Debra B Pires
Department of Life Sciences
AD
3.2
Overall Rating
Based on 104 Users
Easiness 2.9 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 3.1 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 2.9 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 3.2 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Uses Slides
  • Needs Textbook
  • Tough Tests
  • Participation Matters
  • Gives Extra Credit
GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS
31.3%
26.1%
20.9%
15.7%
10.4%
5.2%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

25.6%
21.4%
17.1%
12.8%
8.5%
4.3%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

47.6%
39.6%
31.7%
23.8%
15.9%
7.9%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

32.8%
27.3%
21.8%
16.4%
10.9%
5.5%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

19.3%
16.0%
12.8%
9.6%
6.4%
3.2%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

30.8%
25.6%
20.5%
15.4%
10.3%
5.1%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

19.5%
16.2%
13.0%
9.7%
6.5%
3.2%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

31.1%
25.9%
20.7%
15.5%
10.4%
5.2%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

27.5%
22.9%
18.3%
13.8%
9.2%
4.6%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

ENROLLMENT DISTRIBUTIONS
Clear marks

Sorry, no enrollment data is available.

AD

Reviews (75)

3 of 8
3 of 8
Add your review...
Quarter: Fall 2023
Grade: A-
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Dec. 27, 2023

I didn’t take AP bio in HS so for me this class was a bit hazy. Like many science classes, stuff is just taught from the board and we have engaging tactics to answer questions like clicker. Though as a life science major I wouldn’t say I enjoyed this class during lecture most times. I also did not enjoy the tests.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2023
Grade: B+
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Dec. 4, 2023

I wouldn't recommend having Pires for 7A. She explains bio concepts in a weird way that makes everyone more confused.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2023
Grade: N/A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Dec. 3, 2023

Due to the flipped classroom curriculum, your professor may not make a huge difference. Class consists of lecture and clicker questions to mark attendance and there are often pod assignments each lecture. I would recommend doing staying a little after in the lecture hall because you can ask the TA's or the professor for guidance and clarification. For exams, make use of resources like CLC sessions and TA office hours! They often went over what would be on exams and I felt much more prepared that way. My TA was Shania and she was super fun and great at explaining concepts. The class is challenging but by the second midterm you'll have a good grasp on what to expect from future exams since the questions are worded a bit strangely at times but it's meant to mimic the MCAT from what other TAs have told me. Best of luck!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A-
Jan. 30, 2023

This was my first class here at UCLA and it kind of took me by surprise. The teaching style was way different than what I have been used to since the professors implemented the reverse classroom technique. There were many readings a week and also the pre class quizzes and assignments that cam with the readings. This class really had to be a priority for me so that I could do all the readings and assignments a week and still study for the 2 mid terms and exams that sneak up really quick. Overall, the class is pretty manageable if you have time management skills.
As for the exams, mostly all of the questions on the exams were not covered in class. Yes we had many different clicker questions, but they were not as complicated as the questions on the exams.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A-
Jan. 20, 2023

Pires is quite engaging during lectures and taught various concepts well. My biggest issue with the class was the exams and how difficult they were compared to the homework and content taught in lectures. The amount of workload in this class was also a little overwhelming, but for the most part bearable. These two issues do not really matter though in terms of which professor you take since they all have the same amount of workload and exams. The amount of extra credit they offer was very useful and what I felt helped my grade a lot! If you can, I recommend attending the problem-solving sessions offered by the TAs and LAs. Although it may be annoying to have to attend extra sessions, I would say they are very useful as you can get more one on one help! Overall, I would definitely take Pires again!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: B
Jan. 12, 2023

Lectures to me were boring and not helpful, however they were required to go since they used IClicker. There were lots of clicker questions during lecture. The textbook and outside resources were definitely helpful. To me, the tests were difficult, as you needed a strong understanding of all the concepts, rather than simple memorization. I hadn't taken AP Bio in high school, which I heard was helpful for a lot of students. There were many extra credit opportunities which definitely helped my grade a bit. Homework is time-consuming but not difficult. Exams were all online. Discussion sections and CLC sessions were also extremely beneficial, so I would attend those 100%.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: N/A
Jan. 3, 2023

