best cs professor at state

the assembly language is hard.. but he teaches it very well!

The best Teacher that SDSU Comp Science Department have! Respect to riggins!

Best professor I've had. Makes boring things fun.

The best preperation for the 500 level classes

he is bery good

Probably one of the best teachers. Makes difficult subjects easy to learn

the best professor at SDSU

By far the best instructor in the entire CS department.

good teacher, but expects a lot fromn up on prog1 !!! students. He should loose

Hard programs.Good teacher.Makes assembly easy.

teaches fast, but clear, very knowledgable. no homework.

fun class,learned a lot,super easy,didn't read book still got A, excellent prof.

Great teacher, very helpful, subject is hard but key to A is going to class

great teacher. machine language is not easy to teach. he relates it well!

I learned more in this class than all of my others combined.

excellent professor, gives explicit examples in class, always willing to help

EXCELLENT TEACHER.. always willing to help , hard class, but you learn ALOT

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Well, all I can say so far is CHALLENGING! Excellent prof but you may want to consider taking 9 - 12 units max during the quarter that you take his course. Class should be worth about 5 units! You will learn though and he HELPS!

Probably the best prof in his department. Well worth your time and money.

awesome teacher. hard but you learn alot. I would recommend taking any class he teaches. VERY helpful

Second class I've had with him, he's an excellent teacher. He genuinely wants all of his students to succeed.

Excellent teacher. Very helpful and makes himself available to students. His explanations are clear and concise. I highly reccommend Riggins for any computer science class.

EXCELLENT teacher, good lecturer, helpful. Genuinely cares about students. Very fair.

TAKE THIS TEACHER! he really does care about you. he's incredibly smart. he will teach you!

Programs are challenging but that is what makes you learn. Always willing to help. Like the others said, he really does care about his students and wants them to do well. Learn the most about programming from him. TAKE HIM!!!!!

The very best the SDSU CS department has, he loves teaching, he cares about the success of his students, he is a genius and he brought cookies and juice to the final. Need I say more?

If you want to learn take Riggins, but if you are looking for an easy A stay away. You will learn alot but you will also work alot.

Hard course to take with him, alot of work. He is a nice guy and is very helpful if you come to his office.

Riggins is a ****! I took every class he teaches; 237, 310, 320, 440. Programs are pleasantly challenging, but he cuts a lot of slack on the tests. I wish he would teach the 5 level series. Most helpful teacher ever. He loves what he is doing.

The best CS teacher at State. Challenging programming assignments, but not impossible. You really learn in this class. Take him for every class you can. He is very approachable, and very willing to help. Great teacher thatgenuinely want students to learn

He is a great teacher, and willing to help you

Excellent professor, very hard if you do not go to class, and dont start your programs on time, but he always makes himself available to students, and can always send him an email. I didn't do so well in his class, but will take him again till i learn it

If you ever get a chance to take this class with this professor, DO IT! His coverage of C, and C++ is extraordinary. He has a knack for teaching, you'll see when you take his class.

Like all others say, you're going to learn how to program in C++. He is very kind. He explains things clearly. He always helps students. VERRY NICE!!

He is a very helpful, responsible, and nice teacher. Four projects in an entire semester which are not very hard but time-consuming. He usually gives students plenty of time doing them. If you really want to learn, take his courses and you'll learn a lot.

Very kind and helpful. The best at state. This is the class to learn. Approachable. Has a teaching ability that no other prof comes close to having. Im a slacker and I even wanted to learn in this class.

CS 237 is really hard but this is a very good teacher. Miss class for 1 day and you could be lost for weeks. Don't miss class.

The best CS teacher at state.

Alan Riggins is the best cs teacher I've ever had. The class was really hard, but he is such a good teacher that I learned a lot and got an A. He is very smart and he wants you to learn. If you can take his class, you should.

great professor. teaches you everything you need to know about the languages learned in class. very helpful in class and in office. highly recommend.

Excelent Proffessor, hard topic. Riggens however is willing to sit down and go over the deatails with you and is a nice guy. Good lecteurer. Tests are fair, but beware the programs...if you dont start early you are dead and he is very strict about grading them.

Riggins was a little intimidating to approach, but if you go to his office he is extremely helpful. He is an excellent teacher who knows his subject and how to teach to it. We had four programs and three test. Don't get me wrong he makes you earn your grade, so don't slack!

