CSE Exit Survey Results

CSE Exit Survey Response Summary (2009-'10)

Freeform Questions

Freeform answers to: 'What single aspect of the CSE program did you find most helpful? Explain briefly.'

One of the best courses that i had was the ones with hands on experience, such as a capstone courses or classes that have real life simulations such as CSE 652. Having to work with real constrains is a quite a challenge and it does help to prepare for the real world.
The resources are outstanding. The convenience of labs as well as software available to students was thorough and reliable. Aside from that, the good professors.. the ones that stand out from the others. Mathias, Lee, Parent, Soundarajan, Bair.
The comprehensive nature of the degree. The emphasis on mathematics and different engineering disciplines is beneficial.
Working with other students to overcome difficulties in the course work. Sometimes just hearing a concept in lecture was not enough for a full understanding, but talking it over with other students outside of class really helps to make it clear. That doesnt really have to do with the cse program but whatever.
Dr. Strader knew me by name through email but never said my name in person. I liked that but it was also weird that she never said my name is person.
Overall, very good professors.
classes with team projects that involve programming projects
Learning how to work with an outside company, and how to solve their problem using different methods discussed in CSE 616
The 459 courses, which allow me to actively program and put my studies to practical use
I felt like there were a lot of options when it came to the tech electives. I was able to enjoy what I was taking rather than just trying to get through it.
560cse course is really hard but can learn manything from there
The focus on actual programming fairly early in the curriculum.
The CSE 762 Capstone I took and the CSE 494 Java class I took were the two classes I liked the most. They seemed more current then some of the other classes offered. The 494 and 762 class allowed me to go from start to finish (from all back end code to finish GUI application) and that was the most valiable experience for me.
The curriculum and elective choices offer a wide range of topics for different students interests.
I thought that some of the teachers where increadibly intelligent and were able to teach and help very effectively.
The variety of classes, and the knowledge of the variety of professors in the program.
Having courses that had open ended programming labs. Actually having a goal and finding a way to get there are key, and probably the most important things in the professional world. You arent going to have a guideline for how to do your job every day.
I believe that the project classes such as CSE560, CSE655, and the capstone are great examples of classes that teach teamwork, independent motivation, and show how much practical knowledge I have gained through my time here.
The classes where we had to code labs from scratch were the most helpful. I feel like I did not learn as much in classes where we strictly talked about algorithms and never put them into practice by doing labs.
I found that we learned the development cycle very effectively. I can leave having been well versed in every aspect from planning to implementation to testing and maintenance.
Nice exposure to different areas within Computer Science (i.e. hardware and software). Even though I am concentrated in Software, its beneficial to learn about the other areas within Computer Science.
The capstone and project-based courses such as 560 and 616, they give a better feel for the real world, and develop the communication and team skills I think will be vital in a job.
I really liked the set up that the college incorporates with the professor and grader/TA as a student. Often times, I did not feel comfortable approaching the professor on a particular issue. In this case, I would talk to the grader/TA about a homework/lab problem. I found that because they were a student like me, I could relate to them more closely.
I learnt strong problem solving skills and capacity to face challenges.
The engineering curriculum is worth more to me than all of the computer classes.
The programs focus was on general good practices and general problem solving instead of only language-specific information.
Being given a checklist of courses required to graduate include suggestions.
The ability to teach myself in the future. CSE is ever changing and quite frankly what i know today is already giong out of style, we as cse have to continue expanding our horizons and learning on a regular basis.
Group projects, please have more of them.
The capstones were fun and educational. It exposed us to real world problems and gave us an opportunity to tackle them.
Any course taught by Dr. Ramnath. He has industry experience and can give good advice both course specific as well as non-course specific.
I do believe the Advisors did a real well job and helped me get through the program.
Any lab based classes with real world experience are helpful for job interviews.
The single aspect that I found to be most helpful would be working in group projects since this has real world application to most development.
Introductory Resolve Sequence
I find this to be a strange and vague question, to pick a single aspect of a four year education. I appreciated the group work that allowed for some design freedom in the implementation. I enjoyed the experience of working with a team of students. I think we were able to help each other learn while we worked on our projects.
plenty of programming experiences, since coding is the basic of CSE.
