Aric Bills | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
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.
Aric Bills Expecting an A Anonymous 10/17/2024	THE GOAT!!!
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)
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Aric Bills INST326 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 11/21/2020	Great professor
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.
Aric Bills Expecting a B Anonymous 06/24/2019	excellent teacher who is very willing to go above and beyond to help you understand the material. as long as you pay attention in his class and participate in the class activities you should be good. although his office is far away, I highly recommend going to it whenever you can if you have trouble with the material

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.

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)

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Aric Bills
INST326

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
11/21/2020

Great professor

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.