Selected teaching evaluations

Below are selected student comments extracted (by me, of course) from my teaching evaluations at SJSU. The comments are grouped by semester and by course. If I taught more than one section of a course in a semester, the comments for the same course are grouped together. The triple (a,b,c) following a course number indicates the responses to the question "Would you take another course from this instructor?", where a is the number of "yes" votes, b is the number of "no" answers and c is the number with no response. For some reason, this question was discontinued as of 2005.

Some of my favorite comments are highlighted in red. Most of these are open to various interpretations...

• Spring 2011
  • CS 166
    • The class was great. More SRE homework would be fun.
    • More jokes!
    • I like your different T-shirts
    • Non-comprehensive final. A+++++
  • CS 265
    • Please give lesser homework.
    • Did I say too much homework?
    • You make difficult things look easy. I like the surprise of homeworks.
    • You are awesome.
• Fall 2010
  • CS 166
    • Approachable.
    • Not too approachable.
    • Homework is very intellectually challenging.
  • CS 265
    • The lecture is very clean and efficient, the homework is well designed and relevant to the content of the lecture. The whole course is well designed.
    • Due to the challenging assignments, CS-265 becomes the only subject, other subjects get neglected.
    • I really look forward to his classes. He makes the class interesting with good examples.
    • Too much homework!
  • CS 266
    • Great class overall. I enjoyed my projects and presentations.
    • Do we need to say again! He is the best in explaining difficult concepts very finely.
    • Assignment in which we had to create a virus was really tough.
    • The only class I don't miss.
    • You're the man!
• Spring 2010
  • CS 166
    • Perfect.
    • Great use of slides without overly relying on them.
    • Knows his stuff. Some funny jokes. Kinda boring. Some lame jokes.
    • I would have professor teach all of my classes, if possible!
  • CS 265
    • Entertaining class!
    • Very strong and in-depth experience. Clarity in teaching. Good material presented in a very simple and clear way. Discusses the background required before he goes to in depth material.
• Fall 2009
  • CS 166
    • Awesome teacher, takes otherwise complicated subject and makes it super simple. Great jokes! One of the few classes I look forward to attending. Don't change a thing!
    • I seldom have a professor who can teach material in such a memorable and interesting way.
    • Class is too short---make it 2 semesters.
  • CS 265
    • Loved it.
    • I could learn a lot in this class.
    • Thanks for the wonderful semester. I'm sure the course material and learning from this class will be very useful in future. Thanks again.
    • Makes class interesting with his sense of humor and good analogies.
    • Mind-blowing lecture.
• Spring 2009
  • CS 166
    • He seems excited to teach the subject. Lectures are not boring.
    • Great stories.
    • My favorite class this semester!
  • CS 265
    • Excellent! Best!
    • Powerpoints are very effective and the professor kept the class engaged. Good teaching style.
    • "Great" is a word that defines his efficiency, knowledge, and command over the subject. Would recommend everyone to take this class.
    • He is the best instructor I found at SJSU.
  • CS 46-A
    • Goes over material. Fair grader. Answers questions. Cool!!!
    • Very focused on teaching.
    • He was given a crappy book!
    • To sum it up, the book really, really sucked.
    • You were great!!!
    • Just excellent.
• Fall 2008
  • CS 166
    • Your hair for the first week of class was epic.
    • Liked the grad/undergrad mix of the class, added diversity.
    • Animated slides (no one else does that), puts in humor, makes class interesting, easy to learn what he teaches.
    • Explain pretty well and combination of 166 and 265 worked okay also.
    • Excellent prof! Do some good for this school and dept and promote him to full professor already!!! Dr. ⌊↑ℵ can learn a thing or two about effective teaching from Dr. Stamp.
    • Vast depth of knowledge very well organized
    • He's funny and keeps the class interesting
  • CS 265
    • Great depth of knowledge in he subject. Good interaction with the class. Never a boring lecture. Comes prepared every class.
    • Frank, cooperative, really impressive
    • Not a good idea to combine 166/265
    • Really great class. Most practical class I've taken so far. I took BS security class @ Cal Poly SLO, but the topics you covered was so much more practical.
    • Highly recommend that you should combine both undergrad and grad classes.
    • I just loved the class
    • The best teacher ever. Amazing knowledge and excellent teacher.
