For a science and the world course, it was ok. Could've been easier and could've been somehow different from General Bio. I felt like I was in high school again.

Quizzes are hard, and tricky, but graded on a curve. Study the notes and classpak (textbook isn't tested at all). Guest lectures were VERY interesting. You take lots of notes in class, but its very basic, info not difficult. Would recommend.

He's a great guy and this class is really interesting!

Carl Johnson talks and acts like Steve Martin. For a science prof he is clear, easy, and engaging. The guest speakers are amazing. Other posts are right about it being challenging, but it is honestly not that bad, and the workload is pretty light. If you gotta take a science at Vandy take this one.

Johnson is an awesome Professor. His lectures are really interesting and witty. The quizes can be tricky but are by no means impossible. If you pay attention in class and do the readings you can get a good grade.

His lectures are very entertaining and hilarious. If you have to take a science class at Vandy take this one. The quizzes are hard, but the curve definitely helps.

really cool and hilarious and nice teacher. teaches really well and is really interesting. the best bio teacher i've had at vanderbilt. test are based on concepts taught in class--pay attention and you'll do fine. Really helpful in review session--will reanswser the question until you understand.

dunno about 105, but 110B was a piece of cake after 110A. tests aren't bad and lectures are very funny and interesting. def don't want to skip class though, powerpoints are helpful but don't replace notes!

Dr. Johnson is an AMAZING professor. He's funny, articulate, and gives and grades fair exams. After haveing taken 110A, his class seemed rather easy. I recommend everyone get a chance to be in his class-he's a great teacher. All his tests come directly from the powerpoint slides.

I took this for Science and the World. He's a great lecturer, and he brings in really interesting guest speakers. The quizzes are much harder than I expected though, and there's only 12 questions on each so you can't really miss many and still get a good grade. Not a bad choice if you need it for a requirement.

You must attend class and take great notes to do well. Maybe even a tape recorder would help. His grading system relies too heavily on 12 question quizzes. But, he is a great lecturer and manages to make the material interesting.

THE easiest science class I've taken at Vandy so far--and Dr. Johnson makes it fun. Pay attention during class, review the slides well, and it won't be hard getting an A on the exams.

He is a great teacher. Full of energy and he makes the material very interesting. The class is hard mainly b/c of the huge amount of material covered. Review the slides well, and you'll be fine.

Good teacher who keeps it interesting with borderline dirty crude jokes. tests are tough but I did better on them then 110A tests with patton/broadie

awesome professor - great sense of humor makes the material really fun. his quizzes can be hard, but not impossible if you study. take this class!

Mult. choice quizzes determine almost half of grade. Miss one class means you miss at least one question on the quiz. Miss 1 question means an A-, miss 2 a B-, miss 3 and you have a C. Each question has choices A-H and often asks "Which of the following was NOT discussed in class." Pretty impossible to get right if you didn't write down everything.

Great teacher. His notes on OAK are insanely detailed and leave little need to go to class. I went mostly because he does point out select things from the slides that you NEED to know (pathways and such). He's a great guy and tries to make class fun. If you like gary larson humor in context take this class.

Fun guy, good sense of humor. But its not enough to keep you coming when you realize he says nothing that isn't already on the slides. No use going to class at all. Memorize the slides as best as you can. Much better than Broadie/Patton last semester.

Dr. Johnson is an entertaining lecture who tries to make even the most mundane aspects of biology interesting. While attendance is not madatory to do well, it definitely helps, and his lectures are quite entertaining (especially during the unit on sex!). Tests are somewhat tricky, but getting an A is definitely possible if you study enough.

A challenging class. Johnson makes some good effort to keep it interesting by bringing in guest speakers sometimes. He's clear and easy to understand. The quizzes are a challenge, but work hard and it wouldn't be impossible to get an A. You might learn some interesting stuff as well.