The program is very well-rounded providing a wide range of classes and areas of study.
The CSE program was strong on teaching fundamentals, the blocks required to learning more specifics aspects of computer science.
I find the focus on theory to be most helpful. I feel like my education can be applied to any field I go into, rather simply knowing some language or technology, which was what I thought I was after when I began at OSU.
CSE staff were all very helpful. The growing ability to study computer science without being boxed into becoming a programmer.
The group projects (560 and capstone). They by far require more work than other courses which enable a lot deeper learning about not only development but also the ability to work in teams and to see other views on the style and methods of developing software. When working alone, you tend to do things a similar way all the time and may miss out on better solutions or the opportunity to learn the pros/cons of what youre doing.
The vast array of different courses that help define my interest in computer science.
Requiring students to take COMM 321 - it was one of the most beneficial classes I took
The Capstone course is obviously the most helpful in preparing for the real world. It prepares students for dealing with clients which is the most difficult in the real world.
Learning basic software engineering techniques since thats what I would like to go into.
I loved the variety of courses offered and the freedom to choose which courses we wanted to take when as opposed to a very linear sequence of courses. Ive learned a lot here and Im glad I transferred to OSU. :)
The most helpful part of the program were the opportunities to work on large scale projects which are real world problems.
I had a few classes where we actually worked with outside business clients (CSE 616 and CSE 762). I thought this was very help, because it gave me a good idea of what it will be like to work in my career. It also gave me some great real world experience that I can take with me once I start my career.
I think the capstone classes are a unique opportunity. Overall, I think the high level courses are well designed and interesting.
I found the range of topics and options in classes within the CSE department to be the most helpful. It allowed for me to gain a well-rounded understanding of Computer Engineering and Computer Science in general and provided many options for specialization and electives.
MSDNAA software was crucial to educational experiences.
The number of courses offered because I was able to choose specific classes that I want to take.
Unlike my previous college, from the undergraduate program in OSU, I could have a opportunity to participate in many team projects, which allows me to learn how to interact with other team member to achieve the better result.
Capstone course and GEC requirements
I did not know any programming languages when I started the program, save for a basic understanding of Java. I now have a working knowledge of several different languages and feel I can pick up new languages fairly quickly as a result.
Learning all of the different design methods, as well as knowing the theory behind all of the concepts we actually used, ranging from something as high level as the JVM, to something as low-level as the chips & circuits that computers run on. (although the math was never much fun)
Working on group projects was the most helpful aspect of the CSE program, as not only did it help to broaden my horizons, it allowed me to learn how to lead others.
I found the teams aspect of the cse program the most helpful. I never worked with a team on a programming project before the cse program and now that I am almost finished I realize it is one of the most important things I have learned.
Nelam Sungarajan (sorry about misspelling his name) was the best teacher I have ever had at OSU in the CSE department. He made classes fun and explained OO programming which changed my programming practices for my life!
CSE 560. First and practically only class that was similar to real-world programming that I took.
The variety of classes was very good.
I found the introductory course sequence to be the most useful, as it taught us all the main tools we need to learn various programming languages
My answer is fairly simple/expected- I began as a student with a great interest, but vague familiarity with Computer Science & Engineering, and I am leaving with a broad and thorough education. I have tried to expose myself to several opportunities such as internships and research, and I feel as though, for the most part, my abilities and intuition are competitive with employees that have been employed for several years, and I appreciate that the CSE program has given me that education.
With the answers that I had put down in the faculty advising field, I did not once go to my faculty adviser. I was able to pick all the courses my self that I was interested in. I did a lot of research before I committed to a class. Knowing people in the major is very important. They can help you get through tough times in certain classes.
The Capstone Web Services Course, CSE 560, any of them that involve group participation.
I liked how the courses were designed in a top-down way as far as abstraction is concerned.
The abstract ability of learning programming languages and systems which has made it very easy for me to learn new ideas very quickly.
