This petition is coming directly from students who are currently enrolled in this course as of Spring 2023. We are eager to learn the interesting topics that fall under the umbrella of the curriculum that is taught in this course. However, this has seemingly been impossible thus far.

This course is completely different from how it was in semesters past, specifically Fall 2022 and every semester where Professor Raskhodnikova did not teach. We as a class completely understand that problem sets have to be more tedious than the information that is taught in class. This is how it has been for every CS class we have ever taken here at BU. Bottom line, we understand that problem sets cannot be easy, and that is in no way what we are asking for. The problem sets in this course are unmanageable, and students are not able to complete them solely based on the information that is taught in lecture, and the readings from the textbook. They are not only tedious, but extremely long and take upwards of 15-20 hours per week to complete. Therefore forcing us students to sideline every other class we are taking in attempts to understand and teach ourselves how to complete the homework for this course. 

This is not at all to disrespect any of the TAs/CAs that help out from this course. From first hand experience, we all understand how difficult it can be at times helping out with a course. But the homework problems are so difficult that the TAs and CAs genuinely do not know how to help solve them. CDS362 was completely filled with CS237 students until everyone was forced to leave. Additionally, Professor Tiago, who co-teaches with Professor Raskhodnikova, is unable to help with the analytical portions or problem sets. The TAs and CAs themselves who took the course last semester accepted that the course had become extremely difficult and even they did not know how to solve the problem set questions. No one understands how to complete these problems, even students like us, who really value their understanding of important concepts and go to every single lecture. 

I have spoken to fellow students who took this course in semesters past, and the curriculum was completely different (this was not at all me trying to get help from students who previously took this course, but rather, just seeing if this course was as difficult when they took it). Needless to say, it was not. It is extremely unfair that students are able to take this course at a different time and get the same credits that we are with a much easier curriculum. 

Needless to say, we are very concerned about our future in this course. We believe that there needs to be a change, and we will do everything in our power to bring this to the attention of the Computer Science Department at Boston University.