2.8
Quality3.3
Difficulty42%
Would Retake111
Reviews42%
Would Retake
111
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
18
4
20
3
25
2
21
1
27
What Students Say
“BIO majors please avoid”
PLSOILIN190E - 3.0 rating“Overall not a great professor for a class that requires you to be very exact”
BIO109 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
90%
Textbook Required
31%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.09 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOL101
5.0
(1)BIOLOGY101
5.0
(2)PLSOI190E
5.0
(1)BIO152
4.0
(3)BIOLOGY109
4.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
BIO100
5.0
BIO101
3.7
BIO280
3.5
BIO152
3.3
BIO109
3.1
Reviews (111)
No Comments
Class was prety hard because i suck at BIO. Tests were not that difficult but i managed to screw up anyways. Guy is very concise, tries his best to explain difficult concepts with animations(which are really helpful).The other guy,Normark sucks
He's great...does a great job of explaining tough concepts...though he relies to heavily on his computer and gets very flustered when it isn't working right
Taught well, made exams much too hard for a 100 level course.
not a good teacher has a way of not seeing raised hands thinks he's clever when he does advertising tricks reguarding percentages this confused many people NOT CONCISE often interchanged terms which were for seperate bio structures seemed snotty too
Not a bad teacher, but impossible to approach for help. His tests are hard and he likes to catch you on little things. Definitely trying to weed people out...
No Comments
He is an ok prof. he likes catching people on subtle things. very unapproachable. he is definatley too hard for a 100 level course. the other guy Normark is very monotone but definatley easier.
He seems like he hates teaching more than anything in life and he has no interest in making sure you understand things clearly. Also, he spends tons of time on the stupidest things, and no time on the hard things.
Adam Porter is the worst bio professor at umass. He repeats "can i roll" 100 times a class, the attendence to his class dwindles to about 50-75 people out off 300 after 2 days. His quizes are hard and they give you no breaks on grading them and he has the most annoying voice. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS
DONT TAKE THIS CLASS unless you take it with someone else. This prof is horrible, he is not helpful what-so-ever and when you go to his office hours he tells you that you shoudl memorize every word of the notes till you can take plain paper and write them out yourself. If his goal is to torment his students and make them miserable, his succeeds!
very awful teacher, boring.. often either skipped questions or got confused and taught the lesson wrong. Normark is a little easier, but even more boring. Not many people go.
He's SO ARROGANT! He only takes answers from people that are only EXACTLY what he wants. He's kind of confusing most of the time, and the tests are nothing like the practice exams! the practice exams are way easier. more than half of the exam material is from the book, too. and that usually covers like 5 chapters!!! try to take bio w/ someone else
DO NOT TAKE BIO 101 WITH PORTER!!
AWFUL! the class was easy but it is obvious that he has no interest in teaching and he hates students. lectures were hell and when i was there, i was never awake. read the textbook and u should get a A
Don't listen to the other ratings. Porter is incredibly intelligent and easy going. He is not arrogant, he just knows his stuff. You can challenge his exam questions, but u have to do it WELL (obviously). You will enjoy this class if ur a determined bio. major. It is easy if u pay attention...also readings in classes are never really optional!!
This prof. is wicked nice, very intelligent and helpful. He isnt arrongant, and wants students to learn. He gives ample opportunity during classes for students to participate, and enjoys their feedback. Def. take his class if ur a bio. major, he is interested in teaching u if ur interested in learned. (what a combo!)
This professor excels at tormenting his students. He is the most mean and awful teacher ever. He doesn't help at all and he certainly tries to weed peaople out. Try to avoid taking class with him!
He'll test you on some difficult material (which might give you a headache during the exam), but was very helpful when it came to visualizing how biological systems work. I had him for half the semester and then Normark took over.
Prof. Porter is great. He is very organized, presents materially cleary and makes sure you are keeping up with him so you're never lost. He really makes the material interesting. He was great at putting up review materials and grades online right away, unlike other disorganized bio lecturers (Barlow Coleman is a notorious one.)
He is one of the easiest teachers ive had but he is also boring. never uses the book and pretty much teaches you nothing unless you didn't take evo bio in highschool. just have attend friday classes and have someone PRS click for you.
