Matthew Dickerson

Dickerson is very passionate about NetLogo and incorporates his research into the course. It is an interesting look into how individual turtles interact on a patch-based structure. You use this to explore simulations in a variety of applicable fields. Dickerson loads up the homeworks, so be ready to sit down and code. Finding a good study partner for the semester is a good idea, as the final project is hefty and much better with a partner. The homeworks have more requirements if you work with a partner, but the benefit of working together far outweighs this cost.

Dickerson is very passionate about NetLogo and incorporates his research into the course. It is an interesting look into how individual turtles interact on a patch-based structure. You use this to explore simulations in a variety of applicable fields. Dickerson loads up the homeworks, so be ready to sit down and code. Finding a good …Read more

Overall Dickerson is enthusiastic about the material and is very accommodating / wants to help students learn. But be prepared to spend lots of time to do well. The homework is not worth a lot but important to the learning process and takes a bunch of time. The exams are worth a lot and are hard, but if you do well it is very rewarding.

Ignore anything you read about Dickerson because he is perfect for this course. The course teaches you NetLogo in a Seminar style format. The course moves fast but is surprisingly low-stress. The topics are interesting, especially as a CS double major, and its clear Dickerson enjoys agent-based work.