3.0
Quality4.0
Difficulty25%
Would Retake88
Reviews25%
Would Retake
88
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
17
4
21
3
16
2
19
1
15
What Students Say
“Absolutely hands down the worst lectures possible for a computer science class”
CPSC270 - 1.0 rating“Not only do his lectures move at a snail's pace, he actively teaches bad practices”
CPSC270 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
64%
Textbook Required
63%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.45 avg changeRatings by Course
CPSC216
4.3
(6)CS231
4.0
(1)COMP125
4.0
(1)CPSC355
4.0
(1)CPSC150
4.0
(3)Difficulty by Course
125
5.0
CPSC125225
5.0
CPSC485
5.0
CPSC255
5.0
CPSC231
4.3
Reviews (88)
No Comments
changed the homework on his website and didnt tell anyone!
Professional, yet enthusiastic about teaching
CANNOT FOLLOW HIS CLASS!
good teacher but very hard exams
No Comments
He's hard, but he's a great teacher and advisor. I like him.
No Comments
No Comments
His idea of review for test "Everyday is review", HARD tests. Corny jokes.
This class is extremely difficult. Must be there and go to his office for help.
boring lectures, nerdy, must attend every class to keep up, frustrating course
Take Hardie if you can, take Siochi for Multimedia stuff
I WOULD ADVISE TO PICK ANY OTHER TEACHER YOU WILL FAIL HIS CLASS
No Comments
Very hard
very hard but he will help you learn, and will do just about anything for you
No Comments
This guys its nutso! no review for tests, very obscure material on them too. WTF
hard test + no review= F!!!! i dont like him, probably droppin the class
The no-review thing does hurt but is more than made up for by the fact that the whole lecture was printed and passed out to everyone (I think, might have brought it though). Nice guy, approchable and insightful. (listen for the 'assumes')
Hard as ****es. No review sucks
Hard teacher but you WILL learn from him and you will remember the information when you leave his class. Remember the things he tells you when going over tests because you most likely will see it again. Awesome teacher and is VERY smart.
Very smart = very difficult class. His test are very hard, but if you study and are serious about the subjust you can pass with a descent grade. I love the class, being a CPSC major, but if you are not serious you will not like the class.
Ok heres the deal..Hard class , ya gotta study or ferget about it..Good teacher, he does a good job of preparing you for the hell yer gonna face in 230 and 231..If ya dont do well in 225 i would suggest changing yer major to government
Hard course because of his teaching style. Don't know what to expect on tests, and it doesn't help when there are people in your class who know everything already about computer proramming and C++.
Sure he is hard, but he is great for Computer Science Majors that haven't gone into linked lists yet (he will help prepare you for Dr. Hardie).
Hard teacher. Well mainly the tests. No study guide given, only can ask questions. Have had background with computers (3 yrs) and still learned plenty with him. Labs piece of cake, and homework not too bad.
He doesnt make a whole lot of sense and he just goes over the notes during class, he doesnt really add much. Tests are hard as hell too.
What an awesome teacher! If you love this stuff, youll love his class, you will learn so much there. I would take a C in his class over an A in any other class.
hard teacher i had morning class, 90% of class failed midterm exam, doesn't explain much, moves way to fast to comprehend, said he's not used to teacher 110 and still teaches like its a 200 or 300 level class, DO NOT TAKE UNLESS YOUR A COMPUTER GEEK
Siochi is a good teacher, he does a lot of hands on work. He teaches like it is a higher level class. Tests are all short answer and pretty difficult.
It seemed like a difficult class bc all those cpsc kids that have been doing cpsc stuff ALL THEIR LIVES keep speaking out in class.. god it was soo f*n annoying. he tries to teach it like its higher level.. study everything and u'll probably be ok. He gets u set up for higher level classes...
siochi is a good person and really pushes for understanding in his class; however, the material was really difficult to understand. all of the exams were hard, but the labs and hw can increase your grade alot. i litterally failed my midterm and still ended up with a B.
