David Sprague is a Computer Science professor at Northeastern University rated 3.4/5 by 27 students, with 3.7/5 difficulty and 59.0% who would take them again (TRACE + RateMyProfessors + Reddit, updated July 2026).
David Sprague professor reviews and ratings: 3.4/5 from 27 student reviews at Northeastern (59.0% would take again). TRACE + RateMyProfessor + Reddit.
He's thinks extremely highly of himself, always comparing his students to himself, as well as comparing the quality of work to that which he did working at google. Doesn't use his own slides, so information doesn't always reflect what he teaches, granted he edits them (but it does not help). Attempts to do work live, and never makes a working code.BIT1400 2019-12-03 18:50:22 +0000 UTC
Thank god he isn't here anymore. All he talks about is google and random stuff not related to class. Deserved to get fired.CS2800 2019-11-07 20:02:06 +0000 UTC
Sad to see him go. He had great enthusiasm for HCI and made the course interesting.CS5340 2019-07-05 01:07:29 +0000 UTC
Knows his stuff but the class was poorly organized. Numerous assignments to keep track of along with a semester-long group assignment. He also failed to adequately consider individual contribution when evaluating the group assignment. Unless it's required for your major, avoid DS4200 with him.DS4200 2019-04-25 21:46:11 +0000 UTC
Cool guy. Lectures are well given. Sometimes makes silly math mistakes.CS1800 2016-12-20 16:50:00 +0000 UTC
Sprague made a boring class very fun. He's a great lecturer.CS2800 2019-10-01 14:12:19 +0000 UTC
It is easy to come out of this class without learning much more than how to poke fun at academic papers. His grading is very subjective and not transparent. If you want something remotely substantive, I would suggest avoiding his HCI course.CS5340 2019-04-30 05:48:33 +0000 UTC
David was my favorite professor at Northeastern this semester. I took his Discrete Structures class, and every lecture was a reminder that professors are not infallible. Even with his more than occasional arithmetic error, David is an excellent professor. He is so passionate about the subject and students' success, which really sets him apart.CS1800 2016-11-15 00:41:00 +0000 UTC
A mediocre instructor, but treats people with disrespect and prejudice. Sometimes assumes things about you just by your name or background, and treats you badly for no apparent reason. Allows personal frustration or mood to affect his interaction. Thinks very highly of himself and does not react well to different opinions, methods or solutions.CS2800 2019-07-11 20:38:40 +0000 UTC
He is the BEST!CS5340 2019-02-16 00:16:15 +0000 UTC
Great sense of humor, enthusiastic lecturer, sometimes makes math mistakes that interfere with his intentionCS1800 2016-02-03 15:02:00 +0000 UTC
Took him over the summer and he rambles a terrible amount. Most of the classes were filled with asides into topics he found interesting but were not relevant to the class. Furthermore, he didn't actually prepare his own slides which one hundred percent showed. He just skipped most of them because they weren't exactly what he was talking about atm.CS2800 2019-05-22 15:29:18 +0000 UTC
Very likeable professor.CS5340 2018-09-20 19:04:06 +0000 UTC
He's a great professor. I would take him for CS 1800 over any other professor. He gives tough questions for quizzes. Be ready to go for tutoring if you have no background info on cs 1800.CS1800 2015-12-03 09:30:50 +0000 UTC
Fantastic professor, attendance is not strictly mandatory but he gives pollEverywhere quizzes frequently so it's a good idea to show up. Class can be difficult but he is great at making lecture interesting and engaging. I'd strongly recommend taking Logic & Computation with Sprague if you can.CS2800 2019-02-26 23:54:36 +0000 UTC
David Sprague has an average rating of 3.4/5 from 27 student reviews. 59.0% of students said they would take them again.
David Sprague's classes have a difficulty rating of 3.7/5 based on student reviews.
David Sprague has taught CS2800, CS2801, CS1100, CS5340, DS4200, IS4300, CS1802, CS1800 at Northeastern.
Data updated July 2026.