Biomedical Research 5HA was a very easy class and the workload was light. My biggest issue with this class was the professor and her self-described "snarky" attitude. Her assignment guidelines were not clear and she acts very condescending when students ask the "wrong" questions. Being in her class for ten long weeks was extremely unpleasant. Take this class with a different professor. You will still get an A, but avoid the headache that is Amy Fluitt.

Dr. Fluitt made this class very enjoyable. In this class you get to listen to people discuss their research that is sometimes completely new. Professor Fluitt then assigns problem sets based off of the research seminars. The problem sets can be challenging so it is important to start early and go to office hours to ask questions and listen to other people's questions. I completely bombed one of the problem sets but I came back from it by attending office hours and developing my skills throughout the course. This is also important because participation is part of your grade. Also, Professor Fluitt is easy to talk to, funny, and kind, so attending office hours is great even if you don't have questions.
I know that most people who take this class are hoping to get into the Biomedical Research minor. I was worried that if I didn't get into the minor this class wouldn't be "worth it." But even though I didn't get into the minor, I can say that this was the most relevant class I have taken so far. I learned a lot about problem solving and the research process.

This class is a pretty easy A, but you do have to sit down with the material and make sure you understand exactly what's going on and what she wants. Go to office hours! Do the assignments early! She will often give great insight into what she's looking for in office hours. Attend a few before you turn in your work and you're solid. Even if you don't attend class, it's bruincasted. The material is dense though and it's not something you can just google since it's based on someone's research

Amy is the worst teacher I have ever had. She is the most boring lecturer, literally everyone is either asleep or on their computer during class. She is also a VERY harsh grader and will take off a substantial amount points on subjective and vague questions with absolutely no explanation or feedback. Attendance is not taken but participation is worth a good chunk of your grade (100 pts) so you need to be asking questions in class constantly. Overall not a good class; you could learn the same amount of material by watching the research seminars and just googling on your own.

Fluitt cares about participation, so you would have to end up going to office hours for this class. However, her problem sets and exams are extremely difficult especially for someone with little to no research background. It felt like she was testing more on scientific concepts rather than actual research strategies, often the homework took a lot of time to complete. Also the seminars themselves are pretty difficult to understand, along with her deconstructions. Make sure to set a lot of time aside for this class.

This is an easy class, and it's also really interesting. You get to listen to two seminars on different topics and split the quarter into two halves during which you study each seminar's content individually. Additionally, Dr. Fluitt is really nice. Be sure to attend her office hours to get help on the work she assigns. Although the wording on the assigned material can often be somewhat confusing, she sometimes drops some major hints to help people out during her office hours. Just don't wait until the last moment to do the work, even if it seems really easy. So basically, just take this class. It's easy, and you might learn some neat stuff.

Dr. Fluitt is a very good professor and you could tell she cares about her students (make sure you attend her office hours). I took this class with only LS7A under my belt (had no previous science experience before) and managed to get an A, but I did work for it. I really did not know anything about research coming into this class (I am a freshman) and this really gave me insight on what biomedical research is about. After this class, I was able to decide if I really wanted to pursue biomed research and I think I rather not. So if you don't know if you would like to pursue biomed research, take this class to dip your toes. The minor is really meant for students who are passionate about (not just to make yourself look good for med school or anything like that), and it is super highly competitive to get in. Even though I may not pursue biomed research, I am glad I took this class.

I don't know how I feel about Amy Fluitt. She seems really nice, but just isn't great at explaining what she expects for the problem sets and exams. Her office hours are only marginally helpful. I stressed so much about each problem set, and worried about my grade throughout the quarter. She does not have uniform grading and randomly takes off points without any explanation.

Professor Fluitt's lectures are very helpful. She explains a concept in detail and then recaps it immediately afterwards before moving onto the next topic, which really helps solidify concepts in your mind. I think the people who are saying that she speaks fast actually mean that she progresses from one topic to the next quickly without breaks (which is necessary because there is a lot of material to cover), because she speaks very clearly and is easy to understand. Her tests are definitely fair and pretty straightforward as long as you have a good understanding of the material. Like any other science class, you have to STUDY a good amount outside of class and use any of the countless resources available to you (TA/professor office hours, Bruincast, the online textbook, Piazza, YouTube, Google, etc) to do well instead of expecting the professor to magically bestow knowledge upon you so you can leave each lecture with 100% understanding of all the content. Clicker questions, homework, and discussion attendance are all significant portions of your grade, so these will definitely help your overall grade if your test scores are not what you'd hoped. She also posts study guides prior to the exams which I highly recommend filling out to aid in your studying. There are no trick questions. Basically, professor Fluitt structures this class in such a way that if you are a hard-working student you will do well, and if you choose not to put in the work your grade will reflect that.

Professor Fluitt is a great professor! She is super helpful and always makes additional office hours. Contrary to what a previous student said, she does not get her clicker questions wrong! Her clicker questions are super helpful and useful when studying for the exams. Additionally, her discussion worksheets help clarify the difficult concepts. Yes, the material is challenging but Professor Fluitt makes the material very interesting and encourages students to ask questions so that everything is well understood. Also, Professor Fluitt returns her tests very fast and holds extra office hours to go over the exams with her. She is very fair and her tests are doable as long as you put in enough time and effort into the class. I would definitely retake this professor! Definitely recommend!