2.7
Quality4.2
Difficulty44%
Would Retake291
Reviews44%
Would Retake
291
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
57
4
43
3
47
2
57
1
87
What Students Say
“I Only passed because of the extra credit opportunities”
BIO1110 - 2.0 rating“Overwhelming for no reason”
BIO1110 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
98%
Textbook Required
62%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.62 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOMAJ
5.0
(1)BIOL001
5.0
(1)BIO101
5.0
(1)BIOI
5.0
(1)BIOLOGY1101
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
BIOLO1110
5.0
BIO2010
5.0
BIO1N2
5.0
BIOLOGY1
5.0
BIOL1110001
5.0
Reviews (291)
Granted, she is a new teacher but her tests are RIDICULOUSLY hard. Attendance is mandatory, but her lectures do not help at all. She tests Bio 1 like it's a 4000 class but doesn't teach it even like a 4000 level. She is not lenient with grading, and requires a full, comprehensive outline for each chapter that's only worth 5 points. NOT recommended.
Fall 2011 was first semester teaching 260 person Biology for Majors. The study guides for each chapter were to her formatting, not what was best for me. The exams were INCREDIBLY challenging. Her lectures felt unfocused, and rambling. If it's required, just suffer though it.
This class is hard as it is, but she makes it worse. The lectures are extremely hard to follow, and the notes she provides are very different from the ones that she uses in class. She also has the impossible goal of getting all of her 260 students to pass, and in the process she has created an unreasonable amount of work for very little reward.
I don't believe she knows how to teach. She seems to know the material. However, she just doesn't know how to get it across to everyone else. This class takes so much time you learn nothing in class, you spend 3 hours just writing notes you have to turn in every week, and you still have to make time for studying.
Do not take this class! She just doesn't know how to teach at all! She skips around a lot in her lectures! One second she will be talking about the chapter you are on then say something about a chapter that is 10 chapters away. You can't follow her lectures at all.
Inappropriately difficult.
If required, just suffer through this class. Professor requires students to attend lectures that, not only don't make sense, but make the material more difficult to understand. I get the sense she knows the material, just has no idea how to get it across in a way anyone else can understand. If you can help it, don't take this class.
Dr. Foster is one of those teachers that you can tell is incredibly smart but has no knowledge of how to convey it to people not on her level. She requires a lot of work that in no way prepares you and there is little reward. She will not take responsibility for the majority of her class failing and thinks it must mean the failing 70% is inept.
This Dr. Foster's first year teaching biology. She is incredibly intelligent but does not know how to convey the information to the students. So basically she can't "teach." I would read the book and teach myself if you have to take her.
I do not understand anything that goes on in this class!!!! It is very frustrating to have to teach myself the material, and do the pointless outlines for only 5 points, and end up doing poorly on the exams. I hate this class!!
This class in incredibly challenging and requires at least 3 hours of study time a day. The tests are nothing like the study guides and if you don't have a PhD you wont be able to follow her lectures. I do not recommend this professor.
Dr. Foster is extremely intelligent, but she has no idea how to teach. She is trying to teach a general biology class on a 3000 level. Her lectures cannot be followed and no amount of studying/ tutoring seems to help. She thinks we were all born with a PhD and she makes the class much harder than it should be. DON'T TAKE HER CLASS!
Dr. Foster is the worst teacher on the face of the planet. She is EXTREMELY unorganized and constantly complains about "how much time she puts into our class" when really her lectures are clearly just nervous ramblings of random material covered throughout the semester. I've never made an F in my life...until now.
Excellent teacher tries super hard to help everyone with all the material. Offers extra help and practice case studies to help
THE WORST CLASS EVER. Shes brilliant but lacks the ability to "teach" students. If this class is for your major best thing to do is stick with it. Her study guides have nothing to do with the tests, her tests are rough, and the homework is time consuming especially for the amount of pts you get on top of the studying needed. This class is death
Her tests were hard but she is EXTREMELY helpful and interested in us learning unlike most teachers. She dropped our lowest test grade and offers study sessions and study guides. She also is letting us take a practice exam for extra points on our grades and extra practice.
first time teacher, she gets better and better teaching. She will help you as much as she can loves when you ask Qs she will meet you before/after class until time runs out or until you get it. Its bio for majors so its going to be hard. you do need to read the book 2x to really get it. I record the lecs to help out with getting the notes done
This was a bad experience. Dr.Foster is extremely intelligent, but not a good instructor. Case studies were her focus as opposed to understanding basic concepts. You can't apply information you don't understand. The class average on the first test was a 50%. Avoid her if possible.
Dr. Foster is the most helpful proffesor I have met. Her Biology 1110 is a Majors course and most of the complaints on here are from kids who just aren't ready for this intensive of a course. It is a tough class but I learned more in it then any other course I have ever taken. Got my A so dont think its impossible.
Dr. Foster is a nice and intelligent woman; she tries to be helpful and I did notice significant improvement over the course of the semester. Unfortunately,that came too late for some of us; 50% of her class are failing. My biggest complaint is that with so much material to cover, she still incessantly rambles for twenty minutes of class time.
Her class is extremely hard. I recommend reading your text book because she does not teach during lectures but overall she will try her best to help anyone out.
Not as bad of a teacher like people say she is. The class ifself is hard.
I personally love Dr. Foster. She is very helpful, she offers many group sessions outside fo class for discussions. The biology material is hard, and she expects you to know it before coming to class. She is reasonable with tests, if the class as a whole missed the question, she considers, and often, removes that question.
Had Foster for Bio I and II. Always willing to help students no matter what. Offers weekly study group sessions to clarify topics discussed in class. Tests are extremely hard, but that's just Bio I and II for you. Definitely a weed out course for pre-medical/pre-pharmacy students! However, Foster makes it doable if you are willing to devote time.
Tests are absolutely ridiculously hard. If you do not want to spend 40 hours a week dissecting every piece of information per chapter, I suggest take a different teacher. Test average for the first test was a 52. Next test avg was 44. The third was 67( woo!). Extremely hard tests, and not much gets taught in class.
Yes, she's hard, but she's great. If you're going to be taking MCAT, PCAT, DAT, etc., you'll be ready after taking her class! If you're looking for an easy A, then why are you a science major? She's very friendly and approachable, and will go out of her way to help you. Hard work, but totally worth it.
