students which makes the material easy to understand."
  • "The material given to us via DUO is meticulously organised making it extremely easy to follow which examples go with which lecture."
  • "The online notes are organised very well! The hints and solutions are very useful."
  • "This is the best lecturer in my entire course."
  • "Vitaliy is by far the best lecturer that I have had this year across all of my modules. He engages the students during lectures and the online resources on DUO are extremely useful. He never fails to clarify any misunderstandings people have with the notes and his lectures are very enjoyable to attend."
  • "Vitaliy was absolutely brilliant."
  • "Vitaly is far better than last terms lecturer. I feel as if I am actually learning, rather than trying to keep up with the breakneck pace like last term."
  • "vit is awesome :)"
  • "Very good to have hints in the lecture notes as well as organisation of the lecture notes to show similar examples."
  • "I've been able to print out the lecture notes before the lecture which is so helpful."
  • "It would have been handy to have received a hard copy of the homework/tutorial problems as done in SMA. However Vitalys online handout is very well layed out and much appreciated!"
  • "example exam questions in lectures and in the notes each week is brill"
  • "opposed to the situation in the first term, the material in the handouts is sufficient to complete homeworks and overall to understand the subject"
• Comments on tutorials of Single Maths B in Spring 2016
  • "Amazing and thorough explanations, thank you so much Vitaliy!"
  • "Dr kurlin goes through the problems in detail and makes sure each step is explained Dr. Kurlin is an excellent tutor and is very approachable to everyone in the group, making it easy to come forward with any problems."
  • "I had Dr Kurlin and Mr Aaronson have both been my tutors they are have really helpful."
  • "question handouts have been v useful so far, good idea"

