He will make you a better CS if you're willing to work. His grading can be intimidating but he doesn't map to a strict scale. Lowest grade in my section was 46.99 and that earned a C-! The assignments were easy with ample time and a few had extra credit available worth 30-100% of the total points. Better lecturer than many in the dept.

Challenging but infinitely rewarding course. Has lectures down to a science (very well prepared, very well timed), but also involves students in the lecture (i.e., is good at folding student questions into the discourse). Midterm was painful, but he gave us plenty of practice questions from previous exams. Best algorithms teacher I've met.

Discussions in class are deep and thought provoking. Has really high expectations. But somebody has to raise the standards. Definitely take his class if you are looking for some fun and knowledge.

Great teacher, and he really knows his stuff. So far the best lecturer I've had a Sac State and he really tries to help everyone understand the material. The book was great too.

Just do the work and pay attention in class and you'll pass.

Tests rigorously. You will have to put in an insane amount of work to get an A in his classes. Difficult topics for most people but explains them quite well. Does in-class exercises on the board. Avoid if you want an A with little effort. If you want to learn, then this is the professor for you. Was mostly available during office hours.

Rigorous testing. Was mostly available during office hours. Difficult material but explains it well. Lectures were recorded and posted online. Do not take if you want an easy A. But if you like a challenge and want to learn, then this is the professor for you. I consider him to be a good professor.

Do NOT take him if you want a high GPA or want to focus on other classes. With an insane amount of work you are guaranteed only a C+. You will not get an A. Take him if you want to prepare for tech-interviews. You will learn. He didn't prepare us enough for short answer questions. Take extreme notes and try to predict his exams. Use office hours.

Although his exams are extremely difficult, you will learn a lot in his classes. Excellent lectures and is willing to help students. As mentioned in other reviews, do not take him if you want an easy grade in the class, but take him if you actually want to learn.

Shobaki gives the hardest tests you'll ever experience in the CS department by a mile, so if your goal is to maintain a high GPA like me you should avoid him like the plague. That being said, he's an extremely good professor and probably one of the smartest professors at CSUS. I don't regret taking him but I would have gotten an A with anyone else.

Very difficult, but very rewarding teacher. If you put in the time and work hard you should be able to get a B relatively reliably. Take very good notes. Ace all HW and extra credit (you will need it). Be careful and precise with exam peoblems. Go through slides and print the code - study it! Do the practice exams. Also, study with smart friends!

Best professor I've ever had at Sac State. Incredibly intelligent, and an amazing lecturer. He thoroughly understands every part of Operating Systems and you WILL learn MANY things you didn't know. Every class is intellectually stimulating in some way. Extremely fair but VERY TOUGH grader. You must go to EVERY class. If you get lazy you will fail.

Amazing lectures and skip a class you will not pass. Tough grader and but that feedback helps to improve a lot. If taken the class seriously, one would definitely learn a lot on operating systems. If getting a grade is your criteria avoid him.

If you want an easy A do not take him. He is a very challenging professor because he wants his students to actually learn. He records his lectures as an EXTRA resource only. You can learn a lot from him if you pay attention, ask questions and visit office hours. Great lectures, 8 assignments, 2 quizzes, MT and final. Make friends in class.

He is a really great professor for teaching but personally I think the whole point of going to school is to enjoy and learn not try to fail people. His exams are crazily hard and you have to solve each problems in a short amount of time. I do enjoy his class but avoid him at any cost if you want to get a good GPA.

Ruthlessly fair, but rigorous grading. Tests are the hardest I've had at CSUS. He does spend a week before tests to try to help you prepare for his level of rigor. His teaching may be hard to understand if you don't get the current concept, and he may come off as a bit unapproachable. But his lectures are some of the best/clearest I've seen at CSUS

Dr. Shobaki is the best professor in the CS department. Although, you won't get the best grade, you won't regret taking him. He emphasizes on the theory, and makes sure that you are prepared for the industry. Start paying attention the first day, don't wait until the first quiz to learn the material. His YouTube playlist is extremely helpful.

Dr. Shobaki teaches well and is helpful outside of class. But, his grading criteria is way too harsh putting unnecessary pressures on students. Feedback isn't given in a timely manner. Do go to his office hours right from day 1. Avoid him if you care about having a high GPA and prepare to spend a lot of time passing this class.

I wouldn't call his grading criteria "harsh" per se. You only need 50% to get a C for goodness sake. His standards for an A are maybe too high but he just takes the material very seriously and won't pass anyone who doesn't understand it. I had him for 135 and I'm taking (by choice) two more classes with him. He was very helpful during office hours.

Tips for success: review past quizzes heavily prior to taking your quiz and understand how the solution is what it is. 50% is passing, do easy and less time intensive questions first. Do the homework, it will help on the tests. Put in the hours, it's tough but you'll thank yourself at the end. After taking Shobaki, you will know the content.

