3.6

Voicu Groza

Engineering - University of Ottawa

3.6
Quality
2.4
Difficulty
44%
Would Retake
104
Reviews
3.6
Quality
2.4
Difficulty
3.7
Helpful
3.4
Clarity

44%

Would Retake

104

Reviews

Rating Distribution
Official

5

41

4

25

3

11

2

15

1

12

What Students Say

The real thing that will ruin this course for you are the terrible TAs and labs

CEG2136 - 3.0 rating

Groza is a hit or miss

CEG2136 - 2.0 rating
Class Info

Online Classes

100%

Attendance Mandatory

38%

Textbook Required

19%

Grade Predictor

Your expected effort level

LowHigh

Predicted Grade

A-

95% confidence
Based on 24 grades
Most common grades:
A+ (7)
Not sure yet (7)
A- (5)
Grade Distribution
A(12)B(3)C(2)D(0)F(0)A-/B+(7)
Based on 32 reported grades
A+: 7
Not sure yet: 7
A-: 5
A: 5
Common Tags
Caring (15)
Get ready to read (12)
Hilarious (9)
Lecture heavy (8)
Test heavy (5)
Respected (3)
Tough grader (3)
Clear grading criteria (2)
Rating Trend

Declining

-0.70 avg change
Jan
Nov
Dec
Aug
Sep
Jan
Last 6 months
Ratings by Course

GNG1102

5.0

(1)

ELG3134

5.0

(2)

GKNIGHT

5.0

(1)

DIGITALAN

5.0

(1)

ELGCEG

5.0

(1)
+16 more courses
Difficulty by Course

ELG2136

4.0

CEG2136

3.4

ELGCEG

3.0

ELG1104

3.0

CEG3131ETC

3.0

Reviews (104)
4.0
1.0
ELG1100
Aug 1, 2001

Flying Tigers and Potatoes! Yes! No! Prof puts in good effort.

2.0
1.0
ELGS
Sep 7, 2001

Easy to get a good mark prof.

5.0
1.0
GNG1102
Sep 13, 2001

This guy is cool

4.0
2.0
ELG1100
Sep 28, 2001

Flying tigers horray! Yes, he has an accent.. so what, so do 90% of the Engprofs

5.0
1.0
ELG1100
Sep 28, 2001

Great teacher, interesting and he cracks me up.

2.0
1.0
ELG1100
Grade: A-
Oct 2, 2001

gotta see it to believe it... long live flying saucers...

4.0
1.0
ELG
Oct 2, 2001

Funny man

2.0
1.0
ENG1100
Oct 13, 2001

Mr. Bean's brother.

5.0
1.0
ELG3134
Oct 19, 2001

The A+s flow freely and you will never find out what is inside that funny potato

4.0
1.0
ELG1100
Grade: A+
Oct 19, 2001

Stay awake in class, do the labs, get an A, its simple like that.

5.0
2.0
ELG1100
Oct 26, 2001

Great prof. Very nice and easy to talk to. Knows his stuff.

2.0
5.0
ELG
Nov 6, 2001

This guy is really friendly, helpful, and funny.

5.0
1.0
GKNIGHT
Nov 9, 2001

The grozian dictionary is helpful to have in his class.

5.0
1.0
ELG3134
Dec 16, 2001

Knows his stuff, funny, and interacts well with his students.

3.0
1.0
ELG1100
Jan 17, 2002

No Comments

5.0
1.0
ELG1100
Feb 5, 2002

Great man. Looks like Egon from Ghostbusters. Clean. Dresses nice.

5.0
1.0
ELG
Feb 7, 2002

funny and helpful, eager to teach, willing to explain

4.0
1.0
ELG1100
Grade: A+
Feb 7, 2002

No Comments

4.0
2.0
ELG1100
Feb 10, 2002

Flying saucers and commercial breaks? aside--knows his stuff--lec requires

5.0
1.0
ELG1100
Apr 13, 2002

Funny, pleasant, willing to help, overall a great guy...ok, commercial over!

5.0
1.0
ELG1100
Grade: A-
Apr 15, 2002

Way to helpful. If you want a challenging class, don't take this one. Good prof.

