I personally hate the LS series and considering I failed all the exams, I still received a passing grade. This class is super interesting but the setup of the class is annoying. You have to learn all concepts and vocab before attending the lecture. We used launchpad/ iclicker reef for our in-class participation and homework.

* Disclaimer* I took this class entirely online

Dr. Pires really does care about her students and is genuinely a good professor. She is a clear lecturer and good at responding to student questions. A lot of the information you need isn't covered in lecture and you need launchpad to get all the material.

The course is graded similarly to LS7A with a little more emphasis on the exams. There are opportunities to do a mini midterm and get points back that can get you almost 7 percent back on your test.

One nice part about LS7B is that the professors communicate between one another well and that even if you have friends with a different professor the class is exactly the same. Dr. Pires is great and I would recommend taking her but if another section fits better in your schedule for this class, I think it ok to go with the other professor.

Easiest of the series… still failed every exam though. You’ll get an a if you dont miss a launchpad like I did…. Labs were not hard, sometimes finished early! It’s not the worst class ever but it is challenging.

As far as the content for LS7B goes, it's really not that bad.
Pires? The TA's? The workload and exams? All suck. Both the Professor and my unfortunate excuse of a TA (Evan D.) were rude and dismissive when students asked questions. The practice exams given out are nothing like the actual midterms or finals and the launchpad is a huge waste of time. The labs are 2 hours long and you never have enough time to finish them and the TA does not give enough guidance yet grades harshly, taking points off for minute things every week. Pre-Labs for 2/10 weeks are like 7 pages long and never show up on the midterms or finals. Honestly, none of the homework we did ever really felt helpful.
Not to mention they're always due 15 mins after the end of the lab period, EVEN IF it's the TA's fault for not being able to get through all of it on time.

All in all, this class is horrible and I would avoid taking Pires at all costs. I just wish we could have Professor Maloy for all the 7 series, that man is the GOAT

If you have a sufficient background in biology then you should do alright in this class. The class has a sizeable workload, but not a drastic jump from 7A. You will have weekly launchpad readings, quizzes and practice exam questions as well as a lab every week. Its super manageable and doing the work is what will allow you to succeed in this class. We all hate the launchoad readings but it only takes about an hour to complete the pre-class assignments and they tell you pretty much everything you need to know to do well in the class. If you liked 7A then 7B should have roughly the same outcome.

I don't understand why Pires has bad reviews. She was extremely kind, welcoming, and helpful as a professor. She speaks at a pace where everyone can follow along and is very clear when explaining. She's good at responding to questions because she never wants anyone to be confused.

The Launchpad and tests are similar to LS 7A. Launchpad reading is not helpful, but the questions are good practice for the tests. Go to office hours to understand those questions on Launchpad.

The midterms were okay. Some of the wording on the questions were confusing and there is no way to get clarification, so it is what it is. However, there's plenty of opportunities for extra credit and to make up points. There's a reflection of how you did on the midterm, so that's a free 2 points to your midterm score. There's also a mini-midterm that has more problems and you can add up to 6 more points on your midterm score.

The labs are pretty easy. They were just extremely tedious. The class still has CLC sessions. These are also very helpful. I didn't think I would like the material, but I found it somewhat interesting. Overall, I would recommend taking Pires.

I know there's a lot of negative reviews about Pires on here, but I personally thought that she was a really sweet professor! She was accommodating and was pretty funny during lectures. The content was pretty straightforward, and in my opinion, was the least difficult course of the LS7 series.

At the beginning of the quarter, I was really hesitant to take this class with Pires because of all the negative reviews, but she ended up being nothing like these reviews and I'm so glad I had her as a professor. She was super laid back during our classes, and she genuinely cared about our well-being. She was very cheerful and excited about the concepts, which always encouraged me to attend lectures. She was mostly able to explain the concepts, and if we didn't understand something we could always go to Campuswire to get our questions answered. The tests were a bit challenging but I thought that the material she provided to us was extremely useful in prepping for them (especially clickers and PEQs). Also, instead of offering a group portion like in LS7A, she gave us a mini-midterm and reflection assignment that could get us back 8 missed points on our midterms, which in my opinion were SO nice. In addition to this extra credit, there were like 5 other opportunities throughout the quarter to get EC. My TA Justin was really helpful as well, and the labs were pretty straight forward. This was one of the best experiences I've had with online learning, and I would highly recommend this professor!

Professor Pires is dedicated and helpful. Even though the exams are tough, the Professor also offers extra credit to bump up our grade. Attendance isn't mandatory but Iclicker counts toward grade. Overall, this class is great. I didn't expect to get that grade (:

I took LS 7B in Spring 2020, where Dr. Pires taught with Dr. Pham, so a lot of the policies were adjusted due to current events. Dr. Pires was one of the most understanding professors. If you had any issues she would try and correct or help you to the best of her abilities.
This class consists of two midterms and a final. The midterms tested on information from the textbook and class so pay attention in lecture. Dr. Pires and Pham made the final optional but I'm sure the format is similar to other LS finals.
Overall, an easy course if you put in the effort to learn the information.