Student course feedback 2014/15
Reports from student surveys, lecturer responses, and short introductory videos
Archive page
This is a record of student feedback from 2014/15. Please see current pages for more recent information.
This page presents feedback from students about their experience on Informatics courses, to help future students in their course choices. There are also responses from the lecturers and many short introductory videos for individual courses. Please note that lecturers regularly revise course content and presentation from year to year — often directly in response to exactly this feedback.
Do not redistribute or reuse this material without permission. If you would like another format or want to use it in your own publication then please contact the Informatics Teaching Organisation.
Student feedback
The tables below summarise 726 individual submissions from students who took Informatics courses during 2014/15. These were gathered through an online survey at the end of each semester. Each lecturer was invited write a response to the student feedback, and these often set out changes made following the survey.
This was the third year we used this online survey; response in Semester 1 was high, with 501 student submissions, dropping to 225 in Semester 2. Even so, some courses have a very low number of responses and results may not be representative. A few lecturers also distributed paper surveys during their course, and that information does not appear here.
The published reports include responses to all multiple-choice questions and free-text feedback on Q6: "What would you say to students considering this course?". Each lecturer receives an extended report including responses to Q5 ("Changes which would improve this course") and Q7 ("Any other comments"). This full report is also read by the relevant Year Organiser and the Director of Teaching.
Each year we check to filter out responses that contain offensive language directed at individuals. There were no such cases in 2014/2015. One response to COMN mentioned by name the wrong staff; we assume this was intended for a different course. There is no censorship or other selection of results before publication.
Notes on the tables
The word (new) after a lecturer name indicates that a new lecturer has taken over the course.
Courses are grouped by "normal year taken". Many courses are available to students across more than one year --- for example, Year 4 Level 11 courses are also open to MSc students.
Viewing the course feedback report itself requires DICE authentication: you must have an School of Informatics user account to log in and download these.
We provide the introductory videos in both MP4 (MPEG) and OGV (Ogg) formats for different browsers.
Year 1 (level 8) courses
Course Name | 15/16 Lecturer | 14/15 Survey(pdf)/Lecturer | Lecturer Response | MP4 (2010) | OGV (2010) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Computer Programming | Bradfield/Cryan | report (Bradfield/Cryan) | |||
Data, Design and Society | Klein | NEW COURSE | |||
Inf 1 - Cognitive Science | Lapata/Lucas (new)/Shillcock | report (Lapata/Shillcock) | response | Video (52MB) | Video (52MB) |
Inf 1 - Computation and Logic | Fourman | report (Fourman) | response | ||
Inf 1 - Data and Analysis | Stark | report (Stark) | |||
Inf1 - Functional Programming | Sannella | report (Sannella) | response | Video (52MB) | Video (52MB) |
Inf 1 - Object-Oriented Programming | Stevens | report (Stevens) | response | Video('13) | Video('13) |
Year 2 (level 8) courses
Course Name | 15/16 Lecturer | 14/15 Survey(pdf)/Lecturer | Lecturer Response | MP4 (2010) | OGV (2010) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Inf 2A - Processing Formal and Natural Languages | Cohen (new)/Longley | report (Longley/Simpson) | Video (23MB) | Video (23MB) | |
Inf 2B - Algorithms, Data Structures, Learning | Kalorkoti/Shimodaira | report (Kalorkoti/Shimodaira) | Video (42MB) | Video (42MB) | |
Inf 2C - Introduction to Computer Systems | Grot | report (Grot) | response | Video (39MB) | Video (39MB) |
Inf 2C - Introduction to Software Engineering | Jackson (new) | report (Rajan) | |||
Inf 2D - Reasoning and Agents | Rovatsos/Lascarides | report (Fleuriot/Lascarides) | |||
