Professor Tsai gave great lectures and was very helpful in lab. He really seemed to care about his students' learning.

This is one of the best professors I've ever had. He presents the material in a way that is very easy to understand. He makes the material relevant and adjusts the course to best fit the students. The amount of time he spends preparing the lectures really shows in class. Clicker questions count for part of your grade and he offers extra credit.

Professor Tsai is one of the most caring professors I've taken, willing to adjust how he teaches in order to best meet the student's needs. Quizzes are straightforward and he tries to make them as fair as possible. Its also refreshing to see a physics 1 series professor actually relate the concepts to biology, which I found very interesting.

Fair tests and cares about student performance. He also relates the 1 series to bio throughout the course (one of the few physics instructors who realizes the 1 series is for bio majors!). Final was more difficult than the midterms but altogether reasonable as long as you keep up with the homework and do the extra practice problems.

Fantastic professor. Goes step by step for his problems, I can tell he really cares about his students. Pretty funny guy, and is a great lecturer. Tests aren't too ridiculous. Wanted to take him next quarter, but his lecture filled up already :(. Also he's great at taking time outside the classroom to help his students. Take him if you can

Professor Tsai really really cares about his students. He'll spend his weekends making extra screencasts for students and always is available to students. Tests and quizzes are very fair.

Phil is as close to a perfect professor as it gets. He truly cares about learning, is rational and fair, and will do everything in his power to ensure you enjoy taking his class and learning the material. He even taylors his lectures to include relevant Bio material. Don't hesitate to enroll.

BEST professor at UCSD 10/10 would recommend

Best Physics professor ever. Super fair devotes a lot of time to his lectures and students outside of class. He'll explain a concept multiple times and even changes quiz points if students feel that some questions were unfair. Definitely, take him if you can!

Such a nice guy! Tries to give you as many points as possible, responsive to feedback from students, goes above & beyond to help students understand concepts. Grades are mostly 4 quizzes (ur worst one gets dropped), 1 cumulative final, & HW +easy extra credit worth an extra 3%. I got an F & a D on 2 quizzes & a D on the final & still got a B grade

Prof. Tsai is one of the best professors that I have ever taken at UCSD. I took two of the required physics class with him because I want to. And I am kind of sad that I no longer have to take physics class anymore. He actually cares about students and willing to help as much as he can. His voice is also very calming and nice to hear. <3

Tsai's lectures hold your attention. Visual aids like slinkies or ropes are pulled out to make us better understand the lecture. He recognizes that 1 series are for Bio students, so he tries to tie the concepts of his lectures to Bio related concepts, which was a great move and shows that Tsai cares about his students and who he is lecturing to.

Professor Tsai is the most caring professor I have taken at UCSD. He will drop any quiz questions that he deems"too difficult" which allowed many in the class to get >100% on quizzes. You can tell how much he cares about every student; I cannot say the same of many of the other professors I have had. Take Tsai if you can!!

If you have the chance to take Tsai, it is in your best interest to do so. He cares a lot about the learning of his students and always makes time for Office Hours and importantly: Piazza! Really take advantage of piazza, as Tsai is very active on the platform and is great at answering any questions students have about content. Awesome prof.

Most dedicated and caring professor ever. Makes physics easy to understand and is extremely helpful, both in person and on Piazza. Quizzes are of average difficulty, but the class overall is very fairly graded. Literally one of the best professors I have had. I love Dr. Tsai!

Best teacher I've had at UCSD. Super caring about students and their learning. Four quizzes, all pretty straightforward. Hw on Kudu, clickers for participation, extra credit for getting them correct. Would definitely take him if you can, preferably for the whole series. Can't recommend him enough.

Tsai is a great professor who really cares about students and their learning Honestly, he's the best Physics professor for the 1 series

PHYS 1B was challenging, as it would be with any professor, but Prof. Tsai made it worth it. His lectures are engaging and have clear explanations. His final exam was challenging, but he valued our feedback on Piazza in terms of questions we thought were misleading. He offers extra credit for extra Kudu problems and correct iClicker questions.

