Class was difficult. Exams were challenging, but we were given practice tests with the EXACT questions. Anyone who spends a minimum amount of time studying should do well. Warning: Don't miss lab and be sure to submit assignments on time even if they're only 1/2 done.

good professor, personable. Very clear about what were going to cover. Goes over schedule of the semester every class. Test are not easy but he gives sample exams that have the EXACT questions so you just have to put in work and ull do good in the class. Easy quizs are given randomly in lecture! Overall very useful class and good professor!

Teacher sets you up for success, but students are lazy. His lectures are boring, but you have to work for an A

He is a good professor, very clear in his teaching style. However, it's not very pertinent to the class, you can get by without going to class. Labs can be easy if you get a good TA. Gives surprise quizzes(esp right before/after holidays) and usually at the end of class, so I used to have a friend text me if there was a quiz. Overall, an easy class

An easy A if you go to class and take the exams seriously.

If you don't get an A in this class you have done something wrong. He can't make things any clearer than they are in this class. Good teacher and entertaining.

Very easy class... Just go for class and do the quizzes he will tell u the answer most of the times or else someone will just shout it out.... The exams are really easy if you practice using the question bank on blackboard do the question bank about 6-7 times homeworks are easy labs are easier if you do the homeworks and practicals are a bit tough but manageable u shud get an A VERY easily if you just attend lectures and labs...

Easy class, go to every lecture as there is an attendance quiz nearly every lecture. Study hard for the exams via the Blackboard study guides, and you should get an A. The reason I got a B was because I screwed up a few labs practicals.

Just go, pay attention in class and it's an easy A

The course is well organized. If you go to class and study for the exams it's an easy A. If you're lazy and wait until the last minute to do the assignments, you'll have problems. There's a lot of information but if you pay attention and keep up you can ace this one!

Class is not easy but McFall makes it clear how to get an A. Show up for class, do the homework and run the practice tests like 20 times each. Beware: his "no cheating" policies are strictly enforced!

Not a bad teacher. The material from labs and homework aren't really reflected in the exams. The labs are the majority of the grade weight for the class, so always make sure to get the labs done. There's no reason not to get a perfect score on every lab. You just have to put in the time and effort/

Course is relatively easy, just make sure you show up to the labs if you need help with the assignments and take the practice test 5-8 times before taking the multiple-choice exam in lab. The lectures were pretty boring but I don't think there's anyway to make them interesting (teaching Office).

Super nice guy. Always helpful and replies to emails quickly. All test questions are available through the practice test, easy to get a great grade if you study. My TA was helpful for lab assignments and I never had to take anything home and do it. Only negative of the class is the handbook that costs $30. Only used it for test sign in worksheets

McFall sets up the guidelines for the class and makes assignment due dates clear. The software used for lab assignments isn't perfect, but if you work through the assignments a couple of times, you'll get an A. Advice: When you have a problem, don't just send him an email -- go to office hours. He *will* help you.

Gary is great and enthusiastic in lectures, but the material is just too boring to fix. Also, he says the lab handbook is helpful, but it really isn't. The multiple choice tests were ridiculous and there is absolutely no way to study for them in my opinion. If you do well on the labs though, an A is not hard to get.

Meh, just not the most entertaining class I've taken in the world. Gary is a nice enough guy though.

Class is laid out like a road map. Lots of homework, but if you keep up with assignments you can earn an A. Exams are practicals (not multiple choice) and are due in class, so you gotta go. Several lazy students caught cheating this past semester now want to smear the class... it's not the most exciting course but it's certainly VERY useful

Do homework by yourself! It really helps in the exams. You can use your previous homework and google during the exam lab. McFall doesn't curve the grade. 89.99 is a B.

Good teacher. Interesting, appropriately challenging (not to easy, not to hard) assignments. Always graded things quickly and posted scores with comments. I think he's hilarious and he made me want to do really well. Extra credit isn't easy, but it is plentiful. Exams are open book, open note, and you can even use past homework.

