Robert Futrelle is a Computer Science professor at Northeastern University rated 1.5/5 by 18 students, with 2.4/5 difficulty (TRACE + RateMyProfessors + Reddit, updated July 2026).
Robert Futrelle professor reviews and ratings: 1.5/5 from 18 student reviews at Northeastern. TRACE + RateMyProfessor + Reddit.
Prof. Futrelle is probably the nicest professor in CS. Don't expect to learn a whole lot in his class, but you won't be overloaded with work, and he's a very easy grader. Take him for required courses that you just want to get through, but avoid him for courses where you see the material as important to your professional development.IS4300 2010-12-22 13:26:00 +0000 UTC
All the previous comments are right. This is a horrible professor that you do not want. Do not even expect an easy A. Only about 1/3 (at best) of his class finishes in that range.CS3200 2010-06-12 18:49:22 +0000 UTC
The easiest class that I have ever taken, hands down. He teaches sporadically and often about unrelated subjects, but if you're fine with learning what little you need to learn on your own then he's golden. He embraced any incompetence with his grading policy and sided with the students to make any changes.INTRODB 2010-01-11 02:40:52 +0000 UTC
What a big 90 year old tool. This guy's way too old to be teaching this stuff. When he hands stuff back, he goes over it in front of the class and finds the lamest stuff to pick at. His grading is very biased and opinionated. He doesn't realize we do work to get by, not because we care about the subject -- which is useless per his teaching.ISU570 2009-03-08 22:04:25 +0000 UTC
Out of class: A smart and intelligent individual. In class: Bumbling, rambling, incoherent, useless. He spent the first two classes going over last semester's student evaluations and complaining about how they were all wrong. The assignments are likewise aimless and vague.IS570 2009-01-07 21:54:58 +0000 UTC
Nice guy who is too smart for his own good. He is probably a genius but he cannot teach what he knows to others to save his life. We relied on the TA the entire semester. Everybody struggled to try to learn the material in time for the quizzes that came without warning. Makes for a very stressful semester. I DO NOT recommend taking this class.CS101 2008-11-18 17:28:22 +0000 UTC
Needs to retire soon. He has no clue what the AI is all about. I lost all my interest after taking this class.CSG120 2008-04-25 11:52:43 +0000 UTC
Terrible. All he does is ramble about databases used in the real world, but guess what, he has NO experience of the real world. Don't expect to learn anything, you will need to teach yourself. The project was so unorganized he didn't even give us a decent spec until the end. All he will do is ramble about Google and Oracle and off-topic junk.CSU430 2007-12-03 20:15:30 +0000 UTC
Nice guy and very smart, but doesn't teach Artificial Intelligence!!! Doesn't know much about Comp Sci. Should be teaching Biology instead. A waste of time and money.AI 2006-04-06 16:15:04 +0000 UTC
He needs a better grading systemTRANSACTION 2005-08-30 16:38:37 +0000 UTC
A very intelligent man whose aloofness makes his teaching nearly worthless. He is the classic example of the self-important intellectual type who would be chewed up and spit out by the real world if he ever dared to venture outside the ivory tower.OOD 2005-05-26 13:31:47 +0000 UTC
DOES not teach OOD (at all !). Does not teaching anything for that matter. Or pardon - will teach you how to use java constructors for the first 6 weeks. A total waste of time and money. oh and his tests are not really in synch with the syllabus either; arguing is usually useless too.COM1204OOD 2004-12-08 13:58:08 +0000 UTC
Best prof. in the dept. Has quirks but is very helful. Makes complex concepts seem simple. Very smartSEVERAL4 2004-08-19 19:59:58 +0000 UTC
I don't see what the big problem is. I love this man - he gives the most bizarre lectures in the world, goes on the longest tangents ever, and lets students decide how the assignments work/graded. We got our midterm cancelled. Bob's an odd guy, but I love him and his bird names. Also, if you need to ask a question, just shout. He's like 800.CS3200 2009-12-09 00:42:53 +0000 UTC
Wow, this guy is way too old to be teaching this. He goes off on tangents all the time and doesn't teach anything. One day in class he called a friend on his phone, right during the middle of class. You won't learn anythingISU570 2009-01-19 21:12:06 +0000 UTC
Robert Futrelle has an average rating of 1.5/5 from 18 student reviews.
Robert Futrelle's classes have a difficulty rating of 2.4/5 based on student reviews.
Data updated July 2026.