He's good

Professor Otten is wonderful and pretty much all you could ask for in a CS professor. There are issues with the class, but they're the department's and not his fault. Watch out for the monster projects he assigns, otherwise enjoy a very pleasant experience.

Enjoyable teacher to take

He is a great person and prof. respectful, true professional. If you pay attention to his lectures, do the weekly reading, and take really good notes you can get an A.

Pro. Otten is great for CS262. He is one of the few Professors that i can actually learn the materials during the class. He will make sure you understand the materials before move on. Exams are easy if u take note in class. 3 projects total, first two are really easy. they were like you can finish if you spend 1 or 2 days.

good professor but exams are long and tricky. Labs are almost always very difficult and long. no way you will finish in the expected 45 mins... I think he is new at teaching, he needs to realize that his tests and labs only stress the hell out of students, and this just hurts the learning experience and GPAs. Average 1st midterm was 70 NO CURVE

good easy

His lectures never left me confused. I had no experience with C going in, but feel confident with it now. I feel like he does a good job at explaining everything. 11 labs, 3 projects, 2 miderms, 1 final. Occasional, very short, pop quiz to make sure everyone is keeping up with material. All reasonable. His voice sounds exactly like Jay Leno.

Curve little at the end, drop lowest quiz, some extra credits on the exams, nice to his students. Listen to class and take note, you will not need to read the book at all. Overall really good at teaching this course

he teaches 262 better than Professor Nordstrom. Take note in class you will not need to read the book at all. and A is easy to get

Otten has the be the best all around guy i've ever met in the CS faculty

He is my favorite pprofessor in CS department so far. I took him for both CS105 and CS262 and he is extremely helpful. He asks what he teaches, and mind you he teaches excellently. Also, being a girl I have always felt encouraging vibes from him unlike other CS professors who only pay attention to guys. He gives surprise quizzes but they're easy.

Professor Otten is one of my favorite professor in CS department, he is surely the best guy in CS262(Not sure about his 105 tho). He is very clear about the stuff that you need to know for this class. His test is challenging good enough. Taking him if you want to actually learn C, gives out secret words for extra credit, make sure you show up.

Professor Otten is the best for CS 262 in Mason. You don't need to read a book at all! Just go to EVERY SINGLE class, listen and take notes. Whatever he says is going to be on projects, labs, exams. The reason you should go to every single class because he gives pop-quizes. He's not easy but if you work hard you should be fine. Recommended - 10/10!

Take him if possible!!! I'm done.

He is best in explaining all the concepts of C language (CSC 262). He is always there for you if you get lost. Every lecture begins with the revision of last class. There were 3 projects, 2 midterms, final exam, 13 labs and 4-5 popup quizzes. All quizzes, exams, and projects were based on his lectures. Avoid skipping class.

Prof Otten is very helpful and fair. He is there to make sure that you understand the materials, not is there to give you a tough time. Make sure you take good notes and listen to his lecture carefully: many of the project's difficult concepts, potential exam questions are discussed in his lecture.

Prof. Otten is very helpful and his explanations are clear. He tries to make sure you understand the material before going deeper. But if you don't pay attention, you will be left behind! He makes lab attendance mandatory which is a pain... Three or four quizzes, 11 labs, three projects, two midterms.

Great Professor! Really wants students to understand the material. He goes over the same thing 2,3, and 4 times if he has to to make sure you get it! Nice guy! I learned a lot in his class. You must pay attention, ask questions, and come to class. It's a lot of work--this class should definitely be 3 credits! But you learn a lot!

Great professor

Excellent professor - explains concepts in clarity. Repeats anything in class if needed however many times asked. Three pop quizzes given (easy difficulty). Projects were OK (hardest was second on graphing). Cares that student understand the material being learned. Final exam was semi-challenging (allowed note card). Knows what he is teaching.

He's nice guy, has a sense of humor, does a great job explaining the material, and is very patient with questions. If you go to class and pay attention, this class is an easy A. OK, if you have no CS experience, you'll have to put a little more work in, but it's not difficult material. Tests and quizzes are straightforward, with no surprises.

Solid teacher, explains things well. As long as you go to class for the quizzes you should be fine.

Good teacher, he knows his stuff and as previously mentioned, is very patient with student questions. Don't skip his lectures, though. This is because, as of the time of this writing, he doesn't post lecture notes to blackboard. His lectures teach you everything you need to know to do well on the labs and projects. Few pop quizzes as well.

