2.7
Quality4.0
Difficulty38%
Would Retake179
Reviews38%
Would Retake
179
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
179 total ratings5
30
4
38
3
32
2
21
1
58
What Students Say
“He also did not do an exam review and the exam was worth 25% of our grades”
CIS3100 - 1.0 rating“Don't take him if you care about you GPA”
CIS2200 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
77%
Textbook Required
51%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.10 avg changeRatings by Course
CS3100
5.0
(2)CIS
4.0
(1)3100
3.5
(2)CIS3100
3.1
(35)CIS2000
2.8
(5)Difficulty by Course
CIS2210
5.0
CIS2101
5.0
3100
4.5
CS3100
4.5
CIS3100
4.2
Reviews (178)
I am taking him this semester..oh God..he doesn't know what is he teaching..I am trying hard to get good gread but i am sure i won't get an A in this class..everything you have to do..i don't know why does he teaching this class..
I'm taking him now and i think he is good so far! i think some people speak too soon. He is Extremely helpful if u need it and very easy going guy. Study hard for the tests and u will be fine.
Prof. Ma is a caring prof. If you go to him for help, he will help you. Class is not hard. Just do a bit of work and you should be fine. How can one expect result when you don't even bother putting effort??? Overally, easy to communicate with-type of person.
He is so bad at teaching but a very nice guy. As long as you can study your own, you will be fine. One mid-term and one final which both have 35 T/F and 65 MC. The question is really straight foward. Easy A.
Professor is nice. Students, depending on "who/how you are..." can get a very fair grade if you just read the text (what you are required/expected as a so-called "student"). Exams aren't hard if you read and do his Sample exams on Blackboard. You are assigned 2 projects and Prof. is more than willing to help. 1T/1F ~a . s .
Don't take him if u don't know very well about computer and management. His class is so boring and i don't know what he is talking about. Half of the class left after sing in the attendance, half fall in sleep. All u have to do is read the text book and teach by urself. I don't know why this school hire someone who donesn't know how to teach.
He is a good human being and I believe that as a professor, this is as far as his qualifications go!!! He is a terrible instructor!!! I was so uninspired by him, that I almost dropped off from school after taking his class!!!
true he doesn't teach but he is a nice guy. but niceness isn't everything inlife.
He is horrible!!! He does not teach! Exams are based on the readings that he does not go over. He just spends the whole class talking about nothing amd half the class goes to sleep.
OMG! He's soooo baddd and your GPA will probably go down. He doesn't know what he's talking about and frequently goes off topic. His midterm was 100 questions, and some of the questions were based on our lecture notes (except, we don't take lecture notes!!) How good can a prof be when 20 people out of 70 walk out of his class on a daily basis!
To tell you the truth the two people below me are right. He is awful, avoid him if you can. He can't teach, he should go into practice instead. He is a nice guy, but can't teach for his life. I go to class and can barely stay awake its that boring. I learn nothing from him. Reading the book and doing stupid practice questions won't help alot.
He's okay. Just pay attention. To ALL: bring a tape recorder! You're gonna need it! EVERYTHING HE SAYS IS ON HIS EXAMS. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF NOTHING. TRY TO NOT FALL ASLEEP AND ASK QUESTIONS. IT'S THE ONLY WAY ANY ONE IS GOING TO PASS AND READ THE TEXTBOOK! and i suggest taking notes, make flashcards etc. this class seemed easy...
Do example the example questions one by one to get the right answers because he won't go over them. The test come from th example questions and the class notes. You need the book to answer these questions. YOU NEED TO GO TO CLASS- he does the assignments exactly as they should be done. If you do this, you should be okay. PS: Has an accent.
I loved this guy funny and amusing...he does get a bit confusing at times tho Three Assignments - easy cuz he explains step by step how to do it in class. He posts example questions on blkbd and 40 out of those are on the midterm and final. I see ppl leave his class after they sign the attdence sheet...no wonder they complain... D:
I Don't know what the people that gave him good ratings were thinking. He sucks at teaching. In fact he doesn't even teach. As far as his accent goes. when he says all it sounds like OOOO. Its as if he is about to do a Karate Kick. But knowing pai chun he couldn't even do that right lol. OOOO!!!
**** professor.seriously. grading based on ranking system which is **** too. exams are multiple choice which are tricky as hell. he kills you with points if you don't attend class. shouldn't teach. can't understand what he's saying. DONT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR.
His tests and his lectures are absolute bulls***. I f*n hate him.
