Reviews for Fawzi Emad
Average Rating:| Anonymous Course: CMSC132 Grade Expected: B January 22, 2012, 1:00 pm | I enjoyed this class a lot from the academic perspective. I have seen him cut students short as is being argued below, but he needs to do so to teach all of the material, and when he does realize he had not heard someone's idea or question through that he should have, he will immediately apologize. He is confident but he does not devalue his student's ideas. In fact he encourages it, and I am confused by comments to the contrary. I may be biased since I had few difficulties understanding the actual material; however, I am new to programming, and did do a lot of work outside the class to keep my grade up and be able to ask suitable questions. Some students asked questions that they should ask during office hours. I have taken advantage of this in the past and he is very thorough at explaining things as long as other students' time is not being completely wasted. |
| Anonymous Course: CMSC132 Grade Expected: B January 21, 2012, 3:20 pm | He is a great professor if you're smart. When I mean smart, I mean you know the material well, or pick it up while he's teaching. Everyday he comes to class he is disorganized but is a decent professor. He spends at least five mins per slide complaining about how the slides are wrong or not how he would have done it. The same with the coding examples you see on the CVS. He ASSUMES you remember almost everything from 131 but many friends of mine that tested or AP'ed (not sure how to say it) out of 131 have told me how much 132 sucks because he assumes you know more than you actually do. He is very meticulous with his grading and excessively strict. He is notorious for not curving the class so don't expect it. He curved for our first midterm (we had two) because the average was like a 65% percent. He told us that the exam was going to be easy, however many people didn't finish. He's not for the average b student because he caters to the smarter crowd. Try to talk to him in person and tell me he isn't an self absorbed asshole. He invites questions but will sometimes ignore simple questions he assumes we should already know. He is rude and even if the TA's agree with you that one of his exam questions are unfair he will debate it to no end until you give up and realize it's impossible to convince him otherwise. I am not a comp sci major and took this class for fun because I like programming but I hated Fawzi. Don't get me wrong, he's not a bad professor and I would even recommend taking him as a professor but if you hate arrogant pretentious assholes, stay away. Remember, he caters to the smart.He's a decent, but not the best, professor. The only reason I had an 85% was cause I know how to program decently even though I failed one exam. He's good in the sense that he expects alot from you and in turn you work harder because he doesn't curve. He's tough but not horrible. |
| CompSciGuy Course: CMSC132 Grade Expected: A January 16, 2012, 2:04 pm | Fawzi rocks! The reviews by the angry student below do not represent my views at all. Fawzi's lectures are thorough and clear, his exams are fair, and he has a great sense of humor. I actually looked forward to going to his lectures! In office hours he isn't going to debug your code for you, but he'll give you enough hints to get you going if you're stuck. I thought his exam reviews were extremely helpful -- he went over everything that we asked him to in great detail. The exams looked exactly like what he had prepared us for. He really seems to care about teaching and I'll take any class with him that I can. |
| Anonymous Course: CMSC132 Grade Expected: C January 4, 2012, 9:10 am | Very overrated. He's horrible at preparing students for exams and quizes. He basically says "just know stuff" and expects you to do well. This makes it very easy to study a ton of material for a long time and have most of it not even be on the test or quiz. I studied at *least* 6 hours total for the final and still didn't do well. It actually dropped me from a high B to a high C. Most of the stuff I studied wasn't even on the final. For his midterm and final "reviews" he had lectures where he would do nothing but take questions, this was hardly helpful because it was just a bunch of students asking about stuff that wasn't on the exams anyways. He's also pretty rude and snaps at his students a lot (he seems nicer to girls, though. this is coming from a male's perspective). One time a student asked him a question and started it off with "I was looking at one of the old midterms"(which he obtained from Nelson's 132 website) Fawzi then cut him off and said "Did I give you an old midterm?" the student said no and Fawzi goes "Ok then" and cuts it off there. I highly suggest you get Nelson instead! Nelson is more understanding and actually gives you review material before quizzes, midterms and finals. It's unfortunate that Fawzi was the only 132 teacher this semester. Towards the beginning of the semester he did make a lot of comments that bothered me. During his first few lectures after every slide he would say "if you don't know this, you need to go back to 131!" yes we're supposed to know OOP to a certain extent when we start this class, but with the way he was saying it, it's almost as if he was expecting a class of geniuses. If you have to take Fawzi, good luck. If you have an option, go with Nelson. |
