Student course feedback

To help our students make decisions about their course choice, we publish recent results of the end-of-course student surveys.

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. 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.

Feedback reports

The most recent feedback is from 2021/22, and covers 70 courses at all levels in the School of Informatics. Please note that not all courses run every year and course content changes from year to year. See the Course Index for current details of all courses offered.  

The tables below bring together over 600 responses from students, gathered through an online survey at the end of semester 1 and semester 2. Each course lecturer has been invited to write a response, and these are linked alongside the student feedback.

The published reports contain free-text responses by students about their experience of each course and recommendations to others planning their studies. Each course organiser receives this report as well as statistics on multiple-choice responses. All these reports, together with student feedback about individual members of teaching staff, are collected and sent to the Director of Teaching.

Please note that these are personal responses from individual students: some courses have a low response rate, and a small sample can be unrepresentative. Some courses do not appear because there were no responses from students. To find out more about each course yourself, go to the index at http://course.inf.ed.ac.uk and browse the current course web pages.

Each year we remove responses that contain offensive language or otherwise breach the University Dignity and Respect policy. In 2020/21 there were three responses removed for offensive language, and ten responses edited to remove personally identifying details. 

Notes on the tables

The word (new) after a lecturer name indicates a change in the staff teaching a course.

Courses are grouped by year taken. Note that many honours courses may be taken in a choice of years: these are listed as Year 3/4 or Year 4/5/MSc as appropriate.

Viewing each feedback report requires DICE authentication: you must have an School of Informatics user account to log in and download these.

Year 1 courses (Level 8)

Course Name2022/23 Lecturer2021/22 FeedbackLecturer Response
Informatics 1 - Introduction to ComputationBradfield / Sannela (new)report (Bradfield  / Wadler) 
Informatics 1 - Cognitive ScienceMollica / Lucas  / Storkey (new)report (Hennig / Lucas / Mollica) 
Informatics 1 - Object Oriented ProgrammingMcNeill report (McNeill / Symons) 

Year 2 courses (Level 8)

Course Name2022/23 Lecturer2021/22 FeedbackLecturer Response
Informatics 2C - Introduction to Computer SystemsNagarajan / Grosser / Steuwer (new)report (Grot / Grosser / Ainsworth / Nagarajan) 
Informatics 2 - Software Engineering and Professional PracticeAlexandru / Glienecke (new)report (Alexandru / Constantin) 
Informatics 2 - Introduction to Algorithms and Data StructuresCryan / Longleyreport (Cryan / Longley) 
Informatics 2 - Foundations of Data ScienceSterratt / Gal / Kokciyan (new)report (Sterratt / Gal) 
Informatics 2D - Reasoning and AgentsLascaridesreport (Lascarides / Papapanagiotou)
[scald=5641:sdl_editor_representation {"alt":"","caption":"2021-22 Response - INF2D"}]
Discrete Mathematics and ProbabilityYorsten / Stark / Heunen (new)report (Velichkov / Yorsten / Stark) 

Year 3 courses (Level 9)

Course Name2022/23 Lecturer2021/22 FeedbackLecturer Response
Automated ReasoningFleuriotreport (Fleuriot) 
Informatics Large PracticalGilmore / Glienecke (new)report (Gilmore / Jackson) 
System Design ProjectGarforth / Polgreen (new)report (Tonneau / Garforth)
[scald=5633:sdl_editor_representation {"alt":"","caption":"2021-22 Response - ILP"}]
Introduction to Vision and RoboticsNOT RUNNING IN 2022/23report (Lu) 

Year 3/4 courses (Level 10)

Course Name2022/23 Lecturer2021/23 FeedbackLecturer Response
Algorithms and Data StructuresMayrreport (Mayr) 
Compiling TechniquesGrosser / Steuwerreport (Grosser / Steuwer)
[scald=5639:sdl_editor_representation {"alt":"","caption":"2021-22 Response - CT"}]
Computer Architecture and DesignTophamreport (Topham)
[scald=5636:sdl_editor_representation {"alt":"","caption":"2021-22 Response - CARD"}]
Computer Communications and NetworksHonda / Marinareport (Honda / Marina) 
Computational Cognitive ScienceLucasreport (Lucas) 
Computer SecurityArapinis / Elahi / Mayr (new)report (Arapinis / Elahi / Velichkov) 
Computing in the ClassroomRobertsonreport (Robertson / Farrell) 
Foundations of Natural Language ProcessingThompson / Lascarides / Titovreport (Thompson / Lascarides / Titov)
[scald=5640:sdl_editor_representation {"alt":"","caption":"2021-22 Response - FNLP"}]
Honours Project (Informatics)Narayanaswamy (new)report (Webb) 
Introduction to DatabasesGuagliardo / Libkin (new)report (Guagliardo / Cao) 
Introduction to Theoretical Computer ScienceO'Connorreport (Bradfield / O'Connor) 
Introductory Applied Machine Learning (UG / PG)NOT RUNNING In 2022/23report (Mac Aodha / Shimodaira /  Narayanaswamy / Nazarpour)
[scald=5637:sdl_editor_representation {"alt":"","caption":"2021-22 Response - IAML"}]
Operating SystemsBarbalace / Mai (new)report (Barbalace / Steuwer) 
Professional IssuesGarforthreport (Garforth) 
Software TestingAnderson (new)report (Rajan) 

