Any programming course in 3-400 level will not be easy. 330 is both lab and lecture/theory. Herman is very clear and there will be no suprises on the test. Hes a bit of a pain but tolerable. The lecture is clear but you need to study hard to do well.

This was my hardest class. His exams are very hard, and his lecture notes are totally useless. The notes just have the questions on them, and no answers. the answers are given on the board in class. Nice person.

You get your money's worth with the diabolical Larry Herman, but that is all you get. He does not care about you. He cares about C programming. This class was sink or swim, but I went in knowing nothing about C and came out with an A in the class. Go to class every day, read the book and pay attention and you will do fine.

The class wasn't very hard, but as a professor, Herman doesn't accept even simple questions through email (must go to office hours), didn't assign our first project until half way through the semester (we only had 4 projects), and is terrible about getting grades back in a timely fashion.

His lectures are completely clear and organized, and concepts are explained precisely. If you follow his policies, no trouble interacting with him. He sometimes shuts down kids trying to sound smart asking questions alluding to future material. Some may find this mean, but it stops time-wasting during lecture. His humor is very dry, in a good way.

Have discussion after lecture, a lot of the discussion exercises would have been helpful if I had learned the info from lecture first. He tells you all the info you need to know in class (but I have experience in java so this may be a little bias). He gives a lot of examples. Exams are time consuming, so work fast.

Smart guy , all I care about his having a smart person lecture me ,so for that hes the best cs professor i've had so far.

I do not like him at first. But around the midterm 1, I gradually turn to like him. He explain each concepts clearly. His exams are fair. Also, he is lenient enough to give a 4 day postpone on a project this semester. Probably the best teacher you can have for 132, according to my feedback from friends about other 132 teachers.

Despite what most people say about him, I thought he was a great professor. Everything that people hate about him he only does for the benefit of the student(not using phone in class/telling people to move to the front of the class). I also thought he was a pretty hilarious guy. He also goes out of his way to answer questions in class. Great guy

I'm pretty sure the guy's reasonable for what he teaches. That being said, I went to about 1% of his lectures. I still got a C because the TA's were awesome in discussion, but probably would have gotten a good grade, had I gone to lecture regularly.

Though his program descriptions may be a bit long, overall the class is not too challenging with Herman.

Lacks some social skills but is a well-intentioned man. Has great lecture slides and really knows the material.

Tough but fair. Everything I lost credit for was my own fault, usually from skipping a crucial lecturediscussion. TAs, office hours very helpful. Attendance taken but not for a grade. Projects and homework are VERY time-consuming but not overly difficult. Full disclosure: took this course at another school prior but had to retake it at UMD

I actually think he is pretty funny.

Larry is a solid teacher. He isn't earth-shatteringly good, but guess what? He was the best CS instructor I ever had. Unlike some other CS teachers at UMCP, he isn't deranged and his grading criteria is clear.

The best professor I've ever had. Herman is an outstanding teacher. You will learn a lot. Remember, a teachers primary job is to teach. Everything else is secondary. Truth is, if you love learning, then you'll love Herman's class because you learn a lot. You can definitely get an 'A', but you need to put a considerable amount of time into it.

People believe Herman is mean or boring with his no cell phone or computer policy during class but it has helped a lot. He makes sure everyone is paying attention in lecture and he really knows computer science! He makes it easy enough for even the lowest level comp sci majors to understand. If you pay attention you will hear him attempt at jokes.

A very good professor. He can be a bit intimidating and kicked people out of class for being on their laptops but he explains the material very well and tries to make jokes throughout the lectures sometimes. He is what you'd expect out of a normal college professor.

Larry has some bizarre mannerisms (whats with all the llamma's, man?) but he's generally a funny and clear teacher and his office hours are very helpful.

Larry's lectures are awesome! I loved his class and I recommend that you try to get Larry. His projects are easy! If you want to do well on the exams, be sure to study "homework" assignments. The exams will always be the same content and format as the study materials he posts on ELMS. Good luck and have fun!

Cool guy

Herman is a p good teacher. Funny to see other reviews see him talking about llamas -- he's moved on to giraffes. He has a little tolerance for people who don't follow his rules (eg texting, yelled at this girl for writing after the time on the test finished), but nothing wholly unfair. I plan on taking another class with him.

