Andre Tits

This professor has taught: ENEE322, ENEE322H, ENEE460, ENEE469O, ENEE661, ENEE664, ENEE698C, ENTS669F

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Andre Tits ENEE322 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/16/2024	This was one of the toughest classes that I've taken at this university but I truly believe that I learned more from this class than any single class I've taken before. Going in to this class, you have to be pretty confident in your math background and you really have to want to learn rather than get the grade. Professor Tits makes it so that if you truly know the content, the grade will come naturally as long as you put the work in. Homeworks are pretty long but they cover all of the content and are really good to prepare you for exams. I found myself doing the homework once on my own, checking my answers with my friend (not simply changing my work but thinking "I wonder how they got this, let me check my line of reasoning"), working out the problems again, and then submitting my work. I learned most from my mistakes and the homeworks provided a low stakes, environment to make those mistakes. The best thing was that the homeworks were usually much more difficult than the exams. There are also quizzes in this class but they are always on the homework that was due that week and the lowest quiz is dropped. Homeworks and quizzes made up 10% of the grade. Quizzes are during discussion which were also super useful because the TA teaches a lot of tips and tricks that can be used to solve the homeworks and exams. The two midterms were each worth 25% of the grade each, which is more than I had ever seen before. They were not easy exams but they definitely checked if you knew the content well. The first midterm average was low but that is pretty common in the class. STICK WITH IT. After many people had dropped the class (only 17/30 was left), the exams actually got easier and Professor Tits introduced a "curve" where if you got a B- on the final, no matter what grade you had in the class before then, you will pass. Not to mention, the grading scale was pretty generous where 60% was the C- cutoff and 75% was the B- cutoff (he didn't change the A- cutoff from 90%). The final exam was cumulative and worth 40% of the grade but 2 out of the 4 questions came directly from the homework (not even changed, literally copy/pasted). This class, and Professor Tits, made me want to do a specialization in controls because of how interested I am in the content and because of how well he taught it. I found his lectures to be extremely well paced (some people found it slow because he does stop and think at times but it gives you some good time to think about what he just said). His lecture and class style are also a little old but I found it refreshing since I learn better in this style, rather than flipped classrooms or video lectures to watch before class that other professors are opting to do nowadays. Outside of class, I went to every office hours to ask him questions or just have him help me through problems because it was rare that other people took advantage of his office hours. By the end of the semester, he knew me and the others who went to office hours well and we all did well in the class. The last thing I wanted to mention was extra credit- he put out 3 extra credit problems, each that would add 2% to your final grade in the class for only the first 3 people who got the correct answer. These were incredibly difficult problems but because I attempted them, it helped my grade and my math skills so I'd suggest to always take a stab. Overall with Dr. Tits, you will get out what you put in but you have to put a lot in if you want the A.
Andre Tits ENEE322 Expecting a B- Anonymous 05/14/2024	To preface, Andre did end up failing half the class, and this is pretty common with this professor. BUT ALSO KNOW THAT A 60% is THE C- CUTOFF, which not everyone knew. Exams are tough, and are 90% of your grade. He's also not very generous when it comes to partial credit. He has this mindset of "Students need to meet a certain standard/expectation in order to pass the class", and it's a pretty high expectation. Obviously if you have the opportunity to take it with Papamarcou you should, but if you're stuck with Tits, be ready to grind. A lot of work outside of lecture and discussions, and routinely go to office hours just to practice/learn more. Tits himself isn't the most engaging lecturer, he's a pretty slow speaker and he often messes up his words/not understand questions well, but he is very nice. I recommend going to an office hour so he can get to know you. He also holds exam review sessions where he really shows how much he cares about your learning. Homework's can be pretty lengthy and there are potential pop quizzes in discussion which more or less force you to go every week. He also does optional challenge problems which can add up to a potential 5-6% of your final grade. As long as you don't absolutely bomb your first midterm, you'll be set, the stuff you learn in the 2nd half of the semester is easier compared to the 1st.
Andre Tits ENEE322 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/09/2024	"But the real world has changed over the past 50 years and he has not changed with it." You know what hasn't changed? Signals and Systems baby! That sh** it is the exact same. Yes, this class is hard, yes you could blame the professor for you not going to his office hours when you don't understand something. But Andre himself is pretty great! But Andre will learn your name. (Which says a lot) He will greet you by name with a good morning and a smile every class you attend. He is professional, extremely kind. Yes, it is hard material. But he believes in your success. If you are at school to learn, take Andre! (If you are at school to slack off and do the minimum, do not take Andre. He will require you to understand material!)