He really puts in effort to help on Piazza and office hours. He loves answering questions and he cares a lot about his students. The class wasn't that hard. Attendance isn't mandatory but he likes to give pop quizzes so I'd advise you attend all his lectures. The exams were easy, and he drops the lowest lab/quiz. Bottom line, you should take him!

He's one of the best CS teachers at Mason. He just explains things very well in class. You have to go to all the classes to actually learn and pass the pop quizzes and tests. He's a pretty fair grader, even if the tests and quizzes are tricky, and his projects are fun. He's a good choice.

All around, a solid CS professor. #SavageOtten

He was a good lecturer. The class seems kind of easy at the beginning, but if you start missing lectures you will be confused. He had lots of resources available to the students, but I made the mistake of not taking advantage of them.

An excellent professor that I would highly recommend. I really enjoyed Prof. Otten's classes. Projects and homework do get progressively harder, but as long as you pay attention during lectures and take notes, you will do fine. He gives a lot of examples that are relevant to assignments.

Take him for CS262. Study and you will get an A. DON'T SKIP HIS CLASS. His lecture material is what you need to study for class. Exam questions are from his lecture materials

Professor Otten is a really great professor! He is very hilarious and he makes his lectures fun! Beware of pop quizzes! Read the book and the assigned readings, and you will get an A! He puts time during his lecture to answer questions. I wish he teaches higher comscie classes. Gonna miss him!

Extremely easy class. This was the first semester teaching it so the course was a bit scattered. As the semesters go on, it will become better. Exams are between quiz and test difficulty (he calls them quests), and occasional homework assignments are given, including 2 1000+ papers. Overall, an easy discussion-based class. Just don't miss them

I absolutely loved these lectures. They were at 9am and I actually showed up to all of them. Very interesting and insightful lectures and he usually gave hints for the labs and projects. As long as you start the assignments on time, and put a reasonable amount of effort in, there should be no problem completing them. Lots of TAs to help. 2 exams

Awesome professor, comes from industry so has real world experience that brings a since of clarity nd reality to the class. Lectures are super important to not miss and if you do, ensure that you make it up in one of his other sections. Does not post much online so attendance is vital. Projects are fair and he gives you all the info you need.

This was the first time for CS110 so the prof had to wing a lot of the material. Some of the material is dry but Otten does his best to teach it in an interesting manner. His exams and quizzes were sort of hard if you didn't study, I received a 90% on the final after only 1 day of studying, so not too hard. Show up an listen to pass the class.

Tough professor, but I learned a lot. He expects you to come to class, but doesn't check attendance. But, some other students I know blew off some of his classes, and they ended up with Cs and Ds. He takes questions on assignments at the beginning of each class, and doesn't start new material until all questions are answered.

He is excellent!!!

Professor Otten is a fantastic professor! His class can be a little hard at times but you learn a lot! 100% will prepare you for future courses. No phones/laptops in class but its really not that bad. Go to office hours he is always happy to explain projects or labs that aren't clear to you. He explains concepts very well and detailed.

Otten is a competent professor who cares for the students' understanding of the material. He gives clear lectures and keeps the material as interesting as possible. He does not allow technology in class. There are three projects, a handful of unannounced quizzes, a midterm, and a final.

Overall, Professor Otten is a decent selection for CS 262. He teaches tough concepts like pointers, memory allocation, structs, UNIX, and other principles of C from a memory perspective or how it looks in bytes and also writes all his notes on the whiteboard. His exams are tough, but definitely doable with a reasonable amount of study.

This class was fairly easy. Otten taught UNIX and important concepts of ethics, and how it's important in Software Engineering. Tests are all multiple choice and only the final will have a short answer essay-like question. Don't have to worry too much if you do the readings, come to class and take online quizzes. Class participation is free points.

Very set in his ways about certain weird things, but is an industry veteran, and really knows how to teach. Beware that he does not allow digital note taking of any kind, though.

He is a great guy, kinda funny. He makes classes interesting. Lots of general CS topics covered so there a bit for everyone. Exams are multiple-choice (very easy). The assignments are very easy, enjoyable. Show up to class he grades participation, he is adamant about no cell phones. Like for real.