IT IS INSANELY HARD TO GET A WITH THIS CHAP. ONLY 15 ppl will get A and if your not a nerd, forget about it. There were enough nerds in my class for me not to get an A no matter what i do. HE CANT TEACH FOR S HIT. VERY HARD PROF. STAY AWAY
Getting a B in this class is not that easy, let alone getting an A. Also this guy recruits teachers pets like "Rajat Kapoor" to do his evil bitting. Who the hell is this guy. And why did he screw us over.?????
stay away from this professor...class is boring..yet attendance is mandatory...teaches about bs and tests 85% from the book...expects you to know chapters that were not covered...only prep for midterm and final is "sample questions"...which are t/f questions that dont even give you the right answer..bottom line - he's a horrible teacher
If you want to be bored to death and have no idea what your teacher is teaching you than take this professor. If you actually want to learn...TAKE SOMEONE ELSE.
his midterm & final are 100 questions, 50 t/f, 50 mc. wats worse is he only gives you 60 minutes to do it. wat he teaches in class, most of it is not on the test, instead its mainly a book test. yet he makes attendance mandatory. if i was going to learn from the book, WHY would i need him? failure as a professor
Look, The guy is not that bad. True his teaching methods are a little off but he tries to teach lessons by using illustrations. Also you are not going to past the exams by just listening to him you need to do your part and read. He gives 3 projects which he explains clearly what he wants. If you want someone more structured dont take but he's ok
mostly talks about his family. Don't depend on his notes, they don't help... read the textbook and figure out by yourself. Do the example tests, they are helpful. Try taking someone else...
Easy A, take this professor
Extremely easy, but nothing to learn, really. He took 45% of the exam questions from sample practice questions. The rest were literally sentences from the texts. He also practically gave you all the answers for the assignments in class. Come to class w/ your laptop and do the assignments in class. For exams- do sample questions, memorize the texts.
IF YOU HAVE THIS GUY DROP NOW!! iF YOU DON'T HE WILL HURT YOUR G.P.A!!
very unprofessional professor, does not satisfy teaching guidelines, has no sense of responsibility for poor performance. Half of the class is asleep during his lectures, other half leaves before the class ends. The meterial perented in the classroom has no relevance to the cource whatsoever. Very exams. Unfare grading
he was the best prof ever
He was an OK professor. His lectures were boring and pointless. You basically have to just study the textbook to do well on midterm and final. The comp assignments were really easy, and he was helpful with those. I got an A, but really studied hard!
This guy still thinks he is in Singapore and has a great paranoia that everyone is going to cheat. He takes 15-20 min to set up his room, taking away your time to do a 100 m.c./ true-false exam thats ridiculously tricky, questions that have 1 different word and expects you to pick up on that its false. Do your GPA a favor and do not take him.
NEVERRRR take this class if you want to live again..all he talks about is China and doesn't teach anything. his lectures do not pertain to ANYTHING he tests you ON and he has ruined my sunday afternoons!!
His curve is frustrating. 15 out of the 80 people in the class end up getting A's, 3 get an A-, 10 get a B+ 10 get a B, 10 get a B-, 15 get a C+, 15 get a C, 10 get a C-, and the students at the bottom get a D. Bottom line, even if you score 5 points lower than someone, that person can get a B and you can get a C-. AVOID!!!
Okay so, don't ignore my comment because what I speak is true. He is a good professor. He's very knowledgeable. He gives you 3 assignments or so which may seem hard but he actually goes over them in class. You just takes notes and do it. His tests aren't hard because he gives you the questions that will be on the test! Take him; he's not bad.
he is tough and you have to work hard for your A but it is not impossible. just memorize the textbook and you'll get your A. he guides you through the assignments step by step so it's easy to get full score. attendance is mandatory and helps with your grade. crazy seating system for the exams though
He may not be great at lecturing but it sometimes helps. He goes over every single assignment step by step during class - bring a laptop and do it right there. His tests are basically definitions in the textbook. Memorize his questions on blackboard and read the textbook. The grades are curved.
BORING TEACHER ! AVOID
maybe...he is smart but he does NOT know teach.He explain just three chapters but not enough.However he gave us seven chapters both midterm and final.Both exam has 100 questions and we have only one hour.
knos the material....but cant explain it well...exams r long multiple choice but tricky...bring a laptop to class so u can do the assignment while hes doing it....not so good
Hes a disaster.maybe he knos too much but he simply cant teach.Highly unorganized.100 mc/TF for 2 exams.MT average is 61.08,no curve n he seemed pretty happy.U should read the text all by urself n do the example Qs on blackboard cuz he uses them in exam.Do not account for him to teach u anything.Nice thing is that he goes over hw step by step.
HOrriblE!! doesnt teach at all!!!!
i dont know how much easier a class can get. 2 assignments (both of which he walks through each step) midterm and final. if you listen to him and take notes you will do well
Worst teacher imaginable. He is truly a disgrace to Baruch, and it still amazes me how he is still employed at this school. Avoid him at all possible costs. From barely understanding a word that comes out of his mouth, to his 2 week vacation before our final! He has absolutely no teaching skills..so teach yourself as much as you can to get by.
