2.3
Quality3.9
Difficulty34%
Would Retake113
Reviews34%
Would Retake
113
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
15
4
17
3
16
2
16
1
49
What Students Say
“The worst professor I've ever had”
EE110 - 1.0 rating“Among the worst teachers Ive ever had”
EE110 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
43%
Textbook Required
59%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.16 avg changeRatings by Course
EE128166
5.0
(1)EE221
5.0
(1)EE167
5.0
(1)EE198A
3.0
(1)EE198
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
166
5.0
166128
5.0
166224
5.0
EE224
5.0
GENERAL
5.0
Reviews (113)
Can not present material easy enough for student new to this subject
Best teacher/metor I've come across in The EE department
Very good teacher and motivator. Take his classes if you actually want to LEARN the material. A hard grader but his exams are fair. A great mentor or project advisor.
He is a great professor/mentor. He really takes the time out to get to know his students and their problems. He is always available for office hours and even helps his students when they come to him outside of office hours (as many of his students do).
Parent is quite serious about students graduating from his class as novice IC designers, and rest assured, he'll make you work HARD to ensure you learn the material and tools. His class is excellent as an introductory course (some of the more advanced de
No Comments
He is biased towards some students and doesnt help students at all.
No Comments
He will not spoon-feed you, and will not give the same test every semester (he actually updates the material!). If you want special attention go home you your mama. If you want to learn and work on industry-quality projects work with this professor.
All I gotta say is that you have to "work" really hard to fail EE166 then get booted out of senior design project, go on academic probation and take classes thru open university!! Take responsibility for your own failures, don't blame DP!!
I dont know whats going onhere but I can say that this professor can be ur worst knightmare ever and make ur life misreble if you dont know how to please him.
He is a ok teacher. He seems unfocused most of the time. His lectures are not very clear. However, he tries to be helpful to some students. He is kinda biased.
I hate this professor. He is very inflexible. He cannot take any criticism. He doesn't teach a**** in the class but bragging how good his class is. He asks you to come to his office hour, but you have to wait for one hour before you can speak. Not recommended!!!
Outstanding teacher! You will actually learn the material if you take his classes. Not for slacker EE students who just want an easy grade. He is a great Senior Project advisor. The students who don't like him are just lazy fools who don't want to work hard. Learn practical real world skills in 166.
No Comments
Unfortunately, the only one teaching 166, no other choice but to suffer through his chaotic and disorganized lectures & notes. The class's hard but one of the most useful ones offered; it would've been THE BEST if not for the mind-dislocating, higgledy-piggledy teacher. "Just leave it at that.”
“Essentially at the end of the day if you route it in metal1, you will end up in a blind alley. The thing is is that I don’t want to talk about it. Lets just leave it at that.” Sorry DP but if you’d try a little harder you’d make a decent TA.
VERY VERY BAD notes! He is also very very disorganized. LOTS of typo or missing info in the notes. Some people say we have to blame ourselves if we don't do well, but how can we do well if we don't even have decent materials to read and study.
Very disrespectful person. ****. Biased. He critizes other professors openly in the class. Think twice before taking class from such a pathetic person.
If you do not have any background in IC layout, you will have a hard time to keep up with the course. This course is about CMOS design with hand-on experience in lab. His lecture was fair, and he worked hard and was willing to help you in class and lab so that you will succeed. If you don't want to spend time and learn, don't take his course.
His is disgraceful!!! Don't ever take a course under him.You'll learn nothing.
oh my god!!! my first impression was.. he is good looking..hope he is good at teaching also...:-)but unfortunately..he is just a moody guy.. and expects students to laugh at his PJs...which I didnt do and hence landed up with a real bad grade...advice: DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS
I think he is an OK teacher. He is disorganized, hard to understand, bad handwriting. However, I believe he is least trying hard to prepare for the class, to help every student in his class.
Good teacher, a bit unorganized for lecture. This is one of the best classes at sjsu. If you want to actually learn some design and are willing to work hard, take this course. Learn design from the bottom up. This professor doesnt spoon feed his students so dont take this class if you want an easy class.
His personarity is good but tough to understand. It is strongly recommended to take his EE166 before taking EE224. Class project is very tough.
The worst thing that ever happen to any university is Parent.Enough said.
