Such a sweeeet lady! Her lectures are not boring, the only problem is that she goes kind of fast and you have to take the notes yourself. Its not sooo bad... but you just have to be paying attention the whole time. She is really concerned about wanting her students to do well! Tests are not too hard, but you have to know the concepts well!!

This women is a great teacher. Her tests come directly from her lectures word for word.

Awesome teacher!! I loved talking to her outside of class!! Shes a total sweet heart!!

If you go to class and take thorough notes (you have to write really fast) you'll never have to open the textbook. Her exams are based ONLY on what she covers in lecture, if you study that you can ace the exams. She's extremely helpful, if you have trouble be sure to go to her office. She's very sweet and wants her students to excel!

super sweet, nice lady. Tests based on class lecture entirely. However, she called out of class sick 2x, meaning we've had to rush like crazy to get material done & have skiped over material that is important, not to mention interesting. If I'm paying for a class and schedule my day so I can be there, I expect the teacher to be, too!

Does a really good traditional lecture, you should write down everyting you can because it's an overhead, not a Powerpoint. Most test questions are from the lecture. This class might be tough for someone who hasn't taken much biology yet. No cumulative final, which takes a lot of stress out of the class!

Overall easy class. exams come completely from lecture. she sometimes gets a little carried away and talks wicked fast but will slow down if you ask her to. she's really fair, too. i loved her.

She's a really nice lady who talks extremely fast so you have to learn to take really fast notes. The exams are multiple choice and true/falses which all reflect solely on what she lectures. Show up for class and study your notes, and you'll be good.

EXTREME GOOD

She is a very nice lady. She is definitely an easy professor. She just writes down notes all class, you go home and copy them to an outline because the way she gives them is super unorganized. That's basically it. All of the questions on her tests are directly from her notes. Do NOT buy the book. Her style is easy but surprisingly I remember a lot

She is a very nice lady. She is definitely an easy professor. She just writes down notes all class, you go home and copy them to an outline because the way she gives them is super unorganized. That's basically it. All of the questions on her tests are directly from her notes. Do NOT buy the book. Her style is easy but surprisingly I remember a lot

She is a VERY nice lady. Her tests are from notes only but I found them very tricky. They are multiple choice with very detailed questions. I didn't like that most questions were A & B, A or B, A, B & C, 2 of the above, none of the above, etc. type questions. It requires allot of detail knowledge even if you know the material.

She is by far the best professor I have had at URI. Her teaching style is great she breaks everything down really well, and helps you understand things that are confusing. She tests you on exactly what she teaches, and on top of it all is one of the nicest people I have met. Amazing professor.

This professor is one of the best professors i had taken. attendance is not mandatory but show up and get her notes because everything will be on her exam i did fine without the book. she is very helpful and sometimes gives answers out on her exams

Great Teacher. Class is surprisingly not as easy as anatomy. Textbook use can clarify lecture notes since she jumps all over the place. Goes through a lot in lecture but notes are straight foward. Tests are basic although the answer choices are tricky. No extra Credit. Lab is the easiest A.

Great Professor, She bends over backwards to help you understand. Go to her office hours it will be very beneficial. Class is not easier than Anatomy.

I love her teaching style - she breaks everything down for you and clarifies everything for you when you ask. Always go to class, because she only tests you on what she teaches. The tests can be worded funny, so just study alot. Its def easier than anatomy and lab is an easy A. I never even opened my book for this class and did fine.

Very good professor and nice person. Class moves at a reasonable pace. All exam material comes directly from lecture. 3 pretty easy multiple choice exams. Go to class and take good notes and you'll do fine on exams.

She is really nice. All her tests come straight from her notes. She tries to keep things interesting. Really approachable and breaks things down, she tends to not move on until everyone is clear on what she is saying.

Good teacher who is willing to help her students. If you have questions, ask her. She's all over the place sometimes but just keep up with lectures and read over the book to ensure a good grade and clear things up. Exams are based off of lectures so attend the class.She gives detailed study guides, use it. Put in the effort and it'll pay off.

She is a nice professor, but her lectures are all over the place. She is alot more helpful if you take the time to ask her questions in person. The exams are easy, all questions are directly from her notes. Don't bother buying the book, you never need to use it. The lab is also fun and easy.