Tsai is very caring and goes above and beyond for students. He explains material very clearly and even ensures no one is left behind. Homework/exams are representative of lecture material. Its sad that students try to take advantage of his kindness. One of the best professors at UCSD

Truly the best professor Ive ever taken at UCSD. I was absolute sh*t at physics in HS, but he makes it so easy to understand. He goes over conceptuals a lot in lecture which is helpful for quizzes and Kudu gives you practice with the math based problems. Never seen someone that cares so much about their students. Passionate lecturer and great man.

Literally king of physics and my heart

Dr. Tsai is literally a godsend! Though I definitely don't like physics, I really enjoyed going to class because of him. I have never had a caring prof than Tsai. He is incredibly nice, funny, and always happy to help with everything. The quizzes are difficult, but that is just physics. Overall, Tsai is an amazing prof and a great guy!

As someone who only took basic physics in high school and did poorly, I thought the Physics 1 series was my time to redeem myself. Tsai was my Physics 1A professor and he was AMAZING. His lectures are clear and his tests are very straightforward. This class is based off the quizzes every other week, which are always multiple choice.

He is honestly the most genuine professor I have ever had at UCSD. He really cares for his students and really wants them to do well. He frequently answers student's questions the same day on piazza. His quizzes aren't too bad, but you should really to the homework AND extra credit problems in order to feel confident in the subject material.

He honestly is such a genuine person and professor. He makes sure his students understand concepts by answering piazza questions during the weekends and late at night. Tsai is so caring that after every quiz, he would ask for student feedback and sometimes giving partial credit for questions a lot of students struggled on.

Tsai is one of the most caring professors at UCSD. His grading is clear and fair. There are 4 quizzes and one final. All multiple choice. He values student feedback and actively answers questions on Piazza. There are clickers in lecture, but only for participation. Correct answers though can lead to EC.

The best professor! I have always struggled in Physics. However, Professor Tsai explained the material so well. He really put the time and effort in with his class demonstrations, being accessible to students, taking time out of his day to record extra videos to help students understand. His quizzes are very fair based on HW and practice problems

Phil gives us everything we need to succeed - and more. Quizzes are easier than the homework, and he wrote a guided walkthrough for every hw problem for us to study. He answers Piazza questions super quickly and is very receptive to student feedback. He caters more to complainers than they deserve - other professors aren't as accommodating!

Professor Tsai was great during the Zoom University quarter. He always adjusted his 1C lectures and 1CL labs to ensure students had sufficient time and were not too stressed out. I really appreciate his efforts this quarter! I would take Professor Tsai again in a heartbeat. I strongly recommend him to all future Physics 1 series students!

I'm not sure you can do better than Tsai.

I normally don't write these reviews but Prof. Tsai has really gone above and beyond. Beyond the whole online class thing he has a reputation of being rly approachable and highly concerned with fairness and hearing out each student. He' diligent on his forums and releases frequent announcements. He'l likely be the most student-focused prof you get.

Tsai is the most genuinely caring and accommodating Prof I've ever had. I took him during COVID and he went to great lengths to adjust the course and lessen the burden on students. He's really helpful during office hours and is good at teaching concepts. Quizzes were really difficult and he barely does any example problems during lecture though.

For a teacher that kind of has a monopoly on the Phys 1 labs, he's a very fair grader & isn't too assignment heavy. Most of the time if the answers are hard it's because you're overthinking it because it's all pretty much in Kudu or the lil prelab reading in the manual

Out of all the STEM professors at UCSD, Dr. Tsai is the best! He really understands the struggles of students and really cares about our success in the course. I can definitely say physics is not my forte, but with him, I got a firm grasp from his lectures and office hours. Quizzes were pretty fair and comparable to the homework in my opinion.

best professor I've had!!!!!

The physics lab series are difficult/ imperfect. I think Prof. Tsai's efforts in taking the lead for the lab series is great. He tries very hard to help his students out. 10/10 Professor

Tsai is caring about his students. He originally had our class have 6 lab assignments, but due to the pandemic and the struggling TA's he reduced our workload to 5 assignments and STILL let us drop our lowest lab grade. The labs in physics are BRUTAL with their grading and has absolutely no mercy on both smart and dumb students..

