James Sears - University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA

Professor: James Sears

Department: Computer Science

College: University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: INFO2110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Sears is a stickler for how he wants your code written, but he grades fairly and gives you all the information you need to write to his standards. Though not mandatory, I recommend attending the chat sessions because they are very informative and he answers any questions you may have.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: INTRO031
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Not much good to say. Professor has a snarky and rude attitude about himself . Favorite phrase "they'll be a deduction" be prepared for loss of points on minor nitpicky things that don't follow his personal ideals.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: INFO2110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

If you need the answers to check your work search github gist for user ProbablyAFK and review against my code. I did very well but had to take the course twice because i was confused on the date of the final and he is very strict/ unforgiving. Took the class for my degree.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: INFO2110
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He is a really nice guy and will help you out if you need it. His notes are easy to understand and very helpful. Assignments are very clear and there was only one exam at the end (for the online course). Make sure to ask for help on assignments well ahead of the due date, otherwise he will yell at you (in an email of course).

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: PROG211ONLIN
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Everything you need is in the notes, period. I barely needed the book. There might be 1-2 concepts, where you'll want to check the book for additional notes or watch Youtube to better understand. His feedback is lacking, but he knows C well. If you are serious about programming and have a passion for it, this class will be easy to you.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: INTC1
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Takes forever to respond to emails, lecture notes were unclear about nuances that are required for programming. I had to ask previous students from his class for help and they told me things that were not in the notes or book that were program-breaking problems. Would not recommend.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: INTC1
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Disappointed. I took Intro to C part I and II with him. Both sections were tricky. He's a stickler for precise code- if you fail to follow his guidelines you're essentially screwed on your grade. Homework is very hard at the end of the course, read, take tons of notes, and follow his guidelines. I wouldn't take a class with him again- ever.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: 90212
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Very disappointing. 12+ hours of weekly homework. No real teaching; learned through notes, book, & web search. Assignments unclear & sometimes required functionality not found in lecture notes. Assistance provided via e-mail; no opportunity to learn from fellow students' questions in forum. Suggest dedicating entire semester to this class.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: 90212
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Prof. Sears gives precisely worded assignments to be followed precisely. He always gave me the help I needed after I had worked hard to find the answers on my own. Keep up with work, go to chats, read book, notes, AND work hard. The tests are timed and hard. You will learn!

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: 90212
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The lecture notes for this class provide more than enough information to do the homework assignments, which are much more difficult than his tests. Prof. Sears is a tough grader, but fair. Bottom line- as long as you work hard and follow his directions and guidelines, you will do just fine and learn a lot.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: 90211031
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS!!!

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CPROGRAMMING
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This Professor is kinda rude. Points deduction is his hall-mark.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: 90211
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Takes forever to return emails. You will pretty much teach yourself, and the 2 exams are confusing, misleading and do nothing to test your acquired knowledge of C programming.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: COMP
• Grade Received: D
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

AVOID AT ALL COST!

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CS212
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Ultimately I was happy with the course, the knowledge I learned, and the grade I received. Some assignments are *much* harder than others, and grading is not always consistent. Most assignment solutions are readily available but not all in one place, they require pieces from each of the 3 sources -textbook, lecture notes, and chats.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: 90211031
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

C Programming Intro (on-line). Sears is a good Prof providing plenty of help. Tries to enliven things by including cartoons/jokes in lecture notes. To support homework assignments, programming examples are provided during chats. Points are deducted for sloppy code. Midterm & final are on-line & limited to 2 hrs. (plenty of time).

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: 90212
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Poor, unclear feedback on assignments. Assignment instructions often have conflicting information. He rarely posts anything to the discussion board.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: 90211031
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Not helpful at all and does not have student's best interest in mind. Very rude.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: PROG211ONLIN
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He grades tough, but that is ok... real problem is that he is rude and unresponsive. Feels like he has checked out. Re-uses old material, cancels chats on several occasions and doesn't respond to email for several days. Without discussion forum, many would be lost.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: C1
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Picky, Downright no good, must have some serious family issues cause hes not cool at all. Taking the online class if you email him he doesn't get back to you until its way too late so he blows.