2.8
Quality3.3
Difficulty49%
Would Retake83
Reviews49%
Would Retake
83
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
20
4
11
3
12
2
13
1
27
What Students Say
“Never use textbook, dont feel prepared to transfer to UC”
CISP400 - 1.0 rating“Do yourself a favor and do not take an online class with Caleb Fowler, unless you prefer teaching yourself the material”
CISP360 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
77%
Textbook Required
13%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+1.38 avg changeRatings by Course
CISP401
3.7
(3)CISP400
3.3
(29)18947
3.0
(1)CISP300CISP360
3.0
(2)CISP310
2.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
CISP400
3.5
CISP300CISP360
3.5
CISP360
3.4
CISP401
3.3
18947
3.0
Reviews (83)
I got an A in this class and don't even know what I learned. I feel completely unprepared for CISP360. Don't take him, he doesn't even know what he's doing. You're better off taking a hard teacher that will actually teach you.
Prof. Fowler is a nice guy, but he can't teach worth a damn. The average class period consists of about 20-30 minutes of ambiguous lecture that doesn't help at all. The remaining hour is spent on one or two example problems that are so poorly written that no one can make heads or tails of them. finally he wraps it up by not telling us the answer...
This teacher is underrated. He made the course tangible and enjoyable for me, and I'd definitely recommend him for anyone attempting entry-level programming.
Great professor He makes you to do by your own Peer review is good concept that process you will learn a lot
He''s a nice guy and he helps when you ask for it. The lectures are kind of pointless since it''s a powerpoint based on what we read but a really shortened up version of it.
I got an A and there was only 2 assignments that took me over 30 minutes to do. You don't have to read book but skim it because that way you won't be lost with the lecture. The examples with the books are perfect help for the homework.
He's nice but I wouldn't recommend him. He went over his lecture slides really fast and he didn't post them online so there is no way you could review the lectures for the test. Used the textbook to study but that didn't help my grade much. It took him almost 3 weeks to post the final grade and the grade he gave me didn't match my calculation.
I've had him for two classes now and it's not any better. The lectures are extremely short (and unhelpful) and he just throws you into a group to code for most of the class period. My friend and I try to ask for help but he literally says "shouldn't you remember this from last class?" or "look in the book." There's homework and quizzes every week.
Overall I enjoyed the class
He's really laid back and easy going, which makes it seem very easy (at least for others). for me, that makes me feel lazy and feel like I can relax and get away with not understanding. (I'm a slow learner) but I'm still getting good grades on the quizzes and hw. I could get a good grade and still not understand most of the material (not very clear
If you want a rigorous course that will force you to learn, don't take Fowler. His class is very easy. You will have a general understanding of the concepts, but it's very easy to pass and still not know that much. Fowler is a good teacher though and a nice guy. Take his class if it's not critical that you understand the subject matter.
There's nothing positive to say about him . He is very rude..
Fowler goes through his lectures so fast that you barely get any of the notes down. If you ask for help he may give it and when he does it is very unclear. I mainly got help from a friend in the class. Also he is a slow grader. It took him around a month to grade a single hw assignment and he often forgets to input grades. It is not a hard class.
His automatic grading script is pretty buggy, but if you point it out, he'll fix it. Book is pretty bad and lectures aren't great, but it's C++. If you can't find a dozen better resources online, you don't deserve to pass the class anyway.
Third time taking him as a teacher, no improvements. He makes you read a crap ton but then his lectures are literally like 5 slides long with two sentences each. He's very vague when you ask for help which makes me think he has no clue what he's talking about either. The class itself isn't hard, but I feel like I haven't learned anything.
I'm not saying the material was difficult, but the class felt like there were not many resources or help given. Programming homework assignments were relatively easy & easily graded. Luckily I had great CISP300 & CISC310 professors that really prepped me for this tedious class. Overall, it was alright. Not sure if I would take Fowler again.
Took the online class, he was not helpful at all and gave little direction. It was like taking a class without a teacher, I had no idea what was going on. Would not recommend him, especially not his online classes.
Hes so inspirational.
didn't learn much, if anything from him. very little lectures. the class is very easy, and i would recommend taking it online if possible. the at home and in class quizzes aren't hard at all, w some poorly written Q's. the only tough part about the hw assignments were trying to understand his poorly written directions. just keep up w reading.
this professor gives you homework out of lecture and he really do nothing , very uninspiring , will never take his class again,
simple, show up, do the work, go home, briefly read the textbook easy A
Terrible professor for any CISP class. He doesn't even have a CISP degree. This man is absolutely impossible to reach, is stubborn, and will not help you in the slightest. Class seems easy until you realize that his grading criteria is vague and he does not follow it when grading your assignments. Avoid at all costs.
