2.7
Quality3.7
Difficulty43%
Would Retake86
Reviews43%
Would Retake
86
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
22
4
12
3
6
2
10
1
36
What Students Say
“He's a horrible teacher”
EECS1012 - 1.0 rating“Amir is tried hard to keep students happy and make them laugh during lectures; however, I and my friends cried on test papers”
EECS1012 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
37%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.51 avg changeRatings by Course
EEC1520
5.0
(1)EECS1012
3.4
(42)EECS1001
3.0
(1)EECS1520
2.4
(24)EECES1012
2.3
(4)Difficulty by Course
EESC1520
5.0
LEEECS1520
5.0
LEECS1520
5.0
EECS4313
5.0
EECS1022
4.0
Reviews (86)
His lectures are hillarious. Focuses on topics that are not important
You are on your own
He is a terrible prof, goes on tangents about how you should love what you are learning instead of sticking to the material. He doesn't teach well and when you ask questions he often answers a something completely irrelevant or doesn't know the answer. His tests can be difficult and tricky. He does belt curve a bit.
Great for beginners. He is very nice and kind. Always speaks slowly and make sure everyone understood the material. Always reminds you of your passion. Generous with grades. Very accessible outside class and gives nice feedback. All the notes are online, easy to keep up with everything from home
Prof Chinaei is funny and clear when it comes to lecturing. You have to ask questions otherwise you wont be able to understand everything completely. His tests are very hard and you might run out of time while trying to solve it.
he was hilarious. giving us chocolates several times. but unfortunately, he cannot teach well. it's like he understands it but can't explain it to others.
This professor was not good at explaining what he was teaching, it was difficult to understand. He seemed to get upset whenever someone tried asking a question, so it seemed difficult to approach him
Poor explanations, does not like qs during lecture. Tricks you on tests (gives qs about assignments that arent due yet) Says A or A+ is only for exceptional students who do work they arent assigned yet - unfair grading. Lecture recordings uploaded improperly (no sound, or not uploaded at all). Ironic for a man teaching a comp sci cours
He's a very fast-paced professor who confuses most people during lecture. He also kind of expects us to know a lot about computer science even though we aren't comp majors. Despite the drawbacks, I'd still recommend him bec I heard the other professors of this course suck.
Amir tries his best to explain, but isn't too clear. EECS1520 is pretty hard & the other profs are worse; he's your best option. He expects you to be on the same page as him. If most ppl don't understand he'll try to clear things up but is usually unsuccessful. He'll move on & tell you to look at the slides on your own. Best of the worst. Mediocre.
Amir is tried hard to keep students happy and make them laugh during lectures; however, I and my friends cried on test papers. Once we asked him to clarify what he is trying to teach, he explained something irrelevant to questions.
He's a horrible teacher. He loves flowcharts for some reason. If you don't get the flowchart all correct he won't even give you partial credit. The labs in the beginning were easy but after the 3rd one it became so much work just for 2% of the grade. Avoid him if you can.
Prof Chinaei's English isn't great so you will find that his lab instructions can be very confusing. His lectures lack depth due to his focus on amusing students and all the theatrics (i.e. running around the classroom). Worst tester/grader I have this year and this is coming from someone taking 3 math courses with very low class averages.
Labs are often unclear, may have mistakes, but overall they're not difficult. The tests on the other hand, you DON'T get enough time to write them. Lectures are useless; better off skipping & reading on your own. Could be covering web programming in more depth if he wasn't so obsessed w/ flowcharts. Avoid and take with a different prof. if you can!
- Profressor Amir really cares for his students, and his examples are EXTREMELY helpful - From what i hear about other classes, I am fortunate to have him as my lecture - the Kahoots are also very helpful - One of the best profressors Ive ever had (3rd year) - PLEASE attend class and sit in the front
Hes actually really good. Do what he recommends. Write down his examples. Ask if you dont understand. Keep up with the lectures. Listen especially when he says: Pay attention now, because this will most definitely be on the exam. Hes usually right.
A lot of people don't like Amir, but I love him. He's so expressive and cares about what he's teaching. He has an unhealthy obsession with flowcharts, often gets completely off topic when answering a question, and is somehow ALWAYS behind the other class. But he teaches quite well and wants to make sure everyone gets it before moving on.
He wasn't as bad as I expected. Wasn't the best lecturer but he was very nice, and the course itself was easy enough to self-teach anyways. He gave many opportunities for receiving bonus marks. That being said, I highly recommend practising flowcharts if you're taking the course with him, because you'll be tested on them quite a bit.
