INST326 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Gabriel Cruz INST326 Expecting a D+ Anonymous 11/21/2024	not accommodating
Aric Bills INST326 Anonymous 10/30/2024	His lectures are done through videos on elms and then he expects you to have questions on the video and asking during class. If you like this type of learning style then this class may be up your ally. But I personally hated it because there was never really a right time to ask questions in class because he kind of expects you to know the material since you have watched the videos. The amount of awkward silence whenever he asked questions based on his online lectures is funny. This class isn't asynchronous btw. Office hours were also really weird as they were done through text on discord as most TA's didn't want to zoom. There is also no curve in this class plus 4 midterms and a final presentation.
Aric Bills INST326 Expecting a B Anonymous 10/30/2024	I put expecting a B because I am aiming for a B or higher but I'm not sure if that will actually happen. I believe the glaze for this professor is kind of crazy. I really wish someone could have told me NOT to take this guy. He is very reasonable, he will give you an extension on almost everything and you dont need a reason for it. You also set how long you want the extension which is pretty neat. Now I never had to worry about turning things in late so this wasnt really much of a plus for me. He does random attendance quiz on any given day and if you were to come 5 minutes late, you're out of luck. I and many people have talked to him about it and he is pretty firm about it. Another thing, people won't admit it but so many people have private tutors, were previously comp sci majors, or have had previous experience in python that gave them an edge in this class, or they are simply retaking this class. So it looks like everyone is understanding the general memo but people really arent!! You are not alone. INST126 was a joke, that class did not prepare me for 326 at all and no amount of studying and lecture watching and asking of questions helped me either. For reference, I do sit in the front of the class and go to office hours regularly. But this class is actually very hard but it doesn't feel hard at the same time. He provides examples for how to do certain code but then we get our assignment and its as if we are in a masters class. His code does not prepare you at all for his assignments, it really makes no sense!!!! Even he himself knows everyone uses chatgpt. Like there is literally no way the information you have provided us so far is able to complete these assignments. Not too mention, one time I had a question on an assignment and I asked the TA for more help. Not even the TA knew the answer. So if I dont know, and you don't know, who's gonna know?? But yeah, all in all, I wish I took this class online. My friend is also taking this class online and they can admit that it is much easier than it being done in person. They do not have 4 midterms plus a final presentation. It really is just an added stress when you realize other people in 326 classes are not going through the same pain as you. For now, on I will be closely looking at the reviews for professors with high ratings because this is ridiculous. TLDR; If you just want an A do not take this professor, if you are aiming for retention(which isn't that beneficial in my opinion as you can learn in many ways outside of school), then take this professor.
Aric Bills INST326 Expecting an A- Anonymous 10/27/2024	This guy is a social reject. Genuinely he tries to teach you something but he teaching us some of the most useless things in python that we will never use in the real world. What kind of a professor takes the last attempt on a quiz as the grade and not the best grade. Tbh if you wanna learn useless subjects take him if not take any other professor.
Zahra Farhadi INST326 Expecting an A Anonymous 07/23/2024	If you're looking to genuinely learn Python, I highly recommend taking a class with Professor Farhadi. She has a knack for explaining concepts clearly, making it easy for beginners to grasp coding fundamentals. Professor Farhadi also posts lecture slides ahead of time, allowing students to prepare in advance. Attendance in discussion sessions is mandatory, as they take attendance, but these sessions are extremely beneficial. The course itself is quite manageable, with no major exams—just two quizzes. Your grade primarily depends on projects and activities completed during discussion sessions, where group work is encouraged. If Professor Farhadi were to teach any other INST classes, I would definitely enroll in them.
Christopher Dempwolf INST326 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 07/12/2024	Dr.Dempwolf is a really amazing and caring professor. He genuinely cares about his students and is really passionate about the subject. His class can be a bit disorganized at times but it doesn't hinder the clarity of his instruction for projects/deadlines.
Matthew Patrick INST326 Expecting an A Anonymous 06/19/2024	Probably the best course I've taken at umd - super organized professor and very willing to help students. The flexibility of the course was wonderful. Really liked the TAs too, although some grades could have been posted a little sooner
Aditya Aswin Kumar INST326 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/21/2024	Very helpful and communicative. Walks through code and helps you get through assignments and exercises if you're running into any problems.
Aric Bills INST326 Anonymous 05/05/2024	not a bad guy or lecturer but he never grades anything ever for so long. i literally don't know my grade and the sem ends this week. also you'll have to take 4 in-person, closed-note, closed-laptop, on-paper coding exams, do with that info what u will!
