Ken is a great guy and has the highest quality lectures Ive seen at UCSB. This class is not an easy A, at least not remotely. This class requires a lot more time than a regular GE and quizzes are 10 minutes for 10 questions, sometimes having unrelated content. That being said, the beneficial information in this class far outweighs the grade.
Expect to hyper analyze lectures to find the most specific answers that he chooses to use for his quizzes/tests. Ken literally suggested that students drop this class if they could not afford to dedicate enough time to these lecture/film-heavy class. A good lecturer but he does nothing to accommodate students in a pandemic which is frustrating.
I don't know why so many people rate him good. I doubt he rates himself because he cares about ratemyprofessor a lot. I and my all friends agree that this class is one of the worst GE classes. You will waste over 68 hours a week to get A. Don't take his class.
Waste of time
If you're interested in the climate crisis and want to know how to take action, take this class. It's a decent amount of work 1-2 short lectures, 2 long ones, a film, a reading and quiz each week. The quizzes can be specific take good notes. HIGHLY RECOMMEND, but only if you truly care about the subject it's a lot of work but very inspiring.
This class is easy if you do the work. There are about 3 hours of lectures a week, a movie, a reading (usually a chapter of a book or an article), a 10 question quiz, and 2 comments each week. It takes a decent amount of time but it is all interesting and stuff I care about knowing. Ken is so passionate which makes this course better
Professor Hiltner cares about his class more than any other professor I have encountered during my time at UCSB. He made an entire website and YouTube account just dedicated to climate change. It is evident that he really feels passionate about everything he teaches, which makes it better to learn. A lot of work but worth it!
I really enjoy it. Although it's reading and lecture heavy it doesn't feel like it. All of the readings and lectures have been very informational and interesting. You could honestly do all of the work in one day if you have the time. As for the people complain about the quizzes I don't think they're hard just take notes as you watch the lectures.
I have been enjoying this course a lot and I would recommend it to anyone! If you are passionate about the Climate crisis or just interested in learning more, the way the course is taught will appeal to you. I struggled with the first two quizzes, but after changing my method of interacting with the course materials, the quizzes have become easier.
He is a wonderful professor. Very passionate! People seemed to complain that it was a lot of work, which it was but thats college for you. I think people were being babies. It is a great class and it doesn't seem like a lot of work if you enjoy the material. Wonderful course, I would take it again.
I highly recommend this course. Although I am only half way through this class, Kens lectures and assignments are interesting, engaging, and fun. It is obvious that Ken is passionate about the climate crisis and I am so grateful that he takes the time to personally read the comments we write. He only ever tests us on material he teaches.
Prof Hiltner has inspired me more than any other professor I have had at UCSB. He is extremely passionate about his students and the course, and gives us opportunities to evaluate our own lives and offers ways to make positive personal and widespread changes. His course is easy if you just watch the lectures and read what is required once a week.
I agree with "Quizzes are unnecessarily difficult as it focuses more on memorizing irrelevant data rather than topics that are important". It is almost impossible to remember the irrelevant detailed info from a long boring lecture and tons of weekly reading. This class force you to waste time.
Ken is one of my favorite professors at ucsb. Hes a caring and compassionate teacher who wants to get his message out there about the climate crisis. Hes inspiring and I hope everyone who takes him gets his message and it sticks with them. He is dedicated and his class is easy if you do the work. I recommend this class.
Ken is the man! He is a passionate teacher, has an impressive amount of scarfs, and just seems like the kind of guy you want to drink a beer with. Do yourself a favor and take one of his classes.
The Climate Crisis 101 is an interesting and enjoyable class! The information needs to be heard by everyone!! The class is graded on weekly tests and midterm/final which are easy to do well on if you actually watch the lectures and do the reading, duh. Due to the online format, I recommend taking detailed notes and you will be fine.
The quizzes are insanely specific and hard to score a 100 on. He completely changes a test days before it because of a cheating issue that he basically created. A lot of people are struggling. Makes learning about climate change stressful and uninteresting, because of the amount of time spent on memorizing useless details. Overall, not a fun time.
One of the best GE's I've taken! Ken is extremely passionate and cares so much. Lots of reading, but for a class that meets two times a week with no section the material isn't that bad, and is always interesting. Not sure why people don't expect reading in and english class. Quizzes are easy if you actually pay attention or use command F.
Took this class randomly as a senior to fill my schedule and it ended up being one of the most informative and important classes I've taken at UCSB. Ken is extremely passionate about the climate crisis and really motivates his students to reevaluate their actions. A lot of readings but the quizzes are extremely easy, and material is super engaging.
people got caught cheating and messed up the midterm for all of us, but the professor so nice and had to make a whole new test for all of us which must have been frustrating and he does not deserve all of the hate he is getting! He's such a genuine man that cares about the environment and you can tell he truly enjoys teaching.
I took his Eng 22 class and Im currently taking his Eng 23. Please ignore his bad reviews. A lot of these students are just salty because they got caught trying to cheat on the midterm by sharing answers. This class does take up some time to finish the work, but just like ANY other class. Loved his class, EASY A. Just do the work. Simple
Im really sad to see these unfair reviews of prof Hiltner. I took him for fall quarter 2020 online & it was so easy, if you do the bare minimum of watching lectures on 2x, youll get an A just like me. Theres no need to cheat, it was the easiest class Ive taken. He was so reasonable and accommodating, theres so many bad profs here & hes not 1.
Leaving a bad review not because Im one of those got caught cheating. Because his materials are excessive & boring. Quizzes are insanely specific, you have to know unnecessary details in order to succeed. Im sure Ken is a nice guy but he is way to pretentious, its painful to sit through his lectures. He should focus on topic that actually matter
I wanted to give Ken a chance, but he formats all his test the same, all having ridiculously specific questions. Ive literally cried/had panic attacks in his class every week... Does he not realize that people have probably been getting all the hard randomly generated questions each time? Definitely needs to change his question formatting period.