We're barely 1/3 into the quarter (hws, labs, & quizzes are already set) but can I just say that I appreciate Professor Tsai so much - he is amazing. He cares so much about his students. I'm saying this class has been hard bc I'm one of the worst when it comes to physics. But he seriously wants us to succeed. UCSD, give this man a raise!!!

Professor Tsai is a great choice for a lab professor. He already has pre recorded labs and has us answer checkpoint questions in our lab notebook but other than that I never really got to speak to him unless attending office hours. His labs are not that hard if you can check work with other students. His questions do get somewhat confusing sometime

Absolutely love Tsai! He explains well and his class was structured in a way that wasn't stressful. I wish all of my physics classes could be taught by him

- it's COVID, and being 1 prof with 1 TA for hundreds of students in an online format is soo hard but he is always available to help & gives partial cr - he constantly asks about ways to improve the class and experience for us - grading changed was for our benefit - lectures are long because we don't have them on wed - quizzes are harder bc online

I hate having to take physics as a premed to begin with, but Professor Tsai is a pretty great professor overall. grading in my opinion was very fair(75% in hw was full credit and allowed 3 quizzes dropped). He changed the grading schemes for quizzes to help us out . Live lectures are long and boring, but slides can be learnt solo(well organized)

Professor Tsai was one of the most accommodating, chill professors I've had since the pandemic started. He changed his quiz format multiple times to help students, he has a generous quiz and HW drop policy, and he does his best to help the students succeed. The material can be difficult, but partial credit goes a long way on quizzes.

This man is a saint. He's so accommodating and explains concepts well. Honestly, I did not deserve to pass, I was in a funk and averaged maybe a 40 on all his quizzes. Somehow, he still passed me. There's weekly quizzes instead of midterms and he's really active on discord (always trying to help his students succeed). A solid choice for a prof!

I honestly love this professor. Hes so caring and understanding. Class could be challenging but hes so caring that it makes you want to learn and keep on pushing.

Biweekly quizzes take stress off the test + he drops 2. Flexible grading: only need 80% hw to get full credit, gives EC. The online Kudu text is way more readable than a normal textbook. A very engaging lecturer. 1 of those teachers who really wants u to succeed. Bc I'm not so stressed about passing I've actually enjoyed learning the material.

He was a great professor for those who have never taken physics. I have never taken any high school physics and this was a great professor for beginners. Pay attention and really try on the homework and practice quizzes and you will be fine. He gives you the background instead of rote math. I really enjoyed this class! He drops 2 quizzes!!

Good Professor, I took AP Physics before this course so this class was basically just review of it. I enjoyed this class and thought that professor Tsai helped establish the physics concepts well.

Professor Tsai did well to explain concepts in lecture AND, perhaps more importantly, made himself exceedingly available to clarify and supplement student understanding outside of lecture. Class was exam based though quizes were reasonable given you did your due diligence studying. Was very understanding and had a generous quiz drop policy. 10/10.

Professor Tsai is a great choice for this class. His lectures have good examples for what we will see in quizzes as well as the homework problems. His quizzes were very short so dropping a few points seems like a big deal but they get averaged at the end so it is not as bad. He is available in office hours as well as in piazza for questions.

Good professor, fair grading, and interesting lectures. Reading has homework questions based on it and attendance was mandatory but overall a good class.

It is a good professor, giving practice quizzes before actual quizzes. It is easy to get a high score if you do the practice. Sometimes, he cannot finish classes and will give some extra videos to watch outside class.

This was a very straight forward lab course. one lab every two weeks. watch the video (or, at the end go into the lab) and pay attention. make sure to follow his standards for the lab reports, laid out in the syllabus and you'll get it easy if you know phys 1A. a great, clear lab professor

If you can take him, do it. So clear on what he expects, really can't recommend him enough.

