Mic104L along with other microbiology courses with Dr. Martin were my favorite courses i took at davis. The material, laboratory skills, and critical thinking that she teaches you are crucial skills that help post grad. Advice: keep up to date with your lab notebook, don't wait till last minute. FYI- You cant learn if you don't want to do the work!

The lab techniques that Dr Miriam teaches in her lab courses are important if you want to pursue a laboratory or microbiology career following graduation. The class does require commitment to staying on top of work, but it is very rewarding. Stay up to date with material you have to read and your lab notebook and you will be fine!!

The class had quite a bit of reading, homework, group collaboration and writing. You will need to work for the A but it is worth it! Dr. Markum encourages students to think critically and let them experience the feeling of being a scientist. I enjoyed the class so much I became an LA the following quarter.

MIC104L was an awesome class to take with Dr. M - you're really encouraged to use critical thinking and creativity to develop your own hypothesis/science project in lab, plus there is plenty of help when it comes to creating your microbe isolation experiment. Dr. M, your TA, and the LAs are all there for you!

I took MIC102 online, but it was very similar to being in person as the work was mostly writing-heavy worksheets and exams. The answers aren't outright given to you, but Dr. M and the LAs are more than happy to help guide your thinking process. Challenging but not overwhelming!

I took Dr. M online during the pandemic! She is a very caring, accessible professor. There is a lot of reading, but I liked how the class truly encouraged critical thinking and applied Microbiology to real life scenarios. The exams are a lot of writing, but if you go to OH and LA sessions you will be fine! If you put in the work, you will succeed.

MIC102 was a very rewarding course to take with Dr. M. She is extremely accommodating, and always takes student's feedback into account. The exams and classwork are mostly all writing based, however, this does give opportunity to get partial points back or to explain your answers. Also has tons of resources for help with LA's and piazza.

I took Dr. Markum's class a few years back and it was challenging but really prepared for with problem-solving skills that I have continued to use in graduate school. I was also a learning assistant for her after being her student which solidified for me how much she cares for her students and is perceptive to feedback.

I took MIC102 with Dr. M a few years ago (returned as an LA the next year) and it remains one of my favorite courses I took at UCD. She kept the challenging lectures interesting and gave lots of opportunities for class participation with peers as well as with LAs. Dr. M was also incredibly kind and easy to talk to about anything!

I took MIC104L with Dr. M and became an LA a year later. She is passionate about microbiology and cares about her students' success. There is a decent amount of work to be put into the class, but it is manageable as long as you don't put it off till the end. The lab skills & critical thinking learned from taking this class are definitely worth it!

MIC 104L w/ Dr. M was my favorite class at Davis (granted microbio was my major). I really enjoyed the hands on component and always looked forward to lab as a nice break from sitting in lectures. Dr. M's instruction of this course was very fair and she always made her expectations clear. You'll be great as long as you stay on top of your work!!

I enjoyed how Dr. M would connect the material to areas beyond microbio considering it's not just microbio majors taking the course. Clear expectations and lots of outside resources/guidance if needed. You can also tell Dr. M is super passionate about microbio and what she does, so she's amazing to talk to if you're looking to learn more.

Take Dr. Markum if you want to actually learn about microbiology and apply what you've learned when doing the experiments and lab projects in MIC 104L. There might be a lot of busy work when writing up the reports, but it helps with organization + understanding concepts.

MIC104L helped build fundamental laboratory and critical thinking skills. Material can be challenging, but expectations were clearly outlined and numerous resources were provided. Dr. M is very passionate about microbiology and receptive to student feedback. As an LA for her MIC 102 class, I learned much more about microbiology and teaching!

MIC104L was one of my favorite classes thanks to my classmates and Dr. M. While it was challenging at times, I definitely learned a lot and developed a lot of essential skills. There's a fair amount of work to be expected of a lab class, but Dr. M is clearly passionate about microbiology and loves to make puns (which makes the class more fun)!

Dr.M is very attentive to detail, so the requirements for assignments was clearly outlined. You have to stay on top of lab reports or the work will add up (I do not recommend). Dr.M is very approachable and understanding if you have questions or issues and require help. Even though the class can be hard, I highly recommend taking it with Dr.M

This class requires A TON of reading, which can be hard to keep up with, but is worth it. However, Dr.M works very hard to engage with the class and make it interesting. She is a very understanding professor and will work with you to help you succeed in the class as long as you are willing to put in the work to understand the material.

Dr. Markum is an excellent teacher and I left her classes a better student and microbiologist. The workload is significant, but overall a medium for an upper div STEM class (less than BIS 105 lol, or even lower div calculus) and its really helpful in later MIC classes. 10/10 would recommend!

