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).

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.

DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR!

The most boring professor I have encountered at UCLA. Avoid this professor at all costs. She assumes that you know everything because Launchpad should have covered it, but she is just awful at lectures. If you can avoid this professor do so. She does not offer past exams for students to review she does not look like the type of person that you would ask a question to. She got mad at people that didn't do her little arts and crafts project and took away credit from people that didn't do it, YOU THINK PRINTING IS FREE IN COLLEGE DEBRA? The nerve of having to come to this class only because you know I might give her a chance. She had bad reviews, but hey don't judge a book by its cover I said. BOY, I WAS WRONG.

LOVED the content, did not like the professor. Make sure to do all the launchpad assignments since they make up a significant portion of your grade, and participate for clicker questions. Tests were multiple choice only, 50 questions and 2 freebies on each. The final was online and I chose to skip it.

Tl;dr
Lecturer: Taking 7A with Prof Pires was frustrating, confusing, and unrewarding. Speaks too quickly and doesn't bother to explain, repeat or put emphasis or anything. Always sounded tired or treated us condescendingly.
Course: Steer clear if you don’t need to take 7A. DO NOT TAKE THIS AS A GE. There are pervasive flaws with the LS 7 series format. Prof Pires, the creator of the LS 7 series, seems to be convinced that her methodology is revolutionary and incontestably superior.
Extremely disappointed with this course and the LS core. No transparency at all. They just made dealing with the Coronavirus situation more stressful and disorienting.

Grading
- LaunchPad readings 45 pts
- LaunchPad questions 45 pts
- LaunchPad practice exam questions 45 pts
- Reflection assignments (short surveys on study methods through CCLE) 10 pts
- Clicker Questions 68 pts
- Discussion section worksheets 72 pts
- Midterm 1 90 pts
- Midterm 2 120 pts
- Final 200 pts
- Extra credit 5 pts (composed by different surveys, evals, etc.)
Total 695 points
Curved up if average < 75% (rarely curved)

The lecturer: Prof Pires
- Her manner of speech when giving lectures is constantly very nonchalant, unenthusiastic, and disconnected. This meant that I never knew what was important to write down and what wasn't. She also doesn't repeat anything or properly explain diagrams, just drops info and moves on.
- If you miss something she said, you have to wait until lecture's uploaded to BruinCast to catch up AND can't follow anything she says for the next few slides.
- Both Prof Pires and Prof Pyle (who co-taught this course) have unreasonable expectations in terms of recalling all of that day's LaunchPad* material on the spot. In class, they will drop a term and say "Remember X from LaunchPad? Yeah, so..." and continue without caring to recap or explain.
- Both Prof Pires and Prof Pyle also dumb down their explanations for Clicker questions. This meant that I could get the idea of the explanation but was not given the proper way to write it down or explain it in a scientifically accurate way.
*LaunchPad = online platform that hybridizes an ebook with quizzes. You need it for points (a PDF of the book will not cut it).

ON THE CORONAVIRUS SITUATION: Prof Pires was irresponsible and not at all transparent of the situation. She spent six days "figuring out solutions" without updating students, only to not change anything other than make it online. Anxiety ran free those six days, coming from someone rarely anxious at all. Furthermore, Prof Pires and the LS core only made the final optional after much pressure from the students and a letter from the Academic Senate addressed to faculty in general.
And whereas other lecturers for 7A (e.g. Prof Lazzazera) allowed getting the highest grade of three options as a final exam score (taking the final and using the final exam's score OR midterm average OR prorating) -- a recommendation to faculty also outlined by the Academic Senate -- , Prof Pires did not stick to the standardization of the LS 7 series and determined that the final exam's score would be determined either by taking the final OR the better of midterm average or prorating. Prof Pires seems to only follow the series's patterns when it suits her.

LS7A was definitely not the easiest class I had ever taken. I had taken biology in high school and thought that it would be the same in college, but there’s much more depth to it. With that being said, my only complaint with the class was that I thought the tests were more difficult than they had to be. It wasn’t because of the material but because of the wording. Other than that, I thought Debra was fair. She can be direct sometimes, but otherwise she is quite kind. Going to lecture is important for more than just clicker questions. This practice is definitely similar to what you will see on the test, so may sure you take advantage of it.

Hated it lol. You basically can't come in with any prior knowledge of Biology. There were a lot of things that we had to learn only to pass the test because its basically backwards. she really doesn't answer questions. You really only went to class for attendance and the $100 dollar online textbook was where you actually learned.

Definitely do not procrastinate on studying/actually learning the material. Go to class, TA CLC office hours, and study clicker questions/the worksheets. Just going to the lectures sometimes wasn't enough. The midterms/finals were hard because you not only had to have a thorough knowledge of all the material, but also know how to apply them. Also, imo, launchpad wasn't too helpful because often times it was just an info overload. A lot of the material on launchpad was not on the midterms/finals so it's easy to study the wrong things

Honestly I don't know why the helpfulness of Professor Pires is just 3.4 - she is definitely a professor you will want to have for LS7A or just any LS class. She honestly explains the concepts really really well, but if you have trouble with understand some of the concepts, GO TO HER OFFICE HOURS! Honestly I think I went to her OH every week, and it's almost impossible to not understand a concept after she's thoroughly explained it. She is also a really nice person, and you can tell she honestly wants to help you understand the concepts. I would absolutely recommend taking her!

I don't really understand why Deb only has a 3.6 overall rating on LS7A - she is an amazing lecturer, super friendly and willing to help, and extremely good at explaining concepts to her students. The materials were pretty easy for me, but maybe because I've taken AP Biology in high school and most of the concepts in this class were covered then. The exams were all multiple choice and pretty straight-forward, as long as you listen in the lecture and understand all the clicker questions then you should be fine. Deb doesn't grade on a curve, so you'll get what you deserve at the end of the class.

One thing that is super helpful if you find that you're not so good with biology: go. to. her. office. hours!!! I went a couple of times last quarter but there were maximum 7-8 students the entire 2 hours despite the 300-students lectures. Again she's really good at explaining the concepts to her students, so it's really helpful to ask her questions!

Overall this was a really good class and a good professor, and I definitely would take her again for any future classes. The only reason I didn't get an A is because I sort of slacked off before the final because I got really good grades on both midterms (so now you know what not to do lol).

The only thing that I had to complain about (not this class) but the LS7 series is that you HAVE to get launchpad - it was really pricey and I already had a copy of the textbook, but since you have to do practice problems and activities every week, launchpad is absolutely mandatory.

Other than that this was a really good class!