This professor is totally useless.His very limited knoledge in the subject and no teaching method only serves as a condiments over very bad personality and grumpy tone as a main course.
he doesnt teach, but mkes u learn.. if u r interested to learn design, u ll learn it well under him, but don expect him to teach u..
He definetley has some kind of mental problem.The way he is talkig to students and treating them and the way he is not at all teaching in the class it definetley can't be from a normal person.I don't think he will last in SJSU for long. Also he gave D grade in this class like he is celibrationg that grade.
Very disrespectful person.Didn't learn a thing.Just making cheap jokes all the semester."The thing is is metal 1 should be used least "I learned that though :) .
I think this guy is a bit edgy!! He is yawning all the time. If you ask him a serious question, he yawns at you. I don't thnk he is in the same page as the rest of the profs. He is on planet mars, deep down in the caverns taking exile from planet earth.
i don't see what the problem is. his grading is fair. he even gives out extra credit if you want to do it. yeah he is sometimes moody but he cares either about the students or the SJSU name, but the result is the same: he wants students to learn. he teaches this course is as if it has the workload of 2 courses. don't fall behind or you're dead
Hay, Parent stop rating your self on this website.You suck and you know that and thats why you are rating yourself. No one likes you.Go back to Kentucky or where ever the heck you are from.You dont belong in California you psycho.
he cant teach
Super nice guy, really wants to help students but is cripplingly disorganized. This resulted in lots of time-wasting and mis-direction in EE198A. Seems surprised at his own unpreparedness, has trouble thinking on his feet. But he's such a nice person! Luckily 198A is practically a free unit so not a biggie in the end. 198B will be tougher...
2 people got A ,most of them got D- and F.You decide.Someone sent him anonymous mail saying you suck or something and he took his revenge on all of the students by screwing their grades.
He is very disorganised may be coz he handles lot of classes, he was trying to be helpful but i coudnt understand how much he can really help you out, his teachin is not upto themark. His grading is fair enough and project will be tough. overall if you can work according him grades wil be good . dont look for an easy class.!
If you got a low score on the midterms, or final youre a dumbass. Its funny that a lot of people who took this class were grad students and they couldnt even pass. His midterms were exactly the HW assignments. and usually the day before the midterm he gives some hints on what the questions will be. Maybe you are just not meant for design.
DANGER:You have been warned.He seems from another planet.One second he is jolly and another he is devil.He is unpredictable and total mess.Can't teach a thing.Dose not seem to have any knowledge either.Only selected few will be given good grade.Others be prepared for D- or F.That means if you are grad student start looking for another school.
Maybe he is strict on grading but I think I really learned a lot from his class, especially from the homework and project.
He is the biggest idiot in this side of the western world! I mean this!! Anything remotely involved with Parent will surely have a goof up associated with it. He doesn't teach, he doesn't know how to. He couldn't fit into the real world so he became a teacher.If David Parent were to touch the Sun...The Sun would go Black!
Dr. Parent can either be your worst nightmare or your bestest thing that has ever happend to you in the EE dept. Yes he is hard, yes he is sometimes rude and incomprehensible and disorganized but if you go in this class with a desire to learn you will learn IC design. This class is not an easy one and he is not goign to spoon feed you!!
In Response to comments made on 1/7/07 starts with "is you got a low score on the midterms,or final youre a dumbass." How do you know the half the students took the class were grad students and failed the class?Because this comment was made by Parent himself.Hay Parent next time when you rate your self dont use "Spoon Feed" too much ppl will know
Highly erratic behaviour.He seems world apart from most of the class.He lives in his own world of @ss kissing pixies and elves.He thinks everyone should treat him like a king and laugh at his pathatic jokes.Danger if you take his class.Think abt ur career and stay as far away as possible from this weirdo.
One of the better professors in the EE dept. at SJSU. Students will actually learn something from his class that is relevant to the industry. However, if one's intention is to just BS through the entire program and "cheat" a degree then by all means, avoid him.
This professor is useless, stay away from him. He must go another job. Low skill of teaching, awful personality.
not good in giving grades
please don't take any class with this professor if you really love your carrier.In my life I have never seen like him useless professor, just passes the time in class.
He is the most arrogant and useless prof. I have ever seen in my life... I think he can do any job better than this, but he can't be a prof...No way..Stay away from this guy..
TOTALLY WASTE, PLEASE DON'T TAKE ANY CLASS WITH THIS MAN. IN MY LIVE I NEVER SEEN LIKE THIS USELESS PROFESSOR.
