2.6
Quality4.1
Difficulty26%
Would Retake100
Reviews26%
Would Retake
100
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
17
4
19
3
14
2
16
1
34
What Students Say
“This is the worst class that I have ever taken”
BIO1103 - 1.0 rating“He tries to trick you and is awful”
BIO1103 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
65%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.65 avg changeRatings by Course
BIO107
4.0
(1)BIO1
4.0
(1)BIO4970
4.0
(1)1107
3.7
(3)BIOL1103
3.7
(6)Difficulty by Course
BIO1100
5.0
BIOL4200
5.0
BIOL3020
5.0
ZOO3010
5.0
BIO005
5.0
Reviews (100)
Wonderful! He knows his stuff and is more than willing to help.
UGH!! Tests are horrible!
TOUGH. He gives out alot of short answer questions on both quizzes and tests. If answer is insufficient to him, you will lose points or just get it wrong.
He's a nice guy, but not a good teacher. The average grade in our class was 55-60. He covers too much material in a short amount of time just so he can get through everything. The questions on tests and quizzes are extremely specific and a lot of them are short answer. I was more confused about the material after I left class.
Dr. Francis is SUPER hard and strict. I worked my butt off in his class. It is rewarding to know that you worked for the grade, but I could not understand him. I had to teach myself or ask my tutor. He is a nice guy, but not a recommended professor.
Pretty much agree with what everyone else says: he is a nice guy, but the class/tests are ridiculously hard. You would think he gets a clue when the test avgs are in the low 60s but guess not. Take another professor!
Hell No. Dr. Francis is so hard. He covers so much information at 1 time and the test are super hard and there are no quizzes. He talks and talks and its overwhelming. Not recommended at all!!! Save yourself and do not take him. If you have to wait another semester. WAIT!!!!
He is the WORST teacher ever! TAKE SOMEONE ELSE!!!
This class is very hard, and the questions are incredibly specific. It requires a lot of work, and a hell of a lot of memorization. It is possible to get a good grade, though, and knowing that you worked so hard for it can be rewarding. Just don't go into his class expecting to coast through.
Horrible teacher. Tells you one thing is gonna be on the test and the complete opposite is what you get
The worst professor I have ever taken for a biology course. I am not a slack student, I worked very hard in his class and came out with a grade I definitely did not deserve. His labs are useless and it's best to bring a voice recorder to his lectures. Good luck in this class. BTW the average grade on his first test was a 40. Says a lot, right?
Dr. Francis isn't good at teaching his material. He is hard to keep up with in note taking so bring a recorder. His tests are extremely difficult and have a ton of short answers that require very specific answers. He's a harsh grader. He tells you one thing is going to be on the exam and then puts the oposite. Take someone else.
Really REALLY HARD
If you are a biology major this is your guy! If you just need to fill a core requirement, take someone else. Harsh grader, asks broad questions and wants specific answers. Good way to ruin your GPA. You will need to devote most of your study time to this class. Cumulative final. Test reviews are useless. Class is more difficult than it should be.
really hard test short answer and mattaching does a good job explaining is there if u need help
His tests are multiple choice, matching, and short answer. If you show up for lectures he does tell you "this would be a great short answer question/matching question" so if you fail - it's your fault for not studying the material. He is a nice guy and extremely helpful.
Goes into good detail and very relaxed in class. Likes to have a little fun in class
I agree, if you're not a biology major, take another teacher. His tests are hard, but he does tell you most times what the test will cover. Lots of memorization required!! Class is based off of tests and lab, that's it.
If you want to pass biology 1107 then do NOT take him!!! i study my butt off for every test and im just barely passing his test. i go to tutoring and get help every chance i get but his test are EXTREMELY hard (no one can say that i haven't tried to pass his tests)half the time in class you can't really understand what he is talking about
HORRIBLE! Worst teacher I have ever had! My high school teachers were better than him. All he does is read from a power point, you don't even have to go to class because he then posts the power points online. His test are over about 5 % of what he lectures on; the rest he pulls out of his butt! Unless you know alot about biology, do not take him!
He is by far the worst teacher that i could ever imagine taking. he teaches off a powerpoint for no reason cuz he tests barely relates to them at all. you have to be a biology genius to pass with a decent grade. i now have to take biology again because i couldnt pass his tests to save my life. it didnt matter how much i studied. NEVERRRR TAKE HIM!
