Hands down this is the worst professor at UCLA. He is disrespectful to students who come to him for help and refuses to admit fault when he is to blame. The topic in the course is interesting, but Prof. Joo should not be allowed to teach. I am shocked UCLA has still kept him around.

This dude straight up sucks

Poor communicator (though there is a language barrier). Could not understand him as he gave lectures. Did not adequately prepare class for the midterm, and he did not even show up for the test. Left it up to the TA.

[spring 2020 covid online quarter] To be a student to this professor, please be an understanding human. I found his interests really interesting, and I think he is a very thoughtful person with a very socially aware outlook on things. I believe English is not his first language? So he can be hard to understand sometimes but try to listening to what he is really saying instead of just hearing what you hear.

Teaching-wise, I was disappointed--his slides are pretty disorganized, and he also taught really slowly so I didn't feel like the class even covered that much material. However, he did express that he had a hard time adapting to teaching in the online format so idk if this class would have been different in person. Another reason he didn't teach very much was because the TA taught I think 6 or 7 classes on beginning Python coding? Which I agree with the prof is an important learning objective. But if you know any coding at all already, it's kinda useless to you (I didn't learn anything new from this portion of the class and was pretty bored, tuned out). If you don't know any coding yet, might be rough since learning coding for the first time is learning a new way of thinking. But as the prof says and I agree, it will become an indispensable job skill and if you're ready to challenge it you won't regret it. Kaushik was the TA and he was obv new to teaching but went slowly, always answered questions clearly and made sure everybody was following.

Grade was made up of two coding homework assignments and two exams, which asked simple coding questions and conceptual short answers from material.

Fairly easy and interesting upper div Comm class about AI applications in media, also an intro to Python. Don't worry if you have no coding background. I didn't at all.

Grading consists of 2 tests (midterm and final), 2 coding assignments, and participation which is a given. Tests are graded very leniently. No group projects. It is entirely possible to score 100% on the coding projects, just pay attention in class and you'll be fine.

The professor is a cool and cute guy :)

Yes, this class is pretty boring. There is a lot of history about technology mixed in with some discussion about current events. The professor is an interesting guy. He tries to be really intimidating, and I think for the majority of students he succeeds. But he is actually pretty chill and has a really dry sense of humor, which I liked personally. He isn't really accommodating if you try to meet with him outside of class. He never answers his email so don't even bother. If you have questions you must ask in class. He takes attendance sporadically throughout the quarter by having you write a few paragraphs and hand it in at the end of class. Super easy, you don't even need to put much thought into it. Sometimes he assigns readings which are super dense. Honestly, I never did them because he basically repeats everything in the lecture so it's pointless. There is a midterm, a term paper and a final. The term paper is difficult only because it is extremely open ended - he allows you to write about anything you want about technology so long as it hasn't been discussed in class. You can earn extra credit by doing a short presentation on your paper on the last day of class. The midterm was easy if you showed up to class, took notes and actually studied them. You have to know the material. It will be very obvious if you don't and he is not generous with his grading. The final was slightly more challenging, but I used the same study method as the midterm and ended up very pleased with my grade. Exam format is 5-10 true or false questions, then anywhere between 5 to 10 short answers, and 2-4 longer essay type questions. Might sound difficult, but it really isn't if you study a few hours the night before. This class is not an easy A, but it also isn't hard. The grade you get will reflect the effort you put in. I would recommend it.

It was a very enlightening class. I learned a lot about AI and its various applications in research, social media, etc. The professor was pretty good with explaining the material, but since the concepts are a bit more complex and interdisciplinary, it may take some time to fully grasp them. The python portion of the class was also very straightforward and helpful. As someone with coding experience, it was on the easy side and may seem a bit slow-paced. But it is definitely meant for beginners and the TA was very helpful in trying to get everyone on the same page. Very doable class and I had no issues with the online learning environment for this.

Overall the class is great, but the Python section is so so hard for a comm student. I would recommend choosing a different upper div.

He is sometimes mean but actually so smart..... Probably he's mean because of it.
I love his daily outfit. It's just so well-dressed.
This class is actually easy, like you just have to study all slides before the exam and you are perfectly ready for the exam. The material is interesting at not at all just theoretical. There is one group project but not a ton of work, since he gave us plenty of time to prepare for it. I'd really recommend this class if you are interested in big data or sth similar.

He does not know how to communicate! Lectures are boring, he confused me every time I went to ask him a question about an assignment. Readings aren’t totally necessary, mainly just lecture notes. I rarely went to class. His exams are free response and the final is cumulative but personally I didn’t think it was very cumulative. The midterm was really easy if you studied but the final was a bit difficult for me personally. Listen to the examples he gives you in class, you can use them on the tests. There is one paper which isn’t that hard. Overall, very mediocre class, not a great professor but an easy grade if you put in at least some effort