For myself this was one of the most rewarding classes. You have to really enjoy programming and want to be good at it. You will spend hours trying to get a code to work only to realize you forgot a semicolon. Some people hate the idea of this but for some people this detail makes you appreciate the programming language. My course was for C++ but I have heard this might be changing to a different language. To excel you will have to be okay with seeking out C++ info and teach yourself some things.

I only remember weekly assignments and one final project that was pretty hard (It's programming so if you REALLY know the language its not difficult or time consuming but one error can trip you up for days to fix)

A lot of people hated Professor Shafer. He gives videos on the subjects but didn't respond to students needing help as much. So while I really really liked his style of straightforward teaching I know that a lot of students dont. It was annoying that you have to buy his book for the assignments when its a very thin "book".

Practice some C++ ahead of time, it will really help you stay ahead.