Professor Otten is one of the best CS professors at GMU. He always made coming to class fun and encouraged class participation. The class is a easy A if you do all the assigned work(which is not difficult). You have to attend every class to take notes because the lectures aren't available online. Overall, I would take him again.

Prof. Otten is brilliant, funny, and nice. His teaching skills are impressive. If you show up and pay a little attention, he will entertain you with all kinds of useful information. He also walks the line of cool and professional with some serious swagger. I can't say enough good things. He's an excellent role model for a kinda-young CS major.

The professor is understanding and his classes are fairly easy in the grand scheme of things. Pay attention and attend and you'll pass with flying colors. This was one of my first classes at mason - and insofar it was the most fun, too! He really goes the extra mile of making his lectures fun and engaging.

Professor Otten is a very intelligent. As long as you pay attention, follow the rules (no devices!) and don't anger him, you can learn a lot in class. Many people complain of the lack of learning "actual CS" for most of the course but it's not like what you learn is useless. Participation activities are graded. A few manageable essays and HWs.

Very passionate about his field, a bit strict on no phones, and a bit passive aggressive to students who seem like they weren't paying attention/weren't in class. However, as a prof, he is helpful and knowledgable.

Prof. Otten is my favorite professor so far. He is very knowledgeable and knows what he is talking about with a lot of opinions on many topics. He doesn't just teach, he tells story about the industrial which is great to get a feel for what CS actually is. He also gets the class involved with class discussions that are engaging for all students.

I like Otten.

He has a tough attitude and weird ideals for teaching CS. However, I can say he is definitely the best professor I have seen so far. His way of teaching is tough but it taught me to be disciplined and hardworking (and I usually slack off a lot). He was always available to help, he helped me A LOT. His CS 262 class is very enjoyable, I learnt lot.

He teaches the course well and has a lot of knowledge about C. This was in person so it may be different for online courses. Occasional quizzes so you should show up to class.

Great professor, he teaches the material really well. He does spend a lot of time getting upset at people typing in the chat or asking where assignments are on Blackboard. Class is graded by two midterms, weekly quizzes, and a few assignments/projects which are all fair and straightforward. Random class participation checks. No lockdown browser.

I've never met a more organized professor. His syllabus and schedule is so clear and easy to follow. None of the assignments were particularly difficult. As long as you turn everything in on time and put in even a bit of effort, you'll do well. I had a situation happen & needed to take an exam earlier and he was so accommodating and kind over email

Professor Otten is a solid choice for CS110; he is very good at explaining, his class is engaging, and his projects are tough but beneficial. Expect tons of 3-point class participation quizzes online and in-person. He will treat you like a middle schooler, but is accessible and helpful via Piazza and office hours.

Mans is too iconic. Yes there's a lot of reading and "busy work," but I thought they were all very interesting. Plus, the chapter quizzes are really easy. There's not even that many papers to write - only 2. Just pay attention to the slides, lectures (participation quizzes!), and take thorough textbook notes and you'll be good to go.

Might be the best prof in the intro CS classes. Explains really well & keeps you on your feet with the participation points. His stories are to live for. There's a lot of busy work, but it doesn't require too much mental effort. The chapter quizzes cover the basic stuff that you can just get from skimming the chapter. The papers you need work for.

Professor Otten made CS 110 really enjoyable. You have to pay attention in class though since he does class participation quizzes almost every class.

I like Prof. Otten. He teaches to prepare you for your time as a CS major and beyond. Sometimes answers to questions are terse, but only to those that students should be able to find out on their own if they only look (like an email address). He will take extra time in and out of class making sure that you understand the material.

Professor Otten is a great professor! He is perfect person to teach the CS 110 class. Many students may not realize the importance of the course material, but it is necessary to obtain a deeper understanding of computers. My only gripe with him is that he is a little crazy about not having phones in class. However, it helps a lot of students focus.

The class layout is very organized and structured. You will know exactly what your suppose to do without any confusion. The professor is very open to any type of question you have of course within good reason. There are very few professors in the world that genuinely care if you are understanding things or not. John Otten cares.

Some students commented on his answering questions, I think it is not fair, in our class there are about 250 students, if he keeps answering all questions, he will not have time for anything else. He answers most important ones anyway. The only thing I want him to do is, add some more information about Al Khwarizmi, who came up with algorithm.

