Somewhat demanding for a 100-level class, but very rewarding. This guy is great, assigns interesting homework and is very clear in lecture.

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A demanding class as is, he is a demanding teacher. He is very clear in his lectures. I'm doing pretty well and I think this clss is very challnging. He gives many chances to up ur grade. U gotta do your work to get a good grade.

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Very fun class, but quite a lot of homework. Easy A if you already know how to program. You'll still do great if youre a beginniner, as long as you pay attention in lecture and put some effort into assignments and studying.

Challenging but yet helpful and interesting...class is great and funny...not the class that you would want to sleep

Definitely my favorite teacher at Stony Brook. He's funny, interesting to listen to, and undoubtedly the best lecturer in computer science that I've encountered so far. Don't expect his classes to be a walk in the park though, the projects (in 219 at least) are relatively demanding.

Java Special Forces. Even the dumb ass learns something. He'll make work for grade... but that's the point about programming. Went thru hell with this guy.. but he's truly the best professor so far. Can't wait for 219 hell.

Definitely the best teacher in the comp sci department. His classes aren't easy, but at least you know you're gonna learn something. And why else would you take these classes if you aren't gonna learn?

Requires an overwhelming amount of work. You'll spend hours and nights and early mornings completing his projects. However, he is brilliant, articulate, and explains the material very well. Going to this required CSE class is less of a pain than it could be. Best professor in the department

He's tough, but he's good.

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The best

Richard is a cool guy

His quizzes aren't tough, but they involve a lot of memorization. He's super cool though, and he's totally fun in class. Except, I really hate his picture roster. Talk about wanting to hide under the desk.

Assign work worth doing! :) If you just wanna find a shortcut out of CS, he is not prof you want to have. He challenges each student to code like a professional programmers! If you are serious about a career in CS, you'll love him... or maybe not! I think he is one of the best CS prof stony has to offer.

Talk about being obsessed with cheating. I'm surprised he didn't make us put up folders like we did in elementary school. Learn to trust us buddy!! Anyway, Hist of Computing...boring as sin. His notes are powerpoint & clear, but it seems like he is learning it all for the first time too. And who actually gave him "Hot" votes on this thing?!?

Good teacher. Learned alot from him.

Long and tedious homeworks, I think he thinks its the only course your taking. Tries his hardest to help you out if you go to office hours. Always looks high, bloodshot eyes.

ALOT of work. But, unlike most professors, you will actually learn in his class. He is an awesome professor! Highly recommanded if you want to get your money's worth and actually want to know how to program.

The course started out really fast. We learned everything in the first few weeks and he shoved it all in the first assignment as if we all got it in one shot and the rest of the assignments were practically the same thing. What's the rush? Notes were good but his explanations in lecture aren't the best. Survival of the fittest, almost half dropped!

I have him for CSE 301 and CSE 219, I dropped 219 and will take it next semester. Be warned, he likes giving long assignments, and you might find yourself tripping if you don't start early. In 219 make sure to actually test everything he goes over in class, do all the little programs in the fat java book, and START EARLY!

Computer nerds love this guy. But you don't have to be a CS major to have a good time in the class. Its not an easy class per se, or at least theres a lot of work and you have to keep up on the readings, but if you stay on your sh*t you'll have no problem getting an A.

EASY AS HELL.

Also had him for 380, in both cases his classes are more difficult than others but the projects are not as ridiculous as people make it seem. If you really understood the material (which he does a great job teaching!), the first assignment in cse219 can be done in 2-3 days rather than the weeks it took some people coding @ random. Plan b4 you code!

As others said, project takes a loooong time assuming you are new to GUI programming. However, the project was a game (Risk) which I found to be very interesting and rewarding. It sucked every second of my life away though. Tests were a joke, just go over the slides a few times and you are set. Very nice guy though, quite humorous at times.