Don't take Siochi if you have a choice. The class will annoy you.
485 (multimedia) is an elective. As long as Siochi teaches it, stay away. In fact, stay away from this guy, period. Cannot say enough bad things about him. Think of the proverb about the scorpion crossing the river.
the epidemy of bad teachers. i had straight A's, then this horrible excuse for a teacher gave me a D which killed me GPA. it's supposed to be a damn 100 level elective, NOT a 400 level class like the he teaches it as. stay away from any class that this sorry excuse for a teacher teaches.
one good mug
Get out and stay out at all costs, even if it means taking an early class, or a super late class... if you are not one of those nerdy kids that can build a computer in 25 minutes this class is horrible... It makes you not even want to go to class and it makes you hate the college life, oh yeah it also makes you want to change your major
Somewhat difficult material. READ the chapter, do the homework and labs. He puts all the slides from his lecture online, very accessible. If you ask a question he has tried to explain before he may be dissappointed, but will explain it in a different way. A good teacher, good class.
Dr. Siochi definately makes you work for your grade, but I have learned more in this class than any other class I've taken here.
Can't translate material into lamins terms...hard to learn and if you aint a computer nerd...its a wrap...u not gonna even wanna go to class.
Nice guy. Very intellegent, tried to help me; but unable to convey info. He puts up the slides, yet they do not help very well in answering tests. HW and Labs required groups of 5+ to finish. I read, did HW, Studied but tests were impossible: 65, 65, 70. Need background in some computer prog lang to get decent grade. Strongly advise against.
Read the book. I didn't know what he was talking about half-way through the semester but I still managed a B. Very unclear, "Write a paper on Computer Science." That's basically an assignment, no guidelines. Pretty lenient on grading so write a lot of random stuff like his notes and you'll be fine.
I wish he didn't teach so many classes at CNU. Students are at a loss by taking this professor. He thinks he knows more than he does, and will just give that nerdy smile when he is confused. I've put the right answers on a test and still been marked down.
I think he is a good teacher but his tests are really hard! You really have to pay attention in class because some of the questions on the test are derived from class and cannot be found in the book.
This guy's class is really not that bad... however, his test's are insanely difficult. Unless you studied immensely before the test. He is sometimes hard to understand but he tries to help as much as he can. Not very strict and quite nice. Just study and do the labs and you'll be fine.
Quizzes are given in class randomly so attendance is a must. A strong background in java is needed for projects and exams(may be curved). He is willing to help you understand the material but wants to see what you can do under your own effort first. Bottom line if you love CS he is a good professor to have.
I think he's a pretty good teacher but im only in the intro computer science class. Like people have said,you must must must show up to class. A lot of info covered in class is on his tests which you have to study for. Imo from what ive seen nothing on the test seems completely random. Study his slides and you'll do fine. I find his jokes funny.
I hated this class. The only good thing about it is that his notes are online. However, you still have to go to class because attendance is taken everyday, and he explains a lot in class that isn't online, so you have to pay attention. All I have to say to you is GOOD LUCK. This was my lowest grade so far in college.
I had him for Web Design. I took the class because I was interested in learning HTML, not because it was in my major. Do NOT listen to any negative comments about Dr. Siochi!! I didn't pass his class with flying colors but I really enjoyed it and think he's an EXCELLENT teacher!
Class was a little boring. Don't need to take notes. Lectures are posted up on moodle. No textbook is needed either. You only take a midterm and a final. Most of the class is spent working on creating a website with your assigned group so as long as one of you knows what you are doing you should be good. Everyone ended up with a C which was wierd.
Class is somewhat boring, especially if you have any background knowledge on computer science. Definitely make sure you pick people who understand the topic material at the very beginning for your groups. If they don't understand, they can bring your grade down with them.
Amazing professor. My best class at CNU. Was not easy, but we need more hard classes to strengthen the major.
