CSE Exit Survey Response Summary (2011-'12)

Freeform Questions

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

  1. The flexible nature of the technical electives category allowed me to take a variety of interesting classes not specific to my specialization.
  2. I thought the most helpful experience were classes where we actually did programming. I know that as part of a CSE degree we have to learn the theoretical things and math behind what were doing, for me it is just harder to see myself using that stuff in my career.
  3. The higher level cse classes: they tended to actually have programs that were somewhat difficult/interesting to implement, which is more useful for learning to code
  4. I found it helpful to encourage team based problem solving. These classes with hands on programming with interaction between team members if very applicable to real world problem solving in the IT jobs.
  5. It provides an accredited degree, obviously. I think the best part of the program are the few professors that genuinely care about the students and are good communicators. Essentially it all comes down to the instructors in this setting. I loved all of the group project classes I was able to be a part of, as they provided real world experience. MORE of those please!
  6. The advising office was fairly helpful in deciding which courses I needed to take. Most of the professors and TAs were helpful as well.
  7. I transferred from the ECE program, and found that the CSE program was much more organized and fulfilling. This was from an advising aspect as well as a faculty and teaching aspect.
  8. Team projects I think are really helpful to not just learning how to work with a team but seeing multiple views on how to solve a problem and develop your own understanding of things. I think that learning to work as a team is probably the most important thing Ive learned.
  9. Strong foundation in Resolve sequence. That is, learned many of the most important principles of CS in a compact fashion and early on in my academic career. I would say that 221, 222, 321, AND 421 (Advanced Java) are included in that statement.
  10. CSE 421 and classes that actually taught usable skills. More applicable skills would be nice. Background and theory should be covered, but more sequential courses that apply object oriented principles and design. The CSE 32X series was not very good at instilling these skills.
  11. I have an extremely solid understanding of the fundamentals of computer science and software engineering. Despite being an impractical language that is not used in industry, I learned a great deal from the RESOLVE sequence.
  12. I enjoyed that I got to work with an industry partner in CSE 757. It was nice to have that validation that what I have learned in school will be useful in the real world.
  13. Group projects. While group projects are generally considered a real pain, and working along is often preferable, the outside world demands teamwork. The multitude of group projects, both big and small, were very helpful in preparing for my current and future jobs and career.
  14. Learning how to coordinate work in a team and using various code repositories was valuable preparation for the real world
  15. Mathematical foundation.
  16. Classes where we were responsible for the life cycle of a product. 758, the mobile development class, and 560. The other ones were nice, but it doesnt prepare you for graduation at all. The thing that OSU did teach me, is how to learn languages quickly. Within a day, I am able to use a new language or framework well enough to be productive in it.
  17. I found working in groups of 3-6 people had some of the most useful skills. It seems that these days most software is written largely collaboratively and it is important to be able to use others libraries and understand their specifications. It is easy to write hack code for personal labs, but in a group setting when nobody else can understand how your algorithm works, it becomes much more difficult and forces good habit/documentation.
  18. Broad view of computer science: The education offered is not technology-dependent at all; I feel comfortable with being able to apply my education to any new technologies.
  19. For my pesonal experience, the most helpful program is CSE560. It requires a lot of capabilities in order to get a good grade. Whats most important, it actually practise the knowledge we have learned as a senior computer science undergraduate.
  20. variety of courses, flexibility to meet my individual needs
  21. I feel the CSE program as well as the Engineering program in general do a very good job of teaching general theory and how to apply that theory to real world problems. It does not necessarily teach specific skills. I consider this to be a good thing and if I were a hiring manager, I would prefer employees that have a good conceptual framework to employees trained in specific skills.
  22. The challenges posed in programming courses.
  23. Learning good programming principles.
  24. OOP
  25. strong mathematical foundations
  26. The most helpful aspect of the CSE program was the concepts presented in the initial RESOLVE/C++ sequence. These concepts helped take me from a person that merely coded to someone who could abstractly understand a problem then take the abstraction and apply it to code.
  27. The CSE program here teaches you how to learn and pick up new technologies that you may be unfamilar with by using concepts that can be applied to multiple technologies.
  28. I found the capstone courses application of material helpful. Without having to actually use the coursework, its difficult to retain it. Being able to put our skills to the test in an environment that wasnt controlled significantly assisted in ingraining the knowledge and understanding it from a non-educational standpoint.
  29. Lessons on object oriented programming, algorithms, run times, databases, automata and grammars all seemed very useful.
  30. The application of learning the way that languages and systems work is much more important than teaching us how specific hardware/software is used is very important. Nothing is ever the same anywhere you go, so might as well learn how to do it for all systems.
  31. Smart Professors
  32. It was helpful that I was able to choose from a wide range of courses in order to tailor an educational experience which I would find most useful to me and my specific career goals, however, it took time and trial-and error to identify what some of those classes would be, and I lost time by taking some core classes, and I feel that ultimately, I ran out of time to take more of the courses I would have valued most as a graduate. For example, I could not take either one of two language processing courses I wanted because of their availability, and I would have liked to take more classes on security, networking, and artificial intelligence.