Class is very easy. You must go to all classes and labs to get the best grade. Very nice teacher who is not strict. Tests are very easy, limited studying for tests. Take class for easy grade

If you're lazy, you're screwed. The projects will suck your life away but they are doable as long as you manage your time right. Other parts of the class wasn't a big deal, just the projects/homeworks he assigned were the ones you need to do a lot of thinking for. Textbook won't help you, just read his notes and the java API

Great professor, however don't expect to get too personal with him. His tests aren't that hard as long as you know the material, he's not out there to trick you. I took him for a straight History of Computing course, so I'm assuming it would be different for a programming course. However, he's a nice understanding guy.

the homeworks will take insane amounts of time to complete but he is always willing to help with everything, best class to take with him

McKenna is the best CS professor I've taken so far. His assigments are given in real world senario form(editing existing programs), and he makes learning the topic fun. You can also tell hes very proficient in what hes teaching. He will challenge you, but after you take the class you will KNOW data structures. Good professor, very good lecturer.

Very helpful lecturer! About 60% of his lecture is helpful, the rest he just talk about random stuff. HOWEVER, I think attending his lectures should be mandatory because his lecture really helps. Also visit his office hours frequently. Do your homework, ask or email him questions, attend recitations and you should get an A.

Great Lecturer. Horrible at assigning work. If you want a good grade you have 3 choices. Have prior programming experience, devote a ton of time trying to understand/do his work, or spend slightly less time with the professor/a TA. If you are new to Computer Science and want an easy grade avoid McKenna.

One of the best CS Prof I had so far. His lecture does not make you want to fall asleep. He also gives more than enough time for the homework, at least two weeks. Test is fair; average is in the 80s. My favorite class this semester!

He explains exactly what is expected of you on the homework assignments and tests, and provides plenty of examples of how what you're learning in the class applies to future programming jobs. He does go on tangents at times, but he still manages to cover everything that's needed. Go to his office hours if you need help - he's friendly and helpful.

He teaches well and lectures arent too boring but hes a very hard grader. his hws are insane and crazy time consuming. he expects a lot from students. he has to understand ppl have a life apart from this class. hes not too good at understanding personal situations. tests are a lot easier compared to the hws which is a good thing.GOD help me in 219!

Great professor. What you put into your work you will get out of the class. Homework projects are defiantly not easy for those who have no prior programming experience. However, completing the homework in their entirety will defiantly get you ready for the next level. You are guaranteed to learn new and efficient programming skills in this class.

great professor.the homeworks are very very hard. but you will learn a lot in this class

EASY AS HELL

very good teacher

Easy, helpful, but experienced programmers will find little else as he accomidates the lowest common denominator which is good I suppose for an easy A.

I dont like the way McKenna teaches 219. It is not fair for everyone as he emphasizes too much on game programming. he has to understand that there are other aspects in CS also but since hes into game programming he teaches in that perspective. only helps students with interest in game programing. what abt others? he shud cut down the work for us.

Homework assignments take time. Don't procrastinate on them. It pays to go to class. McKenna focuses too much on game programming, but it's understandable. I haven't finished the final project yet. ):

I've always thought it was hard to learn computer science in a lecture setting, but he does it really well. He keeps the class involved which is very important for students to understand the fundamentals at work. There is a decent amount of work but its all programming. HW should be started early. If you're a cs major take his class.

Great professor, extremely interesting class but the workload is incredibly tough. Many kids take this because they think making games is fun and easy, but when you actually get into it, its really tough. However McKenna is a fair grader and understands how much work you put in and what grade you deserve. PICK GOOD PARTNERS FOR GROUP PROJECT!!

Tough class, a lot of it you have to learn by yourself. He teaches you the methods but you have to implement everything yourself. CSE230 should be a requirement, I learned a lot of C++ in this class. Game programming is a extremely difficult yet well rewarding and fun in the end. He grades quite fairly and knows how much effort you put into it.

Nice professor. However, the homework he assigns is just overkill. He expects you to design/code projects that you would probably work on as a team when you got a full time job. Also, for the homework, he does not provide any sample cases nor talks too much about it in classes. Basically, you need to google and learn everything to succeed. GL HF.

Be prepared to work really hard in this class if you don't have any programming experience. Mckenna simply went too fast for me and I was unable to keep up with the course work even though I put in quite a lot of effort. He relies on power point lectures and can be quite entertaining. He's a great guy, I just regret not being able to keep up.

Nice guy, but he has a habit of going off on tangents about stuff he's done, games and bands and movies he likes, etc. Homework doesn't always relate very closely to lecture material and it takes a lot of time, start early and go to his office hours if you need help. Tests are very hard. Overall, he's tough but fair.

