Fardina Alam

This professor has taught: BIOI602, CMSC320, DATA200, DATA320, DATA602, MSML602

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Fardina Alam CMSC320 Expecting an A Anonymous 09/04/2024	Fardina is super nice! Her lecture style is clicking through a 200-slide slide deck every single class, but her slides are very good and extremely in-depth on the subjects she covers. I took her over the summer so I don't know if this is standard, but she doesn't teach much of the coding required by the class and instead leaves that to her assignments. However, her assignments are very detailed and she's very responsive on Piazza/email, so it's honestly not too much of a problem. If you start early on the project and study for quizzes/exams this class should be a breeze, 10/10 would take again.
Fardina Alam CMSC320 Expecting an A Anonymous 07/11/2024	A bit boring but good lectures and easy to get a A+. But I took the summer course , maybe it was easier
Fardina Alam DATA200 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/26/2024	DATA200 is a joke of a class, don't really need to worry about it. The most you need to do is go through the slides (they're posted and you don't really need to too besides in-class activities and 1 debate), there are a lot but 50% you can skip, and take some notes to understand the concepts that aren't completely self-explanatory (there aren't many of those). The 2 mid-terms are easy and so is the final. Realistically you come out of this class with a B at least if you never attended a class with all the projects and free homeworks. She's a nice professor who cares, but also recognizes it's not too serious of a class, answers questions and is accommodating.
Fardina Alam CMSC320 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/22/2024	Extremely nice professor, and very fair on HWs and Exams. There is a final project that takes a lot of work, but honestly if you hit the requirements you'll most likely get a 100 even if it's not that great. The only negatives with her class are that the lectures are EXTREMELY boring. I never came to class because of that and just looked at slides and googled topics I didn't fully understand. Also even though the exams are fair, she seems to say a lot more topics are on the exam than there actually are, so I've ended up studying so much just for the exam to be on like 5 of the 10 topics said to be on it. This may be a positive to some, but I found it annoying. But even then, the exams are so easy that as long as you study you should get almost a 100 on every single one.
Fardina Alam CMSC320 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/20/2024	3.5 stars - I really appreciate that Fardina tries. Her teaching is not the most engaging, but she tries to make it engaging. The content itself is boring and easy, but she tries to make it interesting. Her slides are really long but 80% good, so attendance is really low which makes me feel bad for her but I get it. Take the class with her if you can. All of the problems I do have are with the class itself, not Fardina. Why we had a final exam and project is beyond me. The exams are also super easy, but the last couple of homeworks are surprisingly challenging, especially since they're not really like what we learn in class. They're much harder than the exam and class content. My biggest problem though is that the timing of this class is completely off. In order to get a job in this field, you will have had to already learned 70% of the class's content before taking the class, which makes it useless. If it was taught alongside 132 or 216, this would seriously be a better class. But as it is now, I could've only showed up to the last 5 weeks of lecture without changing my learning much.
Fardina Alam CMSC320 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/20/2024	Overall good professor and good course. One thing which is sad is that no one attends class, this is mainly due to the fact that she reads off the slides with kind of a heavy accent which is hard to focus. There was always like 60-80% of the class missing and I can tell professor is sad. One thing she can maybe improve class is for in class quizzes like Anwar for CMSC330 for extra credit. Her slides are amazing, maybe a bit too informative but everything is there just incase you need to know something. Homeworks were like tutorials, they walk you through how to do everything which is really nice. The final project was great to help buff resume and graded leniently. Exams were easy enough, though the first exam was a lot where I barely had enough time to finish, the final exam could have a note sheet which is nice. Avg for the final is around 90 which is really good.
Fardina Alam CMSC320 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/20/2024	the only reason this isn't a 1 star is because she's super nice and the class was easy. cons: - the slides are absolute dog poop - she is terrible at explaining concepts - the hw does NOT prepare you for the exam (none of the assignments do) - hw assignments can be too lengthy pros: - easy grading - easy exams - relatively active on piazza I think she will improve with more experience but she has a lot of room for growth.
Fardina Alam DATA200 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/19/2024	Super easy and manageable class. Fardina is a kind person and wants the best for her students, but lectures can be extremely boring sometimes. Most people end up skipping class if there isn't an in-class activity, and I honestly don't blame them. Exams are pretty easy but can be lengthy. Expect to conduct a semester-long survey data science group project, so make sure to not partner with any lazy bums b/c that can easily tank your grade. I understand the importance of this class if you are doing something like a data science major/minor, but in my personal opinion, I wouldn't recommend taking this course if you actually want to learn something interesting (besides an easy A). She is a great person though.
