EVSC 2220

All of the other reviews here are spot on. At the beginning of the semester, I had been very excited to take this class and learn about conservation. However, my dreams were quickly crushed by Professor Lerdau. His lectures are extremely unorganized, but ALL of the questions on the test come from his lectures and none from the "required" readings that seemed unrelated to the lectures. When studying, I struggled to find connections between the varied subjects that Lerdau tried to tie to environmental science. It took him over a month to get our (multiple choice) midterms back to us. I studied a lot and still ended up with a B (still don't know the exact percentage because he used some strange curve). There are only two grades: the midterm and the final. There was supposed to be a grade for quizzes and participation, but we have never had a quiz and he often remarks about how he knows no one's name in the class, so I don't see how that would be possible. He's actually repeated two lectures word for word over the semester without seeming to notice. This class is a waste of time, but still not an easy A because the information is so scattered and unorganized. Would not recommend to anyone.

This was definitely one of the stranger classes I've taken. Professor Lerdau feels like one of those professors who is here to do research, and they force him to teach a class or two. He seems like a really smart guy who struggles to translate that as an instructor. The final exam was worth more than half of the final course grade - sorry that I can't be more specific than that, but neither could Lerdau. There's a lot of information that I thought was kind of interesting in this class, but his lectures were meandering and disorganized. His slides are essentially useless for studying, but so are the readings. I wouldn't say that the exams are incredibly difficult, but you will feel incredibly unprepared before each one. I came out of the class feeling like I literally did not learn a thing. If you are looking for a STEM credit to fulfill a requirement, don't take this class (even if it sounds more interesting than other requirements). If you are an EVSC major looking to get those first three credits out of the way, don't take this class (even if it sounds interesting). If you're completing the conservation specialization and have to take it, you'll be fine (lots of content is covered in other classes and it's not like the hardest class ever), but make sure you really do pay attention in lecture - it's the only way to learn any of the material.

This was the worst course I've ever taken at UVA, so if you could avoid it I would highly recommend doing so. I am a third year biology major who has done well in the rest of my STEM classes, but I was absolutely lost in this class. Prof Lerdau is an incredibly disorganized lecturer. I never knew what to take away from the lectures and had no idea what to expect on tests, which was problematic as our entire grade was based on the midterm and final (although in the syllabus he said 10% was quizzes but never once did we have a quiz). I didn't do much work outside of class (because I had no idea what to do to prepare), so the class wasn't so much a time commitment as it was frustrating and stressful. You basically either get an A or a B and you don't know which until final grades come out. From the other reviews on here it seems people have had the same complaints for years, so doubtful his teaching style will ever change. Once again, if you can avoid it, don't take this class.

I got pre-enrolled in this class, read the reviews, and figured there was no way it was THAT bad. I was sorely mistake. The lectures are like a roller coaster — not in the fun way, in the disorienting and vomit-inducing way. His slides are pointless, he meanders from topic to topic, and will spend significant amounts of time answering a simple question in mind-numbing detail. You have to hang on his every word as the posted slides have little to no information, there is no textbook, and the readings are completely irrelevant. The exams (two of them, which make up the entire grade) are a minefield of trick questions and trivia. I have never before seen a true or false question with more than one possible answer. To make matters worse, it takes months to get a result back on a 15-question multiple choice exam, and he uses a completely incomprehensible curving system that leaves you confused at best and disappointed at worst. As of writing this, there is under an hour until the grade deadline, and I have no clue what my final grade is. Personally, I had to take a make-up exam, and wrote him no less than five emails with no response, as he unexpectedly just didn't show up for the final two classes. Lerdau is a perfectly nice guy, very friendly, but avoid him as an instructor like the plague.