Prabhanjan Ananth

9 reviews
Lots of homework Accessible outside class Skip class? You won't pass. Test heavy Graded by few things Tough grader Amazing lectures Clear grading criteria Gives good feedback
Past quarters
CMPSC 138
58 / 147 Enrolled
Automata and Formal Languages
Prabhanjan Ananth 3.5
M W
12:30 PM - 13:45 PM
CMPSC138 . 6 Months Ago

Great class, very fair HWs & tests, and class curve at the end. Lectures were great as well, always made sure everyone understood everything before moving on, and genuinely did care about students. I would take another class from him if he taught one. I always came out of lectures happy with what I learned, idk why he has bad reviews.

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CMPSC138 . 6 Months Ago

Nice guy but imo really difficult lectures, I never felt like they made sense. HW is hard but lots of time given, midterm+final were take home bc he's aware the material is rlly hard, but they're still too hard compared to lectures. Class NEEDED MORE OFFICE HOURS. Only thing I really know is how to make DFAs. Everything else? lol. Way too abstract.

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CS138 . 3 Years Ago

Much of what was covered in lecture didn't even begin to capture how difficult the homework would be. He also encouraged students to just write I don't know and would give more credit for writing I don't know in comparison to an actual attempt.

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CS138 . 3 Years Ago

Lots of people were unhappy with how the class was conducted. He provides clear lectures that drive the material home. However, since this is an upper division class expect to put in work. I don't think most people were prepared for that kind of rigor. His homework was fair and while his exams were tough, they were doable.

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CMPSC138 . 3 Years Ago

Not sure why people think the homework is a lot. The problems are clear and doable in a week. The lectures are very well structured. The midterm was hard but the professor was very generous with the curve. If you don't watch lectures and do practice problems you will fall behind in the class as expected in any upper div class

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CS138 . 3 Years Ago

Lectures were very simple and straightforward to understand the basic concepts, but the assignments are way more difficult. We were told the midterm would be doable if you knew the material but it was crazy hard, took everyone the entire day, and was very different from the homework and lectures.

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CS138 . 3 Years Ago

Professor is great at explaining these difficult topics by first giving it straight in simple terms for intuition then onto the formal definitions. Some problems and topics are hard but the TA and professor are both helpful and accessible. The exam was difficult but doable if you attend all lectures and ask help from TAs or professor if needed.

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CMPSC138 . 3 Years Ago

The lectures all connect extremely well. The lecture material is coherent but the midterm felt more difficult than the homework assignments. The homework assignments are assigned weekly and aren't too hard to complete if you attend TA office hours and discussion sections.

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CMPSC138 . 3 Years Ago

During the entire course you'll be grasping at straws trying to understand how each of his lectures connect to each other. His lectures were focused on specific topics, but they were never clear on why they were important topics. As a result, the tests were really challenging to the point where a 24-hour midterm would take 8-12 hours.

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