Fardina Alam CMSC320 Expecting an A DenialWhammy 05/19/2024	Didn't go to class. Lenient grading for final project. Free A as long as you keep up with the material.
Fardina Alam CMSC320 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/16/2024	Fardina makes the class so easy. I didn't study for exams as it's just common sense. The homework can all be done by ChatGPT. Group project also very easy. I didn't attend any lectures at all, only exam days.
Fardina Alam CMSC320 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/13/2024	Fardina Alam is very nice, but truthfully this class with her is so boring. But she gives lots of resources to do well even if you don't go to lecture.
Fardina Alam DATA200 Anonymous 04/24/2024	DATA200 is an interesting class, in concept, but this class isn't really managed well. Random in-class debate that wasn't listed anywhere on the syllabus (which is managed horribly), attendance is somewhat required... not a problem, if lectures were interesting. Professor will just read off the slides, occasionally text just at random in the middle of a presentation (stopping the lecture), in addition to being many minutes late setting things up. Often TAs would have to take over class without warning. Assignments, HWs and Exams are all arbitrary. Criteria doesn't feel terribly clear, exams feel more based on trying to memorize arbitrary definitions and link them up to not-well-defined concepts than actual ethical practices, when you aren't doing things a 13 year old could do.
Fardina Alam Expecting an A Anonymous 01/21/2024	The scope of the assignments was good and only a little bit of googling was needed if you kept up with lectures. The exams were very easy if you knew the material, and there were no trick questions. One thing I would like if I had to take this class with her again would be to know more about the homeworks in advance, but considering this was her first time teaching at UMD and CMSC320 gets changed up often, thats normal. I think she could work on the lectures being a little more engaging, but her slides are great and she asks for questions often to make sure everybody is following along.
Fardina Alam CMSC320 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/28/2023	She's a super nice professor who's very fair in her homework and exams.
Fardina Alam Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/24/2023	Great lecturer for 320, very nice and understanding. Homeworks and Exams were not hard at all.
Fardina Alam CMSC320 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/21/2023	Easy, final had an average of 97.
Fardina Alam CMSC320 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/16/2023	very chill professor. As a first time professor, she taught lectures well, very flexible if you have valid reasons. Most importantly, exams were very fair. Projects/homeworks were not too bad either.
Fardina Alam Expecting an A Anonymous 12/16/2023	This was Fardina's first semester teaching, and I personally think she did a really good job. She is really nice and understanding to your concerns, and is also very responsive on Piazza. The syllabus and overall course were fair – you had a good idea of what to expect and our exams/homeworks reflected what we had learned in class. Her slides were also very useful since they basically gave you all the information you needed for the class, and she recorded most of her lectures I believe. Some negative reviews were complaining about the exams and the organization of the class, but it isn't her fault. The exams were lengthy, but definitely reasonable and honestly pretty easy if you just read through her study guide she posts on Piazza. The class was co-taught with Max, so I wouldn't say the structure of the class being so messy was her fault, but rather a mix of both.
Fardina Alam CMSC320 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/15/2023	OMEGA STRAT TO GET AN A IN CLASS: - DONT GO TO CLASS - DO HW (start like a week in advance lowkey) - A WEEK BEFORE EXAMS READ REVIEW SHEET (OMEGA GRAIL) - SLIDES ARE SO CLUTCHHHHHHHHHH, W PROF - TAKE EXAM (hella fair fr fr) - PRAY
Fardina Alam Expecting a B Anonymous 12/15/2023	The class is fine and it definitely falls on the more easygoing of courses, but I wouldn't take her course if you don't feel you have a significant amount of time to study for her exams. She and Max won't put out proper reviews and the exams can span a very wide range of content, making you feel like you have to spend copious amounts of time studying for the exams to catch all the details of what you need to know. She puts out a sheet of all the topics that will be on there but it can be lengthy and span a lot of equations and topics. Just be prepared to spend a lot of time studying so you feel secure before the exams. If it's any consolation, the slides do a great job of teaching the content though and reading through them along with reviewing repeatedly has worked well in my experience.
Fardina Alam CMSC320 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/15/2023	Slides are informative, course content is easy. It's her first time teaching but she did very well aside from a few minor lecturing issues at the beginning of the year.