You go into this class thinking that you know somethings about Biology and then it breaks you apart. She is ridiculous with difficulty. I failed this class. She cannot teacher but she is smart. She does not know how to put the information into a formation for learning. I do not advise anyone to take her class. More than half failed.
Dr. Foster is one of the worst teachers I have had in my life. You can study for hours upon hours and think your ready for the test. NO she doesn't have a clue what she is doing. Stay away from her!
Most difficult class ever. Provides study groups and will meet with you if you need. Replies to all emails. Her exam questions, just like her lectures, are not worded the best. Studied countless hours to receive a C, while many others tried and made F's.
THIS IS WHY I CHANGED MY MAJOR!! HARDEST CLASS EVER!
Excellent! This is a intense class taught on medical school level, but it is possible to pass! Study, study, study! Dr. Foster is extremely helpful so talk to her! She will go out of her way to make sure students learn. You will have to work extremely hard, but I can say that it is all worth it. Dr. Foster really prepares her students well!
Dr.Foster is an extremely intelligent biologist. I reccomend her. This biology class though was hard, 1,2,3,4 are all application. This means, reading is not enough, you must be able to apply after reading. This is one class that reading, understanding and then applying must happen. It is not easy but it is possible to do very well.
Dr.Foster is an extremely intelligent biologist. I reccomend her. This biology class though was hard, Exam 1,2,3,4 are application. This means, reading is not enough, you must be able to apply what you read. One needs to read, understand and then apply what they read correctly. It is not easy but it is possible to do very well.Take lab seriously.
I don't get off where everyone seems to think Dr. Foster is such a bad teacher. Would a "bad" teacher give you access to the powerpoints and videos for Bio 2 to study over Christmas break? I think not! Yes her class is challenging and she expects you to think critically and not reguritate facts, but if you go to her she will help you!
Honestly the worst teacher i ever experienced. I'm a hard working A student and struggled to get a B in this class. I taught myself everything. Her lectures are pointless and scattered. She is always saying "we'll talk more about this later..." and then never does. If you have the misfortune of taking Dr. Foster, be prepared to work.
If you have no biology experience prior I do not recommend her. She is very intelligent, but she also requires everyone to completely understand everything she says (which is sometimes completely cryptic) and can apply it to something irrelevant. If you miss one thing in one chapter you're lost for the rest of the semester.
Dr. Foster is one of the worst professors I've ever had. She didn't bother to help with her students until the class average was below a 65, and she never responded to any of my e-mails, nor my friend's or roommate's. Before this class I was a Biology major, and now I'm a completely irrelevant major.
She says to do whatever helps you learn best then requires you to read the chapter in 2 days and watch videos. I'm an verbal learner. She doesn't teach her classes so I have difficulty learning. All her classes are application and not teaching. Stay at all costs. Dropped this class and changed my major to undeclared in 1 semester.
Dr. Foster is great. She is very hard and you do have to push yourself and learn a bit on your own. However, she prepares you for the world of a science major and is extremely helpful if you go to her and ask for help. She is a great professor who actually does care about her students and wants to see them succeed.
she teaches at a masters level in biology. This is an undergraduate biology 1 course. shes tough and I do not think she can pass her own test.
Dr. Foster is extremely intelligent. She teaches at an extremely fast pace. It is impossible to pass her class if you have a life outside of school or you haven't already failed it once. The class averages for the tests are all in the 60's. I wouldn't recommend her to anyone.
Dr. Foster is the worst professor I have ever had and do not recommend taking her class. She isn't helpful and is in no way clear with her teaching. RUN AS FAR AS YOU CAN AWAY FROM THIS CLASS.
Dr. Foster is very smart and knows her stuff, although she is taking her anger out on her students bc she didnt get into med school. But seriously her class is hard but not impossible. My advice is to go to class but dont listen to her. Know charts and figures and how to work through them and your golden. I have an A in there now and this is why.
I love Dr. Foster!! It's not her fault that she has to cover a lot of material in such a short time. She goes out of her way to help everyone in the class. If you cant pass her tests, then you need to look into a non-med related field. Read the book, figures, and pay attention to what she says will be on the test.
Dr. Foster is a phenomenal professor. She tries so hard to teach you everything you need to know and goes out of her way to help her students do well. She is incredibly fair. While she does not give you a grade, you have to earn it, she does everything in her power to help you. I would definitely recommend taking a class with her!
This class was probably my worst experience while at ETSU as an undergrad. She may be brilliant, but she has NO idea how to share knowledge with others. Her class is ridiculously hard considering the course level and I DO NOT recommend anyone take her for anything if you can avoid it.
Dr. Foster is a HORRIBLE teacher! She has no idea how to teach freshman. You are required to read the book on your own and pretty much teach yourself. You have quizzes to do every weekend! She makes the students figure things out themselves instead of telling them. Once this class started, my life revolved around biology. DONT TAKE HER!
Dr. Foster is a WONDERFUL teacher! Don't listen to the negative comments!!! This class in obviously NOT EASY however if you study and put effort into it, there is no way you will fail. Dr. Foster helps her students so much because she wants them all to succeed! Definitely take her class because you will learn ALOT!
This is an extremely difficult class. There were many days I found my self thinking that I was setting in a medical school lecture instead of an intro class. Be prepared to study a lot!!! The class is not impossible but is extremely difficult. I found the lectures to be pretty confusing most times. Many online resources are provided.
Dr. Foster is a very difficult teacher, but that's only because she is trying to prepare you for higher level science classes. She gives you a million resources to help you, and if you attend her lectures and pay attention, you should get a good grade. You have to put in A LOT of time outside of class.
She is a great teacher for many reasons. She doesn't spoon feed you through the lecture. She expects you to know some info from reading before class. If you are having difficulty, she is more than happy to meet with you. She also offers study sessions with herself and TA for even more extra help. It's not an easy classs if you don't put in effort.
Yes, this class is difficult and requires you to put forth a lot of effort if you want to make a good grade. But I've yet to have a professor that cares more about his or her students than Dr. Foster. She puts her heart into what she teaches, and if you're struggling, she'll help you. If you're preparing for med school, take Dr. Foster.
Be prepared to learn on your own. All material is expected to be learned BEFORE class and there are pre and post class quizzes with cryptic and confusing questions and answers on them. I despise teachers who make test questions and answers intentionally confusing. I did fine but it was a terrible undergrad experience.
