it s online. its a very good class for newbies! I personally want more focus on algorithm. The online modules would be more helpful if the content is more searchable. I found the textbook is more well written. I went thru the class without reading much from the text book but every words of the module. I wish it was the other way.

Always here to help. Thanks, Jesse!

Hats off to Jesse, this is the most streamlined programming class I’ve ever taken. Thanks!

I'm a high school student taking some classes at foothill. awesome teacher! uses another teacher's modules which can be confusing and unclear at times. Overall they are fine. Class has a steep learning curve, but it gets easier about half way through the course. He is a really understanding guy. Great teacher; hats off to this guy!

I find this class was so easy that all I need to do is just read from the modules, then I'll understand the class completely and do his assignments so well. The online class really helps you to understand the basics of C++ programming . I recommend student to take his class if you want to learn the basics of programming the faster and easiest way.

Great, great professor. If you are willing to put in the work and want to learn, Cecil is great! Answers questions in the forum fairly quickly--although I have to admit sometimes they can be very short and/or vague (took online). But I really felt like he wanted us all to succeed and helped us all to do so.

Took online. I believe he genuinely tries to be helpful, although responses to posted questions can take a while and be short, vague, even non-responsive. Kudos for holding virtual office hours. Posts frequent, helpful announcements. Material can be quite challenging but he is extremely fair. He seems to be extremely committed to student success.

Challenging class but very well designed. Course materials and assignments developed by the professor were designed to get students up to speed as quickly and efficiently. Clearly a lot of thought and planning went into how to make this course work in an online format. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to learn computer programming

Great teacher!! Really knows his material well, Cecil can answer any question you throw at him. He answers pretty promptly, especially fast nearing assignment deadlines. His grading policy is kind of scary when you first look at it, but he's pretty lenient about grading.

Jesse Cecil's summer online course was one of the best learning experiences I have ever had. It was challenging but clear, moved fast enough to get to the interesting parts but clearly stated what you needed to understand to move on. I found taking notes on the online notes helped me through the more difficult sections introducing classes.

This was not my first programming class, so I had a small advantage. The course not only covers Java but also is an excellent intro to programming in general. Potential improvements? Introduce recursion earlier on and discuss run-time complexity. Biggest takeaway? I now know enough about Java to learn on my own!

Professor Cecil has experience with his online classes which is why he's able to create a good system for it. I loved the pace we were going at and I loved how we can look at future assignments and start learning about them early. One suggestion I would have is allow a no penalty 1/2 day submission, especially for the summer session

As a high schooler, this was my very first college course! I decided to take this course because I am taking APCS in the fall. This course was definitely challenging but at the right level. The assignments are a little bit hard though. I really like how the course was designed through its online format.

The conciseness and clarity of the reading material in the modules are very impressive. I did not meet much problems during this introductory course. But it appears that the professor answers most of the questions posted on the forum in time and is of help.

Prof. Ceccil is great person. I use to have lot of troubles in programming and he help me throughout the course. I reccomend taking his class. Do purchase the text book and review it before doing his homework although it is not required.

gooddd class

I thought this class was extremely easy and straightforward, mainly because I studied java extensively before. The assignments were much easier than my previous codings so I had a easy time, but it wouldn't be that easy for a person who is learning how to code for the first time.

Clear, straightforward, and fair. He is a tough grader but he does offer extra credit. Summer class does go fast, so be warned. Regular quarter might be better if you want more time to get used to Java. Highly recommend.

His class is not easy. But CS is not a easy major....all I can say is although he is tough he is still the easiest one at foothill..So if u can't pass him...

Prof. Cecil expects you to be engaged in the course, so don't expect to coast. The course is somewhat demanding, so you'll need to set aside the time. He was clear, articulate, helpful and reasonable. When there were errors in the assignments, he acknowledged and corrected them promptly. I enjoyed the course and learned the material well.

Great class

Very good instructor. Assignments are very good. Allows students to see practical usages of programming. Be prepared, however, to do long periods of homework as homework tends to take a very long time since they center around real world demonstrations of coding. Finals/exams are simple, but each questions are heavily weighted due few problems.

Very Good material and good teacher. I feel Final exam should have more code based multiple choice questions.

