‘18.410: Design and Analysis of Algorithms’
Table of contents
- Course Info
- Realistic Prerequisites
- Subject Matter
- Course Staff
- Lectures
- Problem Sets
- Exams
- Resources
- Grading
- Advice to Future Students
Course Info
Class Size | 194 |
Hours/Week | 10.2 (57 responses) |
Instructors | Aleksander Madry, Virginia Williams, |
Srinivasan Raghuraman | |
Overall Rating | 5.7/7.0 |
Realistic Prerequisites
- The content of 6.1200 and 6.1210, the current prerequisites, was a necessary prerequisite, but some people had equivalent prior proof/algorithm experience and knowledge.
- The ability to write proofs was necessary.
- Some knowledge of probability was helpful as well.
Subject Matter
- Students thought the class was quite theoretical, while covering applicable and useful concepts.
- Most enjoyed the course content, which provided a broad overview and foundation for different types of algorithms and algorithm-related math concepts.
Course Staff
- Engaging professors and helpful TAs. The professors had well-organized lecture presentations and the TAs were very helpful in answering questions.
Lectures
- The lectures were useful and well-taught, with well-organized lecture presentations, but sometimes mostly covered background information rather than the main topics.
- The lectures and problem sets were most helpful, but exam reviews, recitations, and notes were also useful.
Problem Sets
- Fun and challenging.
- Lectures as well as recitation materials were helpful for preparing for the problem sets. *The problem sets were fun and creative, and well-constructed and connected to the subject matter.
- However, the problem sets were challenging, where the difficulty varied depending on the topic of the week.
- Optional practice problems were additionally posted on Canvas..
Exams
- The exams were considered relatively challenging.
- The problems required some creativity. There was a high variance in exam difficulty between the two midterms and final.
Resources
- There was a textbook for reference, but not very often used relative to the lecture notes.
- The lecture notes were well-written, thorough, and wonderful. The recitation notes were also informative. The practice problems posted under the course resources were a good resource for studying as well.
Grading
- Students felt that grading was reasonably fair and transparent.
- The grading policy was flexible with two drops and three automatic extensions. Students thought the grading on problem sets was a bit unclear, but found exam grading to be fair.
- Some students wished there had been clearer letter grade boundaries for the overall A/B/C/D/F grades.
Advice to Future Students
- “Use all resources provided. A lot more time than you think is necessary for PSETs.”
- “The lectures and professors are wonderful. The practice problems are useful and enjoyable.