I really liked Matt. I took him for Math 2A this fall quarter, and was surprised about how easy the subject was. It was most of the things covered in my Highschool AP Calculus AB class, so the content is not too challenging. If you do the Webworks (weekly assignments), you already secure yourself a C. The rest is really on your test performances.

Material is different than all of the other lower div math classes. Taking it with Porter made it a smoother transition and always had examples that he went through with us carefully.

The most BORING professor ever in the history of professor ever. I stopped going to class after the first week and had to study everything on my own

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.

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.

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.

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.

best math professor i've ever had

I rated him 5 as a person but as a professor, he is impossible to learn from. The lectures are only offered twice a week at 8 am and the way he teaches is bent over a podium talking in a very monotone voice, which is painful at 8 am. Not much to learn from him, I learned more from calculus youtube videos than what I learned going to his lectures.

Lectures are not mandatory, but helpful in learning the material. Porter is very accessible through email or office hours, and explains concepts very clearly and thoroughly. Exams were pretty easy and similar to practice exams. He is very accommodating (exam 2 and final exam were take home due to the TA strike) and just a nice person in general!

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.

I'm pretty bad at math but prof Porter was super good and easy to understand! I would definitely take him again. His grading was super fair and the exam review problems were very similar to the tests.

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

If you have the option, TAKE PORTER. Best decision ever. He is extremely nice and easygoing. His lectures were clear to understand. Make sure to try and get high scores on all your webworks as your grade depends on the homework and exams mostly.

Great professor! Super approachable, very nice about questions and all. The tests were super straightforward -- easier than the webwork and around the same as the review assignments. The class was relatively difficult, especially if you've never done calculus before, but definitely doable if you put the work in.

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.

Math 2A is difficult if you have minimal pre-calculus experience, but doable. If you need help, utilize his office hours along with math lab and CLAS. Lectures are not mandatory, but would highly recommend attending, 8 am makes it easy to skip, but going will save your grade.

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

Genuinely cares about his students and their well-being. Took it during Fall 21 and the final exam was online. Lecture attendance doesn't matter but section attendance does count.

His lectures are super clear, he really makes statistics easy. I did online/asynchronous, but he was always accessible outside of class. Not an insane amount of work, but enough that you really get it. Just watch the videos and take notes on the blank notes he gives you and you will be fine. Homework is often more difficult than the exams.