Great teacher for smart people, otherwise stay away!!!

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Good quality lecturer

Show up for class, do the homework, do the labs, get an A. Some assignments are hard but they all can be done. It is a pretty easy class.

This guy is very helpful. He may get off topic occasionally as he is extremely well versed in the programming industry, however I found him to be very helpful. And when something really awful happened in my life, he gave me an extension on an assignment. For that I will always be greatful.

Definetly the CS teacher at the U of A. Grades very fairly. Tests are hard only if you don't study at all, programs aren't too bad, and are sometimes pretty cool. Great teacher, great guy.

He's a very nice professor! What really made me love the class was his inthusiasm for it. My only problem was that he isn't all too clear about certain things during lecture and usually you tend not to understand everything until lab when you have to work with it. The labs are tough, but fun and the tests are easy when you understand the material.

A damn good teacher - helpful and clear, but you best be awake and ready because he's not going to slow down just because you have a hangover. He's a good guy, his projects are pretty bad ass for a intermediate programming class, and his tests are pretty fair. This is a good example of a hard class made easier by a good teacher.

Professor Mercer is very intelligent, if not a little eccentric. He does an extremely good job of covering all the bases in the course and explains it coherently enough that there isn't any reason students shouldn't get at least a C. Very knowledgeable and personable - his courses are highly recommended.

Fun, easy to talk to.

Good teacher. Despite what your initial impressions might be, He is also a great guy. You'll learn alot in this class!

Rick is a pretty clear lecturer and his examples in class are structured and I learned a lot from him. I would probably accredit most of my learnings in this class from my section leader, Zack. Exams are pretty challenging, but going to the review session the night before with the section leaders is definitely a big help.

A surprisingly rude person when face-to-face, but a good teacher nonetheless. Has problems with going off-topic but sometimes he's fun to listen to.

Good intro teacher that pretty thoroughly explains programming concepts in more understandable terms. He makes lots of typos and the projects could use more clarity for things like output format. He makes it possible to get 100% without attending class! If you're new to programming don't pay much attention to his tangents, they might confuse you.

Although Rick is not a wonderful typist, he is a wonderful professor. His lectures are thought out well, and labs correspond exactly to what was taught in class. Tests are hard, but study sessions help a lot. Programs are difficult but delightfully challenging. Rick lecture's are not crystal clear 100% of the time, but tell me whose are? GO TO LAB!

An A is well within reach if you attend class and lab and seek out help. He was really helpful and so were the TA's. Glad to have him again for 127B, his policies are reasonable.

He is one of the better intro teachers I have had. I really like CS and I am glad I got him as my professor. He may go of topic but it is always related to the realm of CS or what we are studying (modern examples ect.) I have on tip: GO TO LAB!

Rick is pretty funny and actually is good at explaining the important concepts. In my experience of the class, most people hated him because they lacked the ability to comprehend what was going on. This class does require a few things of students: basic logic skills, basic math skills, basic ability to understand english, motivation to work, etc.

A very good professor. He is enthusiastic about explaining things during class. I wouldn't approach him with a question but I never needed to because this class provided section leaders who were easy to approach. The tests were relatively easy and the programming assignments were challenging but fun.

Can be a little random sometimes, and asks a lot for programs on occasion. But one of the best at UofA.

I found this class quite enjoyable and it has inspired me to continue my csc minor. The workload is somewhat difficult, but very doable. If you do all the projects, it should be easy to get an A in the class. He did make frequent minor mistakes (semicolons!) when coding in class. Did you know he's written a best-selling C++ textbook?

I took this class in the summer. It was very challenging, but engaging. IMO, Rick Mercer is a great teacher. He works closely with his students and is flexible with due dates and grading. He uses an online grading tool called Webcat that allows you to submit a project as many times as you wish before the due-date, which gives great feedback. Cool!!

Great guy. He did what he could for things to make sense, but without prior background, computer science can be pretty hard. I think he did a pretty good job. wish I had him next semester.

This would be a difficult class for someone who had no prior CS knowledge. The programming projects are extremely fun and rewarding. This class was a lot of work, but that helped my understanding of the material. The tests are not too hard and the teacher has a good sense of humor. I definitely recommend this to people who are interested in CS.

Rick is a good guy but this class is really hard. I had a good amount of CS experience and still found the later projects extremely challenging. Read the book, go to lab and be prepared to put > 20 hours into each project.

