Prof. Theys is a very good teacher. He will make you work, there is no question. However, I fell that I know my material from CS 266 so well, that I can understand the concepts I'm learning now in CS 366 much better than I otherwise would.

He is good at answering questions, and the concepts he teaches are very straight forward. If you read the book you'll be fine. His projects are nice and not too bad, but challenging enough so you're not bored. Just understand the concepts in the book and you should get an A.

really good and fun teacher, he's not easy but if you come to class and do some studying before exams you'll be fine. Projects not bad, they take time but are not that difficult, again read examples and book and you will be able finish them before due date.

Excellent professor, very funny, very friendly. I enjoyed the class very much, and I hope he teaches again, so other students can benefit. It has a lot of writing assignments, but they are more about what you think about this (issue). I highly recommend you to take this class if he's teaching it.

He's a very funny professor, which made the class really enjoyable. I was afraid that this might be another english class, which I hate, but it wasn't, it was really fun and I wish every professor was like him.

Cool and funny guy, he is very laid back. Just one assignment per week and 4 projects. Load is definetly manageable even if you are taking other CS courses. Exams are medium difficulty, but if you go to lecture and study a little before you will be alright. I think hes professor's troy's younger brother.

Theys is one of the better teachers in the dept. Most profs are obsessed with research and you can tell teaching a class gets in the way of their work, not here. Prof. Theys is very knowledgeable, and is quite easy to get along with. His courses tend to be a bit more work than others, but the knowing the material is worth it. Grading is fair.

The material was very fast paced, but he was more than willing to help the students through whatever problems they had with it. He was easy to understand and encouraged class attendance and participation. He recommended a particular book, but was open to students using whatever text they felt comfortable with.

Very good teacher. Speaks clearly. At times can get boring. When he asks a question in class he won't continue until somebody answers the question.

One of the best CS professors at UIC. Knows the material well. Class is not very easy, but if you go to every lecture and read the pertinent sections in the book (preferably before lecture), the material won't be very hard to understand. He posts lecture notes from every lecture online, which is very helpful.

VERY fair grader; Notes always available online, so you can concentrate on participating in the class. Exams are VERY fun too. He pulls questions right out of "Professor Layton and the Curious Village." It's a good choice too, the game really helps put you in the right mindset for problem solving skills you'll need in this class. Totally take him!

Professor Theys is cool :)

Professor Theys is absolutely AWESOME! He genuinely cares about your grade in the class and notices the effort that you put in. He doesn't "curve" and people tend to think that's bad but he actually does a mean shift which helped me a lot and got me an A in the class ^_^. DEFINITELY recommend any class that he might be teaching.

Lots of work but if you enjoy programming the projects are all easy, you don't need to buy the book it is just for reference, but you can use google to help instead. You only need to show up for labs and tests, he posts all assignments and notes online.

Very good teacher. Demanding, unmerciful, mocking but definitely teaches well and provides enough tools for everyone to succeed and exceed. Doesn't care about student's grades, just that they get what's going on.

Class is hard but because of the material. It'd be difficult regardless of who was teaching. Explanations were well done, you ask questions and you get answers, fair grader. If you put in effort for his class (and trust me, it needs a lot) and consistently keep up with the material, you'll be fine. Definitely not an easy A, but is anything?

Great professor. He is really helpful when students ask for help. He really wants his students to learn the material. Sure the class was really hard, it's a combination of two courses which was recently split in two, but the professor only made it easier. Did a great job at teaching CS201.

Overall excellent professor. Challenges his students. Brings sarcasm and sense of humor. He knows the material. For the most part he teaches it well. Sometimes he changes his techniques and they are not as productive. He will not spoon feed you. You may get lost. If you ask for help he may bring you back up to speed. I recommend reading the book!

Great Professor, His projects are challenging and exams are very theory based. His grading is very tough!!!

Great professor! One of the better ones that the CS department at uic has to offer! The book is mandatory for this class so make sure you keep up on the chapters or you will get lost easily!

Theys is a good, clear lecturer with a good sense of humor. He also has a good sense of how his class can foster an all around skill set for a professional (challenging homework, group interactions, writing, and presentations). I've taken 3 courses with him and would take more if I could.