Very knowledgeable,helpful and hardworking professor! His class is concrete.He leads you go through each step of your assignments and gives you detailed review sheet before each exam.He even extended his office hour to resolve questions from his students.If you pay attention to his class,&engage in this learning process,you will definitely do well!
Doesn't teach well at all, you basically need to teach yourself and learn excel and access by yourself. Helpful class but extremely unhelpful professor.
He is the professor you'll never wanna take. He does not care if you understand anything or not. He is mad conceited, thinks that he is the best; which he is not ar all. You will regret to take his class. What you learn in class is totally the opposite of what you will see in the test. I would suggest you all to avoid him if you can.
he is tooo hard and unfair :( he has no discretion, i just hate this class
His class is pretty straightforward. Grades are on a curve, so even if you think you're doing well in class, if you're not doing better than most of your classmates, you probably have a lower grade than you think. Only top 15% gets A's.
I found him charming in his own way. There are 3 assignments, which are complicated, but he goes through them during class step by step. So it is crucial to attend class and be prepared, because he does go way too fast through the assignments. Exams are easy. Questions straight from the book and questions on the assignments.
horrible, just avoid and save yourself the trouble, based on midterm and final, all which he doesnt teach, class focus is on the 2 assignments which are barely explained. Had no idea what cis was all about before entering the class and he just did his own thing and avoided what he was supposed to teach. its ridiculous how he still has a job..SUCKS!
not bad
Some may hate him, others may like him. Grades on a curve, so its almost impossible to guess what your grade might be. His teaching style is good, but he doesn't seem to care too much about the students, and cares more about what your grades and results say. If you are looking for an easy A, don't take this class.
Eazy teacher. Never read the book, got a 70 on the final and still got an A. Grade by class rank not by exams...
NOT a blow off class, get and read the book - his lectures, and half of the two exams are based on it. Responsive, smart, & very nice guy, grades on a curve. You must stay on top of the Excel and Access assignments (and cheaters get caught), but he'll help you if you're making an effort. If you're lazy, you'll sink your own ship. Thumbs up from me!
If you know c++ this class will probably be an easy A otherwise good luck. Prof Ma is knowledgeable but thinks everyone has done programming.He grades on a huge curve otherwise more than half the class would fail. Mid-term, final, 2 projects.Getting in the 20s on everything can result in a C or better.Nice guy but his exams are nearly impossible.
his accent makes it impossible to understand him. the class was a huge waste of time, but you can bring a laptop and just do other work or surf the web instead. midterm and final - only way to do well is to memorize EVERY term in the textbook/powerpoints and memorize excel (midterm) and access (final). but seriously MEMORIZE everything. bad prof.
For students that are taking this as a requirement: STAY AWAY FROM CLASS YOU WILL HAVE TO WORK HARD FOR A GOOD GRADE. For students that want to learn: Most challenging class intellectually. He goes further than any other professor @ Baruch for intro level
This class was a waste of time.
WOW! Please beware of what you're getting yourself into before registering for this class. I got really desperate to take this class because no other classes were open. BIG WAKE UP CALL!!! I'm usually one to get A's but I got a C- in this class! He grades on a curve because he NEEDS to! The entire class would fail if not..GOOD LUCK TO YOUR GPA!
Very challenging class. Competition for grades, only limited # of people can get A, A-, etc... You will have to devote a lot of time outside of class to understand the material as you practically teach it to yourself. Beware this is NOT an easy class.
This class is INSANE for an intro class, we're creating databases. they're are easier professors to choose
Wow where do i begin? Teacher is impossible to understand. His lectures are a waste of time. His class is designed in order to fail a number of students. Ive heard other students getting As through other professors, this guy is extremely difficult, he puts down students in order to make himself feel better. F-
DO NOT, i repeat, DO NOT, take this guy. the only generous thing in his class is the curve which really only works for the very limited to get Bs. Expect a lot of self-studying if you want to do ok. This guy is unclear, i hardly learned anything in this class. there was no focus. wish i could take it again to actually learn something meaningful.
he is good person. really good if you want to learn and effort to learn. but if you not just don't take it. if you effort to get A you can because there are curve grade.
Good professor! Work hard and you will get a good grade. Go to him after class and he explains very well. Would take him again
Very hard class, but the professor isn't as bad as he appears. He answers all questions and even helps with assignments if asked. Two exams, Midterm and final. Both are very difficult but grades are curved based on class results. Assignments are straightforward, very similar to in class examples. If you do the work, you'll get a decent grade.
Does not know how to teach! An into cis class (easy A w/ normal prof.) with him is pure torture. AVOID at all costs, just adds stress levels for students. No exam prep, no practice questions. Students go into the final not knowing what to expect. Makes an easy topic into rocket science. Average grade on final is a 50 . Stubborn, refuses to adapt to
Worst class ever! I repeat...Worst class EVER!!