Only took a lab class with him, but he is amazing at explaining the material and made the online lab videos pretty entertaining. Grading criteria was mostly dependent on the TA, so I can't say too much about his grading.

Took the lab class and not that bad honestly. Make sure to pay attention to the details of the lab reports and put a little time to study for the quiz and you will be good. I like the structure of the class and he explained the labs well in his videos. Nothing too hard

Professor Tsai is a very caring professor (he allows a dropped lab report). However, I didn't see him even once through 1AL, 1BL, or 1CL. The lab reports are pretty easy if you understand the underlying topics and are graded pretty easy. The Pre-lab quizzes are the worst part of this class but they are generally straightforward. I would recommend.

Tsai isn't a bad professor but he does care about CHEATING! he doesn't like his students copying from each other and doesn't like to give equations away to help you on the labs. Labs are fun and confusing at the same time. Quizzes are the horrible part of this class (hard). The TA I had didn't know anything and didn't help but he was very nice.

He is a kind person who cares about his students and genuinely wants them to learn. Some tough quiz questions. On the final he gave out granola bars to make sure we weren't hungry. He finds ways to make content more interesting to non-physics majors. Most definitely my favorite physics professor I've taken throughout the 1 series.

Has Phil for 1A and 1C. Nicest Prof ever. Super approachable for help. The quizzes can be a bit tricky since they are out of 8pts and are worth 45% of your grade but he lets us drop the lowest 2 (out of 5) which is hella clutch. Questions on exams are super straightforward and not meant to trick you. Also extra credit for doing extra hw problems!

Best prof in the phys series hands down. Spend time on your own reading Kudu and attempting problem sets, go to his office hours prepared with questions, and you'll learn so much.

Dr. Tsai is the best teacher in the physics series, hands down. Don't listen to any negative reviews about the labs, that's all based on your specific TAs, as far as I remember, the professors don't have much to with it.

Had him for the entire PHYS1ABC series both in-person and online when COVID hit. He was a great lecturer and incredibly flexible when it came to doing the most for his students. Professor Tsai was one of the best STEM professors I had at UCSD and I'm not even a Physics Major! Highly recommend him if you're taking the PHYS1ABC series!

Not a bad professor, but he packed every minute of class with info and at times felt that he was racing through the slides. I felt that the examples from lectures did not prepare me for the complex multistep Qs on the biweekly quizzes. The quizzes are worth 45% of final grade and they are not worth a lot so getting 1Q wrong hurts your grade a lot.

Prof Tsai was a great prof. The course topic is difficult, but he prepares students very well for the quizzes. Prof Tsai uploads practice quizzes that are very similar to the actual quizzes. There are opportunities every week to get extra credit.

An A is definitely possible if enough time and effort is put into the class. He gives up to 2% extra credit by doing extra practice problems which are offered every week. Lectures do seem rushed, but there are several practice quizzes given to help prepare for the next quiz which is given every two weeks starting week 3. He's also super nice.

Absolutely amazing professor. The course context is difficult but prof. Tsai prepares everyone for the quizzes by uploading lots of question (hw, extra credit and multiple practice quizzes). He is also very thoughtful and cares deeply for the students. Would definitely recommend.

Very engaging even teaching physics to a pre-med audience, explains things clearly, if you do his HW problems and extra credit practice you can do his quizzes well. TBD about the final.

If you fail this class you deserve it. Super clear and fair grading criteria, the online textbook he uses is super helpful, the quizzes are similar to the homework and the final is similar to the quizzes and he offers a bunch of extra practice and extra credit. Engaging lectures and super sweet, wants kids to succeed.

Tsai would often run out of time or rush through important concepts during lecture, but he is the kindest professor ever. He truly wants all his students to succeed and provides so much help for those who need it. He treated us like we were his children (he even fed us snacks before the final). His class was a lot of work, but I would do it again.

Prof is more focused on students developing problem-solving and quantitative analysis skills than actually mastering these basic physics concepts. The whole course is structured to test your ability to problem solve. As long as you put in the work to complete all homework and learn the concepts, you will do well in this course.