  33. The most helpful thing that have learned by being a CSE student is that this program have given me the opportunity to combine ideas of science and engineering fields so that I can possibly define and solve problmes in multitable ways.
  34. I found the opening courses in the CSE program to be most helpful. The courses teach fundamentals of computer science, and stress object oriented design. The principles learned in that class apply to almost every other CSE class taken afterwards, and the strictness of RESOLVE forces students to use what theyve learned.
  35. I feel that many of the prerequisite classes helped prepare me for the next class in the same sequence.
  36. Advising, Grad assts- best courses were 660, 560,680,625, the ece tutor room.
  37. The diversity of the classes offered.
  38. Modularity is a wonderful thing. I earned an internship my Freshman year simply because I understood modularity, abstraction, and basic design principals.
  39. I enjoyed CSE 421 and CSE 651 classes the most. Classes teaching programming techniques helped me the most.
  40. The number of capstone courses offered is really beneficial to getting real-world experience.
  41. The course CSE 560 was the class that really made me feel like a coder. Its the only class that really pushes just developing a large amount of code, documentation, and testing in a small period of time. I learned life lessons as well of dealing with group members, and trying to find a persons best qualities and use those.
  42. Designing and developing software in a group environment was very helpful. Classes like the capstone I took (758) were enjoyable, and I learned a lot.
  43. Wide variety of classes (at least at the high end) This allowed me to explore various aspects of the field, to experiment and find the parts I liked and disliked. It also helped me choose if graduate school could be something to pursue.
  44. The amount of professors who have a very strong knowledge of all of the subjects they teach really helped in the communication of the subject matter.
  45. A thorough understanding of all things related to computing
  46. Numerical methods 541. For real. There were some really handy tricks snuck in there that a lot of people ignore/dont remember. Also it gives a better appreciation for the math we do freshman year and we get to apply it directly to our major.
  47. Working in pairs on lab assignments.
  48. OSU did an excellent job preparing me for future research. It had a heavy emphasis on high level concepts and problems.
  49. The most helpful thing to me was getting access to a variety of computing resources to perform development on.
  50. Many of the courses and the course catalog were very well organized. Most professors were very knowledgeable and willing to help the students succeed. The program is structured in an easy to follow manner that flows well for students.
  51. Wide variety of tech elective options, ranging from theory based mathematical computation, to down-to-earth courses on databases and languages.
  52. The intro course and the teaching of good software practices.
  53. I found the size of Ohio States program to be one of its greatest assets. The program attracts many smart, local students with a passion for computing. The wide variety of classes offered allows students to touch many subjects, but enough upper level classes are available to go deeper into areas of interest.
  54. CSE 560. It was very work-intensive, and helped to develop team dynamics.
  55. Many classes that cover a broad range of subjects. This helped develop a comprehensive understanding of CSE, rather than a specialized look at a specific part of computer. Im glad I got exposure to all of these areas.
  56. Being taught how to formulate a plan to tackle a programming problem. This will be very helpful in our careers when writing software for clients.
  57. The option for so many tracks like AI and information systems.
  58. The aspect of the CSE program I found most helpful was some of the technically-based, but independent design/development of individual projects. Some classes with a thorough project process, where each lab builds on previous labs, I found to be very helpful. Certain professors have a method of teaching, and whenever I was able to take a series with that professor, that helped a lot.
  59. The ability to choose which programming language was used
  60. CSE 421. It was a fantastic course that summarized the introduction sequence well, that gave students experience with Java which I found useful at my internships, and helped me get used to programming small modular programs without having a starting base like in the intro sequence. Having this extra course was extremely useful not only in future courses, but at my job as well. I felt more comfortable learning additional programming languages because of this course and it felt like it set a solid foundation for understanding higher level courses as well.
  61. I thought the introductory sequence was the most helpful. Not only did it establish a solid foundation, the courses were some of the best taught courses in the program.
  62. Real life projects.
  63. I thought that the higher level classes gave a good sense into what the real world would be like. Having to come up with business cases, network with real world companies, and draw up project plans, we were able to simulate a project in the work force.
  64. The fact that we could work with groups on projects because in the real world, you will most likely ALWAYS be working with a group. It is better to learn from others than just googling stuff by yourself.
  65. The broad list of possible tech electives (though I think the CSE departments needs to add some web development courses).
  66. Caldwell lab, because there are lots of friendly / helpful students. However there isnt enough computers, and CSE only has 1 lab to go to. Team work is definitely a course focus and I agree with this, but I ave had many groups with students that dont pull their own weight and the teammate evaluation sheet is a horrible way of grading group activities.