Aric Bills INST326 Expecting a C Anonymous 05/01/2024	While Bills is a good person, I WISH someone told me not to take him. He has 4 on-paper python exams (no cheat sheet, closed laptop, etc). He is very lenient for late work if you email him before the due date, but he also gives attendance quizzes that close 5 min into class, so you don't get credit if you're more than like 3 minutes late. Also, he and his TAs refuse to grade or put anything into elms. It is May 1st, and we currently have 3 grades put into elms (one which was auto bc it was an elms survey). I have to manually calculate my grade from a month ago based on the few grades they put into gradescope. You'll like his class if you're already comfortable with python and are on time to almost every single class. And also if you can carry your group project. He is a good guy though, just a harsh, slow grader and a bit old-fashioned (on paper coding)
Matthew Patrick INST326 Anonymous 02/16/2024	Reviews don't accurately represent this course in my opinion. The concepts were understandable with a little bit of effort on the student's part. He held live sessions to answer questions and explain concepts and even gave us a pass on some of the quizzes where we would get free points. I enjoyed it. Just wish there were recorded lectures for students to view.
Scott Dempwolf INST326 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/09/2024	I didn't have much experience with Python before this class but the professor gave us examples and broke down the code for most assignments. He is very willing to answer questions and change assignments around based on student needs. One star off because the lectures and slides revolved around the book, which I didn't find helpful, but overall I recommend taking him.
Matthew Patrick INST326 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/28/2023	Python course is straightforward with helpful resources and clear assignment expectations. Very reasonable workload.
Matthew Patrick INST326 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/23/2023	Instructor didn’t teach a thing. He puts out power point slides every week, additional reading materials, and gives assignments. The TAs grade the assignments. There is also a final project that I spent weeks on, just to have it not graded. The professor didn’t communicate that either, he just submitted final grades without even touching our final projects. I wasted so much time on it. I don’t know what he does, but he sure does not lift a finger to be a part of this class.
Aric Bills INST326 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/20/2023	I love this guy lol. Aric really does care about all his students developing Python skills and provides enough resources for everyone to leave the class able to program proficiently. He provides video lectures and practice to be watched and done from wed-sun so that on Monday you come in ready to use the lecture skills on an in-class exercise. I stress that everyone comes to class on Mondays as he gives practice points simply for being present in class and doing the exercise, if you don't finish the exercise you have until the start of class on Wednesday to submit. If you run into trouble he and his TAs have so many office hours available and they're all mostly online through Discord so you really have no excuse to not go to office hours to get help. I really wouldn't have done so well in his class if it weren't for office hour help sessions. Other tips for success: - For lecture vids, have your screen split half vid, half jupyter lab to take notes (highly recommend taking notes in jupyter lab as the graded practices are jupyter notebooks) - In class don't just sit and watch him go over concepts, take notes during this time. I recommend doing them in jupyter or on an ipad or physical pen and paper as his whiteboard doodles sometimes contain things like tables and little diagrams and generally you remember more by writing. Also his exams are pen and paper so the more you get used to writing code by hand the better you'll do on the exams. - Do his practice exam several times over and take his practice pages seriously!! His practices are quite similar to his actual exams, he never does things to purposely confuse you he is quite clear on what is going to appear on the exam. - Do all work ahead of time, especially homeworks!! Office hours are your best friend. - Try to scout out people you want to work on the final project ahead of time, (would recommend sitting closer to the front of the class and finding people who are always present in class and work hard) - Do his whiteboard activities, it's kinda embarrassing to go up and participate but the social anxiety-provoking aspect of it helps you remember better I swear.
Matthew Patrick INST326 Expecting an A+ Naruto 12/18/2023	If you are great at Python you should be fine in his class. If you are bad or mediocre at python he won't do you any favors. Choose Aric Bills.
Gabriel Cruz INST326 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/14/2023	He's ok. No exams so that's a nice thing. You have weekly exercises during discussion and there's 4 big homework assignments. He says he will help, but he's usually busy, so you got to rely on the TAs. Lectures are not mandatory but they're also not helpful, so you have to teach yourself a good portion of the content.
Aric Bills INST326 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/11/2023	Aric and his class are fantastic. His coursework can be tough, but you get some valuable learning out of everything you do in Python. Although you learn a good chunk of the course content online for homework, The lecture videos he posts every week are nice and easy to follow and make examples out of for homework and projects. His exams are tough but reasonable, and they follow the structure of the practice exams almost to a tee. The cherry on the top is that his office hours are very open-ended and are online, too, so you can drop in whenever they're open (they're open quite frequently and even go pretty late some nights) and get some big help with anything you're having issues with. Overall, coming from comp sci, his course structure is definitely a league above any other programming class I've taken here so far.
