great professor. Responds quickly to emails and to piazza. He helped me with the material many times. Igor really cares about the students, and wants everyone to succeed.

Great prof, always willing to help you understand the concepts. Responds to emails very fast as wells as post on piazza. Fair marker when it came to assignments and exams. The class it self is kind of difficult due to it having a lot of different concepts but Igor only asked questions that are directly related to the material.

great prof. seay to understand

I love him and I'm sure many do as well. Enthusiastic, responsive, friendly. Dr. Shinkar is probably one of the most humble and caring professors in this school. Assignments/exams aren't too hard as long as you understand what the lectures are about and do coding practice. Super glad that I took this class. How's that for a nice thing to say? :D

Dr. Shinkar is awesome. Friendly, passionate about the subject, encourages asking questions, etc. I found this course very challenging (other professors for 125 did not cover nearly as much/make 125 as difficult) but I'm glad I took it with Dr. Shinkar for this reason, as I feel like I've learned a lot over the semester.

You will not regret taking this class with this professor. Fair amount of homework to get you prepared for exam so long as you take it seriously. Tests are fair and not like some teachers that expect a great amount from you. I definitely feel like I have learned a lot and am more confident in my coding knowledge.

Professor Shinkar is really nice. I hardly see an instructor who is so responsible and patient like him. He always responses your question quickly. I can feel that he really wants you to be great and interested in computing science. Wish to learn with him in future again.

I agree with all previous comments. Awesome prof! It seems like he covered more material than previous CMPT125 profs, which is good b/c it prepares you for CMPT225, but if you only took 120 before this, then you weren't prepared for 125 in the first place,... so you'll probably struggle. The learning curve has to get you at some point!

Hands down the best professor to ever teach CMPT 125 at SFU. His midterms aren't exactly that hard if you pay attention in lecture. Lectures are interactive and the only one that has kept me awake so far for my duration at SFU. Hopefully he continues to teach at SFU so I can take a class with him again.

Dr. Shinkar is the best professor I've had so far in CS. He explains things dynamically to make the concepts more clear. I appreciate how he pauses at the end of each section to ask if there are any questions, and actually took looks for hands instead of rushing to the next section. His marking is very fair and he accessible via Piazza

really love this profg!! explain everything clear. exams are not hard if you pay attention to the class. also you need to work hard on the practice question he give you. however, a very pleasant experience on taking this course with igor shinkar!

Ok. The final is kind of hard. But I still love Prof Shinkar as he temporarily added half an hour more for our final, which was really nice and considerate. Great teacher.

Dr. Shinkar is the greatest CS teacher I have ever had. To start off, I feel blessed to have a teacher who did his post-doctoral at UC Berkeley. He genuinely wants you to learn the topics and understand the big picture. Given that, he marks everything very reasonably and you can expect to do well if you put in the effort. Well done, Dr. Shinkar.

Professor codes on the fly and if it doesn't compile, he is able to quickly troubleshoot errors. Very clear on what you need to learn. Gives tons of exercises (not for marks). Assignments take a pretty long time to do and are due every 2 weeks. Midterms and Finals are fair but hard. A lot of written coding required.

This professor tries really hard and genuinely cares about his work and students. Definitely a rare sight in SFU.

Never really do this for profs but wanted to write this for Igor because he is honestly a great prof. He explains concepts very well(Course Slides done very well), has really interesting course material, and answers questions good. Attended every class because its worth it, and will definitely take future classes with him if he is teaching.

Prof. Shinkar is accessible through piazza at almost any time. He tried hard to improve his teaching. He is a very respectful person.

Great prof, always accessible via Piazza (even in the wee hours of the morning), and truly cares about his students, particularly during exam season. Had doubts about his teaching at the start of the semester, but he really did his best to ensure everyone's success... Also let's you know when "pop" quizzes will be.

The final grade is released. I am surprised by my grade because Prof. Shinkar is so respective and considerate. Typically for science courses as long as you do not get 50% over final and midterm, you will fail the course. In this case 50 people will fail but Igor he only gave like 25. Also he gives more A's and the average goes to B-. He is nice.

Awesome professor! His lectures are very enjoyable and he is willing to put in the time to make sure you understand the concepts.