  67. I found this different approach to solving problems very useful. It will help in future career.
  68. The project work in the courses.
  69. The CSE department open classes in many areas. Students can choose many classes that we want to learn. We can choose from AI to graphics, which is very interesting.
  70. The variety of computer science courses that were offered as electives, and the opportunity to choose these courses based on interests.
  71. The wide variety of computer language classes available.
  72. I liked the variety of classes and the quality of professors. good quality students also.
  73. The Artificial Intelligence series (CSE630, CSE730) proved to be both well put together and highly useful. The curriculum is very balanced between theory and application, requiring you to learn the theoretical background of everything that youre doing, but then also allowing to immediately apply that knowledge to interesting problems.
  74. CSE 421. Learning java has been the single most used skill in all of my internships to date.
  75. Variety of networking courses
  76. CSE 560 was most helpful because it showed the importance of the SDLC
  77. I found that the fundamentals of engineering sequence during freshman year was helpful in preparing us for the college learning environment and familiarizing us with the subjects that we would be learning about more in depth in later years.
  78. The professors are very knowledgeable and helpful.
  79. Learning skills for a foundation in software design that I can continue to build upon. Specifically classes like 560 and the capstone where things really come together.
  80. Emphasis on foundation topics such as object-oriented design
  81. I actually really enjoyed the rounded approach and I feel like I have a much stronger understanding of programming and computers due to the amount of time spent on assembly and architecture.
  82. The staff.
  83. The focus on lab work, courses focusing on specific subsections of CSE, and the availability of resources.
  84. The single most helpful aspect was the advising office. I understand that OSUs CSE advising office is nationally recognized, and it certainly shows. I was very surprised to hear about other advising offices from other students and how poorly they compared to ours.
  85. The faculty. The vast majority of them were fantastic.
  86. CSE 655 Principles of Programming languages. I think I learned more in this course that I have applied to my real world job than all the other courses combined.
  87. The part that I found most helpful was the fact that DL 305 was always open for any questions that I had during my tenure here.
  88. I found the team-based design of the CSE program to be most helpful.
  89. The software engineering principles were definitely the most helpful. I learned a whole lot about structures, algorithms, and object oriented design principles that are needed in any discipline.
  90. I liked having a faculty advisor in addition to an undergraduate advisor, because the faculty members gave good recommendations about what areas might interest me and what courses I should take to meet those interests.
  91. CSE 560; It is probably the first group-work experience (for many undergraduates) to design, develope, and test computer software.
  92. I found analysis courses like 616 and 757 to be very useful in providing an understanding of how to properly approach large projects.
  93. I thought the most helpful aspect was the more applicable parts of the program. CSE 560 and the capstone project were the times that I learned the most from the course.
  94. The opportunities for undergraduate research were excellent and without them I dont think my experience would have been as fulfilling.
  95. The diverse range of classes offered and required. This has been very helpful while working and searching for a job. It allowed for me to be able to solve efficiently every problem that came to me while working.
  96. Ability to think systematically in approaching new problems; that is, the thought process of identifying assumptions, identifying the problem, breaking the problem down into modular pieces, and then putting those pieces together to find a solution.
  97. building up skills to solve problems, then apply them to programing.
  98. The CSE department has many approachable and intelligent professors. The classes are small enough that I got a good amount of individual attention and I was able to solve most of my problems without trouble.
  99. I thought the cse 560 class was put in a nice place in the curriculum.
  100. The engineering related ability to problem solve when you may not know how to solve that problem when first presented with it. For example, if I am presented with a task/problem that I do not know the computer language or skill needed to solve it, I am very confident in my abilities to work through it and still be able to solve the problem.
  101. Working closely with other students on projects. Advice from those who had industry experience.
  102. I found the group programming projects the most helpful, as with the CSE 758 capstone course.
  103. I found that the Engineering Career Services internship/co-op program was the most helpful. It helped me to land multiple internships and eventually led to my full-time employment at Amazon.
  104. I think the designing and analyze software course such as CSE 757 and CSE 616 are most helpful for future career.
  105. The advising staff are miracle workers who saved my bacon on many occasions. I have spoken with students in other departments and they all report experiences with their department advisers that were unsatisfactory, but I cannot express strongly enough how much that is not the case here.
  106. I think that the CSE 421 Java class was the single most helpful class that I took. It helped me learn to apply the foundations learned in the intro sequence to a different language that I hadnt used before. It also helped a lot with learning object oriented programming and building larger pieces of software.
  107. Term Projects.
  108. Many of the departments professors are involved in numerous funded research projects at any given time, leading large teams of researchers and possessing great insight into the most modern advances in their fields. If anything, students should be made more aware of the benefits of taking courses with these professors.
  109. Its tough to point to a specific aspect, thought if I had to choose, I would say the required courses for the major. I fell they provided me with a pretty well-rounded computer science and engineering education.
  110. The most helpful thing about the CSE program is the redundancy of information. There was so much overlap, that eventually, unimportant things like binary became second nature.