3.0
2.0
ELG
Sep 19, 2002

No Comments

2.0
1.0
ELG
Sep 21, 2002

want some jokes? go to his class; want to learn? go somewhere else.

5.0
1.0
ELG1100
Sep 23, 2002

without puzzles you won't become an engineer . Funny+good prof.

5.0
3.0
CEG3131
Oct 17, 2002

a welcome change from all the stuck-up engineering profs at this university

5.0
1.0
ELGS
Nov 21, 2002

suit and tie = way too sexy

5.0
1.0
CEG3131
Nov 29, 2002

enjoys teaching. well-manered and kind. i hope he never changes.

5.0
1.0
CEG3131
Dec 5, 2002

the best always and very very helpful...:))

5.0
1.0
CEG3131
Dec 5, 2002

actually talks about labs and assgns in class. don't change anything. yu'r great

5.0
2.0
CEG3131
Dec 7, 2002

super nice guy, enjoy teaching

4.0
2.0
ELG1100
Dec 14, 2002

Funny teacher, commercial breaks

5.0
3.0
ELG1100
Dec 14, 2002

Great funny teacher. Very good knowledge of subject material, good teacher.

5.0
1.0
CEG3131
Dec 14, 2002

one of the best people i have ever known

5.0
3.0
CEG3131
Dec 16, 2002

You will work hard in this course but it is the best course you will ever take

5.0
2.0
CEG3131
Dec 18, 2002

Great prof, but is sometimes unclear

5.0
3.0
CEG3131
Jan 15, 2003

great prof.. nice guy

5.0
2.0
CEG3131
Jan 15, 2003

Great job! I feel like my flying saucer just won lotto 6-49.

5.0
1.0
ELG1100
Jan 17, 2003

GROZI, YOU ARE DA MAN!

5.0
2.0
DIGITALAN
Jan 18, 2003

One of the components, probably the most approachable and helpfull.

5.0
3.0
ELGCEG
Jan 20, 2003

No Comments

2.0
3.0
CEG3131
Feb 19, 2003

Too many commercial breaks. Very helpfull outside of class

1.0
5.0
ELG1100
Feb 26, 2003

Utterly Useless. Makes no sense. Couldnt teach a fish to swim.

3.0
3.0
ELG
Apr 24, 2003

No Comments

4.0
2.0
ELG1100
Aug 12, 2003

crazy guy! potatoes, commerial breaks, flying saucers. what more do you want in a class?

5.0
2.0
ELG1101
Aug 12, 2003

My favourite professor in first year. Professor Groza is hillarious. Flipflops and K-Maps can get a little dry, but i always had a good time when i went to class.

5.0
1.0
GNG1100
Oct 1, 2003

No Comments

2.0
2.0
ELG1101
Oct 23, 2003

He's a nice prof... a really nice person... I'll agree with that... and gives fair tests and marks nice. But what the previous poster says sums it all up: "Couldnt teach a fish to swim."

5.0
1.0
CEG3131
Nov 29, 2003

i have taken few courses with him. he is the best prof in engineering...

2.0
3.0
ELG1104
Grade: A-
Mar 9, 2004

No Comments

5.0
1.0
ELG1100
Apr 8, 2004

sausages, potatoes, our good book, what more do you want... best prof ever!

5.0
1.0
ELG1100
May 7, 2004

One of the best profs in engineering. If you have the slightest sense of humor, you'll love him. Like they said, flying saucers, potatoes, our good book, and commercial breaks. Groza rules.

4.0
2.0
ELG1100
May 21, 2004

Well he's a nice prof, somehow easy exams,good marks, but i still think he used to work as a chef before (potatoes, sausages,...), but he's good , at least better than karmouch

5.0
2.0
CEG3131
Nov 1, 2004

Commerical breaks.. haha. Nice guy, good prof, gives you bumps in marks.

5.0
3.0
CEG3131ETC
Apr 17, 2005

Okay, he's an old school guy. He was doing computer engineering for like 25 years. There's no complete notes for his classes, most of the valuable stuff is being taught from the head. I mean expect to THINK on his lectures. Probably one of the few PROFESSIONALS left in CEG program. Highly recommend.