The class is super easy although I took it during the early summer session. Got more than 100% on the final grade (he grades very leniently). Discussion forum works effectively, and really helps the students. Modules also very clear and understandable. Take his class at any chance!

Course is offered on basic & intermediate levels (worth same points). You write 2 programs a week. The 1st half of the course was easier than the 2nd. Timing was an issue. Try to keep up with deadlines and don't count on extensions because you will have less time to do the next assignment. Otherwise, great course and great teacher. I recommend.

Prof. Cecil made an effort to reply to just about every post in the forum, which is about as much as you can ask for an online course. Pace was brisk as it was a summer class, but is probably pretty manageable during a regular quarter.

He took his time to respond to every question or comment on the discussion board, which was helpful. I should have taken more advantage of this at the beginning of the course. The modules were really hard to read--I recommend setting aside a lot of time to study them, separate from the time you spend on the actual assignments I learned a lot.

I was a little uncertain about taking a programming course online over the summer, but Jesse did a great job with the class. The modules were well written but in some places, they could have used more detail in explaining the topic. Jesse made himself available on the forums and promptly answered any questions we had. Would highly recommend!

Totally it was really a helpful class.

This class has been very simple, effort is all that is required. Cecil is clear and there when you need him. But if you don't participate, be ready to get a poor grade.

Prof. Cecil responds to answers quickly and is a fair grader. He's very positive and is probably one of the best teachers at Foothill. I would take this class again if I wanted to. Take his class!

I went into taking a programming class online with some apprehension. But because of the hybrid CSIT program that I am in I had to take it this way. Professor Cecil has his material well organized and is there to help you in the forums and answers you within 24 hours. The grading scale is clear and percise.

More tags: "There for you" and "Would take again." I took Python online Fall2014. Grading is based on 9 labs and 2 tests. The labs are fun but challenging with strong partial credit. The tests are short with a long window. Prof Cecil promotes great class participation so online Q&A was excellent. The text is essential but also online resources.

Great teacher. Lectures Modules are self explanatory. The only thing that I personally don't like is the use of three spaces instead of Tabs, WHY???

This was my first online class, and my first programming class in years. The class was very well organized. The programming assignments were challenging. I learned lots from this class, and plan to take the next class soon. Mr. Cecil answered questions quickly via the online discussion group. Each question was important. Do the reading!

This is the best CS teacher at foothill for sure. He is so active on the online forums and is ALWAYS willing to help. He uses Loceff's labs and modules, which are higher level, but there is so much support for any questions you have. And he grades modestly too so getting an A isn't that hard, especially since there is a 10 point extra credit lab

The assignments almost killed me but he gives you a chance to earn extra credits which saved my life. I've never done any kind of cs before so every week I spend 6-10 hours on his class. I'm so happy that my hard work paid off.

Uses M. Loceff's modules and assignments so you learn A LOT. But grades really easy. If program works and follows spec, A+. Wish he could suggest ideas to make my code better for each assignment. So 1010 would recommend taking CS 1B with Jesse Cecil. Be comfortable wjava. Expect to spend A LOT of time on this class. I didn't expect this workload.

The programs are tough and take a lot of time. Start working on programs as soon as possible so that you can finish and submit your work on time. Mr. Cecil is very helpful and clarifies all our questions.

I was inspired to teach myself programming because of this class (intro to Java I-III). Some people complained about this professor for not giving them attention. I say they should stop being babies. This is college; no one should hold your hand -- unless you have a learning disability. Study hard; teach yourself -- that's what I say.

Professor Cecil is a very good instructor. He is knowledgeable, professional, helpful and available to provide help.

Professor Cecil was a good professor. I had him for C++ over the 6 week summer session online. The lecturesmodules reading was easy to understand and the assignments were very clear-cut. My only problem was that the last week, he kind of disappeared from the discussion forums where you ask for help. Otherwise, I would recommend it.

He is awesome.

As I was new to programming prior to this class, I learned so much. Professor Cecil is a great teacher and was very helpful. Also, the discussion forums were very helpful when completing assignments as well. I really enjoyed this class and would definitely take it again.

Professor Cecil is knowledgeable, professional and helpful.

