People think he is hard because the syllabus of ELG3300 is hard. He actually held a 4-5 hours tutorial 3 days before the final to re-teach everything and show us some mock exam solutions. Everyone is getting a B while actually learned something.

This guy is so nice. Sure the midterm was hard, but that made us all study. The mock final was bascially the final. Really nice guy, teaches grads now. He just needs his coffee and smokes.

A privilege to have in SITE. One of the very very few fine profs there.

This is a really good prof. Some people might hate him because the courses he teaches can be very tough (it's basically you know the stuff or you don't). But he tries to make sure that everyone learns it (he gave us 2h30m to do a 4 question midterm cause he really wanted us to solve the last question. If you have the chance take a class with him

This guy is close to what I would call a genius. Ask him any question about any subject in engineering, he will answer you precisely. His reasoning is extremely fast and sharp.

He is from U of T. He deserves a lot of respect.

1. his son didn't make noise at all. 2. he smokes and drinks coffee.. so?! that's his life.. 3. he never lied, he said he never found his exams hard!! and everybody knows that he is not easy.- He is very smart, and knows his stuff. very nice person, down to earth.. I ve done 2 courses with him, I didn't get A+'s but I enjoyed being in his class...

Extremely interesting class, very challenging but worth the effort. Those who take the class can only be inspired by how Dr. Mao unifies and explains all engineering concepts in a very insighful way, which no other prof I've had were ever able to do. If you are ready to put some effort in the course, you will not regret it!

So his classes were a bit unconventional but he will go through the extra trouble of rewarding very well the students who have a good understanding of the material. There are no surprises to those who put in an honest effort and don't waver under his psychological tactics... His lectures are definitely worth the attendence.

His classes are interesting and very challenging;If you attend all his classes, you are set. He unifies and explains all engineering concepts in a very insighful way. You do learn a lot at the end of the course regardless of the mark but he is really sympatethic to his students too which most of them dont understand.Hint: He believed in reasoning.

The professor is excellent! He has core knowledge of what he is teaching. Extremely knowledgeable and brilliant. Very helpful to students. Very friendly to the students. I wish all professors were like him. His exams are non-trivial, but every based on concepts. If you attend all his lectures ( i.e. be attentive), there is no way you can do bad in

He's pretty funny.

I dont know why every talks bad about him, he is a good prof. The last 2 labs are near-impossible but his exam and midterm are very fair. Use the textbook and practice a bit and you should be good.

The material is hard to grasp if you just sit and listen to him lecture, it has to be applied. That said, after doing the homework and labs I had a good understanding of the course.

He actually was a decent prof. He gave detailed explanations in class if you attended. His exams were ridiculously easy and his bell curve immense, but I do admit his last two labs were absurdly hard for a first year, introductory programming course. He promised to write letters of rec. for anybody who got 90+ on the final exam :)

Great Prof, knows his stuff. Teaches the fundamentals very well. He has high expectations, so be ready to do a lot of work. Midterm and Exam are fair.

Really good prof, the course itself is extremely hard for someone who have no experience in programming, and I'm glad he taught the course in a understandable way. The last two labs are really hard and can be frustrating, but overall decent assignments/labs. And final exam curving is awesome.

Very good professor, covers material well. Keeping up with homework and paying attention makes labs and final easy

Very smart, hard to understand. Make sure to read the book. Don't fall behind most of the course kinda stacks on what you learned previously. Although he wasnt the best teacher(probably because hes used to teaching 4th yr students) he is very generous. His midterm was easy and his final was fair. He bell curved the final hardcore.

good teacher if you have problems take advantage of office hours! he will make sure you do well if he knows you are trying!

He is pretty awesome so far and the class is moving at a good pace. keep up the good work mr.mao!

Good prof he seems to know his stuff.

Look, what it comes down to is that the course material is difficult for those new to programming. You cannot come rate a professor based on the difficulty of the class, which I assume most here have done. If you are not capable of doing courses like this then reconsider what you are taking. The teacher did his job well and was very helpful.