I found the coursework of the last 1/4 of the curriculum to be the most useful because it was much easier to relate the coursework with real-world experiences (i.e. internships, projects, etc.). This was a two-way street my external experiences also played a vital role in my success in these courses.
The staff and faculty were all very helpful.
I think the required ECE classes in the CSE curriculum were very helpful in explaining the hows and whys of computer programming conventions. Having a concept of what the hardware is doing gives me much more confidence that I understand the behavior of my programs, and helps me debug them if something goes awry.
THe career fairs helped me get an internship and a career after I graduate.
Not any particular class, but the ability to recognize what needs to be done and be able to research new techniques to achieve that need has been very valuable.
The Math classes and other courses that deal with abstract concepts that are in the CSE program. Many explained things that opened my eyes to things I was missing.
very helpful professors. the professors in the CSE department are very helpful and they do not hesitate to help you even outside of class or office hours.
n/a
I thought the best aspect of the program was the capstone I took - CSE 762. It was the most realistic representation of what we will see in the real world of job hunting so it was good to have the opportunity to work on real projects in a group setting. Also CSE 757 was another class that was another helpful one.

Freeform answers to: 'What single change in the CSE program would you most like to see? Explain briefly.'

Get rid of the RESOLVE series! The beginning of the CSE program (pre-major) consists of more programming and science classes, rather than theory and foundation classes (once in the major). As Im about to graduate, I realize that the RESOLVE sequence was pretty much useless. We could have had way more intense programming classes, that taught us more relevant concepts. My coding practices were pretty much self-taught (with the exception of 655 with Neelam. I could be much more proficient in C++, SQL, and HTML/PHP/Javascript if I did more work in college. Instead, I took 3 quarters of RESOLVE with nothing to show for it.
More emphasis on coding patterns.
Make 421 mandatory. I feel like I learned so much more about object-oriented programming than in the intro series (although I guess that intro series was more focused towards programming concepts). 421 was a great class, probably my favorite one.
I wish there was more of a career counsel aspect to their profession instead of strictly academic. Dr. Strader was also very unwelcoming. From the day of my college visit to the day I graduated, I always felt that I was interrupting her and I was an inconvenience. I wish she were more welcoming.
Get rid of RESOLVE/C++, its not needed to learn the fundamentals of programming.
enforced use of carmen, online submission of assignments, open and public discussion of class schedule and assignments..
Emphasis on one programming language or letting students work in whatever language they want. I felt like I was being told to work in C in one class, Java in another, C++ in another, and I dont feel like I mastered one, but am proficient and can program a little in all three.
One thing that I would like to see changed is the application of more hands on learning. A lot of the courses were heavy in theory and light on hands on learning.
before start core CSE level(ex.above 500 level course) we in OSU using resolve C and try to under stand of concep of language. However, this programming language is useless and no one is using outside real world. hope to change visual c or java language course might be better.
No more resolve. There is no point in learning a useless language that real world companies and interviewers dont like.
There is no need to write so many compilers/interpreter during the course of this degree. There needs to be some more focus put on designing GUIs and interfaces along with the underlying logic of the program.
The replacement of Resolve/C++ with regular C++. I believe the Resolve sequence actually hindered my learning of a real programming language like C++. I was new to programming as it was, and after Resolve I struggled to write programs in a real language because all I had learned was Resolve, and being a new programmer it was difficult to relate Resolve to a real language. If the 221, 222, 321 sequence taught the same concepts using a real language, I would have been much better off and farther ahead in my programming experience. Not to mention many students, and even some faculty and job interviewers who are familiar with OSU and Resolve/C++ have criticized the language.
An emphasis on newer technology, IDEs and programming languages.
Some professors are not interested in teaching and therefore had a bad impact on my learning experience. Some professors love to teach, but still do not do it well and do not require students to do much work in class which also hinders learning experience.
I think the resolve/C++ program should be removed. I understand the need for students not to be taught in one language and should be able to work in different languages. However, the program discourages students more than it teaches. In the end I found that more students became hostile to major in CSE because of the program.
Hated Resolve. The first three classes were practically useless for programming education. A simple Java or C++ class is more useful. While the way it is taught makes sense, such as learning programming by contract and useful things about variables OOP classes headers and such. The programming itself actually hurts useful programming in the future.
