Gives a lot of work. Very approachable for help. Mid. and Prog. are difficult.

always willing to help, that's good because you will need it!

very knowledgeable and helpful, material can be difficult, must ask questions

great teacher, gives a lot of homework but he is always willing to help students

Very Helpful, ASK FOR HELP IF YOU NEED IT

one of the best prof in CS but difficult

A difficult teacher. Easily on eof the smartest in CS. Learned alot

Do the homework and sample questions, email for help- he wants you to do well!

My favorite Prof. I've emailed him at 3:30am and got a response 3 minutes later.

Great Teacher! Tests are hard, programs are hard, but youll learn alot. Very helpful. email him anytime and he'll reply real quick. tests worth 50% of grade, kinda high. All notes in word document, hard to understand. 2 tests, 4 programs.

very good teacher

One of the best professors for the course that i have taken.Glad that i took it with him.

One of the best professors for the course.Answers e-mail questions anytime.Very helpful.Even though the assignments are hard you really learn the subject.

great professor, smartest by far, explicit explanations, super organized, homeworks are hard, but he's always there to help. He really makes you learn the material. For this class, you really really need to give it your best (it's not easy) good luck!

In my opinion, Algorithm Analysis is best learned when you PROGRAM, not doing some math analysis. This class is all about turning in a piece of paper with some math work. If you want to understand the purpose of efficient coding, take another section.

Very good teacher, instead of concentrating on some programming language (which is NOT the purpose of this course), he concentrates in more tough concepts as NP-Hard problems and transformations. Fundamental class for any grad student.

D=Diploma. this class was harder than anything else i could have imagined. did great for his extremely hard homeworks, but just got passed the margins for his midterm and final. he's a good teacher and you'll learn a lot, but definately not easy!!!

Very clear classes. very organized, including the assignments and tests. The best professor I've taken in CS.

Reccomeded. The unofficial WEEDER class of CS. Beware! Make sure you take 9-12 units max the semester you take this. Carroll is HARD but he knows his stuff. (Actually, CS560 is hard with ANYBODY---even Root!) No programming, just Discrete Math & CS310 on steroids. Contrary to rumors, he curved

Very good teacher. Would take him again.

Sounds easy and fun but turns out to be more work than Chem200. You have meeting times outside of class to do labs with a partner. The labs are about 2 - 3 hours each. Really picky on grading with his grading script so don't forget anything or you're losing a point and the labs are out of 9 points so 1 point off is a lot. Test are difficult.

Class was pretty hard. Seemed to get a little easier towards the end. U will spend lots of time on the homework. I got hardly anything out of his lectures and seemed to learn much more during his office hours. Tests are very challenging even with 2-3 pgs of notes. Final is worth 50% of grade. He curved the class even though he said he wouldnt.

Excellent Professor. Very very systematic and clear in lectures. Probably one of the best in CS department. Yeah his exams are pretty tough, but hey, he teaches so well that you ought to be able to answer them!

While very eager to help and a nice person in general, he is perhaps one of the hardest cs profs to take. Having him for cs560 is a big mistake. If you can't get to his office hours at least once or twice per assingment(and there are at least 6) then you have no hope of getting a decent grade. Even then, it is very hard and a huge amount of work.

CS 560 is probably one of the hardest CS courses you will take as an undergrad, but Carroll makes it somewhat bareable. He is very easy to understand and explains things well but sometimes can get boring. Lots of NP-complete at the end and make sure you can do proofs by induction for midterm 1. You have to take 560 and carroll is your best choice.

Carroll is THE professor to take for 560. I found the 50% final to be intimidating at first, but it really wasn't so bad. Work load was surprisingly light. Material is dry, follow along in the book it makes more sense and keeps you awake. Very helpful at office hours. Do all the work, pay attention in class, get an A. Plus he has a killer mustache.

Only sat in on his class (not for grade), which he said was OK to do. I found his lectures extremely helpful and his teaching style very professional. He really helps you in your approach to difficult problems. If you need this class, I can't see why you'd take anyone else.

This class tapered off through the semester. Really hard at first and then it kind of just chugs along. Not too interesting and the book is !TERRIBLE! but Dr. Carroll is a good teacher and knows his stuff. Go to class, do the homework and you'll pass.

This is an incredible class. Both difficult and interesting. Take it and 662 from him if you are interested about automata. Be warned: you will work for your grade in this class! But he is fair, and very knowledgable about the subject.

Carroll is very knowledgeable and helpful but his style feels very out of date. Lectures are dry/boring as he reads his lecture notes to the class almost verbatim. Grades very hard and weighted heavily on mid-term and final. focuses way too much on low level things like inodes and data structures and not enough on real world administrative tasks

Carroll is a great teacher. He is EXTREMELY helpful during his office hours and through email. Even though the class is difficult, Carroll made the subject reasonable. We had 10 HW assignments worth 25% of our grade, 1 midterm worth 25%, and the final, which was worth 50%. It is essential to see him during his office hours if you want a good grade.