This class is super easy as long as you attend the lectures! She is so nice and a really good teacher. She words her exams in a very easy way. Just pay attention in class and you'll do great! The lab is very fun and easy too!

Show up, take notes, pay attention, and you'll get an A. Her class is easy. She's definitely a space case, but a pretty nice lady. If her section is available, take it. Even though it's early it's an easy A.

She's a nice lady. go tot lecture and Si sessions and you will get an A. doesnt require a lot of effort.

Great Teacher, find it hard to understand how people fail her class.

Not sure how anyone could fail her class. Very straightforward. Go to lectures, take down what she says (she talks slow and clear, repeating multiple times), study, and you'll do fine. Don't bother with the book, I never opened mine. Fantastic woman and is VERY helpful. Thoroughly enjoyed the class!

She is very interesting and knows her stuff. Lectures are sometimes a little confusing but if you take notes and study you'll do great on the exam. Also, she is very willing to help and explain stuff during office hours. I highly recommend her!

It's really necessary to actually pay attention in class. If you zone out for 2 minutes, you'll be confused coming back. She always tries to draw things out, but her drawings aren't clear. She's really sweet at office hours. Overall I expected the class to be really easy, but it wasn't.

Absolutely loved Van Sciver and the class. I took bio in high school and didn't really like it or do well in it. However, Van Sciver made it easy to pay attention and easy to learn. She does have her annoying one word slides, but if you listen to what she says over what is on the powerpoint you'll be fine. I really recommend taking this with her.

She is super sweet & very good at teaching. You HAVE to go to class in order to do well. She uses slides with just titles & you take notes based on her lecture. She's clear about all topics & even her drawings make sense. Didn't need the book at all so don't buy it. The subject is hard but she makes it understandable to everyone. Loved her!

Tests are word-for-word from lectures. Take notes and you'll get an A. Her study guide is a godsend if you do plan on skipping.

BVS is a really caring professor who is passionate about physiology. You can tell that she wants you to do well and her study guides are excellent practice for her exams. She's also approachable if you have questions. You have to go to class to get notes which aren't provided on the slides. Exams are straightforward and she drops the lowest one.

Professor Van Sciver is very easy and is very clear in lectures. GO to lecture and GO to the SI units and you will get an A in the class. Her exams are based on the lectures and she tells you everything that is going to be on the exam by the study guide. Do not buy the book, you will never use it.

Professor Van Sciver is your typical adorable biology teacher. She is so passionate about what she does. Her test questions literally come right from her lectures. If you keep up and pay attention during lectures you can do well. She builds on previous material, so keep up with vocab terms!! I absolutely loved her and would definitely recommend her

BVS gives clear lectures and will often give you exam questions directly in class. She is very approachable and wants you to succeed. Although it was an 8am, it was bearable because she keeps you engaged and is humorous throughout class. Notes are important because her powerpoints don't have much information.

I really enjoyed Van Sciver's class, she's a really sweet lady, and always available to give help when needed.

Van Sciver is a cute little lady and teaches physiology quite well. She keeps you intrigued with her side-notes and drawings on the overhead projector. She uses an in-class attendance taker which asks you questions so it is pretty important to attend the lectures. The exams are directly from the power point. An easy A if you put in the effort.

I loved Barbara she was really a nice lady and was always willing to help. Although her class is usually taught early its so worth having her. All her notes are in powerpoint that she posts online and if you study you will do well in the class.

3 exams. Online assigments. Do those you will pass.

BVS is a great to have for BIO101. The homework is based on whats from book and the tests are on what she goes over in the lecture. If you pay attention, write good notes, and follow the study guides, you'll do fine.

Prof. Van Sciver is not as bad as all these comments are saying. As long as you GO to class, TAKE notes like your supposed to do and PAY attention you will pass the class and get the grade you deserve. The test are a bit tricky, but what do you expect it's physiology.... It's not supposed to be easy.

Van Sciver is cool. For basically no reason, she added an additional 9 pts. to the 1st exam. The mastering a&p questions are annoying and 10x more difficult than the material she presents in lecture and the questions she asks on tophat or the exams. Overall, pretty easy class if you just keep up with the content regularly.