Waste of time and energy.It looks like he is teaching to take revenge.He could easily be fit in the profile of psychopath.
very bad professor
Hands down the worst teacher I have ever had. His lectures are pointless because he is impossible to understand, so You have to figure out EE166 by yourself. Seriously, just run away from this one!
Stay away!!! Worst Lectureer(not prof) I've ever had at SJSU. So unclear and he cant lecture to save his life....DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS
Stay Away!!! Worst Professor I've ever had. So unclear and he cann't lecture to save his life...DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS.
Worst...class...EVAR!!! The professor is so boring and hard to understand. It wouldn't be so bad if he weren't so rude. Don't bother asking him questions and, for your own safety, never approach him. Attending class is a waste of time since you won't learn anything. Read the book and show up for the exams. AVOID, if you can.
Looking back two years ago, he ain't so bad. Ok, you gotta work hard, really hard, really hard. But he's a nice guy, he knows his stuff but he doesn't know how to effectively teach it. Cool guy over all, let's not be mean and bash him. Parent's ok by book...very strange but ok! Cool guy but I wouldn't take a class with him either!
Very useful class. Many of comments I see posted here seem to be made by people that do not have what it takes to be an EE major. Get a life!
I don't understand what everyone's problem is with Parent! He tells you exactly what you need to know and...(surprise!) you get tested on it! He's the most straightforward professor I've had and I recommend him.
I took EE128 last semester (Fall) with Parent. He seems like a very smart guy but has a little trouble teaching the material. Overall the exams were straightforward. Did not like the part of turning in the hw online.
EE166 great class to take. This class teaches you basics of Digital chip transistor level design such as microprocessor transistor design.David makes you learn in the hard way by implementing circuit in the lab. You will see students hating the class because they have bad experience with teammates in lab Trust me i am alumini writing review
Good prof. Keeps students busy with heavy/good projects. Very helpful but moody at times.
By far the most fair and understanding teacher of the entire EE Department. Trust me, he failed me once but still one of my favorite EE teachers. Might not be as clear in lecture but if you're able to do the HW, you'll kick-ass on the exams.
Dr. Parent is such a cool professor. He is really smart, and teaches complex concepts very well. Do your HW and GO to his office hours and you will get an A for sure. The thing is, is that he is a great teacher and you will have a great time in his class.
He is a good professor and easy to talk to. He tends to go out on a tangent and not make sense. The best thing is to learn from his sample midterms and homework. He is a good prof!
This is easily the worst class I've ever taken at SJSU. The lectures are absolutely terrible, the material in the homework usually isn't covered at all, and the book is worthless. And Parent will probably be the only professor instructing this class so good luck
He is the worst professor by far in the EE department. I had 90% on my midterms and still got an F in the course because he thought I copied the project. Do not recommend this professor, there are many other who are way better than him. SJSU does not need a professor like him.
The worst. Does not know the subject. Very rude and discouraging
Horrible experience
Horrible teacher, gives no partial credit. Horrible teaching style DO NO TAKE
When it comes to advising,I consider Professor Parent one of the most understanding,helpful advisors around. But his class can get confusing,teaching style isn't straight forward,he even makes mistakes. Extra effort must be made on your part to succeed. Work with classmates,quiz's can b made-up in office hrs,two midterms could be replaced on final.
Went from an 80 to a 65 cause of the final. Gives 0 partial credit on problems. Either know it, or fail it.
Tests are more or less related to sample exams he posts on canvas. You won't learn much from him though, so homework might be a bit tough at times. Does give partial credit on tests though, as well as a chance to replace your first and second midterm scores on the final.
I am not an EE major, but this was required as common area. Parent's teaching style is very "stream of consciousness." Notes are unclear, other students consistently finding mistakes in lectures and homework solutions. He LOVES trick questions. He will utter words of inspiration but not actually help you with the material. He was very nice to me.
My advice is to go to class, open your laptop, find the topic he's teaching and learn it all in 20 minutes. His teaching is horrible, his tests are tricky and meant to take points. If he doesn't like the final answer, be prepared to lose more than half your points even if the only thing wrong was the sign
He's very strict in the sense that he will snap if something doesn't go his way. He's also a HORRIBLE teacher. You won't learn anything in his lecture if you don't already know what he's teaching. Read the text and use it to your advantage to learn the material. He also loves "pop" quizzes. They're so often that it's not even surprising.