I got an A on his class but not because of him, Will never respond to your emails, He is just there for the paycheck, very rude. he quiz not based on the reading material, but based on his own knowledge. I'm really surprised why nobody checks on teachers like him.
I took CISP400 with this professor. He was fine but be ready for learning by yourself. There's only a 5 minutes lecture every week and is not helpfull at all. Also, engagement credit is important for him 30% of the final grade is engagement which means hackatons, hacker lab etc. Final project tricky, but you can get an A.
He is a good professor. His assignments are tough, but as long as you put in the effort, you should do just fine. He is really nice and is willing to answer questions before and after class as well as during office hours. You just gotta ask. Quizzes are easy. As long as you read and do all the assignments, you should have no problem getting an A.
Sure he's "nice." But "nice" does not equal "a good professor." He's the worst instructor I have had at Los Rios. He often does not quiz on material covered in the text or in his "lectures" (just blazing through Power Point slides). He will change grading criteria midway through the semester and act like this normal. You will pass but it will suck.
If you have to take him, which was my case, I highly recommend watching lectures from some of the free programming educational sites online. My opinion is that I don't think he really has a good handle on what he is teaching, and you can tell he doesn't know the definition to some basic terms in CS, and does not update lectures. Avoid if possible.
I'm doing this class for a 3rd bachelor's degree and have never had a professor give as little resources as Caleb. He definitely feels like a professor that just wants a paycheck. He doesn't respond to emails often as he says he does. Only take his class if you know the content ahead of time and don't want to talk to anybody .
Worst prof. If you don't have anyone to help you on a weekly basis - like a parent, DO NOT TAKE! Quiz answers are on quizlet, and miss a class and he drops you 1/2percent. Assignments are biweekly and meeting the specifications gets you a C grade, to get an A must include 4-5 bonus features. Never use textbook, dont feel prepared to transfer to UC
Do yourself a favor and do not take an online class with Caleb Fowler, unless you prefer teaching yourself the material.
He is the worst teacher that I have ever seen in my life. Dont take class with him his lectuers are trash. homeworks and exams are not related to the text book or lecture.
If you want to get an A or B ,,,donttttt take with him ,,,,,his lectures are terrible and his homework is not related to the lectures ,,,As I said just dont take with him
this professor gives you homework out of lecture and he really do nothing , very uninspiring , will never take his class again , He is the worst
He's nice but I wouldn't recommend him. He went over his lecture slides really fast and he didn't post them online so there is no way you could review the lectures for the test. Used the textbook to study but that didn't help my grade much. It took him almost 3 weeks to post the final grade and the grade he gave me didn't match my calculation......
I easily can say that he is the worst instructor that i have ever seen in my entire life. He doesn't give you any feedback and the homework is really really hard to understand and if you ask him about the homework he will not answer.
Prof. Fowler is a nice guy, but he can't teach worth a damn. The average class period consists of about 20-30 minutes of ambiguous lecture that doesn't help at all. The remaining hour is spent on one or two example problems that are so poorly written that no one can make heads or tails of them. finally he wraps it up by not telling us the answer
I don't get why the ratings are so low, to be honest, at least for CISP 300. He teaches fine and is always willing to answer questions. You do have study a lot using the textbook and do research when it comes to the homework.
This is one of the worst professor. I'm never taking his class again. Lectures doesn't help at all. Wastes time on random stuff. Homework is completely different that what is taught in the class.
Fowler is probably one of the best CISP professors. Homework is worth the most but they are more like projects. The homework can take a few hours or multiple days to complete but trust me- they force you to learn. Most of the negative reviews are from people who only have had fowler and have to frame of reference or/and people wanting easy A.
This is a good teacher if you are the lazy type that doesn't actually want to learn anything, and is good at copy and pasting code from online sources. Giving you projects to do is fine, but not when that's all there is to the class. He is teaching a generation of 'google experts' with no communicable knowledge in CS. Its just sad he is teaching.
Took his full online CISP 360 course and it was okay. He posted screen cast lectures that summarized the chapters. The entire learning process come from the book, which is actually easy to understand. Homework assignments are the majority of the grade. Fowler's role in the class is minimal as this class is pretty much an "free time" class to do hw.
Class is one assignment and quiz per week, until the final when there is a final project and exam. He posts lectures of the chapter which are not very in-depth. The homework assignments, IMO, are written very terribly. They are confusing, more complicated than needed, unorganized, and graded strictly. He is enthusiastic, but his methods are flawed.
His 'lectures' consist of flying through power point slideshows too fast to take notes, while experienced programmers ask specific questions that he either doesn't know the answer to or spends more than 5 minutes vaguely answering it. About 95% of the important material is learned thru the textbook. Worst prof. I've had at FLC.
