Howard Stahl
Department of Computer Science
AD
3.7
Overall Rating
Based on 99 Users
Easiness 3.9 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 3.4 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.8 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 3.7 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Uses Slides
GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS
34.1%
28.4%
22.7%
17.0%
11.4%
5.7%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

22.1%
18.4%
14.7%
11.0%
7.4%
3.7%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

32.2%
26.9%
21.5%
16.1%
10.7%
5.4%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

28.0%
23.4%
18.7%
14.0%
9.3%
4.7%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

22.3%
18.6%
14.9%
11.2%
7.4%
3.7%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

18.8%
15.7%
12.5%
9.4%
6.3%
3.1%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

ENROLLMENT DISTRIBUTIONS
Clear marks

Sorry, no enrollment data is available.

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Reviews (82)

2 of 9
2 of 9
Add your review...
Quarter: Summer 2020
Grade: A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
July 11, 2020

Howard explains clearly about concept in C++ and he is very nice! His teaching of CS31 can be easily understood by students who are new to programming. Though the workload of projects (one every week) is a little bit heavy, it can be handled well if you think and design your program carefully.

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Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: B+
Aug. 8, 2020

He Types Everything Like This

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2 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2024
Grade: A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
March 25, 2024

Stahl is a pretty good professor. His class isn't unreasonable hard but you definitely need to put some effort into the projects and study for the exams. His slides are pretty good but his lectures can be a bit boring as he does go pretty slowly at times. My TA was really sucky (didn't know C++) but Stahl was not bad during office hours, although he can get a bit frustrated at times. He is super nice and approachable though. I definitely would take him again for CS31 and not Huang or Smallberg.

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0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2024
Grade: A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
March 25, 2024

I definitely enjoyed this course. I think the projects really helped both my grade and my understanding of concepts and were also pretty fun to do. Howard is really nice and approachable. Lecture is pretty slow though, but discussions are great (if you skip the week of lecture, discussion is a great way to catch up). He also gave extra points on the midterm for attending discussion and filling out the LA survey.

I will say though, tests/hw quizzes can be really tricky. Howard is lowkey always trying to trick you. I think it's a good and bad thing, good because it forces you to really understand c++ and bad bc obviously it's annoying. My best advice for tests is to put tons of real code and output examples in your cheat sheet for tests. Those go a long way. Tests are also somewhat theoretical so make sure you don't only know how to code, but that you really understand the concepts.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2024
Grade: A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
March 24, 2024

I came in with some knowledge of coding from my high school's AP Computer Science classes, and I would say that helped a lot, because C++ is similar enough to Java (or maybe the other way around since C++ is older) for me to learn things very quickly. I don't think prior knowledge is expected though, and Howard really guides you step by step to learn C++.
Class format: Non-mandatory and yes recorded lecture + non-mandatory, both in person and online discussion, and you can go to whichever discussion section you want, so feel free to choose your favorite TA. I would recommend going to some discussions though, because 1. Howard gave extra credit for attending some discussions and 2. the worksheets are a good review of what we did in class.
Grading: Standard A+ 97% - 100%, A 93% - 96.99%, A- 90% - 92.99%, etc.. Howard did say that if you're 0.02% away from the next letter grade or something he'll bump it up. Homework, 20 questions each, is worth 5%. Projects (we had 6) are worth 36%, and each project is worth the same. Midterm is worth 25%, and the final is worth 34%.
Professor and lecture: I mentioned before that I have some coding experience, so the lectures felt kind of slow sometimes (and to be honest I skipped quite a few lectures). Howard himself is really nice though, and he shares pieces of his daily life with us (complaints about the LA roads lol) and it's pretty funny.
Office hours: I went to my TA's office hours for a few projects and he was SO helpful. I didn't go to Howard's because I had class at that time :( if you're stuck on something, go ask for help!

Overall rating: 9/10, would recommend, especially if you don't want to take CS31 with the CS majors in the fall.

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0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2023
Grade: B
Dec. 23, 2023

I have heard Stahl is one of the easier computer science professors and I would agree. I think that his tests were fair. The projects were hard - at least for me. However I am a bit biased because I don't have a strong computer science background. I think if you do have a strong coding background, this class is great. If not, you are probably better off taking the PIC series.

