Grade Distribution:
Lab Assignments: 45%
Reading and Lab Quizzes: 20%
Final Exam: 35%
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The content of this class is so fun and engaging, and Dr. Brown presents it is an easy way to understand. She's a pretty good lecturer and is obviously passionate about her subject. I do not recommend buying the books for this class as her lecture slides alone should be enough to study for the exam. Overall, the labs were very easy and fun. It felt really similar to high school where the students were handed worksheets to fill out in the 2 hours given each week for lab. I worked in a group (which I highly recommend) and we did pretty well on all the labs, especially since the grader was pretty nice. The TAs main job is to help you in lab, so if you are feeling stuck go to them (especially Lauren Tafla who is very helpful). The reading quizzes each week were extremely easy, especially considering that you could infinitively retake them but the lab quizzes were harder. They were generally only 5 questions and based off 3D images from lab, but I was lucky that I did well on all of them. Also the lowest lab, reading, and lab quiz gets dropped for the class. This class did originally have a 15% midterm but because of the Palestine protests it was canceled, and the lab assignments and final exam's grade were inflated instead. The final exam is a little daunting considering all the specific dinosaurs and bones you have to know, but I found it easier than expected. It consisted around 55 multiple choice questions, with 3 write-in answers. However, the exam got extremely curved so don't worry too much. Overall, I highly recommend this class especially if you want an easy but fun lab science.
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GEs fulfilled by this class:
Foundations of Scientific Inquiry: Life Sciences with Lab Credit
Foundations of Scientific Inquiry: Physical Sciences with Lab Credit

This is a pretty easy class if you want to fulfill your scientific inquiry GEs. However, there is a lot of information to memorize. I just finished the final and it was honestly easier than I thought it would be; in fact, it may have been one of the easiest tests I've taken at UCLA thus far. I barely studied for it and thought I was going to do poorly, and got a 110/115. She curved the final and gave an extra 10 points, which was very generous of her. Although our midterm was canceled due to the ongoing protests and the final was worth 35% instead of 25%, it had some of the questions from the practice midterms, study guides, and followed conceptually from lecture slides. No tested lab material at all and the readings aren't necessary to do well. These questions are not designed to mislead you in any way, and at times you may even find the question giving you the answer (e.g., bipedal = ankles).

For labs, my TA, Lauren, was very nice and easygoing so my lab group and I almost got 100% every time. I heard other TAs in this class graded other labs harshly, but labs are always full points if you are collaborating with others and ask your TA questions.

For the quizzes, the lowest one is dropped and you get unlimited attempts for the lecture quizzes. However, you do not get unlimited attempts for the lab quizzes. I got 4s and 5s on the lab quizzes almost every time since some of the questions are tricky and can be misleading surprising. The lecture quizzes are 5/5 every time if you don't forget to do them. I had a friend who missed two quizzes and his grade tanked because of that so make sure to stay on top of them since they can creep up on you.

Overall, this is a pretty easy class. Make sure to prioritize labs, the quizzes, and actively engage in lectures and you should get nothing less than an A.

My favorite class I've taken, by far. It's not just obscure dino facts, but seeing through the eyes of a scientist how all these puzzle pieces of evidence can help us solve mysteries of evolution and ancient ecosystems. Prof Brown's lectures are good. They're recorded and pretty enjoyable to listen to. Labs are easy - look at fossils and answer questions about them. A good amount of reading, but you don't really need to do it to succeed on the quizzes. Final exam was a breeze. Go to labs, make flashcards using the slides, review using the study guides she posts, and it would be hard not to get an A. At the end of the day, it's a dino class. 10/10

i was worried about my grade in this class because of the closed book midterm/final on niche dinosaur facts, but the labs + online quizzes constitute a big chunk of the grade so that it didnt matter and ended up being a relatively easy A. recommend!