I completely failed the first midterm. I approached him for help in office hours, he set me up with a tutor-or helped me personally when I needed it. I came back and got 100% on the second midterm, and got an A in the class. His lectures are confusing, you just HAVE to ask questions when u have them and read the book. There were no pop quizzes.
Parents lectures are difficult to follow. He likes to focus on exceptions more than the basics. You will need to read his modules on Canvas a lot and make sure you do the homework that's how you will learn the best. Also he is very good with getting back to you via email so if you're confused on a question just email him and he'll help you out.
Overall he is a good teacher. Sometimes it is hard to follow his lectures, but ask as many questions as you can. . Midterms are pretty straight forward. He gives practice exam before each midterm that gives an idea what to expect on the exam. He posts a lot of helpful modules on canvas and also post old exams with solutions.
He's sort of a scatter brain and doesn't do too well explaining concepts. Read on your own, practice a LOT, do the homework, and hope you studied the right problems for the exam. He is always available for office hours and if you invest a good amount of time in this class you can get an A or B. Lets you makeup your midterm grades with the final.
He's a really nice guy and really understanding but he is really confusing. He does not explain the homework well and the lectures are kind of a blur. He has nice test though. They are like the practice tests.
The worst teacher I've ever had in my entire life.
His teaching style definitely isn't for everyone. That being said, I did very well in his class. His lectures are hit and miss, but his canvas module has an abundance of resources to fill the gaps. The tests are all exactly like the practice tests. Just be proactive, watch a couple youtube videos, and you'll be fine. Overall good experience.
The WORST ... i dont even want to see his face again .... absolute NON-SENSE If there i a rating of 0, still it is too much this guy can get ...
I'm changing my major because of this guy I would change my major but not taking his classes again. I wouldn't recommend choosing him, oh yeah I forgot to mention so rude.
Trash. Class is already hard and there is a lot of work, having this professor doesn't help it at all. Destroyed by interest in EE.
Parent is a fairly solid professor, but his lectures aren't always clear. He seems to lecture like you already know the material, which makes it easy to get lost. Find a good textbook related to the class and read it yourself. That being said, his expectations are clear. Do the homework and practice tests and it's easy to get an A.
He seems to care about his students success, but isn't great at teaching. He comes up with his own homework so finding example problems can be challenging. His test questions are based off the HW and the HW solutions will be posted after the HW is due. As a result, if you understand the HW, the tests should be easy. Not a calculation heavy class.
complete nut case, should have a physic eval scheduled
Helppppp! This guy cannot teach. I'm sure he's really smart and a great guy, but most of the people in the class do not understand what is going on in class. His class is so difficult it makes people want to drop out of EE, just like EE140 does. Please avoid his class if possible.
This class is really hard, lots of people are currently failing. It's hard to follow his lectures, you're better off learning from the lab or just reading the book. One caveat though is that he can replace your midterm scores if you do better on the final.
I warn you that most of you will feel like dropping out of EE after taking his class. Don't be discouraged my fellow Engineers, keep pushing 'till the end even if you fail the first exam. Make friends and study together and ask questions in class. Sometimes it takes a bad professor to discover your true strengths. Stay motivated friends!!
Absolutely terrible. He doesnt finish sentences - he just goes on tangents until he stops and stares into the distance. Hell often write or draw something on the board, stare at it for a while, erase it, and start talking about something else. He never covered any material that would be on the midterms. Among the worst teachers Ive ever had.
Parent might care about his students more than any professor I've ever had; great choice as the undergrad EE advisor. He knows the material, but isn't great at teaching it. Basically you need to figure out what he wants. Content is interesting though. Midterm grading is rough, but final is more lenient. Don't make him mad. Not a hard class really.
The worst professor I've ever had. Listening to this man talk is physically painful. He cannot coherently explain a single point. He makes some vague statements about the material without explaining rules or methods for it. He'll literally just trail off and stare into the distance. Complete disconnect between lectures, homework, and tests.
Some profs explain the rules and methods for solving problems. Some profs explain the theory and leave you to derive the rules and methods, which works in some cases, if the professor is good. David Parent is not good. He is incapable of explaining or answering ANYTHING. The lecture, HW, and tests all feel like they come from 3 different classes.