Back to All anonymous comments | Back to Top of this page | Back to Home page

• Staff-Student committee on Topology III in Autumn 2015: "A lot of praise was received for this course. The lecturer creates an environment in which students actively ask questions which are then followed up by the lecturer. There is a lot of interaction in the problems classes, the lecturer is friendly and engages students. Comments were also received that they are the best problems classes due to the atmosphere of interaction; it’s very easy for students to give and receive direct feedback."
• Comments on the content of Topology III, Autumn 2015
  • "A little bit faster pace would be good. Otherwise v. enjoyable."
  • "I find this to be one of the most interesting third-year courses. I particularly like the easy-to-understand, broken-down treatment of what is one of the more daunting modules. The balance between theory and examples is perfect."
  • "I get most of the enjoyment from the course via the diagrams that are drawn, I think they are important to conceptualise the topics."
  • "Really enjoying the course."
  • "The contents is highly interesting, and I especially like the early parts of the course as the lectures begin first with Euclidean spaces, then slowly generalising, and getting into the more abstract material. Abstraction is hard, and it is introduced slowly. I also like that the examples too, have this similar patterns of slowly going into abstraction. An example immediately following a Def, Thm or Lemma is usually very specific and easy to understand, then it gets harder and more abstract again."
  • "The start of the course started off quite slow, with no terribly difficult content covered, but it picked up after a few weeks and has been good since."
• Comments on the delivery of Topology III, Autumn 2015
  • "The lecturer is extremely clear in explaining theories and examples in lectures."
  • "All of the above, lecturer is approachable and very helpful."
  • "Best lecturer I have had in Durham. I hope he keeps teaching the course in future years."
  • "Best lecturer I have had so far. Very approachable and very good at conveying his messages. Material delivered at a good pace, which is really helpful as it is not the easiest course."
  • "If anything, the pace seems a little slow, which is actually impressive given that we began the term two lectures behind. However, there is less to write in general, so all the slower pace really means is you have time to listen and follow what is going on."
  • "Lecturer is very good, possibly the best this year. Very clear."
  • "Perfect organisation in my opinion. The highlights are non deadlined homework that reduces stress in a busy lifestyle. also, the hyperlinks on the online notes, the structured questions and fast marking make this module extremely easy to learn from. I have attended an office session and I felt like very welcome. questions are always encouraged. the material is given at a consistent pace that you can prepare for and is challenging but not overwhelming."
  • "The lecturer delivered the materials really well, he goes slow enough to make the abstract content easy to follow and digest, but not too slow that it's boring. I also notice that some really hard lectures are usually immediately followed by easier, more geometric ones, which is really good because then it balances the difficulty of the material. And whenever asked a question, the lecturer always start answering with "You are right that..." I feel that it makes asking questions less scary and intimidating, as we first get an assurance of some correct understanding, before our concerns are addressed when the lecturer answers the questions. The Discussion Board on DUO is really helpful too as we can post anonymous questions, and usually questions get answered really quickly by the lecturer."
  • "The lecturer has great communication skills and is always eager to take on extra questions/receive feedback. The notes are some of the most comprehensive and well-written I've seen in my time at Durham, and I particularly like that each section constitutes one lecture, and that all propositions/definitions/examples are clearly identified and numbered, both in the notes and in lectures."
  • "Vitaly is a brilliant lecturer, probably the best I've ever had throughout my three years at Durham. He is excellent at explaining the concepts in the course, and is very capable of answering any questions we put to him."
• Comments on the feedback in Topology III, Autumn 2015
  • "By far and a way the most efficient homework marking of any lecturer. Usually an hour after the lecture you hand it in it's marked. Knows what on the homework we're likely to struggle with and gives hints in the lectures to the harder questions."
  • "Feedback is super fast. I really like that I can hand in a draft a week in advance to get feedback and then another week to check my mistakes or errors - this makes me feel like I am actually learning and taking in the material."
  • "Homework system is on point."
  • "I really like the draft system for the homework, and the difficulty is just right. The feedback is very helpful in seeing how to improve my solutions. I would personally like to see optional extension problems, but the lecturer has agreed to mark attempts to any problem submitted, which is an excellent option to have when working alone on harder problems."
  • "The soft deadline idea and the obvious option to be able to submit or resubmit any work every week is very comforting and also very handy when you just can't get the right answer on some things.."
  • "The work given is alright I think. I especially like the fact that the lecturer gives much guidance into solving these problems, there are hints given, but the hints aren't giving away too much, so that a good amount of thinking is still required to solve them."
  • "Work set is appropriate. Marking is amazing in terms of speed and usefulness of feedback!"
• Comments on the resources of Topology III, Autumn 2015
  • "Once again all very good."
  • "Online material is the best I've seen since Algebra 2"
  • "The notes are simply excellent, particularly in their structure."
  • "The notes are very good."
  • "The online notes are brilliant, it's complete and easy enough to read. And the fact that it gets updated regularly means that the lecturer can amend the notes according to any particular needs that arise. For example, a proof was found to be too hard in a lecture, the lecturer then adds more details to the proof in the notes to make the argument easier to follow. And the hints to homework too changes as questions are asked and the changes reflect these questions."
  • "There is always a new influx of improved resources. These notes are the best I've seen. 100% here."
  • "Very good set of online notes provided."
• Comments on the tutorials of Single Maths B, Autumn 2015
  • "Seeing the first problems of a new topic solved by the tutor is really helpful for being able to apply the technique to more complex examples later on. This also makes the notation used much easier to follow after seeing examples of what it refers to."
  • "Tutor very helpful and good at explaining when i don't understand."
  • "Very good tutor, helps a lot by going through problems the class are having trouble with in detail."
  • "Helps to understand the lecture material a lot."
  • "lovely chap"

