AI Rate Professor

Computer Science

Randy Scovil

CS231 · CIS231 · CIS232 · CS492 · CIS207 · CIS233 · 78 lifetime ratings

AI rating
42/100
RMP rating
2.9/5
Take again
51.43%
Difficulty
4.1

The decision

if you want a demanding CS course and , and a blunt teaching style.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerVery demandingSelf-study requiredTough graderDeep learning payoffRude or dismissive tone
  • Students consistently describe the courses as difficult, reading-heavy, and unforgiving.
  • In-person students more often report strong long-term learning, while online students report outsourced materials and weak support.
  • Grades are possible with serious effort, but this is not a low-stress or beginner-friendly option.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

32/100

An A is possible, but students repeatedly , and strong persistence.

Online evidence shows some low-effort structure but harsh grading and weak support, while .

Is the course easy?

Challenging

24/100

The programming content is fast, dense, and often assumes students can learn independently beyond lecture.

Online students find the , while in-person students describe the same difficulty as rigorous preparation.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

18/100

because students say skipping class or missing lecture details makes passing unlikely.

The , while online reviews do not show real flexibility beyond asynchronous work.

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

46/100

value results more than comfort or support.

Online reviews mostly advise avoiding him, while in-person reviews are sharply divided between life-changing rigor and negative treatment.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Strict

24/100

Students frequently call him a and unclear formatting expectations.

Format shift

Strict grading appears in both formats, with online .

Workload

Heavy

26/100

The workload is heavy because students describe lots of , and self-study outside class.

Format shift

Online workload centers on textbook and coding assignments, while and constant reading.

Teaching experience

Poor

48/100

He is knowledgeable and can produce strong learning outcomes, but many students describe him as unhelpful, condescending, or hard to ask questions.

Format shift

, while online teaching is mostly described as disengaged and outsourced.

Assessment method

Balanced

62/100

Grades appear to come from a mix of , and difficult tests.

Format shift

Online reviews mention quizzes, coding assignments, and textbook work, while , and lecture material.

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

39 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

his demeanor and strong praise for how much students learn when they commit fully.

Main concern

The main issue is extreme difficulty combined with a blunt, sometimes condescending classroom style.

What students said

“Hardest class Ive ever taken but also the most fulfilling.”
CIS233
“Yes, he's tough and demanding.”
CIS233
“ fooled.”
CIS231

Remote format

Online

11 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online reviews are strongly negative, with students saying teaching is mostly outsourced to zyBooks or outside resources and questions often go unanswered.

Main concern

Online students report , and unhelpful communication.

What students said

“Uses zyBooks to offload all actual teaching.”
CIS231
“Never answers questions, because I honestly think he doesn't know any of the material he teaches.”
CS492
“graded really hard and also waits to grade everything till the last moment.”
CIS233

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exam friendliness varies because , but many describe tests as hard, long, and grade-defining.

Hard TestsOpen Book Notes In Some In-Person ReviewsTime-Limited TestsTest Heavy In Some Courses

Assessment risk

Varies

43/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

explicitly saying tests are open book and notes and another saying tests are long with limited time.

Open Book NotesHard TestsLong TestsTime Limited
“ ”
CIS231
“The , and time is limited, so know your resources before going in to test.”
CIS232
“ fooled.”
CIS231

Online

Online reviews do not clearly prove webcam, proctoring, Lockdown Browser, open-book, midterm, or .

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“Hardest class Ive ever taken but also the most fulfilling.”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, highlighting key themes in , and format differences; credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

48/100

“He is very inspirational and very interested in seeing where his students end up.”

⚖️

24/100

“ homework.”

📚 Workload Reality

26/100

“ .”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • Lectures are horrible, old, and reused from 2019-2020.
  • Scovil teaches you how to teach yourself and how to be successful.
  • Randy is an excellent lecturer and you can tell he is very passionate about his subject.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty And Grades

  • Randy's class is by far the most difficult I've ever taken.
  • fooled.
  • homework.

Theme 3

❤️ About Long-Term Value

  • The guy changes your life. In the .
  • I am confident I wouldn't have learned what I did if I had a different professor.
  • If you put in the work in his class really cool stuff can happen for you, (he isnt lying).

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

78

Lifetime ratings

92/100

Evidence confidence

Credibility is high because 50 reviews span many years, include detailed course-specific evidence, and show consistent themes despite mixed opinions.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 521
4 out of 511
3 out of 511
2 out of 521
1 out of 514

Course coverage

CIS23319 reviews
CIS23118 reviews
2315 reviews
CIS2324 reviews
CS2312 reviews
Show 2 more courses
CIS2071 review
CS4921 review

Reported outcomes

B range results lead the reported letter grades.

34 reported outcomes

A range

6

A 5 · A- 1

B range

17

B+ 9 · B 7 · B- 1

C range

2

C 2

D range

1

D+ 1

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

8

Drop/Withdrawal 3 · Not sure yet 2 · Not_Sure_Yet 1 · Rather not say 2