Toby Donaldson - Simon Fraser University Surrey, Surrey, BC

Professor: Toby Donaldson

Department: Computer Science

College: Simon Fraser University Surrey, Surrey, BC

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: MACM101
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Great prof! He gave us 5 assignments and 5 quizzes which was a free 25% since the assignment questions were usually out of the text and the quizzes had unlimited retries. The midterm and final were on exactly what he emphasized in class and honestly werent too difficult. Tip: really understand the quantifiable logic and counting sections for M & F.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: CMPT130135
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Very clear on criteria etc. Intro programming class explained things very concisely. Not the most fun guy, but good class. Also, he posted all his lecures in videos online so if you have to miss class then its no big deal. That being said, Id recommend going to lectures or watching them online, its very helpful.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CMPT130135
• 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:

Final was super hard compared to the easy mid-term. Overall the prof introduces the concepts well and I had no issues with him.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CMPT130135
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

As someone with limited previous coding experience, this class was pretty easy. Toby explained all the concepts really well and I never had any issues.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CMPT383
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

CMPT 383 with Toby Donaldson can be a bit dry at times, but if you can get past that he does provide a large amount of information every class which will help you with your assignments. The assignments aren't difficult, but they make sure that you understand the languages that you are using (Haskell, Go, and Scheme). Overall, a fun and fair course.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CMPT165
• 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:

Really Enjoy his class and like him as a person. He's done most of his part as a professor and really, this is a gpa booster class for everyone in SFU. Just go and try out his class, this class will be a blast as long as you prepare to follow his instructions .

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CMPT165
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

My first time programming. 3 midterms. For the final you can redo any, all, or none of the midterms. Gives a total of 24hrs lateness for assignments. His online notes are very clear and concise. Lectures are not mandatory, but he gives good examples. Very dry and boring though. Examssemi-easy, assignmentseasy. Just follow the requirements!

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CMPT166
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This guy does not know how to teach. He fails at explaining course materials. Doesn't use slides as lecture notes. His lectures are dry and boring. Doesn't use Microphones so he sound like mumbling (Doesn't prepare for his lecture). He has one of the most ugly haircuts. (Harry Potter???)

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CMPT225
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

If you really want to learn something then I won't prefer him as his explanation are really vague and mostly confusing. He has no lecture slides so you have to take good notes during his lecture because he gives 90% of the exam from his notes. I found the final exam moderate. His assignments are bit challenging.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CMPT130135
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

He has the best notes! If you want to do well in his class, reading his notes is a must. He is very accessible outside of class too. Some said he is unfriendly, but my experience chatting with him says the opposite. If you ask him a question, he won't just spoon-feed you the answer, he asks more questions to lead you to the answer. Recommended!

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CMPT166
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Honestly, he's not that bad of a prof. Yes, he's awkward and can be slow but he prepares his notes clearly online and provides good examples to understand the concept. Also his creation challenges are the easiest thing ever. Assignments are pretty easy. Personally, I feel like he's taught us more than we're supposed to know.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CMPT166
• 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:

He's a legend.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CMPT383
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Fair and fun assignments. Difficulty level just right. Strange personality. Knows nothing about enthusiastic teaching. Not very helpful. If you are taking 383 with him, make sure you know what programming languages he is teaching beforehand. And think twice if you really want to learn those. Otherwise you'll be stuck.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: CMPT135
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

This is the worst prof at SFU. He doesnt care about the students and is super vague in instructions. His class is hell

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CMPT135
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

There is no point even going to class. I fall asleep every time anyways. It sounds like I'm listening to a robot teaching class. I don't even bother listening, its a great class to sleep in. Seriously, AVOID AT ALL COST!!

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CMPT135
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Don't bother taking a class with this guy. Homeworks expect advance knowledge while lecture explains the very basics (ints, floats, doubles, so on).

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CMPT166
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

for this course, if you know about programming, it's easy for you. If not, well you need to work hard since the lecture is worthless and boring. You even do not need come to the lecture, just write code at home. For the exam, it's not hard, but it's trick, it covers many stuff that he never talk about in the lecture.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CMPT166
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

His Lectures are boring. He is pretty much like a robot. Even though I ended up with an A, which could have been an A+ if he didn't eat his words and gave us the mark for one multiple choice that is straight controversial, I would not recommend his lecture. CMPT 166 is a great course. If you are considering to take it, take with other profs.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CMPT130135
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Nice, in a sense that these courses are just introductory courses and that programming should not be marked strictly. Speaks quietly but rationally. Some concepts are redundant & others were not discussed or explained properly. Assignments are interestingly challenging. The exams are easy, as long as you study. Recommended to read the notes & book.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CMPT166
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

His notes are so useful! however the assignments are challenging and same goes for the exams , but he is a really nice prof definitely one of my favorite professors at SFU!