Reviews of professor Barrett Koster

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 1.0/5
I really liked Koster, but I can't say he was 5/5 because of how simplistic and unprepared his lectures seemed. But, it was still a great class and I learned some cool things. Homework can sometimes be tedious or difficult, but if you put in good effort, it is easy to do well in this class. Midterm average was around 95.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 2.0/5
Do not get me wrong Professor Koster is definitely a good teacher in teaching introductory Python. His office hours are very accessible and he gives really give feedback on the code. His classes, however, does teach you how to code but it's very much in a "this is how you write it" way. His explanations in lectures aren't too clear, but he's good.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Prof. Barrett is one of the sweetest professors at USC. He goes over details carefully and always answers questions well. The class is a lot of work but that's just because ITP courses are required to assign a certain workload. Prof. Barrett is really nice and a great person to teach you coding, especially if you're relatively new to it.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 2.0/5
Great lecturer. Makes all lecture code available on Replit as well which is extremely helpful if you get stuck during lectures. Knows his stuff and is very helpful if you get stuck. Accessible outside of class as well through piazza (you will find out what this is if you take the class).

Rating: 3.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
This class was WAY too much work for a 2-unit (1 HW assignment + 2 labs per week). The material covered in class doesn't always line up with our assignments and I feel instructions did not offer enough guidance for an introductory coding class. Regardless, prof is nice and easy to access--so, I would recommend if you are willing to work hard.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Really nice guy, does a good job demonstrating new concepts in class, and is generally quite helpful for the labs and assignments. Assignments can sometimes have points taken off for reasons that feel somewhat random, but not too hard to get a good grade. The workload for this class can be comparable to some 4 unit classes, so be careful.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Professor Koster truly wants you to succeed. I attended office hours a lot because I'm not a "natural" coder. Pay attention in class and go to office hours, and Professor Koster will be more than supportive of your efforts. He's also a really interesting person to talk to, if you take the opportunity to get to know him.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 1.0/5
He is so sweet and funny. He really loves his job and it shows. Stopped attending lecture because the class is very doable without it. Gets harder near the end so attend lecture if you're struggling. Overall, great, easy class and amazing professor.