My favorite CS prof. His assignments are a bit more challenging than others, but he does a great job of making you walk away from a class feeling like your time there wasn't a waste. Don't slack off and you'll do fine. Prof is also available outside of class to clear up any confusion

Well, what can I say...Alan, as he prefers to be called has a MS in CS and is probably the BEST CS lecturer in the Dept. He cares about the students and brings incorporates his own life experiences in his classes. I have had hime for 310 as well. If I can choose only 1 prof to reccomend, it's him

Take all the classes you can with alan. He kicks ass.

Very good teacher. I would take any class he teaches.

great teacher. go to class, you will learn a lot.

Riggins is the best, the most helpful cs teacher on campus. Not the easiest programs, but he will always point you the right direction. Go to office hours, he is more than willing to give you a hand.

Responds 2 e-mails very quickly.Very helpful after class or during office hours.Easy grader, study for tests and put effort into it and you'll get 100%.Nice guy even helped me with computer problem not relating to class.Had 100% in class almost entire semester but DO show up 2 class

4 small easy projects, 1 easy term paper, 2 easy midterms, 1 easy final. Go to class, to the projects, look over the study guides. Enough said. EASY CLASS.

I got an F in 237 the first time and an A- the second time around. This is a difficult class so study hard! Riggins is a great teacher. He is kind, helpful, and funny. He likes to say "bend over and grab your ankles" a lot in class. He makes me laugh.

This class is cake; Riggins is helpful, but if you know anything about computers going in the class is cake. I missed about half the class meetings and got a 98.

wow wow wow wow wow is all i can say about this class. it's a lot of work if you haven't done anything at this level before but it is a good class if you are really interested in computers and CS. you'll learn a lot, this is the first and only CS class i actually had to try and study for. GO TO OFFICE HOURS IF YOU NEED HELP!!!

Some of his classes are difficult like 237 some are extremely easy like 440. Possilby one of the best professors at our school. You will actually LEARN and he really CARES!

The best CS teacher I have ever had. The subject is a difficult one but Alan teaches it well. He answers any question you have for him. When you are done with his class you will know the material inside and out. He helps you on the homework assigments and will work though them with you. Lectures are clear and relevants. Best teacher ever.

Very cool teacher. He is really easy and his lectures are actually interesting to listen to. Scale of 1 to 10....9.

I don't really have to say much. Everyone already pretty much said what I wanted to say.

excellent teacher. take as many classes as you can with alan. he is probably the best CS professor at SDSU. you will learn much more in his CS classes than any other prof. this is important when taking more advanced classes in CS. if you took stewart or someone else, good luck.

Best teacher in CS. Take all his classes.

The guy kicks ass, he answers all your questions and his answers actually make sense. HE LOOKS AND TALKS LIKE SAM NIEL!!! THE DOC FROM JURASSIC PARK!

The best professor in the CS program. He cares and will spend as much time as he can helping you. Office hours get packed so get there early. Programs are challanging and require alot of time. If you put the time into the projects, you will learn more then you will learn in any other class. All the other comments are true.

TAKE THIS GUY'S CLASS! I put more effort into waxing my snowboard than I did on the assignments in this class and I got a 97%. He never gives lower than a C on any assignment. AND HE REALLY DOES LOOK LIKE SAM NIEL, ITS SCAAAAARY!

Riggins is an awesome teacher! The class itself is difficult, but he does a great job at explaining even the most difficult of topics. His office hours are flexible so you are always guaranteed an opportunity to meet with him and have your questions answered. There are 4 hw assignments and only a few tests, so the work load is reasonable.

LOVE LOVE LOVED THIS MAN!! HE WAS AN AWESOME TEACHER!! HELPFUL AND NICE.. AMAZING PROFESSOR... TAKE HIM!

This class is web programming. He was a very good teacher. I learned a lot within 6 weeks. His projects were tough but he explains the material very well.

Assignments were definitely time consuming. They were explained very well and he helped us through them. We were allowed to work with one partner. Like all of Riggins upper division classes you learn far more than any other professor/class. The class is not as hard as you think. Just do the work.

since he is the only one teaching this class, u dont hav a choice,but he's an amazing professor.tests, and projects are simple.if u cant get the projects done by urself, go 2 his office, he'll tell u how 2 fix it.4 projects and 2 midterms and 1 final.assembly lang does require some practice, but he helps u a lot.

