Teaching Associate
Advanced MATLAB for Behavioral Sciences (PSYCH 20B)

Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Anonymous Student Evaluations

“Lalit was one of the best TAs I have had because he genuinely put in an effort in discussions. He wanted participation even when our lab was not the most talkative and was patient in making sure everyone who wanted to contribute could. He also was very kind in giving treats during discussion which really made answering more fun!”

“Lalit is an excellent TA. He is knowledgeable about MATLAB and is able to make discussions educational, informative, and engaging. He creates a highly welcoming class environment that allows students to ask questions. He also does a good job at getting students to answer the questions that he poses. In addition, he does a good job at reviewing lecture material so that we have all the knowledge that we need to complete the homework assignments. In office hours and via email, he responds in a timely manner and is able to help provide hints so that I can figure out what is wrong with my code. Overall, Lalit is fantastic TA and by far one of the most helpful TAs that I’ve had in my coding classes!”

“This TA is really great at what he does. He is clearly very passionate about what he studies and really puts a lot of effort and care into these discussion sections. He creates a welcoming environment and also explains the material clearly and in an easier way to digest and helps a lot with the homework. He also gives us candy which is really sweet, he really cares!”

“This TA was one of the best ones I had. I can tell he really cares about the student’s learning and makes an effort for us all to engage with one another in class by offering chocolates as rewards for answering questions. Whenever anyone had a question he answered clear and thoroughly.”

“i love these discussion sections! they really helped me learn more fully about the concepts underlying the code, and the ta made learning the material really fun and fascinating. Also I love the addition of candy, I would have participated in class anyway but its great motivation to get people to speak up and go out of their comfort zone. The topics discussed were always really clear, and the ta was so nice and open to any questions or feedback. Overall the session was very welcoming and involved, and its one of my favorite discussions ever. Lalit is an amazing ta!! He is genuinely interested in helping the students learn, and is super accommodating, friendly and overall super nice. He really cares about the students learning, and I can really see that in the discussion sections. Also, everyone in the discussion really seems to walk away with a great and deep understanding of the material discussed in section.”

“Lalit was simply an excellent TA. He had detailed discussions and encouraged participation to ensure that everyone understood the concepts. He always answered emails and was unbelievably helpful with any questions that people had.”

“Lalit made it very easy to succeed in this class. He was always encouraging questions and participation. He was available by email constantly and guided me when I was struggling with the homework and class material. The sections were very well though out and covered lecture material in a more comprehensive way.”

“Lalit is extremely knowledgeable about the content we are learning in class. He expands on topics and concepts in discussion and acknowledges when topics are difficult. He will walk us through the concepts in lab and try to make sure we understand. He is also very helpful if you reach out to him outside of class.”

“Lalit was really attentive and very good at explaining the materials during discussion. I really appreicate him taking the effort to make the discussion slides interesting and encouraging us to answer questions by rewarding chocolate. He had a good understanding of the materials taught in class and gave good feedback on the homework assignments we had. Thank you Lalit!”

“The TA was really nice and had a great attitude. This was really helpful for me as a positive attitude really helps me learn. I really appreciated that he would give us the opportunity to answer questions during the lab. Answering the questions correctly/incorrectly allowed me to know if I really knew the material or not. I would get nervous answering questions in class but I would still try to answer. Sometimes I would get the questions wrong, but he was never mean about it which made me wanna answer questions more. If we would answer the question, we would receive a chocolate, despite if our answer was wrong or right. I really appreciate that and it was a great motive to get me to answer questions. I think the TA should continue doing what they are doing, as he is doing a great job! “

“I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for having Lalit as my TA for Psych 20B. Throughout the course, Lalit demonstrated an exceptional level of knowledge and expertise in MATLAB programming for behavioral sciences. His ability to explain complex concepts in a clear and concise manner was truly impressive, and he was always willing to go above and beyond to ensure that every student in the class understood the material.

What I appreciated most about Lalit was his patient and approachable demeanor. He was always willing to answer questions and offer additional support when needed, even outside of class hours.

Additionally, Lalit provided constructive feedback on our programming assignments, which helped me to improve my coding skills and learn more efficiently.

I also admired Lalit’s enthusiasm for the subject matter. His passion for MATLAB programming and its applications in behavioral sciences was contagious, and it motivated me to dive deeper into the material and explore its potential applications in my own research.

