INST311 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Jordan Steele INST311 Anonymous 04/24/2024	Very easy and simple class. The professor is very responsive to emails and the TA's give great feedback on the group project. The homework assignments were a bit tedious but very simple to do. Just a lot of busy work overall. This class is an easy A as long as you complete the assignments and have good group members, you'll do great!
Jordan Steele INST311 Anonymous 02/20/2024	Would not take again. Not helpful.
Ryan O'Grady INST311 Expecting an A Anonymous 02/05/2024	Professor O’Grady is a great teacher and the course page on Canvas is the best I’ve had so far (I’m a junior). Definitely make Professor O’Grady’s sections of INST311 your first pick!
Galina Madjaroff INST311 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/09/2024	The professor was nice and kept lectures engaging. She is a lenient grader and as long as you do the assignments you will end up with a good grade. The group project was spread out throughout the semester and wasn't too difficult.
Ryan O'Grady INST311 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/28/2023	Easy A class with mostly busy work and an engaging group project. Teaches and reinforces the important concepts well. Crystal clear grading criteria. Very responsive professor who takes student feedback into account.
Galina Reitz INST311 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/24/2023	Professor Reitz was great! If you come to class (in-class activities are a significant part of your grade), and complete the assignments on time, you should have no problem getting an A. You also want to make sure that you get a good group for the semester-long group project. The final exam was difficult.
Katy Lawley INST311 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/12/2023	Dr. Lawley is a super great professor and I highly recommend her for this class. Each week there's a discussion, activity, and quiz (some weeks there's only 2 of those items) but each one will take you like 15 minutes to complete. The lectures are informative and she records them but it's hard to hear so I'd recommend going. The midterm and final are online so you can use your notes and she even gives you all the slides in one document and tells you to control F to find the answer. There is also a final group project where you do a little at a time over the whole semester and you design an app. If you have a good group then it's super easy. She also offers you feedback where you submit the project before it's due and she grades it and gives you feedback on how to improve it so you can get a higher grade.
Galina Madjaroff INST311 Expecting an A+ celeryacrobatic 12/09/2023	1 star off because sometimes she seems like she is winging the lectures and hoping the material sticks. Really, all that is useful are her slides, resources, and experience with the semester long group project. Great character, lenient grading, and easy to ask for help.
Ryan O'Grady INST311 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/10/2023	Chill class. Big group project throughout the whole semester which is easy with a good group. Lots of busy work. TA's were really helpful and really led the discussions and classes well. Maybe it was just my class but I never physically saw the professor in class so that's a thing.
Sydney Triola INST311 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/03/2023	If I could give this instructor 0 stars, I would. I wouldn't take her at all. She doesn't care about other people well being. Nor does she give proper assistance on assignments, which can lead to the deduction of points on assignments.
Ryan O'Grady INST311 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/01/2023	You need to take this guy. He gives honest and great feedback and his course content makes it easy for you to understand information systems.
Katy Lawley INST311 Expecting a B Anonymous 04/28/2023	Dr. Lawley was a great professor. She explained everything in detail and provided assistance whenever needed. She gave detailed feedback on all assignments, which is certainly helpful. I would 100% recommend taking a class with her.
Sydney Triola INST311 Expecting a B Anonymous 04/25/2023	I was expecting there not to be this many reviews about this instructor. These are all 100 percent true worst teacher I have had in my whole life. Absolutely insane.
Ryan O'Grady INST311 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 04/25/2023	Such a chill dude and such a chill class
Sydney Triola INST311 Anonymous 04/24/2023	Worst professor I've ever taken! She is extremely disorganized!! And she does not like people! Beware! -1/5.
Sydney Triola INST311 Anonymous 04/19/2023	I like the content of this class, but the professor has shown me that she does not care about the student's well-being. As someone who endured an unprecedented situation, I requested an extension and she said she was "taken aback" by my email and called my request "inappropriate". All of the reviews are very accurate; do not take this class with this professor.
Sydney Triola INST311 Anonymous 04/18/2023	The absolutely worst professor I have ever had at this University. If you have a chance to not take this class with this professor do not. The fact that all the reviews say she is far left leaning at an already normally liberal college should give you all you need. No mercy on grading. This teacher needs to be up for review her class is so unorganized.
Sydney Triola INST311 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/06/2023	This is a professor who has an air of unvarnished contempt for her students. It comes through in multiple ways but is especially plain when it comes to grading, feedback and advisory meetings. The grading standards are not just applied inconsistent - they are almost completely arbitrary and might as well not exist. At the end of the day, it just feels downright abusive to be in her class. Avoid.
Ryan O'Grady INST311 Expecting an A- ntevensguyen 03/29/2023	really like this class, prof and ta's are really understanding