Very inspirational Prof. He motivates to work on the project without giving up. the class itself is based on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. If you attend the lecture you will have much easier times at labs. there are no text books but you won't need one tbh. this is quite time consuming class so be ready!
I regret taking him as a first year student. Your basic about cs will be ruined. He understands himself but doesn't know how to explain it to the students. He loves flowcharts so much that he don't even care about coding. His lab exams are really lengthy and he expects you to know about coding from before. I would try to avoid him if I want an A.
Super difficult lab works. He's so "inspirational" that I don't have enough basic knowledge for pre-lab works.
he was great
He turns what should be a basic intro course, into an existential crisis. In a 2 hour time slot, you're given 50 minutes to write a midterm, and the rest of the time is dedicated to him and his clueless TA's trying to figure out how to distribute a simple piece of paper. Do not recommend this prof unless you want to pay to teach yourself
He's a funny guy and all that, but he talks about flowcharts way too much..... this one class we were supposed to be doing iteration and code examples but instead he talked about flowcharts the whole time and didn't write a single line of code.... Also we were only given 45 minutes in total for the midterm (25 for m/c and 20 for drawing flowcharts)
Excellent professor. The flowcharts are the best part of the course - we are bring taught to think critically, not merely to code. In any event, the labs provided adequate coding practice. Those who find this unsettling and wish to simply focus on syntax should consider taking a coding course at a community college instead. This is university!
He's a very nice and passionate guy, but he gets sidetracked sometimes and doesn't finish the lecture in time. The course is flowchart heavy and is difficult if you've never had any programming experience before. He does an okay job explaining new concepts, but doesn't always get the point across.
I cannot be more happy when I attend his courses, super energetic professor, explains cluster clear, in a structured way. I am thankful for making me showing up in his classes. Respectful, approachable guy. Highly recommend to take a course and projects with him.
Tough courses but excellent professor, respectful, ethical, and approachable with loaded lectures, and useful assignments that make you master the materials.
Sweet and knowledgeable guy, I like very much his discussions in his office hours, very helpful prof
Good guy and respected computer scientist who was given the tough task of teaching EECS1012. This class had its level of difficulty cranked up in York's attempt to build Lassonde into the next Schulich. The flowcharts were tough tasks to grasp so early on into the program but the labs were awesome. Amir teaches with energy and is approachable.
great prof, respected and passionate
Excellent professor. Very prompt responses to email and accessible at office hours. Contrary to the comments below, he is able to communicate the material effectively. If you don't understand him, there may be a comprehension issue on your end. My only complaint is that there was no textbook, but most students won't complain about this.
he is better than the other profs for EECS1520, but that doesn't mean he is good. I dont understand why science students need to take this course with this messed up EECS department who cant teach to save their life. he is better than the others but still mediocre at best. tests are difficult and slides are confusing (dont explain everything)
Professor Amir is a very good professor who focuses on important concepts. I would definitely recommend him since he teaches with enthusiasm and keeps the class interesting.
ONLY EECS1520 professor that can TEACH. He is the course director and teaches you exactly what you need to know for the midterms, and he explains them very well. No doubt if you are taking the course take it with him because he is the course director and is very accessible outside class to help you succeed.
He gives ton of works and teaches really really fast. If you are a beginner, Trust me you need to come to all classes and work super hard to get your place. But I can say that Amir H Chinaei is a decent prof comparing to other profs I had on the univ.
I loved this professor because he genuinely care about his students. If you go to all his lectures and pay attention in the class you will do well as he teaches the concepts very clearly. He is also accessible by email and in his office hours. Tests can be tough so make sure to get 100% on assignments as it will help you later in the course.
He gives many Inspirational talks , If you are beginner to coding than get ready to work hard . If you give full attention and do the hw problems , you are good .
A very caring prof. He asks his students how we are doing in the course so far and asks us if we need any help. He explains the concepts very well and he is very inspirational. As long as you work hard, you will do well in his classes. Definitely would take again.
As a TA I saw him create a toxic environment. He'll operate with a bad attitude and his own rules of conduct which are to actively belittle and subjugate those around him. All of this to cover up his lack of communication and social skills. He is a narcissist of the highest degree that will gaslight his victims claiming a lack of professionalism.
As a person who had previous programming experience I did not struggle with the course too much but I can see why many people without programming experience struggle. Programming is a hard art to teach, it requires practice and doesn't come naturally and this prof expresses that greatly and ppl need to understand that programming NEEDS PRACTICE.
Good lectures but hard labs and assignments. It will be challenging for students with no programming background. Would take him again.
