BIOL 2100

i hadn't taken bio since freshman year of high school, but i still managed to pull an A. i read the textbook before lecture for the first 2-3 exams but completely gave up by the end, so i don't think it's that necessary, but i've also heard the last 2 exams are way more lecture-based, so i don't know. kittlesen was a great lecturer, but don't skip class and rely on the audio recordings-- it's very hard to follow along at home. i never had any idea which slide he was talking about, and clicker questions aren't on the slides, and going over those is a pretty significant part of some classes. the exams were difficult but fair. the mastering bio homework didn't take long, so most of the work for this class was just studying before exams (of which there were 5, so they were pretty frequent).

This class is very hard. Some people like Kittlesen's lectures but they're very non-linear and bounce all over the place. I would recommend re-listening to the lectures and listen to EVERY thing he says. He tests based on lecture material not on textbook material.

TAKE THIS CLASS EVEN IF YOU HAVE CREDIT FOR AP BIO. I have learned so much from Dave and can apply my knowledge like I have never been able to in a class before. Great class- you need to go to lab, do all the readings, and take notes (pay attention to learning objectives and focus mostly on what is in class- sometimes the textbook goes too in depth) in order to succeed. The exams can be difficult (but reasonably so) and Dave lets you drop your lowest score from exams 1-4 but exam 5 counts. I recommend paying close attention to mastering bio and participating in iClicker- these are easy ways to makeup for mistakes on exams. This class isn't an easy A but if you put the time in it is certainly possible. This class was amazing and Dave is always there to answer questions both during/after class and during office hours. I highly recommend this class for all bio majors to build a strong foundation.

Kittelsen is a good lecturer and gives lots of examples throughout, sometimes they can be a little hard to understand so make sure you listen to them again (he records all of his lectures). Getting an A is easily achievable with a professor as good as Kittlesen.

I love this class and I love Kittlesen!!! He's such an amazing professor and really makes class engaging and interesting, though the content itself can already be pretty interesting. It's clear he's passionate about what he does. I think he was also the most organized of any of my professors this semester - consistent communication about EVERYTHING, learning objectives the test pulls from, etc. He also gave second chances with some of the more difficult labs/assignments that were worth more points and extra credit with the Clicker questions.

He definitely wants his students to succeed and focus more on loving biology than stressing over their grades. However the readings and Mastering Bio questions could be tedious and pretty long at times. The labs were also kind of confusing sometimes, but the procedures for everything were all clearly outlined and the questions were usually straightforward.

The tests covered mostly lecture material. I definitely would go in-person instead of listening to the recordings (which have no visual so they don't include drawings on paper he sometimes does). I studied by reviewing my notes and organizing them into his lesson objectives, and also with the practice exam questions he posts.

Overall, I highly recommend this class if you're interested in biology and willing to put in the time to study!

If you're planning on majoring in bio then you quite literally have to take this class. Came into my first year thinking I wanted to major in bio, then realized I no longer wanted to so I lost focus and class got boring for me. Nevertheless, Dave made me enjoy this class. He is pretty interactive with class examples and demonstrations as well as iClicker questions. Lab for this section is pretty easy, nothing too strenuous. Downsides to this class are the large amounts of reading for the online textbook and the annoying Masteringbio questions (homework assignments). I found it a bit hard to keep up with the course, it goes pretty fast, but as mentioned before, I also lost interest in the subject matter. In and of itself the class really isn't that bad. If you have questions go to office hours, work on assignments (not test though lol) with friends, and try to stay up to date with readings.

This review is specific to the summer course because it is a completely different beast. I did not take AP Biology, but I did get an A in Bio 2200 (as reference). I also got an A in this course.

Some changes to summer vs during the year (there are more but this is brief):
- He did not offer office hours.
- Much smaller class (really get to know Kittlesen and make friends)
- We had in-class learning activities (I'm not convinced these will stay). They were worth 20% 

Advice:
1) Study each day. If you want an A, you will have to study/work every single day of the summer course. He predicts on the first day that it takes 20+ hours a week. That is a very accurate assessment of the time put in by successful students. This may be different if you have a lot of biology experience.

2) During class, you need to write down everything he says. He does include some details that you will need on the exam. He is not as specific as Manson, but he still has his moments. In brief, listen to every example and understand it.

3) Watch Khan academy or other videos to supplement the harder material. The course is condensed, so you need to do a bit more than read and go to class. It can really help to watch videos when Kittlesen rushes (which will have to happen given the nature of the course).

4) LEARNING OBJECTIVES!!!! Go through the learning objectives as you learn the material. It takes more effort, but you will be thankful when you are studying for the exam. There was an exam every week (except week three but then we had 2 exams for week 4).

5) Make sure you understand all the diagrams from his powerpoint. Be able to walk through each diagram and be able to explain it.

6) Grade boosters: get as close to a 100% as you can on Mastering Biology, get help on every lab and get the TAs to help you get a good score, and answer his poll everywhere questions (will give you bonus points that greatly increase your grade if you try)

Kittlesen was a fun professor who was really passionate about teaching. His homework assignments can be really long sometimes, especially if you read the textbook. Personally, I would try to answer the homework using my notes and refer to the textbook when I didn't understand something. His exams can be quite tricky in the wording though. I recommend you study with a partner for his exams, and try teaching each other. He will recommend the same thing. He uses his learning objectives to create exam questions, so try making a study guide off of them. When studying, try to explain his learning objectives, and if you can do that, you'll be fine. He says his exam averages are usually around a B, but they are hard. He drops the lowest midterm exam score. He offers extra credit via iClicker questions (based on accuracy) and a post-exam reflection. The only pre-lab reading from the manual was for the first chapter, and otherwise we didn't touch the lab manual. The lab is fairly easy with a good TA. (P.S. Don't pick the 5:30-8pm lab time, you won't get dinner some nights).

Dave was a great guy and you could tell he cared a lot about what he was teaching about, but this class was lethal for me. I took it first semester first year, and I was wholly unprepared. I approached it like a high school class, and that just didn't work. I felt that no matter what I did to study or prepare for exams, nothing was enough. I barely passed the class. Thankfully, he does curve the exams, and he curved the final grade. It got to the point that I was happy if I got a 70 on exams. I put in so much work (notes on every lecture, reading, and studied for hours before each exam). If you take this class, be prepared to throw yourself into it, especially if you're a first year.

This class sucks. Kittlesen is a nice guy but his lectures are unorganized and very hard to follow. His slides have like 2 words on them and it is pictures so I would definitely read the chapters before class. This class is NOT easy even if you do read. The topics are super confusing and the labs do not help. His exams are very difficult and I know a majority of people getting C's on them. There is a lot of material on each exam and you need to study and be able to teach other people so many miniscule details to do well. People that are acting like this class is easy is LYING. It is not at all and the spring semester of bio is soooo much easier.