One of the best teachers I've ever had. Thank you, Dr. Carroll.

Having this teacher, I suggest you email this professor often. He is constantly on his email, and I must say, his dedication into having a student learn Discrete math is tremendous. It's been 10 years since teaching 245, but he's willing to help every student. Highly recommend. Stay on top of this course.

Awesome professor but he teaches with a very heavy hand on theory. Tests are quite hard but not impossible to pass if you go to office hours every day.

Just like every carroll class he teaches directly from the notes he projects on the screen. Test are always hard and nearly impossible to study for because he will throw many many curve ball questions. Assignments are ambiguous and its impossible to get full credit on. He is very helpful in office hours. Don't take if you want an easy CS Elective.

Class was kinda confusing. However, Carroll was willing to help people who had questions in class. Attendance is mandatory since there are pop quizes. DO THE OPTIONAL HOMEWORK, they are a good way to improve your grade in class. And make sure to ask questions, like I said he is willing to help students. Would recommend.

Carroll is excellent. He has a reputation for being hard. This is true. This class requires alot of effort. 310 with Riggins was hard too, but one that teaches you so much. He will challenge you, but it is all worth learning. He is a nice guy, and is very willing to help you, but you have to have a question to ask. Go to office hours, email often.

First off, GO TO CLASS EVERY DAY! The class is hard but manageable. The textbook makes complete sense but the problem with Carroll is he has his own way of doing stuff. If you don't go to class and see him solve problems you WILL NOT pass the class. Do the homework and ask for as many examples as possible for every type of prob. You need to try!

This is a hard but rewarding class. If you want a good grade be prepared to work for it. GO to office hours, DO the optional homework, READ the textbook, GO TO EVERY CLASS. If you don't do any of the above you will have a HARD time in the course. Try super hard at the start of the class, it sets the framework for the rest of the semester.

This class is a joke. Ignore those people who said this class is difficult. Grades are based off homeworks (25%), a midterm (25%), and a final (50%). You can also use cheatsheets for both the midterm and final which makes them incredibly easy... You have to be a complete m0r0n to fail this class; think CS107 and CS108. Highly reccommended!

Very difficult course if you do not invest time and effort. Make sure you have different resources to go to when you have troubles and problems. Midterm and final are tough, so remember to have the right stuff on your cheat-sheet (front & back). Programs are tough as well, so don't be afraid to ask for help, from peers and from Dr. Carroll himself.

This guy was my favorite professor during the semester... once i emailed him a proof to check at 2 am he got back to me in 2 min.

Easily one of my favorite professors at State. Very easy to communicate with and clearly passionate about teaching. His class is hard, but he is very fair with his grading and what he allows students to do on tests and in class.

His lectures are interesting, but can be kind of boring sometimes. Regardless, he's always there to help and provides really good advice. There are 4 programs, and 4 assignments. Tests are hard, but are fair if you study his extensive test advice emails. The programsassignments are easy and aren't daunting.

Professor Carroll is very very helpful and also very nice. Read the notes and do the textbook problems. He lets you bring a sheet of notes for exams so make sure you make a good one. STUDY! Programs are pretty tough so give yourself enough time to do them early. You get extra credit for turning them in early too. Take advantage of this.

Wow, what a fantastic class! It was definitely challenging, but in a good way. Read the book and take notes both in and out of class. Start the homework early, and don't be shy about going to office hours. I felt like I got a lot out of this course and am a better student as a result. Don't miss class and do the sample test problems he sends out.

I love Carroll! He's a great teacher and really loves to teach. Tests can be tough aside from the proofs, so it's best to ask him for some examples, and he responds quickly over email and really helped me out. He does a lot of examples in class and is good at explaining things. Usually gives pop quizzes, so go to class!

Another fantastic class! It was certainly an honor having learned from Dr. Carroll over the years. Go to class, read the lecture notes, ask questions, and go to his office hours. He's there for you, if you ask for help. He's really into what he does and is one of the best professors I've ever learned from.

Best Discreet math professor at State hands down. The class itself is very hard and he makes learning the subject easy. More than welcome to answer any questions you may have day or night. Pop quizzes so make sure to go to class, tests are a bit hard but is generous when it comes to grading. Avoid anyone else and take Carroll for 245!!!!

He is very caring and always responds to email right away. Grading the programs is very fair-- the autograder runs a few times before submission so there are no surprises with your grades. Also lots of extra credit. Assignments (all in C) can be very hard so allocate lots of time. Reading ALL material is required for a good grade. Great teacher!!

He always respond to email so quickly and really explains things very clearly. He is best teacher in CS department. But the test is hard, and needs a lot of efforts to read the materials to get a good grade.

