Took CS31 with him last quarter. I must admit it was a little boring at times and I found it hard to sit through the 2 hour lectures, but he really does know what he's talking about! I took APCS in high school so I was pretty familiar with the concepts (just had to learn C++ syntax and pointers), but I feel like even without any programming experience people would still be able to understand everything. Projects were manageable, some take longer than others so just start early. I maybe spent ~5-10 hours a week on them? Projects 3 and 5 probably more like 20-30 hours. Midterms were straightforward as well. I didn't end up going to many of the lectures because I tended just to fall asleep during them, but I watched most of the podcasts online. He's a good teacher and really cares. Overall it's not a bad class, especially if you have some prior programming experience!

Professor Smallberg is a very good lecturer. I had 0 experience with programming before the class, but he explained the material in simple terms so that I understood it. He uses a lot of analogies and he has a great sense of humor, so class doesn't even get boring.

The projects get difficult and VERY time consuming, so start early! Go to TA office hours and some TAs practically give you the code. The tests are difficult, just make sure you understand all of the code that you're using in your projects.

He is an awesome lecturer! He is very thorough with the topics and you are really able to understand the material. The projects are alright and are not difficult because you will learn the material as you progress. However, I did find myself asking the TAs many questions about the projects.

I did find the midterms and exams very difficult. You have to manage your time well on the tests because you might find yourself tracing through the program very slowly (I am a beginner C++ i.e. no experience). I am not sure if there is a curve in the class.

Regardless of my final grade (maybe a B or B-), I think he is a very good lecturer and you cannot go wrong by having him as your instructor for CS31.

Ahh... how do I put this...

Doubtlessly an amazing professor. Incredibly knowledgeable, perfectly clear explanations. At no point did I find myself lost, notwithstanding the fact that I had never studied C++ or any other language before.

The occasional joke fits the lectures perfectly. He uses the funniest and most effective analogies I have ever heard a professor use.

ONE WORD OF ADVICE:
START PROJECTS EARLY. Great professor, I said, but as flexible as a solid steel rod. The first class he said: You will lose 0.0278% of each project's final grade for every second it is submitted. He doesn't kid on precision and punctuality.

Overall, I guess you cannot get a better professor than D.A. Smallberg for CS 31.

Smallberg is a great teacher. He explains every coding concept as plainly as one can. He really cares about his students understanding everything. He's just terrific. I feel very lucky to have taken his class and to know him. Go to his office hours of you can and by all menas, go to every single TA office hour if you feel lost at any moment. You will get it.

Excellent Professor. He really knows his stuff and is great at explaining it. You just need to take his advice and start working on your projects early and you can get a good grade.

Hated him. Really hated him.

Smallberg is a kind the little dictator enclosed in his little kingdom in which his victims are the candid students that decide to take a class with him. He explains very well his class, that's not under fire. What is under fire is his absolute power to grade his students, his method to mess your effort and your grades while you have no idea about what is going on. When you think that your projects are perfect, he will give you 80 percent with absurd explanations justified by weirds pseudo-testing codes that only he understands. However, if you spend a lot of time in his office hours, he will forgive you and piously he will give you an A or a B at the end of the course (so do it if you are gifted with dignity). If you never go to beg him at his office hours, he will mess up your GPA . So what? Who is going to tell him anything? Nobody. He is the king of his little kingdom and you will never be his student, but his toy. Furthermore, he will love the fact that your fate is his hands, not in your academic skills.
Do not be surprised by some good comments I read about him around here (Just watch CNN to see how many people is crying for Kim Jon Ill too). Those are the one who begged him on their knees at his office hours and he awarded them with A's and B's as final grade. Probably they didn't expect to pass his class or probably they expected lower grades.

I had him for 31 and will take him again for 32. He's a really good professor who understands programming like crazy. I thought the class was really slow and boring at times, but he does that to make sure the new programmers have a good understanding. If you've done a lot of programming, it's the kind of class where you only need to pay attention to 10 minutes of new material each lecture, so bring a laptop.

I had heard a lot of complaints about the class, but it's not that hard. The projects definitely test your understanding, but they weren't very hard for me. The midterms are very detail-oriented, so pay close attention, but if you know your stuff you'll do great.

If not for the time (2-4pm), I would really be looking forward to CS32 with Smallberg next semester.

Smallberg is a damn good teacher. He speaks perfect English and is very thorough. Most people probably think he's TOO thorough and thus, boring. Maybe. But he's only going slow for those who are new to programming. He likes to lecture by showing something inefficient/wrong at first, then correcting it at the end. So if you wanna take notes, I recommend bringing your laptop so you won't have to erase as much.