This class is difficult. You really have to study your high tail off to do good in this class. I recommend that you read the book, the notes, and the online assignments he gives over & over until the info sticks with you. He's not a bad guy at all, but you really have to put in ALOT of effort. If you are one who likes to study, you should go well.
i don't recommend this prof to anybody. he's mean. it's hard even to pass the class.
Great guy, but I just couldn't grasp it. I'm definately not alone. I know he really wants us to pass us and for us to get everything. I can say I havent had the best attitude towards this class to begin with. You should take him if you really like science and biology though.
Not a bad guy but all his tests are very hard. He changed the wordings on his test to make you second guess yourself. Review day was useless.
Unless your a biology major DON'T take him!!!
Awesome teacher but his tests are tough. Encourages any students having trouble to see a tutor or come see him during office hours. Seems willing to help.
Dr. Francis is extremely nice! The material is pretty easy, but you gotta study. He's there for help, and he's always willing to keep going over the material! The only thing I suggest is that you study for a little bit every night. The tests come straight out of the book and from lecture. Lab was pretty fun but dragged on forever.
Dr. Francis is easy if you look over the notes. Heck, even if you don't you can still pass with probably a C! Pretty nice and usually cracks a joke or two in class. Just review the notes and you'll be fine.
dr. francis is not that hard you just gotta look over the notes at least nightly and review key terms but other than that it is pretty good..i liked the lab better than the lecture
easy and very willing to help. as simple as that.
I really enjoyed this class alot and Dr. Francis always helps with his humor. If you need extra help he encourages people to go see him or work with peers at the Bio lab. Pretty easy.
Liked this class. Not my favorite subject but he taught it well.
Good teach, knows his stuff and teaches well. However, I know the material extremely well. I can word for word repeat every graph in photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Even though i know this, i struggle to pass his test. His review is worthless, nothing on his review is on the test on the past 3 test. I suggest to memorize the entire chapter
Some material was difficult and other material was easy...besides photosynthesis, it was all pretty easy and mostly common knowledge. Learned a lot, Dr. Francis taught well.
Enjoyed the class and I hope to take another with him again!
Material is not that difficult you just have to come to class with an open mind. The subject matter is pretty simple and he will be glad to answer any questions if it doesn't make any sense to you. Recommended professor!
Dr.Francis isn't too bad but the material is pretty hard for an intro class. He does his best to help his students,posting lectures online and other study materials. Most professors don't do that. Stay on top of your stuff and read the book with his lectures and you should be fine.He's a really nice guy too.
The material was very hard but if you read along with the book you shouldn't have any problems. He always willing to help. He also post his lectures and power points online which is extremely helpful. Enjoyed his class.
ARE U IN FOR A NASTY TREAT. HORRIBLE TEACHER! YES, HE POSTED SLIDES ON VISTA AND USED ITUNES FOR TEACHING BUT THAT DID NOT HELP. TESTS WERE EXTREMELY HARD AND WHEN U GO TO HIS OFFICE HE ACT LIKE U SHOULD KNOW THE STUFF, "ITS A DUH AND AWKWARD MOMENT". THE MATERIAL WAS CLEARLY COVERED BUT THE TESTS WERE HARD.
During lecture he races through slides, whether or not everyone has finished copying them.If you dont love and live biology, dont take him. He does NOT make it easy at all for those taking the class because its required. He pretends like everyone is on the same page as him when really everyone is failing his class. His tests are really freakn hard.
Not a bad teacher, but his tests consist of 50-60 extra hard questions. The material is clearly covered but in the end it's soooo much to remember. If you're not big on biology I definitely wouldn't recommend taking him.
Do NOT take him!!! he is really hard. His tests are difficult. ALL of the answers on the test are correct, but to get it right you have to figure out which one is MORE correct. When you go to him for help he talks down to you and expects you to already know this stuff. And he has very dry jokes. SMH.
STAY AWAY. This professor expects you to begin class with the same level of knowledge he has. He mainly lectures verbatim from the powerpoint presentations. He does not give study material or help prepare for exams. His exams are brutal. They stray from the lectures. The material is hard. Good guy but BRUTAL PROFESSOR.
