Professor profile for Michael Scott

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Student reviews of Michael Scott

Review from a student who took CS 307
Excellent teacher, very charismatic. If you want to do well in this class though, you have to go to class, as it isn't all that easy... but I learned a lot.
Review from a student who took cs 307
Flat out terrible. One of the worst lectures on campus, even worse then English professors... He lectures as if he was born a CS coding God, and demands the same out of students. Grades very harsh and does not help at all when it comes to programming help or specifics. He'll give you a funny smirk and give bad advice. Not only a bad professor, but person too
Review from a student who took CS 305J
This class was not an introduction to programming class. He started off with basics, but then accelerated towards very hard programming material really quickly. I was thinking about being a CS major and this class detracted me from it completely. Unless you really love CS, I wouldn't recommend taking it. I switched the class to pass/fail because I was worried it would hurt my GPA (I would of made a C had I taken it for a grade.) His lectures are totally off on tangents and do not contribute to helping you program 90% of the time. It seemed like you had to use what you already knew and then get help from the T.A. Take Priebe instead if you can.
Review from a student who took CS 307
Mike is a really good teacher. First off, he is a very consistent lecturer, fair grader, and nice guy. I took CS 305J with Mike, and then CS 307. Entering into 305J I had no prior experience with Java or C++, but his assignments and lectures get you up to speed quickly. If you do not have any prior Java experience, I would recommend taking 305J because in 307 he expects you to know what you are doing after the first week. He posts all of his prior midterms online, and keeps a real good course webpage with lots of helpful resources. As long as you go to class and pay attention, you will do fine. I never took any notes and got A's on all of the midterms. Finally, he is a Garrison Keillor fan, and you can't go wrong with a Wobegone guy :)
Review from a student who took cs 307
Mike is a great lecturer.. His lectures are fun to attend , it's actually the best class i've had this semester! You might be wondering how a computer sci class can be fun.. Mike get excited about the power of computer science and keeps insisting that it's really weally powerful that sometimes it's really funny.. he goes on sidetracks from time to time, but don't worry he'll warn you .. the only problem with this class is that the USL (kind of like proctors, but they grade your assignments) don't grade equally.. they all have the same grading criteria , but some of them are extremely strict about them, some of them are not, so you could get 20/20 with one USL, and get 13/20 with another one, so beware of the USLs !!! choose them wisely and carefully, I advise you to ask someone who previously took the class about them.. The big problem is the Mike isn't aware of that gap in USL grading and stuff, I hope he does soon, cuz it's just not fair.. But as far as Mike's lecture and tests, they're fair, and he curves too, so don't worry , just go to lecture, DO THE ASSIGNEMENTS, it really makes a difference.. and good luck!
Review from a student who took CS 307
Mike is a great lectures because he sincerly cares about whether you understand the material or not. If you dont understand something and ask a question, he asnswers it until you understand it. The courseload is rather light since the grade is only deteremined on the programs and tests. The test are pretty easy as long as you understand the lectures and the programs. The low grades are because of the complexities of the topics, not because Mike is a bad lecturer.
Review from a student who took 307
I found him quite boring and ended up skipping most of his lectures. DO NOT SKIP HIS LECTURES! I recommended a lot of prior knowledge to C++ or Java before signing up for his class. His programs are quite time consuming and every other one is quite difficult.
Review from a student who took CS 307
Mike Scott is very lively and energetic, and he really gets into what he is teaching. He is a great teacher to have for an intro computer science class because of his style of teaching. You won't feel as bored as you would probably expect for a CS class. I would suggest getting started early on the Organism assignment if you get one, its a monster! Also, review with the old tests that he posts online. Lastly, go to class and be sure to write down any code he writes, cuz it will show up on a test!
Review from a student who took CS 307
I took Mike for both CS 303E and CS 307, and both times I've had a blast attending his lectures. He's really interested in the material and loves to teach it just as well to his students. My class was the first class Mike taught for CS 307, so things are slightly different since then. But overall, his class is an example of a weedout course. It was difficult when I took it and I heard that it is getting much harder. I can only recommend that you take this class with a light schedule, since it is one-fourth of your pre-comp sci GPA and is also heavily depended on in CS 315. If you go to the computer labs often, visit office hours on a weekly basis, and have excellent attendence in lecture, you'll probably pass. Definitely not an easy A, but that's typical of a comp sci course. If you hear complaints about his class in terms of difficulty, chances are those people complaining would never hack it in comp sci to begin with. It's not like it gets easier after that. Great class and even greater lecturer.
Review from a student who took CS 307
Mike Scott is a great lecturer. Lectures are always interactive and entertaining. Programming assignments have gotten progressively harder over the history of him teaching this class, but they have never been unreasonably difficult, and with effort they are easily doable. Scott tends to pride himself on the originality of the programming assignments and it is very rewarding to beat him at his own game and complete them perfectly.