Incredible introduction to the 1 series. Lectures are clear and thoughtful, with plenty of resources for studying. 4 quizzes, lowest is dropped, all reflective of class material. Wonderful professor, I sincerely wish he was teaching the entire 1 series!

Quizzes extremely similar to practice tests/examples on slides. Generous grading with up to 2% extra credit, and partial credit given even on multiple choice quiz questions. Very accessible through email and quick to respond on piazza. Took student feedback seriously and even changed grade breakdown to benefit students after final. High recommend!

Very kind professor. He gives lots of opportunities for extra credit: bonus questions on quizzes, optional practice q's, and test corrections. His grading criteria is very flexible. Provides more than enough resources (maybe too much). He is also very quick to respond even outside of class. If you took AP Physics I, it's a breeze. Highly recommend.

Professor Tsai is really chill. He really wants you to succeed and gives so much opportunities. Participation is mandatory but you have the option to zoom instead of showing up for lectures. The homework is a LOT but it's manageable, and gives a lot of extra credit assignments too so take advantage. Quizzes and final are also really chill.

tsai is my goat

Professor Tsai is extremely kind and caring teacher. He does a good job reviewing basic physics principles and equations. There is pre-readings and a few homework problems to answer before every lecture, and optional extra credit questions. He does not spend enough time teaching us how to solve multi-step physics problems, which are on the quizzes.

Such a nice man. He puts more effort into the class than 95% of the students. He actually cares and does everything in his ability to help students be engaged and learn the information. Tailors info to bio majors too which is more interesting. Disregard the lab ratings as a lab panel decides rubrics, setup, ect, not Tsai = not his fault. Recommend!

Tsai is the most organized professor I've seen; I had to put in a lot of work into this class because I'm more accustomed to problem-solving in chemistry, and physics requires a different approach to working problems. However, he offers many study materials and worked examples. Class attendance is mandatory. Overall, one of my favorite profs.

He is very caring and gives you a lot of resources, but if you don't use them, you won't do well. Lectures are good for concepts, but for problem solving (which if the majority of each quiz) you have to go to SI. Also he has slides he requires you to know but doesn't go over in class, so you have to do a lot of work outside of class time.

Very interesting prof who knows what he's talking about. Demos in class are funny & helpful but he reads off the lecture slides and expects you to teach some things to yourself which is hard. I took ap physics in high school which is probably the only reason i succeeded. Hard not to get partial credit on quizzes and you get a drop. Easy FRQ grader

While Tsai's lectures could be better, he is overall an awesome professor and a sweet guy. He cares about his students and gives them opportunities to succeed. He absolutely goes out of his way for every student that asks for help. He can come off as passive aggressive on Piazza but it's nothing crazy. He gives A LOT of partial credit on exams.

Great professor and really good demos. The biggest con is the amount of homework that is required to do in this class. The 4 quizzes make a dent into understanding of material considering 4 lecture days are reserved for quizzes so he does go fast. GO TO OFFICE HOURS HE WILL HELP YOU. Quizzes are tough but there is a drop. Nice guy to be around.

Already wrote a review for Yagil but my TA was good. Meets every 2 weeks and drops 1 lab report and 1 quiz.

Tsai is such a fair and caring professor. Physics is hard but I found the textbook to be very useful. If you do the readings and actually do all the homework and extra credit problems, you will succeed on his tests. His tests are very fair and in my opinion easier than the homework. He drops your lowest quiz score as well. Ended with 108% bc of EC.

Tsai teaches a course that requires a lot of input and work from you, but if you put the work in and use the many study resources provided you can definitely succeed. He adds bonus (extra credit) Qs in exams, has multiple grading schemes (so you can opt out of mandatory attendance) and has extra credit HWs. Great prof for 1st years

Super helpful professor! Physics is in general a hard class but he made it easier to understand.

Took for 1A and 1C, would take again without hesitation. Some cons, the slides can have too much background info that hides the main takeaway. Short (~7 question) tests every other week can be easy to bomb but you get to drop one. Reading and understanding the Kudu solution explanations will get you an A. I-clicker attendance.