Alex Thornton - University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA

Professor: Alex Thornton

Department: Computer Science

College: University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ICS45C
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Tests and projects are really hard. I like him and the way that he teaches a lot but oh man I wish he would make his midterm/final easier

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ICS32
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Professor Thornton is an amazing lecturer and explains concepts very well. He is also very accessible outside of class and cares about his students. Projects are difficult so make sure to start early and plan out your projects. Exams require a good grasp of concepts and make sure to study all the notes because every topic is fair game.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: ICS46
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Professor Thornton is a phenomenal lecturer, and he is able to provide the perspective of a full-time software engineer as well. ICS 46 is by no means an easy course - the projects are time-consuming and the tests difficult. However, Thornton will give you every opportunity to succeed and grow as a programmer. Accessible, caring, entertaining.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ICS46
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Thornton actually TEACHES. Always accessible. I attended class AND read & took notes from online lecture. This class asks for a lot but it is damn worth it. I feel much more confident in my ability to solve problems. Those projects can be crazy fun & hard. Midterm was 2x harder than the final. Aim to be above the average scores.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: ICS32
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Gives amazing lectures that make up for ICS 31, assigns projects that are fun to do, grades the harder projects generously, but talks a bit too much about his dog that he sometimes has to rush the end of lecture, which is the most important part. Also, idk if anyone else suffered from the automated tests he uses to grade the projects, but I did.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: ICS32
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Best professor at UCI I've had so far. His lectures always flew by since he knows how to teach. When doing coding examples, he always explains WHY he chooses to solve a problem the way he does. Exams were difficult but not impossible. Projects were hard, so make sure to go to another lab section if you feel your current TA isn't helping you.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ICS32
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Thornton is not an easy professor nor the concepts he teaches. So be prepared to spend a lot of time on this class and make sure you START YOUR PROJECTS EARLY. For midterm and final, just make sure you read his notes. EVERYTHING on the midterm and final is mentioned in his notes at some point. Also Be prepared to study yourself. Good Luck!

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ICS46
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Thornton is the best teacher at UCI. Had him for 32, and 46 was also a great class. The midterm and final are hard, but curved like crazy. I was able to get an A. Not an easy class but very useful and important. Wouldn't want to take it with anybody else.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ICS32
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

The class is a big leap from ICS 31 so be prepared to work a lot harder. The projects are difficult but doable if you start early on them. The midterm and final are very hard and there are no practice exams. Thankfully there is a generous curve at the end. A third of the class received a C- or below, which means they have to retake the class.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ICS46
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Engaging and interesting lectures. Projects can sometimes be tough, and require a lot of attention to detail to ensure correct implementation of data structures. Picky in the grading of them too - runs lots of hidden test cases against your programs to determine your score. Conceptual & detail-oriented exams that can be tricky.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ICS32
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: No
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

the projects in this class are totally harder than the previous class. I had an A+ on 31 but I think I will fail in this class, and I have to retake this awful class. He won't give any sample for exams.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ICS32
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Thornton is solid! He's quirky and funny and really makes concepts clear. He has online notes that are basically his lectures which are really helpful. His projects are a bit challenging but teach you a lot. Get ready for lectures about his dog and a good time!

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ICS32A
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

This class wasn't actually that hard because he covered basic/simple topics in a concise/easy-to-understand way. But the midterm and final in his class were extremely difficult. To succeed, read his lecture notes carefully, work hard on the projects and try to do well on them. Professor Thornton curves so bad grades on tests won't screw you over.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ICS32
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Really nice class would take again

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ICS32A
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Prof. Thornton is an amazing instructor. I wish more CS classes were taught by him. It's not every quarter you come across such an inspirational professor. Get ready to program some 300-500+ lines of code per program.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ICS32
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

One of the best ICS lecturers at UCI. Also one of those rare lecturers where every lecture was almost full. Unlike most ICS professors, he didn't just teach some new programming concepts, but he also provided insight on how to go about programming something interesting.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ICS32
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

This man is the best of the CS Department of UCI. If I could I would take him all 4 years. God bless you Alex Thornton

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ICS32A
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Savor this class before you take 33. Make the most your free time now b/c Pattis bouta make your free times only one line. To prep for final just read his notes on his website and make sure you understand it well by testing on python shell.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ICS32
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

His programming projects are challenging, but not too hard to solve. His midterm and final are not too hard, but you must be careful with those minor details of Python.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ICS32
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

TOOK ICS32A! Though lecture isn't mandatory GO, it helps you for the projects & Thornton tries to be interesting. One midterm & final, 5 projects. Got a 59% on the midterm & a high 60 on the final but only got one B on the 1st project & A's for the rest, so don't worry if you're not the best tester, just do well on the projects & you should pass!