Discrete Mathematics and Mathematical Reasoning | Arapinis/Etessami (new)/Stirling | report (Arapinis/Stirling) | response |
Year 3 (level 9) courses
Course Name | 15/16 Lecturer | 14/15 Survey(pdf)/Lecturers | Lecturer Response | MP4 (2010) | OGV (2010) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Agent Based Systems (level 10) | Rovatsos | report (Rovatsos) | response | Video (46MB) | Video (46MB) |
Algorithms and Data Structures (level 10) | Cryan | report (Cryan) | response | Video (45MB) | Video (45MB) |
AI Large Practical | S. Anderson (new) | report (Klein) | Video (52MB) | Video (52MB) | |
Computer Architecture | Grot/Nagarajan | report (Grot/Nagarajan) | Video (42MB) | Video (42MB) | |
Computational Cognitive Science (level 10) | Keller | report (Keller) | Video (56MB) | Video (56MB) | |
Computer Communications and Networks | M.Lee (new) | report (Marina) | Video (20MB) | Video (20MB) | |
Computer Design | Topham | report (Topham) | response | ||
Computer Security (level 10) | Arapinis/Vaniea (new) | report (Arapinis) | response | Video (31MB) | Video (31MB) |
CS Large Practical | Patras | report (Patras) | response | ||
Compiling Techniques (level 10) | Dubach | report (Dubach) | response | Video (35MB) | Video (35MB) |
Database Systems (level 10) | Guagliardo (new) | report (Libkin) | Video (39MB) | Video (39MB) | |
Enterprise Computing | NOT RUNNING | report (Gilmore) | response | ||
Elements of Programming Languages | Cheney (new) | NEW COURSE | |||
Foundations of Natural Language Processing | Goldwater/Webber (new) | report (Lascarides) | Video (41MB) | Video (41MB) | |
Introductory Applied Machine Learning | Goddard | report (Goddard/Lavrenko) | Video (59MB) | Video (59MB) | |
Introduction to Theoretical Computer Science (level 10) | Bradfield | report (Bradfield) | |||
Introduction to Vision and Robotics | Fallon (new)/Herrmann | report (Fisher/Herrmann) | response | Video (23MB) | Video (23MB) |
Logic Programming | Smaill (new) | NO RESPONSES (Cheney/Mayr) | Video (27MB) | Video (27MB) | |
Operating Systems | O'Boyle (new) | report (M.Lee) | response | ||
Professional Issues | Fourman/Wadler | report (Anderson/Fourman/Wadler) | response | ||
SE Large Practical | UNKNOWN | report (Clark) | |||
Software Engineering with Objects and Components | Stevens | report (Stevens) | response | Video('12) (13MB) | Video('12) (13MB) |
Software Testing | Rajan (new) | report (Anderson) | |||
System Design Project | Thompson | report (Thompson) | Video (25MB) | Video (25MB) | |
Undergraduate Research Practical | various | report |
Year 4 courses
This list contains all courses which have "normal year taken"=4. These are mostly level 11, but the list also includes the level 10 course SLIP. Note that 4th year students may take some "normal year taken" = 3 courses if they are level 10 - hence students may want to look at the year-3 list to see if there is something of interest that they missed in 3rd year.
Course Name | 15/16 Lecturer | 14/15 Survey(pdf)/Lecturer | Lecturer Response | MP4 (2010) | OGV (2010) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Advanced Databases | NOT RUNNING | report (Viglas) | Video (44MB) | Video (44MB) | |
Algorithmic Game Theory and its Applications | Etessami (new) | report (Mayr) | |||
Adaptive Learning Environments 1 | Pain | report (Pain) | |||
Advances in Programming Languages | NOT RUNNING | report (Stark) | Video (43MB) | Video (43MB) | |
Automated Reasoning | Fleuriot/Jackson (new) | report (Atkey) | Video (32MB) | Video (32MB) | |
Automatic Speech Recognition | Renals/Shimodaira | report (Renals/Shimodaira) | Video (34MB) | Video (34MB) | |
Advanced Vision | Fisher | report (Fisher) | response | Video (35MB) | Video (35MB) |
Computer Algebra | Kalorkoti | NO RESPONSES | Video (44MB) | Video (44MB) | |
Computer Animation and Visualisation | Komura | NO RESPONSES | |||
Computer Graphics | Thorne | report (Thorne) | response | ||
Computational Complexity | Diakonikolas | NO RESPONSES | Video (40MB) | Video (40MB) | |
Computer Networking | Marina | report (Marina) | Video (24MB) | Video (24MB) | |
Computational Neuroscience of Vision | NOT RUNNING | report (Bednar) | Video('13) | Video('13) | |
