ECE 2630

Bobby is a great guy. He's very helpful in office hours and is very understanding with due dates and other logistical issues. However, he often moves pretty fast and doesn't really pause to see how the class is understanding the material. I did take this the first time he taught it, so in future semesters I expect him to be more organized. The TAs are generally awful so don't rely on them for help.

I found this class to be very difficult but overall worthwhile. If you're going to be taking any more ECE classes, you will basically need to have all the material taught during the semester memorized.

Professor: Bobby is a nice professor. If you ever need an extension with anything he is very likely to give it you. That being said, when presenting material, despite this being an introductory class, Bobby tends to teach it as if we already have experience. The nuances of something you just learned last class will be treated second-hand nature, despite not receiving any practice. Get as much experience from outside sources as possible.

Homework: As I'm sure people have stated already and will continue to complain, the homework is unreasonably difficult because he intends for you to "think" while doing them but often times the solution can only be found if you happened to think of one obscure approach out of several possible approaches. Keep in mind this is still an intro-class. Attend his office hours if you want to make any progress on these.

Labs: This semester was a bit of an experimental semester with new equipment and labs that were just written in August. Lab reports went up to 40 pages of screenshots, diagrams, and other needless busy work along with occasionally complicated questions. You will be placed into groups the first day based on your location, may the odds be ever in your favor. Although long, the reports aren't graded very strictly.

The class:
Really hard material, especially if you have never seen it before. I'm not sure if this is how it was introduced or the actual material, but this was rough. Definitely need to put some work in and make sure that you have a good group to study with.

Bobby:
I found Bobby to be pretty condescending and a really frustrating teacher. This doesn't mean he isn't approachable or a nice guy, he would just sometimes come across as a pretentious ass which is really annoying when you struggle with the material anyway. He is however really helpful in office hours and they are a MUST to get the homework done (though sometimes his hours are a little sparse). Also watch out for the fact that he likes to introduce a topic in lab, then give you homework on it, then give you a quiz on it and THEN teach it to you. Bobby teaches this class with heavy emphasis on proving things and physics background stuff which is probably why I am not such a fan.

Pros:
- Bobby is really awesome. He's a great lecturer and is very approachable.
- There is an okay curve.
- Learn a lot in this class.

Cons:
- Homework is just a few problems and they're always really hard.
- Exams are really hard.
- Lab reports are a lot of work.
- Three hour classes are the worst.