4.0
3.0
ELG1100CEG313
May 5, 2005

The Best prof in SITE. My Favorite Prof, i really like him and he's a really supper guy!

5.0
1.0
CEG3131
Jul 2, 2005

excellent prof, I wish all profs are like him.

1.0
4.0
ELG1100
Oct 25, 2005

The worst profs ever, never prepare his lecture. I got my first B mark from his class!!!! I am really really upset with it. Anyway, he is a nice guy.

2.0
3.0
ELG1100
Nov 22, 2005

not prepared, boring class

1.0
1.0
ELG3135
Jan 8, 2007

Teaching: absolutely terrible. Marking: Absolutely no way can be easier. Personality: Can't find anyone better. Easiness: Just do the problems, you will get full marks.

5.0
1.0
CEG3131
Sep 8, 2008

knowledgeable and nice prof. even he only gave me an A at last, i still think he is one of the best prof ~~ better pay more attention to his last lecture~ really helpful for final~

4.0
3.0
CEG2136
Dec 7, 2010

Not exactly the most clear prof when it comes to his lectures... he has a very deranged sense of humour as well. However, everything in this course is do-able and his tests are fair. The course is not hard if you focus and study...

3.0
4.0
CEG2136
Dec 18, 2010

very eccentric.is not at all clear about what is going to be on the midterm and the final.its going to be hit and miss with him

3.0
2.0
CEG2136
Dec 19, 2010

Nicest guy you'll ever have as a prof. However he is extremely difficult to follow during his lectures. Even with some prior knowledge on the subject matter, I had a hard time figuring out what he was trying to teach. Figuring out what he's going to test you on is the hardest challenge. Going to the tutorial is a good idea.

4.0
1.0
CEG2136
Nov 29, 2011

A really nice guy full of good intents; however his slides are the most overloaded ones. Seems to have issues with large group (tends to get angry when people talks) but my group was abnormaly large. The subject needs to be studied if you don't know it. He will explain it, but in his own very nerdish way talking about flying saucers. Concentrate

4.0
2.0
EACJ5705
May 28, 2013

Very nice guy. But please don't follow his slides. His teaching is good. But teaches most unwanted stuff. Overall I would say, take his subjects.

4.0
2.0
CEG2136
Jan 7, 2014

Not the best lecturer around as he tends to go off on tangents which serves primarily as source of confusion. The slides have many mistakes and apparently haven't been corrected in years. He is however a generous marker, and very helpful individually. There are few surprises on the exam, midterm or quizzes.

5.0
2.0
ELG5195
May 9, 2014

Excellent Excellent Professor. Work load is high in his course and projects are tough. Even though he is a great professor and great gentleman. You can discuss problems with him, he always ready to find solution.

5.0
2.0
CEG3000
Sep 25, 2015

He is the best professor in the computer engineering. very helpful and always care about his student. Again I am very delightful to have him as my computer engineering professor/director.

3.0
2.0
CEG2136
Dec 4, 2015

Extremely helpful and kind-hearted professor that' for sure. But this alone is not helpful enough. He always makes you (or atleast me) fall asleep in class even though I have 2 cups of strong coffee before his class. There is no other prof but this one that had made fall asleep ever in a lecture and I think its cause he goes on in too much detail.

2.0
5.0
CEG2136
Dec 19, 2015

Groza is a hit or miss. If you have prime interest in the subject, he'll convey the subject in his little nerdish manner. However, for me at least, the slides are extremely confusing and doesn't help when you can't stay awake in his class because you have no idea what's going on.

1.0
5.0
CEG2136
Nov 21, 2016
Wouldn't take again

Have no idea what he talks about.

5.0
2.0
ELG5195
Mar 29, 2017
Would take again

Nice professor, very helpful and extremely friendly.. recommend his course, assignments and exams are exactly what he teaches. You may find slides confusing if you would not listen in class, but concepts can easily be understood from next guy who concentrates iin lectures. Easy marker, easy on presentations and project.