This teacher is a little dfficult if you aven't ha a Biology class hts goe indepth recently. I took honors bology and AP biology before I took his class so I had good understdi of the materil ir to his class got a 4 on the AP national but for my major had to take this class anyways) but even with all of that I still struggled keeping an A.
Making a B in the class was extremely difficult. He goes so in depth with all of the material in class, and the test questions seem to come out of left field. He put all of his lectures online, including the power points, but I did best when I taught myself from the book. You're in for a very hard class... unless you're a biology wiz.
This class is nearly impossible to get an A. The lectures were simple and well paced but nothing like the tests. If you take this class be prepared to study.
I don't know why people are saying he's hard and saying he's a bad teacher.. It's all about how you learn. I have an A in his class and if he taught Bio 2 I would be taking it with him in a heartbeat!! He isn't any harder than my Ap bio I took soph yr in HS. Honestly a great teacher! Wish he taught bio 2. He's not hard. You're in college now. Study
Professor Francis is a good professor. If you pay attention to key ideas in lecture you will do fine. His tests can be difficult but if you apply basic test taking strategies, they're easy to deconstruct.
Impossible to make an in his class. Other teachers of the same class grade WAY easier. Stay away!
This class is extremely difficult. Yes, if you pay attention and do all of your work and go through the 200 pages of slides at least ten times you can MAYBE make a B. Although, I do not suggest taking him for a lower level class, his tests are very difficult and he reads straight from the slides.
DO NOT TAKE HIM! Forget hard and easy,the man is down right unreasonable! as opposed to main ideas and overall understanding of the topic he expects you to know every little fact! There are 120 slides filled with facts and trust me your grade will suffer if you cannot recall every little fact on a test question (like minus 5 points !)
Horrible! he has actually posted a 65 slide show the day before the test and then claims that he doesnt understand why the average on the test is a D...
Horrible Teacher, Horrible Attitude, I actually care about my grade, I would email him and try to meet up with him and he would ignore my emails.
I had the pleasure of taking Dr. Francis for lecture and lab. He was a tough teacher with many obstacles but it was worth learning how to test and understand the concepts of biology. He is a very good teacher! If you can't or don't want to put in the work, don't take him! Because you can't hang.
This professor is HORRIBLE! I wish I would have known about him before I took him! The test are hard! Final is cumulative which was even more difficult! He has no business teaching this course! He doesn't respond to email and he has a don't care attitude! No study guide, review, reminders, NOTHING! He gives the material then you are on your own!
This is the worst class that I have ever taken! PLEASE STAY AWAY especially if you're taking him for lower level course. The tests are ridiculously hard and lab was a nightmare. Everyone would look around at each other trying to figure out what to do. DO NOT TAKE HIM. He ignored my emails and has a no mercy attitude. Only class I've ever failed.
Did not enjoy his class. He is not a good teacher!
Francis is tough. I had him for lecturelab and he would read all the objectives and expect you to memorize them. Everyone was constantly confused and afraid to ask for help. His tests were extremely difficult since he asks about specifics rather than concepts. I expect to work for my grade but this class was ridiculous.
He was great. Straight-forward. Sometimes sarcastic but he was really funny. Understanding and laid-back. Everybody who left these negative comments are tripping. If you focus on vocabulary and his power points You can get a B. Just study!
It was so frustrating because I went to class everyday and I always took notes, and I write down everything hes says! I even recorded him! Studied the notes, re listened to the lectures, read and It was like they were written in another language. I'm all for critical thinking questions, but don't act like I have my doctorate in this field.
I'm sorry but for anyone who left bad rates, chances are you probably didn't study or use his online questions that actually help.. HE is a VERY great teacher. I went to his office to review any exams and he has a pleasure of helping any student that has trouble. REMEMBER: college tests aren't just vocab so that why you think its "hard". hes great!
If you like to write down notes and information that is essential to passing the class, don't bother with him. He goes so fast in lecture that he actually finishes up the class 15-20 min early. Don't get me wrong the class is interesting, but he's probably the worst professor I've ever had. I'll make sure to never take him again.
His lectures are long and boring. You don't have to go to class because he records all his lectures and puts them online. Expect homework. Don't buy the textbook, just the ebook. Expect homework on each chapter. I didn't enjoy the class at all.
