The Biolab classes (1LL and 2LL) are horribly organized and a huge waste of three hours every week. This class also has super strict rules on grading and attendance and they will almost never make an exception for students under any circumstance. The only upside is that the final exam is a group test in 2LL.
Dr. Even makes you work for your grade. His tests are mostly essays with some matching and fill in the blank. He mostly tests based on how well you understand the material rather than memorization. Write detailed notes for the full story, some of the stuff he says isn't always in his lecture slides. Funny and engaging lectures though (EEMB 159 too)
His classes are frustrating. I've taken a few of them. He does a good job of getting students to understand the material but doesn't do a good job of testing this knowledge. TA's are unreasonably harsh graders considering the vagueness of his assignments and sometimes the test questions as well.
He's a good lecturer which is his main strength. His lectures are well structured and easy to follow. That said his tests suck. Doesn't communicate well with students on expectations for tests OR assignments which constitute 100% of the grade. At the end of the day it's useless for students to learn the material well just to be set up for failure
I enjoy how he runs his classes, asking (nonrhetorical!) questions to keep us on our toes and constantly reviewing the older material. His lectures are well organized and he makes it feel like ur really learning scientific tools. Didn't appreciate his tone with students that give wrong answers,+ Noted misunderstanding of international students
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.
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.
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
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."
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
Lectures are super clear and high quality. Professor is very entertaining and topics are easy to understand.
Lacks empathy and contributes to the (minimal) toxicity in the bio major. I dont understand how she has a job considering the immaturity and lack of self-awareness that she has. How did she even end up running the Intro Bio Labs? I cant believe the intro lab classes for the most impacted major on campus is this disorganized. UCSB deserves better.
If I could give her a zero I would. She is by far the worst faculty member I have ever had experience with at UCSB. This class was horribly organized, had unclear requirements, and Dr. Nguyen displayed a complete lack of compassion for her students on several occasions. I was actually excited to this class but this professor ruined it. TA was nice
Class is terribly organized, she doesn't respond to emails, changed grading policy to be harsher mid-quarter during a pandemic, even though the class uses 3 different websites to turn things in, all with different times due which is extremely confusing and difficult to keep track of. She is also uncaring and unsympathetic to student hardship.
literally the worst and least organized professor ever, does not respond to emails, is NOT understanding, changed the grading policy mid quarter to be less accommodating during the pandemic, and is m o n o t o n e
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.
You should absolutely be putting effort into remembering and understanding the concepts. Most people get Bs and about the top 20 students get As out of approx. 120 people. The material will change the way you look at streams when you go hiking or are out in nature.
Enjoyable lectures, full of interesting examples and stories. His exam is also the easiest one in intro-bio series.