This is a project oriented class. Expect to spend a lot of time programming for your project. The projects are fun since there is a lot of creativity involved. Brush up on your Java to make life a little easier. The tests are very easy.

Alan RIggins was the best teacher that i have had in SDSU. He was very helpful with all projects, and he tries to explain all of them in advaced. Attendance is not mandatory but he does take role every so often. Even though this is so, classes are important, and i encourage everone to go because u will miss a lot of information.

The jump from 108 to 310 is huge. Riggins makes it happen. In class one of his first goals is to make sure everyone is solid on LL,Stacks,etc. Not many Profs are so indulgent. Class time is always good. But moreover he is really helpful in office hours. If you're not there the day before deadline.

Really great class, very very easy if you pay attention and turn in the projects on time. The projects are very easy and your final at the end of the year is rather easy to say the least. He's also a really nice guy.

Great professor - organized, fair and challenging. Assignments were clear, lectures were interesting, and exams were thoroughly and fairly reviewed prior to exam time. Has extra office hours before assignments are due and is very willing to help. Assignments were fun and I learned from them despite having almost 10 years of development experience.

Explains things clearly and concisely and is extremely helpful in office hours.The text costs about $20.Do the exercises, ask quetions = an A. Riggins is hands down one of the best professors I've ever had. If he teaches a class and it's on your plan, wait a semester if need be.If you don't "get it" in his classes, choose another major.

Umm, he was very helpful and explained the work to everyeone, taking another course with him next semester!

Lectures are very clear. Riggins knows how to convey the ideas in a very understandable way. He really knows his stuff too so you can ask him anythig. Riggins really goes beyond what is required of him and is definitely one of SDSU's best, at least in the CS dept.

great professor, with rigorous and time comsuming work, but not very great with deadlines and exams dates. just watch out for the last 2 projects b/c its very very close on finals' week. be prepared to fail if you don't understand the stuff.

one of my favorite professors even if the class was extremely hard. no curves, reasonable (3) exams, (2 or 3 depending on time) homework, and hard but helpful projects (4). just watch out for the last project because of time. also keep an eye on the final, if you get 93% or higher it means an A in the class, this shows how hard this course is

Riggins is a good instructor but the class is an incredible amount of work. I started off with an A on the first midterm and soon got very discouraged with the amount of time required to do well in the class. This class should be more than 3 units. I do not recommend it for people working full time. I want nothing to do with CS after this class

Tough teacher but very clear and helpful. Get to office hours early, there's usually a huge line. If he ever writes code on the board, copy it down. Chances are, you'll probably need it.

Alan is a challenging professor but he is also very fair and explains the material clearly. He provides all of his lecture notes printed out prior to the semester and these can and will be the primary source for learning the material outside of class. He doesn't give easy A's but A's are possible and you will learn the material very thoroughly.

Amazing teacher! Passionate about CS. Makes boring Assembly tolerable, and somewhat easier to understand. Very helpful. I only needed his supplement WHICH IS GREAT. It's almost exactly what he lectures, so its extremely helpful. Had a good time in his class. Great teacher. I'm taking him again for another CS class. It isn't too easy, but he's good!

This is the third class I've taken with Riggins and he is challenging but very helpful and you will learn a lot. He had us use C++ so we would gain exposure to it since the curriculum focuses on Java. He didn't have lecture notes available since this was his first time teaching this class but they're generally a godsend. I highly recommend him.

Riggins is one of the best at SDSU. He is extremely knowledgeable. The work is difficult but not impossible. He is not a tough grader nor an easy grader but a fair grader. The grade you get is the grade you deserve. The projects in this class were very time consuming.

In my opinion he is as close to an ideal teacher as you will get. Generally the feeling you get when you take his class, is that it is quite demanding, but he gives fairly good lectures so it's not as hard to learn a lot. His programs take a lot of time to do, and you will likely need to go to office hours for help. Have your questions prepared.

He is a great professor. An A is very doable in this course if you don't get lazy. At first he was somewhat intimidating during office hours but he is extremely helpful especially if you show that you work hard and make a good effort in his class. I wish I could have him for more of my CS classes.

Incredibly clear and rarely uses the book for tests. Attend lectures and do projects and you'll get an A

Professor Riggins is a great teacher. Assembly language isn't exactly the easiest subject to teach, but he manages to keep class interesting and worthwhile. Coming into this class i had absolutely no interest in learning assembly, now i'm thinking about careers in embedded systems.