Back to All anonymous comments | Back to Top of this page | Back to Home page

• Comments on the content of Topology III, Spring 2014
  • "Interesting course with little prior knowledge assumed."
  • "The content is extremely interesting! My favourite module this year! level of knoledge assumed is appropriate. enough examples considered."
  • "We have covered so much material and yet I feel well supported in how it has been taught."
• Comments on the delivery of Topology III, Spring 2014
  • "Easily the best lecturer I've had."
  • "Prof Kurlin is a great lecturer who takes time to iron out misunderstandings and keeps his notes in tip top condition."
  • "The best taught module in my course. All the concepts are put across effectively, with well-chosen examples and applications of theorems. Vitaliy is a very good lecturer."
  • "The lecturer interacts with the students very well and makes the lectures really interesting. The material is delivered at a good pace and appropriate time is spent looking at examples."
  • "Very well organised and very helpful lecturer"
  • "Vitaly is a very good lecturer, always sets our his notes on the board clearly."
• Comments on the feedback in Topology III, Spring 2014
  • "Difficulty is usually appropriate, however there were 1 or 2 homework questions that were extremely hard. On the other hand, we get some hints, which guide us through a question quite efficiently. homeworks are marked very quickly (within a day), and can be collected any time (so we don't have to wait until the next lecture to collect them, which is very good)"
  • "Also, the feedback from homeworks very useful, the comments are very encouraging and motivating."
  • "The possibikity ti hand in homeworks without any deadline was really helpful, it eliminates pressure and gives us enough time to work on those homework questions."
  • "Feedback is good and marking is very quick. I do find some of the homework quite hard and feel I have to rely on the online hints more than I would like."
  • "Good amount of work, sometimes a little challenging but always doable"
  • "The flexible homework deadlines are very helpful, with very quick and helpful feedback. There is excellent provision of additional practice problems as well."
• Comments on the resources of Topology III, Spring 2014
  • "Best set of handouts there is, so detailed."
  • "Notes online are simply amazing!"
  • "Online notes are brilliant."
  • "The lecture notes online are very detailed and helpful and at the same time they differ from the lectures slightly, both in examples and approach, so that they provide a good complement to the lectures themselves rather than an alternative."
  • "Very good online notes and problems"
• Comments on the tutorials of Analysis in Many Variables II, Spring 2014
  • "I have got a lot out of tutorials. The problems have been interesting and I have enjoyed attemptong them. The tutor is very helpful whem I am stuck on a problem and makes sure that I am happy with the question and understand it. It is also very helpful when the tutor later goes through the questions on the board so I can see if I am correct or where I have gone worng and why. This has helped develop my understanding of the course and also my confidence and interest in mathematics."
  • "Very good atmosphere in tutorials and queries are always answered. We reach clear solutions and tutorial notes are very good to revise from."

Back to All anonymous comments | Back to Top of this page | Back to Home page

• Comments on the content of Topology III, Autumn 2013
  • "The content is interesting and little is assumed that isn't already known. The explanations of new concepts are clear and helpful, with many examples to help illustrate the point."
• Comments on the delivery of Topology III, in Autumn 2013
  • "The lectures have a good balance of interaction and teaching."
  • "The lecturer is amazing at explaining new concepts, is very clear, very approachable and most importantly very enthusiastic about his subject. Even the most hard concepts become simple once Dr Kurlin explains them in the lecture. The notes are very well organised, extremely clear."
  • "Course is very well taught, things are in general very well explained."
  • "The content has been made very easy to understand by the lecturer."
  • "Dr. Kurlin is very approachable, and always asking for feedback. The organisation of the material is flawless."
• Comments on the feedback in Topology III, Autumn 2013
  • "I like the system of setting homeworks as drafts and then final copies - and the difficulty of the homework is about right."
  • "Being able to submit drafts is very helpful. Comments on homeworks are always clear and helpful."
  • "Perfect quantity, relevance and appropriate difficulty. Homeworks are being marked very quickly (within a day), which is very helpful. The feedback comments are very encouraging and motivating!"
  • "The marking is very fast. The homework has a good level of difficulty, since it is not trivial but also can be simplified using hints provided on the lecture notes."
  • "Fantastic feedback on homework, with 1st and 2nd drafts. Wish all of my modules had the same homework structure!"
• Comments on the resources of Topology III, Autumn 2013
  • "Excellent online resources. Again, wish all of my modules had the same online resources".
  • "The lecture notes are really well organised and useful."
  • "The notes online contain everything we need: problems, examples, exam questions, theory. There is a link to recommended textbooks on the page, which is very helpful. The discussion board on DUO also deserves being mentioned: whenever we have a question we have an oppotunity to anonimously ask the lecturer about it. The responses are always very quick and clear."
  • "Lecture notes are brilliant and well organised. Very thoughtful."
  • "Online notes are very helpful."
• Comments on the tutorials of Linear Algebra I, Autumn 2013
  • "Dr Kurlin explains very well any problems that I may have, and make everything simple! I always enjoy this hour of the week!"
• Comments on the tutorials of Analysis in Many Variables II, Autumn 2013
  • "Offers very good explanations and tutorials are always productive and useful."
  • "I have found the tutorials very useful and they have helped me enormously in understanding the material and solving problems. Dr. Kurlin explains the material very well and is good at explaining the problems when we go through them together. I have also met him outside the tutorials to discuss material that I was unsure about and he was very helpful."