Ryan O'Grady INST311 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/30/2023	I took INST201 and INST311 with him. He is a very good teacher. The canvas and class is very organized makes it so easy to get work done. Also, there are weekly quizzes which are online and fairly easy. The class had a big group project which was not bad at all if you have a cooperative group. Even if you don't have a good group you honestly could do the work, but let him know and will help. Overall good guy and easy class.
Ryan O'Grady INST311 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/25/2022	Great professor. Very easy to communicate with and is very understanding. Your grade depends on a semester long project. Groups are chosen based on interests but he’s understanding if you have bad teammates.
Ryan O'Grady INST311 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/16/2022	I took this class asynchronously, but I really enjoyed it. The class itself is easy but is also super interesting. The main semester-long project is to design the app with a group and I really loved making it. He also is super responsive to emails.
Ryan O'Grady INST311 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/08/2022	Easy class, great guy, assignments are straight forward and he gives great assistance, plus the final project is good for portfolio's. Good class!
Ryan O'Grady INST311 Anonymous 12/07/2022	Such an easy class, plus he's a super nice, understanding guy. All assignments are super easy and he often cancels Friday class. He also responds in a timely manner which is refreshing
Ryan O'Grady INST311 Expecting an A Anonymous 10/29/2022	Easy class but entirely busy work which is not always well explained if you have to take the class then take it with him but try to avoid the class in general.
Matthew Patrick INST311 Expecting a C Anonymous 07/02/2022	DO NOT TAKE INST 311 WITH HIM! I literally almost failed my class and he never responds to any emails or gives any reasoning for a grade deduction.
Ryan O'Grady INST311 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 04/28/2022	O'Grady is a great professor! He knows what he's talking about and is entertaining to listen to during lectures. This class was organized phenomenally on ELMS which made it super easy to keep track of assignments and readings. He posts all the lecture videos and slides online, so you don't need to come to class every now and then if needed. Also, the App project is probably my favorite project I've done for a class just because it was spread out throughout the semester so well that I was never stressed about it, and I am still confident in my group's final product. Workload was medium to light, and he also made class asynchronous occasionally which was a nice break. Overall great and easy class if you pay attention in class and to the upcoming assignments!
Ryan O'Grady INST311 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/23/2021	O'Grady is chill. Just make sure you come to class and make efforts to understand the concepts you'll do really well. He makes his class very engaging and adjusts his style and content based on student reviews. There is a lot of group work though so be prepared for that. Other than that, his exams and quizzes are based on lectures and slides he posts but they are really easy.
Ryan O'Grady INST311 Expecting an A+ maonianwah 12/06/2021	O'Grady is a great professor, and his lecture videos are great for learning the material. You'll really appreciate his organization and consistency, especially if you take it online.
Ryan O'Grady INST311 Expecting an A Anonymous 10/15/2021	O'Grady's class was extremely well organized, making it super easy to learn. I learned a lot in this class with very little stress. I would highly recommend taking him.
Katy Lawley INST311 Expecting an A Anonymous 07/11/2021	Her class is great. She's a great professor and everything is explained extremely well. There's rubrics for almost every assignment, so if you follow them, it's practically guaranteed As. Everything is open book, open course, open note, open internet, buy you just can't collaborate with others, so exams and quizzes are easy.
Ryan O'Grady INST311 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/23/2021	The exams/quizzes were open note and open Google, and he always had the weekly modules prepared far in advance, and if you submitted the assignments, you got an A. Absolutely solid choice for INST311 professors.
Ryan O'Grady INST311 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/15/2021	Great professor, he made the course asynchronous while still giving us the materials to succeed. Easy class and a great professor!
Ryan O'Grady INST311 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/03/2020	His recorded lectures are great - straight forward, easy to understand. Work is not too lax but not too stressful. For the online class, it was usually a discussion, an ILRA, and a response to his lecture video (usually just three bullet points you learned) each week. Sometimes there was a quiz, sometimes there wasn't. Sometimes there was a part of your final project due, sometimes there wasn't. He also responded to my emails quickly and his TA was really nice and critically helpful when grading/leaving comments.
Chad Doran INST311 Expecting an A jgold8610 12/06/2019	I've learned a lot through his online class. He's a very lenient grader and gives great feedback on papers. There tends to be one discussion post and one quiz per week but those are very simple if you remember to look through the slides.
Katrina Fenlon INST311 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/29/2018	This is her first year teaching, but she is a great professor. She cares a lot of about her students success and listens to student feedback. Most of the material isn't too complicated, but she teaches the material pretty well. Be prepared for a lot of in-class activities that count towards a participation grade, so attendance is mandatory. However, I missed a few lectures and my grade wasn't really affected so just don't miss a ton. Overall, she is a great addition to UMD!
Katy Lawley INST311 Expecting an A- Anonymous 08/08/2018	I took her summer course and she is a great professor. She is a hard grader but you will actually learn in this class. She is always available and will answer your emails quickly. There are a lot of assignments but all of the exams and quizzes are open-book. I wish she would let us pick our team members.