  111. All the project courses were awesome. I think pushing a group of students into a large software project is one of the best things you can do to grow them in their practical skills. Specifically, the capstone classes, Dong Xuans 677 and 551(his mobile app project is the only redeeming quality about his teaching), 560, and 678. Please give Nareem Shareef a fat raise, he puts most of the faculty to shame.
  112. The software project courses like 560 and 758.
  113. I enjoyed how no one class focused on a specific technology and instead let the student decide for them self how to implement the labs. I also enjoyed how OO programming was pushed early on so these concepts could be further developed in later courses
  114. What I found most useful were the classes that required students to create projects from the ground up. There classes were few, but extremely useful.
  115. CSE 421 was by far the most helpful. That course not only taught aspects of the language, but also programming techniques in general. More courses should have been like this. It is much easier to learn and understand something well when everyone is using the same language and standards. I understand that in the higher level courses it is generally better to let everyone have free reign on what language they use, but I really think certain courses should build off of a specific language so students can grasp concepts of the course, but also the practicality of the language. For example CSE 678 requires the use of c for implementing tcp and I am dreadful with c. I spend more of my time learning c than learning what the course is actually trying to convey. I would overall just like to see some more practicality to the courses, not just abstract concepts.
  116. The later courses such as the capstone project, courses about documentation, basically the courses that actually taught alongside a project, even if the project was somewhat unrealistic, was more helpful than many of the theory courses I feel.
  117. I feel like courses over 500 level classes are helpful to increase personal capacities and learn more real world projects. As capstone class I took 772 and it was a real world project. That did not teach anything at all but this class makes you learn new stuff and expertise yourself. Since in the real world project studying classes is not going to be helpful. In that class, I was able to learn 3 different languages and integration of all in one place. Also, this class required meetings with sponsor which was fun.
  118. The ability to design, implement, and evaluate a software system. Very helpful classes such as cse 560 and cse 616.

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

  1. The intro series being switched to java is the change I wanted to see, and from what I hear it will be occurring during the transition to semesters.
  2. This is a very lofty and infeasible change, but seeing other department facilities and computer labs the CSE equivalents are just not as nice. Even with the new computers our labs just dont compare to the newer ones on campus as far as comfort of use. Also the main computer lab in Caldwell not being 24 hours seems outrageous to me. The lab in 172 Dreese is a terrible place to spend time and is cramped.
  3. A higher focus on debugging. The cse degree as currently done does not teach debugging at all. To rectify this, perhaps a class on debugging, where the students are given buggy programs and are asked to fix them might be useful.
  4. More classes offered on Mobile Development including Android Phones, Apple Phones, as well as the Tablets. This is a hot topic in the industry right now.
  5. I would like to see more professors of high caliber. Ultimately, it comes down to the instructors, and CSE is in desperate need of instructors that genuinely care about teaching the students. Were here to learn (paying to do so, in fact), so policies that make it more difficult are inane. I can count on one hand the good professors I had in CSE. Communication skills should be of utmost importance. I cant even write down the list of professors that cannot communicate things simply. Most CSE professors are so detailed that they forget about teaching the big picture, and ask incredible mundane details to be memorized in the course of a quarter. If its that difficult, people just arent going to remember it. The curriculum needs to be updated immediately. Its so behind the times its laughable. It is in desperate need of courses focusing on the Internet and web application development. It needs more HANDS ON! The fact that I have made it through an entire OSU career (5 years!) and still have no idea how to write a Windows GUI program is a joke. Everything practical I learned (i.e. things I will use in a future career) I was forced to learn outside of the program because of lack of support for what I want to do (web development).
  6. Make Caldwell a 24-hour lab instead of closing at 10.
  7. The CSE program lacked in the facilities area. The most important change I would emphasize is a specific computer lab for CSE majors. We have Caldwell 112 for use, but it is not open 24/7 and it is also open to non-major students taking introductory cse courses. The ECE department has a 24 hour lab with more computers in it (Dreese 178 only has about 8 computers). I believe I would have been more productive and more appreciative of a lab that I could access 24/7 and I always knew there would be a computer for me to use. Caldwell 112 was more often than not packed with students and I had to be turned away from an opportunity to work at times that were most convenient for me.
  8. While I think the goals behind resolve are understandable I think it was just too distracting from getting into other real-world programming languages. I wish that I had just been working with regular C++ or JAVA instead - and learning good practices for those, I think it would have been a lot more beneficial.
  9. Interviewers at large companies (Microsoft, Epic Healthcare, Amazon) ask tricky puzzle-like CS questions. I would like to see a class that touches on how to best prepare for these kinds of questions (they do, after all, reinforce good programming and design practices, not just interview tactics).
  10. Only have qualified individuals teaching classes.
  11. I would like to see courses on web development, and modern lightweight tools for software development. I would also like to see data storage technologies besides relational databases taught. In my internships, I used PHP, project management skills, user experience design, and Javascript. I believe some of these skills should have been made more available to develop at OSU.