Best professor for a cmpt course! Lectures are informational, though you will learn alot of things, professor Shinkar makes it very clear and fair on the exams. Overall, very fair and you will pass all exams if you understand the assignments.

He is an exceptional professor and I am lucky to be enrolled in his classes. He is very accessible and one of the best teachers I have ever encountered. I wish I could enrol in more of his classes.

He's trying to cover as much material as possible. Whenever I had questions, he was "always" easily accessible via forum called "piaza". His lecture skill and quality of slide was mediocre, but considering that it was his first time teaching in SFU, I think it will be better.

Nice prof, always answers questions. Lectures are a bit unorganized but slides are usually pretty clear. Grading was fair.

Definitely one of the best prof I have had in SFU so far, expectation and grading were clear and concise. Although his lecture and slides may not be the best thing ever, his passion and knowledge on the topic can really change the dynamic of the class!! Also, easily accessible during office hours and on piazza which is a huge bonus.

Pretty average lectures and slides. Covered a lot of material. Answers lots of questions in Piazza. Midterm was good, final was significantly harder.

Super easy class and great teacher. You will learn a lot from his explanations and his practice code. He really cares about his students and he will give you all the help you need to succeed in his course. Just give a little effort and you will do great.

Dr. Shinkar explained all concepts exceptionally well and gave many opportunities for participation although it was not required. Biweekly quizzes were fairly easy and the 5 assignments given over the semester never took too long. Great course overall.

I enjoyed Igor's lectures. I didn't show up to every one (especially the two hour lectures), but I did find his lectures helpful. I went in not knowing a thing about C and came out with a lot of confidence in algorithms, Big O, data structures and using C (helpful for CMPT127). My only criticism is that he sometimes goes a little too fast.

Encourages and answers questions during and after class. Very accessible and good at explaining the material. I highly recommend attending the lectures.

Extremely extremely patient. Willing to explain the same thing over and over again if you don't understand. I did not have any programming exp before except for 120, so I worked quite hard in order to get above average. Make sure you do all the practice questions he gives, and you'll be fine on the exams. He's also really cute.

As a new instructor here, he is super nice to students.

Professor Shinkar doesn't post solutions for practice questions and assignments. If you are not good at coding, avoid him. He covered a lot in CMPT125. The final exam was very difficult. Many questions ask for writing code in C. But you will learn a lot from his lecture and his lecture is interesting. He always replies emails and questions online.

Amazing Professor. Some of my peers found it hard to focus in his class, but I was intrigued, even when we were learning about syntax and what not. Tip: Code a Linked List in C enough times until you understand what exactly it is. Then you're golden. Good luck!

Igor is extremely patient and is willing to explain the same concept over and over again until the class understands. He is also willing to give up his own time to help students that are working hard. Lectures are always fun and it is important to attend but you could survive without going once or twice and just making up for it on ur own.

good professor! Always answer any questions on piazza.

Very patient and reasonable, let me resubmit homework that had compilation errors.

Probably one of the most genuine and caring professor at SFU. He really takes into consideration of all the difficulties students are having and will go out of his way to help you succeed. Hope I can take future classes with him as well.

The course was really great. It was hard, but we learned a lot! After this course I would like to do research in algorithms. Igor was very nice, always willing to help, and always responds to email and piazza.

GREAT prof. Chill and approachable. Class was hard, but not too stressful. All homework questions were directly from lecture notes, which he didn't post online - i went to all lectures, they were always clear. Be prepared to take lots of notes and commit a LOT of time. Answers emails, is actually helpful and available in office hours.

Professor Shinkar's class was such an amazing opportunity to learn new materials in a way that you can also enjoy it. He is such a caring professor and his lectures are straight forward to follow. ( And not boring at all ) I hope that in the future I can take more classes with him. I think I can say that we all like his lectures so much. :)

Dr. Shinkar is probably one of the best Professors that I've had at SFU so far, His lectures are informative and he is always willing to help whether it be on Piazza or during his office hours. Would highly recommend.

I can't say thank you enough for how his class intrigued me into CMPT deeply. I am an international student and sometimes had hard time to understand. But we have various places to interact with Prof. Shinkar, including in-class, office hour, and particularly online discussion where Prof responds almost within an hour. I wanna take his class more.