Jordan Steele
INST311

Anonymous
04/24/2024

Very easy and simple class. The professor is very responsive to emails and the TA's give great feedback on the group project. The homework assignments were a bit tedious but very simple to do. Just a lot of busy work overall. This class is an easy A as long as you complete the assignments and have good group members, you'll do great!

Jordan Steele
INST311

Anonymous
02/20/2024

Would not take again. Not helpful.

Ryan O'Grady
INST311

Expecting an A
Anonymous
02/05/2024

Professor O’Grady is a great teacher and the course page on Canvas is the best I’ve had so far (I’m a junior). Definitely make Professor O’Grady’s sections of INST311 your first pick!

Galina Madjaroff
INST311

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
01/09/2024

The professor was nice and kept lectures engaging. She is a lenient grader and as long as you do the assignments you will end up with a good grade. The group project was spread out throughout the semester and wasn't too difficult.

Ryan O'Grady
INST311

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/28/2023

Easy A class with mostly busy work and an engaging group project. Teaches and reinforces the important concepts well. Crystal clear grading criteria. Very responsive professor who takes student feedback into account.

Galina Reitz
INST311

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/24/2023

Professor Reitz was great! If you come to class (in-class activities are a significant part of your grade), and complete the assignments on time, you should have no problem getting an A. You also want to make sure that you get a good group for the semester-long group project. The final exam was difficult.

Katy Lawley
INST311

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/12/2023

Dr. Lawley is a super great professor and I highly recommend her for this class. Each week there's a discussion, activity, and quiz (some weeks there's only 2 of those items) but each one will take you like 15 minutes to complete. The lectures are informative and she records them but it's hard to hear so I'd recommend going. The midterm and final are online so you can use your notes and she even gives you all the slides in one document and tells you to control F to find the answer. There is also a final group project where you do a little at a time over the whole semester and you design an app. If you have a good group then it's super easy. She also offers you feedback where you submit the project before it's due and she grades it and gives you feedback on how to improve it so you can get a higher grade.