Let me start by saying that he is a very hard professor. He is knowledgeable, but I believe its difficult for him to transfer his knowledge. On the good side he is very helpful, cool person but has strict rules. Also there is a curve for the grades. The Simple Rule is you have to work hard. 2 assignments and 2 exams. read the chapters too!!!
Terrible professor. STAY AWAY. especially if you have no computer science background. His tests are so hard he has to curve the grades about 200%. 80% of the class received a C. The class average was a 50 on the midterm. He literally spends more time lecturing about attendance than he does about anything else.
I believe this professor gets a BAD rap. He is knowledgeable. I do think it difficult to transfer such knowledge to students who always want things handed to them. 2 straightforward assignements, midterm exam and final exam. The exam grades are curved based on class results. The Simple Rule is if you do the work, you'll get a decent grade.
His exam is hard, but not getting a good grade. you need to read the tutorials carefully and finish 2 assignments which are similar with them. His exam is very hard, but he gives curve. The grade will be raise up. Text book is a joke! DON'T buy it! he gives review sheet before exams.
Most unnecessary work and material I ever needed to know. Doesn't teach anything during class and tests are ridiculously hard. I learned absolutely nothing in this class. I'm a junior and never had to drop a class afraid for my gpa until him
Do not take this class. I repeat, do not take this class.I myself did okay, he grades on some messed up curve, and teaches as a dictator, he will tell you on the first day of class that only bad students grade him, but this isn't true. I did okay, and still think he is horrible and cruel. he sucks....
Worst Professor I've ever had. Avoid at all costs!
He is not the greatest professor but he is not as bad as everyone is saying. His midterm and final were on WileyPlus so you had to read the chapters because he never went over them in class. His projects were straight forward, he gives a step by step way of doing the excel and access and the project is just like the example with just diff numbers
GO TO CLASS. WORK ON PROJECTS BEFOREHAND. ASK QUESTIONS IN CLASS. HE IS TOUGH BUT MAKES YOU LEARN. MIDTERM/FINAL BASED ON WILEYPLUS. READ THE CHAPTERS AND YOU SHOULD BE FINE. EXAMS ARE BASED ON THE PROJECTS. MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND PROJECTS AND ASK QUESTIONS! TOUGH BUT GOOD GUY OVERALL. WORK HARD AND YOU CAN GET AN A!
Professor Ma, is not easy, but if you put in the effort you will learn. He genuinely cares about what he is teaching, and unlike most classes, it is actual useful information. The project-exams are NOT easy, if you are taking this simply for a requirement perhaps a different professor is more suitable. But he is extremely helpful at office hours.
This course requires hard work, but courses in college aren’t supposed to be easy. There are two projects, one Excel project and one Access project. As well as an online final and a midterm based on the textbook. In my opinion, this professor is great because he ACTUALLY teaches you how to use Excel and Access and apply it to the financial world.
get ready to work hard. make sure you read all the textbook and understand.for this final I had to read 12 chapters for 100 questions in an hour exam. for excel and access, make sure you do finish your projects whether you want to join the competition or not. still it will be hard for you to get an A but will achieve at least B.
Honestly I don't know where to begin. I am an A student and this class has really brought my GPA down. His midterms and finals are really hard with 100 MC questions with 1hr to complete it. His projects are OK and quizzes are OK as well but overall I did not enjoy this class and his style of teaching. Dropped my GPA and I regret not reading these.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is no easy class. Period. Yes, he curves the grades, but you have to be very consistent in the amount of time you put into this class. Do every tutorial, they do help to understand the material. If there is no option other than taking this class, godspeed. Work hard for it, and you will be compensated.
Bad Prof. You are required to teach yourself. Doesn't go over chapters in detail. Assignments and project are fairly easy. Test are extremely hard with 100 questions each to be completed in one hour. He does answer questions. If you don't understand by the end of the class he states "you don't belong here". 4 exams 20 points each all four difficult
Avoid at all costs
this is the worse class i ever took. the prof. does not explain anything and when he does he confuses you the more. his tutorials are somewhat clearer than he himself but the problem with the tutorial is that it does not teach the 'why' but only the 'how'. Avoid him if you actually care about your GPA.
This is a college level CIS class. No, it is not easy. Yes, study hours are required. Yes, you have to do work. Professor Ma is always available during office hours and email. He is always happy to help. If you put in the hard work, you can definitely get an A. Just seek help at the moment you feel lost and I promise you will be fine.
Class was really hard. The project was not mandatory but is still necessary to do to pass the excel and access tests. The professor thinks that the two tests based on the text book are fair but they are not. You have to finish 100 questions in 60-70 minutes. Hint - look up answers on Google when taking the test. It's the only way to pass.