Very cool guy. Lectures were always interesting and overall quite inspiring. Dr. Shinkar was always readily available during office hours (which were very helpful) or through email and replied quickly on Piazza. Assignments were not overly difficult and exams were fair - no surprises. I hope to take a class with him again in the future.

Prof Shinkar is the best professor I've had at SFU so far. He is extremely patient, always replies to emails and questions on piazza even in the middle of the night and the night before the exams. We covered A LOT in CMPT125. His lectures were great, very informative and he explains same concepts 2-3 times making sure everyone understands.

This is the second time I'm taking CMPT125. Igor was really amazing! He helped me so much. This time thanks for Igor understood the O-notation and ADTs. The final exam had lot of coding. Avoid him if you are not good at C. Actually, if are not good at coding and don't want to spend time on this - just avoid CompSci.

This class was my first time coding in C, i had no background in compsci except for cmpt120. Helpful and accessible outside of class, responds fast on piazza. He goes through material really fast so I had to read more and practice in my own time, but I believe hitting up stackoverflow and googling is just a required compsci skill for any course.

Igor is such an incredible individual and is willing to help every single student. But I do think he made this class harder than others. For those with little programming background, the content can become challenging. Ultimately, the key to success is consistent practice with coding. I have a good knowledge of material taught but grades were ok.

This class was made harder than usual but Igor was amazing for this course. He would respond quickly to questions on piazza and keeps the class interesting. Cares for the students and answered questions before exam night. Even posting a message for us that the 143 does not run on the weekends.

He is a good prof,but makes everything very difficult. If you want to take this as an elective class with him, don't. This prof is strictly for the majors.

We learned a lot more than other CMPT 125 classes. But Igor is so good at explaining things that we had enough time for everything, and even 2 hours review before the final. Just solve his practice problems, and write code for linked lists, stacks, queues, and you'll get an easy A. And his "believe in yourself" speech was hilarious.

Igor try his best to deliver fresh and not outdated material. You can ask questions anytime during the class and he truly try his best to answer your questions. He is smart, nice, and a good teacher.

Igor responds to emails and piazza very fast. The assignments are very difficult, but he posts solutions, and they are usually short. Solve all his practice problems, and you should be ready for the final.

Igor is the best prof at SFU hands down. Always available to answer question over email and piazza. The material is pretty difficult, but Igor always makes sure everyone has a chance to ask questions and explains every small detail. Would love to take more courses with him in the future

Igor is extremely passionate and loves what he teaches. This course is not easy if you dont pay attention. I highly recommend you to use Piazza as much as you can and do all practice questions before exam. The best thing I felt from his lecture is that he takes care of students a lot. He replied very quick. THIS PROF IS AWESOME!!!

Igor really cares about his students, and wants all of them to succeed. Very fast responses to emails and gives constructive feedback

One of the best professors I've had at SFU so far. Replies to questions and concerns very quickly, sometimes even in minutes. All tests and quizzes are based of lectures and assignments really help you learn!

Despite all the difficulties that were facing the university's staff due to the pandemic, Igor did his best to overcome them and give the highest quality of education. He really wants everyone to do great in the course and is always opened to discussions. Would take him again for sure.

Igor is a wonderful and caring professor. You an clearly see he cares about his students' education and understanding more than anything. Very accessible in and out of the class. Respectful of students. Hilarious. Fair. The only negative thing I can say is that he gets distracted or sidetracked in lectures sometimes making it hard to follow him.

Igor is an excellent professor! He changed the way I look at programming. Also, thanks to Igors teaching, I gained an internship! Igor is VERY responsive (always within the hour), super fair, always willing to help, and just a very nice and funny person. He is clearly an expert on all things computing science. I wish he taught every course!

Had Igor for CMPT 125 and took CMPT 225 with him again. Amazing prof, great lectures and very active on Piazza. Course is taught in Java instead of C++. He teaches basics of Java in first few lectures. You have about 2 weeks to finish assignments. Final project is hard, depending on how good you are at coding, start early. Best prof at SFU imo.

Igor is the best prof at SFU. He is very funny, extremely intelligent, and just overall a great person. Exams are very fair and he does a lot to help you prepare. He made my life so much better during such a difficult semester, and his excellent teaching helped me land my first internship. Trust me, take any course you can with Igor!