Communication and Concurrency | NOT RUNNING | NO RESPONSES | Video (12MB) | Video (12MB) | |
Compiler Optimization | Leather | report (Leather) | Video (34MB) | Video (34MB) | |
Data Integration and Exchange | NOT RUNNING | report (Libkin) | |||
Distributed Systems | Franke (new)/Sarkar | report (Sarkar) | |||
Embedded Systems | Franke/O'Boyle | report (Franke/O'Boyle 2013/14) | Video (22MB) | Video (22MB) | |
Extreme Computing | Heafield (new) | report (Viglas) | response | ||
Human-Computer Interaction | Arvind (new) | report (Arvind) | Video (43MB) | Video (43MB) | |
Intelligent Autonomous Robotics | Webb | report (Webb 2013/14) | Video ('12) (41MB) | Video ('12) (41MB) | |
Introduction to Quantum Computation | Wallden (new) | report (Wallden) | |||
Information Theory | NOT RUNNING | report (Murray) | response | Video (33MB) | Video (33MB) |
Machine Learning Practical | Renals (new) | NEW COURSE | |||
Machine Learning & Pattern Recognition | Murray/Williams | report (Murray/Williams) | response | ||
Machine Translation | Lopez | report (various) | |||
Natural Language Understanding | Keller/Lapata | report (Keller/Lapata) | |||
Parallel Architectures | Nagarajan | report (Nagarajan) | Video (43MB) | Video (43MB) | |
Performance Modelling | NOT RUNNING | report (Hillston) | Video (MB) | Video (MB) | |
Parallel Programming Languages and Systems | Cole | report (Cole) | response | Video (MB) | Video (MB) |
Querying and Storing XML | NOT RUNNING | report (Fan) | |||
Randomness and Computation | NOT RUNNING | report (Diakonikolas) | |||
Software Architecture, Process, and Management | S.Anderson (new) | report (Clark) | Video ('12) (38MB) | Video ('12) (38MB) | |
System Level Integration Practical | Arvind | report (Arvind) | Video (36MB) | Video (36MB) | |
Secure Programming | Aspinall | report (Aspinall 2013/14) | response | ||
Social and Technological Networks | Sarkar (new) | NEW COURSE | |||
Semantic Web Systems | Fleuriot (new) | report (Manataki) | |||
Topics in Cognitive Modelling | J.Lee/Lucas | report (J.Lee/Lucas) | Video (58MB) | Video (58MB) | |
Topics in Natural Language Processing | Cohen | report (Cohen) | response | ||
Types and Semantics for Programming Languages | Wadler | report (Wadler 2013/14) | response | Video ('13) | Video ('13) |
Text Technologies for Data Science | NOT RUNNING | report |
Year 5 (level 11) courses
These courses are taken by MSc students and year-5 MInf students. The list below contains all level-11 taught courses within the school, plus IJP, a level-9 course specific to MSc students. Note that the regulations for most MSc programmes allow students to take up to 3 level-9/10 courses; hence students may want to consider the year-3 lists in case there is something of interest there; and also may want to look at the level 10 courses in the year-4 list (ABS, SLIP).
Course Name | 15/16 Lecturer | 14/15 Survey(pdf)/Lecturer | Lecturer Response | MP4 (2010) | OGV (2010) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Introduction to Java Programming (level 9) | P.Anderson | report (P.Anderson) | |||
Advanced Topics in Foundations of Databases | Libkin (new) | NEW COURSE | |||
Advanced Databases | NOT RUNNING | report (Viglas) | Video (44MB) | Video (44MB) | |
Applied Databases | Maneth (new) | NEW COURSE | |||
Algorithmic Game Theory and its Applications | Etessami (new) | report (Mayr) | |||
Adaptive Learning Environments 1 | Pain | report (Pain) | |||
Accelerated Natural Language Processing | Goldwater (new)/Thompson (new) | report ("Advanced"NLP 14/15, Goldwater/Thompson) | response | ||
Advances in Programming Languages | NOT RUNNING | report (Stark) | Video (43MB) | Video (43MB) | |
Automated Reasoning | Fleuriot (new)/Jackson (new) | report (Atkey) | Video (32MB) | Video (32MB) | |
Automatic Speech Recognition | Renals/Shimodaira | report (Renals/Shimodaira) | Video (34MB) | Video (34MB) | |
Advanced Vision | Fisher | report (Fisher) | response | Video (35MB) | Video (35MB) |
Bioinformatics 1 | Armstrong/Hennig | report (Armstrong/Hennig) | response | Video (30MB) | Video (30MB) |
Bioinformatics 2 | Armstrong/Hennig | report (Armstrong/Hennig) | |||
Computer Algebra | Kalorkoti | NO RESPONSES | Video (44MB) | Video (44MB) | |