| Anonymous Course: CMSC132 Grade Expected: D December 17, 2011, 6:09 pm | The guy is awful and you are not a great programmer. Everyone who has not gone to his office, loves him. Everyone who has seen him personally, thinks he is a world class douche. I will admit, I am spiteful now because he gave me a D for being less than a point away from a 70 (did bad on the final, was doing well until I took it). I asked him for something, anything to make up the small difference and not screw me for the next year, but he said it wasn't his problem and that was all. If you are a natural programmer, take him. If you need someone who is kind and willing to be nice behind the scenes as well, take ANYONE else. I have found Golub, Nadua-Perez, Plane,much more approachable. Fawzi really is a jerk if you are a guy who is a below average programmer. |
| bdepalo Course: CMSC132 Grade Expected: A December 16, 2011, 10:14 am | Fawzi was a great professor. He explained all the course material in a way that was easy to understand and retain. I took AP Comp Sci in high school and had no problem in this class. Those who dislike Fawzi must have either skipped class often or are not cut out to be Computer Scientists. |
| Anonymous Course: CMSC132 Grade Expected: B November 28, 2011, 12:36 pm | Fawzi Emad is a good professor in the things that he does. However, he is not willing to adapt his style for students who do not learn from his particular style of teaching. He expects you to come to every class, and will tell you what to expect on exams and such only in class (he also teaches using slides). This is not unreasonable; however, for people who learn best by doing and have a hard time following lectures, this can be a problem. On the first midterm, there was a big portion of the grade that was not tested via a project beforehand which can be very problematic for kinesthetic learners. He also does not offer review problems, or even a sheet listing things to study. However, it should be noted that if you attend class, keep track of the general topics discussed, and take very brief notes, then go back and study slides before the exam, you can do very well. You MUST do these things to succeed, because Fawzi will often test on things that he mentioned once in class that are just historical facts and you won't find in the materials. Also, pay attention to what appears on quizzes, because it is likely to reappear on exams. Basically, I would say that if you know yourself to be a kinesthetic learner, avoid his class because it will be a struggle to go by his style of teaching, but it is possible to do well with some work outside your normal way of learning. |
| Anonymous Course: CMSC132 Grade Expected: September 14, 2011, 2:35 pm | Fawzi is an excellent professor. Explains the material really nicely and keeps the lectures interesting. Definitely disagree with the idea of him not caring about his students. He takes time to answer all questions in class and is very thorough in doing so. The idea of him not caring about his students is quite far from what it seems like in my class at least. |
| Anonymous Course: CMSC132 Grade Expected: A September 11, 2011, 8:10 pm | I also disagree with the person two/three posts below... I had Fawzi for both 131 and 132. I can assure you that he always went out of his way to help us learn the material. His classes are actually FUN and he is always upbeat and energetic. |
| Anonymous Course: CMSC131 Grade Expected: June 12, 2011, 9:18 am | I disagree with the person one below me. Fawzi is a really nice guy, and he does care about students. You'll find that out if you go to his office for help. He is definitely one of the best teachers in the CS department if not the best. Teaching people how to program isn't an easy task, and no one does it better than Fawzi. If you've never programmed before you'll have a hard time while taking cmsc131. It's because learning how to program for the first time is really hard, and you'll have to work extra hard in that class. He'll make sure that you learn all the material needed. He doesn't always write the exams, but he'll look at the exams and make sure there isn't anything that he didn't cover. When I took 131, he