Good Teacher. Good Outline.

Fair professor, difficult course. Many extra credit opportunities. Decent curve

Dave is a difficult teacher, but you'll learn a lot in his classes. An A is totally possible.

very difficult teacher, but explains things well. likes to make a rule that if you do not get an A on the final, you cannot get an A in the class. Be prepared to study a lot for his classes. Likes weekly quizzes.

Hard prof; explains things well.He didn't give much quizzes in this course (take it in the summer) but the quizzes he did give were very easy.Keep up with the previous lectures.3 extremely hard projects and didn't finish all but he droped one and curve so I still got an A with low B's on the exams.

Yeah, the quizzes are hard but they are on the material just covered. Inflexible about answers accepted. Very knowledgeable of the material and I thought his diagrams were really helpful.

Good professor. His tests are difficult, as are his quizzes. You actually learn something in his class. Dont expect a Computer Science Degree to be awarded to you for doing nothing. And, to whoever wrote the last comment, thats just an ignorant and stupid thing to say.

My experience with Small is that he's brutally tough and does expect pretty exact regurgitation of lecture material. However, he's definitely not unfair, and while his personality is abrasive in itself, he's extremely helpful and will show interest in the interested student. (3 major tests, a few bonus homeworks, and 10 quiz sessions - hard!)

The projects are extremely time-consuming. The lecture material is fairly easy. Take this course during the summer and enjoy the small class size. He readily replies to emails and points you in the right direction. Grading of projects is very tough. However, he wants to prepare students for the world where partial credit does not exist.

Dave is a very hard teacher...but he puts effort into his teaching material. After crying during the final examination I realized that Dave taught us a valuable lession about making mistakes in the work place. You must know what you are doing, or you will get fired.

excellent teacher! Best I had at UF.

Dave is the best teacher that I have had in the entire CISE department. He emphasizes the importance of the skills that you need to know before you go out into the real world and get a job. His exams, quizzes, and project are hard, but nontheless you'll learn A LOT! Not to mention he gives out a lot of extra credits on exams and quizzes.

Dave was very fair. Exams and quizes were very similar to homework. Lectures were interesting, and he was always eager to answer questions. He gave several extra credit quizes/assignments that were much appreciated. Attendance is a must. One of my favorite teachers of all time.

HARD AS HELL. You will like programming less after taking this - if there are doubts in your mind, you'll be a drama major after this class. HOWEVER! If you want to learn, and want to get a jump on the topics covered later in Data Structures, there's no one better than Dave. He knows more about his subject than other other teacher I've taken so far

This instructor is very principled. He can be difficult but expects just as much from himself as from the class. He can give complicated answers to simple questions. As the class continued I've understood that he is actually trying very hard not to misrepresent facts for the sake of simpler answers. This is an instructor worth taking.

This class is excellent. It's difficult and will take up all of your time (I spent over 150 hours total on the projects) but is entirely worth it. Learned more in this class than I did in most of my other classes combined. Tests are a little specific for my liking. Just go to class and take notes and study. Definitely take this class with Dave.

What Dave does in his class is separate the kids who love the material from the ones who are there just for the hell of it. If you like the material, you'll enjoy his vast array of information and knowledge. If you don't, not only will you not hate the material even more, but now you've got a bad grade to show for it. Wheat from chaff.

Difficult, but fair. The concepts presented in class are sometimes very hard to digest, and are often still unclear after doing the reading for class. However, Dave makes himself available ALL THE TIME for students who actually seek help in his office hours. That's how I passed the class - by going to his OH and getting clarity. Like the real world

Many People complain about him, but in my experience he is quite competent. He is very demanding of the students and himself. He expects you to actually earn your grade; He doesn't just hand out grades like some other professors. There are no pity/effort points. He is fair and expresses his expectations clearly. The best teacher I've had, bar none.

Very demanding, but seems to do a good job of conveying concepts. Plan on attending class every day and doing all the homework, because he WILL expect you to know the material and will test you on it. Sometimes takes joy in making his class difficult... but generally rewards hard work with good grades. Check out his personal/class websites for more

Although Dave's class was challenging It wasn't the hardest class I've had at UF. As long as you are willing to work hard to something that may be new to you (programming) you should be fine. Dave has great knowledge of the subject. I appreciated that he made a substantial effort to explain concepts very precisely, I will take more of his classes.