Dr. Foster is what educators should strive to be and ETSU is lucky to have her. You should be reading prior to class, regardless of the professor. She will help you before, during, and after class. She will take every opportunity to help you succeed unlike the other Bio 1 & 2 prof. Excellent person, professor, and educator.
In Foster's class you teach yourself more than she teaches you. You have to know about what you are learning before you learn it from her. Plus, the exams are ridiculous. Half of the class failed them. It seems like there is nothing you can do. The exams are nothing like what you learned in class, or the videos, or the quizzes.
Goes way to fast for anyone to keep up. If your a biology genius you might like her class. If not, prepare to teach yourself and study night and day. Very difficult.
Refuses to help, while using information from much higher levels of biology in her tests. Cannot keep up with labs.
The material is not limited to biology 1. She treats her class like a higher level premed biology.
Tests are better for medical students, not bio 1. She does not like questions, and tells you to look at your notes or ask someone else. She uses a lot from other books besides the biology 1 book.
She does not help at all. She expects you to teach yourself and understand everything before class.
Changing my major. Do not waste your time with this one.
Dropped the class and changed my major. She is not worth the time or effort. She takes her aggression out on her students, beyond not helpful and rude, all because she failed to get into med school.
this class was a huge mistake! do not take her class!
This is the worst class that I have taken. I regret taking this class.
Dr. Foster does not teach the chapter materials, she expects you to teach yourself all of it,then when you arrive in her class she "teaches" you how to apply it to real life situations, you're also forced to take clicker questions on the materials that she hasn't even touched yet and YEP! its graded (it's the one you had to learn on your own).
The amount of work is ridiculous, with raven connect, post quiz, pre quiz, pre lecture guides, and that's just the stuff you have to do b4 you enter her class. I'm sorry she has no life outside of being a professor but as a student with many other classes, job, this thing called a social life (which she doesn't know about) this class is horrendous.
I do not understand why I am learning things way above biology 1. Nothing is taught in class, and you are ignored if you have questions.
This class has made me reevaluate my whole career choice. Dr. Foster gives way too much coursework, and the tests are extremely difficult. You have to learn what the terms mean plus how they work. She offers help outside of her class but her offers hours are always busy so good luck getting to see her. I wouldn't recommend this class for anyone.
She refuses to help and blames student for not understanding. Nothing is taught in class. I will be lucky to make a B. I will never take her again.
This is a self taught class. I have been trying to get help all semester and she is never available. The outside tutoring services do not understand what she wants. The material you need to learn is unclear and her guides are extensive. I spend a lot of time researching things on Google because the information for her questions is not in the book.
This class makes me hate science. She teaches like it is med school.
I have not learned a thing in this class. I will just take the class somewhere else, where there is a professor that really teaches instead talks down to me.
If you have other hard classes, do not take her. Her tests are ridiculously hard. You have to study a ton but that's If you have time to after all the assignments and quizzes she gives you. This is not an intro level course. Teach yourself. She doesn't teach you. Do not take her unless you are trying to get into med school. Beware!!!
This class is more for the biology expert that feels like showing off. The class was ridiculously difficult for a freshman class, or any class for that matter. Class time is spent talking about things that are way beyond the book, and the book content is expected to be done on your own only. She never has time to help either.
You basically have to teach yourself the entire time. Very rude and unprofessional.
I found Dr. Foster to be a great professor. Yes she was very tough, but this is a science class and it should be tough. She teaches biology for majors, and she expects you to do your work.
Not an easy class! You are warned!
She is a teacher that makes you teach yourself. I know she reads these, and sh e probably thinks everybody on here fails, but I earned an A. With absolute no thanks to her. Be ready to be your own teacher.
Expects you to teach yourself. She has no accountability. And now with 4 weeks of school left has decided to tell us she will not be doing office hours. Not to come by or contact her. Terrible reflection of ETSU academics.
Run you fools! The high score on tests where 86 (for all students). Be prepared to learn on your own, she does not teach during class, she prefers to be silent. If you answer a question, you will be hushed for speaking. If you aren't sitting in a place she likes then you will be moved. If you get stuck with her find a tutor, its your only chance.
Never really goes over the actual material. Just goes over application. Expects you to know all of the chapter and understand it before the next class. Ton of quizzes. Pretty obsessed with malaria and hemoglobin. Some test are really hard, even if you study way in advance. Can't really be absent, because she does clicker questions that count.
She believes that students should teach themselves, and then she does "application" in class, because you should already know the 20-page chapter in and out.
Dr. Foster cares about her students, otherwise she would not make the class so tough. However, be prepared to work for.
Hardest teacher alive
Foster's biology for majors is by far the hardest class I've ever taken in my life. The exams will leave you crying and wanting to drop out your first semester of college. Filling out the "holy lecture guides" and reading every word of the text book cannot prepare you for her exams. Have fun and good luck.
Like most people have said, she expects you to read the chapters before class and teach yourself the concepts. Then in class she goes over applications. You also have to come to class because she gives questions that you answer on clickers. These clicker questions count for a grade and also your attendance.
Never sit in the back two rows. You will be moved. Draw lots of circles and never speak even when spoken to. She will wake you up in the middle of lecture if you fall asleep during her talking about the wonders of malaria. You won't talk about anything else. Horrible class. 1010 would not take again ever. Change your major. Don't go to med school.
Dr. Foster was by far the worst professor I have ever had. She expects you to know the entire chapter by heart before walking into class. She is infamous for her "application questions", which are ridiculously hard. I am going to be lucky to pull out a B+, but most likely will end up with a B or B-.
This class requires you to teach yourself. She is not good at responding to emails and the class is a lot of application. Had a 70% failure rate this semester. Read the book and watch the videos and you might do well. Make sure you attend class to cuz attendence matters. Final exam is not bad and try to get an A in the lab because it might save you
Worst prof of my college career thus far. Lecture guides for every chapter (up to 16 pages of reading questions). Often encourages Googling answers when asked questions. Pre class, in class, post class quizzes, and pre exams are mandatory. Talks nonstop about study skills and malaria. Class is doable, but ridiculously time consuming. Lab is a joke.
