2.8
Quality3.1
Difficulty47%
Would Retake107
Reviews47%
Would Retake
107
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
17
4
19
3
25
2
19
1
27
What Students Say
“Woods has improved a lot -- took him for 051 as well”
COSC052 - 4.0 rating“Hardest Class I've ever taken in my three years at Georgetown”
COS051 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
45%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.78 avg changeRatings by Course
CS052
4.5
(2)CS01
4.0
(2)COSC015
4.0
(1)COSC052
3.2
(38)COS051
3.1
(7)Difficulty by Course
COSC051
3.5
COS051
3.4
COSC1030
2.8
COSC052
2.7
COSC1020
2.7
Reviews (107)
A really smart guy who is really helpful in office hours. He responds to emails fast but his lectures can be dry and don't always explain concepts to beginner c++ programers. Not a hard class though.
Did not learn anything from him. Everything is self-taught from the book
Woods doesn't do a very good job of explaining things (partly because he's incredibly boring), so the class can be difficult if you have no prior programming experience or don't want to learn on your own. That said, he does seem to care a lot about the class, and attendance is rarely mandatory (despite what he says about pop quizes).
He is a great guy and knows what he is doing. However, he has difficulty conveying that knowledge through lecture. However, he is extremely dedicated and will help you as much as he possibly can during office hours. Overall, the course is not too hard if you follow the main concepts in the book.
Class is pretty difficult. He is not a good lecturer and tends to just go through the book and go over the examples in the book. He is very willing to help in his office hours, but is not good at explaining so the class is mostly self taught. The projects aren't terrible, but are time consuming because some concepts are not explained in lecture.
Woods is a very nice guy, and helpful in office hours, but his lectures are not helpful. He quickly flips through slides which contain information right out the book. Be ready to teach yourself the material from the book. Do-able projects (make up most of your grade), but HARD mid term and exam. Take him if you are ready to work on your own time
Hardest Class I've ever taken in my three years at Georgetown. If you have no prior knowledge of Computer Science and are not planning on being a CS major, this class will be ridiculously hard and time consuming.
Though, like the previous reviewers have stated, he has a hard time conveying what he is trying to teach, he is still really brilliant and really cares about his students. Work hard.
Professor Woods really cares about his students and how they'll succeed. Start early on the projects and you'll do well! Practice problems from the textbook!
Cool class
Seems like a nice guy. Often cancels his office hours. Attendance is not mandatory, as teaching yourself from YouTube or the textbook is more beneficial. Gives good advice in class on projects, which are easy for the most part. Lectures are rather monotone and unclear, but bearable.
As mentioned before, you'll need to be ready to work on your own. The projects aren't hard, but they're VERY time consuming. Midterm is pretty tough, but the final is a breeze. Woods is a great guy, but he's very hard to follow in lecture. He grades a bit harshly too--and is strongly against curves--so be sure to know your stuff and ask for help.
Woods is disorganized, so you'll have to do a lot of reading to catch up on the material. The projects are difficult and may seem impossible if you've never coded before; there's a total of 5 projects and they build on themselves, so if you miss one, you're basically screwed. Luckily, the TA's will give you all of the answers. Exams are tough, too.
Nice, awkward professor. Disorganized lecturer who tends to ramble and become confusing. In-class assignment every class, which is helpful for online quizzes. 5 projects are hard, so find classmates to work with and definitely see the TAs. He tends to cancel his office hours, but is very helpful if you catch him. Read the book and teach yourself
Professor Woods is a good professor. Not great, but good. Although he knows what he is doing, his execution of teaching the material is rather bland. Nonetheless, he is very knowledgeable if you go to him for help. Projects, exams, and homework are all a breeze.
Professor Woods means well, but isn't the best at teaching. He doesn't explain things very clearly, so lectures can be hard to follow. If you need help, see him in office hours, because there he will be able to help you more.