  12. I would like to see more opportunities at the lower level courses to work with industry partners. I believe the earlier we can interface with them, the better understanding we can have of the potential career options associated with a CSE degree.
  13. If possible, I would like to see some additional exposure to research or other kinds of work by which students can become exposed to programming in the outside world. Projects and course work help with learning to program & become good engineers, but learning to be able to apply what is learned to real world problems is just as important and seems somewhat lacking outside the capstones.
  14. More lab-based classes. As an example, when I took CSE 677 there were no labs/homeworks and I was unable to apply the knowledge I gained through the course.
  15. More hands-on work. (labs)
  16. I firmly believe Ohio State needs to split its CSE program into a Software Engineering major and a Computer Science major. There are way too many people in my classes/groups that have no idea how to actually program, but they can tell you everything about theoretical algorithms. Very few students have any sort of Web Development experience, and fewer know the correct approaches. MVC was touched upon in CSE 4something (the Java course that replaces 459.xx). In todays world, MVC is everywhere. Also, the lack of understanding that students have about the Agile process is embarrassing. There is much more to Agile than short iterations and constant feedback. Lastly, since Im on a rant. Our CSE Major lab is a disgrace. There are about 8 computers, no dual monitors, and all the chairs are shredded to bits. Also, the computers are in cubicles which does not foster an open group environment. No one wants to deal with the CSE 101 kids in Caldwell for uncomfortable chairs and annoying Power point is so hard conversations. Also, Caldwell isnt open 24/7.
  17. I would like to see a class, or at least greater emphasis, on coding conventions themselves. I was only constrained to using any sort of good programming practices in a single class, CSE 421 if I recall correctly, where students were required to use Junit and other programs to ensure good documentation, including header files and the like.
  18. More consistency in courses taught by multiple instructors. It doesnt make sense to me that I can fail a class with one instructor and then when I retake it with another, its extremely easy and less time-consuming. This shows that some people that avoid certain instructors are actually putting less work time in than those that dont.
  19. If there is more Network conceptual classes, I would like to see in the future. The network class for CSE major on CSE program is not a lot to choose. Students have to go to ECE in order to get their interested classes.
  20. I would like to see improved labs and equipment. At the very least I feel students in the CSE program should have access to higher end workstations with multiple monitors. Further access to Apple equipment would be useful.
  21. Do not teach Resolve, it is frustrating to spend so much time learning a language that is purely academic.
  22. If you must use RESOLVE, make it more like C++ (fewer #defines and hiding syntax). It is very confusing for students to transition to real languages.
  23. REMOVE RESOLVE - topics ok, but pick another language - also remove programming by contracts, not used in real life.
  24. a track in conjunction with the math department i guess
  25. One change that would be great in the CSE program would be if there were an option to take a class where a team of multiple disciplines, both in engineering and art, came together to create something.
  26. I would have liked to have more real world projects that build on concepts.
  27. I found that I didnt have much time to take courses that I had an interest in, as I was required to focus on specific tracks to get my degree. It would be nice to have a more open selection to really get into specific interests, rather than just grazing them.
  28. Id like to see classes geared toward teaching design patterns.
  29. The above being stated, I still beleive that more coding practice should be involved with the degree. The amount of group projects is okay but it still leaves opportunity for people to weasel their way out of coding. Grade more on individual basis if group projects are intentional. People are held responsible in the real world, might as well make them responsible in class as well.
  30. More programming experience less abstract.
  31. I would like to see the program change its emphasis to include a stronger curriculum in regards to using C and Unix, programming with attention to security issues and legal issues such as using code found on forums and websites. We should also see a wider range of project complexity, and increase the level of multi-disciplinary involvement in projects. There should also be lower-level introductions to things like networking.
  32. I would really hope that the department provide a bigger and better lab and have 24/7 access.
  33. More on-campus computing for pre-major students taking classes required for the CSE major.
  34. I felt that some of the information from ECE courses, such as ECE 320, was never used in following ECE courses. I would like to see more courses relate to each other.
  35. Need to teach unix and linux early...need to build programming skills bottup up...to object oriented used in the real world...students need at be expert in at least one language...then need to be exposed to many...Also some cse classes should have recitations...
  36. More rigor in the required class. The current level is markedly less than many of my peers at other universities.
  37. I would like to see RESOLVE eliminated. At the aforementioned internship, I was HORRIBLY ill-prepared to write C++ code even though I had taken the full intro series (221, 222, 321). Basic C and C++ principals were not taught such as referencing (we said we wouldnt need it) and the -> operator.
  38. More separation in curriculum between grad school bound students and those who only intend to complete undergrad.
  39. I would like to have worked on larger real-world projects gaining exposure to more modern technologies.
  40. More focus on web services. Im about to graduate and this is something that you see in every job on the market but I feel like I have no knowledge. I have taken classes for each of the parts, but there is nothing that has brought all the pieces together.
