He curved the class down, yes I said down, by an entire letter grade. Not only was this class a GPA ruiner, it took as much time as an 8 unit class. Theres a lab and lecture component, both very time-consuming.

This class was a lot of work. 4-5 hours of homework a week plus pre-lab plus lab plus lab report... If you put in the effort, though, a good grade wasn't difficult. Tests were not that hard and grading was generous. Teaching was very good for the first 8 weeks then fell off towards the end (on the hardest material) but was pretty good overall.

Good lecture slides and fair tests. Would give a 5 but grading scale for homework was harsh.

Marks is a great professor that teaches very straightforward and makes his expectations clear. At times those expectations (especially on homework) are very strict, but Marks gives opportunities to make up past errors. One of the best teachers you'll find.

This was my first real engineering course at ucsb (and my first time being on campus since we lost last year to covid). I can say Marks puts a lot into the course and his students. He was always willing to help me, even on personal projects (I wanted to add lights to my board - Marks also teaches electronics so he had a lot of advice).

Really just not a great teacher. In over his head. Inconsistent grading and inconsistent application of course policies throughout the class; often seems like things are being made up as we go along. Stubborn and rude to kids, especially when being given constructive criticism.