Fardina Alam CMSC320 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/11/2023	Her slides are detailed and reflective of the exam content. She is also very nice and takes student concerns into consideration.
Fardina Alam Expecting a B Anonymous 12/11/2023	She is an outstanding professor due to how much of a girlboss she is.
Fardina Alam Anonymous 12/07/2023	dr. fardina is great. she goes through everything in class, and her exams and assignments are extremely fair! she also has a great subtle sense of humor -- her slides are sometimes funny (she'll put in relatable stuff and/or memes if you go through them). she's also very kind and responds promptly to piazza posts and emails.
Fardina Alam CMSC320 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/05/2023	A super genuine person! Fardina always puts effort into understanding the students. Her slides reflect her sincerity in class (you can compare them with slides from other sections). She's active on Piazza. The question on Mid-Exam 02 was pretty fair, but honestly, I liked both questions. Our exam average for both midterms is far higher than that of the Max section. I wish her good luck!
Fardina Alam Expecting an A Anonymous 11/30/2023	Awesome class! Fardina is nice, and I am enjoying her ML lectures more than the introductory ones. As a first-timer teaching this class, it has been pretty smooth overall. Honestly, it's been a pretty good experience so far.
Fardina Alam Anonymous 11/28/2023	Although Fardina is new, she is really nice and tries to listen to students concerns. She is co-teaching for the first time, so seems like sometimes she cant make decisions independently. Our last midterm went really well; she mentioned that she took control of the exam paper. I am sure, with time, she will do an even better job.
Fardina Alam CMSC320 Anonymous 11/28/2023	Fardina is really great! Her slides are amazing and thorough, and you can tell she puts in effort into the class and material. She's kind and responds well to student feedback, and is responsive on Piazza and email. Her lectures can feel a bit rushed/confusing at times, but I think it's because this is her first time teaching the course and she's new. It didn't help that Max's previous exams are kind of chaotic too so we didn't really have anything to base content off of. But give her time and she has potential to become a favorite :) She's also really knowledgeable in data science!
Fardina Alam CMSC320 Expecting an A- Anonymous 11/19/2023	It is her first time teaching the course, so there were some hiccups, but Fardina is very receptive to student concerns and the course has generally been smooth
Fardina Alam Expecting an A- Anonymous 11/14/2023	Course has been fine so far, she seems nice and makes detailed slides you can study from. First exam was a bit of a time crunch but the content itself was easy if you understood what was on the study guide and the average ended up being pretty high.
Fardina Alam Expecting an A Anonymous 11/14/2023	Very messy and inconsistent. Lectures are unordered and unclear. She is extremely new to teaching and assumes all her students knows the 'basics' when we clearly do not. She makes assumptions about her students/class which are blatantly wrong. Her first exam was horribly written and most of the questions were ambiguous. The TAs are on a power trip. She is hard to understand because of her accent and her English grammar is not great, making hw questions hard to understand. Would suggest to all that are reading to avoid this professor as she will make 320 (a CS elective) harder than the main classes, like bruh. Will say the projects/hws aren't crazy bad though.
Fardina Alam Expecting an A Anonymous 11/14/2023	Awful professor. I understand she is new, but it feels as if she's rubbing her intelligence in our face when she teaches. In face, it doesn't feel like she's even teaching. She shoves down content she doesn't explain well down our throat without giving adequate examples and really going over them. She has a lot of work to do
Fardina Alam CMSC320 Expecting an XF Anonymous 11/13/2023	Fardina is amazing, the problem is me
Fardina Alam Expecting an A- Anonymous 10/15/2023	It's just a messy and confusing class. She is often 5-10min late (and will hold us late), talks through exams, and homework is vague/subjective and is graded harshly. Our first exam had a very confusing format. Short answer questions switched from the answers being a/b/c/d to I/II/III/IV halfway through. Questions looked like short answer until you turned to the next page-- surprise! It's multiple choice. The exam was also 10 pages long for a 50min class. She also seems to have a bit of an attitude by default-- told us mid exam that if we miss an exam, we need to tell her ahead of time, otherwise we'd lose points... this was DURING the exam, when everyone was rushing to finish, because the exam was so long. She also often glosses over student concerns when they are brought up in class. The class shouldn't be hard or confusing at all-- but it is somehow.
Fardina Alam CMSC320 Anonymous 10/11/2023	Terrible professor. Inconsistent exam, terrible lecture style. Throughout the exam she had to make multiple corrections and some of the questions weren't related to course material.