Mohamed Aboutabl - James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

Professor: Mohamed Aboutabl

Department: Computer Science

College: James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CS361
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Prof. Aboutabl gives good lectures and is very helpful outside of class. He has very high expectations of his students and you will need to put in a lot of work. His tests are tough but fair.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: CS261
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I was told to beware of him but I actually learned a ton from him and this class. I had an A the whole semester but the final (20% of grade) lowered it to an A- so be careful. Midterms aren't terrible just study hard and you'll get a decent grade. I actually really enjoyed the class but I worked really hard. I started PAs AS SOON AS THEY CAME OUT.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CS227
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Took him for 227, the concepts in the class aren't too difficult to understand but the way he teaches them are pretty bad. His tests aren't too bad but he is a very very very picky grader, and if you don't solve the problem the way he taught you, you won't get credit. Not the best professor for this class, but definitely not the worst.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CS261
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Aboutabl is a good professor and really knows the material he teaches. I wasn't a huge fan of his grading policy for projects, but other than that he explains things well and gives you lots of resources to study. BE CAREFUL he assigns things really last minute and doesn't set exam dates in the syllabus

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CS261
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Aboutabl is really tough, there's no way around it. By this point in the CS major you shouldn't care about difficult professors because you'll work just as hard. Aboutabl creates DIFFICULT tests, average are around 65 - 70. Although the tests are hard, the projects are a majority of your grade. printf("good freakin luck");

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CS457
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Aboutabl assures that you learn the material the class must cover. Do the readings, go to his office hours for help, and participate in class. He appreciates participation a lot and doesn't care if you're wrong, he just wants you to engage in the lecture. Tests are fair (he gives cheat sheets). Put in the effort and you'll learn a lot.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CS457
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

he is so nice. His exams are tricky and worth a lot. try avoid him if you can.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CS227
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

The worst college professor I have ever had. The class itself is logic so it's already kind of difficult. He puts up PowerPoints you should read before class, and then in class, pulls them up and literally writes down what was on the powerpoint on the whiteboard. Changed tests from MC to short answer because it's "too hard" to make MC.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CS240
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Lectures are kind of dull in the class. His tests can be a bit tricky. Overall not a difficult class and while it isn't ideal that he doesn't give pluses or minuses (93 and above is an A) it isn't a bad class all in all

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CS240
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Aboutabl was a good choice for 240 he made things very clear in slides in class and the PA's were very doable and you could find most methods in the textbook itself. Homeworks were rare and also fairly easy but if he says to do something you should do it because it will be on a quiz or test. Easy going guy and helpful in office hours.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CS458
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This is not a cyber defense class. It's a networking class with a minor understanding of security. Would not recommend aboutabl

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CS240
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

when he says "this isn't for a grade but you should do it", you should probs do it. There is a 99% chance it will be on the next test. If you go to office hours, he will go over everything with you to make sure you understand. His lectures are slightly boring, but I mean its a computer science lecture what do you expect

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CS450
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Tough but fair. Decided to use him for 450 and 361 in the same semester and couldn't of been happier with my choice. I learned so much that semester and have great respect for him. He's tough but you are in CS... you will curse his name and get frustrated, but he cares and just wants to challenge you, YOU WILL get the grade you EARN.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: CS450
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Major disappointment. Lectures are mandatory (missing even one costs you points), but consist of him reading slides verbatim from the text, which itself is pretty lousy. Lots of emphasis on deadlocks and critical sections, little emphasis on memory management, scheduling algorithms, interrupts or other actual OS concerns.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CS350
• 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:

The final was hard and lectures long but the class overall was interesting and every other piece of work in class wasn't really challenging at all

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CS350
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He spends half his lectures insisting that college is hard, and the other half proving himself right. Lectures are an endurance round as you wage epic battle against sleep. Tests are impossible and include material not covered in the slides and hidden in the deepest bowels of the textbook. Do not take him unless you feel your GPA is too high.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CS350
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Honestly, prior to taking the class I naturally assumed that he is a bad professor(due to all the comments). Aboutabl is a professor with many humorous real life scenarios. His tests are copies of in class/homework assignments. They are a bit tricky at times but there is never something out of blue. I would recommend taking him you'll learn lot!

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CS458
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Class was a lot of fun. It was all labs and real world cyber defense scenarios. Aboutabl was very funny and willing to help. He wasn't 100% clear on the projects and didn't give much introduction to the tools - but for a 400 level CS elective you should be able to find all the information on your own.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CS240
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This professor isn't helpful in your pursuit of the subject matter. He approaches his class as a challenge to instead of a hope that students could understand the topic enough to succeed. Midterm unnecessarily difficult, it doesn't follow assignments up to that point. PAs are not the majority of your grade but the only way to learn.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CS450
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Not a understanding teacher. Very unfriendly and don't model the class very well. This is one of the hardest CS courses and he does a poor job helping the students through. He expects everyone in the class to understand these complex topics right away and most people get lost and grades drop. Only 2 test and its half your grade...