BME 4806

Decent class. Topics covered are important to know and worthwhile to future classes/research. It seems that the professor tries to make lectures interesting...but they're still rather long. Pay attention, read the book sometimes, and its an easy class.

The tests are taken mainly from the lectures, and the lectures and readings don't match up completely. So even though the lectures could be rather dry, although it still is important to pay attention during lectures. There's a massive amount of lecture slides, and the ones he posts tend to have overlapping slides (if you plan on printing them). The final is insane though...

There was a tremendous amount of material covered in this class, although the first few weeks were just a biology review. There were only three tests (the third test served as the final exam) and for the most part, they were straightforward. The last few weeks were devoted to guest lectures and graduate student presentations, which was a nice change of pace.

Not a fun bme elective. Hard to pay attention, and the class isnt taught from a text book which is recipe for disaster.

This class had an interesting subject matter (to me at least), but French is a very boring lecturer and it was very difficult to pay attention. The tests are relatively challenging. If you keep up on your reading and learn the study guide well, you will get an A. But it is definitely a class for which you need to study hard for the tests.

the class isn't too hard, just not the most exciting class you'll ever take. if you can take detailed notes and keep up with the readings you'll be in fantastic shape.

Professor French is great. But incredibly, incredibly boring. Lessons seem to take hours, but if you can pay attention, you'll do fine in the class. The final, however, is nigh impossible, and will include inane facts from research papers.

Prof Brent A. French has taught a nearly-comprehensive course on Genetic Engineering (BME-4806) that has demystified very interesting mechanics of how genes and genetic engineering works.
My interest in biology is what allowed me to enjoy learning the course's content. Yet the teaching was difficult for me to effectively have a good learning experience.

When I took the course, I felt the same way about the course like prior students that took it. I also felt that the lectures felt dry, not engaging enough, and dragged out. However I do have some other experiences from this specific semester I like to share as well.

Both myself and others provide answers to questions that the professor asked. And even if the answers were technically correct, even confirmed by the professor himself, he still marks them completely false and refuses to give the extra points that he gives us for answering questions. Learning is about sharing information, especially different perspectives and views of information, and the learning environment isn't so friendly when everyone must only comply to having only one view of things.
During exams, the professor and TA refuses to clarify on questions at all, even if students want a better clarification of what the question is asking. For the final exam, I saw that a question was worded wrong and was logically incorrect. I tried to ask the TA for help, and he can only respond with that he still cannot tell me anything and I have to try my everything. In fact, the Professor had already left the room when the final exam began, leaving everyone with only the TA.
The Professor was also unclear about key information such as what to exactly expect in an exam, or some scheduling in the syllabus. Both the syllabus and course introduction slides did not show any information regarding the exam dates or course ending date. Yet when me and another student asked the Professor when the last day of his course was, we found out that the last day was actually on the very last exam date. We were startled and unfortunately had to change our travel plans, and the Professor has said that he already had the course's last day in the syllabus, which we didn't find at all.