There is no book bc its expensive enough to buy an arduino kit, 150$. He offers supplementary texts from where he gets his lecture info from, buy one 35$. Hw is challenging but doable. Labs are easy to moderate but daunting at first read. You design a final project based on arduino. There is still a final exam and a midterm but they aren't hard.

He uses the book a lot. Be sure to read and skim before for each week. If you don't understand anything make sure you ask him because he will explain it real well. Test can be tough make sure to study. Any doubts ask him that is the key. Class is on the harder side but its manageable if you stay on top of things. Classes are entertaining and fun.

There is a quiz here and there with clickers. Tests are a little hard, but completely fair. Lots of reading involved. One of the best professors at UIC. Really cares about the fact that you understand the material and you're not just passing by. Expects questions from people and will help you as long as you ask.

Really wants students to learn the material.

If you come to class, and do the HW, you WILL pass, if not, you wont.

Do the homework, ask questions in class, and spend some time independently researching the material and you'll do fine. Don't expect a free ride: Professor Theys doesn't curve the hell out of his class, unlike many professors I've had. If you're willing to learn, he's willing to teach, you just have to work for it. One of the best at UIC.

He's the best professor in UIC. Tests are fair. Wants us to learn the material, more importantly understand it. Overall very interesting class. Glad to have theys in 261 and 362.

GoTo class and ask tons of questions. He moves on if no one asks questions because he expects you to have done the reading. He provides previous semesters exams and changes around some of the values in the problem. So if you're confused you can work out the problems and figure things out that way. Very nice guy. Loved having him for both 261 & 362

Pretty hard class, and you need to put in a lot of work. If you put in the work this class is super easy. I never used the book and struggled pretty hard, but I think I'm pretty smart so keep up with the class and do the homework. Also he is very sarcastic which is both good and bad. He knows what he's talking about and fun to listen to.

Love his sarcasm. Challenging class but good for you. Fair grader and in general. Consistent due dates. Up-to-date grades. Questions? then ask and you shall receive. Expect to read and use of iclickers. Somewhat fast pace (good & bad). Amazing professor.

Watch out, he knows some things that make's him dangerous.

Class is setup so that you do most of the work on your own and lectures are an opportunity for questions, so you have to be a little self motivated.

Lectures are more like discussions. Uses a program called Zybook that serves as the "textbook", but its very interactive, easy to use, and well-understood. CS 107 is a very flexible class, so if you're ahead, you don't have to wait for others. Sarcasm for the most part is on point.

Very literal prof... #1 thing i took from his class is how to answer silly questions. If you're the type of student who comes to lecture expecting to be taught you will not have a good time. If you're the type of student who comes to lecture wishing for new doors to be discovered, you will be challenged appropriately.

Lectures are a bit boring. Lots of iclickers. Labs are based on material he hasn't gone over yet. Weekly schedule is a bit weird but overall not a terrible experience. Very knowledgeable and explains things well.

His lectures are straightforward, and if you take the time to read the book thoroughly, you should be able to get at least a B. A lot of people struggle in this class because they refuse to read the textbook.

Really good professor. Make sure to show up to class, do the homework, and read the book. As long as you do that you're pretty much guaranteed to get an A on the midterms. His midterms are pretty similar from semester to semester, only changing 1-2 questions. The final could vary a lot more, so be aware of that. Projects aren't too bad either.

Good professor, his midterms are exact like old midterms so get yourselfs a copy of previous semester one way or another. The projects can be time consuming but office hours r a blessing and google

pretty lenient grading on exams and projects. Really good at the material he is teaching

Professor Theys is a really fair and approachable guy, don't hesitate to ask questions in class cause many people don't, or go to him for help. The book was definitely a must-have for my success in the class. If you find yourself struggling, make sure to do the readings and they will get you far for exams. Overall, I would recommend taking him.

zyante for hw, 9 labs, final group project, midterm and a final. great lecturer.

My only complaint is the amount of homework, some weeks we would have multiple different assignments going on at once. He's a great lecturer and knows what he's talking about. I didn't read much, failed most of the reading quizzes but I still ended with an A. Exams were almost the same thing as the practice exam so study those hard. Would recommend

Professor Theys is a very smart professor who will challenge you dramatically but will also make sure that you leave the class knowing what is going on. He can seem a little abrasive at first but he means nothing but the best for his students and this is clear in his lectures. He is always ready to re-explain something or clarify any questions.