3100 is a very difficult class and Professor Ma lets you know this from day 1. There are multiple chapter assignments in Pearson online and recreational assignments on Blackboard. Exams are very tough though he grades on a curve. ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY. Miss enough classes and he will withdraw you. Beginners at programming are in for a tough road.
In my opinion, the Professor is knowledgeable but does not teach very well. His explanations are confusing. The whole class did very poorly because hard to understand his lectures. Try to avoid him. Good lucks
Professor knows his stuff, this class requires that a students spends a minimum of 10 per week working through the myprogramminglab exercises plus reading the book (if he/she wants to understand the material) During the class the professor brushes through the material (expecting that you've done it already and read through the long book)
Professor knows a lot about CS, this class requires a lot of SELF-STUDY. The class sessions are short and if you don't read the book and do the homework you simply won't make it past exam 1
One of the best !!
great class, learned a lot.
His exams are rather difficult but if you study you'll be alright. He's a very friendly guy but he does mean business. If you have more than 5 unexcused absences he'll drop you. You really have to pay attention and do all of the homework (which is a lot) if you want an A. He is willing to help outside of class if needed.
4 TEST, some homework online not timed. 2 of the test are online timed, so basically open book test EASY. 1 test on excel (easy, make sure you memorize the formula stuff, he says not to be do anyways), 1 on access (hard, make sure you make a lot of mistakes on the access project so you know how to solve it)
This prof is hard though he is fair and uses a curve. Pay attention to the projects and tutorials, because you will fail the tests if you don't get them. And the test are excruciating and detailed. He will provide office hours and former students that tutor. You will learn things from him no other CIS prof will teach you, but it is never easy.
Don't take him if you care about you GPA. 2 online exams with 100 questions each to be answered in 60 minutes, and 1 exam on excel and 1 on access both hard. Only 4 HWs for the semester however he assigns 200/300 questions for HWs.
2 online test and 2 on class test, if you study then will be ok.
Learnt some useful stuff about excel and access. 2 online exams all multiple choice, if you do homework it's not too hard. Professor makes class interesting and tries to help students pass. Gives points for attendance and curves. Excel and Access exam just like tutorial he will hand out before. If you study you will pass, an A is very doable
This professor wants you to learn the material. If you're taking his class just to get a C and pass, don't do it. He has 1 Microsoft Excel in class exam and 1 Microsoft Access in class exam. In order to pass these exams, you must do his projects. There are online Connect Homework assignments and also two online Connect exams.
This is one of the classes where I actually learned useful skills. Whatever you do, do not fail the first three exam in his class, the two connect exams, and the excel exam. If you want to guarantee yourself a decent grade, do not score below and 84 on average for these three exams. Access exam in tough, just study A LOT for it. Thats all you need.
One of the best professors I have ever taken in college. He makes you truly work for your grade but you learn so much in the process. Expect to spend about 10+ hours on hw doing the exercises usually online. That counts for 30% of your grade and by far is the best help for the exams. Want an A? Come to class and read the book!
Hard and challenging class. Don't take it if you're not willing to work hard. Professor Ma is a good and fair man. 3 exams and he drops the lowest one. Just do online homework and pay attention in class to his assignments, and you will be alright. Recommend
Good professor, but not for the weak. Make sure you do the myprogramminglab assignments, and the "optional" assignments he gives in class because the tests will be based off of them. Programming can be hard for beginners like myself but if you practice it will get easier. You will have to spend AT LEAST 10 hours a week on his work if you want an A
Every class sounds like one long ramble. Refuses to conform to modern times and figure out that 85% of his students have Macs. Constantly talks during exams, I'm talking about literally every 4 minutes for the hour and 40 minute test, and yells every word so it's incredibly distracting and annoying. Study questions completely different from tests.
The only people who are complaining about his course are the weak-minded. I agree that his class is challenging, but it's amazing because you actually learn things that can be very useful for you in the real world. Such a great person and he always has office hours if you need any help. If you have a good work ethic, you'll be fine.
A lot of online programming HW, 2 midterms(drops the lowest one), and one final. C++ itself is hard, especially if you don't have coding experience. Prof. Ma is tough, and he said that at the very beginning of the semeter, even advised students to change their major if they can't deal with coding. If you take him, do all the assignments and code.
AVOID this prof AT ALL COSTS! He doesnt teach anything, majority of your grade comes for 4 exams, 2 online, 2 inclass for Excel and Access where you need to know EVERY SINGLE CELL & ITS FORMULA on the spreadsheets. If you miss even a dot or parenthesis, no partial credit bc "formula wont work" so get ready to literally memorize 17296 cell formulas!
To give Professor Ma credit and benefit of the doubt, It's college fellas! Don't expect to sit through the class lectures like any other non-science courses and get an A. You do your work and you'll pass! Professor Ma knows his stuff. Highly recommended. If you want an easy class, go take another session. enough said.
