Break down the material for easy learning. You can at the worst get a C.

Best prof I've had. Whoever sent out memo that profs shouldn't care missed him.

Great professor. makes hard material understandable effective grading scale

Dr. Rog makes class fun

Absolutely the best Prof i have ever had, he made class interesting and funny

Wouldn't slow pace of class when needed.Taught class to those who already knew C

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Very easy....Doesn't give out lower than a C! Thinks C' looks bad to employers!

Great personality but hard class to catch onto if you've never programmed before

Best profs. Actually ask what you want him to do insteading doing what he likes

Best Prof. Makes things understandable. Very nice. Get into his class!!

Awesome!

Made things easy to understand and works with students if they have problems

Brings JAVA to life and makes sure it is understandable!

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Good teacher

Take the time to listen to him, Project people! He knows what he's doing!

very enthusiasic about the class. is willing to help you.

Great Prof, looks out for the students, get to know him he'll get to know you

Sometimes goes off on tangents, but very entertaining. GOOD PROF! knows his sh*t

Very clear, Nice person, treats everybody fair

I hate Java.... Ferguson made it the best it could be... Thanks :)

Very clear, get to know him, talk in class it helps

All I can say is This guy rocks!!! Take his classes!!!!!

None Better! If you can take a class with him, DO SO!

Very fair, nice guy, cares, not afriad to give everyone a good grade

Let us throw things at him if we didn't understand. Good Prof.

Awesome teacher, best there is! This guy relates WELL, teaches ON your level.

He is what CS is all about, a great teacher, good notes, hard tests

Just finished, great class! BTW he does not teach 160 (see below)

A very cool guy. Makes you work before he answers your question.

come to class, ask questions and practice coding and you'll be fine

Very open to suggestions. Makes learning challenging and fun.

Course hardly needs a professor, but Fergie is good prof. Always willing to help

This guy knows his stuff, my favorite prof yet!

good guy, made 162 fun even for non cs/is peeps. i'm now IS, good guy

he does his best with the boring material, funny, expects you to put in the effort, he won't demand any deadlines or expect you to show up, but you'll suffer for it. Very helpful. Deserves a smiley

IS Major capstone class. Not really too much input from him on this class. We were handed a project in August, and expected to have it done by December. He was very helpful when needed though.

163 is a tough class and he lets you know up front that it will take lots of your time. He REALLY wants to help you learn more, I've never seen a prof so eager to help students.

This class is hard and very very fun. Ferguson is very helpful and friendly. He is strict on deadlines. CS kicks ass.

I would take a class with him again, but: his board writing is horribly messy, so pay attention

Very enthusiastic about the material and really wants to make everyone learn and understand. This course is hard, but CS163 is the weeder course for the major, so if you can pass, you're all set. get ferguson if you can... you'll learn a ton and probably have fun doing it.

One of the best. Wants to help everyone learn Java, willing to arrange office hours basicly whenever. Material is pretty complex, but he makes it seem easy and before you know it you've already learned it. Be ready to put in 40+ hours/week arround the time when projects are due.

Very helpful prof willing to meet with you. Made appointment with Prof to meet with at office hours wasn't there at home his secretary had me call him he came in and helped me. Very enthuastic about material.

The best CS professor I have ever had. Explained things, was willing to help and explain where things went wrong. Office hours adjusted to help students when necessary. If you intend to continue in CS I would highly suggest taking him.

The best professor I have had thus far. Very helpful and willing to meet outside of class. Enthusiastic and encouraging. Clearly explains the material and applies it to real-life situations when possible. Grades fairly, and is constantly trying to improve teaching methods.

Best class and best professor I have ever had, hands down. Made things interesting and really rewarded good work and effort. Always made things very clear and tried his hardest to make the class the best possible. Also was kind enough to write like 20 letters of reccommendation for me.

He's not always easy, but very willing to help students. Overall, the best professor I've ever had.

Great prof who really acts like he cares. He will go out of his way to make sure you learn what you need to know.

Excellent Prof. He is possibly the most helpful prof I've ever had. Lectures are usually clear. Checks his email almost hourly. He encourages students stopping by to ask quesions or talk. Take his class. The workload is hard, but he is trying to make that better. DO NOT TAKE MTH 225 AT THE SAME TIME!!! Bad idea.

This guy is the man. He knows his stuff and can communicate it to the class very easily. Programs can be tricky, but he helps a TON in class. Show up and you will get an A, but you have to be willing to work a little. My fave CS prof so far.

261 is a hard class, about half of ours dropped, but if you stick around, do the work, and try to learn, he will make sure you pass the class. If you're worried about failing 261, get Ferguson-clear lecture style, energetic and passionate. Most of all, though, take him because he makes it a personal goal to have his students suceed in the course.

Is very helpfull, grades really hard on projects and tests though.

