2.8
Quality3.3
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake85
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
85
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
16
4
10
3
29
2
26
1
4
What Students Say
“Talks too much about the unimportant things, not terribly organized”
BIO162 - 2.0 rating“He wasnt a good teacher b/c he was not very clear”
BIO162 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.48 avg changeRatings by Course
PARASITES
5.0
(1)BIO63PARAS
5.0
(1)BIOLOGY171
5.0
(1)EEB341
4.7
(7)BIO016
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
BIO016
5.0
BIO17163
5.0
171
4.0
BIO63PARAS
4.0
BIO171
3.4
Reviews (85)
No Comments
Talks too much about the unimportant things, not terribly organized. Relies too much on the notes you can print out, doesn't always give you time to take actual notes.
He wasnt a good teacher b/c he was not very clear. He put history in his tests. He randomly showed pics of his family and told us POINTLESS stories too (e.g. about how his brother layed cement for the winter olympics in salt lake city).
he was the most boring guy ever. The only bonus was he put every note he went over in his class notes, so you dont have to go to class, and you just have to memorize his notes to get an A. I had a B with the other guy, but he came and i had two 100%
No Comments
Great guy. Each lecture was jam packed with a lot of material, so test taking was hard. Very eager to help.
During the review session he kept messing up what he was talking about and confusing everyone. Seems like he doesn't know what he's talking about a lot of the time. Basically just reads directly from his lecture notes. Seems like a nice guy, just not that great of a teacher.
Nice Guy, just a bad teacher.
This guy is probably the worst professor I've ever had. He focuses on the dumbest things and he's so freaking unorganized. I seriously find it hard to stay awake in lecture. His office hours are even worse. He talks for 30 minutes on one question and doesn't answer it. review session = HORRIBLE!
Dr. O'Connor is an excellent professor. He knows exactly about what he is talking, though he sometimes uncludes unneccessary information in lectures. I liked him because he made fun of the white trash bible belt when we learned evolution and tore apart bush's environmental record.
I loved this class. Prof OConnor made it really interesting, and though it was difficult at times, it was very worth the effort.
Sometimes he tries to hard to be funny, but you know he really loves what he's teaching and he just wants his students to be as interested in it as he is. The review sessions with him really are a waste of time, though.
He looks like a Santa Claus..anyhow, to do well on the exams, you NEED to go to his lectures cuz he covers a lot of stuff in lectures that are not in the book..and he tells you what to know for the exam during lectures as well.
In his own world of lecturing. Babbles about his personal stuff for 40 minutes lectures for 10 minutes, and gives suprisingly hard test and hard on essay grading.
HORRIBLE! Doesn't explain anything in lectures and just babbles about nothing. Office hours are even worse and he will confuse you even more. However, if you study and learn on your own the tests aren't too bad.
No Comments
Hard class, but nice guy
Lots of information to memorize. If memorizing is your strength, then the exams will be relatively easy. Labs were fun.
He likes to talk about random things. Showing pictures of elephantitis was totally unnecessary. He's not very clear, and his notes often seem pointless. Tests were kind of easy tho.
He is obsessed with bugs, especially ticks. Tests= memorize everything hard. Though he is very hard, he really is nice as a person.
I loved Prof. O'Connor as a teacher. So he's a little over excited about bugs and stuff but that's what makes the class fun. He makes it as interseting as possible and if you just study notes you should be fine for the exams. The labs were also really entertaining. I would totally take another class with him!!!
Multiple choice questions are tricky. Get started early on the paper, too! Really entertaining and fun class, though. I loved it.
He's a really nice guy, and definitely willing to help you out in any way he can. His exams are really tough, though. A TON of memorization is necessary, although the book is not really helpful at all. Get started on the paper early, pick an easy topic you're sure you can find a lot of research on.
Reasd his slides during lecture, that's it. Is not helpful, the class is incredibly boring. By mid semester, about 1/3 of the people show up. Hard tests, tons of memorization, don't have to read.
I try so hard to stay awake and I just can't.. lectures jump all over the place from day to day. Tests are really hard but to get an A you basically need to memorize the lecture slides. don't read the book, you don't need to know the topics as in depth as the book goes...
The class is easy if you do what you are supposed to do. The book is the only resource that presents facts. By the way, no one cares about mites.
