2.3
Quality3.8
Difficulty27%
Would Retake94
Reviews27%
Would Retake
94
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
2
4
14
3
23
2
22
1
33
What Students Say
“Class structure is horrible, the pre lab quizzes somehow are worth more than the actual labs”
ECE2031 - 1.0 rating“If you are an IE, listen to me”
ECE2020 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
80%
Textbook Required
13%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.19 avg changeRatings by Course
ECE2020
2.6
(18)ECE2031
2.2
(76)Difficulty by Course
ECE2031
3.9
ECE2020
3.1
Reviews (94)
Johnson gave a couple of lectures, most of them long and boring. He is most helpful on Piazza. If you post a question he will usually answer within minutes. Overall not a bad guy, if you have questions about 2031 go to Kevin Johnson. You will also find out he only owns one shirt.
Having been in his class for two semester (2020 and 2031), I would say he's not bad. He presents lots of stuff in the lecture and usually in a boring way. I understand more materials by asking him questions than by listening his lecture. Tests' not easy but they curve a lot. Btw he is not the expert to explain things straightforwardly and simply.
Kevin Johnson is alright as a teacher. As a non EE major, I didn't find that he catered to outsiders well, but if you're an EE, I'm sure you would enjoy his teaching. Not phenomenal, but he won't make you flunk either. You should gain a proper understanding of the material.
He's not a bad professor, just wish he wasn't my first ECE professor. I think if he didn't make lecture completely boring, it would have resulted in me having a better grade in the class. Also, I wish he gave out homework assignments that were more like the lectures, or at least gave lectures more in tune with his view of real world applications .
He's a pretty decent teacher. As an IE major, I appreciated his clear lectures, even if they weren't the most interesting. He's very knowledgeable, and a reasonable guy. You can tell he enjoys what he teaches. The grade is based off of 4 tests, 2 labs, homework, and pop quizzes (for participation). If you go to class and study, it's an easy A.
If you are an IE, listen to me. TAKE KEVIN! I have heard 2020 is so hard but with Kevin it is an easy A. Just show up to every single lecture and take good notes. The concepts are not difficult but if you fall behind it would be hard to catch up. Lectures can be boring, but it is necessary to learn the material. Test averages were B+ every time.
Kevin was a decent professor. He was the main guy who ran the lab and did the technical communication stuff during lectures. He made the labs pretty organized through Canvas and he was also very accessible through Piazza (answered pretty quickly). However, he was a very boring lecturer who just rambled and answered very vaguely on Piazza.
Seems a lot nicer than Tom Collins. He didn't give a lot of lectures but the ones he did give were pretty dry, but easily understood. Sometimes he wasn't the most helpful on Piazza, but in general seemed liked he cared. He also makes memes about the final project which are much needed at that point of the semester.
Kevin has an average response of 5 minutes on Piazza. His answers are usually vague since he wants you to figure it out by yourself. 2031 was the hardest class I've taken so far.
Johnson has pretty good lectures that cover the material in the course. He doesnt waste tome going over things that dont matter and makes sure he spends time on the more confusing parts of the course. If you have questions during lecture he is happy to answer them in detail to make sure everyone understands.
He doesn't present information in the most interesting way but he looks at things objectively and presents information accurately. If you have a question about anything in the lecture, ask Piazza and Kevin is usually there to respond in a heartbeat which is much appreciated.
He cares about the students and answers quickly, but sometimes vaguely, on Piazza. Although lab manuals were clear, the final project was a mess. We weren't given any clear instructions, rubric, or helpful feedbacks before we had to present our final product, and the grading seemed very subjective. The workload is also a lot more than expected.
The worst class I have taken so far! This guy is very condescending and will blame you for not knowing things he never taught. He will almost always avoid answering any questions you might have or answer them very vaguely.
Lots of students think that Kevin is a condescending guy, but I personally just think he is straightforward. His responses on Piazza are blazing quickly. Do not take his comments as personal attacks because he cares. If you put the effort into asking questions, going to office hours, and READING THE MANUAL, you will definitely enjoy this class.
I've never had a more unpleasant experience in a class than ECE 2031 with Kevin. He is condescending toward students, his expectations are never clearly defined and change weekly, and his grading practices are never explained. It's a shame that he's the only 2031 professor, as I don't even want to take another ECE class after this one.