Andre Tits ENEE322 Expecting a C- Anonymous 05/08/2024	Before taking this class in Fall of 2023, reviews of Tits were not too bad, therefore, I was expecting to have an okay time for a notoriously difficult class. However, my experience was quite opposite from what I was expecting. As a result, I wanted to create a thorough review of my experience to warn future students. PROS: * Very knowledgeable on signals * Approachable and was genuinely kind * Held review sessions * Gave a caveat that if you got a B on the final, you would pass the class, regardless of your grade overall CONS: * Failed nearly half the class due to inability to effectively teach signals and systems * Exams were very difficult, as averages for the first two midterms were around a 50%. On top of that, grading for the exams were quite harsh * Confused many times by his own work and had to have students answer questions that he was not able to figure out * Chicken scratch handwriting that required a rosetta stone to decode * Homeworks that took an ungodly amount of time due to minimal examples being gone over in class * No other resource other than his lecture-only notes or the lengthy textbook
Andre Tits ENEE322 Expecting a W Anonymous 04/03/2024	Professor Tits is a great person and extremely knowledgeable about signals and systems. His teaching methods however are antiquated, and it is assumed that you enter the class basically knowing all of pre-requisite fringe math, like complex numbers as well as working with calculus and complex numbers at a very low level. As the previous 2024 review has said, the average for midterm 1 was below passing, and the lowest score was about a 2% on the midterm. Keeping in mind that the grading is 25% 25% 40% and 10% for two midterms, a final, and hw/quizzes respectively, it is highly likely that similar to previous semesters about half the people drop the class before the second midterm. Given that he may have "nice teacher" policies like final forgiveness/passing or the rare extra credit, him as a professor is nice, however he does not keep in mind that students at the very least need to pass the class if not understand it. Additionally, since he started using a different professor's slides this semester, he has gone warp speed through the material to the pace he thinks is good, causing 2nd exam material to be possibly included on exam 1, and Final exam material to be included on exam 2. Do not take professor Tits unless you are cracked at math, or like to gamble.
Andre Tits ENEE322 Expecting a C Anonymous 04/02/2024	Easily one of the worst professors at UMD. He can barely understand even the simplest of questions and often gets lost in his own explanations when he is not using his notes. He also doesn't provide any resources other than the textbook and exams are really harshly graded (fails over half the class) with little to no partial credit and with no curve to the course. Avoid at all costs.
Andre Tits ENEE322 Expecting a D Anonymous 01/03/2024	As students were challenged to learn, but rather than challenging us to learn the content, professor tits was challenging us to communicate what we learned with him. And while he is a very kind (very old) man, he is a very confused and stubborn professor. Genuinely had to move from our assigned classroom bc he couldn't work the lights. His constant confusion made it so he rarely understood our questions, and other students would answer instead or he'd just make it worse. He doesn't post any resources, you just have to be at lecture or have to read the textbook. Exams make up 90% of your grade and he failed 40% of us... I don't recommend unless 222 wasn't bad for you and you don't mind reading textbooks. I could tell that he genuinely wanted us to succeed. But the real world has changed over the past 50 years and he has not changed with it.
Andre Tits ENEE322 Expecting a D Anonymous 12/18/2023	HE FAILED OVER 50% OF THE CLASS!! Not what the reviews led me to believe. He does not provide any online resources. Gives fair exams with harsh grading, barely acknowledging any partial credit for work. He also expects to you to only care about his class and show up to his office hours weekly. I had a tutor and still failed. Do yourself a favor and sign up for anyone else, if he is the only professor wait another semester!
Andre Tits ENEE322H Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/18/2023	Tits had pretty understandable lectures although he did fumble a bit with his words. The concepts weren't very difficult to grasp in lecture itself but I would say the homeworks were pretty rough. They took time to understand and do correctly. He absolutely demolished us on exams however which didn't seem fair at all with no curve whatsoever.
Andre Tits ENEE322 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 12/17/2023	This professor legit will fail half a class. He does put in more effort than most professors to conduct review sessions and open extra office hours. Typically, if half a class is failing, you should reconsider the approach you have in presenting the material. But, it appears, if half the class cannot perform well on the final (i.e. B-range) you will probably be smitten with pain on your transcript. Additionally, the other reviews here are not being completely real with you and are H-students. People either review when they have had an awesome experience and been set apart compared to others (therefore almost like a brag), or if people had a disastrous experience and want to warn others. Here's a review to warn...
Andre Tits ENEE322 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/09/2023	Dr. Tits provides thorough lectures and wants his students to succeed, but his grading is brutal. Exams, which account for 90% of the total grade in his 322, consistently had averages in the 50s. The actual course content is not so hard, especially if you prepare well and read the textbook, but anything less than a complete understanding of the material gets punished harshly. He is very friendly and helpful if you are trying to explore the course material, it's just that he has set the bar very high and refuses to budge it. To make up for this, Dr. Tits provides very generous opportunities for extra credit through the use of challenge problems. It was possible to achieve a flat 6% boost to your final grade this semester if you completed them all successfully. I had fun overall.
Andre Tits ENEE664 Expecting a B- Anonymous 07/26/2023	Tits is a super great professor; I took his course last semester. Optimal control is complex for me because my major is not EE. Still, this course benefits me even though I have to study many backgrounds of mathematics knowledge after class.