As all of these reviews are showing, he's super boring. That being said, he is one of the nicest professors I know and basically gave us the answers to the final and the last few projects. Don't actively seek his class, but if you have to take him, don't be scared because you'll get an A- pretty easily.
052 is a naturally tedious class. If you did well in 051, 052 shouldn't give you any trouble. Woods isn't to blame for lectures being boring, programming classes aren't meant to be fun. Study the textbook, show up to class once or twice in the semester, and see the TAs for help and you should be fine
I took 052 With him and he was pretty good teacher. The projects were all standardized and the tests were not too difficult. if you have time, You should visit him in his office. sometimes, he is there after 12am. If you get help from him you're in luck. In fact if you get him, you're in luck to having a great semester.
COSC051 with Woods was pretty good. He explains the concepts well and every once in a while says something kinda funny. If you're completely new to programming, 051 can be a tough class at times, though the TAs are very helpful. Make sure to start projects early and read the textbook. Not a difficult class.
Professor Woods is really friendly and kind of funny in a humble little way. His lectures for Ruby were literally straight from the book (which was free online) so lectures were sometimes pretty boring, but the coding examples he does in class were basically exactly what you needed for the projects.
Woods has improved a lot -- took him for 051 as well. Yeah, he isn't exciting in lecture, but the guy literally stays in his office past midnight to help students with code issues. He is incredibly helpful 1 on 1. For tests and projects, he gives a lot of code and material to work with. If you put in the work, you will succeed in the class.
Project requirements are a little tough to decipher at times, but the TAs--as well as prof. Woods--are always around to help. Professor Woods is VERY friendly and helpful, so go see him after class--he'll know exactly how to answer your questions and is always (and I mean ALWAYS) available.
I loved Woods. Super helpful and available at all times. He's a godsend on the projects, especially if you can't figure out why your code isn't working. Lectures can be dry but it's worth taking his class simply for the 1-on-1 help.
I'm contemplating failing his final exam so I can take his class again. I enjoy this class THAT much! He's literally always in his office, and always willing to help. CS is hard to learn, but if you seek help, the help is there. Definitely recommend.
Woods is a great professor for Computer Science II. Always there to help and easy to understand. Had 5 projects, though they build off each other and class examples are used in project code. Highly recommend.
Definitely take Woods for intro to comp sci! He was an amazing professor and I quickly realized that I was terrified of taking comp sci for no reason. Very clear about what you need to do to get an A and how he does his grading. Always willing to help and staying late to help. Also understanding. Do the reading, HW's and review and you'll get an A!
Not the most stellar lecturer but a really adorable and extremely kind person. Extremely willing to help and super accessible outside of class (he's literally always in his office!!!). Probably my favorite class last semester.
Wood's class was very challenging. There was a lot to learn over a very short period of time. 5 projects and 2 exams with weekly homework and occasional quizzes.
Woods is really nice and very available for office hours.
Compared to other COSC-051 professors, he is the best choice you have. There are five projects with clear grading criteria, so be sure to check the grade rubric carefully before submitting your projects.
The most interesting part of this class is the challenge session. It is not graded and you will spend a whole class writing a short project.
Not a great professor.
CS051 with Woods is pretty much self study. Projects are very time consuming but it was worth taking this class.
Definitely have to keep up with the textbook readings every week. Projects are very time consuming and count for a lot. Make sure you go to the TAs.
At professor Woods's class when you do the homework, go to classes you will be able to learn a lot and get a good grade. He is also very nice and helpful at office hour. This is a CS class, so there will be a lot of homework, but professor Woods will give codes during the class, so the assignment is not that bad.
Prof Woods repeatedly says that the class does not let up from start to finish, and that is true. If you skip class or reading you'll fall behind unless you have a knack for coding. Overall a good intro to the world of coding for anybody considering going down that path.
Does not write his own projects, so often doesn't fully understand what he is assigning. Poor teaching ability, demonstrates only surface level understanding of what he's teaching. Helpful during office hours, but only in the sense that he feeds you answers, doesn't help your understanding. Not very accessible; takes long to respond to emails.
