2.8
Quality3.4
Difficulty22%
Would Retake102
Reviews22%
Would Retake
102
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
24
4
16
3
13
2
24
1
25
What Students Say
“Completely unfair tests are given by him”
ITCS3181 - 1.0 rating“I advise you not to take Mr”
ITSC2175 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
88%
Textbook Required
63%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.83 avg changeRatings by Course
12142215
5.0
(1)22142215
5.0
(1)ITCS1214
4.4
(13)1214
4.0
(2)COMPSCI
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ITIS1215
5.0
ITCS3181
5.0
2175
4.5
ITCS2175
4.1
ITCS1215
4.1
Reviews (102)
Two tests, two projects. A lot is review, but a lot of people need it. Easy if you already know the stuff. A fun learning experience if you don't. No accent means clear, though doesn't always understand your questions. I'd recommend him.
One of the best CS professors at UNCC. Recommend to take his class. You will know how to write Java program after taking his class. He is awsome.
No Comments
The PERFECT man to get you started into programming in Java. He knows his stuff and his office door is always open. Anytime you have a problem with a program, he is willing to walk you through it step by step without getting frustrated. An excellent prof.
Fun class. Nice professor...
No Comments
Not very good at explaining and answering questions...I had to drop the class and sign up for Wagner the following semester. Wagner is a lifesaver...def take him instead (u can check his comments and see for yourself)
Very easy class. You can miss a lot of lectures and still make an A. Notes and assignments are online. HIS LECTURES ARE EXTREMELY BORING! Especially if you already learned the material in 1215! Why do they teach the same crap again in here anyway?
Very easy!
good professor. not overly clear in lectures, but he picks out what he thinks is important and skips the monotonous stuff. go to class and take notes.
Very, very good teacher. You should and never will not ace a prograaming assignment because either him or his TA will walk you through it until it's done. Test's are a little hard but not if you don't study.
this man i a joke...doesn't even know how to program in Java and expects students to know. Cannot teach for anything...tests are easy though.
great professor, although he is very sarcastic when you attempt to seek help....makes you feel like an idiot for not noticing a mistake but overall great professor!
this guy is a retard...
The subject matter is a total yawn (and it's my major *blush*) but come on, now, we CAN read. He buried the entire class in programs as well, like none of us had anything better to do, with four long and involved projects. Still he is a fair prof...
overall not a bad teacher, you may want to take a nap during lectures. Willing to help with any assignment. His replies on email can somtimes take a few days. Average instructor i guess.
boring, but very easy teacher
Professor Ilson is a very good teacher. He helps a lot with programming assignments, I am about to finish 2215 and I feel confident for an A or a B. Recommended
very good teacher, book is not really helpful, puts most everything on the webpage, pay attention and do the programming assignments, tests are easy, easy A/B
Good professor. Wants to make sure everyone understands the material. Lectures can get pretty boring sometimes. Assignments are easy and the tests are fair. I wanted him to cover some of the more interesting algorithms rather than the graph and tree algorithms that we already did in ITCS 2214.
He is very helpful. Willing to spend time with you until you understand the programming assignments. Take him!!!
Hardly ever went to class and still have an A. Study for the two tests, and do your assignments and you will be fine. Very helpful and enthusastic about teaching.
I did not like him, I will make a B in his course Fall 2004 but he is damn too picky about the programming assignments. If your program doesn't work with his little BATCH files you are going to struggle to make them up. Not again for me.
lecture got boring, and some programming assignments were incredibly stupid. TAs are there to help with assignments, if needed. tests were pretty easy, mainly definitions and general understand of what programs do. takes attendance, but im not sure what for. i'd take him again.
very helpful teacher, 2 tests mainly on definitions, 8 or so programmin assignments not to hard just ask good questions and he practicly tells u how to write it, attendence taken but not sure what for? lectures are pretty boring though.
would recommend to anyone
Ilson is one of the best teachers in UNCC I had, I would recommend him for any class. Actually I wish he could teach all my classes. Explains things well, and is very helpful. (not relevant but) he is very funny too.
The class is a waste of time. He would talk for the entire class but would say nothing important. He refused to give solutions for hw. He also had some stupid idea about not letting students take home there exams after they were graded, so there was no real way to know what to exepct from him. Dont take him if you want to learn.
2nd best CS prof I've had so far. He's not trying to be the easiest grader on campus like other CS profs I've have. He tries to cover the material you have to know to survive in this field. He's very enthusiastic. Sometimes smart and sometimes smart ass.
this kat sucks big time. he should learn how to balance his class between the people who know the material and those who have no clue what the hell he is talking about.
No Comments
good teacher, broke the subject down so everyone could understand, uses web assign, helps out on projects in class, and if you go to class and take notes the test is fairly easy. gives opportunity for extra credit.