Barry is the man, but a little awkward But for real the course is a little difficult. My first exam I got a 68 and freaked out but since then I got an 87 and a 93.Go over all the slides throughout semester (dont just cram) and go over them again before the exam and you'll do fine. You don't even need to go to lectures, he puts them online
Barry was so frustrating! He can't operate powerpoint. His class skipped around topics frequently so his tests were random. YOU WILL BE ASKED TO KNOW REALLY SPECIFIC DETAILS. Don't believe what he says, certainly know all concepts but you WILL have to know details. DONT TAKE HIMMM!
Barry is probably the worst teacher I have ever had. For some reason, they allow this man who loves mites to teach an into bio class where mites are just not important. The exams are very hard and don't reflect the emphasis he places on material during lecture (which by the way is not very much of anything because he is a bad, unclear lecturer)
horrible lecturer. the class skips around so much it doesnt make sense at all. exams are MUCH harder than expected. worst multiple choice exam questions ever!!
The tests are really hard to study for because you basically need to memorize each individual lecture. Also discussions are pointless because most of the GSIs don't review material. Overall Barry is an okay teacher but he can get on your nerves.
I don't really like the class. Pretty sure no one does.
This is overall a very difficult/ time consuming class, so if you are taking it as an easy science credit DON'T. The lectures aren't mandatory, but they are helpful to go to. I skipped maybe 3 lectures per exam. And was fine, but you DEFINITELY NEED to study for this class! It is ALL memorization with some conceptual aspects. Pray for a good GSI!!!
I don't rate professors but I just had to because the raters here just made Prof. O'Conner seem like a horrible teacher. I assure he is not. He loves what he does and in my opinion is a good teacher. Sure he may be a little crazy about mites but that's a good thing. These pre-meds need to stop their whining.
Let me be clear; Barry O'Connor is a very nice guy. However, for an intro class, he makes the exams, much, much harder than it needs to be. He more or less reads off the slides during lecture, which is why attendance isn't necessary. I would take him for higher-level classes (more specific in the material), since he IS passionate about mites.
Barry was a very nice guy, but a horrible teacher. His lectures are useless to go to, and exams are very difficult. Try to avoid him if you can.
very nice professor,but overall its a hard class
he's a funny and nice guy, but his tests were pretty hard. not smart to cram, make sure you know a lot of little details. discussions are absolutely pointless and boring, the papers were pretty easy
Oh god, Barry O'Connor. What can I say that hasnt already been said? Look at all the other negative ratings. The multiple choice exams are the kind where you know that A and B are correct, but you're sure if C is correct, yet D says "A and B" and E says "A, B, and C". There arent enough points in essays/discussion to save your grade. STAY AWAY
Prof. O'Connor was awesome! It is pretty obvious that he really loves teaching and knows what he is talking about. He doesn't just read the slides he puts up like others do. The people who say the exams were too were probably the morons who never show up to class. I went to class, and did the reading, little studying and got a good grade.
Barry really likes biology, and for me, the class was easy. I didn't go to lecture or read, or pay attention at all really. Just go to his review sessions and memorize EVERY detail about the lecture notes (seriously). Do the practice tests, and you will understand how tricky his tests can be. If you know the details, you can't be tricked.
Gosh, I just read a bunch of negative comments and I was like, wow, are we even talking about the same guy? Barry I know is just the most amazing professor I know! His exams aren't that hard at all, especially if you GO to lectures! I have never seen any question on the exam that wasn't mentioned before. Now if you are a premed and are a member
Gosh, I just read a bunch of negative comments, and I was like, wow, are we even talking about the same person? Barry is an amazing and brilliant lecturer and he really loves his stuff. His exams aren't that hard at all, especially if you GO to lectures. His exams never cover anything that wasn't mentioned in lecture. Now, if you are a premed and
belong to a bunch of clubs and are involved into a number of extracuric. activities, you may feel disappointed with this class, because it is definitely not an easy A, even though it is an intro bio. I never missed a class, and picked up a texbook only twice and got an A. It is especially crucial to go to lectures when he talks about phylogenies.