This is the worst professor I have ever had. He fell asleep during office hours once and the next time he tossed me from his office. His voice is so low it cannot be heard. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS
Ugh. So much work. Thought I'd love CS; hated it. Woods is brutally boring and unclear. The projects are mind-numbingly tedious. Homework is easy but you learn nothing from it. Grading is harsh; need 94+ for an A, which is not trivial at all. I was thinking about pursuing a CS minor and this class made me not want to. Take someone else for 051.
Woods is a boring lecturer and often confused and unclear about expectations for the projects. That being said, he's a nice guy and the class is not difficult at all and if you pay attention during lecture he'll often give code that you can basically copy-paste into your project.
Woods consistently messes up his own code for class examples and homework assignments. This makes lectures difficult to follow because he is constantly going back on his words and spends a significant amount of class time fixing his own code rather than teaching. He doesn't explain/teach in office hours, he just writes your code for you.
Professor Woods is an extremely smart and caring teacher. His passion for Computer Science and teaching shine through every lecture, project, and exam. He knows how to make class enjoyable to go to and is always willing to help even when he has so many other things to do. He is always frazzled and confused but means well
I think Woods is just old. Skipped class a lot because he just mumbles during lectures so I can't even hear him. Learned everything from the textbook. Wasn't too hard because projects are easy to boost your grade. Midterm and final counts for a lot. Not a hard class but Woods wasn't the best to take it with.
I thought I was going to be a computer science major before taking this class. There are 5 projects as well as a midterm and a final. The material was pretty simple to get a grasp on but Woods made it hard to digest the material. Get ready to learn from the book and the TA's. The TA's will become your lifesaver for the projects.
All the homework answers are gonna be online or you can use a compiler. Projects are pretty simple and you can usually reuse the code since they build off themselves, if you have questions ask Woods, not the TAs. Review homeworks bc like 25% the exams are just old homework questions. If you understand the concepts, the exams are free money.
Good prof to take 051 with. Pretty nice guy; I feel like people are a little hard on him in these reviews. The lectures can be helpful, but you don't ahve to show up to class if you're willing to teach yourself from the textbook. Projects and tests were pretty straightforward, and he'd give pretty helpful hints about the test/midterm in lecture.
Do not take him. Terrible instructor. Not willing to meet with students.
This class is easy if you have prior experience programming but can be tough otherwise. Woods' lectures are pretty dry and unorganized but you should attend because they often help a lot with the projects. Office hours are helpful if you're struggling with the projects and there a lot of TAs that can help as well.
Professor Woods is a solid choice for 052. You are graded on 5 projects, 1 midterm, 1 final and homework. Not the best lecturer, but gives necessary information to complete the projects (code done in class is really similar to the projects). I really enjoyed this class and I would take it again.
The desk you sit in could do a better job of teaching you computer science than him. Super quiet, said in office hours and I quote, "Well that was stupid of you, why would you do that?". Actually doesn't care about you if you're struggling. Grades by the weirdest things too. He's legitimately the reason I'm dropping CS. Save yourself, dont take him
Actually the worst professor I've had throughout my entire time at Georgetown. Wanted to add a minor, and his class was the first I took. I learned nothing from him, the entire class is self taught. They shouldn't charge tuition for this class cause you're teaching everything to yourself. If you go to the TA's its manageableish. Don't take him
Took this class looking to major in CS. Came in with CS experience in a different language. Still had a hard time understanding him and the class. He reads off the slides and gets lost in his own work. I didn't pay 70k a year for a text to speech program. Doesn't teach at all, terrible in office hours.
The students who say he's not that bad were the suck ups in high school. There I said it. If you don't like stroking a professor's ego, woods is not the man for you. Has the charisma and teaching skill of a cabbage. Went to his office hours and I've never seen a greater waste of time.