He is such a kind person. He makes it clear when homework is due and gives you ample time to complete assignments.
absolutely amazing.
Exactly the same structure if you had him from 360. The learning comes from the book and his lectures are actually good. He posts his entire lecture from the face-toface class on canvas so you get the same material. only problem is the fact that your grade relies on 7 assignments which are due every 2 weeks or so. You HAVE to work for your grade..
Prof Fowler has been my favorite computer science teacher I've had so far. I usually teach myself everything I need to know, so I didn't read the book or lectures online, but if I ever had a question, he always had an answer. Very kind, if you have a reason for work being late, he'll extend the date. Usually offers plenty of extra credit.
Great instructor, clear grading scale on the program. Make sure to read the entire hw assignment and follow it in order. The HW is the most percentage of your grade and a quiz every week. The quizzes are easy just read the chapter. I would highly recommend this professor. Give you plenty of time for the assignments
Very unique approach to teaching CS. Alot of the learning comes from the textbook, which is typical in CS. The most important part is keeping up with the reading. If you can manage that, his lectures will make your life easier. Your total grade come from 6 HW and 1 fina project. No matter what everyone says, YOU have to put in the work!
His lectures are trash. He shows examples in class, asks you for the output, and doesn't explain how you get the correct output. His homework instructions are really hard to understand. If you ask a question in class he just replies with an "I dont know"or"Maybe". Paid for a class only to have to teach myself everthing. Waste of my money and time.
Do not listen to the people complaining about the lectures. His lectures are supplemental and should not be solely relied on. This is how the CS major works, the majority of the major is selfdiscovery. Fowler is a GREAT resource and assess you based on PROJECTS not EXAMS. If you put in the work you WILL succeed in his class.
Professor Fowler is really easy to talk to and a very helpful person. This was an online class so we held meetings once a week and through those he answered many questions as well as covered the next weeks topics. He was also readily available to help throughout the week.
I absolutely loved taking a class with professor Fowler. The homework assignments are fantastic! I feel like I work at an actual company of some sort. I have taken 2 classes with Fowler (CISP 360 and CISP 400) and I would take another in a heartbeat. I asked him to extend the due date for one assignment by 2 days and he extended it by 5 days!
Online class during covid. Lectures are supplement to reading and doesn't substitute it. Very lenient prof, lots of ec and made last hw extra credit(for covid). Like how he makes us do unit testing and commenting in code. HW can be tricky and suggest you start early. Class was not engaging since online class. Enjoyed hw and class
Professor Fowler is hands-down my favorite Computer Science professor in the Los Rios district. I've taken three to four classes from him. He's a very kind professor, just talk to him! I struggled big-time one semester, and he helped me recover completely. He's mostly clear and he recognizes and accommodates for when the class is stuck.
He's an okay teacher. Very nice and caring. Sometimes, we learn the topic together bc he doesn't know the answers to everything in C++, which is understandable. Graded by few 100 pt projects. They're simple and straightforward but I am an experienced coder already. Newcomers to coding will probs have a hard time if you don't put effort in studying
Great professor, knew what he was talking about. The grading criteria was clear and easy to understand, and the due dates were set well in advance. There was a lot of work, but it all felt productive and helpful and the grading was not very harsh. Easily my favorite computer science professor I've had, 10/10 would take again.
Coming from someone with prior coding experience, this class was very easy for me. Professor Fowler made lectures interesting, though. There are NO EXAMS in this class, just coding homework and a final project. A nice introduction to programming class.
Prof Fowler's lectures are fantastic and very detailed. There are only a few assignments throughout the course (about 1 per month), and no exams, but these are lengthy and heavy programming assignments with specific requirements designed to make you learn concepts, as well as an AI final project. Take Fowler and become a stronger programmer. 10/10
Since I'm not dense, I personally liked him because of his humor. Yeah, the learning experience was so-so, but the lack of quizzes, midterm, and final makeup for it. Some lectures were very helpful when dealing w/ the projects (attend them all!). Allocate 3-7 days minimum for each project or suffer. Class discord + textbook + OH helps a lot. o7.
If you have no other option then sure take him. I personally did not enjoy teaching myself or his poor course structure but he is not tough on grading and only assigned about 7 projects. He is a nice guy but you can find a better professor.
His assignments are complex, but as long as you follow directions and pay attention the class is fair. Great teacher.
Really good prof, but ONLY if you go to lectures. Very helpful, funny, knowledgeable, etc, responsive to questions, etc. But you really miss out if you just watch recordings of lectures. Often forgot to start recording lectures leaving the async students with half a lecture. No exams, just a final project. If your class makes a discord, join it.
Great professor. Good lectures and friendly guy.
