BIOL BC1002

I took this class several semesters ago and had a very different experience than some of the previous reviews would indicate. In my experience, Prof Heller was very knowledgeable about the content and more than willing to explain difficult concepts multiple times to make sure that her students understood. I have no background in science but this course was a fascinating and reasonable introduction to biology.

This woman is unbelievable. Really, it's remarkable how she can politicize an intro biology course. And you'll still walk away knowing nothing. She talks and talks and talks but I can't even explain what she's talking about. She strays from the subject matter very, very frequently. I really couldn't tell you what the objectives of this course really is. She finds ways to fill time with her words, but they don't ever apply to the subject matter. If you love Al Gore, this is the class for you.

75 points - Exam 1, 75 points - Exam 2, 75 points - Exam 3, 75 points - Exam 4, 50 points - Participation, 50 points- Bottle Biology Projects, 200 points - Laboratory Grade Participation assignments: assigned randomly in class to make sure you're attending. I wasn't, and it didn't really affect my grade. Exams: read the book chapters. Just reading them will get you through most of the test, but make sure you memorize the terms too and you'll be fine. Lab: a lot of busy work and repetition, but do the stupid assignments and it'll get you through the course almost on its own. I even skipped some of the lab assignments and still did well. I p/d/f-ed the coursed, but without doing most of the participation assignments, flunking half the exams, missing a couple lab assignments, and choosing to do only the assignments that were worth a lot of points, I wound up with a B-.

This class was a lot including the lab. 5 exams in total - (3 in lecture, 2 in lab), project, two lab reports, 2 short papers. It's a lot.

Professor Calahan is probably the worst lecturer I've ever had. Sure, she makes the class amusing at times with her quirks, but after a while, her big "theatrical voice" gets really under your skin. Also, she uses the class like a pulpit, preaching how bitter she is about Al Gore "losing the election against Bush." It's a 50 minute lecture class three times a week, and she uses up I'd say about 40 minutes of each one talking about nonsense and her graduate work in Wisconsin. She tries to make the class funny, but it's a lame attempt. She also does not explain the material well at all, and she confuses the students even more when she tries to answer questions.

Most frequently heard phrase upon asking "Dr" Sable any question: "I am not a .... but..." "I am not a neurologist, but I would imagine that...", "I am not a physician, but..." "I am not a cardiologist, but..." I was left with nothing but to wonder what she actually WAS. In other words? She's clueless. And certainly not a teacher. Her 9am classes are a pathetic waste of time that teach you absolutely nothing. Sheer torture. And they won't prepare you for the multiple choice tests - read the book for that. The labs are little better, filled with elementary experiments and a milieu of useless, repetitive write ups. Mind numbing. Advice: stay the hell away unless you have the patience of 100 year old tortoise. You WILL be driven nuts. NUTS I TELL YOU!

Professor Heller is a really nice person and very kind. But she honestly does not know much about Global Health & Ecology. Not to mention the course itself is actually biology, microbiology, and global health & ecology. Professor Heller does not know much about the topics, most of what we learned was very surface level. I learned stuff I've learned in other classes but worse. This class wasn't particularly difficult and the lab was pretty fun. Take it if you want, but be warned!

There are textbook reading assignments for each class, a weekly lab section, and three exams (+ 2 exams in lab). Lab is worth ⅓ of the overall grade and is broken down into many different assignments -- exams, lab participation, lab reports, worksheets, and quizzes. The lecture grade is broken down into 10% for a project, and 90% for exams.

I would not recommend taking this class. Personally, I took it to fulfill my science lab requirement and it certainly did not make me want to take any more science classes. Heller is a perfectly nice person, but she does not come off as particularly knowledgeable in biology, especially when she fails to answer almost any question asked by students during lecture. It’s as if she memorized the information contained within her slides and has no knowledge outside of that. I have no desire to unnecessarily bash her, but that is the experience that my peers and I *generally* had. I found the exams to be very difficult and hard to study for, with the exception of the final. If you are a science major looking to fulfill the “thinking through global inquiry” requirement or you are otherwise very well-versed in biology, this class is probably a decent -- albeit boring and occasionally frustrating -- way to do it. However, if you aren’t a fan of biology or tend to struggle in science classes, I would not recommend it in the slightest. Overall: boring lectures, difficult exams, less than stellar prof.

Simple, but with absurdly difficult exams.