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CPSC 121

Models of Computation

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Reviews 14
1

Class Ratings

3OK Class
1Very Hard
3Kinda Interesting
3Kinda Useful

Professor Rating

3OK Prof

Prof: Geoffrey Tien / Spring 2022

Jan 7, 2024

Comments on the course

Hard proofs, labs that are different from the lectures. Learned about circuits and logic gates. Math and proof involved.

Course Content

Labs are different from the lectures. Learning about logical circuits was interesting.

Comments on the professor

Helped on piazza. Plenty of TAs to get help from.

Advice

Get a good lab partner who is good at circuits.

Delivery: In personGrade: B+Workload: Very HeavyTextbook Use: Yes
Exam HeavyAssignment Heavy
4

Class Ratings

5Amazing Class
1Very Hard
5Very Interesting
5Very Useful

Professor Rating

5Amazing Prof

Prof: Karina / Winter 2022

Jan 14, 2023

Comments on the course

Awesome class. It is a bit of a smorgasbord of a course (covering hardware, math/logic/proofs, regex... If you work hard to make sure you have a decent understanding of each module before the next one starts, you will have a much better time. Still a really tough one though

Course Content

hardware, math/logic/proofs, regex. Not experienced enough in CS to say, but I hear from many people the content of the course is foundational for upper year level topics

Comments on the professor

A gem of a professor. Wonderful teacher

Advice

Read about what others have to say on the course (reddit, here). Lots of useful information out there; you may hear some horror stories, but if you make an effort to put in the time and reach out for help when necessary, the course will be much more fun.

Delivery: In personGrade: AWorkload: HeavyTextbook Use: Yes
Exam HeavyAssignment Heavy
0

Class Ratings

4Good Class
3Avg. Difficulty
4Interesting
4Useful

Professor Rating

3OK Prof

Prof: Karina / Winter 2021

Jul 17, 2022

Comments on the course

It’s not that hard just don’t mess up the exams

Delivery: In personGrade: B+
1

Class Ratings

5Amazing Class
5Very Easy
5Very Interesting
5Very Useful

Professor Rating

5Amazing Prof

Prof: Karina / Winter 2020

May 19, 2022

Comments on the course

If you know proofs or logic, the class is trivial. Take PHIL 220 with it to lighten the load on the logic side, any proofs class like PHIL 320, MATH 120, 220.. to make the proofs simple. If you aren't good with math, this class will be quite a bit more challenging, proofs are not the type of math you can memorize, you really have to understand the topic. Read the textbook *before* class, if this is you. HW and Lab is done with a partner, the workload can depend on them.

Advice

Take PHIL 220, or MATH 120. Read the textbook beforehand if your class has one.

Delivery: OnlineGrade: A+Workload: Moderate
Assignment Heavy
1

Class Ratings

4Good Class
2Hard
4Interesting
4Useful

Professor Rating

5Amazing Prof

Prof: Karina / Winter 2021

Mar 10, 2022

Comments on the course

hard but interesting, the labs and regex parts are particularly hard for me

Comments on the professor

The best prof i met so far

Delivery: In personGrade: IncompleteWorkload: ModerateTextbook Use: Yes
Assignment Heavy
1

Class Ratings

4.7Amazing Class
4Easy
5Very Interesting
5Very Useful

Prof: Karina / 2020

Jul 16, 2021

Comments on the course

fun clusterfuck of intro cs theory and discrete math. I enjoyed labs because you get to build cool circuits, and the homeworks because they teach you a lot and the problems were (mostly) fun. My favorite parts were digital logic (aka minecraft redstone) and some of the proofs shown in lecture (ex. the halting problem)

Grade: A+
1

Class Ratings

3.3OK Class
2Hard
4Interesting
4Useful

Prof: Karina / Winter 2020

Feb 9, 2021

Comments on the course

its a lot of work so be prepared

Grade: CAttendance: Non-MandatoryTextbook Use: No
5

Class Ratings

4Good Class
3Avg. Difficulty
5Very Interesting
4Useful

Prof: Patrice / Winter 2020

Dec 30, 2020

Comments on the course

Very interesting course overall with super interesting material. Class was well structured and grading scheme was fair. All the exams were super fair and Patrice was very patient in lectures to answer questions and clear up concepts - even if the questions were as dumb as "what is 1+1". Piazza was also very active and I received responses to questions on there promptly.

Advice

Do not fall behind - make sure to ask questions when you have any, and DON'T skip the pre-class quizzes even though they are only 4%! Do a lot of practice on past midterms and finals, and you will do fine!

Grade: A+Attendance: MandatoryTextbook Use: Yes
0

Class Ratings

3.3OK Class
3Avg. Difficulty
4Interesting
3Kinda Useful

Prof: Geoffrey Tien / Winter 2019

Dec 27, 2020

Comments on the course

Classes are interesting but some concepts were pretty hard.

Grade: B-Attendance: Non-MandatoryTextbook Use: Optional
0

Class Ratings

2.7OK Class
2Hard
4Interesting
2Barely Useful

Prof: Karina / Fall 2020

Dec 26, 2020

Comments on the course

This class is a ton of work (as expected for a 4 credit class). Everything up until the midterm was pretty simple. However I found the proofs extremely difficult. Make sure to do a ton of practice and go to office hours and use piazza if you don't understand the questions. I also found the labs annoying. It was hard to work with a lab partner over zoom. But overall, the class was pretty interesting but plenty of work.

Advice

Try hard to not fall behind. This is not a class you can cram for last minute.

Grade: Not sure yetAttendance: MandatoryTextbook Use: Yes
0

Class Ratings

3.3OK Class
2Hard
4Interesting
4Useful

Prof: Karina / Winter 2020

Dec 26, 2020

Comments on the course

Hard but interesting and useful

15

Class Ratings

3.7Good Class
3Avg. Difficulty
5Very Interesting
3Kinda Useful

Prof: Patrice / Winter 2020

Dec 20, 2020

Comments on the course

Really interesting course, make sure you understand all concepts pretty well by going to office hours/watching Youtube videos on the subject, because to do well you need to understand the topics, not just memorize them.

Advice

The textbook can be found for free online.

Grade: Not sure yetAttendance: MandatoryTextbook Use: Yes
1

Class Ratings

2.7OK Class
2Hard
3Kinda Interesting
3Kinda Useful

Prof: Geoffrey Tien / Summer 2020

Dec 20, 2020

Comments on the course

The first 3 weeks of the (summer) class was okay, but it gets pretty hard on the 4th week when they start to cover about proofs. The last few labs also get harder, especially the DFA sequential circuits. Finals was difficult too, but I think it got scaled, cuz I ended up with a mark that's way beyond my expectations. Initially thought that I'd only get low to mid 70s, but ended up with an A-.

Advice

Do the assignments early. Practice proofs.

Grade: A-Attendance: MandatoryTextbook Use: Yes
3

Class Ratings

3OK Class
2Hard
4Interesting
3Kinda Useful

Prof: Karina / Winter 2020

Dec 20, 2020

Comments on the course

The class was fun, but you for sure need to study. It's fairly heavy homework wise and there's lots of readings to do.

Advice

Proofs are incredibly important so be sure you understand them.

Grade: B-Attendance: MandatoryTextbook Use: Yes

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