(CORONA REVIEW) This class was extremely well-structured in that it had weekly discussion responses, weekly quizzes, weekly labs, and weekly discussion sections. The class was already supposed to be online so I am assuming that is the reason it worked out so well. Assignments were graded extremely fair and as long as you didn't miss any you should have been able to do extremely well in the class. There was no midterm or final exam, only a final paper that ended up being made optional given the circumstances. Section was also pretty cool thanks to Lisa M. where she'd do a fun participation question and then get into the week's topic. Our professor was very helpful too and answered emails very promptly. The only tough part of the class was the weekly quiz. It usually took me over an hour to complete despite being only 20 questions because the questions came from our online textbook and the multiple videos we had for the week. We also were able to get 2% of extra credit in the class from doing evaluations which made me go from A- to A. So, coming from someone who is normally pretty lazy, this class was well-worth the weekly hassle and I would definitely take it again.

If I could give Prof Kavanaugh a raise, I would. The amount of effort he puts into his class and his students is legendary. He makes the class engaging and expects the TA's to as well. Anytime I had questions he had ways of answering them that empowered me to ask more questions. He cares about his students so much and genuinely loves what he is teaching and it shows. If you have the opportunity to take this class for a science GE, take it. The class is very eye opening and I would take it again in a heartbeat.

Definitely an easy science GE class that I'd recommend. Cavanaugh was one of the professors that really tried to keep the students engaged during lectures & wanted to make his class enjoyable rather than impossible and challenging. Also, he genuinely seemed like a good person who cared about his students. Attending lectures is sorta required b/c he does make the students answer iClicker questions (X need to answer them correctly) & take attendance w/ it but he does offer flexibility w/ that as it allows you to miss up to 2 or 4 classes (can't remember precisely). I'd say the labs were kinda annoying b/c you actually had to pay attention & answer the lab worksheet correctly every week to get the credit, but my TA was really chill & helpful & I ended up w/ a high lab grade. There is this group lab report & presentation that could get annoying, but as long as you write some reasonable shit down & say some shit during your presentation, you will easily get a 90 or above on it. Cavanaugh did offer easy 2% EC of either answering all iClicker questions or speaking twice in lectures throughout quarter, which was a dub. The midterm wasn't the greatest & definitely thought I wouldn't end up w/ an A but w/ the lenient grading scheme, as long as you tried hard in your labs and answered iClicker questions, getting an A wasn't hard at all. Also the final was super easy w/ all MCQs which I did appreciate a lot. I'd say the content was pretty interesting as a science class. Definitely recommend GEO5 w/ Cavanaugh & Daniel Lu as your TA (he's really awesome).

This class was interesting and very bearable. If you show up to every lecture, takes notes, study for the tests, then you should be good. The lab section was tolerable. As long as you show up and complete the assignments for the lab that section then you are fine. The most we had to do was a final paper and presentation which was a group project but you can pick any environmental topic so that was easy.

Kyle offers extra credit by participating; do it!!

I got a B on the midterm and A- on the final. His tests are very fair. Read the textbook for backup on material you do not fully comprehend and go over his slides and your notes.

Go to his office hours!! He is really easy to talk to and answers any questions and fully addresses any concerns you might have. He was so much more approachable than my TA. Very nice guy.

I am selling my textbook! Text me **********

It is obvious that the professor cares about his students. He asks for input and listens to student feedback. The labs were easy and straightforward and can all be done within the lab time. The midterm and final were both reasonable. He started using iClickers this quarter, which exposes you to the style of the questions on his tests. Some of the iClicker questions even showed up on the final. Towards the end of the quarter, he also started specifying the chapters of the textbook you should focus on, which greatly decreased the amount of reading. He gives 2% extra credit if you participate in lecture twice or if you attend every lecture and answer the iClicker questions (for the students who don't want to speak up). Overall, I really enjoyed this class.

Geog 5 With Professor Cavanaugh has been one of my favorite classes at UCLA so far. The course fulfills the lab demo GE, but is also useful in fulfilling some pre-major required courses. If you get the chance to learn about people and earth's ecosystems under this teacher, DO IT! Cavanaugh is extremely passionate about the course content, which is reflected in his engaging lectures and willingness to communicate with students, be it about grading concerns or potential interest in pursuing the geography major. He genuinely wants students to learn, and sets up his class in a way that can be achieved if the right amount of effort is put in (ie based on 1000 points, pretty even distribution across different assignments). The midterm and final were both fair in terms of material, and the prof and TA's are definitely helpful in preparation. The final is not cumulative, which is another plus.

All in all, 10/10 class: easy, interesting, and a professor who really cares! Go Cavanaugh!

as someone who has done mediocre on stem classes in the past, this class was pretty easy for a "stem" class ! every week covered a different topic, such as water scarcity, weather, environmental justice, etc so there is a nice variety of concepts covered. you have to watch lecture videos uploaded by prof. cavanaugh but they're pretty short, complete a discussion response 1 hour before your section, a lab report, and a weekly quiz. discussion response is graded on completion, the quizzes are pretty easy (just ctrl f the textbook, and there's no time limit). the only thing that is a pain is the lab reports. up until week 6, you have to do one every week and it took me about 3-4 hours to do each one since there are lots of tiny requirements you have to meet and you have to gather data on that topic. nonetheless, the topics were pretty interesting to write about and the grading wasn't too harsh. as someone who sucks at stem i highly recommend this class for an easy science/lab ge (im actually considering minoring in geography/environmental studies now). also ta Jennifer badger is really nice, highly recommend :)

one of the easiest classes I've taken at ucla so far. I took it online w an in person discussion so idk if that played a difference but it was a breeze. only assignments are reading quizzes and a weekly lab. no midterm or final, just a final research paper (on a topic of your choosing).

my ta was very nice and I had no problems getting good grades on these. content was also super interesting. 10/10 class would highly recommend (esp if u need a lab credit & already have a hard schedule)

I took this as a GE over the summer and it was great! I was worried about taking an online class over the summer, but this class was so manageable! The only thing I disliked was the weekly lab reports. They were very interesting and fun to do, but if you got behind at all on the material for that week it would be a mad scramble to try and finish the lab report. Basically if you can stay on top of your work, this class is very interesting and enjoyable!

I really enjoyed this class. There is a good amount of weekly work (watch the lectures, read a chapter or two from the e-textbook, complete a discussion post, quiz, assignment) but the information is really interesting and valuable, the work is not too difficult and it's easy to get an A. The class is extremely well-organized. You can re-take the quizzes so it's pretty easy to get a 100% on all of them. Prof Cavanaugh is great, really helpful and an engaging, clear lecturer.