Dave Smalls is a VERY DIFFICULT PROFESSOR, but also a fair one. Be prepared to work very hard in his class. If you make it through the course, you will be more than prepared for your next CISE courses! Recommended!

Enjoyable and challenging

Very challenging class, made you think. Taught priceless skills about designing reusable code and chiseled our skills as efficient programmers. If you're looking for an easy class, don't take his classes. If you're looking for an education, it is you're loss if you don't take a Dave Small class.

Hands down best professor in CISE dept. His classes are very challenging but they are by far the most useful classes you can take at UF. If you care about GPA don't take this class, now if you are interested in becoming a better developer then you must take his classes.

Dave is one of the toughest professors I have ever had, but also one of the best. His classes sure aren't easy A's, but I would never have learned as much from them if they had been. His homeworks and exams are very abstract and require you to think to earn your grade. But I know that I will be a better programmer because of his classes. Take him!!

Dave Small was easily my favorite teacher at UF. Often he gets criticized for being excessively tough; I don't think that criticism has any merit. Although some of his lecture techniques are dubious, and he is sometimes pedantic or laborious, it is evident that he loves teaching and puts every ounce of care and attention he can muster into it.

Those who say you need prior programming experience for this class is wrong. I had absolutely no experience. I went to class every day and did all the homework prior to quizzes and exams and ended up with an A. Dave teaches you to think like a programmer to solve problems that you will face in the real world. Take his classes any chance you get.

Dave Small is a disgruntled teacher who, while very skilled at computer science, expects too much out of his students. He relishes in student's complaints of homeworks and quizes (all impossible). I had a deep loving for comp sci before this class, now I'm not sure I can stand it anymore. I would not recommend this class without prior knowledge.

Hardest class I have ever taken. Dave is a good teacher but his grading system is too strict. He claims grades aren't important, but when grades are the difference between you staying at UF and leaving, they're pretty important.

Great professor, hard class. Exams are tough, and there is no leniency when it comes to grading.

Dave's a swell guy

Take a light course load when enrolled in a class with Dave! The work-load is insane, but Dave's classes are what prepare you for the jobs at Google, Amazon, etc (interview questions closely mirror his test questions). Lectures covered breadth of test material. Great teacher, super nice guy, we're lucky to have him at UF. I wish him all the best.

Exams were fair, surprisingly. Expect a lot of work though, mostly from the projects.

DP learn how to code large software systems. NO learn how to design YES. Such a eye opener into how to design.

Great professor! Will impact your career in the best way possible. Don't take this course if you cry about grades.. even though you shouldn't in a CS major. I took as many courses as I could with him before I graduated. This class is for learners and people that think beyond GPA. Be hungry to learn and you'll be okay.

Dave's Object-Oriented Programming course has the highest workload of any course offered by the department, hands down. This is the P90X of CISE. Do not take this class if you are not ready to fully commit yourself to a 200+ hour term project. 'Trial-by-fire' is the phrase that comes to mind.

Every student in the CS program at UF should take a Dave course. It will likely be the hardest course you will ever take. It is demanding and you will fail if you don't put maximum effort in. However, Dave has great lectures and is very helpful. He likes to see you work hard and succeed. If you want to be successful in your CS career, take Dave.

Excellent organization in his lectures. You will not learn about much irrelevant information in terms of what to expect in the modern field of operating systems. I had no real concept of what an OS did before the class, and now I can talk all day to recruiters about it. Put in the time and the effort and you will not regret the outcome. Tough.

No computer science/engineering teacher will make you learn more than Dave will. His classes are very hard, but nothing will make you stand out from the rest of your class more than taking classes with him. Take at least one Dave class before graduating.

Taking Software Engineering with Dave was the hardest class I've ever taken. Dave is incredibly knowledgeable about the field he teaches, I don't think I've ever met anyone more qualified. However, the course workload (specifically the second half of the semester) is UNPARALLELED. I'd say what you learn is worth losing sleep from working.

I feel lucky that I got a chance to take fundamental II with Dave. many students don't like him, reason: they want everything to be eassssy! For me, this was the hardest class that I ever took but, I learned a ton. He is very knowledgeable but, he is indeed a tough grader. If you really want to be a good programmer take him!

If you want to actually learn the material and become a good programmer, Dave is the best professor out there. Granted, this class is extremely difficult, but its for a purpose. If you are just looking for an easy pass and don't care about the material, don't even bother because you won't pass. If you put in the time however, you will learn a ton.