Back to All anonymous comments | Back to Top of this page | Back to Home page

• Comments on the content of Topology III, Spring 2013
  • "I cannot speak any higher of this lecturer. He is approachable, the lectures are well structured with a good balance of examples and theory. He has made it very easy for us to ask questions setting up numerous avenues for us to do such. This is how all lectures should be taught and this just highlights the difference in quality between this and other modules. He has handed out his own personal anonymous questionnaires twice this term to gauge our opinion of his lecturing."
  • "This term has been pretty fascinating. The content has never been dull in my opinion. I've really enjoyed it, and have often found that it sheds light on the material of first term."
  • "Wonderful balance. Each new theorem or idea is supported with an example, and we regularly see problems from past papers, giving me confidence that we'll know what to do in the exam!"
  • "Clearly structured course with summary notes available from the start. Lots of opportunity to ask questions, and lecturer really makes an effort to make sure they are answered."
  • "Good examples used in the lectures. He uses old exam questions as examples which is good as it shows what sort of level the questions will be at."
  • "The content is very interesting and the way that Vitaly likens it to real life scenarios makes it more so."
  • "The material this term is very interesting, and much easier to follow now that we have more substantial examples, rather than first term, which was much more theory heavy."

Back to All anonymous comments | Back to Top of this page | Back to Home page

• Comments on the delivery of Topology III, Spring 2013
  • "This form is completely irrelevant for a module taught by Dr. Kurlin. He is by far the most organised lecturer I have ever had and has already considered all of these sections within his own module page. This is a great deal of work which I would not expect from a lecturer, but I am grateful for it."
  • "Vitaliy is a god amongst men. His lecture style is clear and methodical, with excellent pace. He has made wonderful use of duo, and regularly requests feedback so that he knows exactly what we need from the course. My only request is that you send all lecturers to Vitaliy for lessons on how to get it right (or at the very least request that he produces a guide book)."
  • "This lecturer is one of the best I've ever had in terms of the clarity of his teaching, his approachability and the effort he puts in to every lesson."
  • "Lectures notes are delivered very well. There are also extra notes online that also help better my understanding of the material and the discussion board he has put up on duo is very useful."
  • "It's really good that we are strongly encouraged to ask questions about things that we don't understand, whether it be through the 'Question Folder' in lectures, face-to-face in a lecture, or using the Discussion Board on DUO."
  • "Material is delivered clearly and at a good pace, with the aim of each lecture clearly stated at the beginning."
  • "Lecturer is excellent, very clear and approachable."
  • "Lots of times to ask questions, quick responses on discussion board."
  • "The lecturer explains things clearly and organises the course material well."
  • "Vitaliy is a good lecturer and presents everything consistently and clearly."

Back to All anonymous comments | Back to Top of this page | Back to Home page

• Comments on the feedback in Topology III, Spring 2013
  • "I love the set up that he has for homework. Being able to hand in a draft copy and get really good constructive feedback on it and then having the opportunity to go away and correct it before handing it in again is inspired. I was a bit unsure of the system at first but after getting the first draft back I could see how useful it was going to be. If other modules could do this, i think it would significantly improve everyones understanding of the module. It works so well because when you get a homework back normally, you know that you can't do anything to change the mark you have got so you are less inclined to look at it again and go through your mistakes. This is a stroke of genius! Providing hints for the homework it great too. If you can do the homework then you don't need to use the hints but if you are struggling then using the hint to do a bit of the homework is surely better than not handing anything in because it is too difficult."
  • "Homework set up is very good. 4 slightly smaller homeworks a term works a lot better than fewer larger assignments. It is very useful to be able to hand in a draft copy, get it marked and see the comments and then be able to hand in a final copy which uses the comments."
  • "It's been fantastic that the homework deadlines are flexible. I love that I can hand in a homework at any time and that it will get marked promptly. The questions are challenging but doable, and the marking is thorough, meaning I understand my errors."
  • "I very much approve of the lecturer's attitude to homework, allowing the students the freedom to do it in their own time. Sometimes you are too busy working on one topic to do a homework in another and that has been recognised."
  • "It has been extremely useful having four sets of marked homework this term, it's a really good way to make sure that I have understood the material covered in the lectures."
  • "Lots of opportunities to hand in homework. I like the way he sets out the HW: There are 4 per term, and you can hand in a draft for feedback before handing in a real copy. The HW can be handed in at any point. Really Good!"
  • "marking is given back to us within a day which is good. The feedback always helps the second time I attempt the homework."
  • "Feedback for the work is very useful, and work is usually ready to collect on the day it is handed in."
  • "Set work is challenging, but hints are provided, and attempting the problems always significantly aids understanding"
  • "Feedback/marking is particularly excellent."
  • "Very quick marking."