Yongyi Mao is a great prof!!!You just have to be patient as most people take this course for the first time, make use of office hours and practice!!!..Do not go to class believing the negative comments but i think you should experience the course giving it your very best...i did this and I did exceptionally well in the course :)

Nice guy and great prof,he knows the stuff really well,his midterm is very easy and the exams are a bit challenging but fairly easy...just study, go for office hours and practice the codes..understand them don't cram them, this course is a piece of cake..

Yongyi Mao is an amazing teacher!! Every negativity being said about him on here is false.

If you actually show up and pay attention, he's a great teacher, and cares about what he does.

Coming into his class was scared because of comments on here and going into a class where i knew nothing about it. But he is a great guy and he really cares for his students more than most . If you use the resources provided, including Google and his website. This course with Mao has got me interested in programming. Thanks Mao!!

One of few teachers who manage to spark interest in students purely from his own obvious passion and interest in what he teaches. For a difficult to understand course his explanations are clear, however the only complaint is that as much as he teaches about how this and that should work, you are often left wondering how to implement the material.

Great professor teaches well. No reason not to do well in the class.

I have a feeling people are just dumb and shouldn't be in Engineering. His assignments are really easy to get 90% to 100% on if you spend an hour or so. His midterm was VERY easy. Hes a little confusing in class but he will go over stuff if he feels the students aren't understanding it. He also posts all of the code he writes. Overall, great prof!

Mao as it turns out is a great teacher, his assignments are straighforward, the labs are easy and everything is well taught. He runs programs in class which I think is really good. The truth is if you go into class believing he is terrible then you will fail. If actually put some effort in programming is really fun.

If you surf the internet, and zone out, and copy labsassigns then expect to get an A, you're probably gonna have bad things to say about him. Honestly, if you pay attention in class, and actually work on the labs, you can ace this class. His midterm was straight forward, with a tricky programming question. The final seems straight forward too.

Mao goes into great detail about every concept and takes you through the logic step by step. So it was very easy to follow his lectures and do well in the course.

Despite paying attention in his lectures, I never really followed him. However, when I went to his officer hours, he was able to explain the concept of the week crystal clear, step by step. You can be the judge to how that happened. He's willing to help students so you'll do just fine as long as you put in the work. I didnt though so i hav a D- ):

Professor Mao is a brilliant professor who especially understands how to break down the logic of each program he writes. He teaches above and beyond but the exams have no surprises. As someone who did well in the course I recommend that you practice writing code on your own and looking back at his lectures for guidance on assignments.

Actually, Mao is a good prof, if u take his classes seriously. Don't open facebook during lectures ! It would fail you. Anyway, this course is not reallllly difficult ,as others described.

You can tell he is trying to improve. Makes good jokes sometimes, but can be hard to pay attention to. Exams/Midterms were easy. Some homeworks are time consuming

He is very patient and he will answer all your questions clearly to make you fully understand. Although the lectures are hard, you can learn a lot from this course. Would recommend him!

Great prof, really cares about what he is teaching and knows his stuff. His lectures can be boring but that is the nature of the class and not him. Not a great prof if you don't enjoy coding, many people who hate coding don't like him. But for those who will take this course seriously hes pretty solid, he gives you all you need to do well.

It was a real pleasure to be in the class. he demonstated what is most needed to be know for the subject and somtime gave info beyond what was needed to be known for the class as an added timbit. Did include bonus in exam, labs and assigment to bring marks. bonus were usally concerning the extra info he had teached in class

I went into this course with no experience in programming and it has become one of my best classes. As long as you take the time to figure out and understand the code/programs you should do fine in the course. The prof gives many opportunities in class for review and preparation for exams.

He is just great. Best teacher ever.

Siri has problem understanding his English but most of the time I could understand him with ease. The course is easy and you should be good as long as you follow his notes. The worst part about this course is his labs. It is a challenge, and you should always start the lab before you go in. cuz it takes forever to finish.

this proffesor is so amazing , i enjoyed lectures with him .