He is a really unfair grader. He gave me really bad grades on my programs even though they worked right and i didn't have enough comments. His classes are boring as hell, but hey it's Algorithm Analysis. I really don't think I learned anything but how to write programs that any normal programmer would already have free in open source somewhere.
Well. I must say it's not really the teacher's fault, although it didn't help. I've received A's in every computer science course before this one, and totally flunked this. Ilson isn't a bad guy, and quite intelligent, you just really really need to ask for help when you need it, otherwise the class is impossible (and with the help it's hard).
Talks forever and doesn't say much that's important. Smart guy and could probably help you if asked him, but he teaches the hard material poorly in class. Got an A in every other CS class so far, probably won't in this one. One could probably get an A in this class if they tried to learn everything them self. You won't learn much in class.
look for another prof because this one dont teach
Horrible professor! DO NOT TAKE! Uses students programs to make fun of your "cute" problems... he sucks as a teacher... I DIDNT LEARN ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Horrible as a teacher! Use to work for some company now he fell back on teacheing which he sucks at. He expects you to already know java like the back of your hand. If you have never taken a java course before DO NOT take his class. I will be lucky to get a C when I got an A in ITCS 1214. I only took him because he was the only one available!
I have him for ITCS1215 (Java), and he is a good teacher compared to the others I have experienced in the ITCS Dept (The teachers & TAs for ITCS1212 are very strict and not nice at all) I will most likely end up with an A in his class, but I do have previous coding experience. He can sometimes get off track when talking, but overall he teaches well
not recommeded. he gives a lot of hard projects every week that are due before teaching the related chapter. His class is suck and boring. you will not learn with him anything, you will be on your own!!!
He has good intentions but isn't that great of a teacher. He's knowledgeable and interesting if you engage him. However his lectures are a bit of a mess. I feel he is a good professor if you understand programming well but if you struggled in ITCS 1212 then you probably want a different professor. He can be condescending if you ask for help.
Ilson was the best option when I enrolled in ITCS 2175. He means well but is not a very good teacher. He gets flustered easily. In his lectures, he ends up spending too much time on the easy concepts and you are left to figure out the tougher stuff. Compared to when I had him for ITCS 1215, he was much nicer to the students and less condescendi
Assignments were pretty hard, lectures boring(sometimes funny), blackboard discussions were very helpful
HE SUCKS
He explains simple tasks but leaves you out in the darkness with the hard stuff. I didn't learn anything from him. He's not a good teacher at all.
Honestly one of the worst teachers I have ever had. He knows what he is doing so as far as comprehension of any problems you may be having he is pretty much an expert. But his overall teaching methods are terrible, I have yet to meet any one who has passed his class the first time around. I definetly would not recomend this teacher for any one.
Not a very good professor. Assumes knowledge, only teaches basics and leaves you to figure hard stuff out alone. Programming projects are ridiculously hard and there is not enough instruction to teach you to properly complete them. Projects due before material is even gone over in class. Bad choice for a professor.
Clearly the students that left horrible comments regarding his teaching style were the lazy gaming slackers that think computer science is a walk in the park. Mr. Ilson's intentions are to continually challenge and progressively force us to program beyond any previously conceived limits. Java is difficult and Mr. Ilson doesn't babysit.
Can be interesting at times
He made this class so fun! I had very little experience prior to this class and he was so helpful!
He expects you to read the book and come to class with questions about the material you read. The class lecture is not sufficient for you to pass this class. Attending class would help you to get the tricks and important keys. Very responsive to answer questions. His class forum is the very first source that you should look out for answer.Recommend
He would certainly be a good mentor for someone with prior experience with java or other programming languages. As someone completely new to the programming world, I would not recommend this professor. He shows a bit of favoritism in his classes, and can be a bit condescending if you seek him for help regardless of how much effort you show.
very hard prof. Just don't take him. He let you learn stuffs on your own. His tests are very difficult.
When you come to class you need to have read the book and its not a coaster class. He puts you in groups and you actually USE what your learning. If you show up and do the HW its impossible to fail his course. He will answer questions mainly via forum so use it. Tell him if something happens and he will generally work with you also.
He is a great teacher but not exactly for this course i feel like he got lost alot in questions asked and i feel that he made the material harder than it was i learned more looking things up online. His test arent hard if you study but even then he takes alot of points off for small things so be prepard to spend alot of time in the library
He make things more complicated
I love this professor! He is very helpful and entertaining. No tests for this specific class, just some homework which is straight forward.
Knows the material very well. Test are average difficulty but very long. Do what you know first and then come back or you will not finish. The test are usually worth 115 points becasue of length. HW is more for your benefit, your grade depends on test grades. I liked him a lot, very helpful. Not a coast class
Shouldn't be a teacher.