Prof. Ma tells it how it is the very first day of class what is expected from everyone. He let's students know that if you do not put in the work you will not have a chance of passing the course. 2 online exams, one in class excel and access exam. Make sure to score high on the excel and online exam because access is tough. Do not miss class!!
Dont expect this to be an easy class. You really have to work for your grade and put in time into the access and excel projects. If you want to do good I would recommend sitting in the front of the class. In the end he's a very friendly, funny and interesting person.
Everything you must do and all the possible points you could receive will be thoroughly explained to you on the first day. Nothing will be left to chance or randomness. Prof Ma's tests are difficult because its just that much that is expected of his students. He genuinely wants his students to leave with something valuable and does his best.
professor Ma is a good, hardworking, and intelligent professor. He knows how to motivate the students and what is useful for them in the future. if you really want to learn something from this class pay close attention to what he says in his lectures.
Do not take this professor. He makes this subject so hard and complicated because he cannot teach it. This computer class is all the basics of excel and access yet he makes it so damn hard.. Going to his class is a waste of time because he will spend 98% of his class talking about things that have nothing to do with the subject.
This class is one of the hardest class in CIS. Prof Ma is the best for this course especially for students who know a little bite about coding. I strongly recommend him.
Professor seems to truly care about his students success, which is shown through his grading scale. However, this class is challenging and will require that you work for it. If you dont want to work, find another CIS instructor. Lectures are boring, excel project was okay, the acccess project was just mind numbing and his instructions were unclear.
If you don't want to learn anything & pass with a possible A grade, don't take this course. If you want to learn & work for your grade take him because he is knowledgeable & you will learn a lot. You will receive 2 grades before your final grade. If you end up having an F for your first grade, you will have to work really hard to bring it up (brb)
Professor Ma teaches a very difficult class. Although it was ridiculously hard to finish off with a B, I have to say he taught me useful things for the real world. I failed both the access and the excel exam, but with homework and online exams I was able to boost my grade. His curving system is fair but you definitely need to work hard to do good.
If you're trying to pass and get an easy A don't take this guy unless you want to learn everything on your own. Only took him because he was my last option. Bound to get lost in the middle of the semester if you don't keep up to date. First online assignment was on the first day of school and went over like 18 chapters we didn't even go over.
This is the worst professor I've ever had in my life. He is a very tough grader. there are two really hard individual projects that their submissions are optional and if you decide to submit, you'd be competing with other students to win 30, 20, or 10% he also gives 2 hard exams, and 4 long assignments and the final is 150 questions.
Very good teacher. Easy good grade. Take the class of you can remember to do a few easy assignments. If you cant, dont
Very good teacher. You just have to do a few projects and some busywork on Connect that are a bit annoying but I wouldn't call them difficult. Show up to class and the projects should be easy enough. The in class tests are based off the projects so as long as you do those you should be fine. Massive curve.
If you're looking for an easy A, look away. This was an intensive course, stated in the beginning of the semester to have originally been a two-semester course. Prof Ma is greatly informative and always prepared to answer any questions. I've learned a lot from this class and would recommend if you are serious about coding!
Professor Ma is very knowledgeable and fun, but the class is difficult. There are 6 programming assignments, 2 midterms, and a final. The tests have 50 MC and 4-6 programming questions, open-book (no electronic devices), but he doesn't expect you to finish. Read the textbook and pay attention in class! NOTE: I took the old version of CIS 3100.
He is one of those professors that will teach you something valuable for your future career. He made me open my eyes on may things. Class is not easy, get ready to work.
STAY AWAY!!
The projects which count are excel and access exams: more complicated than the homework. If youre the type of student with great memorization and can remember everything in the SQL form and what goes into each cell in Excel or every restriction then go ahead and take this class. I was failing before the final and I only passed because of the curve
Tough grader, condescending, rude. Hard to get help outside of class. Will even explain why his rating is low on rate my professor. Blames students when they can't understand the material regardless of his subpar teaching style. Would rather go on long rants than teach the class information
Prof Ma is a prime example of Baruch's subpar faculty. He is actually proud of his horrible teaching. Otherwise, this man is rude, arrogant and does not properly explain anything during his lecture. Very out of touch. His presentations which the majority of your grade is relied upon are not updated and WRONG. Amazed someone can say nothing 4 hours
This man does not lecture well at all. Goes on about nothing for hours. The excel project was a mess. Very rude. I wish Baruch would get rid of professors like this.
Gave me a ridiculous grade that was far beyond my expectations. It feels as if I am expected to fail than to pass this class. Committed to all the work and submitted work on time, and put in a good amount of effort, but gives me a crazy grade as if I did not work for it. If it's possible to avoid him, I suggest you should.
Im very scared for the next access project, Pai Ma has given incorrect instruction for the recent project and many students are suffering for it. He really cannot teach. Please avoid him.