Review from a student who took CS 307
Make no mistake, this class is only for CS majors or other people who are interested enough in CS to have studied it previously and can come in with a lot of prior knowledge. The class is not about programming, that is taken for granted; this is mostly a problem solving course using programming. If that doesn't sound like something you'll be able to handle with just a couple of weeks of review, then you will have a very difficult time competing with the numerous "CS gods" who barely need to take this class. If you come in interested and properly prepared, Mike shares your enthusiasm, and you will enjoy his lectures and the challenge of this class.
Review from a student who took CS 305J
Scott was a great teacher that made even the most boring computer science crap interesting. His tests weren't too hard but a few of the weekly assignments were pretty tough. I learned a lot in his class and would recommend him to anyone.
Review from a student who took CS 307
Not a good guy. Arrogant and unfriendly. He puts on a good act in class but talk to him personally, he makes you feel stupid. Arrogant people who think they are funny should not be teaching at all. He expects everyone to understand everything about computer science since day one. Pretty hard if you enter the college and started out computer science as a CS 303E person. I cannot recomend this person but sadly, he is the only person teaching this course. Oh, be careful about your programs because he will fail you if you screw up even one piece of code.
Review from a student who took CS 307
Mike Scott is a pretty good lecturer. I felt like the class was rather structurally informal, which I liked. The weekly projects are sometimes a nightmare, but it's not difficult to pull through. The tests are a little difficult but not unbearable. I would only recommend this class if you are a CS major or you really enjoy CS.
Review from a student who took CS 307
this guy is pretty crazy. he is energetic about CS, but his lectures still end up pretty hard to pay attention too. this course assumes knowledge that many of the students didnt have
Review from a student who took CS 307
Mike is a great lecturer. His is very passionate about the subject and he makes it interesting. You should definitely have some programming skills prior to 307.
Review from a student who took CS 307
I enjoyed the class. His lectures are easy to stay focused on. He rarely goes into much depth, but that is the nature of a beginning course. Grading is a little bit odd.
Review from a student who took CS 307
I didn't care for Mike that much, but that doesn't mean he's a bad professor. I came in with a fair amount of prior programming experience and ended up skipping about half the lectures. The programs aren't as bad as they first seem. He gives you a lot of help via lecture notes (all available online) and the USLs are there if you need help. They took me on average about 3 good hours to complete. The tests are pretty difficult, but he curves very well, so it's not that big of a deal if you totally bomb one part of it. Overall an ok class, Mike was just a little too overenthusiastic about things that didn't need to be emphasized.
Review from a student who took cs 307
Mike is a wonderful prof in the sense that he makes lectures interesting and strives to involve the class via candy! Also, he is available for office hours, emails answers to questions promptly and has tons of patience. I never saw him get frustrated once and I attended every single lecture. Do all of the programming assignments. For those with little experience, expect to spend 5-8 hrs on assignments. They thoroughly prepare you for the tests. All in all the class was challenging and it is a weed-out cs course, but good attendance and diligence will get you through it.
Review from a student who took CS 307
I liked Mike's lectures. He is easy to listen to and actively encourages questions with his candy bags. He is also easy to approach with questions. Sure some of the assignments were death on wheels but they do teach the material. Anyways great teacher.
Review from a student who took CS 307
Professor Scott is great. He is a great lecturer, but the lectures are not the most important. I predict you will do very well in his class if you do the following. 1. Come in with some programming experience. Take 303 if you want. I didn't... I came in with a little prior experience. I think it will be hard to stay up with this class if all the scripting you have ever used is HTML. Try to get some experience with loops and Boolean statements to make sure you are not left behind at the beginning (JavaScript, macromedia director, web app development). 2. Go to lecture. The lectures are not that important, so If you miss some you will be ok. Scott does throw candy at you so watch your head. 3. MOST IMPORTANTLY! DO YOUR PROGRAMS! Even if you are a good programmer, making 100s on the programming assignments will take you hours (8-12). If you make sure your code is flawless... the tests will be a breeze.... AKA. if you think you did badly on a test think again(when you see the curve). Good luck... I highly recommend this prof.
Review from a student who took czvgQTOHbakgBzkATKE
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Grades given in courses taught by Michael Scott

When teaching CS 303E

31%A
27%B
15%C
7%D
7%F
12%Drops
grade: a b c d f drops
percentage: 31% 27% 15% 7% 7% 12%

  All professors who have taught CS 303E

When teaching CS 307

21%A
31%B
21%C
6%D
10%F
11%Drops
grade: a b c d f drops
percentage: 21% 31% 21% 6% 10% 11%

  All professors who have taught CS 307

When teaching CS 329E

71%A
17%B
3%C
2%D
5%F
2%Drops
grade: a b c d f drops
percentage: 71% 17% 3% 2% 5% 2%

  All professors who have taught CS 329E

When teaching CS 305J

31%A
29%B
9%C
4%D
13%F
14%Drops
grade: a b c d f drops
percentage: 31% 29% 9% 4% 13% 14%

  All professors who have taught CS 305J