Galina Madjaroff
INST311

Expecting an A+
celeryacrobatic
12/09/2023

1 star off because sometimes she seems like she is winging the lectures and hoping the material sticks. Really, all that is useful are her slides, resources, and experience with the semester long group project. Great character, lenient grading, and easy to ask for help.

Ryan O'Grady
INST311

Expecting an A
Anonymous
11/10/2023

Chill class. Big group project throughout the whole semester which is easy with a good group. Lots of busy work. TA's were really helpful and really led the discussions and classes well. Maybe it was just my class but I never physically saw the professor in class so that's a thing.

Sydney Triola
INST311

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/03/2023

If I could give this instructor 0 stars, I would. I wouldn't take her at all. She doesn't care about other people well being. Nor does she give proper assistance on assignments, which can lead to the deduction of points on assignments.

Ryan O'Grady
INST311

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/01/2023

You need to take this guy. He gives honest and great feedback and his course content makes it easy for you to understand information systems.

Katy Lawley
INST311

Expecting a B
Anonymous
04/28/2023

Dr. Lawley was a great professor. She explained everything in detail and provided assistance whenever needed. She gave detailed feedback on all assignments, which is certainly helpful. I would 100% recommend taking a class with her.

Sydney Triola
INST311

Expecting a B
Anonymous
04/25/2023

I was expecting there not to be this many reviews about this instructor. These are all 100 percent true worst teacher I have had in my whole life. Absolutely insane.

Ryan O'Grady
INST311

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
04/25/2023

Such a chill dude and such a chill class

Sydney Triola
INST311

Anonymous
04/24/2023

Worst professor I've ever taken! She is extremely disorganized!! And she does not like people! Beware! -1/5.

Sydney Triola
INST311

Anonymous
04/19/2023

I like the content of this class, but the professor has shown me that she does not care about the student's well-being. As someone who endured an unprecedented situation, I requested an extension and she said she was "taken aback" by my email and called my request "inappropriate". All of the reviews are very accurate; do not take this class with this professor.

Sydney Triola
INST311

Anonymous
04/18/2023

The absolutely worst professor I have ever had at this University. If you have a chance to not take this class with this professor do not. The fact that all the reviews say she is far left leaning at an already normally liberal college should give you all you need. No mercy on grading. This teacher needs to be up for review her class is so unorganized.

Sydney Triola
INST311

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/06/2023

This is a professor who has an air of unvarnished contempt for her students. It comes through in multiple ways but is especially plain when it comes to grading, feedback and advisory meetings. The grading standards are not just applied inconsistent - they are almost completely arbitrary and might as well not exist. At the end of the day, it just feels downright abusive to be in her class. Avoid.

Ryan O'Grady
INST311

Expecting an A-
ntevensguyen
03/29/2023

really like this class, prof and ta's are really understanding

Ryan O'Grady
INST311

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
01/30/2023

I took INST201 and INST311 with him. He is a very good teacher. The canvas and class is very organized makes it so easy to get work done. Also, there are weekly quizzes which are online and fairly easy. The class had a big group project which was not bad at all if you have a cooperative group. Even if you don't have a good group you honestly could do the work, but let him know and will help. Overall good guy and easy class.

Ryan O'Grady
INST311

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/25/2022

Great professor. Very easy to communicate with and is very understanding. Your grade depends on a semester long project. Groups are chosen based on interests but he’s understanding if you have bad teammates.

Ryan O'Grady
INST311

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/16/2022

I took this class asynchronously, but I really enjoyed it. The class itself is easy but is also super interesting. The main semester-long project is to design the app with a group and I really loved making it. He also is super responsive to emails.

Ryan O'Grady
INST311

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/08/2022

Easy class, great guy, assignments are straight forward and he gives great assistance, plus the final project is good for portfolio's. Good class!