Unbelievably bad, I didn't realize it was possible to be this bad at teaching. The positive reviews are not accurate at all. Took it thinking it can't be that bad? He has positive reviews on here. I was terribly mistaken. Not helpful at all, borderline derogatory.
Georgetown should be embarrassed. If they had a rep from the school sit in on a class just ONE time, Woods wouldnt have a job. He does not teach, barely can answer questions, assigns projects at random, cant communicate, and is inaccessible outside of class. Midterm took 1.5 months to grade. If youre taking this as an elective, stay FAR AWAY.
I went into this thinking, how bad could it be? Checks every single box. When we moved online, it only got worse. He mumbles through material that he only understands about 75%, or so it seems. Don't go to class, and ask the TAs for help - or just watch videos to pull an A or B. Class isn't brutal, but Woods is the worst I've had.
Woods isn't as bad as these reviews say in my opinion. He's a genuinely good and nice person if you talk to him and like all CS courses, if you go to TAs for help on projects, you will be fine. If you have no programming experience it could be a little more necessary to read the textbook. Online HW that are open note/internet
definitely the better option for 052 if your aim is to pass with as much ease as possible, but you won't learn much in the class. woods doesn't write the projects so he's not any help in explaining them to you. his lectures are boring and he moves slowly, but his exams are easier and he wants you to do well and not be too challenged. Recommend
I have an A in the class and prior programming experience. But I can tell you straight up, do NOT take this class it has been one of the worst parts of my time at GU. Lectures are dull, useless and disorganised. Only CS majors know what's going on. After 051, most people do not take another CS class again. That says something. Do not take it.
Unfortunately his lectures are quite dry, but they practically do your projects for you. He tells you everything you need for your projects and even provides very helpful timelines/checkpoints. Always available to help, one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.
I don't understand the vehemently negative reviews. It is a straight forward course lined out for you from the start. He isn't a poet in class but he knows more than anyone he's trying to teach and is as helpful as any 052 student would need him to be. Go to class, do the exercises, use them in projects, use TA's for projects. Pretty simple.
I took COSC-051 online so my opinion might be different than others. I had no prior programming experience and the class is easy enough but Prof. Woods is probably one of the worst teachers that I've ever had. Lectures are pointless and he is unwilling to accept any of his students' changing circumstances due to COVID-19. Don't take his class.
Lectures are dry, but if you get to know him in office hours he will help as well as the TAs. Manageable course load if you pace yourself using the timeline he provides.
Don't take, thank me later...
(online) Lectures could be extremely dull and hard to pay attention to. Requirements of the class were clear, but Prof Woods was strict with grading, often being very nit-picky. Lecture exercises (given in half of all lectures) were helpful in applying textbook readings into programs as were projects, which were interesting but graded a bit harsh
I took COSC-051 online with Prof. Woods and it was not great. I would avoid him as a professor if you can. His lectures are dry and often confusing, so I found it to be more productive to just log on, mute him, and then read the textbook. He was also kinda aggressive in office hours and not great at understanding why students were confused.
Professor Woods was VERY flexible and understanding this semester. Even though lectures can be a bit dry, class material is super helpful for the projects as well as his office hours and TAs. If you stick to his schedule to get projects done, you'll be fine. You'll be really stressed out if you procrastinate the work.
The textbook is your friend much more than lectures. Lectures are dry but also go over everything you need for the projects. Can't stress enough, start projects early and use the TAs. Incredibly flexible with COVID considerations. Rubrics are incredibly detailed in parts and vague in others. Follow the details to a T, autograder is unforgiving.
Definitely rely on the textbook. You can tell Prof Woods is knowledgable and cares about his students but lectures are so dry it's impossible to stay focused. Save your time and teach yourself out of the textbook. Start your projects early and you should be able to get 100s.
Professor Woods is beyond horrible. He is incapable of conveying the material, the project requirements, or answering any complex questions you have. He doesn't write the projects himself so he doesn't understand them. He's not mean but he's utterly inept. Avoid unless you need to take his class for a requirement. The TA's do the project for you.