was running the class, and he wrote the exams, and the exams were very reasonable. On the other hand 132 was run by Nelson, and the exams weren't that great, but still fair. Yes, CMSC389C (C++) didn't go that well, since it was the first time the class was being offered, and Fawzi tried to cover too much stuff in 3 weeks, which didn't work out so well. Fawzi hates curving, but he ended up doing a 10% curve in that class. Fawzi cares about his students, and he'll definitely straighten out that class the next time he takes it. Fawzi has recently started to teach from slides, since he has some physical issues from writing on the blackboard for a long time, and his doctor told him not to write on blackboard. This is kind of unfortunate. He is not like one of those dorky CS professors, he's a very fun guy. On response to the reviewer one below me. Fawzi is a human being. He'll only get angry when there's a very good reason to be angry. One time a student was asking Fawzi if he could gchat with him over the weekend if he has any questions!!! You expect your professor to sit in front of his computer all weekend so that he can answer students' questions! Now who wouldn't get angry at that? I took 4 classes with Fawzi. And I would never take a class with anyone else if Fawzi's teaching it. |
| Anonymous Course: CMSC122 Grade Expected: A May 16, 2011, 9:41 am | Let me begin by saying that CMSC122 is probably one of the most demanding CORE classes out there, and you should take it only if you're willing to LEARN something (not a class where you can beat around the bush and get an A). With that said, Dr. Emad makes the rigorous challenge of learning a programming language for the first time insanely fun. He's a great guy, and overall a professor that can actually TEACH. I usually suck at programming, but because of his guidance, I can actually program independently now. You will have to work your tail off in his class, but trust me, in the end it's the most accomplished feeling you'll ever have. Wish I actually majored in Compsci now, since he made everything seem so interesting! |
| Anonymous Course: CMSC132 Grade Expected: A May 14, 2011, 9:46 am | Okay. I had this guy for 131 and 132. He's probably one of the better teachers in the department. He's a decent teacher. Not incredible. He is good at conveying the information, and you will learn the material pretty well. However, there are a few majors problems. First off, I don't think he cares much about his students. He is really into himself, and if you get in his way he will stomp you into the ground. Yes, he will teach you what you need to know, but he makes it fairly obvious that he doesn't care much about the students, but more about the fact that his boss wants him to teach in a certain way. Everything usually needs to go the way that he wants it, otherwise he will get angry. A big problem with his grading and tests is that he stresses trivial stupid points that don't have much to do with the class. Some of the tests will have not much concepts, but some stupid esoteric stuff about Java that does not really matter. Another big problem was that he used lecture slides made by the department that he didn't like. He was always commenting on how the slides were wrong and stupid. Well, if he didn't like them, then he should make his own. He's a little bit rude as well when it comes to dealing with students, and helps very little with actual exam preparation in the weeks before the final. Overall, 131 and 132 aren't too bad. The projects take some time, but if you work hard you can get an A. You should probably take this guy over some of the other 131/2 professors, but you should know what to expect. He just isn't as great as everyone says he is. By the way, I'm not one of those students who happened to have a bad encounter with Fawzi or anything. I did fine in the class and didn't have any personal issues with him. I'm just telling you what you need to know about this guy. |
| Kevin Garcia Course: CMSC122 Grade Expected: April 25, 2011, 3:34 pm | Very friendly and approachable person. Clearly passionate and knowledgeable. Unfortunately, he has apparently injured his clavicle from years of writing on the board, so he gave lectures from a PowerPoint. He seemed a little out of his comfort zone. Nonetheless, great professor. If you know nothing of HTML, CSS, or Javascript he'll make sure you do by the end of the class! Always has office hours and always willing and able to address any concerns. |
| rockinbassman Course: CMSC250 Grade Expected: A+ March 20, 2011, 8:37 pm | Fawzi was a great teacher. Fawzi sets his expectations at a reasonable level and then expects you to meet them, unlike many teachers that expect WAY too much and then curve. Curves always seem to add more stress to the class than necessary. Fawzi always did a good job conveying his thoughts, and was also good at coming up with multiple ways to explain the same concept for people who were struggling. Fair exams too. Don't expect much of a curve, but you shouldn't need it since he's fair. |