Notice most of the bad reviews are 1103(nonmajor science class) I have him for 4970 special topics and he is pretty good. topic is interesting, the lectures are full of info but not horrible (15-20pg PPT), very knowledgeable, grades on a curve, helpful IF YOU ASK! funny once you get to know him. dont miss class, no text but lots of journal articles
He reads off his power points and the tests are random questions that are worded to be difficult
Professor Francis does not give clear instructions you will have to asked him later on what he may have assigned. He does not reply to emails and is hard to access outside of class because his office hours are short.
I took him for 1103 and honestly it wasnt bad. You have to pay attention and read the chapter, but buy the launch pad code and do those little excercises at the end and youll be fine 100%. I didnt study for the first test and failed, study for all of the others and made As and Bs. As long as you read and try youll be fine 100%
You most definitely have to read the textbook to understand what he is lecturing about or it wont make much sense. The only thing you are graded on is tests and quizzes & there arent many. He tends to stray from actually answering the questions and it gets to a point where the students are just like oh okay because he never really answers it.
WORST PROFESSOR I HAVE EVER HAD!! Such a rude person. Does not clarify anything in class, does not give clear direction. He is the worse grader on the face on GSU Armstrong. He will not help you at all. DO not recommend him for Bio 1108 Lab at ALL!
Dr. Francis is a pretty okay professor, his lectures are thorough and informative. I like that every end of his lectures, he will quiz the class to review the information and study. The only problem I had with Dr. Francis was his testing because they were too long. For example : Exams were 75 questions and final exam 93 questions
He's incredibly confusing, completely misguides students and never offers assistance. He's also incredibly rude over email, if he responds at all. You also only get graded based on attendance and tests, and there is never any extra-credit. If you enjoy cohesiveness and actually learning, I DO NOT recommend his class.
I really liked him for Intro to Biology. Just read the chapters before class with notes already taken and take more notes during class. The questions at the end of class help. He expects you to do is understand the concepts, not just memorize. If you read and listen carefully & take notes during class, you'll pass.
I really liked his class, and it was a breeze compared to other science credits offered. The class just consists of lectures and book reading, but the tests are fair and somewhat easy. He's pretty funny and makes the lectures somewhat interesting adding clicker questions. He's not accessible at all outside of class, which is a pretty big negative.
Didnt respond to emails, didnt communicate about what we had going on or what was expected, very frustrating class to take.
Dr. Francis is a great professor! The course was relatively easy and straightforward. Everything on the exams mirrored the lectures and iClicker. If you pay attention, you will pass.
DO NOT TAKE!!! No one gets above a C on the exams. He tries to trick you and is awful. He WILL NOT meet accommodations and doesn't provide all the notes. you need to go to every single class!!!! I was in the hospital and he still didn't let me make up a Quiz I fought for it too and failed because of the syllabus. Exams are nothing like lectures!
I honestly really enjoyed having Dr. Francis as a professor for Concepts of Biology. The class is pretty straightforward and most of the information on the quizzes and exams he teaches in class. As long as you read the textbook and take notes on lectures it is not hard to get a good grade in this class.
Strict and straightforward but a pretty good professor. Classes were easy to follow along and the iclicker quiz end of class definitely helped. Exams had the info covered in the class plus quizzes before each exam that were easy a's. Make sure you do the clicker cause it counts higher than 1 exam.
Standard online class, there are just a few grades in the class, so no overwhelming busy work. Exams and quizzes are simple and based on the notes given. Professor is alright.
This professor repeatedly changed things up in the class. He repeatedly lied about what was for a grade, when things were due and what things were included in the tests. Not only did he not stick to his content and his word, when we would email him about it he would lie repeatedly to all of us who emailed him. Take anyone else but him. He is awful.
This professor was never available to students via email. Many of us struggled to try to communicate with him. The course itself isn't hard at all. He made the course confusing. From posting assignments without due dates to telling students they had to purchase a specific computer for his class, there was never a time when I knew what was going on
This was an online minimester, so I knew we were going to have a heavy workload, but sometimes we covered multiple chapters in a day. He required Lockdown browser but no webcams. He loves trick questions and questions so vague that it's really just a guess to see if you got it right. Says you need a book but I didn't get one
VERY rude/condescending to students when giving feedback on tests/assignments. Extremely nitpicky + PETTY when grading tests. Assigns 15 short answer + 20 multiple choice. Expects you to answer SA with full detail AND finish all the MC questions... in 50 minutes. Sensitive and gets offended easily if you point out the whole class fails each test.