Otten does a good job clueing into information that is relevant for your grade, though he won't cover everything. Most of the class is just getting your work done. It's helpful to look at Geldon's slides and compile all of your notes into one document (for the final review sheet) to do well on the quest/final (which are open note).

This was a pretty good class. It definitely wasn't as bad as most people claim. The PowerPoints were clear, Prof Otten answered all the necessary questions students had (rightfully ignored unnecessary ones), he kept the class engaged, and he was active on Piazza. Just wasn't a fan of the short amount of time we had to read chapters in the textbook.

Overall pretty chill professor and class. There were a lot of assignments in this class with some of them being writing intensive. However they are not hard at all and very easy to do. The professor is chill and can be unironically funny sometimes. He has been rude to students here and there but they be asking very redundant and obvious questions.

The lectures were pretty interesting, and there are participation points in most lectures. The course is heavily weighted on assignments so make sure your assignments are high quality and on time. The homework wasn't that time-consuming, and the "quests" are cumulative meaning you will find some questions on your current quest from the previous.

Overall fairly decent. Not a fan of the course itself, but professor was fairly nice. Homework could be done fairly quickly, and only 2 medium papers over the semester. He is rude to people that ask dumb/repetitive questions but otherwise he's pretty helpful. Definitely recommend over Socrates!!!

Pretty easy class, lectures don't really matter but just show up so you can pass, you just have weekly quizzes on the textbook & videos with a few random small assignments snuck in. All very, very simple work on basic CS material. Worst part of the class was the classmates spamming the chat and wasting time by asking stupid questions he answered.

He is a decent professor for 110. The assignments weren't bad (2 papers + 3 projects), and the tests aren't difficult. One thing I don't like about him is that he'd waste time in class talking the people that don't come to class, and always assuming we don't do assignments. He is very kind 1-on-1 and is always willing to help.

Great professor, he's just a stickler for participation in class. Lot's of extra credit opportunities, they're just in class a lot. Lot's of fun puzzles in class also that relate to thinking outside the box and ethical theories.

I had him for CS110 and CS306. Great guy who wants everyone to do well, but kind've has an obsession for attendance. Also despises phones, and will get extremely upset if you use it during class. In 306 he didn't really lecture much, it was mainly just us reading the textbook to learn. Take him tho

Also had him for 110. Honestly, he taught the best he could for this course. This course alone is designed to be a lot of work and reading intensive. Besides getting mad at phones here and there, he was chill throughout the whole semester and just naturally amusing at times. Just read the textbook for quizzes and do your work and you'll be fine.

He is helpful and understanding. May felt as biased, but he is actually experienced. I liked his advices and lectures. He is open to feedbacks. Not a tough grader, but not clear grading rubrics. Frequent class participation activities and collaborative works for CS110. Class has many paper works and quizzes. Homeworks: heavy reading and watching.

Great teacher, loves to interact with students and is fair in terms of grading. Would've liked it more if it didn't have so much outside-class reading and instead used slides to explain cases and theories. Work is surprisingly a lot for such a class, but enjoyable work.

This course is characterized by active class participation, mandatory attendance, and weekly reading quizzes due every Thursday. The instructor refers to the two midterms as quests both worth 15%. The instructor strongly discourages the use of technology in class and gets mad if students are caught using their phones. Class is overall easy.

There's a quiz each week and then a bunch of bigger assignments due throughout the year. If you go to the lectures or look at the slideshows he posts, it'll be easy. He's strict about phones/headphones and will call you out personally if he sees you. Ppl are giving him bad ratings but tbh if you show up and put effort in you'll get an A.

While he does hate phones and laptops that are used during class time, he gives good advice towards dealing with the CS major and teaches the complicated stuff from the textbook very well in the slides. He's a great professor. Just know this class is A LOT of busywork/homework, reading, and participation.

He's a good prof and responds to emails quickly but j don't use ur phones he gets mad and thats a bit distracting during class. Attendance isnt mandatory but almost every class theres a participation credit that's 10% of ur grades and he also goes over the ans before turning in. He summarizes the readings thoroughly through class lectures & slides.

Decent choice for 306 if you're intimidated by the lawyer professors. Straightforward, lectures are alright, fair grader for the stuff he does ("quest," mock trial) as long as you read/follow all instructions. Quizzes on each reading (go to class!) which are 99% of the time open note and easy points. Do NOT use your phone or laptop during class lol

He's annoying abt phones and laptops, you'll see what I mean. Other than that he's good. You have to attend if you want participation points. Any prof should be fine for cs110, easy class in general. If you work smart, not hard, then you'll find this class has a small workload, still hafta do it tho & don't be late or you'll get a lotta points off.

