The overall goal of MCDB 103H is to extend the concepts covered in MCDB 103 and apply them to the context of research. For each selected topic, students read a short review article in the first week which provides the historical background and current consensus, followed by a landmark research article in the following week. The course is in the format of journal club with an emphasis on open discussion. Each week, a group of students give an oral presentation and lead class discussion.
1
UnitsLetter
Grading1, 2, 3
PasstimeNone
Level LimitLetters and science
CollegeDr. Ma is interested in his student's successful learning. He will challenge you and force you to learn in ways you may never have been exposed to in a lecture setting, but if you put in the mental effort to follow the material, it is manageable. Go to lecture, and pay attention to the types of questions he focuses on.
Professor Ma was one of the best biology professors I have had at UCSB. He cares about his students and wants them to succeed. He emphasizes correlating similar concepts vs memorization which is nice. Go to every lecture! No iclicker but very important because he emphasizes the important topics. Exams were tough and requires you to apply concepts
Prof. Ma really engages you to the material and encouraged us to apply and connect concepts during the lectures and into the exams instead of purely memorizing. That said, the latter is still very important and hence makes 103 a very challenging class. The drawback is that your entire grade essentially rests on only a single midterm and the final.
Professor Ma is an amazing lecturer, and his teaching style is honestly a game changer. I got more out of his class than out of any other class I've taken since being in college. Grade is based almost entirely on midterm and final. Midterm was easy, but the final ruined my life. I would still recommend his class, teachers like this are rare.