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0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Summer 2023
Grade: A
Aug. 19, 2023

Definitely would recommend taking it in the summer, tests are fair and not too hard, and while the projects can be tough, starting early and getting help in office hours when needed can pull you through.

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Quarter: Winter 2023
Grade: B+
April 21, 2023

Bros was not it

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Quarter: Winter 2023
Grade: A-
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
April 7, 2023

Howard Stahl can be a bit of a boring lecturer, but he teaches what needs to be taught and his tests ask very reasonable questions. The projects can take a good number of hours, but with the amount of time he gives you to do them, they're not bad at all. I was able to complete most of them in one day, though I would say it is smart to not let that one day be the last day, as there can always be unexpected issues that arise or simply errors that you realize you need to fix after the fact. The one thing I was not pleased about was the visual formatting of the tests. They were not very readable and formatting alone definitely contributed to me answering questions slower which is kind of a lame issue to have in a college course.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2023
Grade: A
April 3, 2023

Professor Stahl is not the most engaging professor (I only attended lecture three or so times), but he is helpful and accommodating. I had 0 prior coding experience in C++. I found that watching the BruinCast on 2x speed and taking notes on Notion worked best for me. There are 7 projects, but he took off project 6 which was a quiz on pointers rather than actual coding. Going to TA office hours was SUPER helpful. Shoutout Pranav and Dale!!! They were incredible TAs and did a great job on explaining and breaking down concepts.
I got an A on both the midterm and final, and for someone who always thought they were confused in this class, I thought he made them super clear and easy. Before the midterm, he did a full review day in class, the TAs reviewed during discussion, and UPE hosted a review session. For the final, there were the same review opportunities at the midterm + another lecture reviewing (so you basically get a dead week for this class during week 10 to review and study).
If you have time, the textbook is actually super clear and I skimmed through parts of it before the midterm and I thought it helped. However, I did not do so for the final and felt fine.
You can attend any discussion section you want and the professor randomly checks attendance for one of the sections each week and you get 3 points back on one of the projects, which can often be very helpful although it does not seem like that much. It is a good idea to go to office hours and meet the TAs then decide what section you should go to depending on who is teaching. I did not really engage in discussion sections but I did read over the slides and worksheets prior to the exams.
Overall, I did not necessarily enjoy this class, but I did well!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Summer 2020
Grade: A
July 11, 2020

Howard explains clearly about concept in C++ and he is very nice! His teaching of CS31 can be easily understood by students who are new to programming. Though the workload of projects (one every week) is a little bit heavy, it can be handled well if you think and design your program carefully.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: B+
Aug. 8, 2020

He Types Everything Like This

Helpful?

2 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Winter 2024
Grade: A
March 25, 2024

Stahl is a pretty good professor. His class isn't unreasonable hard but you definitely need to put some effort into the projects and study for the exams. His slides are pretty good but his lectures can be a bit boring as he does go pretty slowly at times. My TA was really sucky (didn't know C++) but Stahl was not bad during office hours, although he can get a bit frustrated at times. He is super nice and approachable though. I definitely would take him again for CS31 and not Huang or Smallberg.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Winter 2024
Grade: A
March 25, 2024

I definitely enjoyed this course. I think the projects really helped both my grade and my understanding of concepts and were also pretty fun to do. Howard is really nice and approachable. Lecture is pretty slow though, but discussions are great (if you skip the week of lecture, discussion is a great way to catch up). He also gave extra points on the midterm for attending discussion and filling out the LA survey.

