LIFESCI 7A
Cell and Molecular Biology
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, 75 minutes. Introduction to basic principles of cell structure and cell biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
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Summer 2024 - *Taken Online* Just to make it clearer, but I took this during the summer so for the other quarters it may be different. LS7A is a flipped classroom method, so it's more individual study than actually learning from the lecture. Usual routine is doing pre-class homework and review quizzes that covers the next lecture's materials. You are required to answer iClicker questions during the lectures to get participation points. The class did compress about 10 weeks' worth of learning into probably 6 weeks for the summer, but the distribution of work made it very learnable, but I spent about 1-2 hours a day doing homework so that I didn't feel overwhelmed before the due dates. Extra credit opportunities is provided as well for this class about every other week, and they are very doable so it is heavily suggested to at least give it a try. Learning pods are also assigned, but can be adjusted due to people dropping the class, etc. Learning pods worked on discussion section materials together and submit learning pod assignments as a group (this one is assigned after the lecture, so it's different from discussion section). Dr. Bouklas is a nice professor and she and the TAs answer questions really quickly as they are asked during the lectures. She also regularly updates us via BruinLearn, posts announcements, and is often seen on CampusWire answering questions students may ask. In lectures, she kinda teaches off the slides though, but she does explain a lot and is pretty knowledgeable in course content. For midterms, it's definitely doable, but I heavily recommend studying a good amount for it, as a good amount of things from discussion sections and lectures are tested. There are the individual and group sections, both of them are equally weighed so your learning pod will be a significant influence. Tests can be curved depending on how everyone does, but just do your best. Regular communication with your learning pod members is heavily advised. Overall, it's not that difficult to get a good grade in the class as long as you are on top of the course material. It can be a decent bit of work though, but it pays off because you'd learn a lot in a relatively short period of time.
Summer 2024 - *Taken Online* Just to make it clearer, but I took this during the summer so for the other quarters it may be different. LS7A is a flipped classroom method, so it's more individual study than actually learning from the lecture. Usual routine is doing pre-class homework and review quizzes that covers the next lecture's materials. You are required to answer iClicker questions during the lectures to get participation points. The class did compress about 10 weeks' worth of learning into probably 6 weeks for the summer, but the distribution of work made it very learnable, but I spent about 1-2 hours a day doing homework so that I didn't feel overwhelmed before the due dates. Extra credit opportunities is provided as well for this class about every other week, and they are very doable so it is heavily suggested to at least give it a try. Learning pods are also assigned, but can be adjusted due to people dropping the class, etc. Learning pods worked on discussion section materials together and submit learning pod assignments as a group (this one is assigned after the lecture, so it's different from discussion section). Dr. Bouklas is a nice professor and she and the TAs answer questions really quickly as they are asked during the lectures. She also regularly updates us via BruinLearn, posts announcements, and is often seen on CampusWire answering questions students may ask. In lectures, she kinda teaches off the slides though, but she does explain a lot and is pretty knowledgeable in course content. For midterms, it's definitely doable, but I heavily recommend studying a good amount for it, as a good amount of things from discussion sections and lectures are tested. There are the individual and group sections, both of them are equally weighed so your learning pod will be a significant influence. Tests can be curved depending on how everyone does, but just do your best. Regular communication with your learning pod members is heavily advised. Overall, it's not that difficult to get a good grade in the class as long as you are on top of the course material. It can be a decent bit of work though, but it pays off because you'd learn a lot in a relatively short period of time.
