Kam-Hoi Cheng - University of Houston, Houston, TX

Professor: Kam-Hoi Cheng

Department: Computer Science

College: University of Houston, Houston, TX

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: COSC3340
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Please avoid him. I expressed concerns about my performance, and he had nothing positive to say. When students perform poorly, he comes to class with an attitude instead of realizing his teaching style doesnt work for everyone. The lectures are just him going over the poorly written notes. He does not make the class enjoyable in any way.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: COSC3340
• Grade Received: WD
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Do not take this course. For exam 1 I read the first 3 chapters did every section of practice problems and implemented the books methods to answer the questions. I received an 18/80 on the first exam. Every question required specific things that only he looks for. It sucks that his grading for exams is based off of copying his unnecessary practices

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: COSC3340
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

To do well, make sure to get the notes and have a complete understanding of every single thing in there. But be aware that there are a few mistakes in his notes and in some cases, he wants you to do the problem in a way that is different from what's written in his notes - so you'll have to either always attend class or befriend someone who does.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: COSC3340
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Take Leiss in summer if you can. If you cannot, then do not skip class, ask questions / attend office hours if you are struggling in the slightest. He speaks softly, has a noticeable accent and his notes are (poorly) handwritten JPGs that are outdated. I had a 4.0 before this class and escaped with a B- so if you tend to struggle in CS, good luck.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: COSC3340
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

This is a theory class. His tests are very specific. The final exam was tricky. You have to follow his way of doing things. DO NOT rely on youtube. He grades exams by himself. Make sure you have all his notes and be there when he discusses the HW solutions. 80% is an A in his class. For the test, just study the HW solutions and notes. That's it.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: COSC3340
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

One of the best professors in this department. Was extremely clear since the first day on what he wanted from the students in the class. A little bit of hard work pays off because the stuff you learn in this class is extremely useful, because i got two job in the field of AI due to Cheng's recommendation. Definitely would take this professor again.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: COSC3340
• 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:

Class requires a lot of self study but the material isn't hard the the notes he provides are decent examples. Exams are not that bad if you understand the homeworks and the lecture examples. Professor Cheng seems like a decent person but his accent is very thick.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: COSC3340
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Because I self studied to really understand the material, I realized that Cheng is not that bad. I noticed a lot of students don't try to learn the concepts, but they memorize the tricks to solve the easier problems. He likes to put tricky questions on his tests, but if you take the time to study, you can easily reason them out. I learned a lot.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: COSC1304
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

If you have any choice, don't take Dr. Cheng. He doesn't sit back at his desk twirling his mustache and plotting to make life for us as hard as possible, but he's not very helpful either. Won't give you any help other than confusing lecture examples. His grading of pseudocode (an informal language with few rules) is insanely strict. Don't do it.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: COSC3340
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

it not that hard to be in his class if you follow his instructions. test have about 4 questions that are similar to lecture notes and hw questions. for hws and testes, you have to applied the right method in order to get full credit.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: COSC3340
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Other universities actually learn how to apply(creating a compiler) what is taught in Automata. Cheng emphasizes on the parts of the class that have no real-world value. I work for a real tech company that applies CS principles in various fields. What he forces you to learn will bring no value in the a real work setting. Why is he still teaching?

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: COSC3340
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

For me, it was difficult to fully understand lectures for two reasons: The professor's accent and the fact that the slides he uses are not available online. Despite that, I believe that the nature of the class is also difficult and the professor at least tries to explain things. Do not skipping classes, try to take pictures of the notes

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: COSC3340
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

You have to do things EXACTLY his way. His lectures are sometimes confusing but if you learn from the internet translate to his notation and /or algorithms. Study with a group -- you will all have a different take on what he says. Take good notes when he shows the solutions to the homework problems, alternate solutions get little credit.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: COSC1304
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The language barrier is a SIGNIFICANT issue. Notes are overly dense in jargon, don't pertain to what's tested, and contain confusing grammar. His lectures are just as hard to follow, and often makes it worse or misunderstands you when you ask a question. The main assignments contain grammatical issues; so much so that the TA is confused by them.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: COSC3330
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Not a very good professor. His lecture slides are unreadable and his grading is strict. He curves at the end of the semester but that's only for certain types of students. I would definetly not recommend this professor. He is not very clear when trying to solve problems. He has problems understanding a students questions that a classmate can answer

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: COSC 3340
• Grade Received: INC
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

When choose CS as your major, you should expect most CS course is boring and confusing. Prof Cheng may not be the best, but he is always there for students who have questions. He always try his best to explain theory and tell you how to understand those idea. Don't blame him because of automata, I don't think other professor can make it fun.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: 3340
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

the class is old style. there is tricky questions in exam. But, the final grade is so so so good.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: COSC1304
• Grade Received: F
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He has no business teaching. Stay away from him. Save your money.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: 1304
• Grade Received: WD
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

This class made me feel like a failure.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: COSC3340
• 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: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Cheng is one of the reasons that I do not recommend the computer science department at the University of Houston to prospective students. Although, he manages to lecture about automata for an hour and a half twice a week, he does little actual teaching. The lectures. although organized, are dry, regurgitated and hard to follow or understand.