Dr. Siochi has an interesting teaching style, he basically wants you to learn through assignments and try to soak in everything in classes. He gives you no reviews on the 2 30% midterms which made both of those exams very tough to study for. Programming assignments aren't bad but the webcat grading utility can be annoying and tedious.
It's interesting. He's actually a good teacher / lecturer. However, he is just BAD at phrasing test questions. Some of them are worded ambiguosly, sometimes he'll ask for your "hypothesis," and deduct points if it's wrong, and so on. Overall, still good though.
I got the feeling like he did not really care about this class. Mid-term was prob the worst put together test I have ever taken, very frustrating. He only had one assignment graded before the final, so there was no way of knowing what I needed to get on the final to pass. Hes a nice person, but not a great prof.
Very good teacher.He wants you to do well, learn, and understand.He explains things by comparing it to something more familiar.(For ex. when he's teaching what an algorithm is he contrasts it to shampoo directions.) He reviews whatever questions you have before a test. He makes himself available for stuents to ask him questions if they need help.
Slowest grader ever(took him 2 months to grade one homework assignment.) Didn't learn a thing in his class and he didn't even teach for the last month of clas. Complete waste of time. He also looks for ways to deduct points
A great teacher if you're unfamiliar with the subject or if you're fairly new the the CS field. However, if you're already experienced and, say, taking the class just for credits, his class moves at a frustratingly slow pace. Easy A though, if you can understand his exams/grading scale.
I knew nothing about how to write Java before taking this class, and I found Dr. Siochi's way of teaching very easy to understand and remember. He's also very helpful if you go into his office hours. I definitely recommend this professor.
He's a really nice guy and definitely will help you if you go visit him in his office hours. However, I forgot to do one assignment on time and I was done for. My grade dropped two letter grades, so be careful to keep track of when stuff is due. He's a nice guy, but he's definitely tough. Expect frequent quizzes and harsh grading.
VERY HARD! I had no java programming experience before this class. Although he was always there for office hours, he was not very helpful. He expects you to know a lot more than you do, all quizzes are pop quizzes, tests and assignments are very very hard. You will not do well in this class unless you are already experienced with java programming.
Dr. Siochi is an astoundingly poor teacher. Not only do his lectures move at a snail's pace, he actively teaches bad practices. During the midterm, he told me to "stop overthinking" a question that was impossible to solve, and to "relax" and provide the wrong answer, which was considered right. I feel that my IBAP courses prepared me better.
This was a bad semester, the worst grade I've gotten. And if I'd have studied more I would have done better. But his insistence on using certain software is frustrating to say the least. I'm at a loss to say how the class could have been better, perhaps more coding assignments less lecture? I will be avoiding him from now on though.
Hated this class. Partially because of Siochi and partially because 270 is just terrible. Siochi's lectures were so confusing and his assignments just didn't make sense. It took forever to just understand what his instructions meant. Avoid taking this class with Siochi at all costs.
Wonderful class. Dr. Siochi is a beacon of light for this department!! Dr. Siochi inspires and challenges his students to be better programmers. He engages the class with difficult, but open ended, assignments that require creativity. He is very knowledgeable and will always answer your questions. I wish he taught more CS courses.
CPSC 270 is hard nonetheless. At least with Dr. Siochi if you try your best and then ask for help, he is more than happy to assist you.
This class was really unenjoyable. Dr. Siochi does not have good lectures- he just talks and doesn't really explain material well. His assignments were doable but not easy. He never gave out rubrics. His final was weird because it had conceptual questions, which neither of the tests had, so none of us knew what to expect. Not a good teacher.
Great Professor, he will give you extra points back based on how he perceives your webcat score. All around nice guy and will probably help you if you ask nicely.
He had a bad habit of not explaining material well and would tell us he would show us how to do something that the class didn't understand then completely ignore it when we brought it back up. There have been very important programs that he mentions offhand once and then gets upset that no one knew how to set it up for themselves the next week.