Nice guy, but when he uses PRS in order to ask students some question about evolution, there is no clear cut answer to his questions. There were times that I felt that the right answers to some evolution questions were the answers answered by the majority of the class. He is bot a bad teacher, but i mos def seen better than him.
Nice guy, but not the most clear. Definitely could have done a better job at explaining concepts. Slides were not that clear. I've had better, I've had worse. If you have a bad grade, hold out for Normark, he does a better job explaining things during the second half of the semester.
Despite what other students might tell you, Porter is a great professor. He might stumble over what he's trying to say and it can take him a little while to get the point across, but he's very eager to help. The slides are beautiful! He gives little animations and everything which are extremely helpful. Just go to class and pay attention.
He's a nice guy but the material is kind of confusing. Sometimes he presents step-by-step processes backwards, which makes it even worse. His tests are based on changing things in the pathways from class and how the affect specific responses. I found Normark easier, but I know many people who preferred Porter.
enjoy the time he is teaching, because his material is much easier than normark's (second half of the semester). exams are only difficult if you don't memorize pathways (he will give you multiple diagrams-LEARN THEM.) he gives a lot of PRS questions, doesn't aim to be tricky. overall, not a bad teacher.
Great, helpful guy!
Makes simple material much more difficult to comprehend. Many mistakes in grading. Tests were extremely difficult and had questions and diagrams that were very different than the concepts done in class. Stay away and try Houlihan instead. The extra book in that class could not be as bad as this nightmare.
Really takes advantage of tenure. He doesn't care if you don't understand the material. The tests are worded in a really awful way and if he was just more clear about things, then maybe people would learn something. He says "um" too much when he lectures so it's hard to follow his entire point because it's so broken up. avoid the class if you can.
Extremely poor lectures, and notes are very unorganized. Likes to catch students on wording instead of actual content. Avoid.
Ridiculous final. Normark actually tries very hard to explain to the best of his abilities through email and lecture. Even though people find him incomprehensible at times, he is much much better than Porter. When I asked Porter a question, the only thing he said was, "Follow the molecules and see what happens..."
not at all an affective teacher. speeaks around topics that he never explains well. prs questions are usually a waste of time. No teaching skills at all. I took AP in high school and even topics that I knew did not make sense after he explained them.
This is defiantly the worst teacher I've ever had. I got a 4 on the ap bio test and aced bio 100. I had a 4.0 before i took this class. The test are unfair and there is no way to study for them because he pulls his questions out of no where.
Lectures are extremely boring. At times, he seems almost too excited about what he is talking about given the material. Discussions are far more interesting. He gives out possible essay questions before each exam so if you study those it should help a lot.
He's super excited about what he teaches, but that isn't always helpful. He's superbly better than the prof I had for bio 100, but that also isn't saying much. His PRS questions are somewhat confusing and his tests are worded the same way. Lecture is mostly just some notes with a ton of PRS, that accounts for attendance. There's a quiz every friday
Porter's alright. I thought he did a pretty good job of actually explaining the material, but his PRS questions are often tricky and confusing. If you had Zane for 100, you'll be used to the logic-based (rather than fact-based) exam style.
Teaches with Normark because of incompetence. How many idiots does it take to teach a bio 101 class? More than two apparently. Anyway, he's better than Normak so just be grateful while he's still around.
He's just alright. Didn't like him as much as Normark. Difficult professor. Need to read the textbook before lecture of that week. GO TO SI. She will save your grade. Take this class with Holihan instead.
I liked him a lot more than Normark. He really loves his material and always seemed to enjoy teaching it. His clicker questions are hard but you have to enter any answer on any question to get full credit for a class. The biggest downside is he isn't always clear when he's explaining things. He says um a LOT. I kept a tally and his record was 225.
Porter was a nice guy. The class was okay, his section was more interesting than Normark's. We used iClickers and the book is slightly helpful. I suggest going to SI sessions they are extremely helpful. Over decent class.
