Reviews of professor Joseph Kovba

Rating: 3.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Weeder course--of the JHU professors, he's probably the easiest. Likes to explain problems, give examples. Will basically tell you how to do the homework if you attend office hours. However, don't engage with him personally--he has boundary problems. Doesn't provide extensions, even with a doctor's note. Don't take if you get sick a lot.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
Joe cotaught with another professor and it is clear they put a lot of work into this course. Lectures are clearly structured and well-articulated, there are plenty of outside resources they give, extra practice problems, and 3 optional office hours a week. Very patient with questions. One of the most accessible profs. Good sense of humor.

Rating: 2.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Professor Kovba was okay. The class itself started off pretty easy but then the difficulty kind of spiked a bit in the latter half of the semester. The grading is pretty strict when it comes to programming assignments, but the quizzes at least can be taken twice if you don't like your first score. He isn't super helpful in office hours.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Joe is an amazing instructor. He placed the focus on learning and created an enviroment that made the course fun. Material was presented in a clear and logical manner with opportunities to work through additional problems and ask questions. The assignments were often challenging, though never out of reach. Joe was always willing to answer questions

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
He genuinely seems to care about his students, and spent a lot of time one on one with me throughout the semester when I needed it. He grades tough, but fair. I had never programmed anything in my life and I left the class feeling very confident in the basics!

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
You know what? I think teaching is just a talent. It needs not only knowledge, but also patient, and passion. Joe really likes teaching and he puts lots of time on it. Anyone having problem Joe will teach you and give you the answer.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 2.0/5
The Good: Joe provided high quality and conscientious guidance throughout the course. A great mentor for what is for many their first real exposure to programming. 
The Bad: Nothing specific, but due to the fast pace of the course, getting detailed feedback on coursework is left to the student.
The Ugly: Tough grading, ouch!

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 1.0/5
Great course and great dude.

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
level of difficulty of programming assignments are well beyond what is explained on the lectures. He drowns you with readings and does not know how to teach, very knowledgeable as a professional but a failure as an instructor. Avoid taking any class with this professor.