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Fall 2019 - POINTS BREAKDOWN: - 68 points for iClickers - 90 points for midterm 1 - 120 points for midterm 2 - 72 points possible out of 80 for weekly discussion participation (so you can miss one discussion and still get full points) - 10 points for CCLE Reflections (which I found useless, but they were easy points) - 45 points for launchpad PCRQs - 45 points for launchpad PEQs - 45 points for launchpad assignments - 200 points for final - Extra Credit: varies by quarter I think, but for Fall 2019, there was like 5 or 6 EC points available - TOTAL POINTS (w/out EC): 695 points Yeah, this class is hard. This quarter, the class was taught by two professors, Maloy and Braybrook, but from what I saw Maloy teaches most of the content. Both professors were good lecturers, they had an abundance of office hours during the quarter and before tests. Lecture structure is a lot of active participation, and the iClickers are a big part of that. During lecture, there are a lot of iClicker ?'s, and you are expected to work them out with the people around you because they can be quite challenging at times. If you don't like to participate and the TA's see you, they WILL come up to you and challenge you to work out the problems with them. You're not safe anywhere, even in the back of the classroom sitting on the floor. Once, when Braybrook was lecturing, Maloy was going around and caught a bunch of us in the back not actively participating. He worked with us for the rest of the lecture, making sure we knew what was going on. While it can be annoying, especially because my lecture was at 9am and I didn't want to be doing anything at that time, it is really nice that the professors and TA's/LA's are so insistent. It makes you feel like they really care that everyone is getting the most out of their lecture time. DO NOT DISCOUNT THE IMPORTANCE OF LECTURE. Go to all your lectures!! As you may have read/heard before, launchpad kind of sucks. It's good for background info I guess, but the professors are really going to let you know what you need to understand from launchpad. And what they talk about is what's on the tests, in excruciating and often confusing specificity. Take advantage of study sessions hosted weekly by your LA's, I never went (my bad) but I heard they were super useful for practicing how to answer the questions as they are formatted on the tests. And they're formatted wack af, so you need the practice. Don't fall behind, try to work with others as much as you can, and by God, take advantage of the resources they give you in the form of office hours and study sessions. If I had done all these things, I probably could have gotten an A-, or a solid B if I tried a little more. This class is honestly really difficult, but it can be easier if you don't fuck around and actually focus. These professors aren't dicks, they want you to succeed. So good luck and happy studying! You can do it :)
Fall 2019 - POINTS BREAKDOWN: - 68 points for iClickers - 90 points for midterm 1 - 120 points for midterm 2 - 72 points possible out of 80 for weekly discussion participation (so you can miss one discussion and still get full points) - 10 points for CCLE Reflections (which I found useless, but they were easy points) - 45 points for launchpad PCRQs - 45 points for launchpad PEQs - 45 points for launchpad assignments - 200 points for final - Extra Credit: varies by quarter I think, but for Fall 2019, there was like 5 or 6 EC points available - TOTAL POINTS (w/out EC): 695 points Yeah, this class is hard. This quarter, the class was taught by two professors, Maloy and Braybrook, but from what I saw Maloy teaches most of the content. Both professors were good lecturers, they had an abundance of office hours during the quarter and before tests. Lecture structure is a lot of active participation, and the iClickers are a big part of that. During lecture, there are a lot of iClicker ?'s, and you are expected to work them out with the people around you because they can be quite challenging at times. If you don't like to participate and the TA's see you, they WILL come up to you and challenge you to work out the problems with them. You're not safe anywhere, even in the back of the classroom sitting on the floor. Once, when Braybrook was lecturing, Maloy was going around and caught a bunch of us in the back not actively participating. He worked with us for the rest of the lecture, making sure we knew what was going on. While it can be annoying, especially because my lecture was at 9am and I didn't want to be doing anything at that time, it is really nice that the professors and TA's/LA's are so insistent. It makes you feel like they really care that everyone is getting the most out of their lecture time. DO NOT DISCOUNT THE IMPORTANCE OF LECTURE. Go to all your lectures!! As you may have read/heard before, launchpad kind of sucks. It's good for background info I guess, but the professors are really going to let you know what you need to understand from launchpad. And what they talk about is what's on the tests, in excruciating and often confusing specificity. Take advantage of study sessions hosted weekly by your LA's, I never went (my bad) but I heard they were super useful for practicing how to answer the questions as they are formatted on the tests. And they're formatted wack af, so you need the practice. Don't fall behind, try to work with others as much as you can, and by God, take advantage of the resources they give you in the form of office hours and study sessions. If I had done all these things, I probably could have gotten an A-, or a solid B if I tried a little more. This class is honestly really difficult, but it can be easier if you don't fuck around and actually focus. These professors aren't dicks, they want you to succeed. So good luck and happy studying! You can do it :)
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2024 - Professor Burton is super sweet and approachable. I attended her office hours often, where she would draw diagrams to help explain class concepts. The lectures were well-organized, and while some of the assignments felt unnecessary and tedious, they did tie into the class objectives. It’s important to note that you can attend the office hours of any of the 7A professors, and they all use the same materials, including iClicker questions, slides, test questions, etc. The first two online midterms (AoLs) were divided into two phases–individual and group–but your grade ultimately depended on your group phase performance. Groups are randomly assigned during the first discussion section, and you sit together in lecture throughout the quarter. The in-person final (AoL 3) was cumulative, with an emphasis on material covered after AoL 2. Some of the test questions were debated among the professors, and as a result, points were given for multiple answers, but overall, the assessments were fair and aligned with the class material. Since I took AP Biology in high school, I felt very prepared for this class. I highly recommend attending the weekly Problem Solving Sessions (PSS), as they let you practice the class content using past midterm/final questions. Overall, if you stay on top of the work and take advantage of the extra credit and resources available, you’ll do well. I’d definitely recommend Professor Burton to anyone.