This class is super hard but it helped me learn how to study. Foster has good intentions ,but she doesn't realize not everyone is a BIO major. This class is really time consuming. I almost failed Chemistry because I had so much to do in this class. She didn't take the 10% off for attendance for missed lectures and the extra credit saved me.
Dr. Foster is a researcher, not an educator. Her class is very difficult and requires hours of outside work to make an A. Her tests are mainly application, so simply knowing the information is not enough, you must know how to apply what you are learning. She does offer study sessions and bonus points, which are a grade saver.
Hardest class I have ever had to take and I'm a biochemistry major. Her lecture guides will kill you, she expects you to spend all your time preparing for her class when more than likely you have 12+ more hours of classes. Her tests will make you feel 2 inches tall and if she says application once, she'll say it a million times, terrible instructor
Dr. Foster is not as "impossible" as everyone says. These are 18 yr olds new to college thinking this is still high school. So most are not prepared. She is not that hard, if you study it's relatively easy. This class requires time management which she helps you with. She gives extra points for attending tutoring and drops your lowest grade.
Foster is a great teacher, despite what people say about her. If you apply yourself to her class, you can easily make an A. She provides many helpful tools to your advantage to help you learn, so it is not entirely her fault. Many people are simply not prepared for the rigorous material she presents, but it is not impossible.
This class is a biology for majors class and she teaches it like there is nothing more important than her class. Expecting a student to devote an extra 13 hours a week to studying something most of us will never use again is ridiculous. I hated this class with a passion. Only failing grades i have ever received. We did not mesh well.
This class does challenge you to think. Dr. Foster gives organized resources like online practice, chapter notes, lecture guides, and extra credit. You just have to complete the guides and practice the material. She gives you so many ways of learning the material you just have to put in the effort. I've learned a lot about study skills!
What Dr. Foster fails to understand is that not everyone who takes biology for science majors is actually a science major. I had to take it, and I'm a math major. If this was the only class you were taking, it would be reasonable to expect the 15+ hours per week she wants you to devote to her class. It's not impossible, but I would avoid if you can
Very hard professor. I personally highly enjoy biology and she managed to make it impossible. I thought I signed up for a Biology class not a medical school level biomed class. I took a tour of Gatton College of Pharmacy and they showed us one of their recent biochemistry tests and there were LITERALLY 18 questions from Foster's test on there.
Dr. Foster's Bio 1010 is what med school is most likely going to be like, and this is particularly a wanna-be-doctor weed-out class. This was the most difficult course I've ever endured, BUT no course has ever forced me to think so abstractly than this class did. You will have to change your habits. I felt much more knowledgeable after this course.
As everyone has said, this class requires a very heavy workload of homework, online quizzes, and extra study hours. That said, if you do all that you'll really be fine. She gives lots of extra credit opportunities, is very quick to respond to emails, and encourages people to meet with her outside of class when needed. She wants you to pass.
It's not that Foster is necessarily awful, but she is a very tough professor. I learned through her course that she does not teach "general" Biology, it is more of an application course, meaning that you need to know how to apply everything she is saying to the real world. An example of this is what she teaches can always be applied to malaria.
A lot of people complain about the level of difficulty, but if you just do the work, it's really not that difficult. She gives a decent amount of extra credit and drops several lowest grades. You may have to work a little bit harder than usual, but a good grade is attainable.
This class requires a lot of pre-class reading, following the text book is what saved my life. There are a lot of pre class bonus quizzes and online quizzes. The down side is these can be a workload but will help you understand the concept. If you are not willing to spend so much time reading for her class, then this class will be a dissappointment
If you are fresh out of high school, this class will be h E l l for you. I'm going to be a junior next semester and I love biology. I love science. But she is making me hate it because of how hard it is. I like that she has bonus quizzes (I assume that she had to start doing this because EVERYONE was failing) but she's doing too much. Funny though.
People think she is a bad teacher because she gives a lot of work and expects a great deal from her students. This isn't high school. You're expected to do notes and learn material on your own time. Her job is to elaborate on what you should've learned on your own time in class. You have to put forth the work to do well. One of my favorite teachers
Dr. Foster is very nice lady. She seems to generally care and want you to succeed. That being said 90% of the class seemed devoted to premed biology. Given this is an introductory course I wanted a broader field. So if your premed you should find it interesting but if your interesting in an actual biology field don't expect much.
She gives you every tool that you need to succeed. If you fail, it's because you didn't do your work.
This is a weed out course. She throws a lot of extra credit a the end of he course to save everyone's grades.
I'm currently in Foster's class and it is easy to make an A because of all the extra credit. Make sure you have a tutor or can teach yourself because you will not learn a thing from her lectures.
Hardest class I've taken. I gave up halfway through.
Very hard
Expect to be in class everyday, read, do the lecture guide and you won't have a problem passing. A's aren't easy, but doable. She is a wonderful professor, just gives hard test because you have to be able to apply what you learned. Be ready to do work, and you'll be fine.
It is very hard to do poorly in her class if you do all the work. She seriously gives you all the necessary tools do succeed in her class. If you do poorly or make a bad review of her class, you're lazy. plain and simple.
This class took more time than all of my other classes combined. This is not even my major.
Foster is the least helpful instructor that I have had. I am a junior and she is by far the worst for clarity and helping students. She makes it seems like shes doing these wonderful things for students when shes doing the minimum. She rants at least once every class period. I do not recommend her, but if you have to take her make sure you suck up.
The worst professor I have ever taken. I worked hard, studied, and did my homework and still failed. She expects you to learn everything on your own and come to class to talk about it. She doesn't teach it to you nor does she have a teaching degree!!!! She teaches over your head, and this class will consume your life.
This is class is very difficult. However, it is not hard to pass the class if you do the assignments. She gives extra credit quizzes and all homework is online. The tests are all application of your knowledge so you have to have a really good understanding to make a "C" or above with those. Your textbook will be your best friend. Prepare to work.
Dr. Foster was such a great teacher! She was able to explain the concepts by connecting them to real world situations, which made it so much more easier to understand. Yes It does take some time and effort, but that's what college requires. If people do make a failing grade in the class (70) then it is because they didn't put any effort at all.
in this class you can study everything she tells you to study for as long as absolutely possible and you still wont be able to pass a single one of her tests. I have read the chapters multiple times, filled out the lecture guide, and even printed out chapter notes and still have an exam average of 60 %. Her lectures are more about herself than bio
It is a hard class at first but it helps prepare you for the upper level bio courses. I felt more confident as a student after. Even missing 3-4 classes can hurt you because of the clicker question that she does every time. I liked Foster the only problem I had was she doesnt answer emails near the last month of the semester and its frustrating.