I really suffered this quarter due to the family reasons, and although I may not get a good grade. Her understanding and support really saves me during those time.

I notice there are a lot of negative comments but that may be due to harsher criticism because she is a female professor. She is better than many of the upper div Bis professors I had. If you don't do her readings, you will not pass the class. Do all the assignments. All the info to get an A is in her lecture, readings, HW. So take GOOD notes!

Dr. M is a great teacher... the MIC102 class was difficult but the MIC104L truly shows you how passionate and knowledgable she is on this subject. She cares about her students and cares that they succeed. The big lecture MIC102 class is difficult but Dr. M is an amazing teacher- do not be scared off by the negative reviews they are being too harsh

mic102 exam qs are easier than her opennote quizzes. Ik the instructions say that all the answers are in the manual but trust me they're NOT. BUT, quizzes aren't worth too much & as long as you put a lot of care into your notebook checks and research papers, an A in this class is easy. This aside, she is a great prof and rly cares for her students

its not that bad guys. the content is tough but its a survey course of microbio- do the prep readings & go to lecture, you'll understand. exams were not too bad & you get a reference sheet, LAs helpful for worksheets, and she adds flexpoints for wiggle room in the grading. weekly quizzes an easy grade boost. if u don't put in the work thats on you

This is a fairly tough class considering it's an introductory to microbiology class, there's a lot to know especially if you are newer to cell biology. The professor gives helpful resources like previous exams. Although sometimes lectures can be a little fast, it helps a lot of you do the assigned reading before lecture and taking notes if you can.

Although I do agree that a lot of the Canvas quizzes went over topics that weren't covered in lecture yet, I also felt that Dr. Markum really wanted her students to learn and gave a lot of resources. She actively encouraged us to form study groups in lecture, talk with Learning Assistants, and had a group collaboration portion on both midterms.

Great lecturer, breaks class down with learning objectives, participation questions, & time for discussions. She has flex points so attendance isnt mandatory but I would go. Exam ?s are sometimes tough to understand & grading isnt ideal but she does listen to feedback. Hard class but not horrible. I can promise LA/TAs aren't told to write reviews.

I was surprised to see so many negative reviews on here because Dr. Markum is great! She really cares about the students and makes the material pretty fun and easy to comprehend. The tests are very fair, I didn't think she tested on anything that was exclusively in the text book. You do need to read though to do well on the pre-lecture quizzes.

I don't really understand why students don't like her. Her exams were detailed, but fair. She is also very nice and always willing to answer questions to help you understand the material. Study the lectures and pay attention to everything she mentions (including solutions to diseases) in lecture. Take good notes. You'll do fine.

A really good lecturer and a very caring professor! You can tell she loves teaching the material. The content wasn't difficult but the exams require more critical thinking than memorization. If you took BIS2A and BIS101, you'll already have a good foundation on most of the topics. The exams include both MCQ and free response.

Don't listen to the bad reviews, Dr. M is wonderful. She is an incredibly kind and knowledgeable prof who does her best to make sure you pass. It is a difficult course and you need to put in effort, but she makes so many resources available to you and is more than willing to help. Super organized canvas, graded on 75% exams and 25% easy to earn pts

I am VERY surprised and honestly kinda upset that so many mean things are being said about Markum. She is such a sweet professor and wants the best for her students. no it is not the easiest class, but if you attend lectures it's not that bad. Thats saying a lot since Im usually below the curve. The bad reviews are BOTS.

do not listen to the hate Dr. M is total microbe nerd (positive connotation), incredibly excited to teach, very caring and genuinely down to earth. tests are a little tough, but if you pay attention to the details in lecture you'll be just fine. she lets you bring SO MANY notes into the tests sweetest woman on the planet

don't listen to the hate Dr. M is just a beautiful and passionate microbe nerd. Incredibly kind soul and really just wants to help you learn

Do not be scared by the reviews. Stay on top of the learning objectives, and make sure you have those down easily before each exam. She creates her questions based on which topics were talked about the most during lecture. Stay on top of the learning objectives, reach out for help, and you will do great.

Dr. M is a really awesome professor, don't listen to the bad reviews! Class material is definitely complex, but she does her best to break it down in an understandable way. Exams can be tough, but she drops the questions that everyone does badly on, which is very fair. Show up to lecture and pay attention and you'll do great!