Lots of people seem to hate the poor fella. He has his own odd way of grading so if you put forth genuine effort you should get a C at least, even if you make 40's on the exams, which are pure hell by the way. Pretty cool guy, but asking questions doesn't go over too well. He gets a bit condescending. Other than that, nice guy.
I think the only way to get an A was to do the homework problems over and over as if it was your only class. No feedback on the homework. He says the tests are based off the homework, but the test averages were low. You want a study guide? Do the homework with the book closed. That's what was told to us. Good luck, and make a good study group.
Avoid at all cost! Useless lectures, beat around the bush answers to student questions, condescending, test are HELL (test are multiple answer, multiple choice. Gives you more opportunity to miss points!)He offers no extra credit, no point curb, test take FOREVER to come back then does a piss poor review on them! Avoid 3155 AND 2175 with this man.
This class has changed since Fall 2012. He uses the CS169 Cal Berkeley course and he has no idea what he is doing. Lets his TA's do all the work. Grades for attendance too.
Avoid this professor at all cost. Not worth spending all your semester with this one. I had him as there was no option. Good Luck. Bottom: NO NO NO.. for this professor.
Terrible! Completely useless if your trying to get help from him unless your a girl. Doesnt know what he is doing, basically teaches his class by online Berkley Lectures.
He is the only one teaching this class, and we have to take it. The classmates were more useful than him and the TA's put together. I really don't like him giving us a group project when there's 2 and half weeks left. Good luck teaching yourself Ruby and Rails. One of the worst CS classes I have been in. I really feel sorry for future students.
Talks half of the class about non-sense information that could be useful lecture. Disorganized and does not teach coding of Ruby. Horrible professor.
First unit is easy, goes to heck from there. Better be a master of teaching yourself cuz he won't teach you
Unorganized, unprepared, and arbitrary grading methodology. You would do well to find another section!
He has been one of my favorite professors that I have had the privilege of attending class with
First of all, he's a nice guy, however, he pretty much teaches by reading off powerpoints and assigning book problems. You teach yourself through the book most of the time which gets time consuming. Then there's the tests, he says to study the homework for the tests, but they were nothing like the homework and were very hard. I hated this class!
great professor. would definitely take another class with him.
This is basically two classes in one. He doesn't teach the class, he makes you listen to online lectures and depends on his TA's to help you with your programs. You have to learn Ruby/Rails/Cuke on your own without his help. Grading is a joke, don't even ask him what your grade is. He doesn't know until "the end". He's arrogant and rude.
If you have to take 2175, I've heard from pretty much everyone in the computer science major to take it with any other professor. He was the only one teaching this semester. I understood the material until I went to class, then him talking about the material would leave me confused. I still have no clue what is going on in this class.
Go to class EVERY day. Study the homeworks and read the highlights at the end of the sections and you will do fine in the class. Don't worry about your grade but show him effort and he will reward you with a good grade. Final was impossible.
I've had a lot of bad teachers over the years, but this one must be the worst. Every student dreads taking this class since he's the only one that does it. He doesn't teach anything, just babbles on incoherently and dramatically about complete nonsense. Deadlines and grades are totally arbitrary. Make sure to get on his good side. Literally crazy.
I honestly regret taking his class.. Ilson's class is difficult. His lectures are boring, he's not very good at explaining things since he just rambles the whole time. His homeworks are long and his tests are DIFFICULT. The average in his class is tends to be in the 50s. Honestly it is not worth it, GPA-killer. Avoid his class if possible.
his class is the biggest waste of your time, most classes are spent as lab days and all the material your supposed to learn comes from the videos that he has you watch online. the number of classes you miss will directly hit your final grade, if you show up to class and do the homework youll pass...
He is a very forward thinking professor. He introduces you to material and languages being used in the real world today. He also has lab days which allow you to do homework in class and get help from him and anyone else. The only way to fail this class is to be a slacker, his poor reputation is undeserved.
Doesn't use his own curriculum; tends to be less helpful than he's trying to be.
Ilson is not helpful. He assigns homework projects that must be learned through watching videos. So, you must teach yourself. If asked a question he dances around it and never answers it. His lectures are pointless, he does not do any coding himself to give examples. Unfortunately his is the only professor that teaches 3155. You must attend to pass
Ilson is a nice guy. He responds to emails quickly. There are lab classes at least once a week but they are a struggle because he doesn't actually teach the material. Most of the material is from video lectures he sends out each week. He could improve by having a real lab class in which we are actually helped and taught how to code. Tests are tough
I describe the experience of taking a class taught by Professor Ilson as follows: You will be in a state of perpetual confusion, always worrying about your grade throughout the course. But at the end, he throws you a curve and only with hindsight do you begin to understand WTH just happened. He has a lot of experience and will tell you about it...