Foster expects a lot for her class. If you want to do well you need to put in a lot of time watching videos and doing the assignments. There is a ton of extra credit offered and it can be the difference in an A to B. I finished with a 96.6 but without my extra credit I would have had a 89.3.
People are complaining about how much work they have to do. This is college and you are required to read to the textbook! It amazed me when Dr. Foster would ask two days before the exam how many people read and completed the lecture guides. Almost half the class never had the assignments done. If you follow the guides and read you can make an A.
Be ready for lots of application questions on tests. The key for theses questions is to read through them and pick out the key words. She is willing to help you at anytime during her office hours. Work hard, watch all of the videos and do all of the extra credit! Don't be scared about what other people say about her! Good luck!
Dr. Foster is an amazing teacher that teaches you to analyze situations and apply what you read. In respect, she is not going to feed you an "A" with a silver spoon so be ready to study and ask questions. You will receive the grade you EARN.
A lot of people complain about this class. It is meant to be difficult. People who take this class are going to have to take even harder classes in the future. She has a no-non sense policy. If you are falling behind just go talk to her. She is very good at one on one interactions. This class prepares you for bio 2 no doubt. The tests are difficult
Foster is tough but there are much tougher. She actually cares and dos her best to adapt her teaching patterns to the needs of the class. She can be demanding but it is for your benefit. Many Bio II students, myself included, miss Foster. She really is a good instructor.
Foster is tough but there are much tougher. She actually cares and dos her best to adapt her teaching patterns to the needs of the class. She can be demanding but it is for your benefit. Many Bio II students, myself included, miss Foster. She really is a good instructor who offers a lot of Extra Credit. I would happily take her again.
The required work for this class takes a lot of time, and she expects you to focus solely on her class. Her attendance policy is outrageous (doc appts are unexcused), and once you miss more than 4 days, your grade drops 10%. Her clicker quizzes is the way she takes attendance, and only half the time does she give the class enough time to respond.
Biology is exactly what it was designed to be: a weed out class. Foster, as a teacher, is not very talented. Foster, as a challenger, is exceptionally talented. She expects a lot of effort & if you put in such effort, you should be fine. Most students do not read the text which makes her job much more difficult. Read comprehensively & youll be fine
Dr. Foster is an amazing professor that cares a lot more about her students than people give her credit for. She will work to help you learn about skills you have and skills you need in order to pass her class and the classes that follow. People do not want to do the work and therefore dislike her, but she is actually really nice and very helpful.
She is the best teacher ever. I remember everything she taught me. She will make you smarter. Guaranteed. Definitely recommend.
This class made me consider withdrawing from the university and 100% convinced me to change my major. Take from that what you will. I don't know what version of Dr. Foster some of these students got for her to actually be considered helpful but she tends to make the semester terrible. Have fun.
One of the hardest classes you'll ever take at ETSU - test are tough, lecture guides have to be filled out in order to pass the test, and attendance is a must due to clicker test. If you study hard, and push yourself you should pass. She'll also reach out to you if she notices you're below a C. I barely passed and biology is my niche, so good luck.
I love Dr. Foster!! This class is hard, but you can make an A if you try and do all the extra credit. Dr. Foster is very helpful. I went to her office almost every week, and she helped me understand how to study better.
Horrible teacher, learned nothing, and she is EXTREMELY rude to the students. Her tests DO NOT reflect the material she covers and she purposefully makes the questions in a manor to trick the student. Do not take this class, it is entirely busy work and designed to make your life suck. I did not read the book or the lecture guides and still passed.
Great professor! If you are majoring in science she will definitely prepare you! Her tests are application but they aren't impossible. Study and do the extra credit and homework and you should be fine. She gives so much extra credit there is no reason to fail. I loved her and learned so much in her class.
Foster is a great person; her class is definitely difficult. She sees her class as the only one you're taking. Have to thoroughly complete the lecture guides, bonus quizzes, and Mastering Biology to even do semi-well on the tests. Clicker quizzes everyday for not only a grade but attendance too. No kind of doctor's excuse or anything is accepted.
Foster's lectures aren't very beneficial as to understanding the subject during the first half of the semester. She spends most of the time repeatedly telling you how to teach yourself the material and trying to make you do extra work. It's really a flipped classroom, but for a grade. Tests: take bonus quizzes, know the vocabulary and main concepts
People hate on Foster, but honestly, IDK how you could not get a good grade if you just do what she says. Yes, it's a lot of information, but that concepts are simple. She doesn't do tests like most people- its more like the ACT. I mean that in the way that she asks more application questions, not just definition.
Go to class every day, do all the homework, do all the bonus quizzes, and go to the SI sessions for bonus points. She's dropping our 2 lowest Exams and lowest Lab Report. She gives ample bonus points to increase your grade at least one letter. If you take your education seriously and don't slack off this class is an easy introduction to Biology.
The class is meant to be a tough, weed out class. But if you are serious about science and your pursuit to higher education, she will challenge you to do that. She likes class participation alot, but she does not have time to do one on one instruction.
One of the hardest science classes you will take. She pushes you and makes you earn your grades. Be prepared to teach yourself since the material in lecture is usually just half of whats on the test. And the test aren't easy. But as long as you try and do the required work, attend SI sessions, and all the extra credit you should earn a B or higher.
Dr. Foster is a fair professor. She is good if you have a background in biology from high school and really want to learn the material. She gives plenty of opportunity for extra credit, but also gives lots of homework via a "lecture guide" and Mastering Biology. The only downfall I noticed was she doesn't really treat her students as adults, more like high school students. Her tests are fairly straightforward if you know the material and really try.
She is a great professor who really cares about you. Dr. Foster helps you learn how to study and prepares you for college. Great choice for freshman biology.
She is extremely difficult, but she is also a really nice lady. She wants you to succeed and perfectly prepares you for future science courses at ETSU. She is the perfect freshman teacher because she pushes you to do work on your own and do it efficiently. However, her lectures aren't too informative. I attended for the daily clicker quizzes.