This class was super hard coming from not having bio classes in Hs and learning everything first hand while for most people it was review. Pires was nice and has a good personality but cant explain reasoning at all in lectures after clicker questions. Going to other professors question answering sessions were wayy more useful than her lectures as a whole. This class has hella work for no reason too which didnt help with the application (which they test you on) in my opinion.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Dec. 27, 2022

This class is a very manageable class with a normal college-level workload. The professor for 7A does not really matter because all the assignments/tests/lectures are the same across the various classes at least for my quarter. There were a lot of complaints about the flipped classroom aspect where we had to do a lot of the learning/reading before we came into class for the lecture however I thought that it worked really well for my learning style and I was able to get a deeper understanding of the material through this structure. The tests are difficult since the questions are never straightforward forward they require a deeper understanding of the material rather than simple memorization. For instance, you wouldn't need to be required to recite the steps of cellular respiration but rather explain the outcome if a certain part of the mitochondria was damaged. This requires a deeper understanding of the material. The tests were manageable if you really understood the material well. The lectures were concise and went over the material that was required so overall the class was difficult but very well organized. There was very little reading that was unnecessary and most of the class work was focused on learning necessary material. Also, taking AP Biology was particularly helpful, the class would have been significantly more difficult to learn all the material from scratch.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A
Dec. 13, 2022

If you have ever taken AP/IB Biology before, this class is a review (and an expansion) of that. I would say that the homework isn't hard - but time consuming. The lectures are honestly a bit boring, with only the clicker questions (everyone answers on a mobile device in class) to keep students engaged. Pires takes attendance through clicker questions, so make sure to answer those. I liked the whole "come to class having prior knowledge" concept they use - but it also makes me feel as if the class is self-taught; I don't think the lectures really teach much. Exams are application-based rather than testing you on the information you learned. Make sure to go to your discussion sections because those go over how to answer application-based questions. The exams compared to the content/homework is SO much harder - you will never study enough for this class.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: N/A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Dec. 13, 2022

Professor Pires is a super nice lady, she’s funny and definitely engages with the students despite such a large class size. But I will say that the content of this course is very dense and I was kinda lost during the lectures. Basically you have to teach yourself all the information because the lectures kinda lightly touch on what you need to actually know for the exams.
All that aside, I think I can speak for most of my peers when I say that the way many aspects of this class were handled by the 7A professors ever since the TA strike began was not efficient at all. At the moment none of them are responding to Campuswire posts, and there’s even a petition for a class curve that already had over 1000 signatures. A lot of students are freaking out because there were mistakes on many of the questions on the final exam, causing us to lose points. From what I’ve heard, there were adjustments made to this course’s grading scale during Covid, so I hope that given the lack of discussion sections and TA assistance this quarter, we’ll receive a similar kind of accommodation.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2023
Grade: A-
Dec. 27, 2023

I didn’t take AP bio in HS so for me this class was a bit hazy. Like many science classes, stuff is just taught from the board and we have engaging tactics to answer questions like clicker. Though as a life science major I wouldn’t say I enjoyed this class during lecture most times. I also did not enjoy the tests.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2023
Grade: B+
Dec. 4, 2023

I wouldn't recommend having Pires for 7A. She explains bio concepts in a weird way that makes everyone more confused.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2023
Grade: N/A
Dec. 3, 2023

Due to the flipped classroom curriculum, your professor may not make a huge difference. Class consists of lecture and clicker questions to mark attendance and there are often pod assignments each lecture. I would recommend doing staying a little after in the lecture hall because you can ask the TA's or the professor for guidance and clarification. For exams, make use of resources like CLC sessions and TA office hours! They often went over what would be on exams and I felt much more prepared that way. My TA was Shania and she was super fun and great at explaining concepts. The class is challenging but by the second midterm you'll have a good grasp on what to expect from future exams since the questions are worded a bit strangely at times but it's meant to mimic the MCAT from what other TAs have told me. Best of luck!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A-
Jan. 30, 2023

This was my first class here at UCLA and it kind of took me by surprise. The teaching style was way different than what I have been used to since the professors implemented the reverse classroom technique. There were many readings a week and also the pre class quizzes and assignments that cam with the readings. This class really had to be a priority for me so that I could do all the readings and assignments a week and still study for the 2 mid terms and exams that sneak up really quick. Overall, the class is pretty manageable if you have time management skills.
As for the exams, mostly all of the questions on the exams were not covered in class. Yes we had many different clicker questions, but they were not as complicated as the questions on the exams.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A-
Jan. 20, 2023

