Yeates made this class incredibly easy during the COVID-19 pandemic. All you had to do to get an A was attend discussion and do the homework assignment every week. You get most of the homework answers during your discussion section and if not, the TAs give you homework answers during office hours. This was a good and bad thing; good because it was low stress, bad because it meant you really didn't have to learn anything. I stopped keeping up with this class after week 3 when things started to pick up the pace in my other classes (AHEM Nakamoto's CHEM 154) and never caught back up to speed. So yes, I got an A in this class for putting in the work, but I barely touched the textbook, didn't watch the lectures, and put in the minimum amount of time on the homework assignments which means I didn't learn much. I know that this will hurt me down the line so I might go back and learn everything now that I've graduated and have time haha

I took this class during Spring 2020 when it was completely offered online because of COVID-19. During this quarter, Professor Yeates pre-recorded the lectures, and the only live components were the discussion sections. I found the lectures fairly helpful, though they were essentially a verbal version of the textbook (so it might help to read the textbook if you're having trouble with a concept). Discussions were helpful as the TAs went over homework problems and we were put into breakout rooms to discuss those problems.
For this quarter, Professor Yeates decided to get rid of all exams (including the final) which made the class a lot more stress-free. Our grade was based purely on weekly assignments which were due once a week, and graded on a check minus/check/check plus basis. As such, I found the class pretty straightforward. The concepts were alright; honestly I was super passionate about them as they were kind of all over the place - one week we'd learn about protein symmetry, another week we'd learn about kinetics. It seemed like just a bunch of random biochemical topics thrown into one class.
My only gripe with this class was the Python coding assignments that were on the homework. Professor Yeates assigned us coding assignments, but for someone like me with no coding experience, I didn't really understand what was going on at all. I pretty much relied on the TA to carry me through that portion of the course, but even then - I had no idea what was really going on. It would have been helpful to get more basic Python info/tutorials for people with no coding experience though.

Overall, though, this is a decent class (especially if it's being taught online) - I would recommend Yeates to the prospective chem 156 student!

If you are taking this class with Professor Yeates and hated CHEM 110A like I did, rest easy. This class is nowhere near as bad as CHEM 110A and it is actually fairly interesting.

Class breakdown: - Midterm 1: 100 points
- Midterm 2: 100 points
- Midterm 3/Final: 130 points
- HW (he never told us how much HW was actually worth)

Professor Yeates is a good professor. He doesn't overload you with material and presents it in a clear and concise way although most of the lectures will be almost completely from the book. Another great thing about this class was the fact that you don't have to shell out for an expensive textbook. Professor Yeates sold us his textbook on the kindle store for like $2.

The exams for this class are all pretty fair. Midterm 1 average was a 70 and Midterm 2 average was 85 (I think the second midterm was a bit too easy). Homework in this class is fairly tricky because all of them are old exam questions but there's no penalty for giving the wrong answer because all of the homework is graded for completion but the TA will take off points if it looks like you are writing random things.

CHEM 156 is one of those rare classes where the final isn't fully cumulative which was really nice. Despite it being not cumulative it was definitely more difficult than the midterms.

Overall this class was a good experience. Definitely take 156 with Yeates if you can

Fair exams, students feel welcome in seeking help from him. Down to earth and easy to communicate with. Would take more classes with him if I could.

Prof. Yeates is one of the best teachers I've ever had at UCLA. He truly loves his students and what he does. You will not regret taking a BioChem class with him. His lectures are well prepared and easy to follow. His tests are very fair. I hope I can take him again someday.

He is a great prof! His exams are straight forward if you do all the study questions he gives you right before the tests. Also, there is no homework to turn in.

He's a good teacher for Chem 156 (note that this class is much easier than 110A). He's taught it tons of times and explains things pretty clearly and simply. The homework assignments from the book aren't particularly helpful, but he'll give you old exam questions which are very useful in studying. Also, he's a really cool guy and always available outside of class.

I do not know why people like his class. He does not know what "teach" and "be patience" at all. I fell sleep every class, becuase the materials are boring and he is boring too. He does not be patience when people ask him the same question in the office hour. overall, I think that he does not get really low rate on this website, because he looks cute.

Dr. Yeates is a good teacher--he tried to simplify everything so that we, as undergrads, could understand the material. He's a very fair guy, not to mention a very nice person. I recommend taking him.

Yeates is the most effective and most interesting professor I have had in the chem and biochem department at UCLA. He outlines concepts very well, and in the end you actually feel like you have learned something useful, not just memorized a bunch of worthless biochemical pathways that you will forget after the final (like MOST biochem classes). This definitely has to do with the material being interesting as well, but even interesting material can be butchered by a bad professor. He welcomes questions and is interested about helping you out. Overall, he is a great professor who is enthusiastic about his class, writes fair exams, and is very concerned with your understanding of the material.