Computer Animation and Visualisation | Komura | NO RESPONSES | |||
Computational Cognitive Neuroscience | Series | report (Series 13/14) | Video (34MB) | Video (34MB) | |
Case Studies in Design Informatics 1 | Oberlander | report (Oberlander) | |||
Case Studies in Design Informatics 2 | Oberlander | report (Oberlander) | |||
Computer Graphics | Thorne | report (Thorne) | response | ||
Computational Complexity | Diakonikolas | NO RESPONSES | Video (40MB) | Video (40MB) | |
Computer Networking | Marina | report (Marina) | Video (24MB) | Video (24MB) | |
Computational Neuroscience of Vision | NOT RUNNING | report (Bednar) | Video('13) | Video('13) | |
Communication and Concurrency | NOT RUNNING | NO RESPONSES | Video (12MB) | Video (12MB) | |
Compiler Optimization | Leather | report (Leather) | Video (34MB) | Video (34MB) | |
Data Integration and Exchange | NOT RUNNING | report (Libkin) | |||
Data Mining and Exploration | NOT RUNNING | report (Goddard) | Video (34MB) | Video (34MB) | |
Decision Making in Robots and Autonomous Agents | NOT RUNNING | NO RESPONSES (Ramamoorthy) | Video (17MB) | Video (17MB) | |
Distributed Systems | Franke (new)/Sarkar | report (Sarkar) | |||
Embedded Systems | Franke/O'Boyle | report (Franke/O'Boyle 2013/14) | Video (22MB) | Video (22MB) | |
Extreme Computing | Heafield (new) | report (Viglas) | response | ||
Human-Computer Interaction | Arvind (new) | report (Arvind) | Video (43MB) | Video (43MB) | |
Intelligent Autonomous Robotics | Webb | report (Webb 2013/14) | Video ('12) (41MB) | Video ('12) (41MB) | |
Introduction to Quantum Computation | Wallden (new) | report (Wallden) | |||
Introduction to Research in Data Science | Sutton (Organiser) | NO RESPONSES (Sutton) | |||
Informatics Research Review | van Rossum (Organiser) | report (van Rossum) | |||
Informatics Research Proposal | van Rossum (Organiser) | report (van Rossum) | |||
Information Theory | NOT RUNNING | report (Murray) | response | Video (33MB) | Video (33MB) |
Music Informatics | Smaill | report (Smaill 13/14) | |||
Machine Learning Practical | Renals (new) | NEW COURSE | |||
Machine Learning & Pattern Recognition | Murray/Williams | report (Murray/Williams) | response | ||
Machine Translation | Lopez | report (Lopez) | |||
Neural Computation | Van Rossum | report (Van Rossum) | Video (36MB) | Video (36MB) | |
Neural Information Processing | Hennig (new)/van Rossum | NO RESPONSES (van Rossum) | Video (28MB) | Video (28MB) | |
Natural Language Understanding | Keller/Lapata | report (Keller/Lapata) | |||
Parallel Architectures | Nagarajan | report (Nagarajan) | Video (43MB) | Video (43MB) | |
Performance Modelling | NOT RUNNING | report (Hillston) | Video (MB) | Video (MB) | |
Probabilistic Modelling and Reasoning | Storkey | report (Storkey) | Video (30MB) | Video (30MB) | |
Pervasive Parallelism | Cole | report (Cole) | response | ||
Parallel Programming Languages and Systems | Cole | report (Cole) | response | Video (MB) | Video (MB) |
Querying and Storing XML | NOT RUNNING | report (Fan) | |||
Randomness and Computation | NOT RUNNING | report (Diakonikolas) | |||
Reinforcement Learning | Herrmann | report (Herrmann) | response | Video ('12) (31MB) | Video ('12) (31MB) |
Robot Learning and Sensorimotor Control | Vijayakumar | NO RESPONSES | |||
Robotics: Science and Systems | Ramamoorthy/Vijayakumar/Williams | report (R/V/W) | response | ||
Software Architecture, Process, and Management | S.Anderson (new) | report (Clark) | Video ('12) (38MB) | Video ('12) (38MB) | |
System Level Integration Practical | Arvind | report (Arvind) | Video (36MB) | Video (36MB) | |
Secure Programming | Aspinall | report (Aspinall 2013/14) | response | ||
Social and Technological Networks | Sarkar (new) | NEW COURSE | |||
Semantic Web Systems | Fleuriot (new) | report (Manataki) | |||
Topics in Cognitive Modelling | J.Lee/Lucas | report (J.Lee/Lucas) | Video (58MB) | Video (58MB) | |
Topics in Distributed Databases | NOT RUNNING | report (Fan) | |||
Topics in Natural Language Processing | Cohen | report (Cohen) | response | ||
Types and Semantics for Programming Languages | Wadler | report (Wadler 2013/14) | response | Video ('13) | Video ('13) |
Text Technologies for Data Science | NOT RUNNING | report |