Students mentioned that the professor and TA for this course were very helpful. They also said that the programming assignments were interesting and helped them better understand the material. Some students said that lectures were hard to follow, and that the assignments were not explained well enough. Students suggested that the course would be improved by more learning resources, such as a textbook, more assignments, or more examples in class. Students taking this course need to have a strong programming background and should be prepared to spend a lot of time on homework.

Students loved learning about the cutting-edge research and advances in the field from a highly-respected expert. They liked how the projects had real-world applications, and believed that the blend of lectures, guest lectures, and hands-on activities gave them a solid understanding of the materials. Students thought that the lectures did not cover the information they needed to complete the homework, and that they only learned things in the course section with the TA. They also thought that the wording on the homework was ambiguous and found that the workload quickly piled up. Suggestions for improvement included providing more background materials for the math and models that were shown briefly in class, since students did not have this assumed background knowledge. Students also wanted the course split into undergrad and grad courses so that work levels could be adjusted accordingly. Prospective students should have a background in linear algebra, programming and Matlab in order to keep up with the materials. The course is work-intensive but recommended to anyone who is interested in CIS.

Students thought the best aspects of this course were the interesting guest lectures and the well-designed and useful project assignments. Students believed that the least favorable element of the course was the time commitment required for assignments. Some students also found that mathematical concepts were not explained well. Students felt that the course could be improved with a more even distribution of assignments over the span of the class. They also thought it was important for those considering taking this course to know that knowledge of linear algebra was valuable for this class.