You learn a lot in his class, But you also have to work hard. If you meet the minimium req he stated in his projects he wont really cut you short of grades. A good idea is to tlak to him before you submit your project to make sure you are on the same page as he accepts you to be .

Best professor in the CS department at SDSU.

Fantastic experience. He really cares about students. Class is well designed, not too hard, but just hard enough. If every teacher were like this SDSU would be a southern california Stanford.

Best Prof. Very good projects gives you depth knowledge. Exams are easy. Projects are also easy but time consuming. Fair and helpful. Just send him a mail and you will get reply.

Great professor, teaches everything there is to assembler. Tests were very fair if you studied. Do the problem sheets, read the assigned readings and DO NOT procrastinate on the programs and you will get an A.

Incredible professor, made learning C/C++ so simple and easy. Tests (2 midterms and final) were very easy along with the programs (5). Start programs early, read the textbooks and an A is very possible. Take as many classes as you can with him.

Best professor in the CS dept. Take him.

Had him for cs 237 and cs 320 great teacher super helpful definitely take him and go into his office hours as well

Best teacher in the SDSU computer science department. Take him whenever possible. Makes himself very available to students. If you have a question, stop by during office hours and he'll help you out. You'll learn in his classes, apply yourself. There's a reason he teaches 310 - it's probably the most important foundation class.

Alan knows what he is teaching. He makes the subject matter clear to students and gives crystal clear examples of a particular lesson. I can't wait to take another class with him (310, 530). Get him, you will not regret it.

Perhaps the most important CS class and once again Riggins does a great job explaining the material clearly with great detail. Programs are challenging but you learn a lot. Tests are very fair. If you dont understand the material or pass the class switch majors asap. Take as many classes as you can with him, he's by far the best CS professor.

Great professor, class was interesting and enjoyable. One semester long project in C++ broken up into 4 separate programs which involved building an assembler from scratch that was time consuming but not hard. The midterms(2) and final were really easy if you studied and came to class. Take as many classes as you can with him, recommended!

Second mandatory class I had to take with him and boy does he never cease to amaze me. Alan is a CS wiz who can explain something crystal clear. Class is challenging, but you will learn a lot and have fun while you're learning. Would recommend.

One of the most useful classes you can ever take in CS, topics in class are used in industry. Riggins makes everything easy to understand. Fun and challenging programs(4) using CSS, XHTML/HTML5, Javascript, jQuery, MySQL, PHP & Perl. Use this class as one of your CS electives. The class is expensive but worth every penny. 2 Midterms, no final.

Professor Riggins is a great teacher. Though the course itself is rather tedious he does everything possible to help you succeed. He will go over everything you need to know multiple times. If you need help OFFICE HOURS, he will point you in the right direction. Also I only used the Lecture Notes textbook and the reference manual (its free online).

By far the greatest professor,no mentor I have ever had. His teaching style is impeccable. I feel lucky I got to take 4 classes with him, 310, 320, 530, 545. He will walk you through the material and answer as many questions as you need until you understand the material. Classes are not easy, but put in the time and you will learn the material

He is by far the greatest professor in the CS dept. Really cares about his students and wants them to succeed. Most semesters he has office hours 4 or 5 days a week, for 2 - 3 hours a day, sometimes more! No other professor dedicates as much time to his students. Take him for as many classes as you can.

Best Prof. Helpful. Learn a lot from course projects.

Best Professor I have had at SDSU. Class is not easy but if you attend class and go to office hours if you are lost, you will at least get a B

Class had hard concepts to grasp, but if you put in the time and effort you will succeed. Also start the projects early to maintain a high grade. Office hours are you friend, do not be intimidated. 2 midterms and 1 final, 3 programs.

Professor Riggins knows his stuff. But boy, was this course tough. Programs were impossible if you didn't know what was going on. Go to class every day, if you don't get what's going on, he goes over the topic multiple times and you can always go to office hours. Tests were fair, and you could pass them all if you just study what he tells you to

Nice, fun class. Work in groups for programs. Tests are easy if you attend lecture.

One of the best profs I've had the pleasure of taking during my college career. As a CS major, I found his assignments to be easy; I earned 100% on all of them. His tests are fair and there are no trick questions. He's pretty witty and makes his class fun. If you put in effort, you'll succeed well with Riggins. He's helpful too during office hours.