Gabriel Cruz INST326 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 09/28/2023	Excellent professor. He goes over all the content; if you ask questions, he will answer. People are just salty because they haven't programmed or aren't trying to in the future, so they are shocked that they had to be engaged just a bit to get an A.
Aric Bills INST326 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/25/2023	Aric was one of my favorite professors by far. Sometimes the coursework can be quite challenging, however, there are so many office hours that you can always find someone to help. Also, going to class was always reinforcing the lecture videos watched before class. Most weekly assignments consist of watching lecture videos and completing a Jupyter notebook before Monday's class, starting a coding exercise in Monday's class to be done by Wednesday morning, and the occasional 3 times a semester coding assignment due on Friday. Overall, definitely super manageable and would 100% take it with him again. He also is super understanding about needing extension and prioritizes learning above all else.
Aric Bills INST326 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/25/2023	Definitely not an easy course compared to INST126, but aric gives you the resources and the materials to succeed. Hes a compassionate guy that cares about his students, and is a great teacher in my opinion. The course in general is pretty tough, especially if you're not an experienced programmer. But in general he's a great teacher and I recommend this course
Matthew Patrick INST326 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/22/2023	optional lectures, organized course, and lots of resources. would definitely take again
Aric Bills INST326 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/16/2023	Amazing teacher and will definitely help you learn Python better. I personally learned nothing from INST126 and Aric made it so I learned Python. He has a lot of TA's who are extremly helpful so office hours aren't loaded. There is a bit of work so start things early. He has 4 exams but they are only 25% of your grade. Overall would definitely recommend.
Bill Kules INST326 Anonymous 04/28/2023	I had Dr. Kules for INST326 and he was a great professor. The course was a bit challenging, but he was very patient and helpful. I would certainly take another class with him.
Daniel Pauw INST326 Anonymous 02/14/2023	He teaches 326 this semester and I can say that these first few works have been some of the worst in my life. He throws you into material that you haven't really learned yet and he's so disconnected from reality that it's insane. Whenever you ask him a question he'll either redirect you to the TA or just reread the directions of the assignments even slower offering no assistance whatsoever. He only does office hours once a week for an hour and it consists of him asking questions to the questions you ask. Avoid him at all costs if he ever teaches again.
Aric Bills INST326 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/25/2022	Aric’s definitely one of the best professors on campus. Coming with mediocre python skills, his class challenges your growth and understanding starting from the basics to more convoluted subjects. He’s generous with extensions and office hours. All his UTA’s are very helpful and available. Don’t slack on practices, late penalty is 50%.
Aric Bills INST326 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/13/2022	I wouldn't rate Aric a full 5 stars. Lectures don't really cover concepts, you watch videos on your own time, and come to class to complete practice assignments based on the concepts the videos covered. Another thing is the homework assignments, the homework assignments are honestly rather difficult. You'll likely pass, but be prepared to struggle. Tough grader as well, here's what to expect in the class: 4 major coding homeworks (1 ended up being dropped due to aric getting sick and the schedule got funky) 4 exams 1 group project Weekly practice and exercises Exams are actually not bad, practice exams are provided and the actual exams are VERY similar to practice ones. The group project also isn't too bad, you come up with an idea for a program and execute it. The worst part are the homeworks, but if you are comfortable or rather comfortable with basic python concepts, you'll pass! it might be intimidating the first couple weeks and you may begin to doubt your ability, but stick to it, I really was considering dropping the class because I was doubting myself, but I'm glad I didn't because I really do feel I came out as a better programmer.
Matthew Patrick INST326 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/05/2022	not sure why there's the hate in the some of these reviews... professor was very clear that the course was going to be asynchronous from the beginning. and whenever i did go to lecture he was really helpful and nice. i didn't have to waste time going to lectures and labs for stuff i already knew or could easily google which saved me so much time. there were other in-person sections for 326 too, feel like some people would've just had a better experience there. honestly this was one of the best classes i've taken, but to each their own ig
Aric Bills INST326 Anonymous 11/30/2022	Aric is the absolute man. He is so understanding and willing to compromise if you need an extension. This is also the class in which I've learned the most in my entire experience. I came in as a very below average coder but Aric got me up to speed and now I'm so much more comfortable with Python. The workload is definitely not easy but he's a fantastic teacher. Also a great lecturer. My favorite professor thus far for sure.
