Professor
Ximin He
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2020 - Just as a preface, I took this class completely online due to COVID-19. Professor He was a fantastic professor. She was very clear, albeit a bit fast, and was more than receptive to student feedback as the course went on. The only significant drawback I encountered with this course was the approach to test-taking. For me personally, I did not perform very well on the tests due to the limited time allowed for lengthy tests. Other students performed just fine, so this was definitely a personal issue, but I still think it is important to know when deciding on a class/professor. Overall, I would absolutely take another class with Professor He. Though the tests didn't come very easily to me, I genuinely felt like she cared about my understanding of the material and that I am leaving this course having learned something.
Fall 2020 - Just as a preface, I took this class completely online due to COVID-19. Professor He was a fantastic professor. She was very clear, albeit a bit fast, and was more than receptive to student feedback as the course went on. The only significant drawback I encountered with this course was the approach to test-taking. For me personally, I did not perform very well on the tests due to the limited time allowed for lengthy tests. Other students performed just fine, so this was definitely a personal issue, but I still think it is important to know when deciding on a class/professor. Overall, I would absolutely take another class with Professor He. Though the tests didn't come very easily to me, I genuinely felt like she cared about my understanding of the material and that I am leaving this course having learned something.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2023 - She is a moderately passionate lecturer. Her lectures are well prepared, and she is friendly when you talk to her. The first few lectures were a bit rushed, especially those on conversion and probability. But the pace slowed down after the first midterm. There were two midterms and five homeworks, which were not very difficult. This class requires you to know some basic OChem (functional groups, isomers of polyisoprene). I appreciate how the slides correspond to the book (which is on UCLA Library) but the slide derivations were appropriately condensed from the book. The book is helpful to supplement the slides. However, keep in mind that it was written from a more pure chemistry perspective, so there is more chemistry than needed for this class. Overall, I would take her class again if I had to as she is an excellent teacher. The TA, Pengju Shi, knows his stuff and he was very prepared during discussions. His slides are helpful reviews. He also graded the midterms very promptly and responded to emails quickly.
Winter 2023 - She is a moderately passionate lecturer. Her lectures are well prepared, and she is friendly when you talk to her. The first few lectures were a bit rushed, especially those on conversion and probability. But the pace slowed down after the first midterm. There were two midterms and five homeworks, which were not very difficult. This class requires you to know some basic OChem (functional groups, isomers of polyisoprene). I appreciate how the slides correspond to the book (which is on UCLA Library) but the slide derivations were appropriately condensed from the book. The book is helpful to supplement the slides. However, keep in mind that it was written from a more pure chemistry perspective, so there is more chemistry than needed for this class. Overall, I would take her class again if I had to as she is an excellent teacher. The TA, Pengju Shi, knows his stuff and he was very prepared during discussions. His slides are helpful reviews. He also graded the midterms very promptly and responded to emails quickly.
AD
Most Helpful Review
Spring 2021 - This class is one of the best classes I have ever taken at UCLA. The instructor is definitely an expert on bio-inspired materials. The lectures include many different topics, which significantly broaden my horizon. The difficulty and workload of this class are appropriate. Literature review, oral presentation and writing of research proposal are better training than exams. All in all, I'll give my highest evaluation and recommendation for this class.
Spring 2021 - This class is one of the best classes I have ever taken at UCLA. The instructor is definitely an expert on bio-inspired materials. The lectures include many different topics, which significantly broaden my horizon. The difficulty and workload of this class are appropriate. Literature review, oral presentation and writing of research proposal are better training than exams. All in all, I'll give my highest evaluation and recommendation for this class.