Well, lectures are easy and labs are complicated and very time-consuming. He does not explain labs or any related info to it. Personal option, does not seem like he is caring a lot - would not take him again.
Horrible. avoid this dept at all costs. have way too much pride and make everyone else miserable.
Really horrible department. It's really obvious that they don't care about their students succeeding. All they really care about is keeping the average low to make their course look "tough". Don't care about their students getting anywhere with this course. Superiority complex in this department is insane. Avoid at all costs.
Not really helpful. Department cares more about reputation than the actual delivery of the course. Don't mark with any sense. Have no clue how to mark properly and will willingly fail the class just out of his convenience. Not because he cares. Just because he feels the need to make everyone else miserable.
Useless prof. Talks a lot but doesn't really say anything. Course material is not difficult if you have coding background but I got tons of marks off because he makes the quizzes on Saturdays which makes it easy to forget. Tests don't grade you on your knowledge, they grade you based on your ability to draw a flowchart in 20 minutes.
Doesnt care at all about his students. No clear guidelines of what is going to be tested and includes confusing questions. Some TAs are ok but most of them mark brutally and will take a lot of marks off for a small mistake. Wouldnt let us review our midterms and tests until the students complained. Overall the course is not designed fairly.
Honestly just super discouraging. Course isn't designed to help you learn. Carried out really unfairly. Not fair to students who are trying to succeed in this course.
He is a very nice professor, always ready to help and support students. As a lecturer and professor, he is amazing, the course, however, is kind of difficult, practicing is very hard as there's pretty much no way to practice for the test. The assignments are good, but the tests are pretty difficult it is very difficult to get an A+.
I love this prof. He is genuinely a very good guy and wants to see his students succeed. He takes waayyyyy tooo long answering questions but some people may think that is a good thing. He truly should deserve to teach 1st year not because he is bad but because he inspires many of his students to thrive and practice in the field of CS.
He makes a first year course way harder than it needs to be. He does email students back and is accessible during office hours, however, it is extremely difficult to do well in this course. The randomization on his midterms are extremely unfair. Since his midterms can drop your mark try to do really well on the assignments.
Amir was not too bad as others are saying. He explained well and made sure students understand. He was a bit boring so it's easy to tune him out. The tests were extremely difficult as all the multiple choice sound the same. You really have to try to understand the lectures. He did Kahoots which helped. The slides were thorough but add what he says.
This professor is one of the worst profs I have ever had! The grading for assignments is far from fair. The tests are VERY difficult! It is really unfair how some of the midterm questions are only applicable for PC users to answer. He NEVER replies to emails which is so disappointing! He doesn't want the best for his students.
Worst prof ever! Never replies to emails! Intentions are for his students to fail and not succeed.
Horrible professor. Wants his students to fail. He needs to start checking his emails because everyone is complaining about this! Midterms are so hard. You think you passed with a 50, but in reality, you end up with a solid 25. Needs to improve in his emailing back skills.
A good prof and know his stuff, the lectures do in time go off topic when he is teaching but beside that he ensure everyone understand the topic at hand and care about the students very much to make sure they are successful in the course.
He's alright. For sure not the best but far from the worst. The only complaint I have is he never responded to my emails until I asked him about it in a lecture where he checked and apologized so I guess it's all good now. Thanks for being inspiring and happy during the lectures Amir, honestly it made my day.
I'm TAing this course see how this narcissist operates. He's got lack of communication and social skills ... and LOVES to insult other people. His go-to response is to claim your unprofessional and come at you with bad attitude assuming you're stupid or doing something wrong. It's wild. Probably couldn't make in industry so he's here all bitter.
He lacks communication and social skills. Never responds to emails especially around the tests and final exam. Very inconsiderate and rude. He makes the tests extremely unfair.
Dr. Amir Chinaei is a respected and great professor. He really wants his students to succeed and he is very inspirational. As long as you do well on your labs and understand them, you will do very well on your tests and lab tests. He can also give you bonus points if you participate in his lectures, office hours and course forums. I recommend him!
He is a nice person and good explaining details gives a lot of work and dont understand you have other works. sometimes mean not flexible with his own rules. a lot of questions on computing thinking. you learn a lot but not a good grade.
