Intro to CS course. Shields spends a lot of time clarifying homework and has started weekend problem session because the students were having trouble. Exams emphasize memorization of material mentioned in textbook and on his slide shows which are posted on elearning.

Professor Shields is a kind, understanding professor. He tries really hard to make sure all of his students succeed. I definitely reccomend taking his upper level courses, as he is very knowledgable. However, he has a hard time explaining concepts to first-time programming students.

A very good professor. Likes to get to know the students and builds repore with them. Does everything to help you succeed in the class and make an A. Likes to make jokes too. Overall easy course.

Great teacher. Knowledgeable, helpful and clear. Works hard to make sure you fully understand all concepts (offers to set up Saturday sessions to work out programs). His tests are straight out of the power points that he goes through each class and posts online. If you wanna learn programming, take his class and you will.

Awesome class. Professor goes somewhat slow, but he is an entertaining lecturer (for the most part). EXTREMELY helpful. Challenging homework problems for beginners.

Shields is teacher who is very knowledge in his subject. The class is easy overall, and if you understand everything in his PowerPoints you'll do great. His exams are straight from his slide (available online) and his homework assignments are easy enough, and he spends plenty of time going over them. Or if you want, kick back in class.

Excellent professor. This is the second time I had him from a different CS course. Knows the material extremely well and gets to know his students. Good sense of humor too. Likes to challenge his students but in a good way.

Very good professor! He is the most nicest man in the world! You can ask him anything and he will give you a reasonable answer. But he does make a lot of mistakes, in the exam he made a couple of mistakes when he wrote the problems. Overall, I enjoyed this class, he gives out good challenges to his students and really brings a positive atmosphere.

The class assignments were not too bad so more difficult than others but if you go to his office he will help you with them. Very friendly guy and willing to help. Get the text book to help you understand because sometimes he can be unclear.

Very friendly and helpful, he's a great professor who really wants to help you out and loves his subject. He's older so he knows about a huge variety of programming/has kept pretty up to date. I'd definitely take him again.

Extremely nice, extremely helpful, he will try to answer your question the best he can. Extremely knowledgeable. He can go quite fast for people who don't pay attention. Covers all required homework material, you should do fine if you pay attention. Must take lab along with class, I personally recommend. Good for beginners

Amazing professor. Easy assignments and fair grades. You can really tell he cares about his students and does not like to fail anyone. I wish all CS professors were like him.

Great teacher! Don't feel afraid to ask him for help with a program after class. He will help as best to his ability. You can tell that he doesn't want anyone to fail as he'll tell the class how to get by difficult programs, give a curve if tests are bad, and give extra time for assignments. READ THE BOOK BEFORE TESTS! The material is from there.

Professor Shields is an AMAZING teacher!!! One HW assignment gets dropped, only 2 tests neither are comprehensive. He is willing to bend over backwards for his students. I have had a terrible semester with another professor this summer and he is even willing to talk to you about things that may help in other courses. READ THE TEXT BOOK AND SLIDES!!

One of the greatest teachers I've ever had, patient with students who struggle and at the same time provided me with material that better suited my ability (taught me the basics of the data structures after I finished the curriculum for the course a few weeks in). Excellent teacher for anyone.

Very nice teacher and will help you! His tests are detail oriented but as long as you practice (besides the hw) and read the book you should do fine! Cannot emphasis that enough.

Exams are challenging, but largely based on the ppt slides. Assignments can take some time, but are not too difficult. Shields is very helpful and will gladly stay after class to help.

Honestly just stay away. Shields expects way too much out of a beginning programming class. Assignments are over things that haven't been covered in class yet. Exams are obscenely hard. He tests over minute details while leaving out many major topics covered in the slides. Will help if you go to office hours but talks to you like you're an infant.

Shields is a kind teacher, but exams require sincere studying! Assignments are slightly ahead of what you are currently learning in class but he always says "it's such an easy assignment,I'm sure you guys will be fine." He admits that his tests are detail orientated but if you read and study his ppt slides thoroughly, you will get 85+ on the exams

He is a really nice guy and truly cares about his students. He is quite a good lecturer and you will do great if you do all of the assignments and practice.

very good professor. tests are multiple choice but they are hard and VERY specific so you basically have to memorize the notes he posts. nice guy.

I am Asian, and do not speak English as mother language. I often find difficult to communicate with the professor. If you have the same situation, I recommend you to take this Professor. He is very nice, and very patient to listen to you. I learned many thing about programming, and he gave me inspiration to take CS as my minor, beside my EE major.