Pires is quite engaging during lectures and taught various concepts well. My biggest issue with the class was the exams and how difficult they were compared to the homework and content taught in lectures. The amount of workload in this class was also a little overwhelming, but for the most part bearable. These two issues do not really matter though in terms of which professor you take since they all have the same amount of workload and exams. The amount of extra credit they offer was very useful and what I felt helped my grade a lot! If you can, I recommend attending the problem-solving sessions offered by the TAs and LAs. Although it may be annoying to have to attend extra sessions, I would say they are very useful as you can get more one on one help! Overall, I would definitely take Pires again!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: B
Jan. 12, 2023

Lectures to me were boring and not helpful, however they were required to go since they used IClicker. There were lots of clicker questions during lecture. The textbook and outside resources were definitely helpful. To me, the tests were difficult, as you needed a strong understanding of all the concepts, rather than simple memorization. I hadn't taken AP Bio in high school, which I heard was helpful for a lot of students. There were many extra credit opportunities which definitely helped my grade a bit. Homework is time-consuming but not difficult. Exams were all online. Discussion sections and CLC sessions were also extremely beneficial, so I would attend those 100%.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: N/A
Jan. 3, 2023

This class was super hard coming from not having bio classes in Hs and learning everything first hand while for most people it was review. Pires was nice and has a good personality but cant explain reasoning at all in lectures after clicker questions. Going to other professors question answering sessions were wayy more useful than her lectures as a whole. This class has hella work for no reason too which didnt help with the application (which they test you on) in my opinion.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A
Dec. 27, 2022

This class is a very manageable class with a normal college-level workload. The professor for 7A does not really matter because all the assignments/tests/lectures are the same across the various classes at least for my quarter. There were a lot of complaints about the flipped classroom aspect where we had to do a lot of the learning/reading before we came into class for the lecture however I thought that it worked really well for my learning style and I was able to get a deeper understanding of the material through this structure. The tests are difficult since the questions are never straightforward forward they require a deeper understanding of the material rather than simple memorization. For instance, you wouldn't need to be required to recite the steps of cellular respiration but rather explain the outcome if a certain part of the mitochondria was damaged. This requires a deeper understanding of the material. The tests were manageable if you really understood the material well. The lectures were concise and went over the material that was required so overall the class was difficult but very well organized. There was very little reading that was unnecessary and most of the class work was focused on learning necessary material. Also, taking AP Biology was particularly helpful, the class would have been significantly more difficult to learn all the material from scratch.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A
Dec. 13, 2022

If you have ever taken AP/IB Biology before, this class is a review (and an expansion) of that. I would say that the homework isn't hard - but time consuming. The lectures are honestly a bit boring, with only the clicker questions (everyone answers on a mobile device in class) to keep students engaged. Pires takes attendance through clicker questions, so make sure to answer those. I liked the whole "come to class having prior knowledge" concept they use - but it also makes me feel as if the class is self-taught; I don't think the lectures really teach much. Exams are application-based rather than testing you on the information you learned. Make sure to go to your discussion sections because those go over how to answer application-based questions. The exams compared to the content/homework is SO much harder - you will never study enough for this class.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: N/A
Dec. 13, 2022

Professor Pires is a super nice lady, she’s funny and definitely engages with the students despite such a large class size. But I will say that the content of this course is very dense and I was kinda lost during the lectures. Basically you have to teach yourself all the information because the lectures kinda lightly touch on what you need to actually know for the exams.
All that aside, I think I can speak for most of my peers when I say that the way many aspects of this class were handled by the 7A professors ever since the TA strike began was not efficient at all. At the moment none of them are responding to Campuswire posts, and there’s even a petition for a class curve that already had over 1000 signatures. A lot of students are freaking out because there were mistakes on many of the questions on the final exam, causing us to lose points. From what I’ve heard, there were adjustments made to this course’s grading scale during Covid, so I hope that given the lack of discussion sections and TA assistance this quarter, we’ll receive a similar kind of accommodation.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
3 of 8
3.2
Overall Rating
Based on 104 Users
Easiness 2.9 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 3.1 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 2.9 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 3.2 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Uses Slides
    (71)
  • Needs Textbook
    (56)
  • Tough Tests
    (54)
  • Participation Matters
    (59)
  • Gives Extra Credit
    (56)
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