Marcot is a nice prof. I think he was able to explain things well for the most part, however, he would sometimes contradict himself during lecture and would give us clicker questions that were not at all similar in difficulty level to the tests. The tests in 7B are much more confusing than the 7A tests. I didn't put a lot of effort in the class, but I do think it is relatively ok.

Marcot is okay in my opinion, he doesn't really stand out in my mind as either a great prof or a bad prof. It is standardized across the lectures so workload is the same for all, just like the rest of the 7 series.

I felt that this class was definitely tougher than 7A. Before I took the course, everyone told me that this class would be easier. I definitely disagree. The exams were not very straightforward and quite tricky (they often try to trick you with the slightest details in the wording of the questions to throw you off). On the first mid term (the genetics unit), I did not do so great (got a C minus). Later on, I started studying more and ended up doing better on the mid term and final (got a B and B+). Though I expected to end the class with either an overall B plus or A minus, I somehow ended with an A. I think that the professors of this class really try to help students with the extra credit opportunities (teacher evals and syllabus quiz) and with the weighed point structure. My advice to do well in this class is to just really understand the lecture material (sometimes Marcot will slip in something that is very important and could show up on the exams). Also I think that the pre-reading materials are quite important to help understand certain concepts more thoroughly. So my tips for success are just to always study the slides (maybe rewatch some lectures you get confused on) and study some of the main concepts from the readings. Overall, though this class is quite material dense and a bit tricky, the professors did a good job ensuring that everyone got a fair grade.

Just a bit of effort is enough. Tests only make up around 30% of the grade. Rest is clickers, discussion, etc

Marcot's lectures were helpful and informative, but he would sometimes be a week or class behind where other instructors are at. Also, during some lectures, Marcot will focus on one topic for a longer amount of time than the other, which would cause him to rush the class time.

The learning goals were always made clear on a weekly basis, however I feel that the work that went along with the class did not accurately reflect what exactly we were learning. There was only a small amount of work that was done and when I did have work, I felt misguided.

Having gotten an A in LS7A, this class was harder than LS7B by far. I didn't find the content to be necessarily hard and lectures were fairly easy to understand. However, the tests were extremely tough. Nothing in lecture could really prepare you for those kinds of questions they ask. Often, questions I got wrong were because of issues with the wording of the questions and not the content itself, which was very frustrating. The wording of questions can really trip you up and make it really easy to get a bad grade. The discussions in this class I also did not find very helpful for the tests either. I only found discussions helpful earlier in the quarter when we go over genetics, but as we get into ecology and evolution the discussions were no help and honestly a waste of time. We had a few take home labs that were unnecessarily long and took hours to complete that had content that wasn't even tested.

However, since this is a pre-req for many majors and a pre med class, unfortunately we don't have much of a choice taking this class. What I can say that did help a lot when it came to studying for the final was going back over both the midterms because the midterm questions are the kinds of questions you will see on the final. Also, doing the practice midterm/final questions before each midterm or final with a study group is super helpful because those are the kinds of questions you will see on the tests and since they don't provide an answer key it is good to do it with a group so that everyone comes to a consensus. Do not waste your time going over PCRQS, PEQs, or clicker questions as those kinds questions will simply not be on the tests. I also found problem solving sessions to be helpful when learning the content, but those kinds of questions will not show up on the tests either. In regards to Marcot himself, he was a good lecturer. I honestly don't think the professor really matters in the 7 series since everything is pretty standardized among lecturers.

About the professor:
- I don't know what the other professors were like, but I personally wouldn't have a problem retaking LS 7B with the same professor.
- Professor Marcot was okay. Not the worst, not the best.
- Often ran out of time to finish all the slides and didn't have the answer to some student questions, but didn't affect my learning to a big extent.
- Lectures aren't very engaging but not too boring, just okay. Not crystal clear, but not confusingly unclear either. Really just okay.

About the course:
1. I personally found the class content to be much easier than LS 7A. I think the concepts that most people struggled with were pedigrees & non-disjunction. Watching Youtube videos really helped me, especially this one which is about non-disjunction with Klinefelter syndrome (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf7bgMrHNzA&ab_channel=FaaizahAcademy),

2. However, I think it's relatively harder to get an A than 7A because there's no group portion of the exams which is helpful in boosting exam scores. I felt that the final was more difficult than the midterms.

3. Unlike 7A the pre-class reading guides were optional, so I felt that the workload was lighter and more manageable. Launchpad readings & weekly practice exam questions were similar to 7A in terms of workload.

4. The practice midterm/final questions provided before each midterm/final were SO helpful. Definitely a must to perform well in the exams. For some reason, the professors never provide an answer key, but Campuswire is helpful in comparing answers among students.

5. Close to 0 extra-credit opportunities D:

6. Overall a decent course. Better than 7A in my opinion!

Marcot is a really nice guy and looks like a young version of Santa Claus. He's very passionate about paleontology and always answers students questions thoroughly. With that being said, it is definitely a difficult class with a lot of content. However, I feel like Marcot does a good job explaining content. The only thing is that tests are shared through the department, so I'm assuming Pires writes them. For anyone who has taken her for 7A, you know how weirdly worded and difficult her tests are. It's exactly the same in 7B. I say just do the test reflections for extra credit, submit your labs and Launchpad assignments on time, and you should be good. Don't get it twisted, this professor is great, but the class is just so hard.

Marcot seems very nice/approachable. His lectures are clear & easy to understand. He explains things well. The class moves quickly and the tests are somewhat difficult, but that I think is the case for all 7b classes. He is a good bet for a professor.