His lectures aren't hard but exams are tricky. I"m selling EXTREMELY detailed notes from his lectures. These notes will definitely help you do well and understand what hes going to ask of you on the exam. All 16 lectures and additional helpful notes for $55. **********

So, I just finished this class for summer session, and I have to say, THIS IS MY FAVORITE CLASS AT UCLA SO FAR. I have absolutely no idea what these other reviews are talking about, because the Professor Willette they are describing is nothing like the Professor Willette I came to know over the summer. I took both 109 and 109L. First of all, I got an A in the lab and either an A or A+ in the lecture (He hasn't uploaded extra credit and final yet, but I know I did well). I love his lectures because even though they go through a lot of information, he always includes super fun videos and pictures of undersea creatures. There are organisms out there in the ocean that I have never even heard of.
As for his exams, I have to say that though I scored well, the class average was a C. This confuses me so much. Either I have a superior understanding of marine science, or these people just think, "Oh, marine science. Lots of fish pictures, it's summer, no need to study!" WRONG. You do need to know the material, but I find it pretty easy to piece things together. And his exams do require a broad knowledge of the topics. For example, a question might ask, "There are two organisms living in the littoral and abyssal zones. Describe the differences in nutrition, light, temperature, oxygen concentration that they might face." So for the example, you first need to know what littoral and abyssal mean. Then you need to know the lecture about abiotic differences in differing depths. Also, he will list multiple things in lecture a lot, then on the exam he will put for example, "Name 2 ways water got into the ocean". So you don't have to know every single example he gives in lecture, but know at least 2 or 3. There are definitions too, but really, if you know your stuff, you will be fine. Make sure to go to lecture, pay attention, and write down what he says. The exams are based entirely off of the power points, so there is no need to buy the book. But some of the slides might not make sense if you just look at them, so you really do need to attend lecture to see what he says about it.
As for the lab, SUPER FUN! We had a trip out to the beach to dig for mole crabs, and a trip to the aquarium. The labs were all pretty easy, but there aren't many points available so do be careful. If you have a question about anything, just go to his office hours! He's really friendly. I had him for lecture, discussion, and lab. No TA. I think that might be a feature of summer session, but I'm not sure. Anyways, I am glad I got to spend so much class time and get to actually know the professor! I have never had that opportunity in any other class.
So my recommendation: TAKE THIS CLASS! It's super fun, don't listen to these other people, do study the material and have a good understanding, and go to lecture. Piece of cake! When in doubt on the exams, write more rather than less, because his exams sometimes don't specify if they want a single word answer or a paragraph.

I SUPPORT EVERYTHING THE PEOPLE BELOW ME SAID.. This is also my first eval and the person below motivated me to write this eval.

I also got an A in 153A and EEB 120 (Taylor) which are not easy classes.
Interesting class but messed up grading! I am about to go in the final KNOWING that an A grade is not possible. That never happened to me before. If you're trying to go to medical school, I beg you to stay away from this class.

Please !! I beg you stay away from this class.
Don't be fool in the first few days of your class. The materials are super interesting and entertaining. Don't get the illusion of this professor of being nice. His midterm are so weird !! they're not hard, but he and the TA grade them super hard. A lot of points are deducted for no reason. You probably might think it's okay because you can submit a regrade. NO NO NO! the most he will give back to you is 2 or 3 points. This class is insane.

I've never submitted an evaluation before but after taking this class I had to make an account to warn people. Do Not Take This Class!!!!! It's a super easy topic and really easy to learn but the tests are impossible! I understand every topic very detailed and am walking away with great knowledge but not a great or even a good grade. He will ask questions very vague and expect you to be specific. Ex: He asked about barnacle competition and expected us to say which barnacles were the dominant competitor even though he only asked what was the biotic stressor (competition). I could go on and on but I can't stress this enough, AVOID THIS PROFESSOR!!

This is also my first eval and my last quarter at UCLA. For my 4 years at UCLA, I have got a lot of As or even Bs for even the hardest biochem labs. Went to all lectures and listened to all recorded audio cast for more than 2 times per lecture. I came to take the test knowing everything. Even after the test, I was sure I will get at least 95. But I got C. Final was even harder. His questions are very misleading as it is difficult to understand what he is asking. He doesn't go specific about it. He gives a vague question with specific answer key. This was definitely the worst class

This guy's tests are ridiculous. You can study and understand every little detail but he words the questions in ways that you don't know if he is asking about one thing vs another. I earned an A in chem 153A, which is a really hard class, but in this class I currently have a C. I am gonna study like crazy for the final but knowing him he will probably make it unfair. Also, the TAs will take off points for literally no reason on answers you get completely right, so make sure to ask for a regrade for every test. Oh and there is no curve and no plus/minus grades. So when I end up with a 79.9% after the final, I'll be receiving the same grade as the guy with a 70%. This guy's crazy. He seems like a nice guy but he couldn't care less about his students. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS! It's near impossible to get an A in this class since he takes points off for no reason on the tests. You walk out thinking you did great and end up getting a C. If you are trying to go to graduate school or medical or dental school or whatever, this class will hurt your GPA so much so please do yourself a favor and stay away! I expected to get Paul Barber that is why I signed up for this but then they switched it to this psychotic guy instead. Hopefully there are other choices for EEB 109 professors because this is just as sad class if not. He assigns articles to read every week. Discussion mini-presentations every week. No study guide for midterm 2. Midterm 1=100pts Midterm 2=100pts Final=200pts Discussion quizzes=40pts. He gives extra credit but grades it really hard. I spent money buying a video editing software and made a music video and ended up with a 5/15 possible points. It took me a long time to make that video too. Basically if you're fine with a C then go ahead and take it, but C students will have a hard time just passing. He said there were a lot of grades lower than 50% on midterm 2. No clue how this guy got the job.

I took EEB 109 with this professor in Fall 2014. I have NO IDEA what these other reviews are talking about because this man is one of my favorite professors at UCLA. Yes his tests were hard, but if you really study the material they are entirely doable, and the difficulty is not atypical of biology classes here. The grading system is very clear at the beginning of the class and is what is used by the other marine bio professor as well, so no plus/minuses, but the TAs can be lenient if you show effort. The articles you have to read for discussion aren't very long, and the quizzes are straightforward if you've read. The first midterm was hard, but he made the second midterm and final much clearer and more straightforward and offered 3% extra credit total for your grade.

Unlike other biology classes, he doesn't make you answer a bunch of useless questions about the names of fish species and such, although you will have to know the general characteristics of a few types of plankton, for example. he takes the time to get to know his students if you make an effort, and at the end of the class the grade distribution was more forgiving than it has been for many other bio classes (over 25% A).

A very interesting class and great professor!