Lots of work and ways to lose points lol, but imo Kevin did a solid job of answering questions and being very active for Piazza. The profs shouldn't be punished for the ECE department not giving more credits for this course. Final exam was rough and GET A GOOD GROUP FOR THE FINAL PROJECT. There's no peer evaluation so some ppl may just dip.
Overall he is very active on Piazza but his feedbacks some times feel rude which he is working on. GTAs are not very clear on what to expect for lab reports which really lowers class grade. His lectures are fine and does a decent job of explaining things. Final exam is just brutal and feels you don't have enough time. He sounds monotone at times
Very condescending and full of himself. Doesn't care about his students. Tests are ridiculously hard, nothing like his lecture notes. Take anyone BUT this guy.
Kevin is smart, but lectures were incredibly boring. The material is not hard and is an easy A if you study. Did not enjoy the class or material. Try a different ECE professor if you can
Condescending! For the classes he is not the only option, GO TO ANOTHER PROFESSOR! For those he is, sorry :( He has this aversion to teaching basic things. Makes an easy class hard. Only take him if you are a past nobel prize winner in ECE or something since that is his perceived student audience. Homework & Lectures wont prepare you for exams!
Pretty good professor. The lectures were straightforward and it was easy to understand the material. The tests were harder than expected though. Definitely do the practice tests to prepare. Homework is not very intensive.
He was okay! If I could take someone else I would. The homework was a bit confusing at times since the problems never mimicked the lecture material. The lecture notes were more easy than the homework and exams. Study hard for the exams because they can definitely be tricky and difficult and not match what you learn too much. Get a study buddy!
Kevin has the capacity to be funny. He just doesn't convey it at all on piazza. If I hadn't met him in-person I would've been very agitated by his apparent internet tone. I agree with the other reviews that say this class deserves to be more credit. It's a lot of work and pre-lab quizzes are so esoteric even for ECE folks. Kevin does care though.
Passed. Final exam was absolute (c)anal. Pre-lab reading is long, pre-lab quizzes make you question your reading skills and are not reflective. Someone should create a pre-lab quiz for the instructors and see if he could take it. If it wasn't for GTA and TAs I would've dropped out of this class and probably go eat some nachos. Play LoL depression.
I have mixed thoughts about Professor Johnson, I think he's an interesting person and I learned a lot in his lectures, but he's condescending when people ask questions. Also his homeworks were pretty different from lecture examples, I did them with a friend and was amazed we were taking the same course since my friend knew the answers and I didn't
This class is very difficult at first and has lots of work and lots of reading. For each lab you have to do background readings, prelab reading and work, the 3 hour lab, and then a lab report. There's also some reverse classroom materials that have to be done. Group project and final have lots of partial credit. Tough beginning and moderate end.
This class doesn't reflect "2 credit hour" rating, you spend effort like a 4 credit hour class for prelabs, 3 hour lab, and lab report. Kevin is very responsive on Piazza, but his tone can be rude. Single exam and lab practicals are hard, prepare in advance. Class has a time-consuming start and chill end with group project, if your group is good.
His most redeeming quality is that he is lightning-fast to respond to questions on Piazza. Other than that, his delivery during lecture is dry, his responses to questions can often seem vague or rude, and he is an overall awkward man. There are no other professors that teach this course, so unless he moves to another job, you will have to take him.
One of the most difficult classes at GT and a terrible professor. Class is very test/lab quiz heavy, and they're stupid hard/unclear. It's like a 5-6 credit hour class when it's 2 hours. Definitely don't take this if you're taking over 14 credit hours in total or you'll hate yourself. Prepare to spend over half the week some weeks to finish labs.
Prof Johnson really could not be a part of ECE2031 and it would continue onward. It really is a solid course that is well laid out with labs, lab quizzes, a midterm, and a final group project. The class is a lot of work for a 2-hour course, but worth it. The lectures are useless as they go over material from the lab background, but have attendance.
Chill lectures, but everything is learned in lecture. Essentially mandatory to go (or watch recording). Tests were butter. Homeworks were completion grades. Just pay attention in lecture and you will probably be fine never studying a day.
This professor gives very difficult and detail oriented quizzes. The course has little to no practice material for assessments. There is a lot of background reading and prerequisite digital design knowledge needed to succeed. This lab course(worth 2 credits) has a workload of 4 credits due to the difficulty of the assessments.
Class is unnecessary amount of work, I don't learn anything either
Kevin Johnson is like Lays sour cream & onion. A solid choice. He is no honey bbq, but if you need a chip sour cream & onion will do the job.