Come on.This professor knows his stuff and explains hard concepts well.He wants his students to succeed. Available and chill during office hours.The exams are not that hard to get passing grades (50%).People who said it's hard to even for easy and medium questions either didn't study or expected the exam questions to be identical to class examples.

Many student complain about the class but if you pay attention do the work and ask questions youll pass, you probably wont get an A but it isnt out of reach. As long as professor remains on topic and stops rambling about expectations the class is great. He provides all the questions from past exams and goes over them completely in class.

The best CS lecturer on campus. Shobaki isn't difficult per se (50% is a C on his grading scale and 60% of exam credit is on easy problems) but takes the material seriously and emphasizes the fundamentals. Make sure you're comfortable with basic set theory and logic, attend every lecture and do the homework and a B is feasible for any student.

One of the better CS professors I have had so far, mentions a lot on basic theories and logic in his lectures. A lot of students will complain about his exams and grading but those are generally the ones who don't participate in class or just rely on cheating. Seriously now, you only need a 50% on his grading scale and he will pass you will a C.

Do not take this professor if you are not pastionate about CS and you are hoping to do the least amount of work and pass. He is a tough grader and it will inevitably seperate the good students from the bottom tier ones. He is brutally honest when talking to him during office hours which I prefer. Professor has a 50% = passing policy which is great.

Lecture materials were good and clear. He is indeed a tough grader if you are shooting for an A or B to lesser degree but his policy of 50% is a pass more than makes up for it. You are expected to attend and participate during class otherwise you will fall behind. He does have high standards but even if you are a mediocre CS student you should pass

If you are passionate about CS you will love him, otherwise you will not. Take anyone else if you are looking for just an easy passing grade. Best part about his class was his lectures and his grading policy. He is very picky so you will have to be near perfection in order to get an A. He does go over previous exams in class so make sure you attend

If you are serious about CS then you will get a lot out of Professor Shobaki. His exams are challenging but not impossible. He is very clear on what materials you will need to know for the exams and even goes over example problems. He is more on the serious side when you talk or interact with him. Be sure to attend and participate during lecture.

I took this alongside CSC155 and CSC159. I figured if I have to spend 6 months to a year diligently leetcoding to get a high paying job, I should spend 4 months doing serious work in this course by reading, studying, asking questions, doing the hw, and doing further investigation. If you don't go into this like that, you're wasting your own time.

Intense class but one of few that prepares you for technicals. I failed but the knowledge from this class helped me ace interviews and land a full time offer. Shobaki is great, but this class should not be 3 units. 4-5 seems more appropriate. Full-time students/workers beware this class WILL drain you! Go in expecting a fight, not a free A.

Best Professor and a tough grader. I wish there was one professor like him for each class. Don't miss class. Watching his lectures and doing all of the assignments on your own will get you at least a B-. The knowledge of a C student in his class is equal to an A student from all other CS classes. You will learn a lot if you take the class seriously

Ghassan Shobaki is by far hosts the most difficult classes in the entire computer science program. That said, he knows his stuff and communicates it well. If you can keep up, his classes will prepare you the best of any in the entire college.

His lectures are very informative and help a lot in understanding algorithms. However, don't take him if you are a full-time student or if you are an A-grade student; you are most likely to suffer and drop him. I would recommend taking his class along with some easy courses. You will learn a lot, especially if you are aiming for FAANG

Most students give reviews based on how easy a class is to pass and when a professor makes a class difficult, they automatically give bad ratings. This class is hard, requires a lot of hours watching pre-recorded lectures and studying, however you will learn so much more than you thought you would. A 50% is a C- and an 85% is an A. Worth it

A great professor when it comes to teaching. However he lacks people skills which rubs students the wrong way. Although, at the time of this rating he is the best 139 professor because his lectures actually teach you about how an OS works. Posnett looks like he just got out of bed and Cantillo calls you out for spacing out for a microsecond.

Shobaki has a reputation that precedes him as a very harsh professor. In reality, he makes it very clear what you need to do to pass this course. As long as you practice the worksheets and ask questions it should not be too hard to hit 50% pass. He does not give a lot of time on tests so be prepared to rush if you are not careful.

I had nightmares about this class, but can honestly say he cares about his students learning. Watch his lectures and do the work and you'll pass. He makes it his goal to fail you if you didn't learn so make sure to keep up. 139 is difficult in no matter who you take it with, but Shobaki is straightforward. You will not be able to slack off.

Brilliant professor. Shobaki uses an inverted class structure. Prior to coming to class, he expects you to watch lectures and gain a basic understanding of the material. OS is a hard class, but Dr. Shobaki is a very fair professor. Watch the lectures, attend class, do the homework, you will pass.