Max was honestly the best professor I have ever had, period. His lectures were extremely clear, the grading scheme of the class was aimed at helping students succeed, his homework was challenging but rewarding, and overall he made a huge effort to make sure that everyone did well in his class, regardless of their previous experience. In addition to all of this, Max also makes his lectures entertaining and is generally a nice guy.

I can't recommend this class enough! If you are even thinking about taking 20A you HAVE to take it with Max

If you have no previous coding experience or consider yourself a "bad" coder, then I cannot recommend anyone more highly than Max Mansolf. I am a returning student, and have had some negative experiences with previous coding courses, so I had a lot of anxiety when I began this quarter. He went out of his way to reiterate certain ideas and go into detail so that I could understand. He also had an online forum for students to post questions, and answered almost all of them within 24hrs. He also gives abundant extra credit, so that even if you are struggling at certain points in the course, you have a chance to make it up. He explicitly stated that his goal is to have students learn to code and that he had no desire to punish anyone for struggling. He is approachable and funny, and I can easily say that of all the courses I have taken at UCLA, this was my favorite. I actually enjoy coding now!

This professor is amazing! He is so chill, funny, and dedicated to student learning. He creates a google doc where you can write questions, and he responds to them within the hour or right after you write your question. Super fast. He is also super attentive to the questions you send through email. Make sure to use these resources... it'll make your life so much easier.
There is a lot to learn and understand (especially during summer), but this professor breaks down every little thing you need to know, and he makes sure you get enough examples and practice. During the summer, he gave 5 quizzes, 3 projects, and 3 hw assignments. So practically a quiz a week, and either one project or hw assignment a week. Every single assignment (quiz, project, hw) has extra credit points (sometimes up to 3 or 4), plus 3 SONA credits, so I didn't even have to complete the last project to get an A. I'd give 10 out of 5 stars if I could.

This man is literally a blessing. Every point in his class is worth 1% and he offers at least one point on extra credit on each assignment. There is consistently an assignment that can be done, but he gives ample time and is always super helpful. One of the best professors I have had at UCLA hands down.

I had zero coding experience and a weak math foundation coming into this class, but was so glad that Max takes the "no prior coding experience necessary" part SERIOUSLY. He is so helpful and makes sure to explain everything in detail. He's also very responsive, whether it be on the open forum (where everyone can ask him questions and you can see all the answers), email, or even text! Every quiz, homework, and project involves extra credit, so by the end of the quarter I had enough points to not have to do the last project. The assignments can be difficult; i spent many many hours on them. But every project has a steady progression, so you're sure to get some points. He is so understanding of different levels of experience and tries to make this as hands-on and simple as possible. If you need to take this class, you definitely should take it with Max!