AI Rate Professor

Computer Science

David Topham

CS113 · CS118 · CS124 · CS102 · CS116 · 202 lifetime ratings

AI rating
36/100
RMP rating
3.1/5
Take again
43.33%
Difficulty
3.4

The decision

if you learn well from textbooks and ; beginners who need clear live instruction should look elsewhere.

Best fit · Self Taught ProTextbook dependentFast lab paceHeavy homeworkCaring but unclearSelf-study required
  • Lectures often feel like reading the book aloud with limited conceptual teaching
  • Workload is heavy with SML, LaTeX, virtual machines, and frequent quizzes
  • Self-driven students can pass and even get As, but many leave underprepared

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

42/100

As are possible with , and , but the effort cost is high.

Online and ; neither is a free A.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

30/100

CS113 through CS124 are described as , and tool-loaded beyond the core concepts.

In-person upper CS courses sound hardest; online discrete and .

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

28/100

Many sections mark attendance mandatory and warn that .

Online and in-person both frequently list mandatory attendance or .

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

43/100

Roughly four in ; self-starters appreciate structure while .

Online lean more negative on teaching; and grateful A students.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

52/100

Some say do the work and , while others call him a tough or .

Format shift

In-person comments are split between easy full-credit homework and .

Workload

Heavy

22/100

Lots of , and weekly quizzes dominate the experience.

Format shift

Heavy load appears in both formats, with .

Teaching experience

Poor

42/100

Often caring and patient, but lectures are dry, fast, and too textbook-bound for many CS students.

Format shift

Online and ; a minority praise patience and transfer prep.

Assessment method

Balanced

62/100

Significant quiz and , and documentation.

Format shift

One CS113 report cites 40 percent final, 30 percent quizzes, 30 percent labs; similar mixes appear elsewhere.

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

45 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

, and many students say you survive by recording labs and reading constantly.

Main concern

Poor lecture clarity, heavy docs, and tool overhead can tank learning even when grades are achievable.

What students said

“It's really easy to get A if you try but you just don't learn anything in his class.”
CS124
“PLEASE RECORD, RECORD, RECORD THE LABS because TOPHAM TEACHES VERY FAST.”
CS118

Remote format

Online

5 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online CS and self-teaching, with mixed reports on clarity and .

Main concern

Fast pace plus assumed tools like SML or LaTeX without enough teaching.

What students said

“ , BUY THE but class moves really fast”
CS113
“The class itself is really easy but Topham isn't a good professor. and is extremely boring.”
CS118

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Quizzes and , but timing, pace, and tool skills raise risk.

Test heavyPop quizzesBook based examsFinal weighted heavily

Assessment risk

Standard

40/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

timed quizzes, and finals that may include material students thought was off limits.

Pop quizzesBook based quizzesTimed quizzesFinal can include SML
“ but he gives so much partial credit that it's impossible to not get A's on them if you study and have the book open while taking the quiz.”
CS113
“Topham said on the first day of class he wouldn't put , yet he put them on the final.”
CS113

Online

Online comments note test-heavy structure and a final around 40 percent, without clear webcam or Lockdown details.

Test heavyFinal weightedBook memorizationNo proctoring details reported
“for . Final is 40 % of grade”
CS113
“Lots of ”
CS113

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“if you need an instructor to actually lecture the concepts, you're out of luck with topham as he really only recites the textbook word for word”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 CS reviews across online and , and workload. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

42/100

“His lectures consist of will put you to sleep.”

👍 Recommendation Rate

43/100

“ ”

📚

30/100

“You have to learn discrete mathematics for youTube or any other sources because he is not going to teach you that.”

📝 Workload Intensity

22/100

“there is . .”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • I found him to be a poor teaching.
  • and is extremely boring.
  • Please RECORD, RECORD, RECORD THE LABS because TOPHAM TEACHES VERY FAST.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

  • It's really easy to get A if you try but you just don't learn anything in his class.
  • CS118, difficult through the roof.
  • . Do all the .

Theme 3

🧰 About Tools & Work

  • All of Topham' class requires writing code and doing documents on a VIRTUAL MACHINE.
  • he wants you to learn SML without teaching you anything about it.
  • Youll also find yourself spend most the time on fixing LaTex errors.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

202

Lifetime ratings

84/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty reviews with rich technical detail and recurring themes across multiple CS courses support a high-confidence picture despite mixed sentiment.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 565
4 out of 539
3 out of 521
2 out of 517
1 out of 560

Course coverage

CS11315 reviews
CS12414 reviews
CS11812 reviews
CS1028 reviews
CS1161 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

36 reported outcomes

A range

23

A+ 3 · A 17 · A- 3

B range

3

B 3

C range

4

C+ 2 · C 2

D range

0

No reported values

F

1

F 1

No letter grade reported

5

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