Amazing person and lecturer! Don't listen to the bad reviews. If you pay attention to lectures, you will for sure do well on the exams. She only tests on things she has covered in class, super fair. She responds to emails fast, and is the kindest, most understanding person! I genuinely don't understand the bad reviews..

truly don't understand these reviews. Professor Markum is kind and clearly cares about her student's learning. Her exams are very fair with no surprises, as long as you do the readings and attend lectures you will be good. If you are not doing well in this class it's not the professor's fault...it's a skill issue

Absolutely lovely professor! Super passionate, and extraordinarily enthusiastic… I thought the class was more than feasible and Markum was one of the most organized and fair instructors I've had. I am shocked by the bad reviews… I think for a lot of people this is their first upper div class. Just go to class, pay attention… and you're gold.

Lowkey really passionate about what she teaches. Very clear with what is expected from her learning objectives. Very fair exams, do require a deeper understanding of applications. Has optional readings that help a good amount. 3 worksheets that are pretty straightforward. Weekly quizzes, 1 dropped. Great intro class as a microbio major.

Great professor with easy lectures to follow. Great LA team as well. Midterms were individual then done as a group afterwards. Helpful professor with a well organized canvas. Extra credit was also given. Homework and quizzes helped buffer grades out.

She is the best bio professor I've ever had! So so kind and truly cares about her students. She is very clear about her expectations. All the exams come directly from the learning goals which she answers in her lectures. I cannot recommend her enough!!!!!

Class is super doable, but I highly recommend taking BIS 101,102,103, even 104 first. Exams are very fair, no curve but she throws out the questions that are too hard. Grade is 2mt's, iClicker, homework quizzes, worksheets, and a final. I studied by going over lecture slides which seemed to work well. Her review sessions are great, highly recommend

Professor Markum is an AMAZING lecturer who puts a lot of emphasis on collaboration. Her tests are very fair and doable. She also offers like a LOOT of extra credit (I have accumulated ~ 4%) from showing up to class and doing surveys. She is always open to suggestions and is honestly just an overall amazing professor. I would definitely recommend.

I was stressed before taking MIC 102 (summer session 1) cause I saw all the bad reviews... I'm very glad I chose to take the class anyways cause Markum is AWESOME. She's a phenomenal lecturer, she knows ALL her stuff & she really cares about her students. 1 MT, 1 Final, both chill. Just participate in lecture and you'll be fine. I kinda had fun lol

Markum was great! Really accessible outside of class, exams were straightforward, nothing unexpected. Around ~3% extra credit grade boost from attendance and surveys. She uses 2-stage exams, 80% individual, 20% group retaking difficult questions from the 1st stage. Her class did not reflect her bad RMP score!

I loved this class and don't think she deserves this low of an RPM rating. Her lectures are very organized and thorough, exams don't include anything unexpected, and she is very nice and approachable. She offers a good amount of opportunities for extra credit too. I'm glad I took her class and it was really interesting!

I came in worried bc of her RMP score but excelled with like ZERO effort (didnt read the textbook). Later I found out that there was a student who did not like her grade and review bombed Markum with 1's by creating fake email addresses (hence the similarity in those reviews)! She made mic102 super easy (group exams + cheat sheets + extra credit)!

Lmao these reviews are hella misleading. I barely tried and got an A. Shes got awesome LA's and she allows a cheat sheet on the exams and extra credit. One time i forgot to submit a worksheet by an entire week and she still gave me credit. One of the best profs ive had at davis, PLUS she got that nerdy humor which is pretty fun.

Took in SS1 2025. Was scared of previous reviews but the class was great! She was a very passionate, punny, and good lecturer that genuinely wants students to do well. LAs were awesome as well and the class was very interesting. Collaborative structure with groups tests after the individual that improve your learning and grade. iClicker =partic+EC

SS1 2025: 75% of grade from 1 MT & cumltv final (cheat sheets allowed for both), rest 25% from partic iclicker & daily quizzes that were based off textbook readings (v tedious & annoying). I disliked her trick ?s (select all w only 1 answr), but tbf she gave 3%+ EC which is v generous. Both tests I had regrade reqs thru gradescope, so always check!

Had Dr. Markum for SS1. She's one of the most organized and sweetest professors I've ever had. The tests weren't easy, but pretty standard for the avg NPB-type class. Assigns readings, but aren't necessary to know for tests. iClicker questions, but only requires a minimum number of lectures attended (if you attend more, it's counted as extra cred).

Fall 2025: Tests are way harder & lots of hypotheticals. Need to know about the molecules like phospholipids to answer Qs which I dislike. No cheat sheets on exams so ig that changed this quarter. Good lectures but not helpful for exams cuz exams are way harder with complex questions & tricky wording. ~10 concepts per lecture and ~7 lectures/exam.

Very kind and passionate individual. Personally thought this was a relatively easy class for an upper div stem. She has textbook reading but I personally never did them, I just reviewed lecture slides before midterms. In addition, she gives extra points on midterms plus a tiny curve at the end of the course. Study and you'll be fine :)