Robert Farrell

CSM125 · CSM10A71443 · CSM30 · CSM01A · CS30 · CSM10B · CSM30M10A · CSM10A · 34 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 52/100
RMP rating: 3.6/5
Take again: 54.55%
Difficulty: 4.2

The decision

if you already code and want university-level CS prep; .

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerTough GraderNot for BeginnersIndustry-Level CSLecture HeavyHarsh but Fair for Majors

CS majors who already code often praise real-world rigor; absolute beginners frequently report failing or dropping.
and , so an A requires sustained hard work.
Online sections draw far more 1-star frustration than older in-person sections.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

32/100

Tough, nitpicky grading and constant practice and meeting strict coding standards.

Online reviews stress failing beginners and ; but more fair if you put in work.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

28/100

Content moves past entry level fast, with assembly, architecture, and C++ projects that overwhelm students without prior coding.

Both formats report high difficulty; online beginners describe it as especially crushing.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

22/100

as required and tags like Skip class? You won't pass appear often.

Online and as mandatory in the majority of recent reviews.

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

54/100

; strongly discouraged for first-time coders.

; recent online reviews drag recommendation down.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Strict

28/100

Frequent Tough grader tags, whole letter-grade deductions for style issues, and little .

Format shift

Online students report unforgiving curves; as industry-style.

Workload

Heavy

30/100

Lots of , and high-stakes tests demand many hours weekly.

Format shift

Online adds multi-hour Zoom lectures plus in-class quizzes; .

Teaching experience

Average

58/100

Passionate and knowledgeable for motivated students, but lectures can be skimpy, defensive, or unhelpful for beginners.

Format shift

In-person quality skews excellent; online quality is frequently rated 1 with .

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

72/100

Tests and strict criteria.

Format shift

Online emphasizes proctored Canvas quizzes and finals; in-person stresses straightforward but and PAs.

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

22 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

option at the college if you work hard, with and transferable skills.

Main concern

Harsh letter-grade penalties for style issues and ; still tough for underprepared students.

What students said

“Robert Farrell is the only computer science professor at moorpark college who cares about his students success in the future.”
CSM30

“EXCELLENT professor. May seem hard but he is better than any alternative at Moorpark.”
CSM10A

“As a . He will actually teach you what you need to know”
CS30

Remote format

Online

12 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

Online CSM125 is widely described as brutal for first-time coders with , and little hand-holding.

Main concern

Beginners fail while experienced coders pass; tone can feel condescending and support is limited.

What students said

“If you're considering taking this class as a first-time coder, don't.”
CSM125

“Asks to write code snippets in because you can't test if they work.”
CSM125

“About 4-5 students spoke up in Zoom about privacy concerns regarding Proctorio and the difficulty of the final”
CSM125

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams and quizzes are high-stakes and often proctored online; overall format favors prepared coders and punishes guessing.

Proctored Canvas QuizzesProctorio FinalTest HeavyCode Snippet Exams

Assessment risk

Strict

38/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

but difficult; he often tells you what to study yet grades code harshly.

Straightforward but Hard TestsTells You What to StudyHarsh Project Grading

“ and . You have to try your hardest to get a good grade in the class.”
CSM10B

“Difficult tests but tells you what to study.”
CSM30

Online

Online reviews cite proctored Canvas quizzes, Proctorio privacy concerns, and hard finals with limited help.

ProctorioProctored Canvas QuizzesHard Final

“Asks to write code snippets in because you can't test if they work.”
CSM125

“About 4-5 students spoke up in Zoom about privacy concerns regarding Proctorio and the difficulty of the final”
CSM125

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“If you've coded before, take the class and you'll love him. If you .”
Voice snapshots generated from 34 reviews, highlighting polarized CS-major praise versus beginner frustration. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality Split

58/100

“You pretty much have to teach yourself the material. If you have to take this class, study the subject first before enrolling.”

👍 Recommendation Depends on Background

54/100

“ once before they transfer out.”

⚖️

28/100

“ . He subtracts a WHOLE letter grade for very specific things even though the whole program works flawlessly.”

🔥 Not Beginner Friendly

28/100

“This class had people that knew how to code beforehand (passing) and people that were just learning (failing).”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

He's a good guy and answers questions but doesn't teach like an entry level class.
Long boring lectures and if you don't understand then good luck
He will actually teach you what you need to know and doesn't care how hard or fast it may be.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

.
His questions were nitpicky and technical, and he'll try to trick you.
if you put in the time to study , you can definitely get an A

Theme 3

❤️ About Character

Robert is a great instructor and very helpful; he knows his stuff.
he is an awesome person too if you ever have questions he will help you out.
beware, he actually goes out of his way to make fun of those who do poorly.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

86/100

Evidence confidence

34 detailed reviews across many years and courses with and consistent themes on rigor and grading.

Inside 34 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 517

4 out of 56

3 out of 52

2 out of 50

1 out of 59

Course coverage

CSM12512 reviews

CSM3010 reviews

CS303 reviews

CSM10A3 reviews

CSM01A2 reviews

Show 3 more courses

CSM10B2 reviews

CSM10A714431 review

CSM30M10A1 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

24 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 1 · A 8 · A- 1

B range

B+ 1 · B 5 · B- 1

C range

C+ 1 · C 1

D range

D- 1

F

F 1

No letter grade reported

Drop/Withdrawal 1 · Not sure yet 2

Robert Farrell

x x x if you already code and want university-level CS prep; x x x x.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

HardWork

Challenging

Mandatory

Depends

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.

🎯 Teaching Quality Split

👍 Recommendation Depends on Background

⚖️ x x

🔥 Not Beginner Friendly

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

❤️ About Character

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

if you already code and want university-level CS prep; .

⚖️