Professor Coffey is so passionate about earth science that it is almost contagious. His lectures were always very clear and fun to listen to and the class itself was quite interesting. I only missed one lecture (which I wasn't expecting considering it was a 9 am) and I still wish that I had been able to go.

For context, here's the grade breakdown:
- 30% - 2 midterms
- 25% - weekly labs
- 10% - 4 hw assignments
- 15% - popular science book presentation
- 20% - final

The exams are based on questions that Professor Coffey puts at the beginning of his slides for each lecture. As long as you can answer all those questions from memory, you'll be set to do well on exams.

The labs were generally straightforward question-and-answer style assignments. The most difficult part was mineral identification, but the TA was super helpful and most of the class was usually able to get these identifications right. For in person labs, they even allowed students to come back during office hours and try again at re-identifying minerals if they had gotten them wrong the first time. (If they got them right during office hours, then they would get the points back). There was also a quick 5 minute group presentation which was assigned, but it wasn't difficult, especially when you split the presentation up with others. The TA I had (Jake) was very understanding and made labs a lot more fun then I imagined they would be.

The homework assignments were definitely a bit harder than labs since they required more application of concepts learned in class, but Professor Coffey and the TAs were always willing to answer questions about them during office hours.

The popular science book presentation was also pretty straightforward - just pick a book related to earth science in some way and give a 7 minute presentation on it including a summary, connection to 2 research paper abstracts cited by the author/related to the topic, and your opinion on the book.

Overall, I would highly recommend this class! Even though the workload sounds a bit much, none of the work is very difficult and you'll have plenty of support if you need it.

I really liked how there were clear objectives posted at the beginning of each lecture and how the tests were directly based on the lectures. I did not ever go to class live; rather, I watched the recordings and took notes based on the objectives. I studied the notes and got high A's on the tests. The tests are super easy if you know the goals well. The labs were harder though. Tests are 50% of the grade and the labs and other assignments are the other 50%, and although that's probably done with the intention of making things fairer, interestingly I think I would have done much better if the tests accounted for more. The labs require skills and knowledge that aren't directly covered in the lectures, so I'd definitely recommend working on them with others rather than by yourself. I had Zach as my TA and he was very chill. Also, Professor Coffey responds to emails in a timely manner which is super helpful. He also regularly sends announcements about the upcoming assignments and tests.

I loved this class! Professor Coffey was incredible and so educated at teaching this class. I took APES in high school and I was very prepared for this class. I'm a history major so I'm not a huge science person but I loved this class so much I'm in another EPSSCI class this quarter. He is a great person also and just such a funny guy.
I also appreciated his use of a clear mask the whole quarter. I have a hearing impairment and I was able to read his lips which was BEYOND helpful. My TA was lowkey dry, but he was good at teaching and seemed genuinely engaged. Loved this class

Kevin is the best teacher I've had at UCLA. Not only because he teaches in a funny and clear manner, but also because of his kindness. He is very humorous, caring, and lovely. A number of us in the class had become friends with him. (he also has a lot of small dinosaur figures in his office that you can take for free c:) Buuuuut he talks rather slowly, so I sometimes watch the lecture recordings at 1.5x time speed.
The class itself is fun and easy if you are interested in basic geology stuff. I did really well on the midterm and the final with 2-3 hours of study the day before, otherwise, I don't read or study anything outside of class. Kevin has very clear slides with goals listed in the beginning, if you go through all of them you will be fine for the exams. It has two weekends of field trips in the Mojave desert with a long field project, so the workload is a bit heavy towards the end of the quarter, but it is a great experience for doing fieldwork, making friends, etc.
Labs are also interesting, the TAs are super nice, almost all labs can be done during lab time. The only heavy work we had was the field part. If you are having another class with a heavy workload, you might want to email Kevin and ask him for advice on to take it or not.

I really liked this course with Coffey! Coffey is clearly very passionate about geology and earth science and very knowledgeable. Lectures were engaging and informative. All information on exams comes from the lectures. He explains everything pretty well and I definitely came out of this class knowing more than I did before. Even made me want to take more EPS courses! There are weekly labs which could be hard and time-consuming. Also, sometimes the lab directions were not clear which made them very confusing. However, Coffey answers emails and is very willing to help out during office hours. There was a course-long project during lab sections in which you read a popscience earth space-related book and make a presentation about it. If you spread out your reading and spend some time on the presentation, it's pretty easy. The hardest part about this class was definitely the grading. My TA was a tough grader and I got points marked off on almost every lab. The exams are also graded harshly. But, if you really know the information, you will do fine. Overall, I would recommend EPS 1 with Coffey for a science GE or just for anyone who wants to take a stimulating and interesting course. Not an easy A but not too hard either.