Great teacher for a demanding course. I had fair experience with programming before taking the class so it was easy for me but will require substantial effort for those new to programming. At times he focuses on basic game programming which was a big plus for me as per my coding interests. Has interesting stories and a great teaching style!

While not easy, I learned the material from him far better than when i took CSE courses with professor Pawagi, or Esmaili. The homeworks are interesting, just keep in mind, these are not Intro courses, and the Game Programming specialization is his baby so he tries to make sure you get the background you would need for that.

McKenna was an amazing teacher. Honestly, just go to class(otherwise there will be questions that trick you on exams), do the homework, and you will be set. He's very fair, and responds to emails quickly. I learned a lot in his class.

This is an extremely practical class. Professor McKenna packs pretty much everything you need to know to know to pass your first interview !!!

He is the best CS professor at Stony Brook. His class is strongly based on your final project and your homeworks. He explains the material very well and his final projects are actually interesting. He wants his students to pass and understand the material. Having a homework average in the 90's and scoring in the 80's on the exams equaled an A.

cse 114 and 219. he is a very hard professor but he makes sure each of his students understands the basic concepts of java programming. completing his projects are a great boost to personal confidence you need for programming. very practical. worth getting a B from him rather than getting an A from any other professor.

McKenna is the best teacher at Stony Brook. Don't call him 'Professor McKenna' or he will lecture you about why his title is 'Lecturer McKenna.' You will meet his son at some point during the semester. The material is difficult, his job is to teach it. He far exceeds this goal.

He is an excellent instructor. He comes off as genuinely relatable when it comes to the material, explaining the challenging subject matter in comprehensible terms that resonate with students, without diluting it at all in the process. He makes each topic covered legitimately engaging and is also very available and very helpful during office hours.

I personally see him as one of the best CS professors... He is very clear in class and you can tell he enjoys it all very much. Don't call him professor, and he doesn't shake hands so don't try that either. His hw's are very time consuming, not necessarily hard, just time consuming, and he basically just wants you to actually know what need to know

i loved him as a teacher a smart nice guy

He's a decent professor. The homeworks are very long and tedious. Expect to spend a lot of time on this class. He is clear and helpful, if you go to office hours. I put in a lot of work for an A in the class. Never procrasinate his homeworks...

Awesome professor. The class is very hard but you will learn a lot in it.

Prepare to spend A LOT of time on homework and do NOT procrastinate. I took this course because I couldn't get transfer credit and there was no proficiency exam so I know my way around, but his homeworks and the final project were incredibly time consuming. He's not a bad teacher. Exams were simple, multiple choice. Go to OH and do HW early.

Great professor! He gives a real in-site on what the career as a software engineer is. Was always very helpful via email and esp office hours. Deff attend class if you want to do well on exams. But most importantly start programming projects ASAP! Do well on his projects, do well in his class. He's funny and entertaining.

Lecturer McKenna is nice and realistic. He constantly reminds us about how the homework and projects will help us in the future.

He was teaching it for the first time so lets say everyone received 2/3 Letter grade higher then what they deserved. Good at teaching, but goes off topic a little too much but was fair by only testing what he taught. Exams fairly easy and final was tough. But everyone got lucky with grading since it was taught by him for the very first time.

Shows his Love for CS, Speak and he will listen. If you are one of those expecting him to be "more professional" realize that, apart from gaming references, which are a good thing according to my teaching methodology courses, he is a very professional teacher. He does however expect alot out of students, and will have no problem failing slackers.

Amazing teacher and this was the only CSE class in SBU where I actually learned real software developing in 3 years. He will drill down all the key concepts in your head so hard you will remember them for the rest of your entire programming life. Projects are hard and extremely time consuming, but hands-on coding is how you learn how to code.

Hardest and best course I ever take.

He only teaches this course in the summer because he says he likes to change up from programming to the more abstract concept of proofs and logic. For the most part he just goes over Fodor's notes in the same class, whether this is good or bad is up to you, Fodor's notes are good but maybe he should have made his own. However, he's very reasonable.

McKenna is wonderful lecturer. His enthusiasm (especially for his passions) is infectious, his anecdotes are personable, & he is ALWAYS available for his students. He breaks material into chunks, builds you up, & forces you to tackle a final project on your own. Put in the work from day 1, & you will walk out of that class a confident programmer.