Absolutely hands down the worst lectures possible for a computer science class. The textbook and lectures both focus entirely on the conceptual side of the class, but then the tests are actually based on coding. You never know what is going to be on the tests and nearly half the people ive spoken to in the class are retaking it. Avoid at all costs.
Truly fantastic professor, lectures are easy to understand and he often goes well beyond the minimum when teaching to provide context.
Very difficult, does not cover content
I understand that this course was new but the way it was taught was awful. Dr. Siochi knows the workload is too much but insists we have to bear with it. Lectures aren't helpful, tests and programs are difficult. If you don't know Java before taking this course, I highly recommend you learn as much of it as you can on your own.
There's no textbook so if you don't understand something theres no way to get information besides messaging him, along with the fact that the program he teaches isn't very popular. He's not used to the online class format so he needs the students to say "i understand" in the chat every few seconds he lectures before moving on.
If you show up to class every day and pay attention you should have no problem passing. Dr. Siochi seems very disorganized. The syllabus for this class is only a list of topics to be covered with no calendar. Each week he emailed us a list of book sections that would be covered. Homework assignments are given after the tests for those topics.
Very sweet prof and the class is so related to his background as a deacon and computer scientist. You do not have to know comp sci at all to succeed. Class starts with basic coding then moves to reading and class discussion. One big paper/presentation. Getting an A is very do-able, and class discussions can be interesting. Overall, not a bad sem.
He is very kind and understanding but he grades really tough and expects you to know what he wants without telling you what he wants. He will mark you down in your grades for formatting even if the code is correct. He is very strict in grading but seems very nice and it counteracts. He will do a lot to help you, but he has very high expectations.
He is not clear on any of his assignments and expects you to know what he wants without him telling you. He grades very hard and will mark you down on an assignment for something made in a comment. He expects you to learn by going to office hours instead of in class which makes most of the class useless.
I don't know what to say. Siochi expects each of his students to learn on their own with no help. The lectures, homeworks, quizzes, and tests all differ from one another, making it nearly impossible to prepare for. He can tell you what test 1 will cover in the book, and then the test will have a fraction of what he said.
Dr.Siochi is a very intelligent professor but his teaching style is highly conceptual while the quizzes, tests and assignments are not. He can grade a bit harshly and relies on the book. But his lecture is manageable! His personality is great though.
Dr Siochi teaches everything you need to know about "real world" programming concepts in 270 and explains them in great detail. If you have a really strong background understanding of programming then you'll be fine, but if you barely passed CPSC 255 then you will definitely struggle if you don't pay attention to the lecture and go to office hours.
Nicest guy, easy to talk to, but his quizzes are impossible. Expects you to memorize exact definitions from the textbook. The class material deviates slightly from the quizzes in the sense that stuff that felt unimportant in the lecture will be very important in the quiz. If you marry yourself to the textbook his class is pretty doable
You could have already taken a full DSA course and very easily failed this class, not due to the difficulty of the material but the lack of organization and direction provided by Dr. Siochi. As nice of a man as he is, the lectures don't line up at all with quizzes and tests, which essentially test your photographic memory of textbook examples. Lame
Guy is pretty nice but his teaching style and examinations/quizzed are flawed in several ways. He explains course concepts in a very convoluted way and expects you to learn everything from some crappy online book. His tests and quizzes expected you to have the knowledge of the book drilled in your head you are penalized for the most minor mistakes.
At the end of my 255 final I went up to him and told him that I will taking his 270 course next semester(cause I had no choice), he said to me "I feel so bad for you..", this dude is a straight menace and even conscious that he is a horrible teacher.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!! Tells us to just review the entire textbook instead of filtering the important things we need to know for the exam.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
64%
Textbook Required
63%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.45 avg changeRatings by Course
CPSC216
4.3
(6)CS231
4.0
(1)COMP125
4.0
(1)CPSC355
4.0
(1)CPSC150
4.0
(3)Difficulty by Course
125
5.0
CPSC125225
5.0
CPSC485
5.0
CPSC255
5.0
CPSC231
4.3