She really knows the course she is teaching. If there is something she thinks the class doesn't know even if they don't mention that they don't know it she will go over it while demonstrating so it is in your head. She only puts things on the test that we learn in class there aren't any tricks she actually wants her students to be successful.

Honestly don't know why she has such a low rating. It's true she's very disorganized and her notes suck but she's hilarious and it makes lecture enjoyable. Everything on the study guide is on the test, and all the answers to the homework are online. Super easy class.

Wow some of these reviews are harsh. I agree 100% that she is very disorganized, can't use a computer to save her life, and her notes suck. But, she is also hilarious, she does know her material, and she posts study guides that usually cover 90% of the tests. As long as you study and do the homework, you can pass this class with her.

Van Sciver is awesome! Her drawings are awful but she makes everything easy to understand if you listen. She uses an app for quizzes during class and there are Aplia assignments which are difficult. She makes the class fun and easy to understand if you actually pay attention and she tells you what is on the test if you listen. Tests were fair.

Van Sciver covers everything you need to know in her class in her lectures. Her tests each have a study guide made for them which basically detail the questions that will be on the tests. Overall she is a really good professor and as long as you put in some extra work you should be fine in her class.

She understands that her students are adjusting freshman so she's as lenient as possible. Her tests get very specific and often have questions you're not prepared for. Homework is hard and not helpful but all the answers are on quizlet. Homework, tophat, and most tests are curved. I'd suggest going to RA study group bc they have test answers.

So BIO classes have a lot of material, you have to study if you want an A in her class. She talks a lot and you can miss something important if you don't pay attention. I sit in front and pay close attention. Her drawings are funny and if you follow her thought process you'll get the concept. Also homework is wicked hard, consider help or the AEC.

Prof. Van Sciver's lectures could be a bit all over the place at times, and her initial explanation of things could be confusing. Essentially she's not very organized. However, she is a genuinely sweet woman who, if you visit her office hours/review sessions, will take as much time as you need to review anything you missed and/or don't understand.

Van Sciver doesn't get the respect she deserves, she is actually a really good, and easy teacher. Class is an easy A, powerpoint lectures are clutch, and she's very easy to contact.

BARB is the best.... she knows what she is talking about and she is very cute. Pay attention in class and take good notes from the slides. Do not use the study guide as it doesn't help. look on quizlet for past exams, many questions are the same. She is so nice and she has a great sense of humor. GO TO CLASS AND YOU WILL PASS! ENJOY!!!!!!

Solid choice. Beef up your grade with the easy TopHat, Mastering homework, and extra credit (if she still does those) because the tests are hard (but fair). Really the only criticism is that she needs to make her lecture ppts organized and add a little depth to slides. One of the most approachable professors.

Dr. Van Sciver is a SWEETHEART. This class is material heavy and much reading is needed to succeed. This class can be sometimes confusing due to the complex concepts that it entails. If you are looking to matriculate to medical school, you will find this class exciting like I did. Not much reading needs to be done from the textbook.

I think she's a pretty good professor! Can be a little disorganized, but I just ignore when she draws things bc it confuses me more. Her exams are exactly like her "study guides" and the mastering HW is not hard, it actually helps. there's no diagrams/figures really on tests. the last exam is the final, so only 4 tests too! she's a sweetheart!

She posts the powerpoints online and if you study directly off of those you will do well in the class. She uses mastering and tophat which are sometimes used in class for attendance. Extremely kind woman.

The material is pretty hard, and the lectures were very disorganized - however she's so kind and understanding. Only one homework assignment a week that's extremely easy. Slides are all posted online, which helps because I did pretty much teach myself - tests aren't difficult as long as you go over powerpoints. She gets the job done

She is one of the best professors I've ever had. She's caring and listens to student feedback. She describes the material in different ways than the textbook and creates diagrams for better understanding. I feel like I am learning from a friend, she is very approachable and I never feel intimidated to ask a question.

great lady who gives honest advice

Prof. Van Sciver is amazing! She's super kind, really funny, and loves both the material and teaching it. Clear grading criteria, and is always willing to answer reasonable questions. I'm a little upset that I had her for an online class because online was not for her, but she's a great teacher nonetheless. A real gem at URI.