2.3
Quality4.5
Difficulty27%
Would Retake100
Reviews27%
Would Retake
100
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
17
4
14
3
12
2
11
1
46
What Students Say
“He's a dean in digipen and he gives this attitude that everyone offends him”
DIGIPENDEAN - 1.0 rating“Doesn't prepare for lectures, has a tendency to ramble incoherently and is absolutely uninspiring”
CS120 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
89%
Textbook Required
73%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.09 avg changeRatings by Course
CSX200
4.0
(1)CSB
4.0
(1)CS250
3.1
(15)CS100170
3.0
(1)CS4CLASSS
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
CS170
5.0
CS200250
5.0
CS120200
5.0
CS225
5.0
DIGIPENDEAN
5.0
Reviews (100)
DigiPen/NST switch hitter. A living legend. Colder than ice.
Feel the pain. Get Prasan-owned! You will learn whether you like it or not, punk. If you don't you'll fail. And don't go crying to him afterwards unless you want a gut-punch cause you should've studied harder.
Extremely difficult teacher, if you don't program outside of class you will not pass. Ghali expects 50 hours of programming practice outside of class becuase his class is and I quote The most important class you will take this semester.
Most other comments here are pretty much dead on. If you wanna do well in his classes, come with at least some knowledge of the subject matter.
No Comments
strict
he doesn't help you. He can not explain anything so that you can understand. Also he does not take any advice that might help students. Highly not recommended.
Worthless! This guy doesnt know what a teacher is. Unable to explain. Lazy **** that doesnt want to help his students. You will pay $900 to teach yourself computer graphics.
HE'S ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT COMPUTERS AND THINGS AND I HATES IT!
He sucks. If I didn't know the subject before, I still wouldn't know it.
He doesn't explain things well at all. A BIG WASTE OF MONEY. Take this class at a CC instead of here!
Ghali is a brilliant programmer and a wonderful person, but not a very good teacher. He's very helpful so long as you ask for it.
I don't know what everyone else is talking about. The class can be difficult, and he somewhat makes you feel dumb for asking questions, but I think he explains the content very well.
I had gahli for CS120 CS170 CS200 and I have to say he is the worst teacher that I have ever had. I will never take one of his classes again. Even if it means that I have to wait for 5 years. He may know the content but cannot teach it.
This is the worst teacher I've ever had. Stay away or face a semester of hell.
Ghali has the skills to be a great programmer. Its just a shame that he's not programming instead of teaching. I realize Claude hired him as a favor... but please fire him as a favor to all your beloved students....
No good. He's just no good at teaching. Wonderful programmer with impressive skill, but as a teacher he lacks the most important skills.
CS120,170,200,and 250. He simply is not a teacher. Very smart helpful guy, but can't get the message through. I did not learn anything from him, i learned it from the homework and the internet. Avoid if you can.
Ghali rocks!
wow, this man needs to take a class in teaching
Difficult teacher, but one that teaches you what you need to know even down to the nitty-gritty.
Probably the smartest teacher at the school. Once you realize that he is not being mean but simply blunt, he seems nicer. Every student learns more in his class than any other period.
Ghali seems to have gotten his act together over the summer. I can understand why he might come off mean, but really he is one of the smartest people there.
He bludgeons you with the material until it finally sinks in. His tests are brutal. He is known for finding the most obscure and difficult situations to test his students on.
Great teacher, but very demanding
Really knows his stuff but could structure the class a LOT better than he is. Instead of spending most of our HW time on the algorithms taught, we spend most of it working on the interface and WIN programming. He needs to provide a framework that allows us to focus on the material, not WIN API.
A very demanding professor, but you end up learning your stuff.
This guy is****. You'll learn the stuff, or you'll fail and probably drop out of the school. It's not nice, it hurts, but on the other hand it's probably a pretty good reflection of the real world in this industry. I'll appreciate this guy more after my ass stops hurting.
No Comments
Terrible professor. Very unclear in his teachings. Should definitely retire. Complains about not ever wanting to work on games again, but continues to teach how to program them... Common sense? Noppe.
Knows his stuff, except how to teach. If you ask a question about his explanation, he'll just repeat the same thing. Also, he just shows you the equations you need to know on the slides and says: "Now this equation is obvious, and you could derive it yourselves." He might, but none of us can.
Extremely tough, but Ghali is a genius. I'm very thankful that he has started to use slides in his classes that students can easily access to study. His classes are usually interesting and the material is very exciting to work with.