I will say though, tests/hw quizzes can be really tricky. Howard is lowkey always trying to trick you. I think it's a good and bad thing, good because it forces you to really understand c++ and bad bc obviously it's annoying. My best advice for tests is to put tons of real code and output examples in your cheat sheet for tests. Those go a long way. Tests are also somewhat theoretical so make sure you don't only know how to code, but that you really understand the concepts.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Winter 2024
Grade: A
March 24, 2024

I came in with some knowledge of coding from my high school's AP Computer Science classes, and I would say that helped a lot, because C++ is similar enough to Java (or maybe the other way around since C++ is older) for me to learn things very quickly. I don't think prior knowledge is expected though, and Howard really guides you step by step to learn C++.
Class format: Non-mandatory and yes recorded lecture + non-mandatory, both in person and online discussion, and you can go to whichever discussion section you want, so feel free to choose your favorite TA. I would recommend going to some discussions though, because 1. Howard gave extra credit for attending some discussions and 2. the worksheets are a good review of what we did in class.
Grading: Standard A+ 97% - 100%, A 93% - 96.99%, A- 90% - 92.99%, etc.. Howard did say that if you're 0.02% away from the next letter grade or something he'll bump it up. Homework, 20 questions each, is worth 5%. Projects (we had 6) are worth 36%, and each project is worth the same. Midterm is worth 25%, and the final is worth 34%.
Professor and lecture: I mentioned before that I have some coding experience, so the lectures felt kind of slow sometimes (and to be honest I skipped quite a few lectures). Howard himself is really nice though, and he shares pieces of his daily life with us (complaints about the LA roads lol) and it's pretty funny.
Office hours: I went to my TA's office hours for a few projects and he was SO helpful. I didn't go to Howard's because I had class at that time :( if you're stuck on something, go ask for help!

Overall rating: 9/10, would recommend, especially if you don't want to take CS31 with the CS majors in the fall.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2023
Grade: B
Dec. 23, 2023

I have heard Stahl is one of the easier computer science professors and I would agree. I think that his tests were fair. The projects were hard - at least for me. However I am a bit biased because I don't have a strong computer science background. I think if you do have a strong coding background, this class is great. If not, you are probably better off taking the PIC series.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Summer 2023
Grade: A
Aug. 19, 2023

Definitely would recommend taking it in the summer, tests are fair and not too hard, and while the projects can be tough, starting early and getting help in office hours when needed can pull you through.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2023
Grade: B+
April 21, 2023

Bros was not it

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Winter 2023
Grade: A-
April 7, 2023

Howard Stahl can be a bit of a boring lecturer, but he teaches what needs to be taught and his tests ask very reasonable questions. The projects can take a good number of hours, but with the amount of time he gives you to do them, they're not bad at all. I was able to complete most of them in one day, though I would say it is smart to not let that one day be the last day, as there can always be unexpected issues that arise or simply errors that you realize you need to fix after the fact. The one thing I was not pleased about was the visual formatting of the tests. They were not very readable and formatting alone definitely contributed to me answering questions slower which is kind of a lame issue to have in a college course.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2023
Grade: A
April 3, 2023

Professor Stahl is not the most engaging professor (I only attended lecture three or so times), but he is helpful and accommodating. I had 0 prior coding experience in C++. I found that watching the BruinCast on 2x speed and taking notes on Notion worked best for me. There are 7 projects, but he took off project 6 which was a quiz on pointers rather than actual coding. Going to TA office hours was SUPER helpful. Shoutout Pranav and Dale!!! They were incredible TAs and did a great job on explaining and breaking down concepts.
I got an A on both the midterm and final, and for someone who always thought they were confused in this class, I thought he made them super clear and easy. Before the midterm, he did a full review day in class, the TAs reviewed during discussion, and UPE hosted a review session. For the final, there were the same review opportunities at the midterm + another lecture reviewing (so you basically get a dead week for this class during week 10 to review and study).
If you have time, the textbook is actually super clear and I skimmed through parts of it before the midterm and I thought it helped. However, I did not do so for the final and felt fine.
You can attend any discussion section you want and the professor randomly checks attendance for one of the sections each week and you get 3 points back on one of the projects, which can often be very helpful although it does not seem like that much. It is a good idea to go to office hours and meet the TAs then decide what section you should go to depending on who is teaching. I did not really engage in discussion sections but I did read over the slides and worksheets prior to the exams.
Overall, I did not necessarily enjoy this class, but I did well!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
2 of 9
3.7
Overall Rating
Based on 99 Users
Easiness 3.9 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 3.4 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.8 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 3.7 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Uses Slides
    (48)
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