This guy i the best CS teacher I have ever had in my life! He will make you love CS again! Don't listen to the bad comments, they are all wrong! TAKE HIM!!!!

Pretty chill class, it's not very easy but definitely doable especially with Cecil!

This is a very tough class. It deep dives into some key concepts and practices of OOP. Expect to spend a lot of time on homework and you will learn great deal through overcoming challenges. I also hope assignments arent reused for next quarter because that would make cheating pretty easy.

There is plenty of help available, but the lack of a formal/physical lecture (online course) requires lots of self-motivation. The environment setup is silly - Eclipse is painfully overkill for anything, especially simpler projects. I ended up just using a text editor and javac. Grading is somewhere between fair and easy.

Mr. Cecil guarantees you will learn a lot out of this course - provided you have many hours to dedicate to this class. Wish he is not this tough in grading and cut major points for late submissions. Not everyone is a fulltime student and may not be able to commit time and energy consistently. He should consider overall effort and progress instead.

Quick response to student queries, that make everyone not alone and overcome the tough assignment by disscussion room and you can share with each others and earn 10 points.

I have had a lot of practice so far. The homework isn't that difficult, but it needs patience and attention to details. Sometimes the material is a little confused, but you can discuss it on the forum and get feedback quickly (which I really like it). During the process of studying, professor Cecil is helpful.

I took his intro to Java class online. He was great! Very concerned about his students and available to answer questions, even on weekends. The material is tricky, but he definitely did his best to help us understand it. He gives very helpful feedback on hw assignments. One of the better college professors I've had (and I have several degrees).

I am a high schooler with no prior programming exp. This is fast paced course. Mr. Cecil made the modules easy to understand with examples. I learned a lot. But you need lot of time 2 programs/wk, take 6-20hrs/wk, it gets difficult. Use discussion forum. Follow all assignment instruction. Expects/teaches students to write professional level code.

I thoroughly enjoyed taking this class. Most of the grade was homework based (which I didn't really realize at first because the grading is unclear) but after I got that, I put a lot more time and effort into it. I love that the professor really wants to see your understanding of how to code, not how well you can take tests. Great teacher overall!

The middle of class kinda gets hard, but extra-credit is a lifesaver. Overall great professor, very knowledgeable prof, I would recommend him..

Professor Cecil really cares about the success of his students. My only complaint about him is that he isn't teaching 1C. He is very engaged and a great teacher for this not so easy class. His feedback is always very helpful and he is fair when grading assignments. This is my second class with him, and I can't recommend him more highly.

I found the intro to Java programming class very easy and enjoyable. The course materials are clearly written. The professor is very quick and helpful in answering student questions for homework. If you keep up with the suggested pace by the class, you will learn well and get an A. Just don't wait until the last day to do the assignment.

He is a great teacher and his feedback on assignments is very honest and on point. i don't like the huge amount of points given to assignment. As a slow learner, i didn't get amazing grades on the weekly assignments but i sure i could do all the assignments perfect now. which i think is the point of any class. i gained the knowledge but no grade

Forum questions mostly answered in one day after posting. Uses Loceff modules, which are mostly easy to read through. Gives helpful feedback, but later assignments are a lot harder than the earlier assignments. Extra credit opportunity available at the end of the quarter.

To be honest, Cecil's online assignments are not that easy. You must put on your efforts on this class. I feel that this is not a 4.5 units class, petty much like 5 or 6. Be sure to follow his classes steps otherwise you will lost your ways. Overall, his is the best cs professor on Foothill than others. Take him and you do will learn a lot!

Thanks! Let me enjoy Java. But I feel that C++ is mach easier than Java. Make sure your will work on 1B class even this is a online class. Finished one assignment I usual spent 4-8 hours which included check debug part. Amazing class!

I learned a ton by reading the modules and taking notes on them. Didn't have much interaction with him aside from posting questions in the forums. His answers weren't very long or explanatory, but I found them generally helpful. Went to "office hours" once and found that EXTREMELY helpful, wish I had done that every week.

Dr. Jesse is a very cool professor who gives wonderful online tutorials, answers questions in a timely manner and overall a caring and amazing professor.

