Here are some comments I received from students during the fall of 2010 when I instructed CSE 110: Principles of Programming with Java as a Faculty Associate:
- He made it so that all newcomers were gradually introduced to the subject and helped applied the mechanics of coding to metaphor that were easily understood.
- Mike was a very friendly instructor who is very enthusiastic about Object-Oriented Programming. His lecture style was extremely effective, with him taking notes on a piece of paper projected on a screen while reading aloud what was written and explaining as necessary. The homework assignments were very doable but not so easy that someone could skip lectures for countless days and still do well on them. Same goes for the exams. I also liked how Mike took the initiative to memorize the names of all 80 or so students in this class, and how he went out of his way to make sure there were help hours available practically 24/7 via himself, the lab TA, and 2 or 3 graders.
- Verdicchio is well suited to this course; he clearly thrives in a small classroom where he can connect personally with his students, and it shows when he teaches; instead of addressing “the class” you often feel that he’s speaking to you specifically, and when talking with him after class you don’t feel the sense of “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you before” as with most professors.
- Professor was extremely enthusiastic about course, always relates material to students in an understandable away. This was my first computer science course at the University Level, and coming from having no background in computers or programming, I was still able to understand how to write in Java and understand programming through his analogies. Professor was also very quick about grading- sometimes completing grading in the same day- very appreciated. One of the best professors I have ever had.
- Even though I’ve had basically no programming experience I rarely even had any questions after such clear and well-prepared lectures. The assignments/labs were the perfect length; long enough that they helped solidify your understanding, but not too long that they were redundant busywork.
- The instructor was awesome
- It is a hard course to teach, but Mike does a good job in teaching it! He is clear and sometimes makes funny jokes that make it easier to remember the course contents.
- Mike really worked hard to make sure we all succeed. I know it’s a cliche thing to say, but he really knows how to teach this stuff, and he is really good at it. Homework assignments were a great way to learn the material, and the pace was appropriate. Mike made this stuff interesting and engaging, something I believe is very hard to do.
- The quality of teaching was great.
- The homeworks are reasonable and there aren’t a ton of them which is good. The labs are helpful, and the in class examples are really helpful.
- Michael is always excited to teach, and you can tell he enjoys and thoroughly understands what he is teaching.
- The Instructor was there to help you whenever you needed him
- Not only is it something I am interested in, but the professor makes it incredibly fun
- I thought this was an excellent course, and I think a lot of that is due to Michael’s excellence as a teacher. He made lectures accessible and enjoyable (with material that I could easy imagine being very dull with the wrong teacher). He uses his wit to provide appropriate analogies which facilitate understanding of key concepts, as well as providing a good laugh now and then. This teaching style made fairly complex concepts accessible to students (like myself) with no prior programming experience.
- The assignments were a perfect medium to apply the material presented in the lectures, and they never felt tedious or unnecessary. In fact, I rather enjoyed my time spent working on them.
- I want Mike to teach CSE 205
- Great teacher overall, I’m disappointed he’s not teaching CSE205.
- Great teacher, great class, so much good help on the side and nothing is meaningless in this class, every assignment has a point, as well as the labs and etcetera
- Mike is an excellent teacher. He goes out of his way to explain different concepts that may be difficult.
- One of the most difficult classes I’ve taken in my grad and undergrad workload. I’ve been taught my a lot of great professors and Mike is certainly amongst the best.
- Mike, you are a fantastic teacher. The tests are fair, lectures interesting, and the homeworks are challenging yet doable. This was one of the best classes I have taken at ASU and you’re the reason Mike. You made this subject interesting. Highest Recommendation I can possibly give!
- This course is great. The labs can be helpful, and Mike is great about communicating what we need to know in a way we can understand. He really understands what is is like to be learning this stuff, and thus is really good at teaching it. Overall, great instructor. Tests are returned promptly as are all grades. He has review guides for the tests which are invaluable. Quizzes and tests are fair and fairly graded. Would recommend to friends without any hesitation. A+ course overall.
- I haven’t had many CS teachers, but I can tell Michael is going to be hard to top. He speaks clearly and puts effort towards understanding the problems his students might have. Additionally, he does his best to make his assignments and examples as interesting as possible while retaining the core lesson. If I had the chance I would recommend or take a class with Mr. Verdicchio again without a second thought.
- Overall it was a great course, you can tell the instructor really cares about the wellbeing of the students.
- Great class. Great professor.
- Michael’s desire for each and every student to learn the material and succeed in the course is at a level I have rarely seen in college courses (and I’ve taken a lot of courses in my life). My only regret is that he won’t be teaching any of my courses next semester.
- I would advise others to take this instructor. It is easier to understand him than most teachers I have had so far in Java.
- Mr. Verdicchio may not be a faculty of the school, but his teaching methods is definitely on par, if not better than other professors teaching in the school.
Here are some comments I received from students during the summer of 2008 when I instructed CSE 110: Principles of Programming with Java as a Faculty Associate:
- What I liked the most was the balance of theory and applications. Also, no time, money, and effort was wasted printing needless assignments when everything could and was turned in online.
- Mike was a wonderful teacher who helped students understand the coursework when there was confusion and put it into easy terms to understand. Great teacher would love to have him again.
- Mike was a good instructor and helpful outside of the classroom. He promoted learning but also was fair.
- I liked the way Michael Verdicchio taught the class. He was very informative and made the material easier to learn than other teachers. He always made sure everyone understood completely if there was a question.
- The homework assignments helped further my understanding of the textbook material and prepare for exams.
- Mike was great. Very approachable and very interested in the success of students. Great teacher. Demonstrated strong ability to bring the material to a level that the students could understand. Highly recommend Mike and his teaching style
- I enjoyed the shotguns and homework assignments.
- Teaches you how to think from a programmer’s perspective
- This was an interesting introduction to an interesting subject. Plus, Mr. Verdiccio was a great teacher!
- I enjoyed hearing about the real-world applications of java. I found it very interesting that the instructor was using his knowledge of java for cancer research!
- Mike was great. He taught everything in an easy to understand manner, and he had a great sense of humour.
- I came with zero knowledge of programming to the class and I am leaving with a lot of hard information gained
- A semester long course condensed to 8 weeks with the main points covered and easily understood.
- The class structure was well paced and it was an informative class.
- Mike was able to break complicated ideas down into clear examples that haad meaning.
- Mike did a wonderful job of delivering the content of the course to the class and explained it very well.
- I really liked Mike…If he taught CSE 205 I would take him and completley re-arrage my schedule.