If you don't seek help you will most likely fail, most averages on the assignments so far are around low to mid 70s.. I am expecting it to get harder as the semester finishes up.
If you take any class with him then get ready to deal with some attitude problems. Yes, you can end up with an A or B but there is so much to learn from this class and I wish there was better professor to teach. If you want A/B grade then take him and if you want to learn, sorry he is the only option for this class. Good Luck!
You have to teach yourself all the material, reading the online textbook sometimes is enough but usually I to look for other videos to even come close to understanding. You're graded on homework and the tests. You won't really know how well you're doing in the class as almost everyone is failing until he curves the grades at the end.
Took this class when it was a hybrid so we only met once a week for 75 minutes. He never taught in class; we followed video lectures online and read the required (cheap) book. I learned a lot from those. Three tests total, a quiz due every week and a homework assignment due about every two weeks. Not hard at all if you just put in effort.
Not as bad as it used to be. Complete the Ruby Code Academy ASAP (Before the class if possible) after that you fly through. Light work load. Watch the video lectures, do the online quiz. Ask the TA's for questions, not Ilson (unless you want to hear him ramble on). Put in bare effort and you can get a B minimum.
Not Recommend. Never learn anything.
Honestly the one class in the comp sci program that is the closest simulation to the real world of developing. You learn several aspects of software engineering that will absolutely put you steps ahead. While some students may not appreciate what Ilson teaches in this class, I guarantee you they'll change their minds if they actually graduate.
I am currently taking the summer session of ITSC2175. Three chapters a week, exercises and activities due every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday along with the reading. Tests are 70-75% of your grade. Mid 60s is his average for his midterms (informed by him). He does put effort into helping, but with the fast paced material, it's still a challenge.
Do not take if you intend to learn the information via in-class lectures, because there are next to none. 90% of the information must be learned on your own outside of class and we meet once a week to work on a project based on what you should have learned. Does not allow you to see your overall grades.
This guy was a nightmare. He demands respect but never lets you finish even half a sentence before talking over you, and he expresses little to no interest in his students actually learning anything. According to him and most former students however, he's aware he sucks at this class, so he curves the crap out of it. Never taking him again.
If you do the homework and keep up with quizzes, the first two tests are a breeze. The positive aspects of this class end there. The final is an absolute nightmare. Ilson is completely rude and if you ask for help, he will respond in the most condescending way possible. If you get stuck with him, ask the TA's for help and avoid him at all costs.
You really have to teach yourself most of the material, because he will kind of give a half-explanation of the topic. The grading is very knit-picky and you have to explain EVERY answer or you only get partial or no credit at all. Don't expect to know how well you are doing, because grade totals are disabled to "encourage" you to do it yourself...
Ilson has a bad reputation among students. It took him for 3155 the class was challenging , i taught myself and did a lot of research most of the class, but if i had any questions he was there to help either in class or office hours. Great guy !!!!
Illson was disrespectful to students in classes. The TA was a better teacher than he was. He's really smart, but doesn't know how to comunicate concepts and ideas to students. I learned the most from other students, the book, or the TA's. His syllabus was very unclear and wasn't put out until after the class began.
I advise you not to take Mr. Ilson for an online class. When trying to communicate, he comes off as very rude and condescending. He blamed our low test averages on the fact that we are taking his course online yet did nothing to help out his students. Requires that you ask questions in piazza and refuses to answer any questions that come elsewhere.
Completely unfair tests are given by him. You literally have to memorize problems from the textbook to have any chance at doing well on the tests. Going to tutoring, paying attention in lectures, and practicing on your own does NOT help whatsoever. Class is 100% different from tests. His class test averages were in the 40s and 50s. AWFUL!
I took this class online and i would have never done it knowing how bad of a teacher he was. No instruction at all, give condensing answers, does not answer emails, and no lectures or notes. Test were extremely hard, nothing like the exercises. Went to office hours once to get help, and he was awful at explaining. Would not recommend.
Most students don't seem to like him, but he is very fair and has the right idea of teaching. If you want to get by copying code off other's work take this class with someone else. If you show you care to learn you will do good. This is the second class I take with him, and plan to take a third. He is great.
Professor Ilson is not @ UNCC anymore, however, this class was a disaster and one of the hardest classes I've ever taken. We had 3 tests including the final which all together weighed as 80% of our grade. The tests were over 100+ questions long and were much harder than the HW assignments. Anyone that takes this class elsewhere, DO NOT TAKE ONLINE!
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
88%
Textbook Required
63%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.83 avg changeRatings by Course
12142215
5.0
(1)22142215
5.0
(1)ITCS1214
4.4
(13)1214
4.0
(2)COMPSCI
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ITIS1215
5.0
ITCS3181
5.0
2175
4.5
ITCS2175
4.1
ITCS1215
4.1