Lectures are terrible as he works on problems in silence then at the end expects you to know everything he did and where values came from. Advice, meet upper division students who can teach you the subject as they can do it better in 30min than he could in a whole hour and 15min lecture.
Yup its true, DP sucks. The most unreasonable, unhelpful, & ridiculous professor ever. Grading is unpredictable & harsh - if a problem is wrong in his eyes, he will gladly give a 0, despite your efforts. Most people I met failed once. If youre a transfer, make friends ASAP & study b/c he will ruin your SJSU GPA. Trust me, I learned the hard way.
Dr. Parent knows his stuff. So ask questions in lecture so everyone can hear you. Office hours are not a bad idea either, but you could also just form a study group or talk to EE seniors in IEEE. Sometimes with these learning the ABCs of said EE discipline the expectations are high. 2.5 hr of lecture ---> 40+40+40+40+40+40+40 min studying / week
I never understood why every senior apologized to me when I told them I was taking EE110. After taking his class I now know why, it isn't that his class is hard, but he really cant teach. He gets lost during lectures and sometimes doesn't even know how to solve his own problems. He stares into space in the middle of a lecture and the room goes ...
Professor Parent's lectures can be confusing, but they can help out with understanding his notes in canvas. His practice midterms/finals are similar to the midterms and final. He does provide past semester midterms and finals. He doesn't curve the midterms, but he does change your midterm grades if you do better on the midterm problems in the final
He is the most unreasonable, unreliable professor I have ever met through all of my school years (BS, MS). If you ever consider him as your project/thesis advisor, please stop immediately and look for other options. He wouldnt teach you how to use an equipment if he doesnt want to, even if it is related to your project. Most regretful choice.
I really enjoyed Professor's Parent's class personally. For me, he teaches it well and so long as you take notes and have examples, you're set. His tests are what he has on his practice exams, and he's accessible in office hours. Some of the stuff he teaches is a little confusing, but that's because it's a bit of a difficult course. He does care.
Nice professor. Please take him, let's enjoy his class and exams together
The class is hard but only because of the sheer amount of material covered. David Parent is a really good teacher and coordinates the department. He has access to all the learning material and a quick email and he'll respond within two days. He is a solid choice if you want to learn but you do need to put in the work. Class is straightforward.
Exams are similar to samples given, but will have a few differences. HW is helpful but his lectures are hard to comprehend. His course notes are very organized and take a while to understand but are useful. Makes a lot of typos in his notes so don't always follow it 100%. Labs can be very messy towards the end of the semester.
I don't understand why there are so many negative reviews for Dr. Parent. His exams are exactly like the homework. There are no surprises or curveballs. He gives you plenty of examples and ALWAYS makes time for his students when they need help. He genuinely cares about us. If you take time to understand the HW, the class is an easy A.
The worst part about Parent's lectures is that he writes so sloppily. When he makes a mistake, he'll just write on top of the mistake if he even notices it. Even when he doesn't make a mistake, his drawing and writing is undecipherable. He's not the worst teacher I've ever had, not even the worst in the EE department, but he's not great.
Knowledgeable but not the greatest at making the material clear to everyone in lectures. Office hours, IEEE tutoring and midterm reviews will help. Midterms are always the same type of problems with different values, so once you get it, exams are easy. Doing well on final exam can improve midterm scores! IMHO too much material and homework to cover
He actually knows his subject very well and he's able to explain the theory in a very simple way. Something that many power point professors can't do. He is a tough grader on mid terms and final. Be sure to read through all his notes. They are not organized but contains vital information to help you understand the subject Best of luck to you all!
Nice guy if you approach him, but he can't teach. His explanation style is so bad, if you are able to follow, you should get a noble prize. Frequently makes typos in emails as well on the whiteboard. The redeeming part is he is accessible during office hours and has decent notes. Stay away because he can't teach anything to anybody, literally.
Man does not teach; stay away. Take anyone else, please.
Professor Parent is knowledgeable, but his teaching style can be hit-or-miss. The material is challenging, but his notes and office hours are invaluable. unstuckstudy and ChatGPT were super helpful for study prep. Overall, the class is manageable with effort.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
43%
Textbook Required
59%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.16 avg changeRatings by Course
EE128166
5.0
(1)EE221
5.0
(1)EE167
5.0
(1)EE198A
3.0
(1)EE198
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
166
5.0
166128
5.0
166224
5.0
EE224
5.0
GENERAL
5.0