This class is not difficult if you take good notes and do the reading. You will get used to the quiz formats and the final exam is super easy. Professor Johnson keeps lectures as interesting as possible. He's pretty funny. Only downside to the class is the useless bioethics paper you have to write. I would recommend this class to nonscience majors.

Attendance is not mandatory but make sure you go to class and take really good notes! As long as you skim over the textbook and pay attention you should do okay on the quizzes, although some of the questions are really tricky. But its not a huge issue because the final is easy and the lab will boost your grade up. He's also a great lecturer!

After 110a, 100b is a breeze. However, class attendance is necessary to pass the class. Study lecture slides, and you can easily get an a. Entertaining guy, but not as helpful as Stubbs. Good teacher, and crystal clear. Test format is much easier than the other bio professors.

Great teacher. Tests are fairly difficult because they cover a lot of material, but are very straightforward if you´ve been studying. Is always crystal clear and kinda funny in class.

Johnson has an eccentric personality and is awesome. He talks crazy fast and covers a lot of material so it's good to record his lectures since its hard to keep up with him when taking notes. Make sure to study his lectures and pay attention to what he says in class.

if you did well in your 9th grade bio class and liked it, you will do well in this class

Straightforward lectures with most presentations later posted online. Study for quizzes and start working on the ethics paper far in advance. Both are significant parts of your grade. Professor is polite and friendly one-on-one.

Professor Johnson is great. He is a very engaging lecturer, and is very straightforward about what he expects from his students. The only downside was the paper, which was graded by a grad student. That assignment was less than clear and unfortunately worth a significant portion of your grade. Other than that though the class was easy enough.

He's incredibly tough, just like every other 110B class, but it's not too bad comparatively. His tests are on par with the 110A classes, but not so difficult that you won't understand them. Not an absolutely exceptional professor, but he'll get you through the first half. You kind of have to skim the book, but not much.

I like Johnson as a lecturer. He's funny and pretty engaging, BUT if you are taking this class solely for AXLE lab credit, I would take something else. The quizzes are unreasonably difficult for "baby bio" and the bioethics paper is graded very harshly. There are plenty of more strategic options for AXLE

Dr. J is brilliant and an extremely engaging lecturer, but the fact remains that he's a very difficult professor. You need to know the material inside out and backwards to succeed on his multiple choice test sections. He doesn't write things on the board, and he zooms through his powerpoints quickly. It'd be helpful to look them over before class!

You need to know the material REALLY well and in detail for the quizzes

Profesor Johnson is a wonderful and clear lecturer. He is engaging and hilarious. Class itself is not very difficult, but you really have to work for an A. I would say his section is harder than Rokkas's section. The book readings are helpful but not essential to doing well in his class. His mc questions can at times be absurd with 8 options.

Assigns reading and quizzes you on the reading. MUST read in order to pass the quizzes. The Final borrowed a lot of questions from the quizzes. Overall, Johnson makes the lectures interesting and is great at giving students the bigger picture. An A is manageable IF you keep up with the reading.

His tests are hard, but he's an amazing lecturer. Super passionate, engaged, and expressive -- but he talks very fast! Tests are mainly on lectures, but he puts in a couple reading-based questions. Be prepared to take lots of notes and do a lot of studying, but you learn an insane amount and he makes the material really interesting.

Dr. Johnson is definitely the most inspirational professor I have had. He is incredibly knowledgeable on the subjects and puts together clear, engaging lectures with hilarious remarks at times. He really cares about his students and always enthusiastic about helping you out during office hours. Reading the book helps. Overall amazing professor!

Dr. Johnson is an overall awesome and engaging professor that is passionate about what he teaches with great jokes here and there. During lecture, he does a lot of reading off slides and he talks quite fast. Be sure to keep up on the reading assignments, as they show up on the tests. The class is passable if you go to lecture and read the book.

Dr. Johnson is one of the few professors who truly balances his love of research and his love for teaching. He promotes learning, not memorization, and gives ample opportunities to make (and fix!) mistakes. His tests are difficult but fair. His enthusiasm and laugh are contagious. Go to office hours for the trickier topics. Woudl take again!!!!