I had Ghali for CS200 and I thought the class was incredibly difficult, but I learned a lot. Again, for CS250, the tests were incredibly difficult but he made the assignments simply for the students by providing them a template to work with. That way, we spent less time with Windows, more on gfx.
Ghali gets a bad rep, but he is awesome one on one and his assignments have become a lot more reasonable recently.
Terrible Teacher. Very unclear. Doesn't speak English well. Will jump on you if you have the audacity to ask a question. Does not explain where he gets equations from. Very unfair tests. I'm glad this is the last time I have to have him. Two thumbs down.
Awesome teacher if you care to ask questions.
Amazingly difficult, and sometimes abrasive, but brilliant.
It's like waking up to the smell of bacon and coffee, except instead of making you full, it pours the coffee on your lap, shouting "You like that? How about some more, b**ch?" So you scream because of the searing pain but somehow manage to emerge from the whole situation infinitely more experienced and wise, though still scarred for life.
Prasana was one of my favorite teachers, I never learned so much from a class as I did in his. He doesn’t teach you what you need to know, he teaches you what you need to come to understand what you need to know yourself. If you’re willing to work to understand you’ll do well, if you want to be spoon-fed the answers; you, my friend, will fail.
Horrible teacher. Has notes online... but the notes are terrible. Stresses asking questions in class... but when asked one, gets frustrated and repeats the same thing, or goes off on a tangent. Doesn't allow calculators on exams... but gives ugly, complex math expressions. Very smart man, but can't effectively communicate what he knows at all. Ugh.
This teacher uses his own prejudice to determine grades for students, and whether or not to fail them, or even to help them. This guy has quit 5 times, and comes back because of the offers of money. He has no passion to teach at all, and it shows.
Some have said that if you do not work or do not study for this class, you will fail. Well, I am here to speak the bald truth. It does not matter HOW MUCH you study, because you will STILL fail. The only things that might save you are the programming assigments. Don't even consider trying to pass the exams, though, because it just won't happen.
Beware the ides of March. And CS250. I agree mostly with the two posters behind me, but having passed his class after the second time I took it my 5th semester at digipen (i'm now going on semester 9), I think the people who make it pass will find a particular joy in the pain of others when they see them try to pass this class.
After CS200 ended, I literally had no idea if I passed the class. I somehow got a B+. Homework is extremely time consuming but still possible. However, the 2 tests that make up 50% of your grade are not. Studying helps very little, since the tests are not really based on the homework, but rather abstract derivations of course material.
This is the best professor I've ever had! Funny, intesting, and moves at a pace that is neither too slow nor too fast. I never once started falling asleep during the class, and the tests are not as difficult as some claim. All of the bad reviews are probably from people you failed, I wrote this review to balance out the uneven reviews.
Amazing, brilliant professor- nobody will argue that he doesn't know his stuff. He's not a good _teacher_, but few professors are. But also he's extremely approachable outside of class. Assignments take impossible amounts of time; tests are impossibly difficult. BE WARNED, '250 IS HARDER THAN '200 (in case you heard otherwise).
This guy is the main reason I ultimately dropped out of Digipen. His "help" consisted of telling me to read the VCR manual of a textbook while I waded through another of his complex and minimally explained homework assignments. He's not a teacher in the true sense of the word, more of a drill sergeant for hardcore graphics programmers.
Ghali's teaching style may be difficult to understand at times, but if you approach him during office hours, he will gladly help you anything you didn't during class. The assignments are easy if you pay attention in class, and if you actually study for more than a day, you can pass the exams. I studied for 3 days and got a 39/40, so it can be done.
He's the freaking man. You don't think so? No my friend. You're wrong.
Professor Ghali is probably one of the smartest people you will ever meet. He also makes sure to explain all the algorithms in class to great detail. He also expects you to write algorithms to the same detail. I actually enjoyed the class greatly, but I wish we got to derive more algorithms.
just one word : worst
He is extremely good at what he is teaching, but because of that, he is kinda long winded, yet very precise in whatever he explains.
he has been emphasizing that this course RTIS is not easy and everyone sure fail!! he has the knowledge but unable to teach. he always like to demoralize the students. i had a friend, he asked what are we suppose to study for the upcoming quiz? He replied in a rude tone, "ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING WILL BE TESTED!" =.= when is only 3 weeks into lesson
Extremely detailed, digs very deep into concepts. Students without prior knowledge would be confused. Also repeats material over and over again. Pace of teaching C is slow. But you will leave with a deep foundation of C.
Very very difficult. You will be owned by this man! Knows his material very well. You pay dearly in his class if you ask stupid questions. I barely passed his class, but I have very solid understanding of C now. If you do not study VERY VERY hard for his class... YOU WILL FAIL. He is plainly the most difficult professor I have ever had in my life.