Bro wallah run from this professor. The day of judgement is near Allah will deal with him, take another professor seriously he really doesn't explain nothing and destroys your mental health and mental being, wallah azeem drop it now or you will regret at the end of the semester.
Hi, I have a 3.6 GPA and I had to withdraw from this class because this professor does not teach properly at all. He uses outdated Microsoft Excel and Access tutorials from 2003. Even if you attend his lectures, he does not cover all of the requirements of the project, so I dropped because I had a C and didn't want to lose my internship.
Great professor.
He is a good professor and very knowledgeable about how EXCEL&ACCESS work! Projects were a bit difficult but not impossible. To succeed, you must FOLLOW DIRECTIONS from lecture (he drops hints), follow the tutorial examples provided to modify for use in actual project and seek guidance if necessary(he responds quick to email and has office hours).
Easy to get A in his class -come to his class for project (access and excel), he shows all the process but the data is different from you because you choose own data for your project and follow the tutorial step by step -do the hw, sona and sam (easy) on time. -2 exam are same from hw (exactly the same) just pay attention on the time.
the professor is "nice" by conventional means but not particularly helpful otherwise, especially considering there's a pandemic going on and peoples lives and livelihoods have been affected. he uses FOUR platforms for ONE class; blackboard, access, cengage, and MyLab. you need to complete assignments on all of them. why?
Overall I like this prof
Grading consists of 6 programming projects and textbook questions. Assignments #1-5 was a breeze, #6 is a jump in difficulty. Simple class but the professor occasionally adds additional constraints on the programming assignment if he didn't like the way students did the assignment. Note-attendance is technically mandatory, but no attendance check
Decent professor. You have to practice on your own time if you're totally new to coding with C++ The whole class is graded on 6 programming assignments and Homework questions, which I enjoyed. I feel not enough coding classes test your knowledge of coding. Hard class overall, avoid if you can, but you want to practice coding this class is for you
This class was tough for me. However, Professor Ma was amazing and understood my struggles. The key is reaching out and letting him know the position youre in for the class. If you get confused about a topic either read the chapter or go to his office hours. He would give you an extension if you need one and let him know. Would recommend HIGHLY!
Hes cool. The fact that he doesnt have an exam is nice. Your grade is determined by coding projects. This is more of a self taught class but if you put the work in youll do fine. Hes also understanding and lenient if you show him you put in the work.
Professor Ma will teach you some really important and elegant concepts about C++. You shouldn't rely on his lectures in full, instead you must concentrate on the book and self-study, so his information adds on top of it. The main goal for you is to learn how to "learn" programming language so you can do it by yourself, and he'll guide there.
Avoid!!! Avoid!! Avoid!!! Worst professor I"ve met in Baruch.
WORST CLASS AND PROFESSOR
Overall, professor Ma isnt as horrible as everyone remarks him to be. Yes, his class is not easy. His lectures do not cover the exact material you require for the projects, but if you take advantage of emailing him and joining office hours youll do good. One excel project (simple) and acces project (hard). Overall, not a bad prof, just hard class
I will take Professor Ma' class again, even though , it is challenging for me. He explain every detail in the class for the assigment , No exam and no book required. Nice professor!
The tests are based on the homework questions. I think the projects bothered me a lot. The first one is excel and the second one is based on Access( only works on windows). Just do all the requirements and ask him questions on the projects.
The prof teaches in a very confusing way and tends to go into long rants that don't help with the material. Quizzes are timed very harshly and after falling back in the material he just did multiple quizzes in one class, even if we didn't look at the material yet. There are not a lot of good CIS profs but try a different one.
No extra credit, pop up quizzes, no reviews for any test, hard to understand
HORRIBLE. I would never recommend this class to anyone. He accused every one of cheating when in fact nobody did. Nobody can cheat in his class due to lack of teaching abilities. Entire midterm was on VBA, and was only taught 2 times. I suggest you find a different professor, even though the best CIS professor's at Baruch get taken away quickly.
Although Ma is knowledgeable in his field, his method of sink-or-swim does not work for instruction, leaving many in the dark on coding (it is like telling one to hunt a boar without sufficient training). Ma also seems unwilling to make even minor accommodations for certain events and tends to stray off topic in lectures by focusing on his rants.
Professor Ma is very knowledgeable however he is not a very good teacher he does not explain concepts well. Throughout the whole semester most students we often left confused.He doesnt want to further allaborate on ideas because he believes that students should figure it out on their own in preparation for the real world. avoid this class.
don't do it
Professor Ma makes the HW and assignments very clear. Yes this is a class where you have to put in a lot of work but it does pay off. You will have two group projects which will be challenging but just go for an 80. At the end of the day u are just trying to be in the top 20% or 40% of the class depending on the grade you want. Quiz every lecture.