Great, kind-hearted professor. His experience makes the class relevant. Environment change is a big part of the study and he accepts global warming as a fact. Time mag cover of "Global Warming: Be Worried, Very Worried" doesn't make it true. This class should have scientific debate, or at least mention others, rather than simply accept GW as true.
Horrible lecturer: never finishes his slides, mumbles his words, and cannot seem to keep his personal life out of his lecture presentations. His lectures are extremely useless as he just repeats what is on the slide. Test questions are illogically written such that you must guess out of wrong answers. It's a gamble for your grades: AVOID
I would say take this course with a different professor. Barry's a good guy, but the exams are tricky (in a very unnecessary way). He's also not the most interesting of lecturers. I found the textbook to be a better resource than his notes.
Should be an easy intro class but the MC questions are like "wait, what, what's going on." It's definitely A but choice C says A and B and E says A, B, and C. so...? I keep on getting low Bs on the exams and I study so much. This class is unnecessarily hard. Don't take him!
Says "um" roughly 75 x per lecture, tests are trickier than they should be, but if you can memorize a bunch of slides you will do well. reading the book not really necessary, everything on the tests is from the slides.
Sometimes I wonder why I go to lecture because whenever I go, I fall asleep! He mumbles a lot, making it extremely hard to pay attention at some points. The best part is that everything you need to know is on the lecture powerpoints. Just print those off and save yourself a trip to lecture.
Bio 171 is supposed to be an intro class, and the material itself is not challenging. However, when the professor reads off the lecture slides, adds no input and then gives horrible written tests, the class is hard. Way more work than it should be. I would try to avoid him, especially if it is your first college bio class.
Pretty hard class for an intro bio class. Im having uch more difficulty in 171 with Barry than I did in 172. His exams are really tricky for the multiple choice, and the short answers are graded really tough. Its definitely possible to get a good grade if you study enough though. And lecture is completely pointless, just read the slides.
No matter who your professor is, Bio 171 takes work, but with Barry O'Connor it takes much, much more work. Not in a rewarding way. The test averages are much lower than with other professors (C to D, vs B to C range). This man either can't explain anything, or doesn't care to try. His exams are full of trick questions. SPARE YOURSELF-- AVOID HIM!
I know a lot of people say they hate this class but I have an interest in Biology and I enjoy Barry's lecture. I'm just do disappointed because I study so much for exams and even though I understand the concepts, they are so tricky that I'm still getting low grades. Very unfortunate. I heard other profs are a lot easier
Barry O'Connor is the man, he's funny and his lectures are always enjoyable. However, the exams tend to be more fact based rather than conceptual, so while the class isn't difficult, recalling details from lectures may be. All the materials are posted online for easy access.
He is an easy prof. The tests are straight from the lecture slides so you don't even need to go to class.
I got a B, but I mean his exams weren't too bad, could have studied more yet the multiple choice were annoying on his exams.
Sure, Professor O'Connor isn't always the most clear, but he gets a bad rap because a lot of the people taking his class are freshman that haven't figured out that they have to WORK for their grades. I was frustrated by some of his questions too, but it just challenged me to think critically Be prepared to work for your grade.
This class is not easy, you have to work hard to get an A. But it is do-able. Don't even bother showing up for lecture because everything you need to know for the exams are on the powerpoint slides that he posts on ctools. Although, sometimes he shows videos in lecture that might have info for the exam. Don't even worry about the discussion at all
The multiple choice on the exams were difficult. It is pointless to go to lecture, because he presents a ton of information. Study from the slides. An intro bio class like this should not be as hard as he makes it.
Super nice prof and I found the test kind of hard but do able
His slides lack organization, so lectures are difficult to follow and the "big picture" is nonexistant. Memorize the information, because his test questions are consistently unclear and misleading.
Going to lecture is useless seeing as though the lecture slides are posted on CTools. Barry only makes things more confusing. The discussion actually helps and the GSIs are generally there to help, though extremely stingy when it comes to grading. An A is do-able but definitely requires a lot of work.
This class is not difficult. As long as you study the slideshow a day or two before the exam, you will get at least a B, and if you an A doe snot require much more work. The professor can be funny and he's clearly passionate about the subject, and as long as you go to lecture you should remember enough to get a good grade on the exams.