Class was tough, but bearable. Explained the subject well and was very clear about the expectations. Will probably look for him for future classes.

Great teacher, best I've had at SDSU so far. This class is pretty hard once you get into the assembly language portion though. Theirs 4 programming assignments and 4 tests. If you go to his office hours he'll show you exactly what to do though. I recommend taking him if you have to take this class

Overall he's a great professor, can be really intimidating at first but he genuinely wants you to do well. The class starts with some general computer theory and moves onto programming later, make sure you go to class every day or you'll fall behind really quickly. Overall, great professor, fun class once you get the hang of it.

Riggins is one of the best CS professor period. If you want to be prepare in the real world take his class. All of his assignments show you how computer coding applies to the real world. However, he will make you work for days the good thing is that he offers A LOT of office ours so as long as you go to office ours you will be fine. Buy the book!!

310 is a challenging class, and Riggins will kick your butt but you will walk away feeling you accomplished so much at the end. The juice is definitely worth the squeeze. Bite the bullet and go to office hours, he is super helpful (might rip ya alittle bit). Do not give up and bounce back! He loves that.

Prof. Riggins may come off as intimidating at first and he's also not afraid to call out bs when he sees it. However he is such a great teacher. He really makes you learn and efficiently too. He expects you to put time in this class, if you don't you'll have a rough time. Put in the time, go to office hours and it will be smooth sailin'

Prof. Riggins is one of those teachers that you have to take at least once in college. He might seem intimidating because he doesn't like b.s. He knows his stuff, lectures are clear and he is very helpful during office hrs. You have to work for a good grade but if you do, you shouldn't have a bad experience. 4 progs, 2 or 3 tests and a final.

Riggins is super funny and nice and is very willing to help his students. He has office hours from 9-12 however he gets there at 8am ready to help out. If you do come in at office hours, make sure you know your question and have made an effort on the assignment. He doesn't tolerate those who come in expecting him to write their programs for them.

Assembly isn't easy, but Riggins is a great teacher. Make sure you go to class and pay attention, because although he can be confusing and get off topic, he does explain things thoroughly. Reading the course reader after class helped me understand better, also. He's very helpful although a little intimidating. Great guy.

Riggins is awesome and really clear with the test/PAs. However, this class is so watered down that if you just show up for class or read the lecture supplement you will get 90% of the program assignments written for you. He cares for his students and wants to challenge them but ends up givin away answers bc lazy ppl can't pass the class otherwise.

Really good teacher, you will learn a lot. The only gripe I have is if you turn in anything that is just slightly off you will most likely get a D on the assignment. So go to office hours and he is super helpful.

Gives free code for the projects during lectures. Very tough grader on projects. If your code spits out wrong answer, it is automatically dropped to a D. I made a silly arithmetic mistake that ruined the final result but you can still survive through the semester if you don't drop the ball multiple times. Exams are almost identical to study sheets.

Riggins is a good teacher because he answers questions and wants to help. However, I didn't do so well because I procrastinated and didn't go to his or even the TA's office hours until a few days before the program was due. He doesn't have much hw and there's a lot of free time but that time must be spent on the program or else struggle if not.

Riggins is hands-down the best computer science teacher at SDSU. He really knows the material and though his grading is harsh he holds you to industry standards in order to prepare you. He may seem intimidating but go to office hours, he is there to help you learn the material and is very helpful. I highly recommend this professor.

Probably the best CS professor at SDSU along with Carroll. Too bad, he retires at the end of the semester

Riggins is amazing. He pushes you to do your best, and through that challenges his students. It is difficult but its the best way to learn data structures. I failed the class but still managed to learn a lot of the theory. Unfortunately, he has retired.

First off, a hard Prof should be a good thing. I graduated 6 years ago from SDSU and I currently make 200k a year because of this man. If you ever get a chance to have him as a Prof, consider yourself lucky. He works harder for your future than you probably do.

One of the best CS profs on the planet. It is rare to have someone this intelligent care this much about his class. Cherish every word this guy says.

He is an absolutely amazing professor. He teaches the concepts well, organizes the course structure so we learn important concepts of data structure, he explains our questions sincerely and replies to our emails even at 1:00. Grateful to have such a great professor.

A quality professor. Fair, and helpful outside of class during help hours.