Matthew Patrick INST326 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 11/22/2022	Do not recommend this professor. Nice guy, but class relies entirely on reading slides, the textbook, and an optional lecture every 2 weeks. If you are not confident in your Python skills this is not the professor to take, you will likely fail. I have learned nothing from the course material and have to rely on google for learning. Office hours are constantly swamped. TA's are not helpful I have gotten responses such as "this is a simple concept to understand, re -read the question" downright degrading and unmotivating.
Matthew Patrick INST326 Expecting a C Anonymous 10/31/2022	I do not recommend taking this professor as he uses previous course materials and expects you to work on assignments on things that have not even been taught yet.
Gabriel Cruz INST326 Expecting a B- Anonymous 06/15/2022	If you are as good as a professor at Python, take this course. The professor never tells us anything related. You'll have to find everything on the Internet. It will also inform you of the assignment through a link to the MIT professor's lecture. If we understand and understand that, we'll be sitting at MIT. TA also doesn't know what the task is about. When you ask a question, you say, "Uh……" for half an hour. If you're really confident in Python, go for it!
Aric Bills INST326 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 02/09/2022	Aric is one of my favorite professors at UMD. He is extremely fair to students and very accessible outside of class. His assignments can be hard and time-consuming but the instructional team is always available to give you guidance. I learned so much about python in his class and I feel that he genuinely cares about and wants to connect with his students.
Aric Bills INST326 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/13/2022	Pros: Prof. is very down to earth, easy going, understanding, great feedback, class has both in person and online lectures. Some struggled in this class, but I have previous programming experience so it was much easier for me. I learned a lot and nearly earned a 100%. Cons: Nothing honestly, I really enjoyed this class and he's one of my favorite Profs. at UMD.
Edward Summers INST326 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/06/2021	Professor Summers is a truly kind person, and he wants his students to learn. This semester he had each second class of the week be a working session, so that he could show an example of how to do the lab, to give students who attended the online session a head start on how to complete it.
Aric Bills INST326 Anonymous 11/16/2021	He's so nice and his lectures are incredibly well-organized and easy to understand. The pace of the class is great and I really feel like I've learned a lot compared to other coding classes I have taken.
Aric Bills INST326 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 08/13/2021	Honestly an amazing professor that wants you to understand the topics the class goes over very well. The documentation for all projects is very detailed and clear, plus the explanations for all the concept is really easy to understand. Aric is also a really nice person and very understanding. He's willing to take time to talk with you one on one so that you can go over what you don't understand with him and try to clear up any difficulties. 100% recommend taking him if he has a class in the semester.
Edward Summers INST326 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/03/2021	His online class has been great. Prof. Summers is very nice and approachable, and did his best to accommodate the online learning environment. The class is made up of one 10pt assignment due every Sunday, and he goes over the concepts and usually provides template code in lecture. You can even use his template code as long as you alter it in some way, provide comments, give it another function, etc. The projects were focused on data analysis mostly, and we used real Covid-19 vaccination and testing data from the MD dept. of Health in our projects. It was really cool to use data analysis on actual real data. Also, it's a very easy class if you've taken CMSC 131 previously (I did). The only new concepts are Python specific things such as Jupyter Notebook and the Pandas library. 10x easier than 131 projects, by far.
Edward Summers INST326 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/15/2021	One of the best professors he made the class easy yet still taught us the concepts thoroughly!
Aric Bills INST326 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 11/21/2020	Great professor
Nekabari Sigalo INST326 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/21/2020	One of my favorite professors at the school. Extremely understanding and easy-going, and knows her stuff as well.
Aric Bills INST326 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/13/2020	Excellent Professor! Learned a ton and highly recommend!
Aric Bills INST326 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/23/2019	Aric is a really good professor who really gets you to learn the material the right way. I have struggled with understanding object oriented programming for a long time, but under his teaching I was finally able to master it.
Joshua Westgard INST326 Expecting a B+ jgold8610 12/06/2019	Some of the hardest Homeworks ever. I've looked at other classes' homework and they are a breeze compared to his. However, Professor Westgard is very nice and will listen to you if you have any questions and concerns. Just be prepared for really hard homework. I could have received an A but the very last homework...I couldn't even attempt because it was so difficult. No final, but a group project which is always nice.
Dimitri Wolford INST326 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/30/2017	Really good teacher. He is very helpful in answering questions and he presents the material thoroughly. He grades very leniently on the quizzes and the tests. The homework assignments are fair and if you struggle he will gladly help you if you go to his office hours.

