Georgios has a very generous grading scale with the cutoff for an A being 87.5%. Physics is not an easy subject and hard work/study is required to succeed, but he makes it a fairly enjoyable experience. The final and midterms were reasonable. Attendance is mandatory for iclicker polls, but I'd recommend going regardless.

Super great teacher! I found that he was a little direct in how he speaks to students which took some adjustment, but at the same time, he's kind. I enjoyed his class.

An absolutely great charismatic professor! Having no prior physics experience made this subject daunting but Koutroulakis made it a great experience. He's extremely clear during lectures and answers all questions thoroughly. While the homework may seem a lot, it's great practice. Plus, his Greek accent just makes everything he says so clear!

Good, passionate lecturer with fun demonstrations. Course itself was difficult for someone not saavy with physics. If havent taken AP Physics like me, you will struggle. Keep on top of work and look for resources to study and become proficient. Fall behind and youll suffer like I did. Grading scale is very lenient, though, so youll be okay.

Great lecturer and caring person. I was nervous going into the course as this was my first physics course ever, but I thoroughly enjoyed the class and was very successful. My piece of advice is to keep up with homework and take the discussion seriously -- easiest way to be ready for exams.

He is extremely passionate about physics and a great lecturer. Physics is just doesn't makes sense sometimes. Be aware of asking for regrades because a TA took off a point after asking for a regrade.

Koutroulakis is really an amazing professor. He makes PHSY 1 a piece of cake. The exams are exactly identical to practice problems, and you don't need to study. You don't need a curve to get an A because the A is 87.5. Great professor, highly recommend.

The best lecturer I have had at UCSB so far. He is clearly very passionate about physics and teaching in general. The lectures were very clear, and the little experiments made it very engaging. The discussions really cemented the content covered in lecture. Would love to take a physics class with him again.

Very good at explaining course content. Clear grading criteria and generous grading scale. Cool demonstrations in class. Overall, a great professor to have.

Physics tests were hard, especially if you never took physics in high school. There is a preset grading scale, no curves at all. Homework was long to do as well

Professor Koutroulakis requires lecture attendance, but the lectures are worth attending. He's great at explaining concepts and has a lot of fun demonstrations. He was also very easy to reach on Nectir, the messaging app we used for the class. The midterms and final were fair and there is a generous curve.

Great lectures and explanations. Really made me enjoy physics. Homework is composed of book problems and homework software (good for the most part and had hints to help with difficult problems). Practice midterms were great representations of what the real thing would look like. Accessible online and great for helping you understand problems.

A great professor that is passionate about his teaching. His lectures are amazing and insightful. You will need homework and extra textbook practice to truly get the most and get a good grade from the class.

Given the large amount of material that he had to cover, I think that doctor Koutroulakis did a good job with pacing the class although some more time could have been dedicated towards rotation. There was a good mix of practice examples and conceptual explanations during lecture and the homework did a good job preparing me for the tests.

Let me preface this by saying that I have never taken physics before (not even normal physics at high school). Georgios is a cool guy and i loved his grading scale. Even though these college physics courses are geared towards engineers who are expected to have taken physics (unlike me lol) it will be a ton of work and a you just have to keep going.

Very nice professor, very difficult topics (imo). This class seems better suited for people with good prior experience with physics, like AP physics. I struggled a lot, and of course didn't get a passing grade. In order to pass without experience, be ready to spend many hours weekly studying. Generous grading scale, but still wasn't enough for me.

Unless you’ve taken AP Physics and know how to go about every type of physics question, you’re going to have a tough time like myself. Not friendly to the newer people of physics and the exams are more friendly to the people who really understand this subject. Nice guy but 70% of your grade for the exams on free response is kind of messed up…

I do not suggest you take this course freshman year. I tried my best to do everything I could after failing my first midterm and was just able to obtain a C. The homework and other problems are way easier than exams themselves. I think this class is mainly for those who really understand physics and took AP physics with a score of 0-2 on the exam.

Georgios is probably the best professor I have had so far. I still had to check out some ochem tutor videos on youtube because the concepts were just pretty difficult but his lecture slides were incredible and give you everything you need to know. EXTREMELY GENEROUS GRADE SCALE (A is an 85% and i think and F was llike 35% or smth like that) 10/10

Such a nice professor that takes the time to answer everyone's questions in lecture. His exams are super fair, and he does a great job at telling you what will be on the exams beforehand. Homework isn't super heavy either! He also gives a ton of partial credit on exams.

One of the best professors I've had so far. Lectures are very organized and efficient. Explains concepts very well and always answers questions in a very detailed manner. Homework is split between MP and Textbook Problems. Tests are very fair! You can tell he is very passionate about Physics and very much cares about his students!

He's a great professor who gives nice lectures and cares his students. Might not be the best professor in the physics department, but you won't regret taking his course.

Koutroulakis' lecture slides are fantastic! You won't need to go to lectures to understand the concepts. However, this class is hard for transfer students! Make sure you read the textbook and practice as much as you can.

Georgios is really nice, and has great lectures. Exams are pretty difficult. He has a "curve" that sort of helps. Lectures at the end of the quarter were rushed, and all that material will catch up to you on the final.