She is a very thorough teacher and you will learn a lot from her class. Be prepared to do a lot of learning on your own time. She provides tons of resources for all the material on D2L. If you work hard and do all the extra credit you will do great because their is a lot of extra credit!
This professor does not give test based on what is covered in class. The test can be confusing as some of the questions have more than one right answer, but you have to get the one that is more right than the others. She is not very helpful, and once you get on her bad side you will have to get the dean to make her treat you fairly.
I did not enjoy this woman as a TEACHER! Weed out or not, we as students pay for this class. It's unacceptable to make anyone feel incompetent and that's what she does effortlessly. I don't understand why a university of this size only has one person teaching this specific class.
Biology 1110 used to be unreasonably difficult, and now it is very easy to succeed in. If you read the chapters, keep up with your homework, attend class, and take any extra credit opportunity available there is no way you won't pass. If you don't, you may just be lazy and need to do some self reflection.
Dr. Foster is an okay professor. For the most part, I taught myself the material. I struggled a lot because she doesn't help you much, but if you study hard you should be okay. She gives a lot of extra credit.
I liked that there was a lot of opportunity to improve your grade if you aren't doing well.
Her lectures are all over the place and because she offers so much extra credit, she is not lenient on accidents or malfunctions. She has in class clicker questions every class, so missing one class brings your grade down quite a bit.
Dr. Foster is an amazing teacher. She cares about you learning the material and does everything she can to help you. Attendance is taken through clicker questions so showing up is a must. No reason to make below a B in this class as long as you show up and do the work. She gives tons of extra credit.
A word of advice for students taking this class.. Yes, this class is difficult. The work load is heavy. Lectures aren't that helpful. However, Foster offers tons of extra credit! If you come to class and stay on top of your assignments, you can do well even if you don't do the best on exams. This is a weed out class, so keep your eyes on the prize!
Her class structure is very convoluted. There are multiple sites that she obtains grades from and it felt like I was taking more than one class for her. If you do not study every single aspect of what she gives you, you may not know what is going on because it is so in depth, but also not, hence the convoluted part of the course.
I see a lot of hate of Dr. Foster. In a semester of horrible professors, she was a shining light. Her grading criteria is clear. She lets you know what is expected. Clicker Questions everyday. She covers her material well. Gives a lot of extra credit.
I dont think she is a great professor. Loud voice is not always effective. She needs to be more sympathetic to students, enforce less materials and explain them clearly. Her study guides are awful. It should be concise. Students just dont have BIOL 1110, theyve many more. Overall she should focus towards planning her course and clearing concepts
Attendance is a must because of clicker questions. She overs a ton of extra credit but doesnt care if accidents happen. She doesnt really teach and avoids questions. Dont waste time on printing the lecture guide because you wont have time to actually do it.
She has clicker questions daily (this is how she takes attendance). She doesn't teach much material in her lectures, so you are left to learn a lot on your own. There is some extra credit. I took this as an upper clansman (I am a math major), so I have seen a lot of professors and she has cared the absolute least out of any of my professors ever.
I love Dr. Foster! Many people do not like her, but I really do not understand why.... YES it is a ton of work, but if you stay up with it and email/go to office hours if you have any questions, you will pass. Also, she gives out more extra credit than I've ever seen! So, no reason not to pass in my opinion with her!
Bio I for majors with her was a train wreck. She is a brilliant professor who loves her work, but her teaching style just does not work in a large lecture. I did, however, have her fill in once for my lab instructor and she was a wonderful teacher for my class of 20-something. Otherwise, she mostly leaves you to teach yourself the material.
Her lectures are terrible, and not helpful at all. The worst part however is the way she treats some of her students. I had an issue she would not respond at all to emails, and when I talked to her directly she still would not fix it. I had to get the dean involved to fix my problem. She treated me badly the rest of semester. Still passed though.
Dr. Foster is a great teacher. This class definitely had it's difficult moments, but the lecture guide was really helpful as long as you were able to fill it out, which I would recommend doing. Not all things are covered in class, but she offers extra study sessions practically everyday of the week that can be a big help.
Dr. Foster is a great teacher, dont believe any of these petty reviews by students who flat out refuse to do the work. Welcome to college boys and girls, where you actually have to put in work to get a good grade. She's a fair teacher, and wants to help, and is pretty much always available. Pay attention, and you will learn something.
Uses clickers so you have to show up whether her lectures are relevant or not. Tests are hard, and come from so many different sources that its difficult to know what's happening. Gives lots extra credit and ALL the mastering bio can be done by looking up the answers on quizlet. An easy teacher to get a B with but makes you suffer for some reason.
Dr. Foster was a great teacher. Yes there is a lot of material and you have to teach yourself some things, welcome to college. She genuinely cares and wants you to learn. Do the study guide, don't be lazy, show up to class and do the homework and you will make a good grade.
She focuses heavily on smaller topics within the book instead of the larger context. She was very sporadic with her lectures, and it was difficult to take notes because she went so fast.
Ms. Foster has a lecture guide and quizzes online that help on tests but they take alot of time. Reading the book is EXTREMELY important. I never got anything from her lectures because she is always a week behind the lecture guide. The tests are application based not pure memorization.
TERRIBLE. Best I can say about her is she looks like she is in fantastic shape. I'd rather her teach me her workout plan than take her bio class ever again. Her tests have nothing to do with what you learn in her class.
Dr Foster is an amazing professor, approachable, but you get what you put in. When studying you have to use your textbook. Tutoring helped me a lot.
Dr. Foster is an awesome professor. I have learned so much this semester!!
Too many things to keep up with. Textbook reading, lecture guide, D2L material (videos and reading), Mastering Biology, Exams, lecture notes, labs, pre-lab questions, lab reports.
The tests are barely related to the lectures, when she is lecturing, she just says what you need to know and does not go into detail about that specific topic. If you do not go to class, then you probably won't pass because there are clicker questions that are used as "attendance". I Only passed because of the extra credit opportunities. C+at best
Foster is an overall great teacher. You have to do your work or you wont pass. She can be a lot but I really like her.
Shes nice enough but she doesnt really teach whats on the tests. You basically have to teach yourself. She gives lots of online homework and clicker quizzes during class (and thats how she gets attendance)
Dr. Foster is tough, but truly great. She gives a ridiculous amount of extra credit for an undergrad science course, so study hard and do the extra credit and youll be fine. Test questions come from lots of different resources, so study everything she gives to you. Go to her if you need help.
