Biology
BIO 121
Van Kley
"HE WAS GREAT! ! ! He is a shaggy look-alike, and half of the time he came in drunk to class. He lectures alot bu it is really funny. He shows alot of videos too, and he makes horrible jokes and tries to relate everything to sex so the students will pay attentionHe also tries to act like he is in college, by telling us how he went out and partied, and how he would improve some girls grade if she went out with him. HE IS CRAZY! ! ! I never studied, but I had a great time in the class. It was alot of fun and the students all become friends because it was so laid-back. I DEFINITELY RECCOMMEND HIM! ! !" - Student - Grade: C
BIO 123
Rainwater
"I LOVED this class! And Rainwater did a really good job of making it easy to learn. He doesn't even expect you to take the time to read. Just go to class take notes and study those. With the notes you have to completely understand them and actually know them like the back of your hand. But I loved Dr. Rainwater!!" - Student - Grade: A
"Dr. Rainwater was a very good teacher. I learned a lot from him and his lecture. But the problem with the class is that Dr. McCord teaches a lab. You are better off just not taking this class. McCord can not teach. His lab manual is so incomprehensible. He cares nothing for the students, and should retire. But I don't make those decsions. If you think you can handle McCord, then go for it!!" - Student - Grade: C
BIO 133
Gibson
"Gibson is a very entertaining, crazy old man, but he's not quite all there. The class is very enjoyable, but the tests are not. In order to pass his tests, you must already be a biologists, and know everything there is to know about Zoology. All of his tests are hand written!! Plus, they are sooo long, and ALL of it is matching!! Tell me, hw do you expect to pass a test like that, especially since you've never seen the info. in your life and you studied for a week??!!" - Student - Grade: F
"This is my Sophomore Year in college and I have never met a teacher that could not teach, until now. McCord is one of those teachers that is hard to understand and doesn't really try to help the student. He told us he could careless if we passed or failed his class. My last year GPA was a 4.0, but this class made it drop several points. I only hope he changes his attitude or his teaching habits. Otherwise other students will follow the same path as me." - Student - Grade: ?
"I dreaded this lab every week. My section was taught exclusively by the Grad students. I never once saw McCord in the classroom. The lab is run like Boot Camp- every little aspect of the lab is critiqued and graded- from fingerprints on slides to heading on papers. In my opinion the class needs an instructor- after all that is what they get paid for. I loved Biology before this class- afterwards my love for science was ruined." - Student - Grade: C
"I enjoyed the class a lot. I never actually met Mr. McCord ( I had a night lab) ,but the class was great because the labs were organized and gave step by step instructions on how to do the lab and things to make note of. I skimmed over the material for about an hour each day, two days before the lab. On the day of the lab I studied about 2 hours before. I strongly recommend flashcards and that you keep up with the material. While some of the things he is picky about may seem anal, they are done to keep the equipment in good condition. The reason for the B is that I slacked off towrds the end. With a little time and effort, you can make the grade." - Student - Grade: B
"I've never taken a more anal class in my life. McCord is a complete jerk. He doesn't really care about the students and acts like he wants you to fail. He is way too picky and isn't a very effective teacher. If it hadn't been for a grad student assistant I probably wouldn't even have gotten a "C." My advice avoid taking this man if at all possible." - Student - Grade: C
Rainwater
"Gives lots of notes and covers lots of information and reviews before test. Tests aren't easy but if you are in class for review and throughly go over your notes, you shouldn't have a problem. He was not the reason I dropped, it was the LAB section! (See McCord)" - Student - Grade: Dropped
Taylor
"Possibly the most straightforward professor I have ever taken at SFA, everything you see on the test will have been written on the board some time during the lecture. Non stop lecture and writing on the board, 4 tests, all objective. Never opened the book." - Student - Grade: B
BIO 227
Hay
"YIKES!!! Be prepared to memorize and memorize and memorize...very detailed. I started off with an A and ended up with a C. My grades just kept going down. Dr. Hay is really nice, though. He's funny and pretty interesting. He welcomes questions from students during lecture and wants you to come by his office if you need help. I reccommend you go to his office - I didn't..." - Student - Grade: C
BIO 238
Harry McDonald
"I found this class very interesting. The professor has a very monatone voice, so sometimes it is boring. The tests tend to be difficult, but not if you study and go to the AARC for tutoring. He is also very understanding if you are having problems." - Student - Grade: A
BIO 300
Keck
"Mr. Keck has only been teaching for one semester (Spring 1998) and doesn't really understand the level the students are on. He is unorganized with his lectures. He is unreasonable in his expectations of student performance on the tests. In the upper level courses, his tests are usually 5 pages of essay questions; most of which cannot be found in the textbook, but rather he expects the students to be able to "infer" the answer from their experience. The problem is that most students are not on "his level" and there are no right and wrong answers, simply his evaluation of your critical analysis of the situation he presents in the test question. He doesn't realize that his students have not been through graduate school as he has and thus do not have the experience and background that he has. Still, there is not a lot of intense studying for his Conservation Biology course. Instead, he leaves students baffled as to what will be on the test and how they should study ! for it. My recommendation: "Don't do it!" (Especially if you're going to be taking Comparitive from him!!) He is only in it for the research aspect." - Student - Grade: B
BIO 309
Dr. Steve Wagner
"I thought his class was very interesting. On one particular day he dressed up like dark vador. also he keeps the class intertaining so you don't fall asleep. LAB: "EXCELLENT" You do lots of projects but they're fun. Also, he tells jokes eveyday in lecture and lab, at the beginning of class. with a lot off hard work you should do fine. starting in the fall, if you don't know Dr. Stewart and Dr. Wagner will not be team teaching. Stewart will teach in the fall and Wagner will teach the spring. I would recomend Wagner, He's awesome!!!!" - Student - Grade: C
BIO 343
Gibson
"General entomology course. Very interesting lectures and a lot of practical and useful facts. A collection is optional. You won't be disappointed. You will have to work to make a good grade." - Student - Grade: A
Bio 436
Fleet
"This was a very interesting class and Fleet is a very smart man with lots of stories to make it more interesting." - Student - Grade: B