Respected
GRADED BY FEW THINGS
Caring
4.0
2.0
CEG2136
Jun 18, 2017
Would take again

I've had him for 2 courses, Comp arch 1&2. He is one of the worst at giving lectures just from the way he talks. He clearly likes the material and tries his best to give good lectures, but at the end of the day I fell asleep more often then not. But he is one of the nicest guys and a very gentle marker.

Caring
3.0
3.0
CEG2136
Grade: Not sure yet
Nov 7, 2017
Would take again

Groza is a good professor. The real thing that will ruin this course for you are the terrible TAs and labs. They are disorganized, impatient, and worse of all: the lab schedule makes no sense. The labs will be on stuff no one has learned, and the TAs will only get mad if you ask for help. DGDs last for 10 minutes and are useless. Good luck.

LOTS OF HOMEWORK
Hilarious
Caring
4.0
2.0
CEG2136
Grade: A+
Nov 29, 2018
Would take again

Lectures and slides are a mess, but the class is an easy pass. Groza is the goat

Inspirational
ACCESSIBLE OUTSIDE CLASS
Caring
2.0
3.0
CEG2136
Grade: Not sure yet
Dec 28, 2018
Wouldn't take again

Not at all good at conveying the course material. He knows his stuff but have a hard time explaining it to students, that being said if you go to his office he will take good amount of time to explain you stuff that you have problem in. Make sure to go to attend and learn in DGD's because you wont learn a lot in class. Exams- Fair.

4.0
3.0
CEG2136
Grade: A+
Dec 31, 2018
Would take again

Lectures kinda sucked but whatever, Groza is a funny guy. DGDs were more helpful to pass the tests, make sure to attend those or review the problems on your own. Midterm and final were challenging but fair. The labs were cool but ruined by useless TAs.

Hilarious
TEST HEAVY
Caring
2.0
3.0
CEG2136
Grade: A
Jan 10, 2019
Wouldn't take again

His lectures are really hard to understand and he gets distracted very easily. I never went to lectures and just read the textbook. His midterm was super easy but the final was pretty hard. I wouldn't recommend taking him, he'll put you to sleep.

Get ready to read
LECTURE HEAVY
3.0
2.0
ELG1100
Grade: A-
Jan 12, 2019
Wouldn't take again

He should have become a chef, comparing potatoes or as he says "pataitoes" :) to a circuit board. I don't recall understanding lectures, getting the labs done with my friends without the help of the TAs, and reviewing the notes and slides and getting an A-. This guy has been teaching this course for over 15 years, so he too must be bored by now :).

Respected
Hilarious
Caring
4.0
3.0
CEG2136
Grade: Not sure yet
Oct 23, 2019
Would take again

Once you grow accustomed to his thick accent, his lectures become engaging and humourous. He explains the subject matter in a thorough manner. His slides are extremely helpful; they explain everything step by step, so you don't need the textbook. He posts problem sets with complete solutions. His style is best suited for "neurodivergent" students.

Hilarious
Amazing lectures
Caring
3.0
4.0
CEG2136
Apr 5, 2020
Wouldn't take again

He's okay. Lectures will put you to sleep and the notes are a convoluted mess. Midterm isn't too hard as it resembles previous years and much of the material is from Digital Systems. The final exams of past years weren't too bad but ours was really really hard for some reason. Strongly advise reading the textbook to prep for the final exam.

Get ready to read
Clear grading criteria
Caring
1.0
5.0
CEG2136
May 6, 2020
Wouldn't take again

Lectures were useless. Midterm and Final were hard. The labs were disorganized with TAs that were there just to make sure you did work. It's pointless to ask them for any help because they don't anything.

Lots of homework
Test heavy
Tough grader
2.0
4.0
ELG2136
Grade: B
Sep 10, 2020
Wouldn't take again

Nice guy. Shows he cares about the students. His slides however, are such a mess and he can't see to explain things well. He is clearly knowledgeable but can't convey anything. Homework and midterm/final preparation is easy, but the midterm and final themselves were way harder. Had to memorize how to solve q's rather than understanding the concepts

Get ready to read
Skip class? You won't pass.
Caring
4.0
3.0
CEG2136
Grade: A+
Dec 5, 2020
Would take again

Groza is a very accomidating and nice professor, his quizzes take the easiest applications of the course concepts. Lectures slides are super disorganized though and on pretty much every practice test there was a typo or wrong answer, but he seemed to be one of the only profs who gave practice tests, labs are also hard but he gives you lots of time

Clear grading criteria
Hilarious
2.0
3.0
CEG2136
Grade: Incomplete
Dec 6, 2020
Wouldn't take again

He seems like a nice enough guy that cares about his students. However, his lecture slides are a mess and almost impossible to follow. With the labs being online they were a complete mess and extremely frustrating. He also doesn't list expected test dates and will often give less than a week's notice before the tests which is rather annoying.