She is SO EXTRA. The majority of your time will be studying for this class & your other classes are put on the back burner. Overwhelming for no reason. I made a 75 on 2nd exam and studied hard, the last exam I gave up and crammed 2 hours made an 80. her assignments are time wasters. Study how YOU know how, forget doing her nonsense lecture guide.
She has a lot of extra credit quizzes. Her tests are over material she doesn't go over. She does a lot of clicker questions. She doesn't explain the material, she expects you to already know it when you get into the class. She has a lecture guide that she really does not go over.
Dr. Foster expects a lot out of you starting from the first day of class and will make you work for a good grade. But, if you stay on top of the tests and homework and do all the extra credit you'll be fine. I learned more from tutoring then i did in lecture or from the book (she gives extra credit for going to tutoring too).
She is a very caring professor. She wants everyone to pass, and gives plenty of opportunities for extra credit. She will meet with you if her office hours aren't compatible with your schedule. I recommend going to her.
Everyone says the class is hard but if you do the HW, extra credit, and in class quizzes you will easily make an A. Do the work!!! Youll be fine. She is a sweet woman and helps you out as much as she can while still expecting work out of you.
Great professor. Go to SI sessions and do all the extra credit and should do fine. Without the extra credit, I definitely wouldn't have had an A. Lecture guide handouts are pointless and waste of time. Pay attention during class, she goes over concepts heavily that are on the test.
Dr. Foster is a decent biology teach for biology majors. I see a lot of hate bashing her, but honestly this course wasn't that difficult. There's tons of extra credit to be had, so if you bomb a test you're still in the game. My biggest complaint with her was the lack of communication. There were countless emails that I never received an answer for
Dr. Foster will give you alot of work to do but you will learn alot in this class. You have to put in the work , otherwise don't expect to pass. She gives alot of extra credit opportunities that bump up your grade. Do the lecture guide until you figure out how to study for this class, and then you'll be fine.
She assigns a lot of work, but it is impossible to not make an A. DO THE EXTRA CREDIT. All of it. I made a B on every exam, but left with a 96 in her class. It's not difficult if you do exactly what she tells you to do. It could not get any easier.
Doesn't actually teach. Gives too much homework. Tests have nothing to do with the homework.
The Lectures do not help... She gives quizzes each and every class so attendance is mandatory. Each Homework takes hours. Get ready to teach yourself. She gives a lot of extra credit for a reason. You can do well just get ready to grind like never before.
Be ready to spend countless hours working for this class. Work can seem overwhelming at times, you need to teach yourself a lot of the material.
Dr. Foster is very good for the Bio 1 teacher. It is a step up from high school and requires you to actually put in time studying. She gives countless extra credit and opportunities to improve your grade. If you are at least moderately intelligent you can get an A no problem.
Don't let the bad reviews of Dr. Foster's class deter you from taking the course. This class is what should be expected for a college biology course. She offers countless extra credit opportunities, and I studied maybe 1-2 hours outside of class and aced my exams. Go to the SI sessions!
I was initially terrified. You do have to put in a lot of work. But she is honestly a great teacher and you learn a lot if you do everything she assigns. She knows what she's doing, how to teach, and how people learn. She is my favorite teacher here by far. Read and take notes before class. Take notes during class. Review with videos and SI after.
I came to this class already well versed in biology but had to take the course as a required prerequisite to gain admittance into professional school. Dr. Foster barely teaches at all. A lot of time was wasted on clicker questions and pointless group work. I got far more from the book than I did from her useless lectures. Huge disappointment!
Foster is intimidating but she knows her stuff. I took her biol 1110 for majors and go to the lectures!! She has clicker questions every day thats a big part of your final grade. Online quizzes are due every Friday that are also part of your grade. She has a lot of tests and they require a ton of thinking. Hard class but just do all the workpass.
Doesn't teach the class. You will be doing all self teaching. Homework is extremely long and take a lot of time. You are expected to know material and be quizzed on it before it's even mentioned in class. Seems to care more about her research than the students. Makes you purchase a subscription to Tophat.
She isnt lying when she says that this is a HARD class that you will need to put a hefty amount of hours into during your week. However, she gives PLENTY of grades so as long as you stay on top of reading and homework, you can get an A. She counts the supplemental instruction sessions as extra credit too.
Dr. Foster would make an excellent graduate professor, but she is not a very good freshman professor. She does no actual teaching, only examples of course content. Be ready to teach yourself everything. Thankfully, she give many extra credit opportunities, plus she sometimes skips class and sends counselors to talk to students.
She gives plenty of extra credit. I was clueless 90% of the time but I still got an A because of extra credit. She doesnt teach much and youre expected to learn everything on your own. The whole lecture time is spent taking quizzes on your phone instead of actually learning the material.
Dr. Foster provides tons of extra credit and even walks around the auditorium as she lecture and constantly asks to see if people have questions. It is evident that she is eager to teach. On the down side, her exams are difficult and she expects you to teach yourself most of the material. She will only go over big picture and key concept stuff.
Honestly, Dr. Foster is the WORST professor Ive ever had. Her lectures make no sense, she jumps around from topic to topic without transitions or making connections between topics. You basically have to teach yourself everything in the class. She seems to think that her class is the most important class that students will ever take.
Dr. Foster is a great professor! She is passionate in her teaching & cares about her students. Exams can be difficult, questions come from the lecture guide that she makes you print out & bring to class everyday. She makes you work for your grade, but gives plenty of extra credit! STUDY, do mastering biology, & TopHat quizzes & you will be fine.
Dr. Foster's lectures are nothing short of confusing, time wasting, and useless. She jumps from topic to topic with hardly any insight on Biology. She drills the idea in your head to "just look at your lecture notes". Her whole class is based on a third party software. I took my biology credit at another school simply to avoid her "class".
I took Dr. Foster's class in 2017. It is the hardest class I have taken to date besides possibly intense Chemistry. It was my first class at ETSU, while taking 19 credit hours. I don't know if it's different now, but there is TONS of reading, TONS of learning required from that, and if you don't learn you won't pass. Extra credit saved my life.