He's a good lecturer, the slices are well-made, things are all planned out. Gives interactive lecture with examples and clicker questions. The labs are hard but they do help you understand, or at least know what you don't understand about the materials. Definitely better than your average professors. homework and exams are all fare games.

This is a difficult class since is all new material, however Prof. Theys is very approachable and would help you to succeed, use his office hours. TAs are also very hopeful during labs and office hours

Theys has been teaching 261 for twenty years, and it shows. He's perfected a style of teaching that works if you follow his directions: read. Reading the textbook *and* understanding is the key to success in this course. Read, show up to lecture, and you'll be fine.

Very good lecturer, its easy to follow along his lecture if you actually read the textbook chapters like I did, and theres iClicker as well to help you practice the material. Only thing I didnt like was there was homework every week but I guess thats standard for CS students. Very active on Piazza to help answer questions. Exams were tough.

class was extremely easy.

Really good professor, kinda tough on hw and lectures, but very resourceful for help

He made this class so easy. Tells you everything in advance about the exams, labs and homework. Be sure to attend his classes. I did badly on labs before which I didn't attend class. He has a lot of satire but is funny. The textbook is useless and too expensive, but he forces you to buy it. Other than that, he's one of the best CS professors.

just show up to class and get an A. he makes everything very easy.

362 is not a hard class, make sure to do the 9 arduino labs in time and pay attention in class. Prof. Theys has a good sense of pacing when he is lecturing in class, so make sure you are there and engage in the material. You don't have to, but in my opinion, you get more out of it if you go.

He is okay

As long as you show up and pay attention during the lectures you will do well in the course. Had to buy his textbook which was a bit overpriced (only used it to do the mandatory HW checkpoints). Written HWs are not that bad and labs are pretty easy as long as you follow the PDFs given. Exams are not too hard. Overall, he is a great professor.

Prof Theys is a good person. Lectures are interesting and helpful. However, the HWs are difficult compared to information given in lecture. Should go OHs frequently. Bomblab/ Attacklab are confused but Internet link helpful for solving that. Exam 1 easy and Final not hard (already given hint). Exam 2 about assembly was tough and average was 55-62.

He's a decent professor. Despite the mixed reviews, I think he's actually one of the better CS professors I've had. It's not an easy class, but if you put in the effort -- such as starting on the assignments early, attend lectures, and ask questions -- you should be good.

CS 261 is one of the hardest CS classes so Theys receives a lot of criticism. He teaches the material well & works hard to help students understand it outside of class, very approachable. He's NOT an easy grader. My only complaint is that the readings he gives as homework are really confusing but that's also due to the nature of the material.

the reason why Theys gets a bad rep is because if how difficult the course is. He does a really good job explains the concepts and makes sure that everyone understands it. The labs can be hard but the TA give really good hints.

Prof. Igic and prof. Theys taught this coding class with biology. I liked his part of this class. Lots of homework and projects, but they help you out in class and lab and office hours. Its the same as CS111 except maybe a little easier and with biology. Good class overall.

Professor Theys gets a lot of slack just because the course itself is difficult. 261 simply teaches you so much about the compilers in a mind blowing way. Make sure to show up to class and listen. Theys is a wonderful lecturer who is ever ready to reteach concepts as long as it takes. Put in the effort, go to office hours and ask tons of questions.

good teacher

Very good CS professor. He explains things like everyone in the class has no initial knowledge- which was helpful because I had never taken a CS course before or done any coding. His office hours are also helpful and you can tell he cares about his students understanding the material. Very low stress professor which I highly recommend.

I appreciate the lighter coursework, and the projects (while incredibly difficult) are relevant and realistic. He is pretty funny, but you have to REALLY focus and ask questions because you can get lost really easy. Also, the exams are easier than you think. It is realistic to get an A :)

Professors lectures where amazing as long as you show up and do the weekly homeworks you will be fine. Projects are hard, but go to office hours or piazza and you will be fine. Great Professor with an amazing sense of humor, to keep the class engaged.

He's a pretty good instructor. The iClicker practice questions are participation based and are decent examples. The projects were easily the toughest part of the course, but he responds fast if you contact him on Piazza. Some of the homework got quite long near the end. Try to get a good group for lab, it will help a lot.

The professor was good, he answered questions and explained things easy enough to understand. The class itself is difficult, if you don't pay attention or ask questions it'll be hard on projects on tests. So many projects.