Kevin Johnson was ok, the class structure itself is not great. He could show a little more care to his students and try to understand the workload of the class. The lab quizzes are a huge pain and the group project is very dependent on the group you get. Overall it was too much work for a 2 credit class and it felt like there was no assistance.
Other reviews are true.
I didn't find the class to be as much work as other people make it out to be (do the pre-labs before lab and you should be fine), but the quizzes will expect you to know wildly irrelevant specific details so read lab material closely. As for Kevin, he comes off as cold and unapproachable. He sucks the fun out of an potentially enjoyable class.
One of the most universally hated profs I've ever seen, and the single worst structured class I've been in. Quizzes have no intention of testing understanding, and ask hyperspecific random info that is somehow worth more than labs. In theory this class should be fun, but with atrocious grading, tedious lectures and a terrible environment, it sucks.
Literally the worst class I've ever been in, horrible grading, horrible lectures and a general sense of despair. Labs were fun, TAs are great and you can learn a fair bit but a large part of your grade is decided by these absurd quizzes that have absolutely nothing to do with applicable knowledge
Kevin Johnson is not a bad professor. The class is demanding like most other ECE courses. There are weekly 3 hours labs which contain short lab quizzes; the quizzes require a pretty thorough comprehension of the background reading and prelab. The course as a whole requires active effort put toward each topic and final group project.
Just a good professor.
Worst ECE class I took (about to graduate). As mentioned, quizzes were gotchas asking useless details of the readings. Group project was vague and the final was rushed and low avg. Every assignment felt like it was designed to hurt you. It's common knowledge 2031 is a bad class. Profs showed no sign of caring/were cold overall. "2hrs" what a joke.
This class is a joke. It's 2 credit hours, but with pre-labs, lab reports, lab quizzes (which can trip you up even if you thoroughly read the pre-lab information), as well as the lab and lecture periods it feels like a heavy 3 credit hour class. Professor also stressed not to do too much work, and just take a lower grade, which nobody does.
If you can take another professor for 2020 do it. Kevin's lectures are overly dry and simple especially compared to homeworks and exams. His grading criteria is very unclear and he'll take off a lot of points on tests with no clear reason. Somewhat condescending when you ask questions. TA was great though.
Class structure is horrible, the pre lab quizzes somehow are worth more than the actual labs. The quizzes focus on minute details of the pre lab and actually don't test your knowledge on Digital Design concepts at all! The labs were actually quite fun and engaging and the TA's are awesome. Kevin himself is sort of just there. Final is horrible.
The test and the quizzes were based on how well you can remember miniscule details instead of actual comprehension. Kevin himself is very narcisitic and unhelpful when you ask any type of question. Dont even try asking a question on piazaa, as he will simply answer it with another question making you even more confused.
Kevin himself is a good professor. He obviously clearly understands every assignment intricately, and knows exactly what you are going through. However, ECE 2031 is much more difficult than the 2 credit hours tech gives it. Be prepared to do a lot of work before lab and especially at the end with the project. I love the class, but it is a lot.
Outside of the Lab Quizzes, your grade is completely based on the head TA you have for your lab section. Labs are sometimes cool but the project work was extremely redundant at times. My TA was pretty incompetent on all the labs and extremely strict on lab reports and presentations. I don't think the class was too much work but the test was bad.
Kevin is Super Nitpicky and chooses to destroy your grade on any given assignment based on the smallest mistakes. The class should be fun but it's a major slog for a 2-credit hour course. TAs were good, but everyone this semester dislikes Kevin's teaching style.
The last exam isn't called the "final exam", but still takes up 20% of your grade. A lack of a rigorous definition for how a lab report should be graded makes this class very difficult as different TAs grade different. This may be a 2 credit hour course, but expect to spend minimum ~4-5 hours each week in/out of the lab.
This class is called Digital Design Lab yet the majority of the assignments are about semantics. Kevin treats Piazza as a way to give students a scavenger hunt instead of just simply answering questions brought from the confusion of his own instructions. Also assignments seem to have random due times, sometimes 11:59 pm sometimes 6:30 pm, or 8:00.
Lab quizzes tested on minute details and were weighed heavily for your grade. The midterm exam (aka final exam) was also very tedious. Lab reports were also graded harshly. Kevin loves to respond to students asking about his own unclear instructions on piazza with "well, did you read xyz?" instead of just answering questions.