Gabriel Cruz
INST326

Expecting a D+
Anonymous
11/21/2024

not accommodating

Aric Bills
INST326

Anonymous
10/30/2024

His lectures are done through videos on elms and then he expects you to have questions on the video and asking during class. If you like this type of learning style then this class may be up your ally. But I personally hated it because there was never really a right time to ask questions in class because he kind of expects you to know the material since you have watched the videos. The amount of awkward silence whenever he asked questions based on his online lectures is funny. This class isn't asynchronous btw. Office hours were also really weird as they were done through text on discord as most TA's didn't want to zoom. There is also no curve in this class plus 4 midterms and a final presentation.

Aric Bills
INST326

Expecting a B
Anonymous
10/30/2024

I put expecting a B because I am aiming for a B or higher but I'm not sure if that will actually happen. I believe the glaze for this professor is kind of crazy. I really wish someone could have told me NOT to take this guy. He is very reasonable, he will give you an extension on almost everything and you dont need a reason for it. You also set how long you want the extension which is pretty neat. Now I never had to worry about turning things in late so this wasnt really much of a plus for me. He does random attendance quiz on any given day and if you were to come 5 minutes late, you're out of luck. I and many people have talked to him about it and he is pretty firm about it. Another thing, people won't admit it but so many people have private tutors, were previously comp sci majors, or have had previous experience in python that gave them an edge in this class, or they are simply retaking this class. So it looks like everyone is understanding the general memo but people really arent!! You are not alone. INST126 was a joke, that class did not prepare me for 326 at all and no amount of studying and lecture watching and asking of questions helped me either. For reference, I do sit in the front of the class and go to office hours regularly. But this class is actually very hard but it doesn't feel hard at the same time. He provides examples for how to do certain code but then we get our assignment and its as if we are in a masters class. His code does not prepare you at all for his assignments, it really makes no sense!!!! Even he himself knows everyone uses chatgpt. Like there is literally no way the information you have provided us so far is able to complete these assignments. Not too mention, one time I had a question on an assignment and I asked the TA for more help. Not even the TA knew the answer. So if I dont know, and you don't know, who's gonna know?? But yeah, all in all, I wish I took this class online. My friend is also taking this class online and they can admit that it is much easier than it being done in person. They do not have 4 midterms plus a final presentation. It really is just an added stress when you realize other people in 326 classes are not going through the same pain as you. For now, on I will be closely looking at the reviews for professors with high ratings because this is ridiculous. TLDR; If you just want an A do not take this professor, if you are aiming for retention(which isn't that beneficial in my opinion as you can learn in many ways outside of school), then take this professor.

Aric Bills
INST326

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
10/27/2024

This guy is a social reject. Genuinely he tries to teach you something but he teaching us some of the most useless things in python that we will never use in the real world. What kind of a professor takes the last attempt on a quiz as the grade and not the best grade. Tbh if you wanna learn useless subjects take him if not take any other professor.

Zahra Farhadi
INST326

Expecting an A
Anonymous
07/23/2024

If you're looking to genuinely learn Python, I highly recommend taking a class with Professor Farhadi. She has a knack for explaining concepts clearly, making it easy for beginners to grasp coding fundamentals. Professor Farhadi also posts lecture slides ahead of time, allowing students to prepare in advance. Attendance in discussion sessions is mandatory, as they take attendance, but these sessions are extremely beneficial. The course itself is quite manageable, with no major exams—just two quizzes. Your grade primarily depends on projects and activities completed during discussion sessions, where group work is encouraged. If Professor Farhadi were to teach any other INST classes, I would definitely enroll in them.

Christopher Dempwolf
INST326

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
07/12/2024

Dr.Dempwolf is a really amazing and caring professor. He genuinely cares about his students and is really passionate about the subject. His class can be a bit disorganized at times but it doesn't hinder the clarity of his instruction for projects/deadlines.

Matthew Patrick
INST326

Expecting an A
Anonymous
06/19/2024

Probably the best course I've taken at umd - super organized professor and very willing to help students. The flexibility of the course was wonderful. Really liked the TAs too, although some grades could have been posted a little sooner

Aditya Aswin Kumar
INST326

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/21/2024

Very helpful and communicative. Walks through code and helps you get through assignments and exercises if you're running into any problems.

Aric Bills
INST326

Anonymous
05/05/2024

not a bad guy or lecturer but he never grades anything ever for so long. i literally don't know my grade and the sem ends this week. also you'll have to take 4 in-person, closed-note, closed-laptop, on-paper coding exams, do with that info what u will!

