CS 1110

Okay so this class is a great deal of work, but especially if you want to be a CS major its worth it. This is the class that made me want to be a CS major. Its fun and Tycho's office hours are great if you have questions. Personally, I liked him better than Sheriff. Also if you can find his blog its amazing and he is always willing to say a poem or draw an amazing picture at the start of class. I enjoyed this class and would take again. Best if you have CS experience before taking 1110 though, take 1112 if you've never coded before. Otherwise you'll get lost.

Personally, I had a horrible experience in this class. I had no previous programming experience, and this class was definitely not geared towards people like me. Prof Tychonievich, though seemingly nice, was not very approachable and very condescending when answering questions. His lectures were entertaining, but I did not learn much. Reading the textbook helped. I would not recommend this class unless you're an engineer/want to be a CS major.

I had a great time in this class, but it was a lot of work. The lectures were fun and interesting, as were the homework assignments and labs. Tychonievich is a very interesting guy and is pretty good at lecturing. Homework can take a lot of time to complete, but I had fun doing it every week. This class will probably be great for you if you are interested in CS, but if you aren't be prepared to work hard for an A. Either way you will learn a lot about programming!

As a student who has never coded before this class, I found this class extremely face paced. I couldn't really understand the concept very well, and it didn't really prepare me to code on a paper with a pencil for the testing. Though professor tychonovich is very enthusiastic, it was hard to catch up with his pace of teaching. I learned more about class structure and programming in cs2150, ironically. But it is a good introduction to JAVA when you've never coded in your life. T.A.s are helpful, but I wish I had gone to professor's tychonovich just to talk to him. Despite of fast-paced lecture, I recommend this class.

This professor flies through his material without stopping for anything. Definitely a very smart man who knows everything there is to know about CS, but he needs to work on his teaching skills.

This class was the most frustrating combination of interesting and stressful, at least for someone who's never taken a day of computer-related class in their life. I came in with absolutely zero coding experience and am leaving with a decently good grade, but the programs you write for homework along with the two major projects you have to code make this a pretty stressful course with a fast pace. If you have to take this as a requirement in e-school, take a deep breath and try to soak up all the lecture material. It helps to go to class, follow along in the textbook, and GO TO TA OFFICE HOURS. They'll explain the world to you. Professor Tychonievich knows what he's talking about basically 100% of the time, but he can be a hard man to reach. Overall I'd say this is worthwhile for the experience, but don't take it if you think it'll be an easy A. It won't be.

I definitely recommend this class. Came in having taken one intro CS class in high school, albeit in Python. Luther is very energetic and makes a topic that could be dry to lecture about very interesting. He codes very fast in class, but will post lecture notes and code online afterwards if you don't catch it. HW assignments are not hard and the grader gives you feedback, which gives you several attempts to get it right. The two major projects were pretty straightforward and they'll give you extra credit for adding features, which you should definitely try to do. Tests were ok--they made the final more conceptual this year and I felt like it wasn't indicative of my ability to program, but if you study the specifics of what they go over in class and tool around with edge cases on your own, you should have no problem.

I came into this class with no prior coding experience whatsoever. I scored above average on all the tests, worked hard, and ended up with an A in the class, so it's possible.

Professor Tychonievich is a very good professor who cares about his students. He is always open to students asking questions in lecture, is energetic, knows his stuff, and always tries to make the class fun. I think he's about as good as you can get for a CS professor of a large class.

The first 6 POTDs were easy, and then I started needing to ask for help & go to office hours, often for hours on end. However, the TAs are usually very helpful in getting you started with your program, so there's no reason you shouldn't do well on your POTDs if you go to office hours. The hardest part of the class for me was in the middle- then it became easier for me.

The first test was the one that challenged me the most (just because of the one long coding question) , but I did well, and the second test was fine. The final was difficult, but they curved it four points. The best way to study for the first two is do a lot of practice problems/ CodingBat. The final was more theoretical.

Overall, the class is really worth it. I really enjoy CS, and if you work hard, you'll get a lot out of it! They're switching to Python in 1110 next semester, so that should be interesting. If you're considering a CS major and have had no experience, I'd take 1110 because I've heard it prepares you more for upper-level classes than 1112.

This course started off easy but got difficult after the first exam. Tychonievich is a great teacher, and the course really pads your grade with lab (completion) grades, POTD (homework) grades, and project grades that count for a lot and are graded very leniently, so even if you are only an average coder like me, it's very easy to get an A.

To preface: I think CS is a very very important subject of study. I will be moving on to CS 2110 despite my potential majors having nothing at all to do with CS (humanities or social science related), because programming is increasingly important in every field. I would recommend taking CS 1110 (over 1010 if you plan to go on) to anybody in any major. That said, Luther Tychoneivich is one of the most unpleasant people I have ever come across. During lecture, he gives off an approachable persona because he is so into computers, but he is so unbelievably condescending if you ever dare to waste his time by asking a question after class. He tries to make a large lecture hall seem smaller by attempting to engage us, which is a good thing, but he is not very effective at making the classroom seem like an inviting place for question and answer (which is important when trying to learn a skill like programming). To every test, he wore a three piece tuxedo, which sounds entertaining, but it really just make me uncomfortable. I made eye contact with him during each of the first two tests, and he came charging at me like a bespectacled bull and brought me to a new seat which was both unnecessary and embarrassing. Forget about emails. He was just a jerk in those. TAs will be your lifeline. I found them to be extremely helpful and overall receptive to those who were having a little more trouble than most. Big thumbs up to the TAs. The grading is very fair. Many grades consist of completion work and group projects can earn extra credit, so I think they're doing it right in those two regards. I just want to reiterate: DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS WITH TYCHONIEVICH. Sherriff is much nicer, a better lecturer (my classmates and I thought Tychonievich went too quickly and my friends in Sherriff's sections never dealt with that), and not nearly as rude. My CS experience has been tainted by my professor. The only reason I'm choosing to continue is because I understand how useful CS will be for me. I'm hoping 2110 can salvage my college CS career.