EE2 is a knowledge heavy class but it wasn't really difficult (more breadth rather than depth). It may seem overwhelming at first since you're being thrown Quantum Mechanics, Statistical Physics and basically 5 other topics at once, but as this is an introductory course, surface level knowledge would be sufficient to get you by. The point was to introduce the world of semiconductors and hopefully give students a feel for whether this is an EE field they'd specialize on or not. As long as you attended lectures and did the homework, you'd get the overall idea behind every topic and the math equations will start to make sense. At that point, the exams will be difficult to fail. Also, you will be using the book A LOT.

Mr. Sokolich taught this class really well. His lectures were well organized and podcasted. His homeworks and exams were reasonable (he gives an accurate list of topics that would be covered in the exams). Most importantly, he's very passionate about the field and so he's really helpful both in and outside the class, and he's great at giving you the big picture behind all the complex maths equations.

His lectures were not at all engaging, the homework didn't even remotely resemble the tests. I really did not enjoy this class at all. The material was a bit dry but Sokolich manages to make it seem like the most boring subject in the world. He has prepared slides that are quite detailed, so he rushes through them at the speed of light. He puts up about 10,000 different symbols and never pauses to define what they are, leaving everyone confused. In fact, halfway through the quarter, he put up a 30 minute video exclusively dedicated to defining every symbol he had used in equations, just because everyone was so confused. Props to him for at least doing that.
Not sure if I hate this class or this professor, it might be a bit of both.
At least the curve was quite nice.

I agree wholeheartedly with the other review from the quarter I took it. Sokolich made the class much more confusing than it had to be. The lecture almost always went overtime and I hardly ever walked away feeling like it was a productive 2 hours. He would skip through his 50 slide power points quickly, but stop at various points to mumble to himself about the subject.

He had good intentions and tried to answer campuswire questions, but his explanations online as well as in person left a lot to be desired. His answers were never direct and did not help to clarify anything. This is an introductory class, but when he would introduce a topic he would gloss over it and fail to convey the new information in a way that could be easily understood. It felt like he was talking to himself and not trying to teach to the students.

The homework was nearly impossible to figure out from the lecture. The questions were often short, which was bad because they did not include any of the background information you needed to solve it. It would take a significant group effort of looking through his lectures, the book, and online to piece together the formulas and "given" values to finish the problem. This process was tedious and uninformative.

The tests had much more simple problems, but could often not actually be directly solvable. There were multiple choice where you had to estimate and use process of elimination. Many of these problems were gimmicky, using some sort of proportion or "intuition." The only real way to solve them was to have seen them before. If you take this class, I urge you to search for his previous tests. There were also free response which felt similar in their unprecise nature. He expected us to understand, but he didn't show us half the material on the test before the test.

The review and the discussion were led by the TA. The TA was ok at explaining the subject and sometimes cleared things up in discussion. The discussion was an elaboration on the lecture, and I wish that it went more into example problems and homework help. The review was a disgrace. It was supposed to be 2 hours, but only went for 45 minutes. The TA had posted the review questions and spent the review sessions just writing the answers on the chalk board. It took my group of friends in the class hours the next day trying to piece together our notes and solve the problems ourselves to put in our cheat sheets.

The final exam ended up looking different anyway and the average score was a D. He ended up curving it, but it felt bad that we were all so unprepared. The class could have been much easier if it was taught better.

This will be a review for both ECE 121DA/DB.

Prof Sokolich is a great instructor for this capstone. If you have some interest in semiconductors or not sure about what capstone you want to do, I highly recommend this with Prof Sokolich. In 121DA, you basically learn how to fabricate devices and learn the simulator for fabrication (For my class, we just watched videos due to COVID). There are about ~7 quizzes that are related to what you watched and learned. I believe the quizzes are curved bc I'm pretty sure I didn't do well on a few of them. There are also about 3 assignments where you basically practice using the simulator. There definitely is a learning curve, but my TA was able to help us out a lot. Overall, in 121DA, you basically just watch and practice so don't stress too much about it.

For 121DB, this is where things get more involved. You get your 1st design project (phase 1) where for my class we had to design a CMOS with 6 different circuit components (PMOS, NMOS, Capacitor, etc.) using the fabrication simulator. And after you have to write a formal report on your design (10 or more pages). Again don't worry too much, start early and always ask for help when your stuck somewhere, the TA and prof are very helpful. The 2nd and last design project (phase 2) is the most difficult and interesting one. We had to design a modern high-performance MOSFET using the fabrication simulator and a new one. For this one, you work with one partner and at the initial stage, you need to present your idea to the prof on a 1 on 1. In the end, you and your partner have to present your design and results to the entire class and submit a report (emulating IEEE papers). As long as you do your research and make a good design or attempt, then you will do fine.

Basically, this capstone is chill and challenging. But don't worry too much about this class if you take it. Just make sure to start the projects early and you'll do fine and be able to get an A/A- no problem.

Professor Sokolich is a very chill guy. We do three assignments, one individual and two in a pair. The last two are design projects that we present (1) to the professor and (2) to the whole class. The TA is also very helpful in helping you understand the simulator. This class was done remotely so I assume some things were different due to lack of lab access.

Professor Sokolich really cares about his students. As long as you attend his lecture, do homework and the practice tests he assigned before the midterm and final, it's inevitable you succeed in his class. It seems that the homework and the practice tests are not related to the exam but if you really do them and understand them they really prepare you for the exam.

Great professor and very helpful. He always answers questions after class and on Piazza. Going to lecture and attempting the homework will give you a good understanding as to what he expects from you on exams. Overall great class.