He looks scary at first glance but you get to nkow he is pretty funny and the only reason he is like that is because he beleives in hard work. He will take whole night making several tests just to ensure students do not cheat. You can understand how picky he is with hard work. I would not recomment though if it is your first programming class.

here's the thing this is a pretty tough course, but the prof himself isnt as bad as everyone makes him out to be. In class exercises at the end of the semester and the lab quizzes were brutal, but he gives us many chances to fix our marks and he genuinely doesnt want us to fail and listens to his students! just pay attention and youll pass.

I dont know why he has such bad reviews. I had him this last semester and honestly was my fav class to go to. I didnt have any coding experience before this class and I did fine. Some of the ICEs later on are a bit tough but he gives so many opportunities for bonus marks near the end. I enjoyed his class very much

Mr. Mao knows what he's talking about but his lectures can get kind of boring since he reads from the screens. At times, he goes a bit fast and it can be hard to understand. To do well in his course you should ask questions and review the material. There are in-class-exercises that can come by surprise.

Excellent prof. In class quiz are a pain but he drops your 2 worst ones at the end. He also multiplied our lab grades by 1 . 14 . If you stick to the end and you put in some effort you will defn pass. I was expecting a 79, but the boosts gave me 97%. He has no mercy for cheaters. Lectures are slide heavy but does great coding demos.

The lectures were somewhat dense and the class moves pretty quickly. If you are totally new to programming it can be very difficult at times but if you read the lecture slides on your own you will be fine. I finished with a decent grade despite being worried about failing at some points. Ask the prof questions and get help from the TAs.

His ICE's are sometimes like pop quizes but everything is based off assignments he has posted. As long as you are diligent in completeing the assignments and actually understanding the code his grades are fair. Lectures are informatve as he understands the content he is teaching and overall homework isn't needed if you understand the lecture.

The professor is fair and does a good job teaching, but ultimately the best way to learn coding is to do it yourself. Fortunately the professor provides non-graded assignments which are great for practice. It's possible to succeed in this course with no coding experience. Just make sure to do the assignments as soon as possible and put the work in.

Pf.Mao does not deserve the hate he gets. Yes, he teaches a hard course but he gives examples, hints, and has very clear expectations to pass. I had ZERO computer experience before the classs and it was hard work but with a tutor I ended with a 90. Don't skip the ICES, Labs, and lectures because they will make or break your mark. Easy to pass final

The yongster is my goat, people don't understand him like i do... he is so misunderstood. bro is silly and lighthearted and he would never fail me.

Yongyi Mao is misunderstood! Wouldn't take this class again though, you'll only survive if you took Computer Science in high school or lock in. Bonus: he has cool images of himself on Google :-)

Nah low-key hear me out, he's valid. The class is a bit tough for beginners but he is a good teacher in my opinion. But fr focus, make sure you understand all the content instead of just memorizing. or else ur cooked. He is actually misunderstood, people are mad at first midterm even though he warned us all of the contents.

As a teacher he's pretty good, coding can be a very boring class but overall, he makes it pretty easy to understand. He definitely listens to reviews, the midterm was easy, the final similarly to last year has the first qusstion worth 50% which was a really simple question which allowed most people to pass.

I think he's good

Overall he is okay, but like he scares us students on how "bad" his exams are. But, when it comes to teaching he is really good at it and it is like an 8:30 am? he is already lively. But yeah if you listen well and do well, you would also do well with professor Mao.

Final exam was extremely easy, I think he changed it up from previous years because of how many people were failing. Nice guy seems like he cares about the students. Lots of homework, labs get difficult near the end.

The Yongster is not as bad as some reviews make him sound. He's not great at explaining the concepts but he does in class coding examples that really help. His assignments are great to practice concepts as well. One bonus is that his midterms and exams are marked and returned same day. The Labs get really hard by the end but the exam is much easier

The yongster is greatly misunderstood. The first question on the exam is 50%, but it is extremely easy. Like five lines of code. If you fail that question you def deserve to fail the course bro. His labs are kinda hard but he is super willing to help students out. Hes also funny idk if its ironically or not but i love it.

leave maogoat alone!! the course is lecture heavy but he posts everything online. there's a lot of homework and assignments but it's all to help you get familiar with the concept. there was a question worth 50% of the final that only incorporated everything before the midterms so if you got perfect on that question, you'd pass!! stop mr mao hate!!