Igor is one of the best CS professor in SFU. He is funny and reply to emails and piazzas quickly. His course grading is reasonable, and you can get a good mark if you work hard. I took his CMPT225, and he makes the abstract data structures easy to understand.

Igor is a great prof. He is very approachable and very reasonable. He also responds to student questions very quickly. Good assignments that aren't too hard. I recommend him for data structures.

It's so rare to have a prof who replies your every email within half an hour and even on weekends.

Great prof. Sometimes he doesn't explain things the clearest but the course is hard and takes lots of practice. Pretty difficult exams but definitely fair. Answers questions on piazza really quickly.

If you can take a course with Igor please do, he is excellent. Exams on the harder side but still very fair. Lab exam was really easy if you could do all the piazza questions. He is very accessible outside of class on piazza.

Igor was one of the best professors I've had in my university career. Very accomodating and caring for his students. Also, has good but dry sense of humour. More importantly, doesn't set you up for failure.

He is one of the best computing professors I've had. Incredibly accomodating and cares if you actually learn in class. Will always push deadlines if you ask, and is easily accessible after class. The exams are not very difficult and if you actually understand the content then you'd do well on them. Can't recommend him enough.

Dr. Igor is one of the best professors I've had. He's clear during lectures and repeats hard concepts multiple times during the class. He replies to piazza/email questions quickly and really cares about his students. He truly wants his students to succeed and will set them up for success. 10/10 would take again

Does a fairly good job at lecturing and explaining topics, sometimes can feel a little disorganized. He does a great job communicating on Piazza and through email, the most responsive professor I've ever had. Personally I didn't find the course very difficult but I did have prior programming experience. I think it would be hard if you didn't though

Igor really knows his stuff. The lectures are great, he really explains things to the very last detail. It's a difficult course, and you need to work a lot, but you also learn in this course a ton. Igor is also amazing with replying to emails and piazza. Highly recommend

Great prof. One of the best at SFU

The assignments are pretty long, but you get 2 weeks for them. The lectures are mostly clear. The prof answers questions on piazza, even in the middle of the night. So no need to wait for the office hours. Nice guy

Professor Shinkar is a great professor who really cares about students. He is really accessible outside of class and always responds very fast to Piazza questions. His tests are fair and he allows you to access past midterms and finals which really helps since the format and questions are similar. A hard but interesting course. :)

Super nice guy, taught clearly & concisely, and definitely cared about his students. Absolute legend, really hope I get to take another class with him

He was a great teacher, always almost instant responses to emails and great lectures.

Prof's lectures and lecture notes were organized, easy-to-understand, and he explains each topic thoroughly. He was also the most accessible prof I've ever had, he responds to questions via email or Piazza extremely fast, sometimes under five to ten minutes.

If he is teaching the course you want. Go for it.

Incredible teacher, his website provides everything from past exams and lectures to the test cases used to grade homework. His lectures are very good and he answers questions posted on the online piazza page extremely quickly.

Best prof ever, just take him

Dr. Shinkar is an amazing professor. Go to class and interact with him and you will enjoy this course. Total of 5 assignments with test cases allowing you to check your work before submitting. If you are willing to come to class (which is also recommended on zoom for spring 2022) and do the practice problems you will enjoy. 10/10 prof and person

Dr Shinkar is the best prof of all time definitely take him. Great lectures, very accessible outside of class, cares a lot about students, answers any question you ask him and has very fair tests. Super caring and funny guy 10/10 would recommend.

what sets Dr. Shinkar apart as one of the best profs at SFU is that he really cares about each student. He is very accessible outside of class. His grading criteria for assignments are fair and straightforward (usually covered in class). The course is hard but if you can take it with him at ANY COST.

As we all know, algorithm class is a difficult course, but what he tought is easy to understand. Even some of my interviews, all questions can be found from his lecture.

Probably the best prof I've ever had. Lectures are simply amazing; he explains concepts and ideas in a very easy to understand way. Exams are fair and reasonable. Responds to questions on Piazza within an hour even on weekends. Very chill and funny guy. Really seems like he cares about his class. Would 100% recommend everyone take him!

Great professor who always responds to students' inquiries quickly. A minor drawback is that the course seems to be a little bit disorganized. Some of the logistics and policies are not clarified beforehand.