Dr. Porter is a decent teacher. His class (Evolution Explained) was fairly easy. He explains evolution more or less well, and tries to make class interesting through discussion. Many of his assignments seemed pointless and irrelevant, but easy nonetheless.I would recommend his class as a BS gen ed for non science majors. BIO majors please avoid.
Porter's a good guy, and clearly passionate about what he teaches. He's pretty engaging, and the lectures weren't that bad. He seems very accessible and willing to help. Bio 109 was a relatively easy course, though the tests tended to be harder than expected.
Professor Porter is a great guy and a good professor. He's very passionate about what he's teaching and he makes the material really interesting. For a bio gen ed this class was so easy and interesting. Also there's no lab component, only online discussions every week and you're allowed to skip 2 of them. I would recommend this class.
Awesome guy and a passionate teacher who really loves teaching his class. That one lecture you don't mind sitting through. If you ask him questions he will go through every step with you and you can tell he really wants to help. He gets so happy when people ask him questions.
Professor Porter is a nice guy, but this was a really hard class because he makes the tests impossible. Would not recommend.
Adam porter is a a very sweet professor. Only issue is that he doesn't round up grades even if you're at a breaking point between letters and it really affects you. Good prof otherwise
Porter definitely loves what he teaches. Class was relatively easy, tests were a bit more difficult but doable. Best part was there was no physical discussion/lab but an online discussion. Porter was pretty clear about the info teaching. Good gen ed class.
He's a nice guy and the class is not bad at all. The tests are very straight-forward and the homework isn't ridiculous. Just do the online work and show up to class if you want a decent grade.
He throws examples, diagrams, and figures at you with little explanation of how it connects to or exemplifies what you're learning. His equivalent of powerpoint slides are incredibly confusing because the color of the text is changes without rhyme or reason. However, he is an incredibly kind instructor who is excited to answer all your questions.
Personally, I was not a fine of his style of teaching. The lectures are monotone and have no organization to the "slides." His exams are filled with "trick questions" and confusing wording, which is proved by the fact that he accepts challenges to every exam for questions you disagree with (it doesn't always work). Wouldn't take him. Little grading
My favorite class so far. He is really enthusiastic about what he teaches. He takes time in class to answer everyone's questions and give everyone's view a fair shot. The tests can be a bit tricky with wording, but he lets you challenge that. He makes his office hours up to you to be as accessible as possible.
First 2 exams were fair, final was brutal and messed up a lot of peoples grades. He's such a sweet and caring person though.
This guy is a staight clown. It isn't that the class is hard it is that this guy is literally not a good professor. He carries himself in a cocky way and his lectures will literally put you to sleep. The formatting of his notes could be done better by a 6th grader and his questions on exams are often misleading. Loves using trick questions on exams
Porter is a terrible professor. His exams are built to trick u, reviews are a joke, full of typos that confuse the point of the ques. The exams are pyramid, so you take it 2x, once with other ppl. You'd think that'd be easy, but the questions are manipulative. I took AP bio, am a senior, actually attend class and study. Shame, could be a cool class
Pretty boring class overall. Exams are taken in a pyramid format (80% alone, 20% partners), but the questions are worded in a very confusing manner. Prof. Porter is very passionate, but the lectures drag on and are hard to follow.
Prof. Porter is a good guy, really funny and really passionate. I enjoyed going to class. Just pay attention and you'll do fine.
Lectures are often unclear, he sometimes doesn't answer student questions and notes are worded in confusing ways. To add to that, his test questions are often very specific and also worded in confusing ways. Overall not a great professor for a class that requires you to be very exact
Did not enjoy this class at all and the test questions were unnecessarily confusing many times.
Terrible lectures which have barely anything to do with exam questions. Exam questions were unnecessarily difficult. At the end of the semester he told us the average final grade for the class was a C which he viewed as a success, that should tell you all you need to know. He doesn't seem to realize that this is an intro to bio class.
Exam questions were unclear and he's a fan of "trick" questions. The exams are pyramid, but class average was still about 70-80%. His lectures are confusing and the slides he makes are loaded with information, but he rambles so much that the information on the slides barely matters. Nice guy, just very scatterbrained.
Dr. Porter is great, but some of the exam questions had multiple options that I felt were misleading. He let you argue why you chose your answer to get your points back, but it was still annoying at times. Regardless, this class was interactive and made understanding the material easier without having to write down everything.