I assure you, you won't learn much. He really can't teach so be ready to do bad on most quizzes. VBA was the hardest part. Group projects were alright, textbook quizzes were alright. Horrible at teaching but the curves help and he does good at keeping you updated on your grade. I thought I'd fail because I failed most quizzes but surprisingly no.
Most students who left reviews didnt put much effort into the class, but it is still important to pass. The professor is knowledgeable and likable, but it is important to show effort and respect to have a good relationship with them. Pay attention to his rules and don't miss class, as he drops hints to help on future assignments. Projects are okay.
The professor is nice. He can't really teach the topic well. The first half of the class is an excel and access project with VBA quizzes every week. The quizzes are pretty hard and he doesn't really teach the topic well.The final and midterms make up most of your grade. Try to get the most points from projects, SAM, and quizzes and you should pass
Please do yourself a favor and RUN from this professor. He was the biggest nightmare and I would NEVER retake this professor. This course is not supposed to be as difficult as he makes it. He mostly grades in 25% increments and when I showed some assignments to my friends who've graduated as CS majors, they were clueless and couldn't help. HORRIBLE
Prof is very strict and heartless. His answers to assignment related questions are very vague and he takes off substantial points on small errors. His assignments have a very specific criteria and wants you implement them in a very specific way. This makes all his assignments incredibly difficult especially for those of us are beginner programmers.
You might think since there are no exams in this class then it would be an easy A but it's not. Along with textbook assignments there are 6 projects. The first 3 projects were ok but the last 3 were difficult. The only reason I passed this class was because one student who was more experienced sent video examples to us.
The worst mistake I've made in Baruch is signing up for this class. Instead of teaching the class and preparing the students for the assignments, Pai focuses more on the students plagiarising! An experienced student (c++) made videos helping the class and he did a better job than Pai. The only positive is that he curves the final grade. Beware...
There were 6 project assignments, and lots of Pearson assignments(super easy). If you are a reliable person, think carefully about finding group members, don't find those that are asking you for help, but then do not help you when you ask them for help. They just take advantage of your kindness
His lectures were so boring yet he made attendance mandatory. Grinding the ppt slides for 30 minutes before an exam is worth more than going to 10 of his lectures.
No homework but two group project. In class midterm. Online final exam. The average of your grade is curve. 9 Quiz. The first 4 quizs have 4 question and last five quiz have 15 question.
Professor Pai Ma cares more about if students plagarized rather than if they actually understand the concepts or not. He also did not do an exam review and the exam was worth 25% of our grades.
Graded on 6 projects, 1 midterm, and Revel Pearson hw If you enjoy programming and want to pursue a career in coding then this course shouldn't be too bad and quite fun actually. If you do assignments last minute and are not accountable then I wouldn't even bother. Overall he was an okay professor during class but struggled writing code sometimes
The projects aren't that hard and most of them would barely be classified as beginner level projects but C++ is a tough language and the prof barely teaches. His curving system is nice. You probably wont get lower than a B- if you pass. Attendance is 5%. Don't really have to show. He does give some tips for the projects in class tho.
If you really want to be a good programmer go for this class. Professor Ma would definitely make you ready for the difficult field of programming. The grading is done by his assistant and it is very tough and sometimes seemed unfair. The curve at the end of the semester is great!
I do not reccomend
Very forgiving curving system, learned Access and VBA in his class. Experience during lectures was very poopoo. Tough first midterm. Didn't like that he assigned seats.
Assigned seating/took attendance by pictures. quizzes almost every class. 2 group projects graded as a group so make sure u pick a good group. SAM projects on Excel/Access. midterm was hard, failed it, but the quizzes & final brought my grade hella,curve is pretty good.Beginning of course was rough but ended with an A-. Wouldn't take him again tho.
one midterm, one group project, online final, takes attendance by taking pictures (assigned seats of your choosing), and quizzes + hw every week. the class itself isn't so difficult, but the way he teaches certain things makes it seem as if it is. he may rant about the answer to a question for a long time, but just do the work and attend class.
photo attendance, one group project, and Excel, VBA, and Textbook chapter reading quizzes. His midterm is original so come to class and listen and participate in your group projects as contents from there is also on the exam. His curves are also gracious. He might seem harsh, but his class is actually quite fair.
Either you like him or hate him. He is good. He focus on Foundation. Allow gpt or chagg, but you need to explain your works.
If you're looking for a professor who teaches in the class, then avoid him. Ma rambles in class & goes off-topic. He creates his own midterm (some questions are based on the group project). A lot of quizzes and homework assignments. Attendance is taken by photos in your chosen designated seats. Good luck! I still don't understand excel vba haha
Pai's class is challenging, but if you put in the effort, it can be very rewarding. The projects are tough, but the curve helps. I found unstuck ai and the free textbook super useful for studying. Attendance is a must - he provides good in-class guidance.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
77%
Textbook Required
51%
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