Aric Bills
INST326

Expecting a C
Anonymous
05/01/2024

While Bills is a good person, I WISH someone told me not to take him. He has 4 on-paper python exams (no cheat sheet, closed laptop, etc). He is very lenient for late work if you email him before the due date, but he also gives attendance quizzes that close 5 min into class, so you don't get credit if you're more than like 3 minutes late. Also, he and his TAs refuse to grade or put anything into elms. It is May 1st, and we currently have 3 grades put into elms (one which was auto bc it was an elms survey). I have to manually calculate my grade from a month ago based on the few grades they put into gradescope. You'll like his class if you're already comfortable with python and are on time to almost every single class. And also if you can carry your group project. He is a good guy though, just a harsh, slow grader and a bit old-fashioned (on paper coding)

Matthew Patrick
INST326

Anonymous
02/16/2024

Reviews don't accurately represent this course in my opinion. The concepts were understandable with a little bit of effort on the student's part. He held live sessions to answer questions and explain concepts and even gave us a pass on some of the quizzes where we would get free points. I enjoyed it. Just wish there were recorded lectures for students to view.

Scott Dempwolf
INST326

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/09/2024

I didn't have much experience with Python before this class but the professor gave us examples and broke down the code for most assignments. He is very willing to answer questions and change assignments around based on student needs. One star off because the lectures and slides revolved around the book, which I didn't find helpful, but overall I recommend taking him.

Matthew Patrick
INST326

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/28/2023

Python course is straightforward with helpful resources and clear assignment expectations. Very reasonable workload.

Matthew Patrick
INST326

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/23/2023

Instructor didn’t teach a thing. He puts out power point slides every week, additional reading materials, and gives assignments. The TAs grade the assignments. There is also a final project that I spent weeks on, just to have it not graded. The professor didn’t communicate that either, he just submitted final grades without even touching our final projects. I wasted so much time on it. I don’t know what he does, but he sure does not lift a finger to be a part of this class.

Aric Bills
INST326

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/20/2023

I love this guy lol. Aric really does care about all his students developing Python skills and provides enough resources for everyone to leave the class able to program proficiently. He provides video lectures and practice to be watched and done from wed-sun so that on Monday you come in ready to use the lecture skills on an in-class exercise. I stress that everyone comes to class on Mondays as he gives practice points simply for being present in class and doing the exercise, if you don't finish the exercise you have until the start of class on Wednesday to submit. If you run into trouble he and his TAs have so many office hours available and they're all mostly online through Discord so you really have no excuse to not go to office hours to get help. I really wouldn't have done so well in his class if it weren't for office hour help sessions. Other tips for success: - For lecture vids, have your screen split half vid, half jupyter lab to take notes (highly recommend taking notes in jupyter lab as the graded practices are jupyter notebooks) - In class don't just sit and watch him go over concepts, take notes during this time. I recommend doing them in jupyter or on an ipad or physical pen and paper as his whiteboard doodles sometimes contain things like tables and little diagrams and generally you remember more by writing. Also his exams are pen and paper so the more you get used to writing code by hand the better you'll do on the exams. - Do his practice exam several times over and take his practice pages seriously!! His practices are quite similar to his actual exams, he never does things to purposely confuse you he is quite clear on what is going to appear on the exam. - Do all work ahead of time, especially homeworks!! Office hours are your best friend. - Try to scout out people you want to work on the final project ahead of time, (would recommend sitting closer to the front of the class and finding people who are always present in class and work hard) - Do his whiteboard activities, it's kinda embarrassing to go up and participate but the social anxiety-provoking aspect of it helps you remember better I swear.

Matthew Patrick
INST326

Expecting an A+
Naruto
12/18/2023

If you are great at Python you should be fine in his class. If you are bad or mediocre at python he won't do you any favors. Choose Aric Bills.

Gabriel Cruz
INST326

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/14/2023

He's ok. No exams so that's a nice thing. You have weekly exercises during discussion and there's 4 big homework assignments. He says he will help, but he's usually busy, so you got to rely on the TAs. Lectures are not mandatory but they're also not helpful, so you have to teach yourself a good portion of the content.

Aric Bills
INST326

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/11/2023

Aric and his class are fantastic. His coursework can be tough, but you get some valuable learning out of everything you do in Python. Although you learn a good chunk of the course content online for homework, The lecture videos he posts every week are nice and easy to follow and make examples out of for homework and projects. His exams are tough but reasonable, and they follow the structure of the practice exams almost to a tee. The cherry on the top is that his office hours are very open-ended and are online, too, so you can drop in whenever they're open (they're open quite frequently and even go pretty late some nights) and get some big help with anything you're having issues with. Overall, coming from comp sci, his course structure is definitely a league above any other programming class I've taken here so far.