Found his lectures not very helpful b/c he reads directly from the textbook. To understand you the material you have to read the book. He gave us more quizzes than he said he would and they get progressively harder like the tests. He made his final really hard. Always replies to emails & is very helpful with questions, and going over homework helps

Never attended lectures because I didn't find them helpful. I'm not much of a listener to begin with and prefer reading. That said his lecture notes were great to read and very informative. The textbook written by Tanenbaum is my favorite CS textbook. It's very interesting and he's a great author. The programs were challenging in a really fun way.

If you are a hardcore cs student who is into a lot of cs theory, then Automata with Carroll is for you. Although he is not a very good explainer during lecture, his book is helpful if read carefully. He is also one of the most available teachers I've seen at state, second to Riggins. This course will leave you with an enlightened perspective on cs.

Expects you to know C coming in and you better because he'll barely teach you how to write in C. Lectures are basically him reading from his own reader notes. The midterm and final account for 70% of your overall grade. Best advice is pay whatever it costs to take in the summer and just move on with your life.

Feels like other CS classes. Assignments arent that hard, but just take time. Lots of extra credit on assignments, by turning them in early. You get a cheat sheet on midterm and final which helps. Responds pretty to emails. Some of the material helps for potential internships. Dont be discouraged by other reviews, hes a great professor.

Dr. Carroll is Awesome! He always asks if there are examples the class wants him to go over. His lectures are helpful and he explains concepts in depth. If you go to class and read the book you'll do well on quizzes and tests. Dr. Carroll is one of the few teachers at State and actually care. He will answer emails any time day or night. He's great!

Dr. Carroll definitely knows everything about programming languages and how they work with the system. His lectures generally go from start to finish, he rarely cuts lecture short even by a few minutes. He loves to give extra credit on assignments so it is definitely worth it to aim for that. Give yourself time and email often and you'll do fine.

John Carroll cares about what he teaches. If you don't understand something in his class, take time to reach out to him whether it be via email at an obscure hour of the night or his office hours. Come to class with questions and they will be answered. Try to stay up-to-date with everything as it's easy to fall behind. He makes this class easy.

570 with Carroll is hard. However, he's also the best professor in the department in terms of email response time and general helpfulness. Most people who complain about him don't go to office hours or start the projects early. Do both of those things and this class is very doable. He LIKES helping people who try, but don't expect to be spoon-fed.

Dr. Carroll is very knowledgeable about the materials. An awesome Linux guy :-) hates WinBlows. He forces you to understand deeply the concepts, so if you just memorize the problems or just copy them down to your cheat sheets for the exams WON'T work. If you're the type of person like to get free grades and don't want to work, pick someone else :-)

Carroll is an absolute unit of a professor. His response time to emails and helpfulness is unrivaled, not to mention how fast he is when it comes to grading. This class is very difficult but is one of my favorite classes that I've ever taken. If you take pride in being in CS then definitely take this class because you will learn a lot.

Extremely helpful and responsive to students questions. Answers email very promptly. Good knowledge of C and Unix required to pass this class, which is frustrating because neither C or Unix classes are taught at CS department. Departmental failure once again. Appropriate prerequisites are not though but you are expected to know them from somewhere

This class is HARD. However, he is very helpful in office hours or responding to emails. He tries his best to make it clear, but the material is just hard. He gave out many opportunities for extra credit on tests and homework. Homework assignments basically every week. 50% of your grade is the final. Just be ready to work or you wont pass.

One of the hardest classes I have ever taken but doesn't mean you can't pass. The reason this class is so hard is because searching online won't help you and the material takes a lot of reading over in order to fully grasp the concept. That said, he is very responsive and is willing to point out your errors and guide you to the solution.

Very knowledgeable guy, SUPER HARD class. This class is doable if you make it your priority and GET AHEAD on all the projects, he offers tons of extra credit. It could be a fun class if you know how to manage your time, unfortunately for me I might have to retake it.

CS570 with Carroll is without a doubt one of the hardest classes Ive taken at state. Final is 45%, midterm is 25%, 4 projects make up whats left of the grade. My advice, start early on everything and do the extra credit he offers on projects. Also Carroll is super nice and always available for answering questions. Good luck, youre gonna need it!

This is a tough class no matter who you take it with, but if you take Carroll, make sure you can code in C. There's 4 (incrementally more difficult) programming assignments, a midterm, and a final. He offers extra credit for almost every program which is needed for the very difficult tests. Very helpful teacher, make sure you take advantage.

Professor Carroll is a very good professor. The workload is consistent, but he was encouraging us to email him our progress on the assignment as we completed it to check it for errors, and additionally, almost every assignment had two due dates; one for 125% credit, and one for 100% credit. Very transparent on what will be included on exams.