Let me start by saying, Even isn't bad by any means. He's just not the best. His lectures are, for the most part, average and engaging, but the tests can and probably will trip you up. I'm an EEMB major and I got a C on the midterm, the only thing that saved me was Latto's final. I think he cares, his tests are just a little wonky. He's average.
Professor Latto is among my favorite professors in the intro bio series next to Wilson. Not to mention the man could narrate nature documentaries. He is really kind, you can tell he wants you to do well, and his tests are really easy (I got 100% on the FINAL, like whaaat?). The material is easy, he's really funny, and I highly recommend Latto.
Not good at her job. Has made multiple mistakes such as telling people incorrect grade cut offs and accusing people of cheating and later admitting it was her mistake. Makes you feel like a number. Weeder class
Even has very engaging lectures and teaches the concepts clearly with lots of examples. His exam was much more difficult than expected/seemed to try to trick students though. Went to his OH once and he made a fool of students who participated and were wrong... scary. Course itself: problem sets, his ecology exam, and Latto's evolution exam.
Professor Latto is great! He taught the evolution section of this course and explained concepts clearly in an engaging/interesting manner and had a very fair final. Keep up with his learning objectives & key terms each lecture, and you'll do well in the course. The course itself is made up of problem sets, ecology exam, and evolution exam.
Dr. Latto is seriously one of the best professors I have ever had. He wants you to succeed and gives you all the tools to do so. He was so helpful and accessible even during online learning, and held multiple extra office hours and was very responsive by email. He always answers your questions thoroughly, and is an engaging lecturer.
Not bad, but doesn't deserve a rating this high. He explains things clearly, but focuses on basic stuff, so its hard to get left behind, but there is not much meat for more advanced students. Also he is convinced his tests test "understanding" not rote knowledge, but to get good marks you legit have to basically memorize his explanations of things
Firstly, the content he teaches is incredibly easy, yet the exams feel more like an assessment of your reading comprehension. He reuses questions so you cant review the exam(which is incredibly lazy) and the exam itself had a multitude of answers and vague wording that he justified rudely using a dictionary definition. Least favorite prof at UCSB.
Doesnt let you review the tests, spends ton of time during lecture justifying why EEMB is a good field of study, his pass rates will tell you all you need to know
Honestly this was my favorite class that I have ever taken in my entire college career. I'm just bummed that I had to take it online because of covid. He makes the class interesting and I looked forward to learning new things every week. You should definitely take this class if you get a chance!
Solid material. Things were clearly given. However, he is the only professor I have had during the Pandemic that has enforced ProctorU. It is unfair to a lot of students with varying environments. Also, he is not understanding when it comes to outside difficulties and basically says, "my decision is final and it is up to you on how you take that."
He's an extremely straight forward professor. He tells you what is going to be on the test. The material was interesting and easy to grasp with some time. The class is memorization heavy, but if you put in the work you will get an A. He monitors his tests through Zoom.
Graded on a midterm and a final each worth 50% of the class. Each lecture was available live during class or recorded after however the live section consisted of the same 3-4 students answering every ? The tests were worded weird but the prof was deadset that there were no errors and would not offer any corrections after the exams. Likes ProctorU
Half the class was accused of cheating on the last day of the quarter so no one could do anything about it. She didnt respond to the emails. Left us in the dark. Some got letters saying it was a mistake on their end. All exams had multiple mistakes they refused to fix. Waited to very last minute to submit final grades so we could not protest.
Very nice and accommodating with the online format of his class. Probably the easiest class of my life, spent about an hour or 2 max on this class a week
Lectures are super clear and high quality. Professor is very entertaining and topics are easy to understand.
Latto is one of the rare professors that can make you put effort in out of pure interest. I've taken two Covid-induced online classes with him and both times he made getting an A as easy as showing up (metaphorically because there was nowhere to show up). But I still spent a bunch of time on the classes just because it was so fun. He's so good.
Lectures were recorded last year, helping with the pacing of information! There were weekly COVID connection videos, which helped tie things together with pandemic. Short weekly quizzes on the lectures, and weekly creative forum assignments (sometimes w/ small research component) made the entire grade. This class was a breath of fresh air!
BEST professor out of all the classes I've token at UCSB. I took his INT35 History of Infectious Disease over summer, which is perfect for my Bio&Sociology double major, and that was such an amazing experience. I truly enjoyed every single class and section. Professor Latto, if you are reading this, I want you know that you are amazing!
The class wasnt well run but not necessarily that difficult besides that. Dr. Nguyen didnt do her PhD in a molecular biology field, which was apparent when she tried do discuss even intro molecular biology topics, and especially more obvious in hindsight as you go on to upper div MCDB classes. Not the same level of quality as other UCSB profs.
im not sure why anyone would reccommend this professor but go figure. he's the worst kind of professor out there. The test are all FREE RESPONSE and you have to memorize word for word what is on the lecture slides or forget it. He proctors the class on top of that. guys just stay away from this professor.
This box isn't long enough to do Even justice. His Zoom lectures were more engaging than 95% of my in-person ones. He's a professor who focuses on teaching and works in science education. It shows. Every professor knows his subject but Even knows how to teach it. The material is hard, but you don't notice because he's so good at teaching it to you.
You will not find a better Professor than this man. Although I took this class online, Dr. Even's lectures were the same quality as it would be in person. I always looked forward to going to his lectures, as they were very interactive. You can tell that he's extremely passionate about teaching and not just doing it because he has to.
Dr Even is one of my favorite profs at UCSB. Even though the quarter was online I felt I still received a UC quality class and experience. His lectures were engaging (even on zoom), and it is clear that he cares about his students. I recommend listening to what he says in lecture (dont just memorize slides, learn the concepts) to get a higher grade