Gabriel Cruz
INST326

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
09/28/2023

Excellent professor. He goes over all the content; if you ask questions, he will answer. People are just salty because they haven't programmed or aren't trying to in the future, so they are shocked that they had to be engaged just a bit to get an A.

Aric Bills
INST326

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/25/2023

Aric was one of my favorite professors by far. Sometimes the coursework can be quite challenging, however, there are so many office hours that you can always find someone to help. Also, going to class was always reinforcing the lecture videos watched before class. Most weekly assignments consist of watching lecture videos and completing a Jupyter notebook before Monday's class, starting a coding exercise in Monday's class to be done by Wednesday morning, and the occasional 3 times a semester coding assignment due on Friday. Overall, definitely super manageable and would 100% take it with him again. He also is super understanding about needing extension and prioritizes learning above all else.

Aric Bills
INST326

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/25/2023

Definitely not an easy course compared to INST126, but aric gives you the resources and the materials to succeed. Hes a compassionate guy that cares about his students, and is a great teacher in my opinion. The course in general is pretty tough, especially if you're not an experienced programmer. But in general he's a great teacher and I recommend this course

Matthew Patrick
INST326

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/22/2023

optional lectures, organized course, and lots of resources. would definitely take again

Aric Bills
INST326

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
05/16/2023

Amazing teacher and will definitely help you learn Python better. I personally learned nothing from INST126 and Aric made it so I learned Python. He has a lot of TA's who are extremly helpful so office hours aren't loaded. There is a bit of work so start things early. He has 4 exams but they are only 25% of your grade. Overall would definitely recommend.

Bill Kules
INST326

Anonymous
04/28/2023

I had Dr. Kules for INST326 and he was a great professor. The course was a bit challenging, but he was very patient and helpful. I would certainly take another class with him.

Daniel Pauw
INST326

Anonymous
02/14/2023

He teaches 326 this semester and I can say that these first few works have been some of the worst in my life. He throws you into material that you haven't really learned yet and he's so disconnected from reality that it's insane. Whenever you ask him a question he'll either redirect you to the TA or just reread the directions of the assignments even slower offering no assistance whatsoever. He only does office hours once a week for an hour and it consists of him asking questions to the questions you ask. Avoid him at all costs if he ever teaches again.

Aric Bills
INST326

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/25/2022

Aric’s definitely one of the best professors on campus. Coming with mediocre python skills, his class challenges your growth and understanding starting from the basics to more convoluted subjects. He’s generous with extensions and office hours. All his UTA’s are very helpful and available. Don’t slack on practices, late penalty is 50%.

Aric Bills
INST326

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/13/2022

I wouldn't rate Aric a full 5 stars. Lectures don't really cover concepts, you watch videos on your own time, and come to class to complete practice assignments based on the concepts the videos covered. Another thing is the homework assignments, the homework assignments are honestly rather difficult. You'll likely pass, but be prepared to struggle. Tough grader as well, here's what to expect in the class: 4 major coding homeworks (1 ended up being dropped due to aric getting sick and the schedule got funky) 4 exams 1 group project Weekly practice and exercises Exams are actually not bad, practice exams are provided and the actual exams are VERY similar to practice ones. The group project also isn't too bad, you come up with an idea for a program and execute it. The worst part are the homeworks, but if you are comfortable or rather comfortable with basic python concepts, you'll pass! it might be intimidating the first couple weeks and you may begin to doubt your ability, but stick to it, I really was considering dropping the class because I was doubting myself, but I'm glad I didn't because I really do feel I came out as a better programmer.

Matthew Patrick
INST326

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/05/2022

not sure why there's the hate in the some of these reviews... professor was very clear that the course was going to be asynchronous from the beginning. and whenever i did go to lecture he was really helpful and nice. i didn't have to waste time going to lectures and labs for stuff i already knew or could easily google which saved me so much time. there were other in-person sections for 326 too, feel like some people would've just had a better experience there. honestly this was one of the best classes i've taken, but to each their own ig

Aric Bills
INST326

Anonymous
11/30/2022

Aric is the absolute man. He is so understanding and willing to compromise if you need an extension. This is also the class in which I've learned the most in my entire experience. I came in as a very below average coder but Aric got me up to speed and now I'm so much more comfortable with Python. The workload is definitely not easy but he's a fantastic teacher. Also a great lecturer. My favorite professor thus far for sure.

