AI Rate Professor

Computer Science

Howard Stahl

CS31 · CS20A · CS79A · CS83R · CS50 · CS17 · MATH11 · CS52 · CS80 · CS52ONLINE · 112 lifetime ratings

AI rating
72/100
RMP rating
3.9/5
Take again
71.15%
Difficulty
3.1

The decision

if you already program and can learn from dense modules; avoid CS17 as a true beginner expecting video lectures.

Best fit · Self Taught ProText-only modulesHLA assemblyCaring & responsiveOpen-note quizzesSelf-paced online
  • CS17 is hard and text-heavy, especially for students without prior C or programming depth.
  • Stahl is widely described as caring, reachable, and lenient with extensions and grading.
  • every module and start assignments early.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

62/100

Many finish with A if they code solidly and , but HLA and dense modules still demand real effort.

Online is more polarized; experienced programmers report easier As than true beginners.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

34/100

Assembly concepts, HLA, and .

Online CS17 comments drive the hard rating; some other CS courses feel milder.

Is attendance flexible?

Optional

88/100

Most online sections are asynchronous with and no required live class.

Flexibility is mainly an online feature; but are less central.

Is this professor recommended?

WorthIt

70/100

Recommended for motivated CS students who want real learning and .

Online CS17 has more avoid comments; other courses and in-person reviews are warmer.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Lenient

74/100

Frequent reports of , and responsive help if you ask early.

Format shift

Online students emphasize leniency and email support; a minority still call him tough.

Workload

Heavy

36/100

Weekly modules, programming assignments, and long study hours, especially in compressed terms.

Format shift

Online 8-week terms feel most overwhelming; experienced programmers report lighter load.

Teaching experience

Good

71/100

and strong support for many, undermined by text-only delivery and HLA obscurity.

Format shift

In-person and non-CS17 courses get higher praise; online CS17 teaching format is the main criticism.

Assessment method

Balanced

48/100

Programming assignments plus quizzes and exams, often with open notes and resubmission chances.

Format shift

Online CS17 details dominate: open-note quizzes, coding PAs, and multi-part tests.

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

17 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person and campus students more , and strong CS teaching across CS17 and other courses.

Main concern

Still expect hard programming work and .

What students said

“Professor Stahl is the . CS17 class is challenging, but you will learn a lot.”
CS17
“there are NO video lectures whatsoever, so you have to basically read through everything”
CS17
“He's caring and is very articulate in his teaching.”
CS83R

Remote format

Online

33 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online CS17 is asynchronous text modules with , and ; experiences split between love and hate.

Main concern

No video lectures and obscure HLA resources make the class brutal for beginners.

What students said

“Modules are available upfront, allowing self-paced study. and coding assignments that can be resubmitted.”
CS17
“the whole class is just text, there are no videos”
CS17
“ and very lenient with grading.”
CS17

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Quizzes and with coding components and flexible support.

Open-note quizzesOpen-book testsCoding problemsResubmits allowedPlenty of time reported

Assessment risk

StudentFriendly

78/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and more on straightforward module-based exams and assignments.

Module-aligned examsProgramming projectsOffice-hour help
“Everything is done in modules assignment and ”
CS17
“ and hard so work at least a couple days in advance.”
CS17

Online

Online students report , and time to finish.

Open-note quizzesOpen-book examsCoding problemsExtensions
“open-note quizzes and ”
CS17
“ and coding problems with plenty of time to finish.”
CS17
“Prof Stahl is really ”
CS17

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“Ideal for self-motivated learners with some programming experience.”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, highlighting self-paced CS17 intensity, text modules, and . Credibility rating: High.

❤️ Caring Support

74/100

“ and .”

📚 Text-Only Format

40/100

“the whole class is just text, there are no videos”

🧠 Course Challenge

34/100

“ unless you've already taken C programming. This is NOT a beginner class.”

👍

70/100

“If you fully read the material he gives, it always has everything you need to get 100% on the assignments.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • lectures & documents for the
  • He's a if you need it
  • does not teach, he only copies and paste his lectures
  • lesson materials

Theme 2

💻 About CS17 & HLA

  • He uses HLA, which is not even real assembly
  • There are next to no resources online for HLA
  • This is not a class
  • Hardest class for me to date

Theme 3

⚖️

  • very lenient with grading
  • even on weekends
  • open-note quizzes and

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

112

Lifetime ratings

87/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty reviews with a large online sample, repeated concrete , and polarized CS17 outcomes.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 567
4 out of 516
3 out of 52
2 out of 57
1 out of 520

Course coverage

CS1736 reviews
CS523 reviews
CS312 reviews
CS502 reviews
CS83R2 reviews
Show 5 more courses
CS20A1 review
CS52ONLINE1 review
CS79A1 review
CS801 review
MATH111 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

48 reported outcomes

A range

34

A+ 8 · A 24 · A- 2

B range

4

B+ 1 · B 3

C range

2

C 2

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

8

Drop/Withdrawal 1 · Incomplete 2 · Not sure yet 5