    • Tries to press more information in a small time. Need more emphasis on SRE.
    • Sometimes, I, personally, have problem about English understanding. The teacher uses high level vocabs.
    • Dr. Stamp is a genius in the field of computer security. I enjoyed and recommend his class to all computer science students.
  • CS 46B
    • He uses humor in order to keep the lectures from getting too boring.
    • Fun, powerpoints online. Smart, interesting, taught useful information and tricks. Very kind.
    • Not a java master!
    • Very clear. Awesome lectures. Very challenging sometimes.
    • The lab was useless. We never did anything.
    • He tried to make the class entertaining. The grader sucked.
    • Lectures pretty good
    • Makes complicated stuff very simple. Good assignments and homework. Make the course very simple yet very useful. I find him perfect.
    • Good Powerpoints. Nice animations.
    • Lectures were to the point, organized.
    • Did well in presenting the material to the class, as well as incorporating many challenging homework assignments.
• Fall 2006
  • CS 166
    • Deep knowledge of subject. Well organized. Materials available online.
    • ...a very compressed course; would be better if it's spread out.
    • Same material as in book is discussed in class. This is amazing.
    • He is dynamic and genius...
    • Great lectures and PowerPoint slides every day. I didn't think I could learn this esoteric stuff before.
    • Structured lectures presented in class with humor on occasion. Lectures are kept interesting throughout the semester.
    • Makes the class interesting, has a sense of humor, has lots of knowledge about this class, replied to emails promptly. The best professor I have ever had.
    • Lectures were not dull or dry.
    • Qualified and knowledgeable. Fun assignments. Even workload over the semester (major strength compared to other instructors).
    • Just keep doing what you do because it works, for me at least. You definitely make me want to go further into information security. Thank you very much! Yeah baby, yeah!
  • CS 46A
    • Knows the material; passionate; makes the class fun. Sometimes confuses people.
    • Voice makes me sleepy, like hypnotism.
    • Stamp makes the material interesting, even at 8:00am.
    • He explains really well. He is not a harsh grader. He tries his best to answer questions. ... He's impartial, lenient and very punctual!
    • Responsive to student question. Good but fast-paced style of teaching.
    • Enthusiastic and lucid presentations. Has good sense of humor and a knack for sensing the response of the class.
• Spring 2006
  • CS 265
    • Provides a lively atmosphere for learning and presents such a difficult course with simplicity and fun. His experience in this field showed he knows what he is doing.
    • Deep knowledge of the subject, very approachable, makes the subject very interesting. Too much of a work load.
    • Excellent presentations for lecture classes. Excellent project work. Projects support course material and I learned a lot from the Projects. Very helpful with students over questions/doubts.
    • Knowledgeable. Intelligently crafted course materials and teaching delivery. Challenging, but success is achievable. The best cs class I've had!
    • Very good presentations, well structured. Very knowledgeable, was able to talk about up to date material and had a plethora of stories from past jobs.
    • Made the class interesting, had a good sense of humor, really made the important parts memorable. I really enjoyed the projects!
    • This class was great. I would recommend it to every CS grad student.
    • I think he was trying to kill me. Not me personally, I think he just wanted someone to collapse from exhaustion. But it was worth it. We did tons of work and learned an incredible amount.
    • This course is by far my most favorite course here...
    • Provided lecture slides before class. This is very helpful. All instructors who do powerpoint should do the same. Clear presentation style. Interesting to listen to. Asks questions, responds to questions. ...stays in touch with recent developments. Provides interesting historical facts.
• Fall 2005
  • CS 166
    • Expert in the field. Excellent thought process in lectures. Fun.
    • He's the best teacher that I have taken so far in this school.
    • This class is most professional one that I took. You are the most professional professor whom I meet. The class material cover many aspects enough to understand totally information security. Teaching skill is organized and great. Homework grading is too strict!
    • Great book!
    • He enjoys the material and makes it fun for us to understand complex topics.
    • He's brilliant. Sometimes he expects/assumes all of us are also brilliant.
    • Lectures are clear & concise, with a logical flow of ideas. Examples were well thought out. Concepts were explained in simple language. Book really enhanced learning. Professor Stamp is obviously very knowledgeable.
  • CS 249
    • Instructor pushed us ... we had sufficient material for 2 graduate courses.