  41. Less ECE classes.
  42. The variability of the courses. Too often courses varied wildly in difficulty or knowledge gained based off the professor/lecturer. Sometimes you would have labs that helped learn or expand on concepts, other times it was just sit and listen to someone pontificate with no practical applications learned. This is a problem not only for what knowledge is then retained, but also if the course is a per-requisite and skills are expected later that may not have been learned.
  43. More flexibility in scheduling options. Many classes have a long list of pre-reqs which can prohibit you from graduating on time. It would be nice if you were able to take some pre-reqs concurrently with some courses.
  44. More multi-disciplinary teamwork
  45. More classes like Babics, less like Mathis. Babic had a lot of really good labs, that even though they were hard, provided a lot of insight to the topic. Mathis didnt have labs/homework?
  46. More pair programming lab assignments.
  47. There needs to be more emphasis on the development of actual real life skills. I know people who still cant use a unix command line.
  48. I would like to see an emphasis added to inheriting an existing code base. It can be a huge challenge to learn about someone elses code for the purposes of either maintenance, porting to a new system, or to influence design in a new system.
  49. More emphasis on real world programming solutions. I have worked in industry for the past three years in internships/coops/part time jobs and I have learned more in those positions that I will actually use in my career than I have in the classroom. I have taught myself new languages and methodologies while at work which I did not pick up from classes. There needs to be more emphasis on business critical technologies like software configuration management, build tools, etc. I found that during my capstone project some of my group members could not correctly use SVN. This is unacceptable as a senior level Computer Science major.
  50. More mandatory courses for learning languages, as well as a more in depth discussion of the fundamentals. I did not have a proper grasp on the principles of OOP, Abstraction, and Encapsulation until I entered my first internship and was taught there.
  51. I would like to see more teaching of design patterns that are used in the workplace. I would also like to see more modern languages and tools being taught. RESOLVE comes to mind here as a negative.
  52. I would like to see a smaller set of core classes with fewer non-CSE requirements. I feel like I get less out of some required classes outside the major, even if fewer of them would make me less rounded. A smaller CSE core would allow students to take more CSE classes that they like, and they would put more effort into and get more out of those classes.
  53. N/A
  54. I would like to see more practical, real-world projects. For example, it would have been very helpful to have learned more about Windows programing.
  55. Teaching the students to more efficiently test and debug their code. Students werent really taught to debug code, we more or less picked it up as we went through the courses.
  56. Better instructors. Instructors like Sivolatti like to teach whereas some others who shall remain unnamed are either disinterested or simply inaccessible (by being too intimidated). Something like a tutor room service for the core classes that everyone takes could go a long way. Consultants in the lab hardly help and always end the statement with I cant tell you that etc. which isnt helpful at all.
  57. A standardized curriculum for all courses and lab projects. Java based introductory curriculum for intro courses. Then C++ for mid-level. That way we arent going into most classes with a diverse and unpredictable background in programming. Therefore making the labs harder for individuals and teachers.
  58. Not being pigeon holed into taking the Resolve courses, maybe learn Java as intro instead
  59. I would like to see the intro sequence use something that looks more like an actual programming language. RESOLVE was so far from C++ that it felt useless in the end which I think made some students not understand the overall point of the course sequence.
  60. I would like to see more in class work with respect to labs. I think it is most helpful to have some lab experience for courses rather than mostly theory. If more classes were conducted in rooms with computers on some days and focused on course work then I would have learned more.
  61. More web development courses.
  62. There needs to be more classes involving different programming languages. I came out of the program having taken classes for Java, C, and C++. Many other students self taught themselves html, php, PERL, etc. But i think there should be more classes like that available. And if they are already available, they should be advertised better.
  63. I noticed that a lot of my classes I would memorize and then forget. It would be better to have more labs that are useful and interesting. I think the bug game in 321 was a good one because it was actually interesting to me and seeing the results was good. Also doing projects like the capstone project throughout the program would be awesome because you get the real hands-on work and get to see how to really create a product and see its result.
  64. Less ECE classes. I think its entirely unnecessary for a CSE student specializing in software systems to have to take ECE 300 and ECE 320, both strictly hardware and circuit related courses. While I sort of enjoyed ECE 206, I really disliked ECE 309 and found it irrelevant as well.
  65. Some of the professors are dicks and are more worried about students showing up to class, and focus on completion of assignments and show be focus on actually conveying the information without making students guess at what the right answer should be. Paulo Bucci is particularly bad at this. Also most of the research focused professors are very bad at teaching. Some classes are pointless to go to because you will learn nothing and we must learn from reading the book.
  66. I would like to see a more balanced structure in learning. Now it is chance on whether you get an instructor that is good at what they do or not. Some people can teach very well while some cannot.