He's a great professor who is willing to help you. His class sections are useful and he is very clear on exactly what you need to do to succeed. If you are struggling, ask your section leader for help, the section leaders were all good. If you have no experience programming, take 127A/B instead, but if you have at least a bit, take 227.

He's a excellent professor who is incredibly understanding. This is the best instructor I've had at U of A. The class did take a ton of outside work, but if you have programming experience it will be a lot less time. Overall, the extra work was worth it for such a great classroom experience.

If you like programming up to this point, then you'll find his class fun and challenging. Otherwise this class could prove to be hard. Sometimes he is hard to follow because he uses comp sci lingo which most beginner students haven't heard yet.

Professor is fun and easy going. The assignments he gives are just challenging enough to be fun and not so challenging that they eat up your free time. Professor was easy to talk to and good at giving explanations. If you put in a little time and effort it's a great class with a great professor.

Mercer is a pretty good teacher as far as I'm concerned. The assignments he gave were helpful to me in developing practical programming skill. And he's a nice guy. I don't think the person below me was paying attention, because we always had about a week's notice before each homework assignment was due.

His class was pretty straight-forward. It provided real world experience if you came in with an open mind. The class projects were all very creative and proved to be a successful semester.

2nd time with Rick, loved the pair programming in this class (so nice). Projects were a lot of work, but fun. Lectures not so great, but TA's are almost always available for questions via email or piazza. Start projects early, or you'll regret it. Also, extends if he sees the class struggling to meet a deadline.

Professor Mercer is a model of how teachers in college should be. He genuinely cares about the material beyond just teaching it. He wants you to understand how what you are learning relates to the real world. Some don't realize his tangents are a way to help you understand how he has seen the material used outside of a classroom. Listen. Learn.

Prof Mercer helped make the best of a difficult situation (very tough class taken over 5 weeks in the summer). He is personable, knows the material inside & out, is willing to take the time to help every student, and expects you to do your best to learn the material. The assignments were very challenging but if you put in the time you'll do great.

He gave enjoyable projects throughout the semester and even allows creativity in design, which I found fantastic. The exams are mostly just rote memorization and writing code with pencil/paper but aren't too hard. Lectures were occasionally dull, but paying attention isn't overly necessary as study guides he gave were very detailed.

Mercer is a misunderstood teacher. He doesn't give you all of the answers in lectures,but rather teaches you how to teach yourself, as that is an important part of computer science. He introduces topics and expects you to follow up on the java docs if you don't understand them or wish to learn more. I've learned my most valuable skills in his class

So, Rick can be kind of off the wall. That is the worst I can say about him though. He is a better teacher than he is a lecturer but that said, you will learn everything he wants you to. Smart and funny, just the sort of prof. you want (or I want). Grading is not over hard and content seems to prepare students perfectly for future courses.

Very misunderstood professor, He is a really good guy. Teaches you how to to teach yourself. If you go into office hours he will leave you knowing everything you need to know. Very understanding aswell.

Pretty good lecturer. Can ramble a bit (more like bounce off the wall). Assignments are cake if you go to class. He wrote the book but uploads it for free (only 10 bucks printed). I though the book was super helpful too. A bunch of small team work and quizzes but never anything unannounced. You can show up for just the quiz if you want. Recommended

I have had Mercer as an instructor for multiple classes, including repeats. You will spend a lot of time looking things up online that weren't fully explained in class, but that's a really important skill to have. May seem disorganized or rambling but there's a lot to learn in his classes if you pay attention and do the work.

Pretty good lecturer, he will teach you the stuff you need to know. Occasionally rambles, but he's a guy with a good sense of humor. The grading criteria is very clear. The programming projects weren't super hard if you attended class and lab, but they weren't easy either. Great prep for future CS classes.

If you have the mind for coding (creative problem solving) then you will enjoy this class. The exercises are pretty much always on point. The only problem is that he can get a little scrambled sometimes, a couple project specs were iffy. Aside from that he knows what he is doing and the lab hours every week are awesome. Taking 127b now and expect A

Absolutely a must take class for anyone interested in software engineering.

Took csc227 over the summer. It was two semesters worth of material in 5 weeks. Mercer is funny and goes over everything. Be prepared to do the work and study. Its easy to get an A, a B, or a C. the amount of work you put in will determine your grade.