Gives a lot of work, but it probably prepares students for the real world. He's really funny and gives really interesting lectures. He's also super cute. TAKE ALL OF HIS CLASSES.

I like his lecture and final project. It was so fun. But I got B+ because I did not study about JAVA at all. I regret.

McKenna will teach you fundamentals necessary to your career as a Software Engineer, but will do so by making it really fun. He loves seeing technology used as a means to express creativity. For that alone, he's awesome. Take classes with him, and make some great projects like your pride depends on it. It'll be the most rewarding thing you ever do.

Mckenna is a pretty good professor. I took him for 215 over the summer and I think he was very helpful and very fair. He has tons of energy and makes a boring class a lot more enjoyable. He understands how it feels to be a student and that's one of the reasons I would recommend him.

He LOVES what he does, I always appreciate his attitude. His class is not hard, but just make sure that you put times on doing the projects. It is not about how important those projects are in grades wise, instead you are preparing yourself as a good programmer. Make sure you stop by his office to check out those "collections" there.

He keeps his lectures entertaining by telling stories and making jokes. His exams are multiple choice and really easy. His homework projects can be extremely difficult and time-consuming, so you should never procrastinate.

One of the best professors I've had. Respects students, students give him respect back. Good at teaching, exams are fair.

Great professor; exams are very straightforward if you study his slides and attend lecture. Just make sure you start the homework and project right away

Prof McKenna usually teaches CSE 215 in the Summer, and for a 3.5-hour class, he can really make the time fly. One of the things I found most useful about his class were the quizzes. If you answer the questions honestly, it will help you understand the mechanics of answers the homework problems and make exams much easier.

Now in the workforce I appreciate more what I learned. The homeworks were long and hard especially in 219 but later you will see the real benefit of them.

McKenna's lectures are very clear & straightforward, and he's pretty good with outlining his expectations. Definitely one of the best lecturers I've had here. Also, he's good to have a conversation with and fun.

Great lectures, long homeworks. But I really enjoyed this class.

One of the best professor at stony brook university. If you as a student don't know what responsibility is then don't take his class.

He's probably one of the best professors in CS department. He's lectures were definitely the best. HWs were a little hard but still do-able. Exams were pretty easy.

Learn the material first then try his assignments because he will not teach it before. Other than that the better choice for 114 than Tripathi.

He'll prepare you for your CS career with his amazing lectures. HWs are time consuming and hard but teach you very important concepts. Tests can also be hard but listening to his lectures and understanding the concepts in his slides will help you get a good grade. Overall best lecturer in the CS department, you will learn a lot from his classes.

I am also a SUNY-K student who took classes with him. I took CSE214 / CSE219 class with him, and I think that I am lucky to meet him as a professor! Homeworks are fair and manageable, his classes were fun, and I feel that I improved much after learning from him. I wish to have him for other courses :) Thank you for teaching us.

I have one semester left to graduate, Prof. McKenna is one the best professors I've ever had at SBU. He wants every one of his students to do well. The class is NOT easy but there is more than enough help available (I don't suggest taking during a pandemic, makes getting help harder lol). Nothing but positive things to say about him!!!

CSE 216 I took this course online this summer (visiting student) and liked it quite a bit. The assignments were fair, the content was presented effectively, and Prof McKenna was a pretty likeable guy. Prepare to use C++, TypeScript, Haskell (ouch), and Python. Midterm is theory based, final is pracapp. Overall one of the best CS profs I've had.

I think overall was a great professor. During lectures he would go off topic a lot, sometimes he would spend more time CS topics of other courses. He tries to explain everything in great detail with lots of examples. Midterm was concept based and final code based. The course was in python, TS/JS, Haskell, and c++.

His lectures are entertaining and he gives breaks between the 4 hour lecture. There are quizzes each class which help when studying for the exams. Grading is fair.

I took CSE 215 with McKenna in the summer session. He teaches well. I took the course with another professor, but his explanations were so much clearer. He promptly answers all the questions his students ask in Zoom chat. The quizzes were easy, the HWs and final were average, but the midterm was a bit difficult. Overall, I had fun in his class.