  67. Teaching basic of programming languages.
  68. I have no idea why CSE 560 is a milestone. The contents of CSE 560 are covered in different courses such as 360,660,655 and even some ECE classes. CSE 560 is very time-consuming,and it repeats other courses.
  69. On the same note, a few courses seemed unnecessary. In particular, most of the ECE courses, Chemistry, ISE 504, and a few others. I would have preferred to take other CSE electives, or at least have had a larger pool of courses to choose from.
  70. Some of the ECE classes required seemed useless to a CSE major. Classes that teach the same concepts but focus on the CSE side would be more affective.
  71. I would not like to see the school move to semesters. fortunately, I will be graduating. I think quarters allows student to get a wider variety of classes. When talking to computer science students from semester schools, they dont get as wide variety of topics, since they only have two semesters per year. With quarters, students can have three chances per year to try new things. As an undergrad, I think variety is important, since in a job we will specialize in one thing, or in grad school. and having a variety can catch the eyes of employers also.
  72. I would like to see more classes that focus on teaching specific languages or the use of specific tools (Visual Studio etc...) as options for people who are coming in without much knowledge in those areas.
  73. A larger emphasis on programming and frameworks used in industry today. Not once was Javas spring mentioned in any of my classes, yet it permeates a large portion of industry.
  74. RESOLVE sequence was a silly use of time. More rigorous curriculum
  75. Credit hours that actually match the course work. Most of the classes are more work than the hours listed for the course.
  76. I feel that students should begin taking CSE courses earlier in their academic career. I didnt take my first major course until spring quarter of my freshman year and I felt somewhat behind in respect to other majors. This could be remedied by restructuring the intro sequence so that it requires fewer non-CSE prerequisites to allow students to start them sooner.
  77. Cannot think of anything.
  78. I would add another course offering similar to the capstone projects where students need to use more contemporary skills and bring everything they learned together. I felt that the information systems capstone prepared me for enterprise software development more than any other course. This is because the tools and methodologies were current and we had to use multiple skills such as design programing and public speaking. Basically an extra course focusing to get students ready for industry.
  79. More focus on current computing events -- explanation of why a current trend is good or bad. Contemporary issues like mobile development etc. Emphasis on functional programming -- only a little bit of emphasis was put on this in 655.
  80. Resolve is a neat concept, but I think there are better methods that could be used for programming by contract. The changed syntax is pretty annoying. Also, the labs are horrible.
  81. Exams worth less points.
  82. More practical knowledge in terms of programming and scripting languages you would see in the real world and less of a focus on low-level programming in the CSE core (IE- less assembly and bitwise manipulation). I really wouldve liked to have been taught PHP/ASP and use those languages with other programming languages (Java/C++) to create an encompassing project to truly understand how all these parts come together to form a project.
  83. The single change that I would like to see, to my understanding, is already being changed. That is, the use of Resolve as the programming language for introductory CSE courses. When entering OSU, I knew very little about various programming languages, and learning Resolve did not help me in future classes. The content learned in 221-321 was very valuable, and I understand that Resolve was probably the best enabler to learn this content, but the price was probably not worth the payout.
  84. Use a real language in the intro sequence. Going from RESOLVE to real c++ was jarring. I think the same principles could still be taught without hiding features of the language.
  85. Too much theory based. Not enough technical real world application stuff. The CSE program seems more geared towards people who want to re-invent the internet rather than learn a few basic techniques that will help them be productive in the work place. My bosses over the course of internships and now my awaiting job bosses really dont care about 75% of what I can spout off to them based on what I have learned here.
  86. Obviously this is already being changed with the semester system, but I would like to see the Resolve C++ sequence (221, 222, 321) removed entirely.
  87. I would like to see more web application courses offered on an undergraduate level.
  88. I know its a specific language but I would like to see a heavier emphasis on the teaching of the C/C++ language, specifically in regards to memory management issues and object oriented design. C++ is very commonly used in the few jobs I had and it would have been nice to have a strong foundation on C++ like I got in Java.
  89. Although I am graduating on the quarter system, I feel that the switch to semesters will be a nice change for the department. Most classes spend two or three weeks reviewing material from other courses, which only leaves seven or eight weeks to learn new material. Having classes last for fifteen weeks will allow students to explore more advanced topics in their area of interest.
  90. I would like to see more labs (courses) where students can practice actual programming skills than just studying high level definitions.
  91. Professors who are focused on teaching and not just research.
  92. I would like to see a greater emphasis on making students code. Far too many students make it deep into the CSE curriculum with very poor coding practice and knowledge. I think that revamping the RESOLVE sequence is essential.
  93. I would like to see less code writing from memorization, and more critical thinking questions on tests. It is always possible to find the correct syntax fro something online, but being able to think through something critically is a better skill.
  94. Id love to see more rigor added to the assignments in CSE 660 and 670. Also CSE 680 could move a little faster.
  95. Have more group projects in the higher level classes. This is a necessary skill for after college and can be avoided by students if they choose the right classes. I feel students would be better prepared if there was a requirement of group project classes.