Took 227 during the summer, expect a lot of assignments and homework. Since I had some previous experience with java programming, the class if not too hard for me.

I took Dr. Mercer's class over the summer. I already knew a good bit of Java, so the class was probably easier for me than for most. However, when I did run into issues, Dr. Mercer worked directly with me to solve them. This was the last time that 227 was offered. This is unfortunate, as it's a great class for those with prior experience.

He is a helpful instructor. He has to make sure everyone understand the stuff before continue to the next topic. If you ask him to compare Java with other programming languages, he will do it. He lets students to discuss the logical part of assignment in class. If you have any family issueshealth issuescourt issues, he is very understanding.

Mercer isn't a great lecturer but all the assignments help you learn the material. The programs he designs are pretty cool and fun to do and the final project is a great idea as well. Section helps a lot in clarifying what Mercer failed to explain properly. Mercer is notoriously bad at clearly explaining things, this extends to specs, but just ask.

Mercer is a great dude. He truly does care about your learning experience. However, he does tend to get off on tangents from time to time, and not all the lectures are necessarily helpful. Section is super important because it helps reinforce what he talked about in class, and it gives you a little closure on the topic.

Mercer is an excellent teacher and explains everything pretty well. However, programs and exams are challenging. Specially exams. START YOUR PROGRAMS EARLY AND DON'T PROCRASTINATE! There's about 10-12 programs, 3 exams, and a lab assignment every week.

Best computer science at the UofA, he sits done but's he's old, what do you expect. He's also hilarious. Projects are easy af, and he's tests are easy.

Im taking Rick right now and he is a great professor in my opinion. Given the circumstances of everything being online, he made the class much more easier to deal with. Very helpful in office hours. A lot of homework, but is very easy to finish the same day. My experience has been great with him so far

Personally I find him to be a good teacher, I understood what he was trying to say and I find that he explains well and is able to identify where the topic is more difficult and make it somewhat simplified to the point of it being easily understandable. Honestly my best teacher this year.

he is good

Prof. Mercer does a great job at making the content reasonable. Homework and lectures are the dominate grade items, with exams only 35% of the final grade. The scope and difficulty of exams are fair, and enough time is given to allow the material to be answered, which is something rare in CS classes from my experience.

Prof Mercer is very knowledgeable and gives very good lectures with stuff you will actually use in your career. This class was legit super easy, they are very lenient on grading and you have like a code per week. He's a has a little trouble with the online format but still good lectures and good class.

His lectures are great and his homework is a great way to strengthen your understanding on design patterns. He had a few larger homework assignments which were a great way to practice. At the end of the semester I believe it made me more organized and better at programming.

Dr. Mercer's lectures can be a bit messy but CSC 210 is a breeze with few new topics different from 110 and 120, and the projects he assigned were really helpful and interesting for learning Java.

His lectures can be boring and repetitive but the class content itself is not hard. The TA listened to our problems with one of our teammates who did almost nothing for the final group project and kept fighting with us. I felt that the TAs and professor listen to you if you have a valid request.

Mercer often changed his mind a lot and at times came at short notice but keeping up with the lectures (which are recorded) and piazza made this manageable. The projects are fairly interesting.

very good

Don't listen to all of the bad reviews, Mercer is actually not a bad professor at all, just not the most engaging lecturer. That being said, if you actually listen to what he has to say, you may learn something :) I would recommend taking any of his classes.

Honestly a pretty good professor; if you care about the class then you will learn a lot. Mercer has tons of experience with programming and it shows, I would recommend approaching him with any questions you have as that is how I learned a lot.

I can see where people are coming from with the bad reviews, but my experience with Rick has been positive. Sometimes he is a little lost in the lecture, or comes off abrasive, but he is clearly very knowledgeable. Exams are predictable if you've done the projects. Projects are easy to get full credit on if you meet the requirements.

People are way too mean to him :( yes he can be grumpy but he literally had 4 broken ribs this semester and still taught class, the students are rude and constantly talk during lecture! It's hard to pay attention to him because people are actually so mean; he's just a grandpa... be nice to Mercer!!! He made this class so reasonable..

Hands down the cutest dr. at the university! You can tell that he is into fashion and dresses to impress (with only the most stylish walkers). Absolute Java femboy. Thank you.....