Bruce Purcell

CS7011A · CIS · CIS10 · CS5 · CS7011 · CIS7331AB · CIS7321 · CIS10A · CIS5 · 23 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 78/100
RMP rating: 3.9/5
Take again: 100%
Difficulty: 2.3

The decision

Prefer his online tech or Photoshop sections; as a first programming teacher if lectures put you to sleep.

Best fit · Effort For RewardClear online organizerDull in-person lecturesOpen-book testsHelpful and kindTextbook-driven work

, and strongly recommended
In-person programming lectures are often called boring with
Open-book tests and weekly work make As achievable if you keep up

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

EasyA

78/100

Many students say an A is realistic with , and , though advanced online sections need real hours.

Online reviews stress 12-15 hour weeks for an A; open-book tests.

Is the course easy?

Beginner

68/100

, but programming for true beginners can feel confusing if lectures do not click.

Online CS and Photoshop feel clearer; in-person CIS10 is often harder to follow for first-timers.

Is attendance flexible?

WorthIt

72/100

Recommendation is strong for and open-book grading, weaker for boring in-person programming lectures.

Online reviews are warmly positive; teaching style.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Lenient

74/100

Homework deadlines can be flexible and with effort.

Format shift

Leniency is clearest in ; .

Workload

Moderate

52/100

Weekly labs and textbook exercises are steady; harder online sections can hit double-digit hours per week.

Format shift

Online CS7011A is heavier; many in-person CIS sections feel easier if you put time in.

Teaching experience

Average

62/100

Organized and helpful materials contrast with frequent complaints that lectures are dull or for beginners.

Format shift

Teaching praise is much higher online than in older in-person programming courses.

Assessment method

Balanced

55/100

and labs matter, and tests are common; several students say tests lean heavily on the textbook.

Format shift

Both formats mix assignments and 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

High confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Many students call him a , yet lectures are frequently boring and early programming sections frustrate true beginners.

Main concern

Dull lectures and ; weak fit for first-time programmers who need lively teaching.

What students said

“ , but a terrible teacher. By the end of the semester, about 2/3 to 3/4 of the class had dropped.”
CIS10

“ , but are still incredibly complex.”
CIS10

“It was not hard to get an A in his class. .”
CIS10

Remote format

Online

6 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

, and fair workload; students say an A takes steady weekly hours but is realistic.

Main concern

and lectures can feel dull even online.

What students said

“If you want an A, you will have to work for it. He advised us that the class would take 12-15 hours of work per week.”
CS7011A

“ and what is expected.”
CS5

“ , he was lenient.”
CS7011A

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams are often open book and doable if you do the work, though some call them complex or poorly matched to lectures.

Open book testsTextbook-based questionsWeekly homeworkClear grading criteria

Assessment risk

StudentFriendly

78/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

Multiple students describe open-book tests that can still be complex, with heavy textbook dependence.

Open bookTextbook-based testsComplex questions

“ , but are still incredibly complex.”
CIS10

“The and not hard as long as you do your work.”
CIS10A

Online

Online reviews mention confusing tests that sometimes do not match the book, with no webcam or proctoring details given.

Textbook exercisesConfusing testsClear weekly work

“The only thing that . A lot of the questions have nothing to do with what we read in the book.”
CS7011A

“The class is textbook oriented but it's only $15 and you use it.”
CS7011A

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“If you want an A, you will have to work for it. He advised us that the class would take 12-15 hours of work per week. He was absolutely correct.”
Voice snapshots generated from 23 reviews (6 online, 17 in person), highlighting format differences in clarity and boredom. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Online Clarity

85/100

“Bruce's instructions and .”

😴 Lecture Boredom

40/100

“Holy crap this class was boring, the man can not teach.”

📘 Open-Book Exams

78/100

“The and not hard as long as you do your work.”

👍

88/100

“ !”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

and consistent
Unfathomably dull
and what is expected

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

It was not hard to get an A in his class
you will have to work for it

Theme 3

💻 Online vs In Person

I'd go with Purcell
if you have the campus
if it is your first programming class!

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

84/100

Evidence confidence

Twenty-three reviews across online and in-person formats with consistent themes on organization, boredom, and .

Inside 23 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 512

4 out of 54

3 out of 56

2 out of 50

1 out of 51

Course coverage

CIS107 reviews

CIS10A5 reviews

CS7011A5 reviews

CIS1 review

CIS51 review

Show 4 more courses

CIS73211 review

CIS7331AB1 review

CS51 review

CS70111 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

3 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 1 · A 2

B range

No reported values

C range

No reported values

D range

No reported values

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

No reported values

Bruce Purcell

Prefer his online tech or Photoshop sections; x x as a first programming teacher if lectures put you to sleep.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

EasyA

Beginner

Recommended

WorthIt

See how this professor fits your week.

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

In person

Online

See what students actually said.

🎯 Online Clarity

😴 Lecture Boredom

📘 Open-Book Exams

👍 x x x x

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

💻 Online vs In Person

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

Prefer his online tech or Photoshop sections; as a first programming teacher if lectures put you to sleep.

👍