Dr. Shields is great at teaching but the course is very difficult. He said that typically 20% get an A in the course. The last projects have been far too difficult for the lowest level programming course offered; he has even admitted that they are beyond the scope of this course. Quizzes and exams are mostly trick questions. Take someone else

Easily one of the nicest professors I've ever had. His tests are harder than the other prof's because there are a lot of trick questions so you really have to study on a continuous basis and he'll tell you that multiple times. He truly cares about his students and just wants to prepare you for future courses that will be a lot harder.

Points for free (attendance etc.), homework assignments are not too hard. However, exams and quizzes are not easy - a lot of tricky questions or detailed namesdefinitions. Quizzes and exams are multiple choice, no code writing. Lectures are boring, everything is on E-learning and in the textbook. For a first CS course, expected it to be easier.

Shields has done everything in life. If, by the end of the semester, he tells you that he's proud of you and he's happy that you were in one of his classes then by god man you've done something right in the eyes of this great man. It's an ethereal feeling that can only be surpassed by Mr. Rogers himself telling you you'd be a wonderful neighbor.

He is an amazing professor, but if you don't need to know code well dont take him for your class; moreover, the class is not death, but if youre looking for an easy A, this aint it.

Mostly reads of the slides but will gives good examples occasionally. Mostly clear. Will show up late to almost every class. Tests and quizzes are tough. Expect homework and expect a lot of it. On most of the program you write you will have to put more comments than code. And on some of the program you have to write pseudocode.

This man is downright awesome! If you do the work, you will have no problem. If you are registering and see his name, take the class!

He was my favorite teacher I took! I would take him again in a heartbeat. His quizzes can be tricky at first, but if you go to class he gives you the questions he will quiz you over. You just have to listen and pay attention. He explains everything extremely well. I used my textbook a lot, but his slides were word for word from the book.

He was my favorite teacher! He is tough but if you read the book , listen to the lectures and read the slides you should do great! The homework he assigns is trickier than most teacher so watch out for that but they are totally manageable. If you need help, he will gladly help. Dr Shields is an amazing teacher, I highly recommend taking his class

I absolutely hate coding, but loved his class. He truly cares about his students and wants them to succeed. Tests and quizzes are tough and require a lot of studying, but they're fair. Often gives extensions on tougher homeworks and gives helpful hints in class. He is a wonderful professor, definitely take him if you can!

Really slow at going over lessons and can ramble a ton. I find myself just reading the textbook myself in class instead of listening to him. His PowerPoint slides are word for word from the text book. Consistently makes the same jokes EVERY CLASS, its so bad that it is funny. Test are often trick questions, however they are all True/False/Multiple.

An unbelievably sweet man, he will absolutely take the time to explain the hows and whys of a concept to you if you need it. He managed to make every single topic fascinating and would always answer questions thoroughly. HW & exams are VERY reasonable, if you pay attention and show up each class. If he's teaching Automata Theory, definitely take!

Great professor who cares about his students. I hate computer science but he made the subject bearable and was really helpful and great at communicating.

Great person. Always willing to answer questions. He genuinely cares about having his students do well in class.

Professor shields can go on and on but he does really care. I didn't like him my first semester but i am taking him again for 1325 and he seems to be better this semester. He is more laid back. He can be awkward at times with his jokes but he is always interested in making sure everyone is understanding the material.

Shields is a very fair professor. He gives you everything you need to be able to succeed.

Dr Shields is a CS genius. Lectures are VERY informative & thus, exams/quizzes cover vast amts of info (including minor details), so STUDY! This won't be an easy A! HWs were complex & will test your knowledge. Does not curve, as he believes you're "completely in control of your grade". Holds weekend review sessions upon request. VERY caring & nice!

Dr. Shield's lectures were slow but he made sure that everyone understood the material. His slides are very specific and that's almost all you need to study for the quizzes and exams. His quiz questions were tough and were very specific so be careful. Overall, he is very nice and wants to make sure that everyone learns something.

Dr. Shields is easily the best professor I have had. He really cares about students, and will go the extra mile to help you out if you have a problem. The homeworks are clearly written and easy to execute. Quizzes are based off the book, not just class lecture slides. Tests are considerably easier than quizzes. 5/5 would recommend

Automata is a difficult subject to learn, but he makes it easier to understand. His teaching style is solid and very understandable. He loves what he teaches and is very knowledgable. Definitely takes the time to answer students' questions and cares a lot about what they have to say. Would take him again.

