Edward Keller - University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA

Professor: Edward Keller

Department: Geography

College: University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ENVS134
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Please don't take ENVS 134, Coastal Processes and Management if you don't have to. This class was disappointing. All of the exercises that are group projects. The lectures were poor, Dr. Keller only briefly mentions the things he will test on, and the final had questions that weren't covered anywhere.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ENVS2
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

There's a textbook with lots of reading, but he goes over it in lecture. BEWARE: he doesn't get to it all & with mostly images for slides, you may get lost if you 100% ditch the book. It can be hard to stay focused bc he talks a lot, but he's funny so you get a laugh here and there! Multi choice exams are simple, some tricky q's, but doable.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: EARTH113
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

My favorite professor, great character with lots of stories. Very nice outside of class and actually loves being around his students. This class wasn't easy by any means, but what would you expect with "engineering geology" as the title. Homework assignments were tough since they were usually just manipulating physics equations, but tests were fine

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ES2
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Lectures are jam packed with irrelevance. He cant make a valid point to save his life, just insists u buy the book he wrote. Oh and the Tas wont be bothered with your "petty"(actually said this)questions either. Youve been warned. Do yourself a favor and steer clear.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: 2
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Keller is a great professor because he is very knowledgable on the subject matter. His lectures can get a tad dry but overall I found them to be interesting. He's really a very funny and friendly professor but he does expect ALOT of work in his sections aka group projects and essays and weekly assignments. Not a bad GE, though.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: ENVS2
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

The book alone does not prepare you for these tests. I had to study off practice tests online. Lecture and section are not mandatory nor are they helpful. Group essay due at the end of the quarter. Also comprehension quizzes due before each lecture. Overall, class was super unorganized, professor and TAs included.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ES2
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Keller's es 2 class was a disaster. Tests focus on unimportant details of case studies presented in the book: information no one knew to study. He had no clue how to lead an informative lecture. His lectures lacked all semblance of any organization. At the end of class he broke the students into "groups" to "discuss" the material.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ES2
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I love environmental studies but this professor made the class so disorganized and intensive that I learned absolutely nothing. There are 3 online quizzes before lecture each week, question online and question in class, group project, term paper, FIVE MIDTERMS, the lectures are unclear, the tests and textbook are poorly written (too general), .....

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ES2
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

This professor assigns 3 chapters of readings every week and each chapter is 30-40 pages long. There were 5 midterms and each midterm covered around 4 Chapters. The final had 100 questions that covered 19 chapters which means that it is impossible to remember all 19 of them to do answer every nitpicky Q. DONT EVER TAKE IT. YOU'RE ASKING FOR DEATH.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ENVS2
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Environmental Studies is my favorite subject, but sadly this was the worst class I've taken at UCSB. The class is so poorly organized and I honestly felt like my concerns were never recognized or handled well. He is very unhelpful and has little to no clarity in lectures. I also felt that the material was bias. Would never recommend to a friend.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: 20479
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

This class was the most incoherently structured, poorly taught, most pointless lecture I and my ES major-friends have ever experienced. There is 0 communication between Keller and the TAs, and the 5 midterms are intended to trick and confuse you, no matter how much you study. The lectures are irrelevant. I wouldnt recommend it to any of my friends

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ENVS2
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Lectures are painful. He is very stuck in his ways and unwilling to change based on feedback. He tried to "flip the class," which only resulted in an incredible amount of wasted time in lecture. His tests are unfair and extremely subjective. Lack of communication and agreement between Keller and the TAs. Concerns brought up by the TAs were ignored.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ENVS2
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

This class was sooo painfully boring. I went to lecture maybe twice and passed. Only helpful tool for doing well on the exams is literally the practice questions, about 3/4 of exam questions are straight from that. Lecture is totally pointless as Keller likes to ramble on in a disorganized fashion. Material is easy, kind of like 9th grade bio.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ES2
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Lecture is pointless. Use practice questions to study for midterms. He creates trick questions even if you think you have the right answers. Whole class was unorganized and the term paper was ridiculous: he expects you to know how to write scientifically even though the majority of students aren't even ES majors. Not worth it and not an "easy A".

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ENVS2
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

The lectures are utterly pointless to attend. If you read the chapters(even ones he says to skip because some questions will be from them)and live the practice questions then getting a B/C is easy. The questions on the tests are often trick ones though, so prepared. The paper is annoying and pointless, but a major part of your section grade.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ENVIROSTUDIES
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Lectures are pointless, boring and frustrating. One of his questions on a practice exam was wrong and I brought it up and never got an answer. He gives you practice exams that are almost exactly like the test, except he tricks you on a few. Overall, decently easy class you don't have to go to, except the professor as a lecturer sucks.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: EARTH113
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I was excited to finally take a course with Keller after hearing so many awesome things about him, and let me just say he did not let me down! He is the sweetest professor I have had over the past four years. His classes are relatively easy if you keep up with reading and lectures. He is so easy to talk to and always eager to help outside of class!

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ENVS2
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Keller is one of the sweetest professors ever, its like you get taught by ur grandpa.Hes very funny and his lectures are entertaining. Read his textbook, everything he tests you on comes from there and the practice tests. Dedicate time to find the answers to practice tests ahead of time. Do well in the first 3 midterms and the final is optional.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ES2
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Easy A IF YOU DO THE PRACTICE EXAM QUESTIONS, beware they take forever to find and you can't be sure that you have the right answer. test questions are very subjective and you must know what KELLER wants you to know. Also, the paper was ridiculous. no instructions were given until a week before it was due. He is a really funny and nice guy though

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ES2
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

3 midterms 1 final, drops the lowest test score. anyone who said this is an easy A is mistaken, the amount of reading is insane and even if you don't do it and try to find the answers to the practice questions (which is most of the midterms anyway), it takes forever. a lot of the questions are worded really confusingly too. funny/nice guy in class.