Id like to see classes geared more toward networking in the curriculum for the future. I understand CSE is mostly about programming but having some more networking based classes would have been great.
I would like to see more language development. The only language which was taught thoroughly was C and I believe it would be useful to see other languages taught as well.
More software design courses. We learn different concepts, but its doesnt really seem to be applicable to the real world. At times, I feel really unqualified for the projects I have been given for internships and stuff. It would be nice to learn how to create an actual software application working with different systems and hardware.
I think a recommendation for everyone to take 616 would be helpful, I almost didnt take it, but I am seeing the merits of it this quarter.
The textbooks for many of the CSE major courses do not match the courses specifically. They are often times too general and do not relate to the style of teaching of the professors here. I learned very little from the textbooks.
More practicality. A lot of the course work seemed way too abstract.
It will be helpful if there could be tutoring available in programming for beginners, like it is in other engineering courses.
RESOLVE is useless. It would be better for students to learn c++. More classes specific to certain programming languages are necessary. The 459.xx series is both lacking in language choices (especially modern languages) and material (1 credit hour out of ~200 devoted to programming!?)
Teaching should improve. Using professors who cannot speak English properly or who do not like students is not helpful to the learning process. We need instructors who can motivate us. Also it would be good to get rid of Resolve C++ as no student ever uses this language. I along with others mostly use C, C++ or Java. It is wrong to spoon feed students but it is also wrong to not provide them with all the teaching facts to better understand the subject matter.
I would say less ECE classes. Those classes were a waste of my time. The instruction for those classes were terrible and I did not learn anything of value from those classes.
Better credit hour to work/learning required ratios. Scheduling 4 or 5 classes just to meet minimum full time status is alot when each course has its own study materials, homework, quizes, projects, and exams.
Ability to learn more current languages, RESOLVE??!?! plenty of industry languages available to get experience and resolve taught me how to program but was wasteful in that i got no real language experience.
A broader introduction to multiple languages and platforms.
I would like the department to be more involved in undergraduate education with regards to course offerings and information about grad school.
The resolve sequence has to use a standard language that can be found in a work place. I know implements and extends keywords in resolve but have no idea how to translate that into standard C++.
There were a few teachers who believed in teaching and some who believed in getting through the class. I dont know how you fix that but I really enjoyed those who taught.
I dont know.
I would like to see CSE offer more networking classes because I didnt wish to become a programmer, but more of a network engineer. I would also like to see a program that is more technically involed with realtime networking such as setting up/configuring routers and not so much of the theory of the algorithms. Still at the same time, I would keep the business portion of the CSE program incorporated in it due to the fact that I feel that business is the sole reason for jobs and it is very important to try to closely tie the knot between IT and the business model.
Web Applications
Granted that computer science theory is an important part of becoming a computer scientist, I would like to have more exposure to a variety of languages. It seems that learning languages and coding substantial works in them is a rarity in the program. The student is left to explore this area outside of the classroom.
Less GEC class. I spent too much time than I expected on GEC.
More options for learning more contemporary concepts (such as languages or frameworks that see real world use). Yes, I agree that the fundamentals must be learned before hand but it would have been nice to have the option. Most of what Ive come out of this program with, and consequently enter the workforce with, was self taught.
Id like to see the 675.01 course moved to an earlier point in the curriculum. The course seems to address a number of subjects that were touched on in previous courses, so having it before those courses would provide a foundation.
This is something I have seen change slowly over the 6 years (yes 6....) I have been in this undergraduate program. When I started here it felt like the department was only interested in producing programmers. Now, I understand the importance of programming skill in C.S. and I dont think anyone would claim that you could be a CSE without being able to program, I think the CSE program at OSU needs to understand that not everyone interested in CSE wants to be a programmer for a living. The addition of the ICA specialization is a step in the right direction. Id like to think that the department will continue to offer CSE programs that focus on ever emerging fields within computer science.
