BIOL 4660

This was my favorite bio class I've taken at UVA so far. Professor Guler is awesome, he makes the information easy to learn and understand. The class is not too difficult and he offers opportunities to earn points back, if you do the weekly quizzes on time getting an A is very doable. This class is a must take if you are interested in research and how science is done in the real world. Highly highly recommend!

Professor Guler is a great instructor, I had for both genetics and BIOL 4660. The attitude of the course is more laid-back, but you still need to keep up with the online quizzes and reading. Besides the online quizzes and reading, there is a midterm, final, and group presentation + individual written summary. I recommend this course to any biology major. However, especially for those who have not had lab or research experience yet because it teaches you many of the techniques that are commonly used in biomedical research. There will be others in the class with that experience, which puts them ahead of you in the understanding of many of the techniques. However, Professor Guler makes it easy to participate in small group and class discussions to learn. There is also reading and analysis of scientific papers, which helped me better read and understand them. This class helps you to really think like a scientist. As long as you attend class each week and complete the assignments, the class is an easy A!

I would absolutely recommend this class to anyone who is serious about biomedical research, or even if you're just curious and want to be informed! Dr. Güler is a very chill guy, which was mostly great but sometimes he didn't outline the assignments/reading expectations very clearly. For the most part, each class is a lecture with a lot of opportunities for discussion and questions. He really wants you to participate in class so ask questions and engage in the material! We cover A LOT of techniques in biomedical science and examine real-life applications of these techniques by reading papers and other materials. There's no textbook, just a ton of files on Collab. There are weekly quizzes, a midterm, and a final for the actual examinations; there is also a group presentation and final project. All of the examinations follow the same sort of format so you get the hang of it. The quizzes were sometimes stressful, but if you study and think critically about the techniques you'll be fine. I truly feel like I learned SO much in this course, and it has helped me immensely as I am applying to research-based graduate programs. Take this class!!!

Professor Guler is the coolest professor at UVa. He is so funny, and his class is a no-judgment zone. I really loved this class because I felt like I learned a lot throughout the semester. We did do a group project which was a 20 minute presentation. The only thing that was a little stressful were the weekly quizzes. He usually told us what to focus on before taking the quiz, but sometimes I did not study exactly what the quiz was going to focus on. For the Fall 2018 semester, he had the option to take 11 quizzes and drop your lowest grade. There were a few homework assignments that were on collab, but other than that there really wasn't homework other than looking over your notes. If you have friends in the class, I would highly recommend making a group message of some sort to review concepts or ask questions before an exam. He really encourages learning from each other. Also, I would say that it is important to participate in answering and asking questions on piazza because that is what is going to determine your participation grade (which is around 15% if I recall correctly). Seriously, even though this class required a ton of studying, I feel like I'm a better person for taking the course.

This class is great. Personally, I appreciated learning about all the research techniques/technologies that I had heard of but didn't fully understand. You learn SO much in class and have to put in very little time studying outside of lecture. Ali is an awesome, engaging professor as well-- he does a great job keeping class interesting and relevant; he also encourages people to participate and ask questions, and will explain things until you really understand them, which is pretty rare in UVA's bio department. He's pretty generous with grading too, which is a nice perk. Consistent with other reviews, I highly recommend this to anyone interested in pursuing a research-based bio career. If you have no experience in research whatsoever, this class will probably be a little more challenging, but it's definitely doable if you're willing to put in a little extra work (again, still not much compared to most classes). Also helps a lot to have a solid foundation in genetics/mol bio.

I would completely recommend this class to every biology major especially those considering research careers. This entire class is a basic overview of the major methods used today for answering biological questions. The grading consists of a midterm, final, presentation about a technique you find interesting, and a write up at the end of the course. There are weekly quizzes that are exactly like test questions and are extremely helpful and only require a brief review of what was gone over the previous lectures. It is extremely possible to get an A in this class if you work and understand the material. Unlike other classes it is based on a logical understanding of how to design experiments and utilize the methods covered in the course. TAKE THIS CLASS!!

This was the first time this class has been offered, and I think professor Güler did a great job teaching it. The class is a survey of many techniques, tools, and methods used in biomedical research, taught by a neuroscientist.

Your grade is largely based on participation, weekly quizzes, and a partner presentation. Ali is funny and genuinely wants you to learn about the course content. He has a great understanding of all the stuff because of his background. The grading was not too strenuous, and he gave multiple opportunities for extra credit. Overall, I would recommend this class, particularly if you have a desire to go into research.