4.0
3.0
CEG2136
Nov 10, 2021
Would take again

His lecture slides are definitely is overwhelming but once you understand the material, it is really good for looking back and refreshing on the steps for solving problems.

Participation matters
Lecture heavy
Caring
4.0
3.0
CEG2136
Dec 13, 2021
Would take again

Prof Groza is a very passionate about computer architecture. Throughout the course, he would mention how what we're learning is used in later courses and systems. He generously only took our two highest tests out of four for that portion of the course and made the final exam very similar to the practice/old exams.

Caring
5.0
2.0
CEG2136
Grade: A+
Jan 3, 2022
Would take again

Prof. Groza is excellent. All the bad reviews seem to be people who did not understand the course material, but you cannot expect to just show up to the lectures and understand everything right away. You must do some studying and reading on your own to do well in the class. He is exactly what he should be!

Get ready to read
Test heavy
Hilarious
5.0
2.0
CEG2136
Grade: A
Jan 9, 2022
Would take again

The exam and tests are pretty easy if you attend class and pay attention. The labs were quite a challenge though, especially since it's online

Gives good feedback
Accessible outside class
Lecture heavy
3.0
3.0
CEG2136
Grade: B+
Jan 10, 2022
Wouldn't take again

This prof knows how to get the material across to his students but to better understand his lecture slides (very unorganized) you have to show up to the lectures. Otherwise, the tests and labs were very straightforward with the instructions. This prof is ok.

Skip class? You won't pass.
Test heavy
Lecture heavy
5.0
3.0
CEG2136
Grade: A
Apr 6, 2022
Would take again

Well, it is true that the lecture slides might a little bit messy but the exam was not that difficult if you understand well in lab and lecture. However, it is really worth noting that the professor himself is nice and replied to emails and questions very friendly and responsible!

Get ready to read
Caring
Respected
1.0
5.0
CEG2136
Grade: B
Nov 25, 2022

Lectures are mundane and impossible to follow. I cannot stress this enough-take another prof for this class. I have not met a single person who is able to follow the lectures or the slides. Each slide has paragraphs of text and overwhelming diagrams that are impossible to break down. Even when you ask questions, his answers leave you more confused.

Tough grader
Lecture heavy
4.0
5.0
CEG2136
Grade: Not sure yet
Dec 9, 2022

He's a nice guy. Terrible lecturer. The content is incredibly hard to understand and explain so I don't blame him for having confusing slides. They all make sense once you understand the content and realize that the slides couldn't have really been any better. Going to lectures is meh, just read the textbook and keep up to date with DGD problems.

Get ready to read
Lots of homework
Test heavy
4.0
3.0
CEG2136
Grade: A+
Jan 3, 2023
Would take again

Professor Groza is a nice person, however the lectures do not teach the course properly. Slides are very confusing, and I would recommend reading the textbook as it very clearly explains the course topics.

Get ready to read
Beware of pop quizzes
Caring
1.0
4.0
CEG2136
Grade: C
Jan 6, 2023

Do not take with him , his lectures are very loaded and not updated, during the lecture he stop and start to regret about not updating the lecture slides !!. No good prof for heavy course. Midterm and final exam not close to previous midterm and final exam posted on Brightspace. However, he is very kind.

Tough grader
Beware of pop quizzes
Lecture heavy
4.0
3.0
CEG2136
Grade: A
Jan 12, 2023
Would take again

Not the most engaging lecturer but he tells some interesting stories and is quite funny if you appreciate dry humour. Learned a ton in this class but the material is such that you need to practice (a lot) on your own. The labs were great for learning too and pretty cool in my opinion.