Back to All anonymous comments | Back to Top of this page | Back to Home page

• Comments on the resources of Topology III, Spring 2013
  • "The online notes for this module are exceptional. You can tell that they have taken a long time to produce and they are very useful."
  • "The notes provided online are brilliant. They are so good, and yet attending lectures is still worthwhile because the lectures are so engaging."
  • "The information on DUO is all very helpful, particularly the lecture notes which are updated regularly and are an extremely useful resource for reference."
  • "The lecture notes provided on duo are such a great resource, they are clear and concise and cover the entire course in detail and will be really helpful during revision."
  • "Good links to relevant videos and really good online notes, with hints to the HW's too."
  • "The online notes for this course are very good, and clearly follow the structure of the lectures."
  • "Very good use of DUO page - plenty of up to date resources."

Back to All anonymous comments | Back to Top of this page | Back to Home page

• Comments on the content of Analysis in Many Variables II, Autumn 2012
  • "Coherent, easy to see the jump from one section/ lemma etc. to the next."
  • "course follows on well from year 1 calculus"
  • "Excellent content and good balance of theory and examples"
  • "Good balance of building on old ideas and bringing in new ones. Really enjoying AMV."
  • "I find this course very relevant and interesting. I like the variety of problems and can apply the course to real life scenarios."
  • "Lots of topics, but am interested in the cource, which is challanging"
  • "Quite theoretical but clearly useful and the theory is very applicable"
  • "The content is excellent so far, but I would like slightly more theory, if possible and necessary, of course. Examples are as clear as possible. This is probably one of the best courses I have had since I am student here."
  • "The content is great and fascinating! The lecturer indeed rose my interest in the module and it is one of my favourite! Simply the best!"
  • "The course is very well structured. I am 100% satisfied with it."
  • " The examples are very clear and relevant, applying directly what we lean in the theory. I like that the questions we look at in lectures are exam styled questions. Problem class questions also very well chosen. Appropriate level of knowlegde assumed and very interesting."
  • "FANTASTIC balance between theory and examples. Problems classes, tutorials and homeworks follow the course exactly, which makes completing homeworks an enjoyable task."
  • "The most well organised course I have undertaken to date. Great lecturer, clear in his explanations. Good lecture style. Course page on DUO is outstanding in terms of being thorough and organised."
  • "Coherent, easy to see the jump from one section/lemma etc. to the next."

