Gary is very systematic in his teaching. It is clear what you're graded on and what you are expected to know. The content is structured well. Frequent in-person quizzes added a lot of pressure to the class but they definitely motivated me to understand every little detail in the projects because anything might come up in a quiz.Rate My Professors ↗
Current instructor
Gary Dahl
What students say
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Course materials are dense Emacs notes that are hard to read/annotate. Lec lacks visual structure, and vague explanations with frequent fillers make new topics difficult to follow. It often feels like review for prepared students rather than teaching beginners in low level coding, especially with the fast pace and biweekly quizzes.Rate My Professors ↗
I learned a lot from Gary and felt that the projects really helped me learn the class well. The lectures felt confusing at times but felt that I was able to freely ask him questions.Rate My Professors ↗
Gary is a monotone professor. He simply reads off the slides. He does not seem at all passionate about the topic.Rate My Professors ↗
Professor Dahl seems like a nice guy but is incredibly boring. They are structured in a way that is hard to follow and will make you fall asleep. Overall, the class isn't too hard but it has been my least favorite CS course I have taken so far.Rate My Professors ↗
Gary stalks this page and reporting every negative comment to put it down. Btw all the positive comments are written by himself. He complained about it on the lecture, that there are so many negative comments that he had to write a couple of positive ones. This guy is hilarious.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
Classes with Gary Dahl
Machine Organization and Programming introduces computer system structures and C programming, focusing on low-level performance impacts like virtual memory, caching, and assembly.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Gary Dahl
Gary Dahl’s lectures were called unorganized, monotone, and confusing by some, while another found his teaching systematic and grading expectations clear. Project descriptions were poorly written, bi-weekly quizzes were an extra burden, though they also motivated detailed preparation. He was also described as strict about policy, and one student said success required extra effort.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Recorded teaching history
Distinct courses recorded per term
Explore courses taught by this instructor →Browse recorded courses
| Term | Course | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 2027 | COMPSCI/ECE 354 | Machine Organization and Programming |
| Fall 2026 | COMPSCI/ECE 354 | Machine Organization and Programming |
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
Instructor identity & provenance
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