A little about me: I took the 3-week version of this class as an incoming freshman.

As this was my first class at UCLA, I have no prejudices on which to judge between this course and others, so I thought my review might be helpful to some out there.

I went into this class VERY afraid (all the poor reviews!), but Deb melted away a lot of my fears; she was very helpful and kind to people who asked questions, and she took her time to make sure everyone was on the same page before moving on from difficult topics.

PROS:
- Very interested in helping students learn
- Prompt responses to emails
- Very funny and engaging in lecture
- Great explanations of more difficult concepts

CONS:
- Launchpad was a little bit finicky (especially for first-time user)
- Some Launchpad quizzes covered content from the section after, so it's important to skim first and test later

I honestly liked the flipped classroom model; it was hard to get used to, but I eventually found it to be a good way to learn before and ask questions during lecture, and I think it's a tool that can and should be applied to all other classes. I will say that tests did not require much deep knowledge about topics, but they did require a lot more breadth, especially in terms of knowing how factors within a biological system can affect outcomes or processes within the system.

Overall, a great experience, and you get exactly what you put into the class.

I took the 3-week intensive version of the LS7A, which I think is too rigorous so I'll stick to the 6-week or 10-week in the future. Dr. Pires is a decent lecturer, but tbh I don't think the professor matters much for this series since it's mostly self-study (and all the tests, labs, etc are about the same no matter who teaches). The Launchpad readings are often way too detailed and wordy for the actual midterms and final. The reading quizzes and practice exam questions don't help much either. You're much better off attending the CLC sessions (aka problem solving sessions), because those ACTUALLY drill in the concepts and teach material useful for the exams. For the exams I also just reviewed the slides and clicker questions, realizing that memorizing stuff from Launchpad was a waste of time. Also set yourself a reminder for when each Launchpad assignment is due--I literally missed an entire practice exam question set, an entire reading set, and an entire reading quiz set (yep one of each) because I'm forgetful and mixed up due dates. Luckily the LS7 series gives you some leeway and allows you to miss up to 5 points (equivalent to one "set") and still receive full credit (you get this for the readings, the reading quizzes, and the PEQ's).

Professor Pires was the worst professor I have had at UCLA. I took LS7A Fall Quarter of my Freshman year, so I was fresh meat needing a little boost and extra guidance to acclimate to UCLA. Professor Pires was always condescending and would be-little you if you did not understand something or make snarky comments when you asked questions. I attended her office hours once and never came back after she cut my time short simply because I was super confused and my questions were "too obvious." What kind of help is that? I tried to do my best with the resources I had as a new-comer. Stay away from taking any courses with Pires. She is the absolute worst professor.

This class is a “flipped classroom” which means that you will have to learn the material on your own before attending class. I would not recommend to take this series of you can learn on your own. The material is not too hard but I struggled to understand. It’s not a hard class to pass, I literally got an F for both midterms and the final and I passed the class with a B overall. Just make sure you don’t miss any launchpad material since it is worth a lot of points.
Debra is great, I prefer her over Mcevoy. I took this class with both of them teaching. The first half was Dr. Mcevoy that the second half was Dr. Pires.

Took this class with Pires and McEvoy. Clickers are used and you get points for it so you'll want to attend. It's flipped style with loads of work due on an overpriced online textbook (no way around it). The 7 series is clearly a weeder for LS majors and premed students. The material is pretty much going to be the same no matter the professor, but in this case let me warn you.

Pires and McEvoy suck.

My friends took this class with a different professor and had a way better time (and did significantly better). Not only are they boring and unhelpful teachers, but they're also super unaccommodating. CAE students beware! I got a concussion during the quarter and they refused to excuse any attendance or adjust clicker points, they didn't follow university requested accommodations, and they ignored emails after the grades were released where I followed up about these things. Do yourself a favor and take this class with a nicer 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 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.

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 feel like this course is made to be a bit confusing, so just expect that. Dr. Pires is a great teacher though, and it is totally doable if you put in the work. Don't be discouraged by harsh reviews, a lot of people did not do the recommended optional work and so struggled. If you aren't super confident in bio just go to CLC sessions and review with the TAs at discussion and office hours.

she just does not know what she is doing??? she tries very hard in all aspects of teaching (being responsive, [trying to] answer questions, ...) except the part that requires comprehension in the material and competence in conveying a message with structure and intention