AMAZING AND CARING PROFESSOR! He was very humorous and loved to get to know his students. Only downside was his tests were much more difficult than perceived. All MULTIPLE CHOICE, but for me they were hard even with some studying. If you're a bio major or a science person then he's definitely right for you
Dr. Porter teaches evolution well, but his engagement makes him really great. He has forums where students discuss tough relevant questions dealing with concepts like creationism or genetic engineering. There are interesting in class questions for participation. He records all his lectures and his grading is very lenient and fair.
Success in this course is based on paying attention. So attendance is not mandatory but since there is not a book it is important that you either attend class or consistently watch the lecture videos as everything you need to know he will say, I suggest taking good notes. 3 major exams, 3 simulation assignments and 4 forum posts make up your grade.
His exams are riddled with trick questions and ultra specific definitions that are very subjective and difficult. Exams are unfair. This last exam, only 9% of the class got a 90 or above - this mans exams are way too hard for the content taught in class. Doesn't matter how much you study, doing well on exams is all luck. I am an A, 3.9 student btw
He is extremely caring! He tries hard to make the class fair and to understand students. Students often say that his exams are difficult or unfair, but I personally disagree. He offers 'exam challenges' that give you a chance to argue your choice for credit. Students struggle to study bc his slides are so poorly organized, but the content is there
Adam is a funny guy, but his exams are always rough. There are many questions he ends up dropping because he decides that they made no sense himself after the class takes the exam. His lectures tend to be a bit boring, but he explains everything on his slides. There aren't many other major assignments- just forums and simbio aside from the exams.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS! Just for insight, I got an A in Orgo 2 but couldn't even get a B+ in this class. He is a very caring man don't get me wrong, but his exams are a joke. The exam questions are NOTHING like what we learn in class, and even the lecture notes we learn in class don't make sense. Very disorganized and unfair testing. DO NOT TAKE!
Show up to class, participation graded based on iClickers. Tests are relatively hard... if you go to every lecture and do thorough review you should at least get a B on an exam. However, the wording, the structure, very specific information/examples from class lectures, and theoretical questions make it harder.
Class is divided into 3 exams, and weekly forums for a participation grade. You'll need an iclicker because that's how he takes attendance, but other than that he's very anti expensive textbooks. Make quizlets and pay attention in lecture, because there are no outside assignments besides the forums, and that material isn't on the exams.
The tests are really really hard to prepare for since there is no textbook for the class, and many of the questions/answers on tests are "trick questions." Also, exams make up a good portion of your grade. The homework load isn't that heavy, but there's a lot of reading. Overall, wouldn't recommend. also, you need to buy an iclicker for participati
Tests were a little confusing at times but overall not too difficult, very accommodating about things if you talk to him ahead of time.
He's a good guy, and he clearly cares about the subject matter. He would also record the lectures which helped if you missed anything. Attendance is mandatory, but you are allowed to miss a few days. The tests do have a lot of trick questions, but you can justify why you should get points back. Forums also make up a good amount of easy points.
If you are looking for a bio class pick a different one. Porter's slides are all over the place and very confusing. He likes to go on tangents during lectures leaving the class confused. His exams have (trick questions) which is very stressful as the exams are very heavily graded. STUDY THE SLIDES before the exam and you will be good!
Half of it is genuinely interesting and the other is a snooze fest. Porter is fun but that's hard to appreciate in a huge gen-ed. Not too much work and the tests are fair. Solid choice of a gen-ed coming from someone who hates science.
Professor Porter's lectures were interesting. I took his Evolutionary Biology gen ed last fall, which was interesting especially in the midst of the development of covid variants. If not for his exams, I would've rated him higher. They include questions not taught about on the slides, calling us to make "inferences." The final was impossible.
Professor Porter is a great person, but his teaching style didn't work for me. The material is easy, I can search it and get it in 5 mins, but when learning this material in class, it is disorganized and way more confusing than it should be. Exams contain 40 multiple choice q's in 60 mins; timing can be difficult and q's make no sense sometimes.