    • Great personality.
    • Teaching style very friendly (not stressful). Interesting anecdotes (conferences, etc.). Always willing to help.
    • His lecture is very clear, easy for use to understand even though the material is hard. Give us lots of good homework and project. Very responsive and helpful.
• Spring 2005
  • CS 158B
    • Organized, well-prepared.
    • Clear slides, made class interesting.
    • He is the best guy ever.
    • Clearly planned lectures.
    • Very open to questions, approachable, and willing to take time to help students.
    • Clear presentations, inventive methods of teaching.
  • CS 166
    • Knowledgeable, enthusiastic about subject, not boring during lectures.
    • Wide variety of topics to give general overview of security and how it works. Interesting analogies and application examples.
    • Well prepared ppt, expertise in security topics, strong interest in teaching.
    • Great lectures!
    • Amazing depth of knowledge and passion about the topic.
    • This class should be required for all CS students, it is very relevant, very interesting and useful.
  • CS 265
    • Very knowledgeable, excellent preparation, very effective presentation/articulation.
    • Professor is very excite [sic] about what he is teaching.
    • Very approachable. Responsive to emails. Great homeworks. Learnt a lot in this course.
    • Presented material well, explained well and had interesting lectures.
    • Overall a very good learning experience.
    • Excellent lecture, interesting topic, method of delivery is very very good, there isn't a dull moment in the entire semester. Effective PowerPoint presentation. Animations are very effective in demonstrating algorithms, protocols. Coursework is very heavy but rewarding. Textbook is well-written.
    • Create good atmosphere in class and teaches passionately.
    • Very effective. Makes the course interesting all along. Takes a practical approach in teaching this course (does not go deep into mathematics---just enough to understand the material at hand). He made me like the subject of crypto! Thank you!
    • One of the best instructors at SJSU.
• Fall 2004
  • CS 165 (34,1,0) (this course is equivalent to CS 166)
    • Nice guy, friendly, knows a lot.
    • Clearly explains material. Patient. Helpful.
    • Very knowledgeable, great sense of humor, obviously enjoys teaching, very accessible and approachable.
    • Approachable, questions can be asked w/o fear of retribution. Class atmosphere encourages class participation.
    • Knowledge of material seems to be the greatest strength. I like the stories he tells about his work experience.
    • Knows the material very well, have many experiences, able to relate experiences to course material.
    • Clear presentations, enjoys the subject matter, fun friendly class environment
    • Experience in real-world, approachability, attitude, knowledgeability
    • Very good lectures. Does a good job presenting the material, along with examples of real world applications.
    • Instructor is always ready and prepared, speaks clearly. He also answers many questions during class.
    • He was well aware of the subject. Clarity of presentation was excellent. He was very enthusiastic about the subject he is teaching. His teaching was in simple words and very easy to follow by anyone.
    • Very organized in presentation, deep knowledge of the subject, timely assistance to clarify doubts, challenging assignments to help us understand even difficult concepts.
  • CS 265 (7,0,1)
    • Very organized, concise, and prepared for every lecture. Professor Stamp adds to textbook material with interesting and relevant slide notes. His interest and enthusiasm for the material is evident and sparks similar interest from the class.
    • Dr. Stamp's communication skill and presentation are very good. The technical content of the course is very good and I actually enjoyed listening to his lectures.
• Spring 2004
  • CS 196M (7,0,0) (this course is equivalent to CS 166)
    • Good professor with strong understanding of the material.
    • Instructor was organized, clear, and enthusiastic about the lecture. Always on time. Passionate about subject.
    • Strong knowledge, enthusiasm, one of the best teachers around.
  • CS 265 (30,0,2)
    • Excellent lectures supplemented with good PowerPoint slides.
    • Good presentations, very good knowledge. Up to date with current issues on subject.
    • Experience in the field shows in teaching. Very good presentations.
    • He was always well prepared and enthusiastic in teaching.
    • I feel the instructor is very effective, enthusiastic in teaching the class, his slides are very good, so is his preparation. He has a very good knowledge of the subject. I would love to take an other [sic] class with him.
    • Very knowledgeable, very organized, love's the subject matter
    • His lectures are enjoyable. He keeps them exciting and humorous, yet still effective in explaining the material.