Favorite Professor I've had yet. 261 is a difficult class, but with a little bit of work and Dr. Ferguson's teaching it is a fun class as well. He knows his stuff!

only reason I got the grade I needed in this class is because of having this prof. Make sure to take him if at all possible. Workload is very high and by no means an easy class but Roger makes every effort to help you if you need it. TAKE HIM AT ALL COSTS!

It was a pleasure waking up and knowing that i would be going to dr. fergusons class at 8am. Grades difficult on the projects and tests, which are worth about 60% of the class.

Awesome but still a tough course for those still new to programming. Super-nice guy, cares for the students, VERY enthusiastic, and always willing to help. Although I did get lost in some of his lectures. If you are taking CS 163 - SIGN UP FOR HIM! Take advantage of his office hours whenever possible for help on the projects.

The most energetic professor I've ever had. Lectures have their highs and lows, but he's always super-helpful and you'll want to visit during his office hours. He even sets aside unoffical lab periods to offer personal help with the meaty projects. Exams can get a little on the tricky side, but put in the work and you'll get a good grade.

Best 163 professor at Grand Valley.

One of my favorite professors. It sucked having class at 8 am but he made it interesting and fun. Very helpful in and out of the classroom especially in office hours. He tries to get to know everyone personally. Great guy.

Fantastic professor. He really loves what he does and you can't help but have that rub off on you. Very helpful with any questions you may have. Lab exams are graded quite loosely, but written exams are not. That would be my only complaint, that he didn't seem to prepare us quite well enough for written exams. Take him at all costs!

Great professor! Second time taking this class, and Roger was definitely a better teacher. He made sure everyone understood the topic before moving on and helped us on our projects. TAKE HIS CLASS!

Best computer professor at Grand Valley. He helps you and doesn't rush through the topics. Take him!

Great prof. very energetic and her really loves what he does. take his class, you will learn a ton.

Great professor! Really loves what he does, which is awesome to have. He makes a lot of sense, but it is a hard class. It weeds out the CS majors, and he gives out a lot of 'C's. Projects take a LOT of work but is worth it in the end!

Expects you to work at the class. You certainly can't just skip through this class on a yellow brick road. Excellent professor, I hope I can get him for another class. Loves to see students come to his office to ask questions, or generally just have a conversation about something. Tremendously helpful and clear in every question I proposed to him.

Great Prof, I took him for 162 and 163, he always works to help his kids, responds to emails fast, and is nice to talk to in his office. Down to earth guy and a reasonable grader.

Great professor to have, highly recommended. He is helpful, kind and really cares about students!

Great professor, very helpful and clear. Wants everyone to do well, you just need to put in the work.

Very helpful and always willing to sit down with you if you need it. Sometimes his lectures can get a little difficult to follow along with but overall I am glad that I took him, for how hard I hear this call was. The projects for the class are long so get started when they are assigned - there's a reason he gives you a month to complete it!

Had him for very first programming class at GVSU. Went through material at a decent speed but helped students that needed it. Was ALWAYS available outside of class hours to help students.

Great professor. Teaches the subjects very clearly so anyone will understand. Is extremely helpful to those who need it. Very nice and caring guy.

One of the best professors at the school. Take him if you can.

Hard tests and projects but helpful if you ask. Treats class like the real world. No extensions. If he was teaching more undergrad classes in the future I would look to take only his classes.

Great Professor, cared about his students and wanted everyone to get and A. Made a complex introductory class simple and fun to come to! Highly recommended !

I feel like I left each class period in a good mood and having felt accomplished. He assigns 4 major projects in this course. His grading is clean cut, very reasonable. The exams are tougher, but he throws a curve in, he will help guide you to solutions but never just give you them. Great guy, good laughs, fun classes, learned a lot. 1010

Prof Ferguson is probably the best professor I've had at GV. He is one of the few profs that sugar-coats nothing and keeps it real with you. The projects are difficult, but he gives more than enough time to complete them. Almost no homework and only 2 tests during the semester. Has tons of office hours and is very knowledgeable. Great prof.

I'll give you the cliff notes. Grades projects hard, but not without reason. He grades the projects hard because it's what you'll be doing for your career, and gives a real world glimpse of what it's like to do app dev. Tests are reasonable. Linux exam was reasonable, and takes practice don't cram for it. Goes on tangents, but tries to inspire.

Great prof. Helpful, gives good advice, entertaining lectures. Start your projects early, go to office hours, and you'll be fine. Would definitely take him again if he taught more classes.

I have never rated a professor before, but after taking CIS 163 by Fergusor I felt like I owed him a great review. I have never heard a bad word said about him, and for good reason. He loves what he teaches and you can definitely tell because it reflects in his enthusiastic lectures. He's also very encouraging and wants you to succeed. A+ 10/10

Professor Ferguson, is a great teacher, and is very helpful. Classes are usually enjoyable, and you can tell he is very passionate about computer science. BUT he is one of the toughest graders ever. Not that it is a bad thing, but you really have to work for an A.