Unreasonable lecturer. Even if you know your stuff, but don't explain it HIS way in the quizzes, you are wrong. If HE cant understand your handwriting when everyone can, you are wrong. If you put a wrong file name to an assignment, you get a ZERO without opening the file at all. Even if the program fully functions or not.
No doubt this man is extremely knowledgeable and intelligent in the field of Computer Science. However, this doesn't really give him the excuse to fail at least half the class based on extremely trivial technicalities due to insisting on "Industry Standard".
Insist that all code must use only the C++11 standard and standard library. As such, his assignments provide very little opportunity for using and testing other C++ libraries.
When asked "can you show us how to do matrix multiplication", his reply was "go ask your math teacher".
I asked him ``can you explain function pointers again'' and he replied ``go bug your other instructor''. I learnt nothing from him and then he blamed me.
I feel his class is very unclear. He is definitely knowledgeable about Computer Science but I feel he is very adamant on students doing things his way and does not accept any other standard
He's a dean in digipen and he gives this attitude that everyone offends him. He makes no effort as a dean, on our graduation ceremony, he came to our ceremony unprepared, giving the most uninspirational speech a dean can possibly give, with a shoo-it-off tone. Any questions in the school policy will result in him talking down on you like pest
Prasanna is a great teacher with experience in the field. He reminds us on the demands of this field of study. And also teaches us in the perspective of what the industry expects of you. However his lessons are only useful to those who are interested in the subject.
Nonsensical. Period.
Doesn't prepare for lectures, has a tendency to ramble incoherently and is absolutely uninspiring.
Most unhelpful professor ever. He reinterprets questions for you by saying "My friend, you meant to say this question....." . I was unable to reach him during his own office hours for help on two different occasions.
Ghali comes to class unprepared, and his lectures are like rants. Already well rounded in programming and linear algebra? Then there is nothing needed to learn here. Ghali's classes are a substantial waste of credit hours. Do not approach this teacher; if he does not deem your efforts worthy, he will try to shame/harass you.
Ghali is a brilliant man, but his teaching styles range from non-traditional to borderline insane. Take lectures with a grain of salt and lean on the textbook for the majority of your learning. Don't be afraid to ask for help, but also don't be surprised when Ghali makes you feel some degree of shame or embarrassment for doing so.
Professor Ghali is one of the hardest most critical professors I have had. He assigns way too much reading, is very critical to his students. He also frequently lectures past the duration of the class. That being said, I am learning the most from Ghali. He is tough, but an amazing teacher. He truly does care about his students and does help them.
This class is tough, I spent so much of my time working on assignments and labs in this class that it was affecting my other classes. He has no TA's and the Tutors this year weren't helpful. So the only people I could rely on was Ghali and the other students in the class. Honestly go for any other teacher if there is an option.
He gave us a lot of homework as well as programming assignment. Those things are often very hard and require student to read a lot of materials. However, he always provides in-depth material. Therefore, if you put more effort, you will get the most out of it. His class is the class I felt like I have learned a lot.
Utterly ridiculous curriculum. Expects you to know what you are doing and ask questions yet reprimands you when you do so saying you did not read his notes/ lecture materials. Extremely uncaring and inaccessible outside class.
Great programmer, terrible teacher. Say bye to your grades if there's no auto grader. He;s only here because there's no other lects / profs left.
One of the worst professors I have had the displeasure of being taught by. Homework given is 15 years out of date, things not relevant to the industry anymore, meticulous irrelevant details instead of proper modern software architecture.
He wants the whole class to be quiet and he refuses to talk if he hear some noise. Says he's a dictator here for us to listen to him
Explainations of concepts are long winded. Test are equivalent to programming on paper. Actively uses badly written code from decades ago and has not had relevent industry experience for 28 years. Test are unreasonable in time and complexity with expectations of a perfect solution in 1 try.
I never wore my seatbelt while driving to school because I wanted to die before making it to his class
Okayh I be very honest this is the worst professor I hear a lot of bad things abt his old fashion teaching style and bad remarks He was extremely rude to the students and scold them for the mistake he make and push the blame Rude comments such as how dare u do threatening students Was shocked to see digipen like this and their image was fake
CSD2100 under Ghali was a huge waste of time. I did not learn anything from him since his course material is outdated and he clearly has no passion for the subject or for teaching. I have no idea why he keeps failing upwards. By far the worse lecturer on campus bar none.
tuff love
Lives up to the reputation as the worst professor in Comp Science department. All his teaching materials are 20 years out of date and gets defensive whenever a question is asked that falls outside his teaching materials which in the case of computer graphics is a lot. I learnt more from youtube than from him.