Professor Mao is very sweet but very realistic. Tell you how it is, likes to joke about attendance. Fair exams, labs get progressively harder towards the end.

Yongyi Mao is quite a good professor

Very kind prof, I came into GNG1106 with a prior knowledge to coding which definitely made the course much easier, although this prior knowledge is not necessary as I had several friends who had no knowledge of coding prior to this and still succeeded in the course.

Like other reviews said, this course is much better if you have prior experience in programming. Mao ain't a bad prof, but this course is really either right or wrong, so the grading is pretty tough. I won't say to avoid him, but expect a lot of self-learning before and during the course.

He's a great Prof, explains everything clearly, yes one of the question on the final is worth half the grade but it is a question concerning the very basics of the content.

Over hated prof. Just lock in bro.

average lecturer but very generous grader, free 25% total mark on the final (the first question is worth 50% of the final and is fundamental for loop coding), you can pass easily as long as you have hands. Assignment and pop quizzes are just 5%, lab worth 15%, 25% midterm with quite a small amount of material coverage and then 50% free final.

If you understand the logic or the basics of coding you will do good in the class. During lectures, prof Mao does not know how to use a mic properly, so just sit closer to the front!...and don't talk while he is teaching. Everything before the midterm is easy! its starts to get difficult after that.

Yongyi is way over-hated. This course is easy at the beginning but gets much harder towards the end. Decently generous grader, just follow instructions and you're good. Yongyi is the goat, he tells you the types of questions that will be on the exam. Lovable accent

final is 1 question 50%, if you can do that you can pass

lots of reviews say that all he does is read off the slides which is kind of true, but it just means you can review rly easily, and he does explain well. half the final is 1 question, but it's really basic. if you can't code it you shouldn't pass. main downside is there's a lot of assignments and labs that aren't worth much.

Professor Mao is seriously underrated, the midterm and final are very similar to the ones from previous years and the lectures from 2021 covid are posted on brightspace so if you missed something from class or didn't quite understand it you can always go back and watch those. The labs basically give you free marks. Thank you Professor Mao

Did this course with next to no coding experience. Prof isn't the greatest at relaying his knowledge, but still does a decent job. Most learning for myself was done through the labs, ICEs, and assignments. The exam and midterm are similar to previous years, which he does post. Very homework-heavy and time-consuming, though, be ready.

Yongyi Mao has to be the best and most legendary professor I have met and will ever meet in my entire life. He is very, very good at what he does, and if a student is struggling, he is available in his office hours to answer any questions and guide students. DO TAKE YONGYI MAO.

the midterm was fairly simple, if you pay attention to the class you will be fine. the last three labs (8,9,10) are really hard. if you just attend the lectures and make sure you pay attention to everything from after the midterm the final will be easy. The code on the final worth 50% is easier than you.

Can't waffle yourself into a good grade; you gotta know what you're talking about (he can easily sense bs). Good prof, lectures can get sometimes monotone but I'd advise sitting at the front. Don't memorize code, but try to understand it. Available during office hours, occasionally ignores emails so make sure it's to the point.

If you're looking to pass course is light. Otherwise things like Euler's method, bubble and replacement sort, recursion can be pretty hard to understand if you're going for that 90. I personally memorized that main bulk of the hard stuff but the stuff before and on the midterm (Aside from the cosine problem) is pretty easy with some practice.

The grade scheme of this prof was lowkey though. The ices and assignments took 2-5 hours each and were barely worth anything. Very hard for an a+. Easy pass though with a question worth 50% in the final that is only very basic for loop. To get an a+ try to do the labs on your own without ai. It will help a lot.