Very knowledgable and helpful. Easy going guy.

Greg is a funny laid back teacher. Labs matter for this course and there is a lot of homework, but Greg does a good job during lecture and even will hand out food sometimes. You will need to know your stuff, but overall good teacher and class.

HE ISN'T THAT BAD. He makes it clear that in his emails he isn't being rude with his responses. He was more than willing to work with me when I had to miss a week of school. If you visit his office hours he is more than willing to walk you through EVERY single step. The organization of the class sucks, but it isn't HIS fault. His lectures arent bad

Heres what to know if you are thinking about taking it: This is not a class that the teacher will tell you how to write every program. He teaches you the concepts and its up to YOU to go home and practice them over and over. Everybody has unrealistic expectations out of him. Every program is different but the concepts are the same. Its up to YOU.

People really hate on Gary for being a tough teacher. However I can promise that if you get through this class, you will have a solid foundation in Python. Many people simply were not willing to put in the time and effort into getting a good grade. If you put in the time, you will do very well.

Before taking this class, I was scared it would be really difficult and that the professor was a monster. Instead, I was met with a very respectful caring teacher who did his job to teach well in my opinion. If you've never learned programming before the class is more difficult but if you study you will get an A.

Not as bad as these other reviews say!! Is engaging is lectures even though it might not be over the most relevant stuff, but he and his TAs are available all the time and they give pretty good help on projects and labs. Would only recommend that the projects were a little easier. Recitation was completely useless though

He is very to-the-point. Great lecturer with a lot of energy. Least monotone prof I've had at Purdue. Very clear, lets you out early, not afraid to be corrected, and makes actually funny jokes. Slideshow is very good, with lots of sample code.

If you have any programming experience, this course will be so easy. If you don't, I recommend participating in office hours and TA sessions. CS is not a course where prof can teach you everything, so self-teaching is basically half of the course.

Others are just upset about not getting an easy A. The assignments are slightly disorganized, but Gary is a great teacher, and easy exams + HW if you put the effort in, it just takes time. CS takes a lot of self research and practice along with help from others. Do this, and you'll leave this class with a very good base in python and programming.

Class is very structured, and if you hit all of the learning objectives Prof. Mac is a great teacher. Gives interesting answers to questions.

Took Prof McFalls ENGR 131 class, the class itself was very structured but due dates and grading criteria could be very vague at times. The lectures were not very interesting but the class is not super difficult if you are familiar with excel and technology in general. The group projects were way too long and the grading was very ambiguous.

He talks most the class, and is somewhat boring yet he is a great teacher. He gets through the material and cares about his students.

My experience with ENGR 130 is heavily boosted by the superb experience with my groupmates. We became good friends and honestly this class might be the happiest class of all time. But other than that the lectures are quite a bit boring and there's just so much stuff to do. The exams were also not very easy. So Meh I guess.

Really cares about his students! Lectures always run long and are a bit boring but a super nice prof who makes you feel like you can succeed in ENGR 131. A bit condescending when he is trying to get the attention of the entire class, but overall super great!

Mac was a very caring professor and was a very fair grader, as long as you name your files correctly before submitting. He can be hard to listen to, as he talks a lot in class. Good luck if you have him at 7:30. Also ENGR 131 will test you on the amount of effort you are willing to put in. For a 2 credit class, it will push your limits some weeks.

I'm honestly surprised to see so many negative reviews. To be fair he does talk, a LOT, but there are way worse things for a professor to be than talkative. He seems to care about his students. You're allotted 6 unexcused absences per semester, which is honestly a lot, and there's a ton of extra credit opportunities at the end of the semester.

He's really not that bad. Sometimes the lectures he gives can drag, but little of what he says is needed to do well (and you can just play on ur phone). Plus he seems to care a lot about making sure women/minorities in the class don't feel excluded. All of my gripes about this class come from the TAs and the curriculum.