Some classes definitely need more time to go in more depth than they do currently. I really wish my capstone experience was both longer and encouraged to be at the beginning of your senior year, rather than having most of the interesting capstones (CSE 786 and 762, for example) be offered only in Spring. I went through the entire job search process without having any senior project to discuss with employers, as I was asked about this very often.
More practical choices of programming languages and IDEs to make us more marketable at an earlier stage in our cse careers.
More real world applications - the CSE program is a little heavy on theory (for instance, in CSE 670 and 671, we never touched an actual database system)
I would like to see the CSE incorporate a class on mobile applications development. IE, iphone and objective C or Android with Java. This is an emerging field that could give students a leg-up so to speak.
Not enough application. I understand that everyone uses different systems, but most of the classes and material was EXTREMELY abstract.
Although I did not take the CSE into sequence at this school, I feel that there should be some sort of intro courses on fundamentals of programming in a relevant language such as C or C++. Luckily, I learned a little bit of Java before I transferred to OSU, so I at least had some knowledge of a language to use for programming in later courses. I often noticed that other students in some of my classes really had no idea how to program in a commonly used programming language.
While I appreciate the need for an ethics course especially in a professional program, the 601 ethics course that I took was nothing but fluff. If it were my only guide to ethical acting in the computer world, I would be woefully unprepared. I found Philos 131.01 to be a much better class, and would love to see 601 rehashed to be more like it.
The ECE classes can be extremely challenging and Im not sure they apply very well to our major. I found them interesting, but much to time consuming considering we are not full fledged ECE majors.
I feel that in order to increase the amount of practical experience students get during classes, more work was added, but no content was cut. I feel that some of the theory could be reduced to make sure student have sufficient experience programming, working with databases/queries, and performing similar important computer-related skills.
Greater accountability for individual contributions to group work--some students seemed to slip through the program.
More flexibility in the requirements, so students can take more classes that interested them.
Some courses were very disappointed to me. For example, in 655, programming language course, I expected to learn the diverse parsing models, but the course lecture didnt even cover the text book. We have had just a discussion all the time. After the discussion, I could have our own opinions but when I chose the answer (multiple choice) based on what we discussed in class, but I got it wrong. It was hard to follow the class not because the materials were hard for me but because the course was not well organized. I was ready to spend more time if I knew what I needed to do, and I asked for help, but couldnt get satisfied responses from the professor.
More real-world and needs uniform grading across different professors. Some profs are harder than others. There are some classes which you get a good grade and learn nothing useful.
Although I feel Resolve is a useful language, the sequence doesnt really prepare one for a large project in C++. I feel a class similar to the Java 421 but in C++ would be very beneficial.
Working in my internship, and also applying for my job, I feel like it would have been nice to have more specialization in software design. Nothing that Ive done has had a whole lot to do with hardware/circuit design. Also, getting more experience with working with non-CSEs would have been nice, as often people with no programming background have difficulty specifying what software should do.
There still seems to be alot of unnecessary core classes within CSE. Trimming the curriculum to allow for more specialization would be a great way to produce more adept graduates.
Resolve/C++ should be removed and replaced with a real world programming language. I just did not understand learning a language that had no real world application even though it was based on real world methodology.
NO MORE RESOLVE! also I would really like to see some real world experience classes at the start of your career rather then smashing them all in together at the end. Also a survey class should be made that teaches students about thing like putty, filezilla, vnc, ... All of these third party application I had to research or ask for help to figure out. The CSE program should have a class or blog in place that helps explain these apps and others that will benefit CSE students!
Resolve is terrible, and a huge waste of time. A lot of students are first introduced to real coding through CSE 221, 222, and 321 and this is horrendous. There is not one student I know of that thinks learning that garbage was worth their time. Just teach C, C#, C++ or Java or something that actually exists. Thanks. Also create a class that is about updating someone elses complicated code where the changes are likely to cause breaks. This is a huge part of what enterprise programming is all about.
Please put much more focus on teaching software design. There is barely enough teaching on programming as it is. The fundamental programming courses at the start of the program are good, but they are quickly forgotten later in the program. Make learning design patterns required, and teach it early. Basically, teach the practical skills that internships and jobs are looking for.
I would like the 459 sequence to be more relevant. Each class is only taught by a typical grad student who only reads from PowerPoint slides.