Midterms and final are mostly based on the reading quizzes and you're allowed to make a cheat sheet. You can retake the reading quizzes as many times until the due date. Assignments are not that hard and the professor is active on Piazza or email for questions. Kind of intimidating during lectures but is actually pretty helpful. Overall easy class.

Alright professor. The content of the course was more geared towards opinions and memorizing terms. Otherwise, the exam is straight forward, no trick questions.

A truly excellent lecturer. Prof Otten goes out of his way to make sure most everyone in the class understands the material. He is very fair, and actually engaging. He likes to tell stories, to put the subject matter in a human context. I would definitely take more classes with Professor Otten. He is never boring, and often fun.

Otten cares about his students. He isn't great at Java and inexperience shows in lecture, but he makes sure we understand the topics. Office hours are 1-on-1 and lectures are enjoyable if you pay attention. Utilize other professors' office hours as they offer more help. You might struggle with the content but it's easy to find helpful resources.

He has a sarcastic and sometimes angry tone when speaking to students, but that is because he honeslty cares about what he is saying. If you are on his good side he is hilarious to talk to. He doesn't sugar coat anything and will tell you how it is. No technology in class but like its fine. CS405 is gonna be a lot so you can't blame him. Great man!

Otten talks brashly, but he's passionate about what he teaches. His lectures are very interesting. Projects, labs, and exams weren't difficult. He's accessible outside of class and active on Piazza. I dealt with health issues and he was accommodating. Cons: quizzes are difficult, he doesn't have slides to refer to, big no on technology use in class

Show up and take notes on lecture, quizzes are based off lecture. Don't leave class early, don't go on phone/laptop, don't talk or distract. His tests and quizzes can be vague or over complicated for simple concepts which isn't great if you have a learning disability or struggle with interpreting things very literally. Otherwise it's a great class.

If you're serious about learning, he's one of the best at GMU. He may seem strict at first, but his teaching style is effective. Handwritten notes help a lot go to class, study the concepts, and you'll do well. He allows notes on most quizzes, but make sure you truly understand the material. Memorization alone won't get you through.

Positives: 10/10 professor if you want to learn. Explains difficult topics clearly. You will be an expert in C by the end of his class. Negatives: Hates technology(might even get yelled at), DIFFICULT exams. I would absolutely pick him again.

Strict but in a good way. Knows his stuff for sure. Fairly hard tests

He is a very knowledgeable professor. Although he's strict about technology, I understand where he's coming from. The lectures are a little boring and don't cover everything, but that's got more to do with students asking irrelevant questions. You need to attend the classes and study the quizzes before each test to do well.

good lectures that aren't boring, but DO NOT have your computer or phone out, definitely accessible outside of class if you miss things or want to make things up just talk to him. Tests were easy, quizzes were easy and sometimes he did group quizzes. Would recommend for this class and go to the final exam review session!

He keeps the lectures entertaining. The workload is average not too hard but time consuming. He is strict about electronics but it's not a big deal. He cares about his students and is considerate with grading.

The textbook is content heavy, but his lectures provide a good summary of the information. He is strict on no electronics. Class participation matters because he gives out small group worksheets randomly. He really likes puzzles. I would take him again :)

Spends a bit too much time answering irrelevant questions. Most of this class is you slogging through some easy, and some difficult tasks that are sometimes useless. It's a survey class, you won't dive in depth much with any one topic. XTRA cred is offered near the end of the semester. Has a fetish for no phones, show up to class and you'll be fine

Decent lecturer, but spends a lot of time answering easily lookup-able questions, so we don't cover the whole content. Puzzles were fun, and gave lots of EC at the end. Only main issue is assignments are a lot of busy work (Like convert 2829102 to binary) and exams had unnecessary trivia. A bit of a useless class, but Prof is good. Keep off phones.

Professor Otten's enthusiasm for the course content is apparent which made his lectures interesting. This is a reading & writing-heavy course. Professor Otten is accessible outside of class, especially on piazza and email. Overall a nice and extremely fair professor. Show up to lecture and complete the assigned readings before class to do well.