Andre Tits ENEE460 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/19/2022	Professor Tits is a super approachable professor that is committed to your advancing your knowledge. His lectures can be hard to follow sometimes as he occasionally makes mistakes while writing and explaining concepts, likely due to his age, BUT he always welcomes questions and addresses student's comments during his lectures. He is always happy and open to helping students who stop by whenever he's in his office, even outside of his posted office hours. (He will drop whatever he's doing to help students.) Some advice to those looking to take ENEE460 with him: Do all the homework! This develops your ability to attack questions he gives on his tests. While he also posts reading assignments, you could probably get by without them. That being said, the book can sometimes have details he might've glanced over during lecture. Listen to everything he says during lecture, especially when he talks about how to solve problems as this is likely what he expects from you on the exams. Do not fret if you bomb his midterm (I did), he gives out an optional project to boost your grade and the finals are relatively similar in problem type to his past exams. Note: His final is still challenging so make sure to give yourself lots of time to study and fill your cheat sheet! Watch Steve Brunton, Brian Douglas, Prof. Madan Gopal, etc. on YouTube for strengthening conceptual and mathematical foundations for the course.
Andre Tits ENEE460 Anonymous 12/27/2021	He is a nice guy. His lectures are okay, and he is knowledgeable in his field. BUT, his exams are challenging, and he is a really harsh grader. On top of that, a large percentage(about 80%) of the overall grade goes to those two exams(mid-term and final). Homework is challenging and takes a lot of time to do.
Andre Tits ENEE322H Expecting an A- Anonymous 01/31/2014	Tits is a pretty good professor. His lectures tended to be "mathy" but not hard to follow. Homeworks were challenging but good practice. He really cares about us and holds review sessions often, he once stayed until 10 pm or so for a review session. Exams in this class were not a joke though, probably because he held us to a high standard. He would send us "disappointment" emails but it showed he cared about us getting better at the material. He curved us fairly and I somehow wound up with an A- even when I got D's on the 2nd exam and final.
Andre Tits ENEE322H Expecting an A- koffe55 01/13/2014	Dr. Tits is an excellent professor who you should strongly consider taking if given the opportunity. He is very caring and kind; you will quickly discover his dedication to making lectures as insightful and informative as possible, often going very deep into the theory (at least for the honors version). That being said, I was a little disappointed by his apparent over-estimation of our abilities on the final exam - it was a shitshow, to say the least. Overall, Dr Tits is an excellent and very approachable lecturer who provided one of the most challenging and informative courses I and most of my classmates had ever experienced. The workload and amount of information can be daunting, even for someone like me who excelled in 222 and genuinely enjoyed the subject matter. If you can handle it, you will find this class to very rewarding in the end.
Andre Tits ENEE460 Expecting an A- LadyS 02/02/2013	I took 322 and 460 with Dr. Tits. His lectures are clear and to the point. I think he really cares about his students and their success in his classes (and as engineers in general). He is helpful during his office hours, easily-approachable and answers emails very quickly; he is also very nice. I highly recommend him.
Andre Tits ENEE322 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/21/2012	He is a great professor who really cares about his students. As others have said, he will make you work; he assigns homework every week, and the tests aren't easy. But he tries to give everyone a chance - in our class, when a lot of people did badly on the first two tests, he changed the grading scheme so that the lowest letter grade you could get was one grade lower than the final. In other words, he gave a lot of students another chance to shape up. Also, if you do well in the class and talk to him in office hours, he'll gladly offer recommendations and suggestions for other courses to take. He is extremely friendly if you ask him questions that aren't directly related to the course, too.
Andre Tits ENEE322H Expecting an A- Anonymous 03/01/2011	His lectures could be somewhat hard to follow if signals isn't your thing (hey. We can't all be signals gods but we do all have to take 322). One thing is certain, though, he really cares about his students and wants them to learn the material. He is more than happy to help you if you show up to office hours. Contrary to what some have said below, he is actually quite generous with grades provided you expend some effort yourself.
Andre Tits jgun 08/20/2009	Although some may say that Professor Tits is "pretty gay" about some things, he is quite "straight" about working for his students' success. His lectures tend to be difficult, but his goal is for you to understand the material. He will make you work, but let's face it: Hard work pays off. If you're trying to get away with a good grade and don't care about the material, don't take one of his classes. If you don't have your heart set on an A but want to master the course material, Professor Tits is your guy. If you need help, go to his office hours. He WILL help you.
Andre Tits Anonymous 05/02/2009	Although he is a nice guy he is very very bad about grades. He grades things very hard. His lec's are meh. If you don't care about grades and all you care about is learning the material then you can take him.
Andre Tits Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/18/2008	He is not a very good lecturer for ENEE241, although the semester I took it with him was his first teaching it. If you have the chance take Poppomarcou instead you should definitely do it. He is a much better lecturer for this course (he wrote the book you will be using) and he gives out better grades. Tits is pretty gay about giving partial credit and I don't think very many people got A's this semester, me included.