P. Ghali's lessons are extremely detailed and he has slides and notes that people from other unis will fawn over. I have no formal background in programming (I only learnt a bit of C during my free time in NS) yet his classes are easy to follow. His exams are not easy but definitely doable if you put in the time and effort to study and practise.
He cannot stand any noise in class, cause he claims that his brain is the size of a pea, and it breaks his train of thoughts.
old material
super long winded prof, constantly telling students to stay quiet because it "breaks his train of thoughts". cant explain the point properly, almost 80% of the class cant understand what this man is saying
This arrogant guy with a humongous ego seems to think that people should keep their mouths shut even during his "interactive classes" which are just him talking. Says we should not take CS without having a passion for it when he obviously hates teaching. Keeps contradicting himself. It's time for him to retire so students stop dropping out.
First time testing SEB, with more then 60% get 0, didnt suspect that something is wrong with system and start talking bad about the student not studying.
He delivers material in a dull and uninspiring manner, making it difficult to be engaged. His behavior makes it even harder to learn, regularly dismissing student questions with sarcastic, condescending remarks and creating a hostile environment. He rarely accepts feedback and makes it clear that his opinions are the only ones that matter.
[Part 1] His assignments are text-heavy, like the materials he provides, and he tends to be extremely long-winded in his explanations. While his years of experience contribute to his snobby attitude, his responses to students' questions often come across as patronising.
[Part 2] Professor Ghali loves the sound of his voice; his "interactive" classes involve mostly him talking, with virtually no student participation, not that he would allow them to speak anyway. My recommendation? Don't come to DigiPen as long as he's here.
He can be grumpy and egotistical. He'd put the blame on you first before anything else. He may shame you if you don't answer his questions correctly. My advice? You really need to have a thick skin to deflect all the flak you get from him.
Although Prasanna's attitude might be demeaning to some people, but he just wants you to become better. He makes you a better student only if you take in his criticism as motivation to improve yourself. His notes might be lengthy, but are very detailed and teaches you everything you need to know for each particular topic.
lil bro loves to preach how he doesnt make mistakes in his code and procceeds to take hours to debug 5 lines of code in lecture. Amaaaaazing stuff.
While his notes and tutorials can be long winded, they contain a lot of useful information. His teaching style may not be for everyone, but he is very knowledgable and goes in depth into details that others usually gloss over. With that being said however, homework questions are occasionally unclear, making them confusing to follow.
25 time winner of the Digipen's Worst Lecturer award. It has since been renamed as the Ghali Prize for Bad Lecturing. Doesn't like it when any student ask a question in the middle of his lecture because he claims it disrupts his train of thought. Well, how am I suppose to learn if I am not allowed to ask questions?
Took his class CS120, CS150, CS200, CS225 CS250. Taught under him 13 years ago, basically 5 sem of him. Failed under him multiple times on my way to graduation. 9 years into the Tech industry, all I can say is he know his stuff, if you can pass under him you will excel in your career. And yes, his reputation is built on the number of drop out.
Prasanna is a very blunt professor who doesn't feel the need to sugarcoat. The notes he gives are very comprehensive. Tho his lessons might seem like a tirade but are actually very in-depth and if you bother to listen, you will learn a great deal from this man. Just do the tutorials, assignments and guaranteed a pass. Getting a B+ is not hard.
Fatherly. Cares about his students. Majorly misunderstood. He is critical but means well and wants students to learn C/C++ correctly. It is tough love. I think some people gave him a bad rating because they were too strawberry and couldn't see past their ego.
Prasanna is genuinely a nice professor, he is always willing to offer guidance. The notes he give is insightful and in terms of grading, personally it's not bad especially if you complete all tutorials, assignments and quizzes. He does reply back if we face any issues or require deadline extension. His programming level is definitely strong.
An often misunderstood professor who doesn't deserve the bad rep some students give him. He is always willing to answer questions, and his lectures are rich in depth for those who engage with them. While his notes, tutorials, and assignments can be long winded. they are very insightful. He can be blunt and critical but his intentions are genuine.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
89%
Textbook Required
73%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.09 avg changeRatings by Course
CSX200
4.0
(1)CSB
4.0
(1)CS250
3.1
(15)CS100170
3.0
(1)CS4CLASSS
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
CS170
5.0
CS200250
5.0
CS120200
5.0
CS225
5.0
DIGIPENDEAN
5.0