    • Dr. Stamp's class presentations are clear and useful. He has well prepared for the class. He gives great helpfulness to students. He is very patient to students.
    • He knows the subject very well ... He's very helpful outside of class too.
    • Always displayed positive attitude, enthusiasm, and very thorough knowledge of the course material.
    • Instructor is very well-organized and prepared. He makes available his presentation slides on his web-site, grades homework and exams promptly, and delivers both informative and engaging lectures. He communicates his extensive experience in industry and his integration of complicated subjects.
• Fall 2003
  • CS 158A (49,2,2)
    • Very organized and well-prepared. ...Very enthusiastic, always encourages questions.
    • The quizzes made me work systematically---I like that!
    • Eccentric and geeky but overall an excellent teacher.
    • Very helpful, enthusiastic. Presentations are really clear.
    • The instructor's strength is his interesting and animated PowerPoint slides. He is also very funny.
    • Easy to talk to and not a push-over.
    • Very knowledgeable, fun and cool guy.
    • Clear explanation, able to teach complicated idea[s] in an easily understandable way.
    • Clear presentations, great attitude and good humor.
    • Makes learning a fun experience. Overall a great teacher.
    • Clear presentations, enthusiastic, easy to approach.
    • Knowledge of material and preparation are top!
    • Always prepared for class, great presentation material and interesting lectures.
    • He explains the material well and is well organized.
  • CS 265 (15,1,1)
    • ...material presented on slides and posted on website---a big plus!
    • Excellent knowledge & relevant industrial experience. Always eager to help. Good lecturing capability. Ability to evoke interest of students.
    • Extremely helpful, made studying interesting and fun, explained difficult stuff with ease making it very easy to understand. Overall an excellent professor.
    • Great attitude, enthusiasm.
    • Very helpful, very enthusiastic, learned a lot of good things from professor.
    • Open to discussions, helpful, prepared.
    • Dr. Stamp is well prepared. I like his ppt slides he uses. Very clear and readable.
• Spring 2003
  • CS 158A (48,1,4)
    • Great teacher, he is articulate. Does not waste time, his lectures are well organized and effective.
    • Good preparation, attitude, humor.
    • Knowledge of material, great class discussion and presentation.
    • Clear presentations, fair tests and quizzes, great enthusiasm.
    • Solicits feedback in lecture so that the lectures are very informative and interesting.
    • Makes class fun.
    • Clear presentation, good attitude about encouraging students, good preparation.
    • Was well prepared for every class.
  • CS 265 (19,2,0)
    • Knows his subject.
    • Very well prepared, presentation is clear and very helpful.
    • Knowledge of material, enthusiasm, good industrial experience.
    • He has a great attitude and enthusiasm on teaching and on the subject. He has knowledge of the material.
• Fall 2002
  • CS 158A (50,1,0)
    • Professor Stamp is well organized and an excellent communicator. He takes time to explain ideas/concepts which he believes are very important. He is very accessible (via email, office hours) and easy to talk to.
    • Stamp is an excellent instructor, one of the best I've come across. His lectures are extremely clear and thorough. He's knowledgeable and helpful, but most importantly he has wonderful enthusiasm.
    • He is very helpful to clarify the questions we have. Impressive presentation.
    • The instructor is very good---made the material very clear, was well prepared (always) for the presentations. His knowledge about the material is vast and deep. Enthusiastic about the material too.
    • Mr. Stamp is truly dedicated to his subject. While being clear, prepared for the class and ready to answer student's questions he maintains his enthusiasm, positive attitude and sense of humor.
    • He's good at clarifying the material of the book, the instructor is well-organized and step-by-step. I learned a lot from him.
    • Prof Stamp has been one of the most helpful professors I've ever had. He has a wonderful attitude towards the class and has very clear presentations.
    • Mr. Stamp always comes to class well prepared. He has been very helpful during his office hours and beyond office hours. His web site was really helpful for related materials to the class.
  • CS 265 (18,0,0)
    • He tries to make the lecture interesting by giving real world examples. Allows for discussion in the class during the lecture and makes the lecture a two way conversation.
    • I am very happy that I took this class. Instructor is very good, is very knowledgeable, helpful, and I learned a lot in this course.
    • His strength is his knowledge about the course topic. He worked in security field for a long time so what he knows is really helpful and interesting for me when I was taking the course with him.