Adam says that we do NOT need to know when we missed class if we miss 6 or fewer, but if we miss more than 6, then we would have to know exactly which date(s) we missed for ALL of the missed classes. Why not just say that kids have to know which classes they missed after they've already missed 6?????? Pls for the love of god dont take this class.
Genuinely do not understand all the negative feedback on this professor! He is extremely passionate about this field and was always very open to answering any questions or talking about a biology-related topic. Despite the huge class size, he was almost always replying to emails quickly. His exams were also very reasonable.
Good guy; good teacher. You will need to take thorough notes and study them for exams, but exams aren't impossible. He's also a great lecturer and very funny.
You have to take good notes to do well on the exams. The exams also include a lot of trick questions which is pretty annoying. Iclicker attendance is take every class. He is funny but the lectures are very boring and people tend to get the iclicker question wrong a lot because his slides are somewhat confusing. There's not a lot of work he grades.
Homework is quick and simple is 30% of grade Attendance is 10% of grade and the rest is tests These tests aren't too hard but if you don't study you will probably not do well. He words questions weirdly like he is trying to confuse you.
Good teacher, lectures are graded using clickers (have to answer at least 2 multiple choice questions during lecture powerpoint to receive credit for attendance), highlights important information. Tests are hard, made up of multiple choice questions that are worded difficulty. Lectures are somewhat boring but there are occasional jokes thrown in.
His slides are so confusing. I regret taking this class already. He is making easy concepts so complex for no reason.
This class is very lecture heavy with many concepts being on the exams. Work is split into attendance, exams, and discussion posts. Exams have a collaborative portion to potentially boost your exam grade. Exams have many questions in a short time and require a lot of memorization. Exam questions are very tricky and you must re-read them carefully.
He is not the best teacher as his lectures are disorganized but the material is easy and can be learned quickly. He has mandatory attendance but I've missed a lot of classes and he has a system for itemized excuses. The homework is very minimal and the discussion sections make you think about deep topics. He's very sweet, funny and accommodating
Do not take evolution with Adam Porter he made such easy topics into one of the most complex things possible. The absolute worst class at UMass. He seemed nice at first but is very passive aggressive. Will ruin your GPA
Amazing very passionate professor, loves to talk to you after class about different subjects of interest. Genuinely cares about his students and makes sure you understand the subject before moving on. Very lecture heavy so be prepared to take detailed notes which you need to do well on the exams. Made the subject of evolution extremely interesting.
Lecture heavy, but he is passionate about the subject and answers clarifying questions. Attendance is graded. Good guy. 3 exams (2 midterms, 1 final). Exams are not too difficult. He posts the exams from the previous semester, and TA's hold review sessions to go over the answers. Relatively easy class if you attend lectures.
He is very kind and down-to-earth. His goal in evolutionary bio is to clear up common misconceptions we all have, so of course it will seem like he is "making simple concepts more complex" if you are unwilling to actually learn. His lectures are as clear as they can possibly be, and he gives you all the resources you need to be successful.
He is so sweet seriously father figure. the grading criteria is easy as well, the exams not as much though
his tests were hard due to trick questions, he's boring and i hated going to his class. he seems nice tho, really into bio. pay attention to slides (recording and slides are up on moodle)
His tests are awfully written with many trick questions. Some questions are not reviewed, just something he mentioned that one time in his lectures. Also, he is not tech-savvy so he struggles with attendance and iClickr questions. I feel asleep in his class too many times (not on-purpose), because of how boring it was.
The iClicker questions and forum posts were very easy and free points. The tests, however, which made up 70% of the points, were poorly worded, very confusing, and contained many false dichotomies. Even the true/false weren't just simple yes or no questions! tl;dr If you want an easy gen ed and stress-free midterms/finals, skip this class.
Adam is a nice guy who is passionate about what he teaches but has a very hard time being clear in his lectures which leads to confusion every lecture. His exam questions can be described as riddles and extremely tricky and based on interpretation of words, to the point where even people with the right answer are confused. Take a different class!
Stay away from this class for evolution. Adam is a nice guy but his exams are very difficult because of the way he words questions. Very confusing. His slides are also all over the place and the homework questions are very unrelated to what we learn in class. I thought evolution would be an easier bio class but I struggled a lot in his class.