Overall, I feel incredibly fortunate to have had Lalit as my TA for Psych 20B. His dedication, expertise, and approachability made a significant impact on my learning experience, and I am grateful for his contributions to my academic journey.

Thank you for providing such an outstanding TA for this course.”

“Our TA is a really nice person, he prepares lab materials well and tries his best to answer questions on time. He is responsible and encourages us to answer question in lab. I feel supported in learning materials as well as finishing homework with all the assistance from TA given that our homework could be tedious sometimes. The course is also well designed, I feel like I really gained knowledge and practical abilities from this 10 week of classes.”

“Lalit has been a great TA and it is clear he puts effort into his sections and tries to make it enjoyable for his students. I appreciate all that he does for us and the little candies he hands out to boost participation is a nice bonus :)”

“Lalit was an amazing TA, he was extremely responsive and helpful and always made sure you really understood the material. I had Lalit as my TA in both PSYCH 20A and PSYCH 20B and I do not think I would have understood the material as well as I did if he had not been my TA.”

“The structure of labs were very useful in expanding the ideas of the week’s coding and helped me figure out the homework questions more often than not. You were very approachable which is great when I have a quick question or need some help. I appreciated the thought that went into each lab. It was nice that each step included the people in discussion as my previous experience in 20A lab was just individual work and asking for help when needed.”

“The TA is very knowledgeable, and he knows the materials well. One thing I struggle is that sometimes it can be hard for non-native English speakers to understand. But overall this TA is very good. This TA was very forthcoming and helpful with the material and he really made sure that all of us as students felt comfortable asking for help.”

“Boosted learning and participant engagement. I really enjoyed his lecture notes they really help with future homework”

“Very interactive with the lab section and tries his best to get class engaged. His lab notes are similar to homework and help a lot”

“ty for labs and chocolate :D”

Weekly feedback

“ur memes are great and thank you for the chocolate!”

“first actually helpful coding lab ive had”

“you are my favorite TA, thank you!”

“thank you for being so patient!”

“i appreciate your kindness ! “

“I appreciate that you try to get to know everyones name!!”

“I love engaging in this class! I also love the note templates that helped me a lot today”

“Thank you for all that you do! Your labs help me understand better :)”

“you are amazing thank you for teaching us!”

“thank you for being hardworking! “

“the flow of discussion is very good! very helpful for the weeks homework :)”

“The minion thank you at the end of lab was very cute! I always enjoy those”

“The TA was very helpful and tried his best to make the classroom environment collaborative and respectful. Favorite TA I have had at UCLA”

“Appreciate your help and patience! And love the Reeces pieces. “

“Good discussion section! I like how they are formatted!”

“good discussion :)”

“love the chocolate incentive! “

“thank you for walking us through the lab, it really helps understand better”

“I love how you format your lab slides!”

“You slayed thank you”

“I liked the cat meme at the end, please include more cat related memes”

“thanks for the great section! “

“Thank you for responding to questions via email, I really appreciate it!”

“Thank you for going through the code so in depth!”

“Your lab section helps so much! Thank you.”

“Thank you for always giving out chocolates!!”

“Very helpful lab today! Thank you!”

“i love candy :)”

“Great discussion section as always :)”

“I hope you have a great day! The sections are useful :) and i like referencing back to the labs we do here while working on homework.”

“thank you for making this lab so helpful”

“Once again thanks for the homework help!”

“The lab is super helpful thank you for your help!”

“Great discussion section as always :) I like chocolate”

“Great lab as always :)”

“Good discussion section! “

“Thanks for the chocolate! “

“I like that the TA gives us a problem that allows us to practice material learned from lecture and he uses participation to help test everyone on the concept”

“Very fond of the cat at the end of the presentation!”

“Very helpful how you walk us through the code and make sure we understand.”

“Your lab is very helpful, thanks!”

“I like how streamlined discussion sections are. “

“i love the cute cat pictures!!”

“thanks for remembering about the candy from last time haha also i love the chat gpt use, very nice. “Certainly! Let’s start with a graph:””

“Thank you for taking the time to clearly explain concepts and making sure we understand - most helpful lab section I have had.”

“Thank you for all your help!”

“You were a great TA!”

“thank you for an amazing quarter!”

“A great TA! Thank you for an amazing quarter! “

“You were a great a TA! Many thanks :)”

“Thanks for being such a great TA! I had a great quarter because of you!”