Hilarious
Caring
2.0
5.0
CEG2136
Grade: C+
Jan 12, 2023

textbook and dgds are the only things that can save you

Get ready to read
Hilarious
Test heavy
1.0
5.0
CEG2136
Grade: Not sure yet
Nov 19, 2023

Now I understand why this guy is so bad at his job despite having a high RMP rating. It's because all the good ratings are from PRE 2005. He is so senile he makes Joe Biden look like he's in his prime. Prepare to get BOMBARDED with PDFs containing the most compacted and confusing slides ever conceived and DON'T expect him to explain it clearly. RUN

Get ready to read
So many papers
Lecture heavy
1.0
3.0
CEG2136
Grade: A
Dec 12, 2023

Nice guy but IMPOSSIBLY CONFUSING incoherent lectures Everyone ditched his lecture to go to another prof because his was impossible to follow Called him Biden cause he was always lost and mumbling random stuff you couldn't hear. Had to teach myself with book Often he just looks at slides and skips them cause he cant remember what they're about SOS

Get ready to read
Caring
1.0
5.0
CEG2136
Grade: Not sure yet
Dec 13, 2023

Choose him if you want to pay $1000 for incoherent yap sessions and once you regret your mistake, and it's too late to switch classes, go to Fadi's class instead. He spent the whole semester pointing a laser and going off random old man tangents without writing a single thing on the board and believes it's a job well done. It's time to retire.

Get ready to read
So many papers
Lecture heavy
1.0
5.0
CEG2136
Grade: Not sure yet
Dec 21, 2023

Slides are very cluttered and impossible to read, first 3 lab reports were marked subjectively by TAs, one TA would correct something another TA told us to do. Lectures are confusing and he rambles on about irrelevant things too often. He also mumbles you can barely hear him at times. Tests are impossible unless you get your hands on past versions.

Get ready to read
Graded by few things
1.0
4.0
CEG2136
Grade: B+
Aug 13, 2024

I read the RMP reviews before taking this class with Groza and thought it would be better than everyone said, but I was wrong. Groza's slides were incomprehensible, as was his lecturing style. He would often interrupt himself while explaining a concept and move on. He's a very kind prof, but his bad lectures makes it difficult to get a good grade.

4.0
3.0
ELG1100
Grade: A-
Sep 1, 2024
Would take again

To all future ELG students, you dont need to be an expert in this course in order to succeed in the next ELG courses. Understand the concepts, do the homework, prep for the exams etc. Keep what you learned as a quick review before you take the 2nd year ELG circuit course(s) and you'll be fine.

Gives good feedback
Hilarious
Lecture heavy
3.0
4.0
CEG2136
Grade: B
Jan 22, 2025

Groza's class has a steep learning curve, but with the right study tools like unstuck AI, you can get through it. Lectures can be confusing, but the labs and practice are key. Tough but rewarding if you put in the work.

Class Info

Online Classes

100%

Attendance Mandatory

38%

Textbook Required

19%

Grade Predictor

Your expected effort level

LowHigh

Predicted Grade

A-

95% confidence
Based on 24 grades
Most common grades:
A+ (7)
Not sure yet (7)
A- (5)
Grade Distribution
A(12)B(3)C(2)D(0)F(0)A-/B+(7)
Based on 32 reported grades
A+: 7
Not sure yet: 7
A-: 5
A: 5
Common Tags
Caring (15)
Get ready to read (12)
Hilarious (9)
Lecture heavy (8)
Test heavy (5)
Respected (3)
Tough grader (3)
Clear grading criteria (2)
Rating Trend

Declining

-0.70 avg change
Jan
Nov
Dec
Aug
Sep
Jan
Last 6 months
Ratings by Course

GNG1102

5.0

(1)

ELG3134

5.0

(2)

GKNIGHT

5.0

(1)

DIGITALAN

5.0

(1)

ELGCEG

5.0

(1)
+16 more courses
Difficulty by Course

ELG2136

4.0

CEG2136

3.4

ELGCEG

3.0

ELG1104

3.0

CEG3131ETC

3.0

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