Year 4/5/MSc courses (Level 11)

Course Name2022/23 Lecturer2021/22 FeedbackLecturer Response
Advanced Database SystemsNikolic / Pierisreport (Nikolic / Pieris) 
Advanced VisionNOT RUNNING IN 2022/23report (Sevilla-Lara) 
Algorithmic Game Theory and its ApplicationsEtessamireport (Etessami / Guo) 
Automatic Speech RecognitionBell / Tang (new)report (Bell / Tang) 
Bioinformatics 1Simpsonreport (Simpson / Goryanin)
[scald=5635:sdl_editor_representation {"alt":"","caption":"2021-22 Response - BIO1"}]
Blockchains and Distributed LedgersKarakostasreport (Karakostas) 
Computer GraphicsSubrreport (Subr) 
Extreme ComputingMai / Shaikhhareport (Mai / Shaikhha) 
Formal VerificationNOT RUNNING IN 2022/23report (Polgreen / Jackson) 
Human-Computer InteractionWolters (new) / Vines report (Vaniea / Vines) 
Introduction to Modern CryptographyCiampi report (Ciampi / Zacharias) 
Machine Learning PracticalBilen / Andreadis report (Bilen / Andreadis / Ramamoorthy) 
Machine Learning TheorySarkarreport (Sarkar)
[scald=5642:sdl_editor_representation {"alt":"","caption":"2021-22 Response - MLT"}]
MInf Project (Part 2)Narayanaswamy (new)report (Webb) 
Natural ComputingHerrmannreport (Herrmann) 
Natural Language Understanding, Generation, and Machine TranslationBirch-Mayne / Kellerreport (Keller / Birch-Mayne) 
Parallel ArchitecturesNOT RUNNING IN 2022/23report (Nagarajan) 
Parallel Programming Languages and SystemsColereport (Cole)
[scald=5643:sdl_editor_representation {"alt":"","caption":"2021-22 Response - PPLS"}]
Principles and Design of IoT SystemsArvindreport (Arvind) 
Quantum Cyber SecurityGarcia-Patron Sanchez / Walldenreport (Garcia-Patron Sanchez / Wallden) 
Secure ProgrammingAspinall (new)report (Arnaboldi) 
Security EngineeringAndersonreport (Ainsworth / Anderson) 
Text Technologies for Data ScienceMagdy / Ross report (Magdy / Ross) 

Year 5/MSc courses

Most MSc study is at Level 11. However, MSc students may take up to 30 credit points of Level 9 and Level 10 courses. Those are listed in the sections above for Year 3 and Year 4.

Course Name2022/23 Lecturer2021/23 FeedbackLecturer Response
Accelerated Natural Language ProcessingGoldwater / Lopez (new) / Ponti (new)report (Goldwater / Cohen)
[scald=5634:sdl_editor_representation {"alt":"","caption":"2021-22 Response - ANLP"}]
Categories and Quantum InformaticsHeunenreport (Heunen)
[scald=5645:sdl_editor_representation {"alt":"","caption":"2021-22 Response - CQI"}]
Case Studies in AI EthicsKokciyanreport (Kokciyan) 
[scald=5638:sdl_editor_representation {"alt":"","caption":"2021-22 Response - CSAI"}]
Computational Cognitive NeuroscienceSeries report (Series / Chadwick) 
Data-driven Business and Behaviour AnalyticsRestocchireport (Restocchi / Sarker / Ross) 
Doing Research in Natural Language ProcessingKeller / Tangreport (Keller / Tang) 
Group Research Project (Biomedical AI)Oyarzunreport (Oyarzun) 
Image and Vision ComputingSevilla-Lara report (Sevilla-Lara) 
Informatics Research ReviewConstantinreport (Armstrong / Constantin) 
Informatics Project ProposalConstantin / Armstrong (new)report (Constantin / Sannella) 
Introduction to Practical Programming with ObjectsSymons report (Franke / Glienecke / Symons ) 
Introductory Applied Machine Learning (UG / PG)NOT RUNNING IN 2022/23report (Mac Aodha / Shimodaira /  Narayanaswamy / Nazarpour)
[scald=5637:sdl_editor_representation {"alt":"","caption":"2021-22 Response - IAML"}]
Introductory Applied Machine Learning (Semester 2)(Ma / Shimodaira)report (Ma / Shimodaira) 
Machine Learning and Pattern RecognitionMurray / Onken / Vergari (new)report (Murray / Onken) 
Methods for Causal InferenceKhameshreport (Khamesh) 
Probabilistic Modelling and ReasoningGutmann / Williams (new)report (Gutmann) 
Reinforcement LearningAlbrecht report (Albrecht / Andreadis)
[scald=5644:sdl_editor_representation {"alt":"","caption":"2021-22 Response - RL"}]
Research Methods in Security, Privacy, and TrustAspinall / Elahi report (Aspinall / Elahi  / Kiayias) 
Robotics: Science and SystemsNOT RUNNING IN 2022/23report (Li / Ramamoorthy) 
The Human Factor: Working with UsersNOT RUNNING IN 2022/23report (Vaniea / Wolters)