Johnson speaks really quickly, so be ready to take notes. Content can be dry, but he takes time to talk about interesting stuff outside the course's focus. Multiple choice is tricky, and some come exclusively from assigned readings. Short answers are typically lecture-based. Really interesting guy! His section is harder than the others, though.

Dr. Johnson's exams require very detailed studying, but they're very doable if you prepare. (I would recommend recording the lectures to make sure you don't miss anything.) He's a nice guy, I would take his class again if I had to choose.

Just need to know the lecture material very thoroughly and a good/basic understanding of the assigned readings and youll find the class to be very manageable.

Probably the easiest professor I had among both semesters of intro bio! He's really hilarious and does a lot of hands-on demonstrations during lecture that help students easily grasp and internalize information and important concepts. His tests are straightforward and manageable to succeed on. All you need to study are the lecture slides, no book!

An absolutely awesome professor who makes biology extremely interesting and fun to learn about in lecture. His tests are also very straightforward and clear. Would highly, highly recommend.

Dr. Johnsons' lectures were really interesting and full of knowledge. He assigns textbook readings besides class but honestly, you don't need the reading to do well on the tests. Most of the materials in the test will be on his slides. Nevertheless, there were still a lot of materials to memorize.

Much better, more chill experience than 1511. Dr. Johnson is so supportive, and his passion for the subject material shines through in every lecture along with his cheery sense of humor. The midterm is very fair, the final is a bit tough, and he can be a bit of a tough grader on the paper, but overall he wants you to succeed and is happy to help.

Speaks naturally at 1.5x speed so taking notes is hard. Dumb that he makes us read the textbook and listen to an hour-long podcast for like 1-2 questions on exams to be based on that content (enough to affect your grade but not enough to justify the time investment). Other test questions are straightforward, at least

Dr. Johnson is easily my favorite stem professor I've had at Vanderbilt so far. He is an amazing lecturer and makes them fun and entertaining with his awesome personality. He does expect a lot out of you and gives lectures that will take hours but they are very good and informative. Would definitely recommend for 1511!!

My favorite BSCI professor so far, and probably my favorite STEM professor too. For a tough class, he made it much more enjoyable by connecting topics to art and pop culture. Definitely recommend for 1511. Love him!

Hes a really charismatic guy and the material is hard but if u ask to clarify something hes good at doing that. Class is memorization but he taught the more anatomy part of biology so as a pre-med it was a lot more interesting . Solid bio prof and my favorite

It's a difficult class, but you learn a lot. Also, he is one of the leading scientists in this field, and I believe you can apply what you learned in this class to almost every field of science. Make sure you attend lectures and keep up with the materials, and you will be fine. If you get behind by more than 2 weeks, then you are setting yourself u

Dr Johnson's as a person is amazing. He is very kind and wants you to do well however, BSCI1511 is very hard. It is not on him that the class is hard, that's just the nature of bio, but he does not make the class any easier. He does make you know things for the tests that aren't covered in lecture.

BSCI 1511 is definitely a difficult class, but professor Johnson brings so much energy and vivacity to his lectures, that it makes coming to class fun. He is available to answer questions every day of the week (even weekends!). Watch the lecture videos, study at least a week in advance, and take COPIOUS, DETAILED notes.

His lectures contain an insane amount of information and he definitely speeds through it (exams are very broad). It's very easy to fall behind if you miss a lecture or you weren't really paying attention. He does give you all the resources you need and if you have a question about something you don't understand, he's always willing to help.

Personality is amazing, but he talks SO SO FAST and gives you gargantuan amounts of material in lectures, and here's the kicker, a third of the material he still won't get to in lecture and makes you read out of the textbook. He cares, but for the exams you need so much precise detail. He's really good, don't get me wrong, but you've gotta be wary.