This prof is a real gem n kows his stuff a lot I dont know why there are so many bad reviews I was really scared many complains on level of dificulty n grades. Well I havent write any exam yet but Im learning a lot in lectures n by doing labs n reading books. He sometimes go off the topics but still inspiring. should make lab attending optional
Amir does not care about inquiries of students by simply avoiding his emails. I asked him to provide break down of my course grade and he refused to respond. This is aside from the fact that majority of the slides which were provided were disorganized and non sense which resulted in minimal learning and understanding of the course content.
he's super unorganized, the course was designed so poorly, throws his students into a sea of information and expects to self learn everything in a beginner's class. goes off topic so easily and wastes lecture time, the labs were so useless, they would tell you what to do but didn't explain why or what it was. didn't learn a single thing.
Require students to work like 6 credits, very time consuming, where the course is not hard at all. Not recommend to take his class when you need to work hard for difficult courses. Traps can be found in his tests, if you miss one single sentence in mini size text, you may lost 65% of total marks. Pop quiz at day and close at night, easily missed.
Amir does not care about inquiries of students by simply ignoring his emails. I asked him to provide break down of my course grade and he refused to respond. This is aside from the fact that majority of the slides which were provided were disorganized and non sense which resulted in minimal learning and understanding of the course content.
Very inspirational, a great professor, and forgiving at times. If you do well in the labs, quizzes, and midterms then you will be guaranteed an A or A+. He gives many opportunities to acquire extra grades in order to improve your overall average.
The professor talks about nothing useful during his lectures. Actually unbelievable how terrible the teaching is. I do not understand how some professors get jobs. He speaks about all things you could do wrong and barely explains what to do in order to do well in the course
He is horrible. This is NOT a beginner's course you only succed if you know Java. He makes the entire course unbearable for his ego boast.
He gives many opportunities to acquire extra grades in order to improve your overall average.
this prof is pushing students get into the self learning on beginner course, and just leave students on bench of knowledge ocean. If we can self learn those knowledge, then why we need to pay thousand dollar for a course that we can learn by our self.
Many problems with this professor, He fails to create proper made lab and assessments, and just makes excuses like "using the hub is a student's job to clear up any misunderstandings". He does have a sense of humor, but his attitude just cancels all of the latter. Students were so confused as he was giving advanced material in a speed run fashion.
He literally cannot teach. His slides were useless. I learnt more off of YouTube than him. He claimed EECS 1012 was a beginner's course yet didn't teach anything basic. Similarly, this course was organized extremely poorly. His replies to emails were never helpful and he replied weeks late. I expected better from this course. Avoid at all costs
This course really shouldn't be this much work. It's wayy to much material. I am a software developer upgrading my education and I hate these timed assessments that are super constrained and harsh marking.
He downplayed my accommodations and said "My note takers and other accommodations are bad"
Writing mails is useless
His lectures weren't very good and a little condescending in class. The labs and lab tests were easy, but the written tests had some difficulties. When I was 15 minutes late to one of the lab tests, he was very nice and let me take it the next day, so I am very thankful for that. He is caring and wants everyone to get their best grade possible.
Idky Prof Amir has such a low rating, I think he was amazing. Yes, he's strict on deadlines and doesn't give extensions, but he is fair, we have 9 labs, he takes the best 7/9 to accommodate missing any deadliens. His lectures were fun and enjoyable, he really is passionate about teaching! Tests were reasonable, MC was hard, especially on the exam
Terrible communication. Good luck reaching him at all about his own mess ups. Run fast from this prof.
I didn't understand something so I went to him to ask for help I swear to god he didn't explain anything and was talking about his kid playing football.
Amazing professor, I highly recommend him to everyone. He will make you fall in love with coding.
idky he has a bad rating, i rlly liked him! Although he can seem a bit strict he is nice and funny, always willing to help outside class. Tests were ok, and lectures were just the slides, but did help! Would definitely take him again!
He teaches one thing and tests for another thing. Not clear what we are being tested on. Lectures feel like waste as he teaches and does not focus on material that will allow us to pass course. Very unorganized. Lazy and does not post course announcements. If you want to learn you are better off self studying, terrible Prof needs to be fired.
I don't understand how people like this can become a teacher, or even a department chair. A lot of these "professors" are just people with a diploma, and no other qualification past that to be a professor.
Amir represents the worst the department has to offer. He is controlling, he holds the students to standards he doesn't hold himself, his instructions (in assignments and tests) are very unclear, he uses like 4 different textbooks, and he grades harshly. I would strongly recommend avoiding him if you have the option.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
37%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.51 avg changeRatings by Course
EEC1520
5.0
(1)EECS1012
3.4
(42)EECS1001
3.0
(1)EECS1520
2.4
(24)EECES1012
2.3
(4)Difficulty by Course
EESC1520
5.0
LEEECS1520
5.0
LEECS1520
5.0
EECS4313
5.0
EECS1022
4.0