Extremely patient. Teaches you what you need to know through lectures/class exercises. Coding projects are challenging
This man is my 13th reason. That's it, that's the review. This man singlehandedly tipped me over the edge.
Unsure why there are any positive review for this guy. He is derogatroy and condescending when you ask questions. He will not meet with you outside of his office hours and doesn't like helping students whatsoever. This man does not care at all for you nor your education. Trust me, you might be thinking it can't be that bad. It is that bad.
No redeeming factors for him nor his class. Has no patience nor understanding and has the pedagogical skill of drunk frat bro trying to explain finance to you during a homecoming darty. Simply a painful experience. Would not recommend. At worst a 0/10. At best a 0.4/10
Professor Woods is a nice guy unless you give him a reason to not be. He doesn't take BS (he was in the military). The lectures are useless because there is not enough time to teach everything so you have to read anyways. Honestly, for 051, the professor doesn't really matter because the TAs help much more and all the projects are the same.
Prof. Woods' methods are very antiquated. He uses terms and methods in his lectures & projects that he has not taught. The only redeeming thing is that the projects are clearly graded and easy. However, what irritates me is his impatience with me in office hours. He would yell at me to code faster and call me stupid when I was confused.
Bro SUCKS. For real I learned a million times more from the TA's. My boy just spoke behind is computer and mumbled out what he was coding and let me just say that hearing someone else code must be worse than being waterboarded. Gotta take it so just use the TA's and start the projects early and try to teach yourself.
I don't know what's going on, but the Willis slander needs to stop! Willis is a beast and class materials were taught well. This man blessed us with online midterm and online final I don't know why people are crying about his class. Don't be a brick and you will be fine.
He is a horrible professor... avoid at all costs. While his projects were not too bad because he literally gives you detailed instructions, his exams were BS and highly subjective. The only reason most people get a high grade is because they cheat. Do not take, especially for COSC 051
052 was not challenging enough. Projects mostly involve rewriting code you did in class with minor modifications. Lectures are dry and mostly consist of watching him code on the board. Midterm and final are also easy if you read the questions carefully and draw the linked lists--you can easily get a perfect score without cheating.
Clear grading criteria that are sometimes weird and unrelated to programming skills. Frequent auto-grader runs help you work your way up to a 100. Boring but helpful lectures. Has silent voice. If you're fairly used to programming, you can pull it off without even listening to his lectures and reading the textbook due to basic class content.
Wow.. where do I even start. I think the quintessential reason why professors shouldn't have tenure. You can tell he just doesn't care anymore. Boring lectures, insanely patronizing during office hours, and would rather be sleeping than teaching the class. I think it's time to call it quits and enjoy retirement and save future students any pain.
Lectures are extremely boring, and best used to do work for other classes. He seems very nice but just is not interesting at all, and uses the powerpoints that accompany a very long boring textbook. Projects are long but not excessive, but the instructions are often vague and yet weirdly specific. Would not recommend this class (or professor)
For 052, Woods is fine. Do you work, go to office hours, use your TAs and you will be fine. My exams were take home and he uses the same questions from the quizzes.
His lectures are a little boring, but he's a nice guy and the grading is clear. Midterm and final are pretty easy if you do the reading, and the projects aren't bad if you start early and use the autograder.
Professor Woods is not the most entertaining lecturer, however he and the tas are very helpful when it comes to the projects. The tests are pretty easy and straightforward.
Prof woods is dangerously underrated. He is hilarious, and while he might not be a great lecturer, you will do well in the class as long as you put the effort in. Class time is super fun, and his jokes will CRACK YOU UP. Live, laugh, woods.
G.O.A.T
Yes, he is an incredibly easy professor if you already have programming experience. Yes, I will be taking him again for COSC1030. That doesn't mean he's a good professor. He couldn't stick to any of his own project deadlines, didn't show up to campus half the time, and still hasn't graded part of the midterm with the semester basically being over.