Lectures are boring, basically just reads the slides. Tests ask questions based on tiny details not focused on making studying extremely difficult and will ask a question on something just in the reading never mentioned in class
If you don't have to take this class, then run away from it. The material is relatively easy, the lectures are boring and the exams are extremely difficult. Barry is fine as a professor, its the class that everyone hates. This is not a bio class where you can learn everything the night before, and get a good grade on the exam.
I found some of the exam questions, particularly the written response ones, vaguely/poorly written, which led to me to getting the question "wrong" even though my GSI agreed with my answers. I didn't bother going to lecture. If you are somewhat good at memorizing, and spend the time to memorize all lecture slides, you'll get at least a B. Good luck
172 is supposed to be harder, but I'm doing really well in that class, and worse in 171. Problem is that it's only out of 505 pts, and you have 4 exams and an essay. So to earn an A, you have to do well on all of your exams to conserve pts, which is hard if you have a tough GSI. But if you memorize all slides, you'll get least a B+ IMO.
This class might seem easy, but it really isn't. You need to put in a lot of effort. I found reading the textbook is better than going to the lectures because sometimes the things he says has no relevance (or little). Memorize the slides and read the text and you will be fine.
Slides are all on ctools which is nice. Lots of information on them. Tests have little details from the slides with no relevance. He also adds in random facts about mites to his slides...ignore that...
Very displeased with lecture. Literally reads off the slides, contributes nothing unique-helpful to them. Meaning I could have stayed at home. Occasionally says corny jokes. Exams are heavily slide based. Discussions aren't ever really directly related to lecture. Overall Bummer. Csp professor is much better gives helpful tips,examples. . so i hear
Lectures give you all the information you need for the exams. Lectures are posted online, meaning you don't have to go to class. If you are confused about something or want more detail, the textbook is a great resource. The class can get boring, but is easy especially if you put in a little time to study.
First of all, he made us buy a textbook with online access for over $100 and then told us that we didn't have to do the readings. Second, he reads the slides word for word without giving any supplemental info. The exams have questions that were mentioned one time and not discussed at all.
He just reads off of the lecture slides. You could avoid his lectures all together, read them on your own, and get the same result. His exams are very picky as well, almost to the point of irrelevance.
Not good.
Barry's lectures are painful, tests ridiculously nitpicky on useless details, and discussions make the class more confusing. Overall, avoid Barry O'Connor!
you do not need to attend lecture besides he reads straight from slides, but it is good to go and take some extra notes. His exams are hard and focus on very small things rather than the big picture.
Not a good class, very difficult. All over the place.
Do not take this class, it is very unorganized and the material is very hard this year
Barry was a great guy, but a so-so professor. Attending lecture wasn't necessary, but it was useful to clarify some of the topics. The textbook is definitely not necessary--even less so than for the other intro bio, 172. This is one of those classes where you have to memorize ten power points for each exam. If you can manage that, an A is doable.
Do not take this class with this teacher, he makes the test extremely hard on irrelevant information that is not stressed. This introductory course should NOT be this difficult! This class is very unorganized.
His lectures are unorganized, but he posts them online so you don't have to go to lecture. I usually went and it was somewhat helpful, and using the old exams is a great way to study. I never read the book, you just have to sit down and memorize 10-15 powerpoints and then the class is pretty straightforward.
worst professor. I went to every lecture and gained nothing from them. The GSIs would make fun of how terrible Barry was as a teacher. Seems like a good guy though..
He is not a great professor, but honestly it doesn't matter. He posts all the lectures online and going to lecture is rarely helpful. That being said, this was the easiest class I've ever taken. No textbook reading is necessary, and everything comes straight from the slides. The class is boring and annoying but an easy A if you memorize the slides.
The lectures are boring, the textbook is really helpful but unnecessary. Honestly, it's all about memorization. Just memorize the slides and you'll be fine, the class really is not that hard. I only ever studied a day before the exam and there's no homework except for discussion material. Straightforward and easy.
Class Info
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.48 avg changeRatings by Course
PARASITES
5.0
(1)BIO63PARAS
5.0
(1)BIOLOGY171
5.0
(1)EEB341
4.7
(7)BIO016
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
BIO016
5.0
BIO17163
5.0
171
4.0
BIO63PARAS
4.0
BIO171
3.4