He is one of the hardest professors I have ever had in my LIFE! The exams are worth 80% of your grade. The other 20% is assignments and participation. The assignments have no rubric and are graded heavily, and it's hard to participate in discussions if you get a condescending response. He has a very rude demeanor and is easy to shoot down concerns.
5180. This class is a joke. If you want to waste your time making 500 different measurements for one assignment take this boring class. This class has got to be one of the most USELESS Classes I have taken at GSU and there are quite a few. Doesn't even teach as he reads right of the slides. Hasnt graded antthing, or responded to any emails. JOKE!
AWFUL DO NOT TAKE!!!! my advisor signed me up for his class coming in as a freshman and i will never take him again! he only has tests and quizzes for grades and will NEVER email you back. his lectures will put you to sleep and he reads directly off of his powerpoints. he randomly chooses days to do attendance so be careful.
DO NOT TAKE THIS, PROFESSOR!!!!! I have never had such a horrible professor, if you can even call him that! he does not teach anything, and if you ask him a question, he is passive-aggressive and overall is just disinterested in the class. You can tell he has not updated the slides he sent us and even the syllabus has different dates on it.
Doesn't really set a schedule that is easy to follow expects you to figure out where and what to do in regards to assignments. Doesn't answer emails right away.
Do not take this class unless you want to be guessing on how to follow rubrics correctly since they are all mad confusing. Be prepared to argue for a better grade and deal with his massive ego. He doesn't explain anything, not even the feedback he gives you on assignments. He'll just tell you that you are wrong and to do better. Do not take!!
He was not helpful at all, I would email him throughout the semester and he would not help. He has "office hours" but was never actually there. He doesnt teach the class anything. Stupid heavy grader I took 5 days writing my report and following the direction and got a 50 . I dont recommend him idk why gsu hasnt fired him yet everyone complains
Boring professor. Likes trick questions. Had to use the textbook to teach myself. Luckily every test/quiz is online so they're not hard to pass. If he did testing in person I wouldn't take him again & it would make it hard to do well in the class. Any time he cancels class he will NOT post on Folio & rarely gives a heads up, so commuters beware.
Just don't take him. He only gives the textbook as resource, no lectures, so you better be able to learn everything by reading. Also, you're only graded through quizzes and exams. No extra credit work. Can be rude when you ask questions. Even when classes were canceled for a week, he made us make them up by adding extra work. Doesn't actually teach
He assigned us to read the online textbook instead of teaching. He assigned multiple chapters a week. We would have 2-3 chapters weekly. He does not do extra credit or drop grades. He gave 60 minutes for 60 questions. I struggled more with this course than with my upper-level courses. I highly recommend you do not take him!
You are on your own, and must learn from the online book. 2-3 chapters a week, with no office hours. Email responses are brief and condescending. Exams are lengthy, phrased in a convoluted manner, designed to confuse, and have a very short time limit, all monitored via LockDown Browser. It is not an Introductory Bio class for non-science majors.
While the professor can be strict, the class is manageable if you stay engaged. Utilize resources like the textbook, iClicker quizzes, and Unstuckstudy for study prep - they really help make up for the professor's lack of availability. Overall, a solid class if you put in the work.
Please save yourself. This professor literally does not teach, yet expects you to know the answers to questions nowhere in the source material. He is weeks behind in grading so you never know where you stand, and he doesn't give good feedback for what you messed up on. Also, rude. Just seriously, don't bother.
This teacher doesn't work with students at all.
This professor will add assignments to folio, and not update anyone in lecture or on folio. He doesn't help any students and he is very condescending. He reads from his powerpoints and if you miss a class, good luck on trying to find out what he covered and how much of that unit. He doesn't upload his lectures into folio either.
I do not recommend this professor; the majority of my class only passed with C's, and I also had a friend take his class, and the majority of her class failed as well. He does not really teach, and you do not have access to the course material outside of class; all you have is your lab book.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
65%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.65 avg changeRatings by Course
BIO107
4.0
(1)BIO1
4.0
(1)BIO4970
4.0
(1)1107
3.7
(3)BIOL1103
3.7
(6)Difficulty by Course
BIO1100
5.0
BIOL4200
5.0
BIOL3020
5.0
ZOO3010
5.0
BIO005
5.0