I had Dr. Shinkar for both CMPT 125 and 405, and I have to say, he is definitely the best professor I've ever had in my life. He is able to simplify complex topics and make them super easy to understand. Whether it be in the middle of lecture or on Piazza, he encourages you to ask questions, and he is always willing to help. He is the best!

Does lectures with code to follow along, shows clearly how assignments/tests are marked, very accessible with piazza, basically everything you need from a professor, he does.

Very generous with regrading should you make a mistake. Lectures are clear and homework is well spaced throughout the term and not super hard. Simply covers what was done in lectures nothing more nothing less. No surprises, as it should be. Very good with answering questions during and after class. Left class with a very good understanding.

BEST PROF FOR CMPT CLASSES. He makes lectures as fun as possible and always make classes interesting. Super caring and always replies to piazza posts and emails quicky. If you have a chance to take a class with this prof do it!!

Great professor, I enjoyed his lectures and all his assignments and tests are fair if you pay attention and put the work in. He's easy to communicate with and responsive if you have any issues with assignment or tests.

Igor is a nice prof, and he responds to questions on Piazza insanely quickly. I think he should put in a little more effort to make his lectures more engaging and lively, because the 2-hour lectures got boring very fast. Regarding the course itself, you absolutely need to understand concepts as he teaches them, because the pace is pretty fast

Very understanding and helpful. His lectures were very enjoyable and the course load was manageable. Would definitely take again.

he is a great lecturer. the pace is a bit fast, but you learn a ton. very helpful on piazza and in person. the final project looks pretty challenging, but i guess that's how you improve

Prof shinkar really cares about his students, goes out of his way to always be accessible thru piazza which is much appreciated. Always explains concepts as best as he can - i get bored during lectures but cuz i know the concepts already - when he explains new concepts he's solid

Originally had an awful Prof for the course that got replaced with Igor. He managed to teach the course within 6 weeks and he was amazing!! Was a good lecturer and easily accessible through piazza. Although the course was fast pasted due to our particular situation, Igor was very understanding and did his best to help us succeed. 100% recommend him

Igor is the GOAT. He came into the Spring 2023 D200 section a month after a disastrous first month with another professor who was utterly incapable of teaching CMPT 125 properly. Igor managed to get the class back up to speed for the most part in terms of material, and single-handedly saved the section. Would take him again 100x if I could.

Igor saved our section of CMPT125. Partway through the semester he took over and taught us the best he could and tested us based on what we were able to cover. 10/10 Teaching style, 10/10 human being

Great professor. Pros: Clear grading criteria, fair exams, very fair/easy homework (should be free 20%). Neutral: Final Project was 'hard' at the start but most of the class got it at the end (Fifteenpuzzle solver) so start it early Cons: Lectures got boring and a bit fast-paced by the time the midterm passed (not necessarily his fault).

amazing class amazing prof. He delivered it well for a tough class, and his office hours were extremely helpful as he cares for all his students as long as they put in the time and care. (end of discussion)

I'm taking CMPT 125 with Dr. Janice Regan, but Dr. Shinkar's recorded lecture videos are a lifesaver as they are essentially replacing my in person lectures (which are useless). Videos teach concepts in a very clear manner. Thank you Dr. Shinkar

GOAT. absolute legend. seriously, if you have the chance to take a course with him do it

best prof ever

he is amazing, I would only take him if i could

Took his class in Spring 2023, but to date it has been one of the best classes & profs I've taken at SFU. Please SFU give us more classes with Igor!!! GOAT

currently using his online lectures to get through janice regan's class, and he's genuinely brought back my passion to learn.

Igor is the GOAT, makes his lectures interesting and engaging (at least for 830am lectures). His assignments are relatively straightforward and you should get A's on them. Midterm is tough so beware of that but the lab exam is open-internet so it's pretty easy. He also gives you his previous exams to practice. He also responds quickly on Piazza

He was really chill. Project was definitely hard but it is not an "unsolved" problem at all so eventually you will get the solution, it just takes time. Good lectures, easy assignments, and exams are more than fair. Take it with Igor, trust me.

Lotta bad students here complaining even though Igor has been nothing but a saint. He's been supportive and kind all semester with an easy midterm and HW assignments. I'm not gonna say the project was easy, but it wasn't hard either. Very fair considering the time we were given. Most of the class are vibe coders, so lots crying right now lol.