Ryan O'Grady
INST311

Anonymous
12/07/2022

Such an easy class, plus he's a super nice, understanding guy. All assignments are super easy and he often cancels Friday class. He also responds in a timely manner which is refreshing

Ryan O'Grady
INST311

Expecting an A
Anonymous
10/29/2022

Easy class but entirely busy work which is not always well explained if you have to take the class then take it with him but try to avoid the class in general.

Matthew Patrick
INST311

Expecting a C
Anonymous
07/02/2022

DO NOT TAKE INST 311 WITH HIM! I literally almost failed my class and he never responds to any emails or gives any reasoning for a grade deduction.

Ryan O'Grady
INST311

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
04/28/2022

O'Grady is a great professor! He knows what he's talking about and is entertaining to listen to during lectures. This class was organized phenomenally on ELMS which made it super easy to keep track of assignments and readings. He posts all the lecture videos and slides online, so you don't need to come to class every now and then if needed. Also, the App project is probably my favorite project I've done for a class just because it was spread out throughout the semester so well that I was never stressed about it, and I am still confident in my group's final product. Workload was medium to light, and he also made class asynchronous occasionally which was a nice break. Overall great and easy class if you pay attention in class and to the upcoming assignments!

Ryan O'Grady
INST311

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/23/2021

O'Grady is chill. Just make sure you come to class and make efforts to understand the concepts you'll do really well. He makes his class very engaging and adjusts his style and content based on student reviews. There is a lot of group work though so be prepared for that. Other than that, his exams and quizzes are based on lectures and slides he posts but they are really easy.

Ryan O'Grady
INST311

Expecting an A+
maonianwah
12/06/2021

O'Grady is a great professor, and his lecture videos are great for learning the material. You'll really appreciate his organization and consistency, especially if you take it online.

Ryan O'Grady
INST311

Expecting an A
Anonymous
10/15/2021

O'Grady's class was extremely well organized, making it super easy to learn. I learned a lot in this class with very little stress. I would highly recommend taking him.

Katy Lawley
INST311

Expecting an A
Anonymous
07/11/2021

Her class is great. She's a great professor and everything is explained extremely well. There's rubrics for almost every assignment, so if you follow them, it's practically guaranteed As. Everything is open book, open course, open note, open internet, buy you just can't collaborate with others, so exams and quizzes are easy.

Ryan O'Grady
INST311

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/23/2021

The exams/quizzes were open note and open Google, and he always had the weekly modules prepared far in advance, and if you submitted the assignments, you got an A. Absolutely solid choice for INST311 professors.

Ryan O'Grady
INST311

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/15/2021

Great professor, he made the course asynchronous while still giving us the materials to succeed. Easy class and a great professor!

Ryan O'Grady
INST311

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/03/2020

His recorded lectures are great - straight forward, easy to understand. Work is not too lax but not too stressful. For the online class, it was usually a discussion, an ILRA, and a response to his lecture video (usually just three bullet points you learned) each week. Sometimes there was a quiz, sometimes there wasn't. Sometimes there was a part of your final project due, sometimes there wasn't. He also responded to my emails quickly and his TA was really nice and critically helpful when grading/leaving comments.

Chad Doran
INST311

Expecting an A
jgold8610
12/06/2019

I've learned a lot through his online class. He's a very lenient grader and gives great feedback on papers. There tends to be one discussion post and one quiz per week but those are very simple if you remember to look through the slides.

Katrina Fenlon
INST311

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/29/2018

This is her first year teaching, but she is a great professor. She cares a lot of about her students success and listens to student feedback. Most of the material isn't too complicated, but she teaches the material pretty well. Be prepared for a lot of in-class activities that count towards a participation grade, so attendance is mandatory. However, I missed a few lectures and my grade wasn't really affected so just don't miss a ton. Overall, she is a great addition to UMD!

Katy Lawley
INST311

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
08/08/2018

I took her summer course and she is a great professor. She is a hard grader but you will actually learn in this class. She is always available and will answer your emails quickly. There are a lot of assignments but all of the exams and quizzes are open-book. I wish she would let us pick our team members.

Reviews for INST311