Emphasize that fact that as a CSE student, you will be hard-pressed to graduate in four years. Computer Science is a broad field of study, and there are many interesting branches that a student might want to study as an undergraduate. However, unless they are planning to stay for more than four years, or return for graduate school, they will probably only be afforded a few choices in electives (a bit harsh, but true nonetheless). I came into school with a wealth of AP credit, took an average of 17 credit hours per quarter, took no time off, passed all of my classes, and am graduating in four years with EXACTLY enough credits. I did get to take a few elective credits. However, they were often dictated by what fits into your schedule of core classes. Luckily, I am returning for graduate school :)
One thing that I would change about the program is the fact that there are no Cisco courses. These should be incorporated in the curriculum for the students that are interested in network administration.
The ability to integrate real-world applications, such as a Web Service using components used by real companies, most of them are open source, regardless.
The introductory sequence that uses RESOLVE is a good one, but its very confusing for students who understand programming but have had little experience with software engineering. Only after I was in my final year did I really understand what the intro sequence was trying to accomplish. I think more time should be spent explaining the methods behind software engineering and how things are done in practice, before making the students jump in to programming by contract. Theres also the problem that RESOLVE is really just a reimplementation of the C++ standard library. Id rather see students coming from a C++ background using and improving on the tools that theyll use for the rest of their careers rather than taking a year worth of and getting used to a syntax that theyll never see again.
The electrical engineering aspects of the program seem somewhat unnecessary. Not that it shouldnt be included, but it seemed a little excessive.
I would like to see the CSE program do 1 of 2 things. First, offer additional courses in Enterprise Applications (i.e. Oracle, Peoplesoft, SAP, etc.). Second, provide the capability for students whom gain external training or work experience in these areas to gain credit for these. I believe that many students are afraid to work internships, co-ops, etc. while in school because of the workload it places in them. In my opinion this is not a good thing as often times they will struggle to find jobs upon graduation due to their insufficient work experience.
The RESOLVE/C++ series being reorganized or eliminated; much of its material is not relevant at the point in the CSE curriculum when it is required.
I honestly dont believe that RESOLVEs value as a learning tool balances against the lack of practicality. It is not a language that is recognizable on resumes or particularly superior to any conventional language. While I appreciate the fundamental change of requiring a swap operator, I do not feel that this language is better to teach first than C++ or Java.
Get rid of the resolve classes. Instead teach intro programming with a useful language like C++ or Java.
RESOLVE was good to learn basics, but are three classes on it really necessary? I feel as though it would be more practical to expose students to a more widely used language. Also, there needs to be a 421.xx class on LabVIEW.
Im writing more than one change Id like to see (sorry, but I cant help it). Complete removal of Resolve/C++ from all courses. It has no real purpose or value in modern development environments and serves only to deter students from continuing with CSE due to its high level of difficulty and nonsensical design. A software engineering major that avoids low-level ECE classes in favor of more software oriented classes. Some ECE is good, but Id rather learn things more relevant to modern software development. Teaching and accepting assignments in a wide variety of languages (not just Java or C++, but also functional languages like Haskell or OCaml) teaches more about programming than any single language can provide. In retrospect I wish I skipped many of the earlier classes, but the faculty and the CSE program itself dont seem to allow for this. Ive only had positive CSE experiences in Senior level classes.
the curriculum should focus less on the ability of the students to memorize and emphasize on developing the analytical capabilities. also, some courses differ greatly from one professor to another. More homogeneity in the courses will increase the students understanding of the courses.
Id like to see professors try more to motivate undergrads to get involved with student organizations, undergraduate studies, and conferences/retreats. I feel the some of the faculty was too focused on their own research and not involved enough with the students. Professors have a huge impact when they tell students , try this, do this. I would not be involved with ACM-W if Bettina Bair did not drag me into it, and Im happy she did!
I would like to see more of a focus in programming with current tools and current languages. It was pushed back a lot and not the center of the course focus which in reality I feel as it should be so we are as comfortable as possible with a certain language/software package so we can be considered an expert or close to one in a relavant field.