Students noted that the best part of this course was the independent final project. However, they had many criticisms of the class, saying that it was disorganized and the labs were unprepared. There often were not enough materials or equipment for all the students, which made it very difficult to complete the labs. Students suggested that the course would be improved if the labs were better prepared and the TAs were more informed and helpful. Students should know that this course may be disorganized and they may have to do independent research to understand the material.

Students praised this course for involving interesting hands-on laboratory experiments. Some students found the lectures were a disorganized and didn’t sync up with what they were doing in the lab. Suggestions for improvement included a desire by some students to have clearer expectations for their lab reports as well as a desire to have feedback on assignments being assigned new ones. Prospective students should know that completing good quality lab reports took time and students needed to budget sufficient time in order to be successful in the course.

High marks were given to the teaching assistants in this course along with the new lab techniques covered in this course. However, labs tended to run well over the scheduled time, grading was inconsistent, and there was a sense of disorganization and poor communication between the teaching assistant and the instructor. Better structure, organization, and communication regarding expectations would improve this course, as would experiments that are modified to fit the allotted time frame. 75Prospective students should know that the course may tend to run late and can be very difficult, but the instructor is willing to explain difficult concepts outside of class.