I liked Professor Coffey. He was always very enthusiastic and funny in an endearingly awkward kind of way, and his lectures were laden with under-appreciated jokes. That being said I was not a huge fan of this class by the end of it. Overall workload was manageable, but some of the labs and HW assignments were just so tedious, especially those where you had to ID a bunch different kinds of rocks. I guess this is to be expected in a geology course, but still. Tests were entirely based on goals provided in each lecture, and in spite of doing nothing but study the goals prior to each exam I still got Bs on both midterms and the final. He does not curve any of the exams, so I feel like you need to study quite a bit to get a good grade in the class.

Love Coffey! Took this class as recommended by many friends and I can see why. Prof is super engaging, even over zoom, and anytime I had a question, he'd be able to answer right then and there. Exams are not too hard, with the second midterm being much easier than the first. However, he does not want you to use your notes during exams, and study his goals to make sure you can do your best. The exams are not weighted too heavily though, so don't worry too much.

Lab over zoom was meh, but my TA Marina was great! While trying to be accomadating with Google Earth, she allowed us to work off a single screen in breakout rooms and always answered any questions we struggled with. Lab wasn't too hard anyways, just technical difficulties.

Overall loved this class and if it wasn't for chemistry and physics, I'd definitely major in Earth Science for my guy Kevin. Also he kinda cute or is it just me <3 sorry for being a whore

This class was great! I'm not sure if Kevin will be teaching it again in the future, but I would really recommend taking it under him!

Homework (15%)- Around 6 hw assignments, the first one is definitely one of the more challenging ones, so go to office hours for help! Mine rocked!
Professionalism (5%)- free points basically, arrive on time to the field trips and you're guaranteed these points
Labs (30%)- These are little challenging, but don't sweat it, it definitely helps if you brush up on using a petrographic microscope, but you can definitely learn as you go on. Ask your TA for help if you need it and you'll be set really
Midterm (30%)- The midterm was a bit challenging, a combination of true or false and free response questions that basically cover the learning goals of each of the lectures. I recommend going over these goals one by one and making sure you have a good grasp of what they are asking. The questions will vary between explaining certain processes conceptually, defining terms, and explaining the differences between certain concepts.
Final (20%)- Pretty much the same format as the midterm, but definitely longer

This class is a bit complicated I have to say–it requires the ability to really visualize concepts which is a bit of struggle. This class consists of:

2 midterms - the first one is more information based where as the second is more about the understanding of concepts (labeling, drawing). Midterms will consist of a couple true/false questions, some free response questions– labeling, defining, and drawing.

Lab exercises - these will be hard–genuinely–my friends and I literally stuck to our TA's side for the entirety of lab towards the end of the quarter. In fact, to this day I cannot look at a stereonet without getting flashbacks.

Presentation - you're going to choose a paper about a geologic feature and present on it to your class ( if you don't want to present in front of a large group–choose a time towards the end of the presentation period).

Final examination - this will be stressful, I suggest going through the goals for each slide deck and really understanding things conceptually.

TLDR: You will learn how to map with your class, you might freeze, you will definitely slip, and you will definitely consider getting a headlamp.

I did enjoy this class, you will learn the foundations of geologic mapping and you will bond with people within your department. But while I did enjoy this course, many people in this class have been accused of academic dishonesty especially with the final mapping project.

This class consists of:

- 1 midterm - Kevin provides goals for each unit, and it's best to go over these one by one and make sure you understand them.
- several lab assignments: these are a little difficult, but do not despair (everyone will be confused). I highly recommend getting help from the TA and not dwelling on it, there are a couple of these so one bad score won't ruin your grade.
- a final - about the same difficulty as the first midterm. Study the goals and be prepared to remember specific things like geologic symbols and the rule of v's
- a mapping exam - you will complete this on your second weekend in Rainbow Basin and you will be miserable, and you might give up–but just draw what you see and you'll be fine I swear
- a final mapping project - this one is for all of the marbles. Mapping Rainbow Basin is a rite of passage that we all have the misfortune/fortune of completing and you will be better for it. Kevin is a bit nitpicky about academic honesty and I have heard of students getting reported for trivial things like "similar colors" and similar notation so I'm just going to say that you should NOT work on your maps in the presence of others. In fact, DON'T EVEN BREATHE in the direction of someone else's map.