He is an unbelievably sweet professor who genuinely cares about his students. The lectures are very informative and easy to understand. His instructions on assignments are detailed and easy to follow, and they will be pretty easy if you know the material. Same thing with tests/quizzes. **DO NOT take Jason Smith for 1337 if you have the choice

Professor Shields is by far the best one I have had in my entire college life up to this point. He is very knowledge, professional, and caring. He gives fantastic examples that help for assignments, responds with great detail and quickly to emails regarding the assignments, and is very clear of what is to be expected. I wish he taught 2336 as well

Dr. Shields is by far the best professor I've had at UTD. He is incredibly caring and understanding. Gave homework extensions when needed, and clearly communicated all lecture material. He really helps you learn Automata well, and he seems to really care about student success. Would take again in a heartbeat.

This is the second course I have taken with Shields and hopefully will take more. He is an awesome teacher but be prepared to work for an A. He loves the subject matter and explains it well.

He teaches great into CS if you want to learn, and is easy to study for if you just want an A. I'd firmly recommend him, best teacher I had this semester. Additionally, he makes the problems about real world issues (mortage payments in a calculation program for example) which I really appreciated.

Very caring and sweet. His lectures can be very boring sometimes, but they are always informational. Genuinely enjoys teaching and this can be seen by his attitude in class. Very approachable and nice. Only thing I found hard about his class were the quizzes. Tests are easier than the quizzes. He knows this and helps curve quiz grade at the end.

Patient teacher who cares about the subject and takes time to help those who come to him, but lectures lulled me to sleep sometimes. He takes attendance 10 minutes into every class. If programming doesn't come naturally for you, READ POWERPOINTS AND ASK QUESTIONS (Textbook is extra for quizzes and tests). HW: write two programs almost every week.

Dr. Shields is my favorite professor for my first semester! Although I didn't perform to the best of my ability, I can safely say I learned a lot from him. C++ makes sense with the way his lectures are and he is open to answering any questions. Be sure to go to class, read the slides, textbook and you should be fine! (Tip: Go to his office hours)

Take Dr. Shields for CS1336!! Such a patient professor and wants to help you in anyway possible. I emailed him a few times through the semester and he emailed back almost instantly and kept checking up on me to make sure I fully understood what I was learning. Use the slides he gives and textbook to study. Most answers to test q's are on the slides

Dr. Shields is an amazing teacher. He is very informative and also very caring. He wants you to succeed, but he won't hand out the grade to you. If you focus and work hard, you'll pass his class. His stories are also really great and he constantly encourages students to develop good study habits/

Dr. Shields is one of the greatest professors. He's funny and kind. His lectures are clear and outline everything that you will need to know. To get an A+ in this class, all I did was study lecture notes a bit, pay moderate attention in class, and was very detailed with the homework. I did have some background CS knowledge from high school.

He's an amazing teacher, but his quizzes and tests are a bit too advanced and detail-oriented for an introductory coding class. The class isn't easy but it's possible to do well in there if you thoroughly study his PowerPoints and listen to his lectures. Make sure to put in good amounts of study time for his quizzes and tests.

He's a great, thorough professor that actually cares and puts in effort to make sure that you understand the material. He's always very welcoming in his office hours and so sweet in his emails as well. Coming into 1336 with no experience whatsoever was really hard for me, but I'm glad that it was with Dr. Shields.

The professor is great however the way the class was setup may require some improvement. Most of the grade depends on how well you do in tests and quizzes that are based on remembering lots of detailed information and the home work should be worth more because a grade in CS should depend on how well you can code, not how much you know about it.

Such a sweet individual! Soft spoken, gentle personality, always ready to help out/ clarify. Ive never seen him without a genuine smile on his face. Easy projects are perfect for anyone starting out (go to the Computer Science Mentor Center if you need help though). Multiple choice exams and quizzes. Reading the textbook helps, esp for exams.

Professor Shields teaches automata (an already nuanced subject) very well. If you start homework early so you can ask questions and pay attention in class, you should be fine. This class is hard regardless of the professor, but he might be the one who teaches it the best. I took it during the summer, but i recommend taking it during fall/spring

This man is wonderful. I recommend him to everyone. Yes, his class is tough but he cares so much and is quite accessible outside of the classroom. He puts in the effort to help you understand if you put in the effort to understand. His classes are slide heavy but packed with helpful information. 10/10 would recommend.

As long as you do your weekly programs and read the textbook every once and a while, you'll do fine in the class!

Professor Shields is Amazing!! He really wants everyone to learn the material and do well. He makes the lectures entertaining and really wants you to participate. If he feels the class doesn't understand a concept he will take the time and reteach the material; however, as a class, you have to be vocal and tell him. Overall he made my freshmen year

He was a good professor, his slides help alot, just make sure to read the textbook and listen to him. Quizzes and Midterm were relatively kind of hard and tricky.

