Sven Anderson - Bard College

Professor: Sven Anderson

Department: TBD

College: Bard College

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CMSC301
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Don't listen to the point rating! This is way old... Sven is the most amazing feedback giver and truly puts his all into making his classes as rewarding as possible. I've taken intro to AI, Machine Learning, and Algorithms with Sven and requested him as my advisor for regular and SPROJ. If you don't want work, take another professor.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: CMSC352
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

The class was Machine Learning and boy was it challenging. We covered neural networks in great depth covering foundations, CNNs, RNNs. Also included: max likelyhood, regression, cross validation, accepted practices, reinforcement learning, etc. The readings consisted mostly of research papers, Andrew Ng's educational resources, and proofs.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CMSC251
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He was such a hard professor to learn from. Although he was a tough professor. By the end of the semester, I learned a lot from him, and I managed to get a good grade from him. He says that his lectures are optional, but go to class as much as possible, unless you're a genius and don't need programming lectures: you will fail his labs and exams.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CMSC326
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Sven is a nice person but a very tough professor. He doesn't simplify the material in any way. The homework is almost impossible to do. A lot of homework per week. I spent 90% of my time just studying for his class. The exams are hard to solve and include questions that weren't discussed in class. The course load is just overwhelming.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CMSC251
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Sven is one of the best professors at Bard, he is a very nice person and advices he gives are very helpful. Sven selects the readings very carefully, so that there is always something for reference. His lectures are inspiring and go well together with the readings. His homeworks can be challenging and there is always a field for creativity.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CMSC374
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Sven is a sweet man but an unhelpful professor. His system for assigning final projects left numerous students without the resources to complete the projects he had assigned. He doesn't really care about any kind of mobile application design from an academic perspective. This is not a course he should teach. I can't say I dislike him, though.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CMSC374
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Sven has demonstrated his cluelessness in mobile app development many times. He is condescending if you seek help outside of class and is generally unhelpful due to his lack of knowledge. I actually found myself educating him a number of times. He puts little effort into syllabus creation, thus the class felt disjunct and unorganized. Disappointed.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CMSC301
• 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:

Sven is a good guy, he clearly is very passionate about what he teaches. However, he is one of the more confusing professors i have ever taken a class from. He is, in my opinion, too smart to be a professor of undergrad classes. he vastly overestimates our ability to manage workload and how much we are caable of finishing in any time-frame.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CMSC351
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The assignments are conceptually simple, but their instructions are so unclear that it always takes at least as long to figure out what he wants you to do, as to do the assignment itself. They don't really help you to master the concepts, they're just mired in technical detail. I walked out feeling like I learned nothing. Sucks the joy out of CS.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CMSC301
• Grade Received: INC
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Prepare to feel frustrated. He's a really smart guy who doesn't know how to translate his knowledge into something that someone below his level could understand. In this class he gives homework twice a week and reassures us that we "shouldn't have too much trouble on this assignment" leaving many people feeling dumb or mistrustful. Talks too fast.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CMSC131
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Sven's a genuinely nice guy who knows a lot about science. Looks like he belongs on the Starship Enterprise. I was unpleasantly surprised how computer-based the class was, from the description I expected it to be more psychological/philosophical. Lab directions were often unclear; if you're not good with computers, beware.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CMSC131
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Good teacher to have when taking an introductory course. He's super clear if you put in the effort to do the reading, listen, and look at his instructions. And, if you still are unsure of the material, he is always available to talk to you during and after class. Also, he's a super nice guy! I enjoy his class and teaching.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CMSC131
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

The thing about Sven is that he does a great job of presenting material in a way that encourages individual thought and exploration, but some students resent him for not spelling out every assignment or lab. If you want to really, thoroughly learn something and put in the effort, Sven is a great resource and will help you make that happen. Loved.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: CMSC351
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Sven is a real nice guy. He puts much passion to his field. He is funny and charming. However, he is hard on students as he overwhelm them with work, which makes everyone feels fallen behind and frustrated. He is a smart guy, but it is hard to learn anything from him if you couldn't adopt his method of teaching.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CMSC143
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Sven is a nice guy and really wish his students learn well. But he often push students too hard so the students all get confused and frustrated. Only when you adapted his style will you learn a lot from him.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CMSC143
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Sven is a nice guy, and gives organized lectures. His advice are always inspiring. If he could be less vague on his assignment instructions and his answer to student's questions he would be one of the best.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CMSC143
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Nice guy. Helpful if you ask him for clarification

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CMSC251
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I'm sorry but I honestly hate him as a professor so much, as a person he's very kind and fun to talk to. He's NEVER clear on what he wants and his assignments were impossible BECAUSE everything about the class was unclear. Please for the love of god don't DON'T take a class with him!

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CS9000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Sven has the misfortune of being a computer science professor at a liberal arts college. Most people don't like him or find him confusing because they understand than the imaginary world of literature.

Rating # 20

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Sven is incomprehensible. His teaching is as unclear as are his assignments.