| recjra Course: CMSC131 Grade Expected: February 7, 2011, 4:38 am | Fawzi is an excellent professor. I went into his class not having any programming experience and I came out with a great foundation in Java. He really enjoys teaching, so his enthusiasm made the class fun and interesting. His grading is very fair and he is very helpful and personable. |
| Anonymous Course: Grade Expected: B February 3, 2011, 11:15 pm | I had Fawzi for both CMSC131 and CMSC132, and got A's in both classes, although both of my A's were very challenging and I worked hard to make sure I did well. If you are reading this page for 131 or 132, please take Fawzi's class. However, for an upper level class (meaning 250, 351, or in my experience 389C winter class) please do not take Fawzi unless it is necessary. He taught CMSC389C for the first time and threw so much material and difficult concepts at us in a 3 week winter class (without a TA or office hours), that half the class didn't finish the final project, and since the final project was so difficult and right at the time of the final exam (who gives a final exam for winter class?), the class average was horrendous as well. He was reluctant to curve, and even then it didn't make up for an extremely difficult class with very little allowance for people with no knowledge of C++. Hopefully he improves it in the future, but please take Nelson's winter class or someone else's class, trust me, you'll be better off. |
| Anonymous Course: CMSC131 Grade Expected: B November 19, 2010, 2:50 pm | Excellent teacher, obviously I'm not the only one with this opinion looking at others people's appraisals. He knows java in and out, explains everything you need to know about the upcoming projects and he's just a likable person. His great personality makes the class bearable. If you have to take CMSC131, try to take it with Fawzi. |
| Anonymous Course: Grade Expected: A September 1, 2010, 7:44 am | Fantastic. Explains concepts very well, with very good examples, is helpful at office hours, and very friendly and approachable. Not an easy A, but you will learn lots. |
| Anonymous Course: CMSC132H Grade Expected: A May 14, 2009, 6:00 pm | Fawzi is a great guy. Really nice and respectful to students and he understands students very well. He is very funny too and an interesting teacher. He will often start the class saying "What the hell am I doing right now?" or something like that because he will chat with students almost to the point that he forgets he has to teach. But don't worry, you will always get through all the material for the day and you will understand it well enough. Biggest recommendation: start the projects early. You will be amazed at how good you feel and the stuff you can do when you've already finished your CS project early. |
| Rahulm5000 Course: CMSC131 Grade Expected: A+ January 2, 2009, 11:45 am | Awesome professor. Makes sense of difficult concepts. Students of other professors always come in and sit in on his lecture because he is always a better teacher. His exams are really easy also. He gives 2 mid terms and one final, about 8 quizzes, and 8 projects. |
| Anonymous Course: CMSC131H Grade Expected: A December 20, 2008, 9:19 pm | Fawzi is an excellent teacher. He won the teacher of the year award at the University of Maryland in 2006 and after taking his course I can definitely say he deserves this. Fawzi is one of the most helpful, interesting, and knowledgeable teachers at the University. If you get him as your teacher you will be very lucky because his teaching methods are exceptional and you will learn a lot. He is not an easy professor though and many of his tasks are quite challenging, but he does value hard work and effort. Fawzi deserves the 6 golden stars!! |
| Anonymous Course: CMSC131 Grade Expected: November 7, 2008, 7:15 am | He is a great teacher, he is fun to listen to, he has a great way of making difficult concepts easy to understand, and he is quite approachable. Very nice. |
| Anonymous Course: CMSC131 Grade Expected: September 5, 2008, 7:33 pm | Not all professors are great communicators; Fawzi exceeded my expectations, providing excellent information in easily understood terms. Fawzi's classes had a good energy, making it easy to ask questions and get clear, concise answers. |
| Anonymous Course: CMSC131 Grade Expected: August 31, 2008, 8:19 am | I dropped this class. he caters to those who already know the programming language. yes, he has a good personality, but if you don't know the material to begin with, expect to fail. not my fave. |