Dr. Johnson has been my favorite professor thus far- he has a charismatic personality and a great sense of humor to keep the class entertaining. Although his lectures are lengthy, he provides great explanations. Only downside is that some test material comes directly from the textbook, which are not necessarily covered in lectures. Highly recommend

I enjoyed Johnson's section more because I found the material to be easier but it a lot of content. I had to start studying every day not to fail. Do not miss class! His online lectures are sometimes 2 hours long. His test can be super tricky and he loves questions that have "2 or 3 of the above is true" and one of his MCQ was A-H on the final.

Johnson is such an amazing, kind guy. He was very kind and sympathetic toward any extenuating struggles/circumstances I had and was always willing to answer questions. His tests are really hard and detail-oriented, but it's not impossible to do well. It just takes ALOT of time to master everything. Don't listen to these whiny premeds haha.

Johnson is entertaining but requires a ridiculous amount of content. The final letter grade is based on the class average, so it's just about doing the best you can. I've never had to learn more material, which is why this class is so difficult. Luckily, Johnson posts recorded lectures, slides, and required readings, which simplifies studying.

Professor Johnson has a lot of content to cover, so his lectures are a lot. However, he posts his COVID lectures, so if you put in the time outside of class, you can get all of the information. His exams are pretty difficult though, since they test a deeper understanding of how things work. I enjoyed his lectures, and it felt worth it.

LOTS of content in his section. To do well, ONLY read the textbook pgs he assigns in his lectures your study time is best spent memorizing EVERYTHING in the slides. Draw things out. Everything anywhere on his slides may be tested. Try to stay on top of lectures daily, they can be a lot. Good thing is this content is super interesting stuff.

A lot of material, but his lectures are very cohesive and office hours are everyday. Grading wasn't solely based on exams, and was a more comprehensive look at chronobiology in general, from experiments to research papers to applying the concepts. It was a very doable class and I learned a lot!

Dr. Johnson is an engaging lecturer with a kind, old-man-ish sense of humor. Be prepared, however, the class is A LOT of content. You must read the textbook and attend the lectures (or look at posted lectures) to do well on the tests. Memorize everything lol. Overall, it was the most I've ever learned from any class but it was worth.

Great professor, the class is difficult with a lot of content, but you can do well if you put in the work.

he's such a goofy little guy : ) Difficulty was similar to 1510, especially with the tests being very detailed and needing to memorize every little thing on the slides. However, he was such an engaging lecturer at times and likes to joke around a lot. I brought my HOD major friend once, and she said he's the weirdest prof ever (in a good way).

Best science prof I've ever had. It's a LOT of content and you're responsible for everything in the textbook as well as his lectures, but if you put in the time and effort, you can succeed. His tests are very fair and he posts all his lecture videos in addition to twice-weekly review sessions (also recorded on Zoom and posted). Highly recommend!

Dr. Johnson was incredibly funny, kept things interesting, and made me excited to learn about bio. He was one of the fastest-moving profs I've had, and the amount of information was enormous. Nonetheless, this is just the nature of BSCI at Vandy. I certainly recommend Dr. Johnson as your bio lecturer. Exams were fair, and office hours were plenty.

I loved Professor Johnson's class! Lectures were a bit intimidating but tests were all multiple choice and very straightforward. Straight memorization and understanding pathways is heavily required. He curves at the end as well. An A is very doable in this class, great professor and tests are not meant to trick you

i do not like his teaching style. i like him as a person but like it is an extremely dense topic and i feel like things could be explained clearer and with more detail. i felt like i was just thrown in in the beginning. he also grades based off vibes which i kind of like considering the tests are extremely hard. definitely an interesting man.

Very interesting class overall. Not an easy A but probably more leniently graded than you would think. Johnson is one of the top researchers in the field and even though he pretends to be dumb, he knows basically everything about the topic. He also seems to genuinely enjoy teaching this class (unlike 1511), and he reflects that in his teaching.

Best biology lecturer I've had at Vanderbilt. The rest are horrible.