He is a very nice teacher and he tries to make sure all of his students understand the concept he teaches. He likes to crack a couple jokes sometimes during lecture but overall, a very great professor.

This man is an absolute legend. Not only is he an effective teacher and communicator, but he really cares about his students and their education. He covers the material in a very organized and in-depth manner. From his incredibly helpful lecture slides to his wholesome personality, to say he's an amazing teacher is an understatement.

Professor Shields is a genuine person who really cares about your success in class. His lectures are very enriching because he goes into the nitty-gritty of the topics to make sure you really understand it. Make sure to pay very close attention during his lectures and ask questions if you don't understand because he is always willing to help you!

Dr. Shields is a fantastic professor for an introductory CS course. He does go into a lot of detail with his questions on quizzes and tests, and there is a lot of homework, but I learned a lot at the end of the day and he was very helpful whenever anyone I knew needed help.

Very good teacher for learning CS, especially if you are new. His lectures can get a bit boring and long, but he answers all the questions you ask. He is available outside of class as well and is generally very helpful.

The homework is properly challenging but easy enough to accomplish. Shields uses slides to lecture from and doesn't require the book. Take extra time to study the fine details of the slides for the exam.

Overall, he's a good teacher. However, he talks very slowly and make sure you comment your code right. The quiz and test are easy for the most part, but there are a lot of trick questions, so watch out.

Great guy and great teacher. His course is organized very well and his lectures are informative, so learning the course material was no problem. He has class discussions about homework assignments to help you get started and also has a non-cumulative final. Overall a great pick for CS1336.

Professor Shields is a good teacher who understands his class is an introductory class and doesn't overwhelm you with material. The only thing to watch out for are his quizzes and tests are loaded with trick questions. HW is really easy though.

He is a lovely professor and very helpful but honestly he has tricky questions... ie questions like "if there was this tiny error in this code, what would it output?" or "would it compile?" this was my first introduction to cs so i found it quite difficult. not sure what the curriculum is for other teachers but i felt the questions were unnecessary

Dr. Shields is a wonderful professor. He makes all of his powerpoints available online in advance, and encouraged us all to study continuously. Sometimes has a tendency to answer too many questions and/or get off topic if prompted by a student, but otherwise very good teacher.

Thought on Dr. Shield's lecture from a GPA 3.93 student: Dr. Shield is easily one of the best math professor in UTD. (I never took his CS class) His lecture is clear and organized. HW are hard enough to let you think. Exams are reasonable and fair. You will definitely learn a lot from him. (I wish I took his discrete math during my sophmore year)

This man is one of the best professor's at UTD. Do not pass him up for any course for any professor. He obviously cares an incredible amount about his students and his lectures are informative and relaxing. This man is Gandalf and we are all his hobbits.

In my 4 years at UTD for Computer Science he is easily my top 2 I have ever taken. Caring, empathetic, well-educated, fair. If you put in the effort its a very interesting class with him. Took him during the Covid-19 Pandemic semester (Spring 2020) and he took care of us really well!

Hes the sweetest and teaches very well. He goes above and beyond to make sure you understands the concepts! As long as you put in effort, you will be fine!

This class really picks up in the second half, but Dr. Shields is with you every step! He is pretty clear with his algorithms, has good pacing for his lectures, and is willing to review anything that may trip up a student. The class is hard, but nothing feels too unreasonable.

Great Person and professor.

He is one of the most experienced and respected CS professors at UTD, and for good reason. Caring, well organized, extremely clear when it comes to his grading/attendance/objective criteria, and more. Easily reachable and gives a lot of feedback. Assignments can be overwhelming, but you'll learn a lot, highly recommend and would take again!

The character count may not be enough to express how much I loved Professor Shields. I used to be terrified of programming in high school until I met him. He's not only a great teacher but also a really great human being (sadly gonna retire this year). Read the textbook, do HW, attend lectures, and an A should be fairly easy to get.

Dr. Shields is the epitome of caring. He's very nice, takes his time with the students, answers all questions and is hilarious. This was his last semester and it was an absolute pleasure being in his class. The department will be at a loss without him. He keeps class interesting, while going in depth about c++. Course was not too hard.

Lectures might be a little disorganized and he gets off track a lot, but that can be said about most CS profs. Exams were off the PowerPoint slides but there were a few trick questions. I found the programming projects to be pretty simple and most could be finished in one day.

I had Professor Shields last year. He is pretty laid back and would occasionally give an inspirational message (such as giving study tips). Sometimes, he can be long winded, which results in him having make up lectures out of class, some of them exceeded three hours. Overall, he was an awesome professor.

He was the best professor I have ever had.