The class was good and the professor was always available to help. The class had a term project that was good (at least for me).

very approachable and helpful! Loved him as a prof!

Prof. Fergusor is a great guy, and he is a very good teacher. He not only taught the programming concepts necessary to become a developer, but helped to instill a sense of hard work and pride in your final product. That being said, he will not go easy on your projects, and will try to find any fault - just like the real world. Highly recommend!

Dr. Ferguson really is a great guy. He intentionally makes his class challenging to make students ask themselves the question of "Will I be happy in the computer science field?". He truly cares about his students and you can tell he loves his job. Very available outside of class for assistance or just to chat. Great and honorable professor.

He is really enthusiastic about computer science and seems to love his job. I would recommend going to class every day because he goes though material very efficiently and you are guaranteed to miss something. Definitely get a book because we used it for a test. We had 4 programs that got increasingly harder. The 3rd was a group project.

Good Teacher. Very Knowledgeable and knows how to break things down to a level anyone can understand.

Very fast paced. The book is used often, though I somehow survived without it. Assignments are all projects, the difficulty of each one scales. He obviously cares about what he does, and offers help to anyone who wants it, and is willing to put in the effort.

Hilarious, gives great lectures, understanding of student's having other classes, very knowledgeable, helpful one-on-one or in class. Tends to move through material very quickly but is prepared to slow down or repeat himself so long as you're willing to speak up. Easy grader and cares about his students and their understanding. Great Prof!

Professor Ferguson is AMAZING. You can DEFINITELY tell that he cares for his students and gives it his all. In his lecture you don't just learn how to code, but also how function out there in the real world. For sure my favorite professor so far.

Overall Ferguson teaches the class really well and does a great job making sure students learn and understand the material. The projects can be challenging and he usually has fairly high standards for them, but isnt clear with what he wants you to do on them at times. He was always available for help before/after class and during his office hours.

We had 4 projects, a midterm, and a final. We didn't use the book much. Ferguson makes you work for your grade, but you come out of his class far better off because of it. It's not the easiest class, but the quality is extremely high, and his lectures and humor are fantastic. An absolutely fantastic professor overall, would absolutely take again.

Cool dude thats really passionate and experienced in programming. He wants to make sure his students are well prepared and successful.

Prof Ferguson is certainly one of the best at grand valley if not the best in the CS department. He is extremely caring of his students and wants all of them to leave his class not just beater coders but more prepared for the workplace in general. He is very clear with projects and exams and is always ready to help with anything.

Dr Ferguson is without a doubt one of Grand Valley State Universitys finest. He puts genuine effort into assuring the success of his students, but also doesnt sugar coat anything and will tell you like it is. His teaching style is understandable and effective, and truly prepares you before entering the real world. The class was structured great.

He is an awesome professor very knowledgeable about computer science. The class is 4 projects which he helps you out on through the course in lecture. Also gives you VERY helpful hints if you go to office hours. He will tell you everything on the midterm, lab exam, and final but you still need to study for those because it is not an easy class.

Best professor you will ever have. Do what you can to get in this guys class!!

He is very caring and he wants his students to succeed! You can go to his office for hours on end if you need help with a project or just want to talk. He will make sure you understand the content. The book is used in class to show examples! There are 4 projects, midterm and final. You HAVE to work hard to get a good grade but he will help you.

Dr. Ferguson is an amazing prof for CIS163. He really cares that students understand the material and gives a decent amount of help on the projects. This class is a ton of hard work but Ferguson makes it better and is somewhat understanding with grades. His lectures are easy to understand and engaging.

Dr. Ferguson's class was one of the best I have had. Even though I received a B, I can say that I had a lot of fun taking his class. He prioritizes Projects and Tests as these are pretty much your whole grade. If you do take his class expect to put in around 8-10 hours a week on projects. You will not regret taking his class!

Ferguson is just all around a great guy. He is very honest in his feedback and WILL tell you his opinion, no sugar-coating. He is very helpful in office hours and will work with you until you understand the material. He is extremely smart and knows what he's talking about. Very good prof for CIS 163. Wish I could have him for future classes :(

First of all, Professor Ferguson is not a very organized person, so it is kind of a mess taking his class online, but he is a good teacher and I enjoyed his class. But at the same time, his projects are all pretty long and the final exam was unnecessarily long and hard. So my advice is that take his class in person.

CIS 163 was a blast with Ferguson. He made every lecture interesting and you could tell that he has had quite a lot of experience in the industry. If you are already passionate about learning programming, then this class will supercharge you! On the other hand, if you struggle with programming concepts, It will definitely be a challenge.

Prof Ferguson is definitely a person I look up to. I had the best connection with him out of all of my professors I've had in the engineering course so far. He makes somewhat uninteresting topics lively and fun and is great at explaining tough concepts. Definitely attend office hours and introduce yourself. Good luck on your next adventure!

So cool

He retired after this semester, respect