PSTAT 115 is a tough course, but Professor Franks doesn't make it any easier. His tests are difficult and long (the final did in fact take up the 3hrs) and his lectures are all over the place. Also, he's extremely vague when talking about topics that will appear on the exams, saying, "it might be on there."

Absolutely GOAT in the PSTAT department! Prof Franks is very nice, and he explains things very well in detail. As long as you attend class and do homework, easy A

(For PSTAT 100) Professor Franks is very open-minded and approachable, with concise and detailed lectures to boot. He always explained concepts in a simple and engaging manner, with the course content being more application-based with no exams. But he's not always the most punctual, and lab assignments did feel all too frequent and dense at times.

Fantastic Professor. PSTAT 115 is certainly difficult, but the homework and tests are all do-able and he actually applies the concepts to interesting data (like baseball, basketball, and lord of the rings). You will actually enjoy his class.

Professor Franks was by far the most engaging and inspirational professor I've had. Although his homework assignments were challenging, working through them further interested me in the topics of the class. He was very personable and approachable while making lectures fascinating using real-world examples.

Professor Franks is probably the best in the statistics department. He's a great explainer and clearly passionate about the subject. The homeworks are extremely hard and you probably won't finish them if you wait until the last day to start. The tests however are pretty fair and much easier than homeworks.

A king among kings. Franks' knowledge of Bayesian statistics is unending and enchanting. Fun (albeit difficult) homework assignments, fair tests and grading criteria, and a generally pleasant experience. If he's teaching a course, you should be in it.

I'm not sure why Professor Franks doesn't have a page on here. But I made one just to say that he is probably the single best stats professor I've ever had at UCSB. Although his class was a bit challenging, he really made an effort to make it fair and interesting. He is funny, knowledgable, and overall a very engaging professor. 10/10!