James Cross - Auburn University

Professor: James Cross

Department: TBD

College: Auburn University

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: JAVACOMP1210
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Cross is a good guy, but is not good at teaching the course material. Class just consists of his lectures which are hard to follow and quite boring. In lab, quizzes once a week (which are extremely tricky). There is a project and activity every week, and they are not too bad, but I really had to put in the work and teach this stuff to myself.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: COMP1210
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Cross gave off big grandpa energy. He is a very nice guy with a relatively easy class. If you have any prior coding experience this class should be an easy a. Lectures are pretty boring and most of the grades come from lab assignments. There is an activity and project due each week but you have up to 10 attempts to get full points.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: COMP1210
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He is very monotone and boring.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: COMP1210
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

This class is so hard if you have no experience coding. It starts out easy and slow but about 3 weeks in he just starts flying through lectures and content and it's very hard to keep up. Lengthy activities and projects every single week. Projects get more and more time consuming as the semester goes on. Quizzes and midterms are extremely hard.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: COMP1210
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He doesn't speak very loud so sit towards the front. You'll have a project due every Friday and an activity every Monday. They're usually pretty easy. The tests will try to trick you so make sure that you read the question in it's entirety and don't rush. If you finish early, go back over it.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: COMP1210
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I'm taking Dr. Cross's class this semester and I have to say that I am extremely surprised about the bad reviews on this website. The people who complain that there is a lot of homework obviously do not have a clue about what it takes to be a good programmer (its not much anyway). Test difficulty is fair, just do the old exams he gives you. Easy A

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: COMP1210
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Cross is a super nice guy, and knows so much about java. He even developed the IDE that we work on in class. The main issue is that he has trouble communicating his knowledge. He's super quiet and his lectures are super monotonous and boring. You have to go through him either way, and he's not the worst teacher in the world, just be prepared.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: COMP1210
• Grade Received: D
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Cross is knowledgeable and so nice, but his class made me depressed, and his voice is so soft that you can not hear him clearly unless you sit in the first row, his homework and exams are both very hard.2 bouns points for full attendance, quizzes every single week in the lab.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: COMP1210
• 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:

Not an easy class if you have no experience. His lectures are boring, and he's very soft-spoken. quiz, an activity and a project every week. I found his tests difficult. bonus points offered or attendance. Friday help sessions were necessary to finish most projects. He's not that bad, but this class made me realize I hate computer science.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: COMP1210
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

SIT NEAR THE FRONT! Dr. Cross speaks very quietly, and is near impossible to hear past the fifth row. The projects get increasingly more difficult, so don't wait until the last minute to do them. Show up to all classes and have 2 points added to your final. The final exam is 110 questions, and however many you get right is your score.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: COMP1210
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Cross teaches a rigorous class for beginners, but the class is very doable. Although he is quiet, all of the quizzes come straight from the lectures, and the exams contain logic and conceptual problems. Read the lecture pdfs prior to both, and it's good. Projects can get difficult, but office hours and TAs/help sessions will help a ton.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: COMP1210
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Cross knows what he is doing but he is a very soft-spoken man and trying to hear him was one of the most difficult parts of the class considering how lecture-heavy COMP1210 is. Make sure to go to class and get the two extra credit points he gives. Nice guy, hard class.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: COMP1210
• 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:

His class is kind of boring if you already took AP Comp Sci but still go to class and get the 2 attendance points he gives. He's super quiet so sit in the first 3 rows. Go to his office hours!! He sits 1 on 1 and goes through the code with you and makes sure you understand it as opposed to the TA's that just tell you what's wrong.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: COMP1210
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

This class absolutely ruined Computer Science for me. You have to show up for class since attendance is a grade. Don't be fooled though because you won't learn anything in the lecture since you can't hear Dr. Cross. The projects are supposedly not group work, but spending 10+ hours on a project alone is tough. Run while you can.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: COMP1210
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Didn't buy the book, came in to the class without any experience in coding, and left with an A. If you pay attention in class you're golden. Some projects can be tricky, but if you just ask for help in lab or go to the help sessions it should be no problem.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: COMP1210
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Cross is a fine professor with nothing really to complain about. The weekly activities and projects can be difficult if you don't keep up with the reading like you should. The only complaint I have is that lectures are quiet and brisk over the material relatively fast. He also jumps into the material at a relatively fast pace.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: COMP1210
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

His weekly projects can be tough sometimes, but it really improves your programming skills and worth putting effort, especially if you are CS/SW major. The best thing is that he gives very good feedback and it's quick! He is definitely caring and fair when grade. If you put effort, nothing will surprise you. Absolutely will take his class again.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: COMP1210
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

The class itself isn't that bad, Dr. Cross is just extremely quiet and monotone when he gives his lectures, so it's easy to zone out. I mostly taught myself for the class because I couldn't hear him, and when I could I was so bored. Nice and smart man, just boring and quiet.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: COMP1210
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He is a great teacher! He explains things thoroughly, and I would recommend reading the lecture notes before class so you can ask questions and don't go in blind. The homework assignments can take a bit, don't procrastinate them and don't copy them, it'll catch up to you and you'll regret it. Make sure you don't get behind and you're good.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: COMP1210
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Quizzes in lab were very hard for me at first. Projects are a group must as the semester goes on. I struggled with the exams. Made 100s on all the projects, averaged 85 on quizzes but my exams pulled me down to an 89 final grade with 3 bonus points for full attendance. Had very very little programming knowledge going in. Expect some long nights