I love Larry Herman! I had him for cmsc132 and cmsc216. Generally speaking I think his exams are hard and his projects are easy. I love his lectures a lot!

Herman is a hilarious dude. His passion for giraffes has become a quality he really tries to share with the rest of his students. His tests may be tough at some points but in the end, he teaches the material well. I would retake him again gladly and listen to him praise the giraffe kingdom all over again.

Herman is an acquired taste. At first, you might think he's a little weird with his mannerisms, but then he starts to grow on you. His lectures are fairly straightforward and the exams aren't crazy hard if you put some effort into studying. Just make sure you don't sit in the back row and whatever you do, DON'T call him by "Professor".

Nice guy, funny, posts PowerPoint online, and gives constant advice to help pass the class. Projects can even be turned in a couple days late. Tests are pretty hard, but the exam reviews are very helpful.

So in spite of what the last few reviews say, Herman's not that bad. He teaches the material well, and his tests are fair, if challenging. There are certainly better lecturers in this department, but he's a fine choice. He has some rather irritating expectations of students during lecture, but you get used to it. Pay attention and you'll do well.

Herman is a pretty good teacher. You may get some not-great grades on tests, but he curves at the end of the year. He can be pretty scary, especially when he's mad, but he's generally very nice. Start projects early, and go to TA office hours ASAP if you have problems! He changes what animals he uses for examples annually so he doesn't go insane

Herman is really funny, but he's strict on a lot of small things like he won't let you use phones or sit in the back row, or he WILL call you out. His slides and lectures are very useful, but they weren't necessarily interesting. HIs exams sometimes have trick questions tho. I'd recommend taking him again because he seems to know what he's doing.

Larry is very funny and entertaining. He explains things well. His tests are fair. He can be a little arrogant.

Herman is by far the funniest professor I have had up to this point. He is a really nice guy and his projects and exams are pretty fair. He will give you practice exams and practice worksheets that are optional and will be very helpful for preparing for exams. Id definitely take him again; he puts a lot of effort into the materials he makes.

Herman is a good professor that gives clear instructions on what he wants his students to do. His project descriptions are usually really long but very specific making the projects a lot easier. He is a funny guy that opens up to most students but doesn't really show it unless you pay attention in class. A bit of a hard grader but overall good guy.

Larry is a solid lecturer. It takes a couple lectures to get used to his style though.

I just came here to defend my man Herman. You need to pay attention in class to get much out of him - You will learn a lot if you do so, more than other professors. It looks to me that only the people who dont attend class and not put in effort hate the guy. He is also nice outside class.

Provides detailed descriptions for projects. Fair exams with realistic practice exams/homeworks to help prepare. Boring lectures, funny sometimes.

Although he is very strict on students sitting in the back of the lecture hall and against cell phone use, his lectures were great and he is a very funny guy. I think many people don't give him the credit he deserves. His lectures are very understandable but his exams are tough and have a tough grading system.

Actually decent lecturer. Tried his best to make the class funny. Quite annoying sometimes but explained everything well in class.

Larry is a fun and hilarious teacher. His projects have very clear expectations and his tests are straightforward (with lots of review material provided). He is also extremely careful about what he says and takes the class very seriously. (He will correct himself in the next class if you let him know about a mistake he made in lecture.)

Larry truly cares about this students and will help them out during office hours if they ask for it. His exams are hard but fair. Attending class is a must if you want to do good in class.

Pay attention to the project descriptions and do the practice tests and you'll do fine. He has an interesting personality that not everyone likes, but he knows a ton and expects a lot from his students. He doesn't answer emails, but if you can get a hold of him outside of class, he's very eager to help.

Fantastic lecturer (not a professor!), could be touch on policy from time to time. But his lectures are genuinely well-written and straightforward. The projects are challenging yet manageable. He deserves better tbh.

Larry is much better than the rating he's given here. He's eccentric but he's a really good teacher and gives out a lot of study materials

I came here to defend my man here too. This guy is genuinely trying to make sure you get the most out of the course and tries his best to make the lectures enjoyable with his humor. His projects are specific to the T, so you always know exactly what you should do. The only thing is he is a stickler with phones in lecture and will hound you out.

