Taking Ziad Matni's COMM88 class was kind of like cheese-grating my frontal lobe for ten weeks. Matni struck me as a oaf immediately after reading his syllabus (which was copied from another professor), and seeing that most of a student's grade relied on one term paper and the final. Matni was concice, but lacked the skills needed to teach online.

Prof Matni is one of the best Comm professors I've had. He makes lecture material very clear, tests accurately reflect lecture and reading material, and he just makes class interesting all around. Would love to take another class with him in the future

Really nice guy, although he can be a little blunt/sarcastic at times. He is a very fair professor, nothing unreasonable and decently accommodating. He seems passionate about the things he teaches and gives good examples in his lectures. Nothing much more to ask for in a professor.

Dr. Matni is condescending often times when you ask him a question. He grades very strict and will purposefully put questions on tests and quizzes to trick you.

Dr. Matni is an amazing professor. His lectures are very helpful and fun to watch, and they cover everything in the textbook. He answers questions clearly on piazza and during lecture. Homework, labs, and quizzes are sometimes a little bit too much, but they are pretty easy and are good exercises. Overall a really enjoyable class.

He is a good lecturer that genuinely wants students to do well. The quizzes can be tricky though and they are a difficult but fair. He is very clear in terms of what is due at what time each week & actively encourages students to come to office hours. Prof Matni is very enthusiastic & has a great sense of humor too!

Solid professor, clear and organized lectures. Homework, quiz and labs simple. (1 each per week) Gave extra credit for (basically) free. Don't worry about the final. If you've taken APCS, this class is probably no problem at all. (A bit too simple of a curriculum, perhaps; it's not a lot of content).

Very likeable guy. His lectures were interesting. However, be very prudent when doing quizzes or exams since he is a harsh grader. The material is easy to learn, but he does require you to be very detail oriented and logical. If you aren't careful, you will lose points and there is really no leniency given. Otherwise, a straightforward course.

I liked Matni a lot! He was really lenient on students during the pandemic and he dropped the lowest quiz gradehe also gave us an extra credit opportunity on the labs. I thought the final was pretty easy but still a good review of the course material.

I've had him for both CS 16 and 64, and he is definitely one of my favorite professors at UCSB. His lectures are thorough. While he can be a tough grader, he was willing to provide extra time for the quizzes given the current circumstances. He offers very detailed explanations during office hours.

This class is tough, and Dr. Matni's quizzes are very tricky and you will lose points if you're not paying enough attention to minute details. However, he is very energetic and gives extremely informative, fantastic lectures. I learned so much in this class that I can forgive the strict grading. His style won't work for everyone, but it did for me.

He really does not how to teach. He builds up his non-senses that contradict the textbook.

Great lecturer. The class may be tricky, but the materials were new and fun to me. Go to office hour to ask about hard problems; he'll go over with you.

Overcompensates for the subject matter being easy by making his tests tricky or ambiguous and then grading strictly and subjectively. Answers questions condescendingly. Only redeeming quality is you will actually learn assembly, but avoid him if you can.

Be prepared to lose lots of points due to minor errors. Dr. Matni does not explain things clearly, he will pose questions to your question and expect you to figure it out instead of just answering you. Some hw and quiz questions are chosen purely to trick you and not to see what you've learned, Dr. Matni even admits that himself in lecture.

Failed to set up autograder - Constantly make mistake in slides - Being mean on Piazza - Trick students - Worst professor -

Third class w/ Matni. Def my fav prof in CS dept. Good: -You learn the material for real if you pay attention, no need for youtube etc -Labs are set up well and clearly specify the requirements -Funny and helpful Bad: -Tough if you dont pay attention, but all his classes are required so you really should if you want your degree to mean anything

He thinks making students fail due to not being careful enough interesting. Definitely avoid him

He tricks students... The quiz is not testing how you learnt, testing how prudence you are instead

absolutely the worst professor. quiz and homework are easy but all about word games. he is like the worst elementary school teacher.

One of my favorite professors at UCSB! Since I took a summer class with Dr. Matni, I only had three weeks in his class however I learned more in those three weeks than I have in other 10 week classes. He is very accessible and lectures are engaging and entertaining. Would definitely take future classes with him!

Ive had professor Matni for Comm 88 and 169. I can honestly say hes my favorite professor at UCSB. His lectures are engaging, hes funny, and super helpful. He might come off as tough but if you go to office hours and ask for help, he will go above and beyond. Amazing professor and person! He is a must take as a comm major

One of my favorite professor in UCSB.

Great professor