Matthew Patrick
INST326

Expecting a C+
Anonymous
11/22/2022

Do not recommend this professor. Nice guy, but class relies entirely on reading slides, the textbook, and an optional lecture every 2 weeks. If you are not confident in your Python skills this is not the professor to take, you will likely fail. I have learned nothing from the course material and have to rely on google for learning. Office hours are constantly swamped. TA's are not helpful I have gotten responses such as "this is a simple concept to understand, re -read the question" downright degrading and unmotivating.

Matthew Patrick
INST326

Expecting a C
Anonymous
10/31/2022

I do not recommend taking this professor as he uses previous course materials and expects you to work on assignments on things that have not even been taught yet.

Gabriel Cruz
INST326

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
06/15/2022

If you are as good as a professor at Python, take this course. The professor never tells us anything related. You'll have to find everything on the Internet. It will also inform you of the assignment through a link to the MIT professor's lecture. If we understand and understand that, we'll be sitting at MIT. TA also doesn't know what the task is about. When you ask a question, you say, "Uh……" for half an hour. If you're really confident in Python, go for it!

Aric Bills
INST326

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
02/09/2022

Aric is one of my favorite professors at UMD. He is extremely fair to students and very accessible outside of class. His assignments can be hard and time-consuming but the instructional team is always available to give you guidance. I learned so much about python in his class and I feel that he genuinely cares about and wants to connect with his students.

Aric Bills
INST326

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
01/13/2022

Pros: Prof. is very down to earth, easy going, understanding, great feedback, class has both in person and online lectures. Some struggled in this class, but I have previous programming experience so it was much easier for me. I learned a lot and nearly earned a 100%. Cons: Nothing honestly, I really enjoyed this class and he's one of my favorite Profs. at UMD.

Edward Summers
INST326

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/06/2021

Professor Summers is a truly kind person, and he wants his students to learn. This semester he had each second class of the week be a working session, so that he could show an example of how to do the lab, to give students who attended the online session a head start on how to complete it.

Aric Bills
INST326

Anonymous
11/16/2021

He's so nice and his lectures are incredibly well-organized and easy to understand. The pace of the class is great and I really feel like I've learned a lot compared to other coding classes I have taken.

Aric Bills
INST326

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
08/13/2021

Honestly an amazing professor that wants you to understand the topics the class goes over very well. The documentation for all projects is very detailed and clear, plus the explanations for all the concept is really easy to understand. Aric is also a really nice person and very understanding. He's willing to take time to talk with you one on one so that you can go over what you don't understand with him and try to clear up any difficulties. 100% recommend taking him if he has a class in the semester.

Edward Summers
INST326

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/03/2021

His online class has been great. Prof. Summers is very nice and approachable, and did his best to accommodate the online learning environment. The class is made up of one 10pt assignment due every Sunday, and he goes over the concepts and usually provides template code in lecture. You can even use his template code as long as you alter it in some way, provide comments, give it another function, etc. The projects were focused on data analysis mostly, and we used real Covid-19 vaccination and testing data from the MD dept. of Health in our projects. It was really cool to use data analysis on actual real data. Also, it's a very easy class if you've taken CMSC 131 previously (I did). The only new concepts are Python specific things such as Jupyter Notebook and the Pandas library. 10x easier than 131 projects, by far.

Edward Summers
INST326

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/15/2021

One of the best professors he made the class easy yet still taught us the concepts thoroughly!

Aric Bills
INST326

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
11/21/2020

Great professor

Nekabari Sigalo
INST326

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/21/2020

One of my favorite professors at the school. Extremely understanding and easy-going, and knows her stuff as well.

Aric Bills
INST326

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
01/13/2020

Excellent Professor! Learned a ton and highly recommend!

Aric Bills
INST326

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/23/2019

Aric is a really good professor who really gets you to learn the material the right way. I have struggled with understanding object oriented programming for a long time, but under his teaching I was finally able to master it.

Joshua Westgard
INST326

Expecting a B+
jgold8610
12/06/2019

Some of the hardest Homeworks ever. I've looked at other classes' homework and they are a breeze compared to his. However, Professor Westgard is very nice and will listen to you if you have any questions and concerns. Just be prepared for really hard homework. I could have received an A but the very last homework...I couldn't even attempt because it was so difficult. No final, but a group project which is always nice.

Dimitri Wolford
INST326

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/30/2017

Really good teacher. He is very helpful in answering questions and he presents the material thoroughly. He grades very leniently on the quizzes and the tests. The homework assignments are fair and if you struggle he will gladly help you if you go to his office hours.

Reviews for INST326