Spring 2027

Cellular Biology Laboratory

A writing-intensive cellular biology lab featuring research projects in subcellular fractionation, protein structure, enzyme catalysis, C. elegans genetics, and yeast signal transduction.

offering recorded2 credits
Recorded instructors · Spring 2027 Seth Mcgee4.0/5Anna KowalkowskiDaniel Parrell

Summary

1 / 6

Past student reviews · Michelle Harris

The course was rated as very difficult, with a difficulty score of five out of five.

What you’ll be able to do

  • Search, sort, and gather relevant background information from texts and primary literature in cellular biology.

  • Make predictions and formulate clear, testable hypotheses supported by biological rationale at an intermediate level.

  • Develop protocols and work with tools and procedures to test hypotheses in cellular and molecular biology.

  • Communicate effectively about science through writing and oral presentations.

  • Give and receive constructive feedback using professional communication and effective interpersonal skills.

  • Utilize quantitative and scientific reasoning skills to analyze, evaluate, and interpret data to make logical conclusions based on evidence.

  • Work as a member of a productive, collaborative research team.

Source: UW Guide

Grade history

↗
average GPA
letter grades
A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

BIOCORE 383 or concurrent enrollment

BIOCORE 384 used by

“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree

Professors

Spring 2027
Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 5.00/5 from 7 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2026: 3.51 GPA, 60.0% A/AB (n=50 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2024: 3.53 GPA, 62.3% A/AB (n=77 letter grades); Spring 2025: 3.70 GPA, 80.5% A/AB (n=82 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.61 GPA, 63.2% A/AB (n=19 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2026: 3.45 GPA, 58.1% A/AB (n=31 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

ANNA KOWALKOWSKI is recorded teaching in Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

DANIEL PARRELL is recorded teaching in Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MICHELLE HARRIS is recorded teaching in Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2022. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

SETH MCGEE is recorded teaching in Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Calendar & sections

Spring 2027

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LAB 001Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 002Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 003Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 301Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 302Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 303Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 004Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 005Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 304Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 305Classroom Instruction0 / 240

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.

Meeting source records
Download part 1

Student experience

the class

Past student reviews · Michelle Harris

Students found the course challenging and described interactions with a former instructor as difficult.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2024: 3.53 GPA, 62.3% A/AB (n=77 letter grades); Spring 2025: 3.70 GPA, 80.5% A/AB (n=82 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.51 GPA, 60.0% A/AB (n=50 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Past student reviews · Michelle Harris

The course was rated as very difficult, with a difficulty score of five out of five.

Past student reviews · Michelle Harris

One student described a former instructor as unprofessional and manipulative, noting that maintaining distance made the experience more manageable.

Topics

  • Subcellular fractionation, protein structure, and enzyme catalysis
  • Molecular genetics of C. elegans and signal transduction in yeast
  • Generating and testing questions using cell biology concepts

Skills

  • Developing protocols and using laboratory tools to test hypotheses
  • Formulating testable hypotheses with biological rationale
  • Scientific communication through writing and oral presentations
  • Gathering and sorting information from primary literature

Grades

Historical instructor

Spring 2027 · Projected

Before grades are released

– average GPA

Approximate 80% prediction interval

About this estimate

The course’s semester-average GPA, not an individual student’s grade. The center uses 5 same-season terms, weighted toward recent results.

The range uses the finite-sample 80th-percentile rank of absolute errors from earlier same-season forecasts. Each forecast uses only records from earlier terms. At least four forecasts are required; bounds are rounded outward and limited to 0–4. This is an empirical estimate: changing instructors or grading policies can reduce its coverage.

8 earlier forecasts · 0.10 GPA average error.

Grades over time

Through Spring 2027

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Where this course fits relative to

Latest available grades · Spring 2026 · all course levels

GPA

Higher than % of other courses in this group.

Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range

letter grades

More recorded grades than % of other courses in this group.

Typical course in this group: letter grades.

About this comparison

1280 courses over the same term, each with at least 30 recorded letter grades. Cross-listed courses count once. GPA is not a measure of difficulty or teaching quality. The typical course is the median by recorded grade count; tied values are not counted as lower. Grade counts describe course scale, not unique students or typical section size.

Descriptions compare GPA with this group’s average: at least 0.20 higher or lower; otherwise close to average. Section size uses median recorded enrollment: small up to 30, mid-sized 31–99, large 100+. Lectures and discussion/lab sections are described separately.

Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.

Catalog observation history

Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.

Download part 1
Selected offering source records
BIOCORE 384 · Spring 2027

Cellular Biology Laboratory

Recorded 2026-10-14
Raw records 
[
  {
    "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1",
    "semester": "1274",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1274:206:001916",
    "course_id": "BIOCORE 384",
    "course_uid": "course_ab0b263a9e9d35c04bf46fee",
    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "001916",
    "source_subject_id": "206",
    "title": "Cellular Biology Laboratory",
    "credits_min": 2,
    "credits_max": 2,
    "typically_offered": "Spring"
  }
]
Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

Read original reviews
Download part 1
Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

Explore recorded grades
Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-10-14

View the dataset on Hugging Face
Model outputs & technical records
Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B
LLM outputs across runs
Download part 1
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Download part 1
Model & dataset provenance 
{
  "model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
  "model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
  "task_version": "17",
  "output_id": "45aeba840c4fa6753c1475fa17b7ea2b8f06a872cf6021124ea3ffe2f5cae5df",
  "requirements_status": "needs_review",
  "dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
  "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}