Back to All anonymous comments | Back to Top of this page | Back to Home page

• Comments on the delivery of Analysis in Many Variables II, Autumn 2012
  • "Although he is slightly unconventional in that he does not talk while writing, his lectures have good structure and the best balance between theory and examples. He explains things concisely and effectively. Anon question folder - really excellent idea. Answers questions quickly. Online discussion board well used and quickly responded to by lecturer"
  • "Replies very quickly to emails and is happy to organise a meeting - this is really great. Communication very good- always asking for feedback and uses this to improve the lectures."
  • "Online lecture notes cover material from lectures, but attending is still worthwhile as extra explanation is given. This makes revision easy and lectures still engaging, relavant and useful"
  • " Brilliant- feedback taken on board really well, but perhaps don't keep asking as it is confusing for you and us- all big problems have been sorted!"
  • "Clear delivery, very good approach. Most of the material taught I learn in the lectures so there is no necessity to spend a lot of hours at home trying to understand the course. This is clear indication how easy and understandably is given the course by the lecturer. No negative remarks about this feature of the course."
  • "Extremely well organised, which makes the course material flow better and makes it easier to understand. Also, the way the homework questions are set i.e. one for each lecture, means that it is easier to read lecture notes and remember more from them."
  • "He has really improved across the term in engaging the audience. Loved the hammer vs microscope comment."
  • "I like how the lectures are split into obvious sections."
  • "I think the delivery of lectures is fantastic. Sometimes it would be useful to have the concepts explained in a physical terms (such as the curl of vector fields), but usually I find the lectures quite comprehensible."
  • "Lecturer explains concepts very well. Lecture style is good and clear."
  • "Lecturer is generally clear and easy to follow"
  • "Probably the best teaching approach by lecturer. I appreciate his will to adapt to an audience and update his lectures accordingly. Any other lecturer's should take example from him."
  • "The lecturer explains very hard concepts in such a way that everything becomes clear. The way Dr Kurlin writes first and then explains is a very efficient way of teaching. Very satisfied!"
  • "The lecturer is always asking us for feedback and adapts himself to anything we require, which I appreciate very much."
  • "The lecturer is very good at explaining and does not rush at all. I would also not be afraid to approach him with any questions."
  • "The lectures are interesting and the lecturer delivers them in a way that everyone could understand the material on the spot. Lectures are not rushed and easy to follow."
  • "The lectures are well structured and easy to follow"
  • "The most well organised course I have undertaken to date. Great lecturer, clear in his explanations. Good lecture style. Course page on DUO is outstanding in terms of being thorough and organised."
  • "The organisation and quality of the lecture notes online is outstanding, I have always been able to clarify anything confusing from lectures by reading the notes online."
  • "Very clear, and entertaining!"
  • "Very good lecturer, provides extremely detailed and helpful notes too."
  • "Very well organised. Best module by far in this respect."
  • "Vitaly is a brilliant lecturer. Clear and precise"
  • "We like the online question thread. Layout of lectures very clear, with titles and 4 part split of content, really helpful when rereading notes."
  • "Tutor is the lecturer, very clear and well explained. Correspond very well with lectures."
  • "Dr Kurlin explains key points well, I have never come out of a tutorial feeling confused or that there is material I do not understand."

Back to All anonymous comments | Back to Top of this page | Back to Home page

• Comments on the feedback in Analysis in Many Variables II, Autumn 2012
  • "Each homework has been very consistent in terms of the time take/difficulty. There is always a good mix of easier and more difficult questions. Work is always returned quickly with helpful feedback and the solutions/hints provided online are very usedul!"
  • "Everything is relevant and appropriate"
  • "Examples in tutorials and problem classes link well to the homeworks and homeworks set are of a good level."
  • "Good amount of time to complete work - work is often very relevant to covered material new response. Good amount of work- hints provided if neccessary. Follows examples from lectures, tutorials and problems classes"
  • "Very easy to find the work online- would like printed sheets though. Strong emphasis on understanding, rather than getting the right answer - this is important. Assignments marked quickly- solutions posted online VERY quickly. Lecturer sends an email when the solutions are available."
  • "Work is given good feedback- clear to see where mistakes and misunderstandings are. Hints are helpful."
  • "Homework questions are useful and if you get the stuck the hints help alot"
  • "I appreciate the online hint system."
  • "Set work is good for understanding the material better."
  • " The problems are always relevant to the examples done in class. The only thing I would suggest is to make homework weekly rather than bi-weekly."
  • "The problems covered in lectures/problem classes are directly relevant to h/w problems and the hints given on duo are useful, I often don't need them but they are very good to have to check your own methods"
  • "The work is very accessible and takes an appropriate amount of time to complete. It is not overly difficult and is very relevant."
  • "Work set is very helpful to understanding the material."
  • "Great hints for homework"
  • "I like how he gives hints and solutions to the problems set."