He's a decent professor and is very passionate about this course, which makes lectures more engaging. Test questions are written weirdly but I didn't find them super confusing. As long as you pay attention to lectures and do the homework, you're set. The course material was pretty easy for the most part.
the exams are very tricky with weird wording. The homework is strange as we had to do forums on topics that relate nothing to class topics. would not recommend taking him for bio280
The first class I was in, I thought he was a great professor, and I was excited for the rest of the semester. That ended quickly. His lectures are long and boring, but takes attendance at the end so you have to attend. He's the type of professor that cannot break down complex concepts to help students understand. Every MC is a trick question.
Professor is passionate but tests can be tricky. Attendance is mandatory and clickers are used. unstuckstudy helped with study prep, saving time. Overall, a manageable class if you engage with the material.
Worst professor I have had at my time in UMass. I am a 4.0 student and this class messed me up bad. The exams are a joke- the questions asked are so stupidly worded even he doesn't understand them at times and needs to drop them after the exam. Do yourself a favour- DON'T take this class. The content rlly isn't that hard, he makes it unbearable.
killed my love of the topic of evolution :/ content is so disorganized and lackluster. professor never answer questions in class, just says to ask him again after class. class is not interactive at all, though there is required iclicker attendance. almost none of the students pay attention, and the prof doesn't help with that either. never again
DONT TAKE THIS CLASS! i am a 3.96 gpa student and I was so lost in class. lectures are soo Disorganized- good luck understanding his slides. When it comes down to his exams that's another story. The questions in the exams are so confusing and it doesn't make any sense. You can't use outside sources to study- how he teaches us the concept is odd.
If he's your only option, don't take the class, he overcomplicates the course materials, and his exams are only based on lectures, but half of them are nothing like it. He grades weirdly on Canvas, your grade is never clear throughout the semester unless you calculate it yourself. Evolution is supposed to be the "easier" bio but not with him.
Honestly he's not a bad option but if you could pick someone else do it. I spent all semester going to class and no one would pay attention, no one even bothers pretending to take notes anymore atp. He grades weirdly, your grade is never clear unless you calculate it yourself. As long as you follow his instructions you'll be good. Just do ur work.
Fantastic course, lecture-heavy and class participation matters, but it's very fun and conversational. He breaks down very tough material in a way non-majors can easily engage with. Most of the grade comes from tests, and all test material is from the lecture. The class also has a lot of forums with a lot of reading, but they were all interesting.
I took this as a gen ed; my advisor told me that this would be a relatively easy class to get my gen ed out of the way. This was a lie. The teacher is a very nice guy and is pretty lenient when it comes to extra credit. It was really hard for me to lock in the lecture because he is so boring. The tests are difficult for a gen ed. DON'T TAKE FOR GEN
The class requires a lot of memorizing, but Dr. Porter is truly amazing. I found his lectures to be easy to follow and understand, and he was very happy to answer any questions. There are some lengthy discussion forums to do, but they're not the worst and it's easy to get 100s on them. The tests are a bit challenging, but nothing too crazy.
Very nice guy. But wow, what a horrible way to teach the class. He is EXTREMELY hard to follow, and while he is knowledgeable about Biology, he seems to forget that he's teaching gen ed classes. Its so hard to decipher the important information from what he is saying, and he just rambles on and on. This class is NOT WORTH IT. Find another gen ed.
This is a decent professor, probably average, but he offers a lot of extra purchases when teaching, and I can make reasonable inference that he is making profit from our purchases to the websites he appointed to.
Do not take for gen ed if you have another option. Not the hardest class but you could find an easier gen ed. Lectures are hard to follow and tests will basically make or break your grade. Also he doesn't allow you to see your grade until the very end when it's final.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
90%
Textbook Required
31%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.09 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOL101
5.0
(1)BIOLOGY101
5.0
(2)PLSOI190E
5.0
(1)BIO152
4.0
(3)BIOLOGY109
4.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
BIO100
5.0
BIO101
3.7
BIO280
3.5
BIO152
3.3
BIO109
3.1