> cs students given a whole month to do project > Students wait until the last 5 days to do it > Get completely filtered by the problem > cry and rate a 1.0 on rmp Many such cases.

I found lectures overall to be pretty decent, wish he spent more time on more important subjects. Project felt quite unfitting and difficult to do with the things we learned in class. Entire course structure felt quite messy compared to other CMPT courses I've taken, but nonetheless still manageable.

He's very fair, - one of the highest midterm averages for this course - poor choice of words for some questions but makes up for it by being overly generous while marking - literally free 20% for hw, lets you attempt multiple times if you mess up - hard project but again, hes very generous with marking so as long as you attempt and try, youre good

The midterm and assignments were easy. But the project was torture. His idea was to let us exercise A* algorithm, but everyone I knew who passed all the tests did not use A*. ppl referenced to Kociemba's or via beginner's method. Hence I don't really know what's the purpose with the project anyways. idek whether he's able to solve it via A*.

Some students are so salty they are literally patrolling this RMP and giving a downvote to any positive review they see instead of studying. Emotional reviews should all be removed. He was solid and taught everything needed to succeed, and don't take my word for it this is objectively true since our midterm was almost a perfect bell curve.

other students are acting like he was the worst prof at sfu. easy assignments, fair midterm, easy final, good lectures. the one thing I didn't like is how disorganized the project was. other than that, great professor.

If this is your first time using Java, you may find the beginning challenging. Assignment 1 was harder than I expected, and the lectures move quickly. However, after initial adjustment, the course becomes very manageable. I HIGHLY recommend going to his office hours—he is extremely helpful and will do everything he can to support your understanding

Although the final project was difficult it helps you prepare for the final exam, his exams were very fair and he genuinely wants his students to succeed. Highly recommend taking it with him! Thanks Igor bless you.

Igor was a solid prof. He was rusty after teaching this course in 2023, but the midterm and final were fair, lectures were rushed later in the semester due to him missing some days. My advice would be to do things much ahead of time as many people had issues with the project, but if you give yourself a lot of time and do research you can succeed.

Igor is the best CS prof hands down. This prof is a tiny bit disorganised, but I would say that most of his lectures were clear. Final project was definitely a bit tough, but his exams were super fair (and he was able to accommodate me taking it later). Overall, if you put the effort into this class you can do super well. Thank you for the sem!

Igor is an amazing professor! His lectures are great and is very understanding and caring. His exams were a bit tough but he was also lenient with his marking. The project was also stressful but again, very lenient with the marking. Overall, W course would take again.

Great prof and a really caring person. Allowed for resubmissions and was very lenient with his marking, his lectures weren't the best but then again I just used youtube to supplement my learning and it worked out great for his midterms and finals.

one of the best profs I've had over the years. super caring and understanding towards students.

He cares about his students, EXTREMELY fair and understanding. I'd take all my courses with him if I could. He can understand if you've genuinely studied/attempted something and gives you marks based on that as well as having the correct solution. project was a difficult but there are people that solved less than 25% and still got 75%+

This was a solid course. The work was fair and a lot of time was given for the project, which while difficult as long as you put in effort you got s good mark (even if you couldn't fully solve it). The tests were fair and covered topics he layed out pretty clearly on the online class forum.

Igor's getting a lot of hate, but I would describe him as very fair. Extremely fairly graded regular assignments, reasonable difficulty on midterm & final. Final project was hard - definitely harder than most stuff - but Igor is very helpful & active on piazza. Don't expect to be able to fully coast with him, just put in the work and you're fine.

While there are many topics and the final project is pretty tough, professor Shinkar is extremely fair and helpful. Would def recommend

Igor is one of the best computer science professors at the school. he responds to messages fast, his assignments are fair, and his midterm and final are very similar to the practice. the only thing is, his final project was VERY hard, so make sure to start at least a week before. also his course is in java so it's already 10 times easier.

good prof, fair exams, fair assignments, and very difficult final project. but be weary because there was no curve.

Igor's lectures were great and he explained the concepts very well. The final project was very difficult, so it's a good idea to start on it early. The tests were a bit difficult, but fair. He also provides you with lots of practice problems which help a lot when studying for the tests.