| bcwik Course: CMSC131 Grade Expected: August 6, 2008, 7:16 am | Fawzi really is a excellent teacher, definitely one of the best at UMD. He explains everything extremely well, providing concrete examples along with easy-to-understand explanations of the material. I didn't have to buy anything for the class (books), just go to class and you will get a good grade, which is easy because the class is very enjoyable. If you can, definitely take a class with Fawzi. |
| Anonymous Course: CMSC131 Grade Expected: A+ May 19, 2008, 9:14 pm | Incredible professor. Teaches everything himself; never need to buy or look at the book (nor will it help you to). Take good notes in class; they are your only source of substantial information because truth be told, the online lecture slides (which are written by another professor anyway) are convoluted and give much extraneous information. Do not skip exams (as obvious as it sounds, it happens) or quizzes because he strictly adheres to university policy and will give you a zero. You can get by with showing up late but if you try and leave lecture early he will stop you and make you feel terrible in front of the entire class. Start projects early (especially those toward the end of the course) since nobody can get it perfect the first time. Review the study questions he puts online, they mirror key questions on the exams. I came into this class a Business major with no computer programming experience whatsoever, but he goes out of his way to make sure that everyone understands the material. |
| Anonymous Course: CMSC131 Grade Expected: A May 12, 2008, 3:22 pm | Had him for 131 and he is damn good. One of the best profs in the CS department. However, there is a downside, in that if you don't know some level of programming before walking in, you will have trouble. This is partially because Fawzi does not curve extra to cope with kids who know code inside out and still take the class. As his GPA spreads say, he is a tough professor, and curves pretty minimally, but in the end, he is a solid teacher. Regardless of the grade you get, you will know the material to a good extent. |
| Anonymous Course: CMSC131H Grade Expected: A April 11, 2008, 1:26 pm | Fawzi is one of the greatest professors I have ever had. He's the most friendly guy in the world and explains everything with great clarity. Class was never boring and, unlike some other CMSC classes, he backed up all his notes with actual code and showed us how it all worked. Fantastic. |
| Dez Course: CMSC131 Grade Expected: February 28, 2008, 8:01 pm | the best professor Ive ever had in all of my educational experience. Very approachable, very cool, very nice. Ver good person, i wish he taught all my cmsc courses. |
| pluralfacade Course: CMSC131 Grade Expected: B December 12, 2007, 5:54 pm | Probably the best teacher I have ever had in college. Don't bother buying the textbook; just go to his lectures and you'll learn everything you need to. He's very friendly and approachable outside of class and will always try his best to help students out. He is pretty fair when it comes to tests, quizzes and projects - you will be challenged, but you will also learn a lot from him as long as you study. |
| trimalchio Course: CMSC131 Grade Expected: B- November 29, 2007, 12:23 am | Fawzi is a great professor, he's incredibly approachable and he'll help you with any problems you're having. His class wasn't a walk in the park but it also wasn't made any more difficult than it had to be. Fawzi's exams were fair and he taught you what was necessary to understand the material you were expected to know. One problem was that the book required for 131 was not even mentioned once by Fawzi, I assume the only reason it's required was for the other professor's lecture and sections. Make sure that the text is going to be used before you buy it for this class. Also, Fawzi is a computer science advisor for non-freshmen, and he's really nice if you come in wanting to get advice about classes. He's just generally a cool guy. |
| pelers Course: CMSC131 Grade Expected: November 7, 2007, 8:21 pm | Excellent professor, one of my favorites. His lectures are interesting and he's a fun guy. He does an excellent job explaining material and caters to the beginners in the class. Will definitely be looking for him teaching other courses I need to take. |
| Anonymous Course: CMSC131 Grade Expected: November 6, 2007, 1:26 pm | I took a class with Fawzi a few semesters ago, and he is still the best professor I've had. This was the first comp sci class I took at UMD, and he went into great detail about all subjects, while still keeping the class interesting. I went to just about every class (something I never do now) because I knew I'd learn a lot and have a fun time. Great guy, great teacher...if you have the option, take a class with him |