Kevin Johnson is a solid professor. He is clear, reiterates concepts on which students demonstrate a lack of understanding, and provides slides which are very helpful to review. MAKE SURE TO TALK TO THE GTA WHO GRADES YOUR LAB REPORTS. Just a simple conversation with Kevin or your GTA can clarify any misunderstanding in grading criteria.
It is not a 2-credit course and requires more time to complete.
Trolls your grade you for fun
You get absolutely cooked by the lab reports and pre lab quizzes. I went to office hours for help on my lab reports and still got a C on it. I'd just accept the B in this class and move on, trying to get an A requires more work than any 2 credit hour class needs. Also Kevin decides to troll you instead of answering your emailed questions
Unnecessarily annoying lab quizzes.
The lab quizzes and in class exam ask overly specific questions and lab reports are graded very harshly. Start labs early because lab point are easy grade padding same with the project. Ask UTAs or GTAs if you have questions they give better answers then Johnson
There is a ton of prelab work, but you need to do it before lab and make sure everything is right or the lab will take too long. The grading on lab reports and the final project components are a bit arbitrary and strict, and the lab quizzes test random nitpicky knowledge. Kevin does not answer questions and instead is just condescending.
If you can take any other professor.
Worst possible professor for ece 2020
Kevin's been involved with 2031 since was an undergrad: he knows how to teach the class well. 2031 is the equivalent of a 3 credit hour class in terms of workload. Kevin and his GTAs are notoriously rigid when it comes to grading: Lab Reports are annoying, don't teach you much, make up a big chunk of your grade, yet are graded under a microscope.
Hope u have a lenient GTA grading ur lab reports. Prelabs can take a while, and read it throughly so u can do well on lab quizzes. Some labs can def take a long time, requiring you to go back into lab another day. Interesting class, but def not a 2 credit hour workload.
Extremely sarcastic and condescending when you speak to Kevin. If you have any questions, contact your GTA or a TA instead. Lectures are mandatory but obsolete — only covers content that's already mentioned in the prelab. Expect the quizzes and exam to test random facts from the reading more so than true understanding.
shout out to kev helped me get an A, good luck to everyone else, you gonna need it.
This class is just a lot of work and is graded very strictly. The work itself is not difficult I would say; there is just a lot of stuff to keep up with. Lectures are mandatory but not really too useful. Lab quizzes are oddly specific to some random facts, so just memorize the reading. The labs themselves are okay. Just be ready to work hard for.
Pre-lab quizzes were foul. Lectures were lowkey nothingburgers. Super interesting course shafted by its structure and Johnson.
I found the labs in this class super fun and interesting! The rest of the class is buns though- pre lab quizzes are full of random ultra-specific facts, the lectures are useless and have attendance, all submitted items are graded under a microscope (very dependent on lab TA), and practical exercises were annoying. Kevin trolls your grade for fun.
Avoid at all costs. His tests are completely unreasonable and he takes off every single point imaginable, even for correct answers. Also, he's extremely arrogant when asking questions or approaching him, very incompetent, and has no communication at all. Save your mental health and avoid.
The grading criteria for lab reports is pretty fair but strict, the lab quizzes are pretty tough but overall, the class was enjoyable and I learned a lot.
Extremely knowledgeable about the course material. Lectures weren't too bad actually, but I didn't learn too much. This class is difficult to get an A, the project was very ambiguous, but the labs were pretty neat and I did actually learn a considerable amount in this class. Overall, I'm glad I took this class, but I would've preferred a diff prof.
His lectures were a waste of time that will interrupt your day for no reason. Lab quizzes are hardly related to the actual lab activity and are usually more over random semantics in the lab manual that you could easily miss. It's definitely possible to get an A if you are responsible though, but the class just feels like it's out to get you.
Literally one of the worst classes I have ever taken in Georgia Tech. Graded harshly for no reason. Group project is the worst. If you have to take this class, just deal with it till it's over.
A little disappointed to see how low the reviews are. The way he runs this class teaches the engineering side of things. It takes effort from you, it wasn't perfectly organized, but he was more than lenient (let me take the exam late which I literally missed because I forgot about it). He's nice, and helpful, and I would absolutely take him again.