I agree that during the start of the semester Larry would repeat the same thing over and over during the first 2 weeks. However, I don't think Larry is a bad lecturer. Although lectures are a bit on the dull side, Larry does a great job in explaining concepts and clearing doubts.

An amazing lecturer, definitely underrated. Only those who don't do work yet expect an easy A would hate him. Asking people not to use phones in class is fair. You learn a lot from his lectures. His project description is more detailed than most profs. I'm here to rate him cuz his rating is lower than some bad prof I know who has a higher rating.

Great but tough prof.

I dont get why people are hating on my man Herman so much. Yes, he may be difficult to talk to and he honestly can be very disrespectful at times, but he knows what he is teaching and makes it abundantly clear what he wants out of you. Everything is clearly outlined, so if he is disrespectful/annoyed, you obviously didnt read the syllabus.

Herman's passionate about his job and cares for his students. After every exam and project, he will reassure people who may not have done well to know that it is only X% of their grade and there is time to improve. There is a lot of projects, but some of them are short and doable in 1 day. Practice exams are harder than the actual exam.

Larry is certainly not as bad as many people make him out to be. Yeah he can be stubborn in his ways, but his lectures are very in depth and Worksheets, Practice Exams and HWs are all directly from lecture examples. He shares secret tests and class examples so you can go back and review. Very fair and won't test on anything he didn't cover in class

His strategies were always focused on psychological studies that helped students learn more. One day he put cute animals for the class intro because he read it helps. His project descriptions are the most thorough you will ever get from any CS prof here (they're 13 pages long with every secret test). If you skim the book the exams come easy.

Herman is really underrated. He has a unique style that does take getting used to. However, after a few weeks into the semester, you will definitely understand what he is doing and find out that he is a really good lecturer and teaches you super useful information. Also he is actually a funny guy and weaves jokes quite skillfully into lectures.

What a guy! I will say, he tends to be passive-aggressive to people who don't show up to class, but he always cracks me up in lectures. The perfect way to describe him is funny without trying to be. A caring guy who will love you if you follow his rules :). His project descriptions also have jokes scattered about and are entertaining to read thru.

He is the larry. He's amazing

Some might find him to be a good instructor while others might not. His lectures are at times a bit boring but he does his best to make them interesting through his sense of humor. His project descriptions and extremely detailed and his exams are fair.

He definitely cares about his students. The main assignments consisted of 10 projects, 2 midterms, and a final. There are worksheets during lectures and discussion sections which are really just graded for completion as a way to encourage people to attend. His project descriptions are very clear and he gives comprehensive study guides for exams.

Live Laugh Love Larry. Manz is very clear about his policies, but as long as you follow them all you'll have a fine time in his class. He always makes jokes (albeit dad ones) and does what he can to keep students enganged during lecture. A generous man (not professor!!!) who gives out chocolate, but does take a long LONG while to grade. Luv him tho

I feel like people give Larry a hard time, but truly had so much fun in his class. I had him for 132 and 216 and he is an amazing teacher, he made everything easy to understand. He is so quirky, so if you like that, Larry is your guy. Sheena Sheep 4ever.

people who be giving Larry 1-2 have skill issues, he is strict with his rules but also easy to understand. His lectures are recorded for people who need to review some materials which is good. Ensure you go to all his Lectures and Discussions because sometimes they graded worksheets. Projects are very descriptive, Test are the fairest they can be

Gives clear criteria for his projects, every edge case is given. Doesn't test you on what you shouldn't know. TA's are accessible most hours. It's basically required to attend lectures, despite attendance not being mandatory. GIves ample time for projects, and gives warning for when a project is going to be challenging. Lectures are structured.

Pay attention in lecture and do the worksheets and you'll do well. There is also extra credit opportunities for every project.

Posts lecture notes, but still helpful to attend his class. He's kinda boring but throws in an occasional joke. You grow to love him. Gives lots of exam practice, but they're still hard. Has unannounced worksheets graded on effort in dis and lec so you have to go. Very organized and smart. Don't go on your phone in lecture - he will call you out.

Larry's class has a clear structure - attend lectures, do worksheets, and you'll do well. The projects are challenging but doable with preparation. Unstuck ai was a lifesaver for exam prep.