Lecture videos each week with an assignment due every Sunday. Definitely recommend this class.
Did not grade anything for over 2 months leaving many students unsure about their grade. He also closed canvas so we have no way of knowing. There are few assignments but he will mark you down with little to no explanation. Do not take him unless you want to learn on your own. Simply put, he cares little for his students.
Professor Fowler does a great job teaching this course. His energy and passion for the subject made his lectures enjoyable. This course is a step up in difficulty from CISP 360, but is still more than doable. The homework is of adequate difficulty and has clear grading with his "specification" system. He is strict about attendance if in-person.
If you take him online be ready to learn how to code on your own, he has lectures that aren't all that great. The assignments are pretty straightforward and make it easy to get a good grade.
Hi is a terrible professor. His assignments are complicated even if your code runs perfectly he will look for his specification bundle and will according to his specification, not your code.
Gives little support or instruction on how to do the assignments, but the requirements are clear. Overall, you could probably learn as easily without a teacher at all but it's not too difficult to get a good grade.
Project based class with minimal guidance. Fowler is sometimes, but not always, prompt in response to emails. Make sure to double check all the specifications are in the correct portions of your code - if you have them and the program works, you will get an A. Do not take if you do not actually like programming, because you will do a lot.
Def take in-person. Professor is very friendly, lectures are engaging and easy to follow along, and he's always happy to answer any questions. Saw complaints about the specifications, was also stressed about them but honestly they turned very simple as long as you don't overthink them. Easy A imo since guidelines for assignments are quite clear.
5 coding assignments/projects that increased in difficulty with a Specification bundle (rubric). It doesn't really matter how well your code is; just do what's required in the bundle and it's an A. Takes longer to complete projects than you may think. The final was an AI project which was quite intense. Do everything early and don't get behind!
DONT recommend if you have little to no knowledge with coding. if you take him in person, BEWARE! he is VERY STRICT with attendance, dont take him if you know you will be late/miss days - he will drop u. hard & confusing coding assignments with little guidance. no tests/quizzes tho. i still feel like i dont know how to code in C++. TOUGH class NGL!
I don't really think he knows what he's teaching. He has assignments that don't really make sense from a computer science standpoint. They just don't really have a "meaning" per se, his instruction are just like "do this", "now do this", "and finally do this". "If you do this I give you an F", "do this and I give a C". Like its a very robotic class
Great Prof overall. Had 7 coding assignments and peer reviews on them, 6 extra credits and 1 final project. Uses turnitin. Textbook can be found online. I took the async course so it was much easier. Responds to emails/ messages the same day. Planning to take this prof next sem too. Good luck to u all!
He only looks for what he wants in the codes weather it works or not. The semester is over and he still has not graded any work since March. He is slow to respond to emails. If you need help he expects you to come in during time frame. Never the less you work 9-6 m-f. I will not take this teacher again.
Not transparent about his grading and lectures are meh. If you put some effort in, you will get a decent grade. Graded peer reviews on a curve for some reason?? Not sure why some people have to get a worse grade even if they completed the requirements. Does not keep up with grading.
You will learn a lot from the practice he gives out. Tends to focus on the abstract rather than details. If you're a conceptual learner this will be fun for you. Read all his requirements on assignments. Cons are he is slow at responding to emails and much slower at grading. But overall, he is cool. We're all busy people
Professor Fowler is a decent computer science professor, but not a particularly good one. I would rather take my chances with another professor. He seems the kind of professor who has not meaningfully engaged in the content which he teaches in some time, leaving his instruction lacking and thin. That said, he's okay, and the course is doable.
Had in person, I learned abs nothing. Draining lectures that are a waste of time and made me hate coding. It was such a light class with decent workload. Made us chatgpt assignments which made no sense and didn't help me learn at all! Consuming assignments every 4 weeks. Easy A just do assignments and be prepared to learn nothing.
His course format is beyond frustrating. I took his 360 course in person and 400 online. He's more organized IRL but his lectures are such a waste of time when you could learn more from the textbook. Once you figure out the format of his assignments the class is doable but the assignments tend to take a while to complete so keep that in mind.
IF you're already familiar with computer science concepts, Fowler is a pretty okay professor. He has a very hands-off attitude towards learning. His homework format is unorthodox (not my favorite personally) and low-effort on his part, and he takes a while to grade things. He's much better in person than online, though.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
77%
Textbook Required
13%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+1.38 avg changeRatings by Course
CISP401
3.7
(3)CISP400
3.3
(29)18947
3.0
(1)CISP300CISP360
3.0
(2)CISP310
2.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
CISP400
3.5
CISP300CISP360
3.5
CISP360
3.4
CISP401
3.3
18947
3.0