Professor Padula is wonderful. Genuinely loves teaching, super fun. The class was not very difficult but I also learned a ton.
super funny and likeable. Italian 16 A easy, but 16B is a lot harder. chnages from easy class to class you actually have to try in
Valentina is absolutely wonderful. She really cares about students passing, and will try her best to make sure you succeed. She creates a welcoming environment in her classes and is always available to help, even if you email her at 2 am before finals. I highly recommend taking her class.
Took this as a GE, received good grades. Course material is kinda boring unless actually interested in European history, but thats whatever. Very little homework, only one lengthy paper due the last day of class. Our class reader was an easy grader, and the professor was a very quick responder to emails!! She also gives enough time for assignments.
She is very nice and patient. She has a clear layout of course materials on GS. Given the COVID-19, we do small group sessions which are really helpful to practice what we learned and get to know each other. She replies to e-mails very quickly. Really worth it to try if you are interested in Italian.
The Italian department at UCSB is wonderful. Signora Valentina is a very sweet lady and her class is always engaging. Quizzes aren't too hard if you study for at least thirty minutes beforehand. Would definitely take again!
Prof Padula is a great Italian teacher. She is patient and understanding, also charismatic. Homework can look like a lot but it's really not. Unfortunately you need the book on Cengage but its worth it. Attendance is mandatory. Quiz every 2 weeks, homework due Mondays and Wednesdays. Final is written/oral.
Valentina is amazing. She is funny, caring, and really gets to know students. I am so glad i finished out the Italian series at UCSB with her. She lectures completely in Italian and encourages questions in Italian, but isn't condescending if you make a mistake. Her jeopardy and kahoot review games for each test were the highlights of the class.
I loved Professor Padula and I hope to take another course taught by her someday! She is nice and very approachable. I plan on minoring in Italian Studies and she made me want to do it even more. She even made me consider double-majoring with Italian. She is so passionate about the language, teaches well, and sets you up for success!
Perfect professor in Italian class. She is patient and good to students. Even brought some food to us one time. Highly recommended! I like her!
She is really nice and the class is pretty easy. The only hard part is paying attention in lectures because of her heavy Italian accent.
Her lecture is unclear sometimes, but she tests super detailed info for the multiple choice exams. The combination of three essays, online quizzes and two multiple choices is kind of exhausting. She doesn't go easy on the papers. This class might be hard if you are looking for an easy A.
She is the type of teacher to have very vague powerpoint slides and fully explain the slides in lecture, Listening to what she has to say is really important if you don't want to be behind,I didn't buy the book because it's kind of biased and doesn't get to the point,You can find everything online
I love this woman. She is smart, confident, beautiful and she knows how to teach Italian! I will always take her when possible. You cannot fail one of her classes unless you really don't try.
Valentina is by far one of my favorite language professors at UCSB. She really takes the time to make sure her students understand the rules to learning the language and is always eager to help anyone. She makes herself available whenever needed. She always hints towards pop quizzes and reviews for tests are extremely helpful! Would take again!
Valentina was nice and interesting, but not captivating. Sometimes her English grammar mistakes made class confusing. Her grading and testing methods made no sense. Overall, nice lady but blah teacher and blah class.
As a GE class, there were small online quizzes along with two small papers, a midterm, final paper and exam. Readings aren't too long and supplement lectures. All are fairly easy. Posts lectures online. Friendly professor who loves the subject and enjoys talking to students. I've recommended her to friends before.
Valentina is very personable and is always there to help students if they have questions. Going to class is mandatory because she has pop quizzes but she announces them prior (so they're not really pop quizzes) and she really helps students out. It is nice to participate, especially in a language class where you learn faster by doing so.
She really cares about each student and teaches clearly. The class was easy, even for people who don't pick up on languages well. She speaks a lot in Italian but, it's easy to decipher. She's amazing. Take her class.
She was a really good teacher, there were a lot of tests and quizzes but she gives you everything you need to get good grades on them, and makes it really easy to get a good grade in the class
Sweet, intelligent, helpful. I will probably get a B because of my own lack of organization (forgot a quiz, late on one short essay). Quizzes are easy (4). Two short essays.Two MC tests for midterm/final- provides study guides. One 8 pg. paper. SHOW UP TO CLASS. I rarely needed to read the book- everything in lecture. Interesting/ relevant.
Valentina is the best prof. I have had at UCSB HANDS DOWN! She is such a sweet lady and really cares about your success in the course. Go to her office hours and just talk about life! I love her so much and we are still great friends. She is an AWESOME prof. GO TO CLASS, study a little every night, and you will be golden.
She is star, a goddess. Really, get to know her because she will be the department head someday, if not higher than that. She loves Europe, and you can learn a lot in her class. But the best thing is the woman herself.
Such an amazing teacher. She really cares about teaching the students Italian and makes the class relevant to travelling, studying abroad, and learning Italian culture. Goes above and beyond and teaches us about culture, food, transportation, etc in Italy. Very sweet and kind, understanding for all issues. Warns us about pop quizzes :) Amazing Prof