Professor Woods is very disorganized. He constantly pushed back projects and never had anything graded. The TAs are what get you through this course. It is very easy if you go to them for everything. He is a boring lecturer. Read the textbook and his slides and you'll be fine. Midterm and final were online.
You'll rely on the TA's a lot, but only a few of them will be truly helpful. His lectures are useless, you might as well work on the projects during them. He gives feedback for the projects too close to the deadline to be useful, and he takes his sweet time grading. However, he's a funny old man with a silly Southern accent so it's all worth it.
absolute nightmare avoid at all costs
Many people don't like Woods but if you go to the TAs and read the textbook the class will be very easy. The lectures are useless but I'd recommend still going because sometimes he does say something useful. It's also a good time to work on projects or ask questions. I wouldn't take him again personally, but the class is bearable.
If anyone is looking for a computer science course that actually teaches the curriculum, look elsewhere, I'm warning you. If anyone is looking for an easy class that requires very little effort and where you will barely learn anything, this is the class to take.
He needs to retire. Deadlines are never what they say they are. Material is not clearly conveyed. Attendance is mandatory in that he gave two pop quizzes (one on the last day) despite him missing or zooming in for many classes. For someone who asked for a lot of flexibility from students, he is stuck in his ways. TAs are your lifeline for projects.
The emphasis of this class is on its big projects (work on them!), homework sets, and challenging midterm/final. Dr. Woods' lectures are hard to focus on because he suddenly talks very loudly at intermittent intervals. If you need help, GO TO TA OFFICE HOURS. Dr. Woods is very condescending and rarely gives good advice.
Go to TAs. If you do, you're guaranteed an A. If not, expect to end up with a B or C and then whine about "how bad Willis is" for the rest of your life
For the most part if you use TA office hours extensively you WILL get an A in this class. Lectures are dry and not helpful. Projects are annoying and long. But all assignments are online! I regularly found that he recycled questions too, for example a midterm question you may have seen in a homework problem.
This class showed me I didn't want to be a CS major. Projects were crazy difficult because the autograder he used was unclear at times. But take-home exams were the saving grace. Not the worst professor you could have. But far from the best.
Definitely a mixed bag - the projects can be manageable if you put in the work, but the exams are a bit subjective. TA office hours are a must. Unstuck ai was a lifesaver for practice questions.
Not the best professor ever, but his expectations for assignments and exams are very clear and manageable as long as you work ahead. Autograder can be overwhelming but gives feedback on which parts of your project aren't working before the due date so you have time to fix them. Lectures can be dry, but class is doable if you put in the effort.
Professor Woods was a good professor. His lectures are usually pretty helpful (just a bit slow sometimes) because he does exercises with the class that can basically be copied to use for the projects. The projects are a lot of work, but they are not that bad if you don't procrastinate. The midterm and final are through canvas and easy.
woods confuses me. the course was like a fever dream. he starts off every lecture by playing music, then randomly increases his volume while talking & sometimes berates ur class. however, he's a rite of passage for all cs major/minor/STIA ppl here - so love him hate him you gotta take him. still dk what i learned this sem but the vibes r vibing.
work on projects during lecture and do them early to take advantage of the autograder runs and rack up bonus points. his lectures are painfully slow and useless but every so often he'll say something useful to know about upcoming exams/projects or he'll do in-class exercises that are straight-up identical to things you'll need to do on the projects
runn away runnAWAYYYYY this man does NOT know cs nOR DO HIS TAs genuinely no one knows anything and they do not teach and textbook is useless. super outdated and hard for no reason cuz using old stuff. also makes projects super hard with stuff we like never learn.
Most free A I've ever gotten in my life
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
45%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.78 avg changeRatings by Course
CS052
4.5
(2)CS01
4.0
(2)COSC015
4.0
(1)COSC052
3.2
(38)COS051
3.1
(7)Difficulty by Course
COSC051
3.5
COS051
3.4
COSC1030
2.8
COSC052
2.7
COSC1020
2.7