Clayton Smith

COMSC10 · COMSC123 · COMSC40 · COMSC7119 · COMSC040 · COMSC049 · COMSCI40 · COMSC0916 · 18 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 56/100
RMP rating: 3.6/5
Take again: 100%
Difficulty: 2.7

The decision

if you need an easy CS credit and free materials, not if you want modern computer science skills.

Best fit · Easy A HunterEasy A PotentialOutdated ContentFree Lab TextbooksPolarizing ReviewsChill But Self-Teach

Many students call intro CS sections an easy A with free lab books and pre-quiz reviews.
A large minority , and weak for real computer science.
Helpful and ; others report little useful instruction.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

EasyA

78/100

Many students report easy As with notes, free lab books, and , though a .

Online reviews mention timed weekly quizzes and As with outdated focus; if you attend and .

Is the course easy?

Beginner

70/100

Intro content is often called easy and low-stress, but some and feel outdated rather than deep.

Both formats skew easy overall; harshest difficulty complaints appear in older COMSC10 and COMSC40 comments.

Is attendance flexible?

Varies

48/100

while , so flexibility depends on the specific class.

; online reviews are mixed or not provided.

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

55/100

and free materials; avoid if you want current CS knowledge or strong teaching depth.

, while many older in-person reviews still call him chill and easy.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Lenient

74/100

Students repeatedly call him a fair or and is not too harsh on tests.

Format shift

Both formats report achievable As when work is completed.

Workload

Light

68/100

Homework and labs are usually described as manageable, with weekly posts or .

Format shift

Online adds weekly timed quizzes and forum posts; , and light HW.

Teaching experience

Average

50/100

Helpful and personable for some, but frequent complaints that lectures are boring, outdated, or leave students teaching themselves.

Format shift

Online students more often criticize outdated focus and tone; and fossil.

Assessment method

Balanced

52/100

Grades mix weekly quizzes or , and occasional finals.

Format shift

Online emphasizes timed quizzes, forum posts, and a ; , and two 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

13 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Easy A Hunter

free books and strong claims that content is outdated and self-taught.

Main concern

Lectures can feel boring or obsolete even when the grade is easy.

What students said

“What's awesome about this class is you don't need to buy any book at all. . EASY CLASS.”
COMSC040

“Get ready to read because you will be teaching yourself!”
COMSC40

“DONT BUY THE BOOKS. . Just show up, pay attention, do the ”
COMSCI40

Remote format

Online

5 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online COMSC sections mix helpful communication with harsh notes that content is outdated and answers are online.

Main concern

Outdated emphasis and limited help can leave you unprepared for certification or real skills.

What students said

“Helpful & communicative with students through the semester. and .”
COMSC10

“I got an A in this class and failed the really outdated.”
COMSC10

“All answers are online, don't ask him for any help or clarification he will talk down to you.”
COMSC10

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

with time pressure and some written questions, not clearly open-book or heavily proctored.

Timed Weekly QuizzesChapter TestsCumulative FinalEssay/Short Summary QuestionsPre-Quiz Review

Assessment risk

Standard

52/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and tests often reviewed in class the same day, with some summary questions.

Chapter QuizzesIn-Class Review Before TestsShort Summary QuestionsLab Projects

“ if you read the text book, he does like to have a summary question. Usually can be answered in 5 sentences.”
COMSC123

“ so sometimes you and ace his <10 question chapter test.”
COMSC40

Online

Online students report weekly timed quizzes with multiple choice plus a paragraph question, and a .

Timed QuizzesMultiple Choice Plus ParagraphCumulative FinalTime Limits

“Weekly tests and because of time limits and essay questions, but the .”
COMSC10

“Read the text book to complete the weekly timed quizzes, 15 multiple choice, and 1 paragraph question, 20pts. total.”
COMSC10

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“Just show up, pay attention, do the ”
Voice snapshots generated from 18 reviews across online and in-person formats, highlighting easy-grade access versus outdated CS content. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

50/100

“Get ready to read because you will be teaching yourself! He tells lame jokes to try and act like he is cool but this guy is like 80 and knows nothing about computer science.”

🅰️ Easy A Path

78/100

“DONT BUY THE BOOKS. . Just show up, pay attention, do the ”

📚 Content Currency

35/100

“I got an A in this class and failed the really outdated.”

💬 Responsiveness

70/100

“ and .”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

and .
Yes, he's old school, and yes he talks a lot, but honestly he is an easy teacher and .
His class can be very boring at times but if you attend everyday and do perfect on the quizzes

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

EASY CLASS. BORING LECTURES.
Very easy to get a A or B.
Just show up, pay attention, do the

Theme 3

⚠️ About Content Value

This guy is a fossil, and his class is outdated. you wont learn much about computers from this class.
Smith has no degrees in computer science, not even a BA.
All answers are online, don't ask him for any help or clarification he will talk down to you.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

78/100

Evidence confidence

Eighteen reviews spanning about a decade show consistent themes on easy grades and outdated content despite polarized quality scores.

Inside 18 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 510

4 out of 52

3 out of 51

2 out of 50

1 out of 55

Course coverage

COMSC406 reviews

COMSC104 reviews

COMSC0402 reviews

COMSC1232 reviews

COMSC0491 review

Show 3 more courses

COMSC09161 review

COMSC71191 review

COMSCI401 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

5 reported outcomes

A range

A 4 · A- 1

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

Clayton Smith

x x x if you need an easy CS credit and free materials, not if you want modern computer science skills.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

EasyA

Beginner

Varies

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

🅰️ Easy A Path

📚 Content Currency

💬 Responsiveness

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

⚠️ About Content Value

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 need an easy CS credit and free materials, not if you want modern computer science skills.