I took this course to help my battery research. Prof. Cecil is very knowledgeable in his field. His modules were very useful. You will learn a lot if you study the modules and finish all the home works. I have a phd degree and have been taught by many professors before. I would say he is one of the best professors I had!

A great professor, but he seems busy, so he will not be able t answer you question on the same day

Great class! Had to work hard, but I learned a lot. The professor was good about answering questions along as they were not already specifically addressed in the assignment specs.

Excellent professor. Great class if you want to learn Java well. Grading criteria are clear and are fairly applied. Assignments might be a little difficult for someone with no prior programming experience. Definitely requires a commitment to learn Java and apply what you learn. No time to coast as there is another program to turn in every week.

I recently finished CS3A (Python intro). I'd recommend this course - I'm using as prereq for OMSCS so getting an A is important to me. Room for Improvement - Modules use too much bold and italicized font and contain typos or leftover code from Java - Consider replacing IDLE with a more modern IDE/Editor - Text homework submission felt strange

Great overall professor. The way the modules are set up might be generic, but they are very clear and I didn't mind the format. Professor Cecil was available to answer questions and chimed in on the discussions boards. With it being an online class, it's hard to know if you're doing average, better or worse than everyone else until the final grade.

I really liked this class and how this teacher gave good feedback on each assignment. The lectures were basically a chapter in a mandatory book. However, it covered the material really well and all chapters build on top of each other.

Very nice professor but here's my criticisms: 1. Too many typos in specs, unclear/incorrect specs 2. Slow at replying, changes incorrect specs on the day it's due. Sometimes does not reply 3. Weird due dates ... changes between 2pm and 11:59 pm, messes up with my schedule 4. Midterm exam does not reflect the things we learn from the modules

I enjoyed this class a lot. It's true that things can change one reason or the other. However I think that is more accurate to reality than a completely squeaky clean assignment. Also, questions were answered daily as a minimum which is reasonable. Many questions were answered immediately by fellow students and only corrected if wrong.

Solid choice if you have had cs before. Try to avoid making small mistakes in assignments.

It was a good class overall, but it definitely requires prior knowledge of programming. The modules tend to be vague sometimes, but if you read it enough times you can probably figure it out. You will definitely need to google lots of information to complete homework. The discussion boards are very helpful, but need quicker response time.

If you are looking for a class to replace ics 32, UCI no longer accepts it after the summer of 2019. CS 21A is pretty good review for ics 31 materials. You get plenty of exercise to code simple functions. The problem is it does not prepare you well for ics 33 and I had a hard time taking it. I really like this class' well-organized assignments.

Great Intro to Java online class during Spring 2020. Assignment labs are easier than the midterm/final exams. There are specific requirements and feedback on the assignments in order to get a high grade. The exams are nuanced and ask very specific questions. There was an extra credit assignment at the end. Would take again.

Since it is an online course, you have to spend pretty much time to finish the lab assignment. There is a discussion forum for the student to submit their questions and the professor response the students questions pretty soon daily. He is also willing to have a chat with you via zoom if you have any questions about your assignment.

Professor Cecil's fully remote 002A class is great. There are weekly labs, a midterm, and a final. The labs are challenging and grading is strict but clear. He teaches you how to write well-written code which is well-documented. He answers all questions on the class discussion forum or if you message him.

For each assignment, Cecil makes the grading criteria clear at the start. However, if you make a mistake, he will be dock you and can be quite harsh at times. In his assignment descriptions, you can tell that he is more of a Java guy, which was annoying during a C++ course. If you ask a question, he will answer fast. Overall, pretty good!

Make sure to read the assignment description when doing homework. There are small details that will cost if you don't pay close attention. The grading criteria is clear though. Also, you don't need a textbook for this class, I think its recommended, but I got along fine without one.

The workload for the class was very reasonable. You cannot slack off in his class, but if you work hard, it will reward you. The professor is very active in the discussion boards and he answers questions daily. He gave detailed and specific feedback on every lab. Overall Cecil was a great professor and I learned a lot from his class.

In general, this is a great introductory course. There's no video or online course, you have to read through the chapters as instructed. Some folks may not like this form. Homework projects take many hours mainly because of the code style requirement, or you will lose points.