  96. A more modern approach to the technologies and languages that will be used in the industry. For example, when taking my capstone course I learned that a shockingly small number (less than 10%) of students had ever created an interactive website or developed a mobile phone app. These are by far the most common software projects that our students will be working on in the future. Similarly, a focus on varying languages needs implemented. Languages like Perl, LISP, Python, and C# receive basically no attention in classes, even though these are common languages that are important in the industry.
  97. more classes about programing/coding, and fewer requirements on ECE classes
  98. Ive never read a helpful CSE textbook. There should be a huge effort throughout the department to rely entirely on thorough slides and lecture notes. Lecture notes should no longer serve as outlines, but should serve as the core reference material.
  99. Resolve C++ was anoying.
  100. A wider breadth of technologies/languages and specifically new technologies. (Things like web development, mobile development). I also felt that there was little to no testing specific areas of curriculum.
  101. More one off lectures & etc about current computing events and industry topics.
  102. I would like to see more focus on modern technologies and implementation.
  103. RESOLVE should die. Also, there needs to be more courses available that cover practical programming with less theory(frameworks, new technology, smartphones, etc.)
  104. I want to see more group project in many courses.
  105. The undergraduate coursework is badly in need of increased rigor. As it stands, it is entirely possible for an undergraduate to leave our program not knowing how to program in any language but Resolve/C++, not knowing more than rudimentary discrete math and graph theory, and not knowing that complexity classes even exist, let alone having the skills needed to determine if problems lie in them.
  106. I would like to see the intro sequence taught in a language that could actually be used out in the real world today. Spending so much time learning the ins and outs of RESOLVE helped with learning programming, but it would be nice to learn those same principles in a language that I could use later on in other classes and after graduation or in internships.
  107. emphasis on software compilation and debugging, cause people dont know how to debug!
  108. The material taught and assignments given in a particular course need to be more consistent across different instructors for that course. Some instructors have widely-known reputations for being much easier than others, causing less ambitious students to gravitate toward these instructors sections where they learn significantly less, based on my own conversations with many other students. From my perspective as a student, this is highly compromising of the academic integrity of the CSE program, and harms the value of an OSU CSE degree.
  109. I would really like to see the Resolve sequence changed. I understand the reasons given as to why this is used in intro courses, but I think the principles would be better taught in a language that is actually used in the real world (such as Java, C++). While I had no trouble (transfer student who first learned Java), there seemed to be quite a jump from 321 to 421 to 560.
  110. A switch to more contemporary methodology and programming non-archaic problems to capture student interest and make students more marketable to employers. Secondly I would like a semi-forced coop/internship program like at the University of Cincinnati.
  111. Im going to talk about two. 1. More teaching of the concepts behind tooling and technical project management. 421 had a few short lectures about unit testing and CVS. For one thing, teaching CVS to programmers is like teaching teenagers to drive in a model T. Sure, its a car...but barely. Second, source control, unit testing, real documentation(javadoc) are all almost as important as the code itself. I understand this is a more theoretical degree, but one class focused on this kind of thing I think would much better prepare students for working in the real world 2. Sub-par faculty. Some notes about particular faculty members: Get rid of B Mathis, G Babic, and D Xuan. They are some of the worst faculty members I have ever come across. Mathis barely teaches, simply reciting personal anecdotes during most of the class which have little to no bearing on..anything really. G Babic was actually pretty good for 675.01, but I believe his teaching of 660 could be much improved. Specifically, he asks lots of questions trying to trick students, when really they have very ambiguous answers and any answer a student gives has no bearing on whether they understand the subject at hand. D Xuan cant communicate whatsoever.
  112. No more resolve, and more time focusing on doing actual programming
  113. I would most like to see more programming based labs and assignments. There was a stretch of almost a year where I felt I had not coded anything of major importance, and I could sense my coding skills diminishing. I feel a lot of classes which could benefit from labs did not have them.
  114. I would like to see the removal of RESOLVE.
  115. Get rid of the Resolve sequence. I know this is already in effect, but I found CSE 221 222 223 to be relatively useless. It would be much more beneficial to use a contemporary language as a building block for programming. If I had started in Java I feel like I would be a much better programmer today because I would have learned the importance of using pre-built libraries, programing for external devices, as well as real time compilation.
  116. I heard Igors class on numerical methods was being taken out of the required courses, I liked that course, it was one of the few classes where we actually were allowed to use a programming language of our choice, instead of ones chosen for us. I feel the CSE major really lacks teaching of programming languages that are being in use at future employers. I understand the CSE major is suppose to teach us the theory, but I feel a little more guided practice would look good on a resume.
  117. I think the introduction classes should be changed. In those classes, Resolve/C++ taught but i dont think its helpful at all. I felt like I should change my major while i am taking that classes. Instead of those classes there should be more 421 like classes.
  118. I would like to see more industry project oriented classes or program.