He is amazing! His feedback is incredibly helpful, provides detailed comments on your paper sentence by sentence. He is not only an excellent professor but also an outstanding researcher. Very accessible outside of class and always willing to help. While the exams can be tough, plenty of opportunities for partial credit. Highly recommend!

This class is intense, covering a ton of material from the textbook and lectures. The professor moves quickly, but his recorded videos and review sessions help. Staying on top of the work is key. Unstuck ai was great for preparing for exams.

Vanderbilt version of James Watson

LOVE LOVE LOVE Dr. Johnson!! I had just come back from winter break stressed out because I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue on a pre-med track after the horror that was BSCI 1510, but Dr. Johnson truly helped me regain my love for biology and medicine and has been the best professor I have had in the biology department yet. Sooo funny in class

Dr. Johnson is a good professor, and you can tell that he cares about his students. However, this class is very intense. You are graded only on tests, and they require many hours of studying. The lectures are packed with a lot of information, but Dr. Johnson makes them engaging and fun. Definitely recommend his section if you have to take BSCI1511.

Overall general biology is a tough class to take. But Dr. Johnson really has his way to teach the content in an easier way to comprehend. very caring and helpful. Definitely go to his office hour he will explain things with total clarity.

yes his tests are (a little) harder than hilyer's. but at the same time he's so funny and so kind! he takes note to remember your name if you go to his review sessions and overall he just is very friendly. gen bio itself is a lot of reading and memorization but johnson was nice to take the class with :)

Johnson is a bit of a strange person, but he's a pretty decent lecturer. I wouldn't take him again, but I don't regret taking his section instead of the other BSCI 1511 section.

hands down best prof at vandy, love this man. He's very accommodating for tests if you have any life stuff going on. but defo read the textbook bc his notes won't cover everything that he tests on. make sure you know all processes by heart, use anki/quizlet/write it out. bio is a lot no matter what, put in the hours and it'll show in your grades

Professor Johnson was a great biology professor and I really looked forward to going to class because he kept it very entertaining. I would highly suggest reading the textbook before class, as it went in more detail than the lectures did at times.

Fantastic bio professor, best of the ones I've taken. Bio in general requires dedication but even if you are only slightly interested in bio Johnson will make you love it. Hilarious and interesting connections w/ outside topics. Must read textbook if you want an A. Not harder than other bio professors. Strongly recommend.

Beware that your entire grade will be made up of exams: 4 midterms (lowest dropped) and 1 final. You must try your absolute best on every exam. I love this man tho he is hilarious and honestly gives fair tests, but it's just an overwhelming amount of content. Watch lectures before class, never skip. His biweekly office hours are also fantastic.

I liked Rokas more than Johnson. I think it is ridiculous for a teacher to test material not covered in lecture, which Johnson does. Exams are fair. To get a good grade, you will need to spend a lot of time preparing for exams (which are entirety of grade). Material is super interesting!

I really liked the Johnson portion of the class, he was very engaging and made lectures fun. I highly suggest staying consistent with the textbook because thats what helped me with this class tbh. As long as you stay on top of content and study ahead of time you'll be fine.

Very informative and engaging lecturer! I really enjoyed his lectures but exams were difficult and detail oriented. On top of the crazy amounts of information from the lectures we had to memorize, he also expected us to memorize information from the textbook. But that's simply the nature of this course and if you put in the effort it is 100% doable

This is an inherently difficult and fast-paced course- imo harder than gen chem. That said, Johnson tries his best to cover all the content while making lectures engaging. My only complaint is exams are unnecessarily difficult, but he makes up for it by curving grades at the end. Just wish there was some extra grade padding to go with the 4 exams.

Hands down the best prof. I've had at Vandy. Very passionate about what he teaches (more so in BSCI 3230). His tests are hard and often time is an issue but exams are very fair. You have to read the textbook because some questions might come from there. But overall, very knowledgeable and cares more about whether you learn or not.