After week 1 I never showed up to lecture and only attended section, and a day before the midterms and finals I just watched the lecture videos he posted online and managed to get a B. Only attendance that matters is section as it is 5% of your grade. Prof Porter is a chill dude but his lectures are kind of boring so thats why I would not attend.

Great personality as a person but as a teacher, horrible! Most class materials in comparison to hw and tests insanely different. Literally whispered into the mic and doesn't really teach the materials. Go through practice problems really quickly I can barely keep up w/ copy, not to mention understand materials. Best bet is TA, math lab and CLAS.

Good professor (im kinda stupid but still got a B+). He bumped my grade up 2% no idea how that's even legal but he did it. His voice is so smooth and silky it puts you to sleep. I downloaded some of his lecture videos and listen to him explain homogenous systems of differential equations when I cant sleep. Would take him again.

Good professor overall. If you put in the work and study the HWs & study guides, you can get an A. He is pretty quiet during lectures but he posts video recordings of them online for his students (I found it most effective studying with this instead of actually going to lecture.) I would love to take his class once again if I had the chance.

Porter really cares about his students, was always trying to accommodate and help out when he could. He spoke pretty quietly and the exam reviews were much more difficult than the actual exams but overall a really kind professor and the class is doable if you do the homework.

Lectures were not very helpful and were given in a quiet, monotone voice, but he does upload his notes. There are 3 tests, they were short which makes it a little difficult to get a good score, but I did think his grading policy was quite fair. weekly HW can be long and frustrating, but it is a sizable part of your grade and can boost it.

Professor Porter can sometimes be a bit monotone during lecture, but if you look past that, his lectures are extremely clear, with concise notes that have downloadable templates for them before class, and are uploaded after class. He provides a ton of resources to help with his class, and his homework helps you get very prepared for tests.

Did not go to a single lecture because they are really boring. Just watched his online video notes which covered the material well. The tests are fairly easy as long as you watch the lectures.

I love porter

speaks to monotone and quiet during lectures; relied more on his online notes and lectures. Homework is a bit hard and time-consuming. Midterms and finals are basically based off his exams/final reviews, so those really help. You also get to use a notecard during the exams. If you understand the concept well enough, you're set.

Porter is a good teacher, but his exams were nothing like the study guides he assigned. The midterms and final had very few questions (>10), so it was hard to get a good score. I am typically very good at math (I got an A in Math 3A), but this class was extremely difficult for me. It will likely be the lowest grade I've received at UCSB so far.

Be prepared for the light voice of this professor. He literally whispered in vocal fry which makes it harder to recognize... Learned nothing from him. MATH4B itself is not a difficult course, he makes it difficult. Self-teaching is what you need if you choose to take his course.

He is a nice person, but lectures are very hard to follow along to. He just works through example problems very quickly during the entire lecture without explaining how to do the concept first. His lectures are very monotone and it is hard to hear what he is saying. You're better off watching youtube videos than going to lectures.

The lectures were not useful, simply copied down the problem, not learning how to solve it. The homework was difficult and long. However, his grading policy was extremely easy, dropped 2 out of the 3 exams. Long story short: Am I still completely lost when it comes to Calculus? Yes. Did I get an A in the class despite this? Yes.

Professor Porter is one of the best math instructors I have ever come across at any of the universities I have been to. He explains everything in detail in a step-by-step way that helps you understand how and why every part of a problem is solved. Tests are usually fair, and as long as you go to lecture and do problems at home you'll be just fine.

easy to get a high score. The exams will be easy if you can complete all the assignments successfully.

Sometimes lectures in a monotone voice, but overall easy to understand and pretty lenient on grades. Dropped our lowest 2 out of 3 exam scores so the final was optional due to the strike, as well as a few more homework assignments than originally stated. Posts lecture notes on Gauchospace too, as well as other resources.

Exactly what you want from a good professor

Definitely take him if you have the option. The tests are very similar to the review worksheets and are super easy. Homework completion is important. Overall, awesome and very considerate professor.

Easy grader. Boring lectures, though.

The HW was a lot but it represented 50% of our grade and the lowest score was dropped. This class is a surprisingly easy A as long as you put in the work.

If you are given an option to take Porter, TAKE HIM!! He makes the class very easy, all you have to do is watch/attend lecture, do webwork, take 2 midterms, and final. The tests were online and super easy too like the review worksheets. The prof is such a great lecturer, a little monotone, but explains math very well and is overall such a nice prof

Took it during Winter 22 and the midterms and final exam were online. Lecture attendance doesn't matter but section attendance does count.

One of the best professors I've ever had! His lectures are very clear and all his notes + short videos are posted online, making it easy to catch up on things you may have missed. His grading is very generous with a majority of your grade being based on homework & exam practice problems rather than exams, which helped me learn the material better.