Back to All anonymous comments | Back to Top of this page | Back to Home page

• Comments on the resources of Analysis in Many Variables II, Autumn 2012
  • "All of the materials I need are available on the course webpage or in the library. I have no trouble finding anything."
  • "As stated before, the online lecture notes are fantastic"
  • "A very good selection of online resources"
  • "best lecture by far notes are far beond eexpected very very good"
  • "Best Module by far for resource support"
  • "Brilliant"
  • "content online is excellent but would be nice to have some paper handouts"
  • "Excellent amount of handouts and notes are all available online"
  • "Excellent online material and questions"
  • "Excellent online notes"
  • "Excellent resources on DUO"
  • "Handouts are amazing."
  • "He gives good support."
  • "His use of online notes is extremely useful: his online resources are very good, especially the document which provides hints and further examples for homework questions."
  • "i find the notes online extremely helpful"
  • "I like the online lecture notes with examples"
  • "Like the materials on the Internet, on DUO."
  • "More handouts would be good, although the lecture summaries on DUO are excellent"
  • "notes get updated very quickly, we get all the notes online, we get hints to problems. All of this is amazingly useful."
  • "Notes on duo are detailed and helpful."
  • "Notes online are very helpful, the hints are especially valuable when really struggling to understand."
  • "Notes updated and they're very useful"
  • "Online notes and examples are well organised and clear"
  • "Online notes and solutions etc are great!"
  • "Online notes are excellent"
  • "Online resources are good, and the textbooks are fine too. Very helpful that if one is stuck there are hints in the online resources"
  • "Rich amount of resources, some of which are posted as electronic files in DUO. Hovewer, further improvement will be if the lecturer points some specific chapters or pages in the resources in order to give us idea on what material from the books we should focus. Apart from this, everything else is fine."
  • "The lecture notes and homework tips online are excellent"
  • " The lecturer is excellent for providing resources! The notes he provides online are very useful, as are the worked problems."
  • "The material provided on the website is particularly precise and helpful."
  • "The online notes are extremely useful."
  • "The online notes are useful, especially for homework."
  • "the online notes are very clear and hints on the homework problems are useful"
  • "The online notes are very helpful."
  • "The online resources are amazing, and the regular updates are much appreciated."
  • "There's practically a book constantly updated online which is invaluable"
  • "The web page is really good - it would be nice to have some more handouts."
  • "Very good online notes, extremely useful and well laid out etc"
  • "Very impressive and up to date notes online."
  • "Very well organised web page with relevant and appropriate resources"
  • "Web notes very useful"

Back to Top of this page | Back to Home page

Past courses taught at different universities

• Since 2017 : Computer Science, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
  • Autumn 2019 : COMP229 (Introduction to data science), 30 lectures + 10 tutorials (3+1 per week), 204 year 2 students
  • Spring 2019 : COMP315 (Technologies for e-commerce), 30 lectures (3 per week), 190 year 3 students
  • Autumn 2018 : COMP229 (Introduction to data science), 30 lectures (3 per week), 208 year 2 students
  • Spring 2018 : COMP315 (Technologies for e-commerce), 30 lectures (3 per week), 180 year 3 students
  • Autumn 2018 : COMP213 (Advanced object-oriented programming), 30 lectures, 10 computer labs, 245 year 2 students
  • Spring 2017 : COMP315 (Technologies for e-commerce), 30 lectures (3 per week), 200 year 3 students
• 2007-2016 : Mathematical Sciences, Durham University, United Kingdom
  • 2015-2016 : Topology III (40 lectures twice a week, 30 year 3 students)
  • 2013-2014 : Topology III (40 lectures twice a week, 35 year 3 students)
  • Spring 2013 : Topology III (19 lectures, 2 problems classes, 53 year 3 students)
  • Autumn 2012 : Analysis in Many Variables II (20+5 lectures, 5 tutorials in 8 groups, 200 year 2 students)
  • Spring 2012 : Topology III (19 lectures, 2 problems classes, 42 year 3 students)
  • Autumn 2011 : Analysis in Many Variables II (20+5 lectures, 11 tutorials in 5 groups, 230 year 2 students)
  • Spring 2011 : Topology III (19 lectures, 2 problems classes, 32 year 3 students)
  • Autumn 2010 : Analysis in Many Variables II (20+5 lectures, 11 tutorials in 6 groups, 245 year 2 students)
  • 2009-2010 : Topology III (40 lectures twice a week, 33 year 3 students)
  • 2008-2009 : Topology III (40 lectures twice a week, 35 year 3 students)
  • 2007-2008 : Topology III (25 lectures twice a week, 50 year 3 students)
• 2005-2007 : Mathematical Sciences, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
  • Autumn 2005, Autumn 2006 : Mathematics for Economics and Business (12 tutorials, 15 year 1 students)
  • Spring 2006, Spring 2007 : Multivariable calculus (6 tutorials, 6 year 1 students)
• 2002-2005 : Independent University of Moscow, Russia
  • Spring 2005 : Introduction to knots (special course, 10 year 2 students)
  • Spring 2002 : Hyperbolic geometry (tutorials, 15 year 1 students)
• 2000-2001 : Moscow State University, Russia
  • 3-dimensional topology (special course, 5 year 3 students)

Back to Top of this page | Back to Home page