He knows his stuff, but I don't see myself taking another course by him again. He wasn't very understanding of family emergencies.

Matt is amazing and anyone at UCSB is lucky to be in one of his classes, genuinely such an understanding and kind person. Material in his class is difficult put he does his best to make everything digestible/accessible. 10/10

He is a super nice professor who really cares about his students. This class is just ALOT of work and they are tough graders. You have two classes a week, a 6-hour field trip then probably 10 hours of homework and lab to complete on your own each week, due EACH week. Also a 2-day camping trip. So it is a lot of work and a very hard class.

Definitely my favorite prof in the Earth department. I've taken both 104A and 115 with him online, labs are very difficult in both classes but important for the courses. Start them early and go to office hours for help. He is very approachable, always answers emails in a good amount of time and seems like he really wants to help. 10/10 recommend!

Matt Rioux is one of Earth Science's real gems. He is so caring and in the field he really wants you to learn and helps along the way. (He even climbed behind me as we scaled a mountain to make me feel safe). You learn so much from him and he really cares about his job and students. Also, he climbs mountains like no other, in Matt we trust.

Lectures are boring, but if you pay attention and take notes you'll be good. Tests are extremely straight-forward. Labs are long and some are hard, ask your TA for help or guidance and you'll be fine. Labs make up most the grade, so engage with ur TA. Weekly quizzes w/ 5 Qs. 1 in person MC Midterm. 1 in person MC Final. 8 Labs. Iclicker each lect.