Fall 2024 - Professor Burton is super sweet and approachable. I attended her office hours often, where she would draw diagrams to help explain class concepts. The lectures were well-organized, and while some of the assignments felt unnecessary and tedious, they did tie into the class objectives. It’s important to note that you can attend the office hours of any of the 7A professors, and they all use the same materials, including iClicker questions, slides, test questions, etc. The first two online midterms (AoLs) were divided into two phases–individual and group–but your grade ultimately depended on your group phase performance. Groups are randomly assigned during the first discussion section, and you sit together in lecture throughout the quarter. The in-person final (AoL 3) was cumulative, with an emphasis on material covered after AoL 2. Some of the test questions were debated among the professors, and as a result, points were given for multiple answers, but overall, the assessments were fair and aligned with the class material. Since I took AP Biology in high school, I felt very prepared for this class. I highly recommend attending the weekly Problem Solving Sessions (PSS), as they let you practice the class content using past midterm/final questions. Overall, if you stay on top of the work and take advantage of the extra credit and resources available, you’ll do well. I’d definitely recommend Professor Burton to anyone.
Most Helpful Review
Spring 2021 - Professor Campbell really does try to connect with his students and be engaging, but unfortunately, lectures can still be really boring. I had ls7a with both him and Maloy, and when Campbell was teaching, I definitely found it harder to pay attention to his lectures. Also, sometimes his explanations were a little ambiguous.
Spring 2021 - Professor Campbell really does try to connect with his students and be engaging, but unfortunately, lectures can still be really boring. I had ls7a with both him and Maloy, and when Campbell was teaching, I definitely found it harder to pay attention to his lectures. Also, sometimes his explanations were a little ambiguous.
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Fall 2021 - Dr. Chen taught the second half of LS7A after Dr. Maloy this quarter. Though she was not as good as Dr. Maloy, she was still a great professor and lecturer. You can tell she is EXTREMELY knowledgeable about the material covered and always went out of her way to answer any questions we had about the material. She does move VERY fast in lectures, but other than that she is a very solid professor. Highly recommend!
Fall 2021 - Dr. Chen taught the second half of LS7A after Dr. Maloy this quarter. Though she was not as good as Dr. Maloy, she was still a great professor and lecturer. You can tell she is EXTREMELY knowledgeable about the material covered and always went out of her way to answer any questions we had about the material. She does move VERY fast in lectures, but other than that she is a very solid professor. Highly recommend!
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Winter 2020 - While the whole LS7 series is not structured really well, Professor Khankan makes the best out of it. By always being engaging, funny, and very informative of the material, she makes this series not so bad after all. In all honesty, she is the best professor for LS7A!
Winter 2020 - While the whole LS7 series is not structured really well, Professor Khankan makes the best out of it. By always being engaging, funny, and very informative of the material, she makes this series not so bad after all. In all honesty, she is the best professor for LS7A!
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