It's a shame how long Kevin has taught this class and didn't listen to any student feedback. Lab quizzes are just there as a "got you" instead of really testing if you read through the manual. Unnecessarily harsh grading by the GTA and points can be taken off for literally any reasons since the rubric isn't clear. Way too much work for 2 credits.
Terrible professor. Condescending on Piazza and laughs in your face if you ask questions. Only took the class because it was required. Lab quizzes were hilariously difficult, mandatory attendance for pointless lectures, vague grading, unclear rubrics, insane workload for 2 credits, and zero respect for students. Avoid at all costs if you can.
Quizzes and exam is filled with gotcha questions - doesn't really test your knowledge, just your memory. Really nitpicky grading with the lab reports and just too much work for a 2-credit course. He's not a terrible person but I am certainly feeling relieved that this is the last I'll ever have him as a lecturer - his responses can be condescending
RUN!!! RUN FAST !!!!
Take the class if you enjoy guessing. If not, DON'T TAKE IT, though I know you cannot avoid this course.
For a 2-credit hour class, the amount of work is absurd. Test prep material is non-existent (on 2nd exam he basically say to review everything). Even though lab work is fun, the lab report is taken way too serious and grading was harsh, which tbh depend on your GTA. Attendance is 5% and basically just a content review.
Lab reports are graded harshly by your lab GTA so I'd ask for feedback before turning it in. The lab quizzes at the start of every section tested some obscure stuff. Instructions for the project worth 20% were incredibly vague. He comes off as condescending when answering questions bc he doesnt want to just "give you the answer" so hes vague :/
This course is designed as 2 credit hours because they want you to have a lower deduction on gpa after getting a B/C.
Asks too many stuff just for a 2 credit class. Test questions are based on your understanding on the lab. Has lab every week with lectures which are useless. He needs to change the structure of the course.
Took for 2031, class just has a ton of work for a two credit course. Two Midterms, 8 Labs, a Final Project, and weekly small check-in homeworks is a lot to deal with when you go in assuming "6 hours per week" of work. Johnson is fine, he's very technical and picky, only 1 lecture/week so he doesn't impact the course experience that much.
The class is tedious for 2 credit hours. The labs were manageable. Projects were fun with a good group. Worst are the tests, with review material being outdated(past exams), and each accounting for 20% of the grade (2) with no final. The material for said tests was random from all 150+ pages of the past 5~ labs and hard to study for.
Pretty poorly designed course. Labs typically take 8-10 hours. Wish we had more time to digest the content, as it's actually interesting content. Exams are odd. Very poorly phrased questions and pretty subjective. Doesn't make sense for a 2 credit class to have 8 labs, and 2 exams, and a group project. It seems like too much for the credits
Kevin Johnson actively stifles creativity and innovation in his classes.
kev is lowk chill and the content isnt that hard but exams r 78% so u need a high test avg
Ngl this class isn't as bad as people say it is. No more pre lab quizzes. Some of the labs (breadboard ones) are time-consuming but most of them are really useful for developing hands-on skills. However the weekly lectures are kinda pointless since the material is covered in the lab manual.
Honestly not a bad intro course, but I feel like my thinking skills as an engineer aren't improved, but rather, forced. If you're a CS major taking this course, you will be fine, half of this course is an easier version of CS 2110 anyway.
Labs are pretty time heavy, exams are basically tests of trivia, and the group project is pretty awful if you're put with people who don't care. Don't really feel like I learned too much overall.
Kevin is the only professor for this required class. He isn't as bad as everyone says, but still he is very detail orientated for assignments and for a 2 credit hour class there is a lot of work. Content wise very simple, but tests often cover very niche things which make it hard to study for. Make sure u do your pre lab asap and the final project.
He's decent, but the way this class is, the lecture's more of a hassle than helpful. Lab is WAY too structured, didn't feel like I'd learnt from the ground-up, more so just getting an answer and moving on to the next check-off. After a few labs, it gets better, as you can't rly study for this class since this isn't a traditional lecture-first class
Class is ok. The lectures helped me recognize faults in my understanding (such as pull-up/down resistors). Labs aren't bad; ask your GTA for lab report help. The gripe was group project. If your teammates suck, you'll have a frustrating time. One teammate did nothing and the other did everything in ChatGPT. 92 on Exam2 helped me keep that A...
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
80%
Textbook Required
13%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.19 avg changeRatings by Course
ECE2020
2.6
(18)ECE2031
2.2
(76)Difficulty by Course
ECE2031
3.9
ECE2020
3.1