Professor Cecil is a friendly teacher. In online/async CS2A and CS2B classes, he was very hands off. The modules provided were bare bones, and truly I just taught myself for both classes by reading the textbook. My biggest gripe is VERY error-ridden assignment specs, which would be updated late in the homework cycle. Easy, open book exams.

Professor Cecil made sure that the labs will challenge students but he didn't give the best lectures. However, the foothill tutors were always available to help and gave a lot of support. He was a bit picky on his grading criteria, however, he was fair and wasn't a bad professor.

Assignments can be challenging but you learn a lot. Make sure you can commit enough time. Professor Cecil is very warm-hearted and encouraging. Quick at grading. Most questions will be answered by peers on the forum and Professor Cecil will help clarify any unclear points. Great course and super nice professor. Very satisfied and highly recommend.

The class I took from prof Cecil was an intro to C++ course and it was a great class. All of the assignments are fun and interesting to complete. This is very much a self guided class where it is really up to you to do the reading and make sure you understand the material. If you can, get some c++ experience before you take the class.

I enjoyed my semester with Professor Cecil and would have no issues taking him again. Perhaps my biggest complaint is not with him but with the course itself, in particular the poorly worded modules (assignment instructions) that create a lot of confusion and are sometimes contradictory with the example output shown at the bottom of the module.

The projects are challenging yet fun. Procrastinators will suffer. Material is converted from C++ and Java courses with errors and typos. I appreciate the degree of ambiguity in the assignments as we won't be handed a concise task list for a job. Must read through everything, make sense of it, ask relevant questions, and solve real problems.

It a good teaching style. The professor was awesome.

So far I like how he teaches, but MAN this is can be a challenging class. Reading takes about 30 minutes to an hour to fully comprehend and you constantly have to go back to see his powerpoints while doing projects, and his videos are pretty ok at clearing up discrepencies. I recommend starting assignments as early as you can because they get hard.

He's a great teacher who encourages feedback and makes grading criteria clear. Although the organization of the guidelines could be better (there's a lot of repetition), it's overall a great course. I learned a lot through the combination of the textbook and the assignments and from the encouragement of interacting with others taking the class.

I'll start with the good: The class makes sense The order of the assignments is designed in such a way that if you read, and you are a self-starter, you will do well. The discussion boards are great. The bad: You HAVE to be a self starter. Don't expect much help from prof. Cecil specifically You CANNOT be late/lazy. The projects build on each other

Professor Cecil teaches great programming habits. His assignments are not too easy nor too hard. I like the requirement for online class participation via the online discussions.

Extremely accommodating professor, willing to listen to his students' needs. Communication is key. He provided me with assignment extensions, as I had to go for summer week-long camping. He compresses textbook material into 10-15 minute videos with relevant content. Textbook is recommended though for overview. Assignments were graded really fast.

He is an amazing teacher, always strives to make improvements to his class, and gives amazing feedback on assignments so you know how to work on them the next time.

Professor Cecil is very friendly and helpful. His instruction is clear and just right. His attitude makes me feel comfortable to take challenge, explore further, and learn more. I really like his way to guide and teach students.

The class was fully remote and there was no lectures, so all your communication is done through canvas either in the discussion with classmates or private message with the professor. I didn't have extensive programming experience but I found reading the textbook carefully and truly understanding the material helpful for tackling the labs.

Professor Cecil doesn't allow revision on the codes your grade will stay as it is. There will be discussion chat open through the week (each week new topic) ask and get help in there. If you know what you are doing and submitting your assignments on time then you are good. He grades good. Good Luck.

Professor Cecil's assignments are focused on problem-solving abilities, that is somewhat relevant to practical solutions. He's extremely accommodating instructor, always willing to listen to his students' needs and provide support when necessary during office hours.

Professor Cecil is accommodating and encourages feedback. The class is textbook-heavy, but the lectures and assignments are worthwhile. Using Unstuck AI and ChatGPT helped me prepare effectively.

The class was pretty easy (Python Interm.). The materials are well-organized, and the prof is accessible by email. The one thing I didn't like was the unclear specs and the feedback. I didn't get any points deducted, which I don't know is a plus or not, as I think feedback is crucial to grow. The assignments are every week, so be ready to work.