Historical instructor
Original student reviews · all captured dates
CS435 was very enjoyable. Lectures were well organized & helpful. Not recorded, so attendance was necessary to learn the content well (but not required). Homeworks are difficult but interesting to work through for someone interested in the subject. Exams are easier than HWs. Bach is available plenty outside of class and is very helpful during OHs.Rate My Professors ↗
CS787 advanced algorithms is a hard course. Prof Bach made the course approachable. He was willing to explain the topic and answer questions, whichever is asked at class. He definitely made it less intimidating to learn. Workload is average (2 hws + 1 exams).Rate My Professors ↗
Professor Bach is a nice enough guy, but he is a terrible professor! He presents the material without any real clear direction, and half the time stands in front of what he just wrote, making note-taking a nightmare. The homeworks are impossible, but the exams tend to be a little easier and you can muddle your way through them. AVOID!Rate My Professors ↗
Bach is quite good. He's a little old school and only lectures on a chalkboard, however, he tries to put up relevant material on the website. He's slow to grade, but overall, a very good professor who knows his stuff. He also writes his own fresh problem sets fresh every semester with novel problems and takes feedback actively for classRate My Professors ↗
Extremely difficult professor, all of the material is presented at a ridiculously high level. A lot of the times I looked up alternative lectures. Homework is near impossible, and expects you to know terminology and material covered in CS240 (i.e. proof techniques), despite the fact that it's listed as optional. At least the exams were easy.Rate My Professors ↗
Professor Bach is kind and clearly very knowledgeable regarding cryptography, but in no way does it translate to being a good instructor. He works strictly on a chalkboard, covers his work most the time, explains complex ideas in vague symbols, has confusing lectures, and assumes us to understand his proofs before he trails off. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
No teaching recorded in Fall 2026.
No courses match this selection. Try the full catalog or another term.
| Term | Course | Title |
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Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
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