I took the class during the pandemic and surprisingly she taught great that way. She had lectures and explained things very well. Any questions you had were always answered. She was also really easy to get into contact with through email. There were multiple opportunities for extra credit. Overall super good professor and very nice.
Dr. Foster is an amazing Biology professor. She is truly someone that cares about the students. If you show effort in the class, she WILL help you!
Need extra time for an assignment? Have a genuine question about the course? She will not be understanding nor available to help. Beware of this professor and consider any other BIO professor.
Dr. Foster is the singular worst Professor I have ever known in the realm of academics at ETSU her lectures were incoherent and inconsistent,plus she deliberately blew off my correspondence both during & after I graduated dec 2019 and seemed very annoyed when I paid her office and visit after she hadn't responded to any of my emails since Oct 2020
The class can be tough, but Dr. Foster will do anything to help you out if youre struggling. She makes a lecture guide so its really easy to follow along during class and make sure youre caught up with notes and prepared for exams.
It's hard to call Dr. Foster a teacher. Students will be expected to pre-read and come into class with an understanding of the material. She does not ever teach students content, YOU MUST TEACH YOURSELF. She will only test & quiz you on the material you cover. I got through because I had AP notes from high-school which covered Biology much better.
Dr. Foster does not teach. You are expected to know the material just off of reading. She is unhelpful and literally doesnt teach you anything. If you are considering biology as a major, do not take her course. Shes the reason I am not pursuing it.
I hate to be negative, but Dr. Foster has made taking a class online way more difficult than it should be. She never answers any emails, is not prepared for class, and overall can be very rude sometimes. So far this semester, she has acted like her class is above every other class. If you have to option to not take her class, don't take her class.
This was online due to Covid and it was horrible. If I didnt take AP bio in high school i wouldnt have passed. Professor expects you to spend 10 hours a week outside of class to stay on track. Lab reports were graded really harsh. Is not understanding at all and you have to teach yourself everything.
The material learned & tested in this class is really not that difficult, but Dr. Foster's style of teaching is so needlessly confusing until many students are left wondering what they are supposed to be doing. I maintained good grades in this class by ignoring her "lecture guide" and focusing instead on the mastering biology tests & videos.
She is the worst professor Ive had! She relies on the lecture guide for you to pass. She tells you how to study and if you don't do it her way, she says its because your critical reading skills aren't where they should be. She has had to drop two exams because no one passed. She expects you to take over three hours everyday to study for her class.
Terrible lecturer. Doesn't think, her words, "having a family to care of" or "working 40 hours a week" is an excuse for missing class or assignments. Tests are confusing and difficult, but she'll just tell the class that we are too stupid to understand her wording. Cannot take responsibility for her own failings as an educator.
don't take her just don't run
If you want to keep ur passion for biology, drop her. She is rude, a smart-mouth, and does not care about you as an individual. Her tests are the material in class but she words the questions so weirdly like there is no right answer. Some of the smartest people I've ever met struggle in this class.
Honestly be ready to dye about 7 hours of work outside of class In order to receive any semblance of learning or to pass your exams. You teach yourself almost everything and she is always behind on lectures.
This class is fairly difficult with lots of information to learn and requires a lot of time spent studying each week, but if you learn the material the test should not be too terrible. Lectures are rather pointless and Dr. Foster is very condescending, spending a lot of class time talking about herself. The tests are mostly application questions.
Its a lot of busy work on your own. She preaches up a storm about needing to spend all this time studying. Sit down do the hw and the study and youll get an A.
I am sure that Dr. Foster is a brilliant scientist but she is not a good teacher. Lectures are mandatory but they will confuse you rather than help you. If you ignore her lectures and focus your attention on the weekly quizzes and the Pearson practice tests, you'll be fine. Do not follow the lecture guide. It is not the sacred document she claims.
Dr. Foster is most definitely a hard professor. However, I think her lectures are what helped me the most. I took notes instead of worrying about the lecture guide, and I did not make below a B on any test. Attend class, study, and use your own learning style to your ability and you will be fine.
I am not one to struggle with school (straight A junior in college) and this woman put me through the ringer. Does not respond to emails. Emailed her for test help and she told me I wasnt studying correctly when Im reality, her lecture guide pages do not correspond with the text at all. Offers extra credit which averages to 2.5 points. Cocky.
Dr. Foster is an excellent professor. Her lectures are all helpful and the course itself is delightful. During this semester, she offered several extra credit opportunities and even dropped two exams. She is extremely understanding and I would absolutely take this course again. If you need help dont hesitate to ask Dr. Foster!
Dr. Foster has her reputation, but was really understanding of how challenging this semester has been for many with covid still raging on and this being the first one fully in person in a while for many. She wants you to have your work in on time as any professor does, but was lenient and offered tons of extra credit to try to help us out.
She has a lecture guide that she lives by, but its not actually good for studying. Her lectures are also really boring.
Tests are A PAIN! She will also drop lots of stuff at the end of the year to save her ass.
It is so bad, I want to give her a 0... but that's not possible, so I give her a 1...
Horrible teacher. I understand that this is a weed-out class, but there is no need for her to be so incredibly demeaning and arrogant. She is very discouraging and rude. Avoid the lecture guide at all costs and you'll make an A.
Dr. Foster lacks nearly all the things you hope for in a professor, excluding a passion for her subject that leads to a respectable understanding of her material. However, for all of her knowledge, she is rude, cold-hearted, and unhelpful. She must abhor responding to emails. I am not just another ticked-off student, pinky promise. She is horrible.
I loved this class! After you get over the initial culture shock of college and her application style exams, this class is amazing! She has interesting lectures and you learn a lot in this class! She gives you everything to do well, read the chapters, do the lecture guide and USE THE CHP NOTES! Dont chicken out and drop this class!!
Professor Foster does all of her teaching through online lectures you are required to watch and take a quiz on before class starts. The lectures themselves are just rants on topics sort of relating to what your supposed to be learning. She is at least clear about what is on the test if you pay attention to the online lectures and quizzes.
Though she is really nice, I have had more difficulty in her class than any other class I have ever had, including high school
Dr. Foster is just as gracious as she is knowledgeable. Her syllabus includes a generous amount of dropped grades. After the class performed poorly on the first two exams, she dropped those grades for a "course reset". If you do the homework, you will definitely know the material and do well on exams. She wants you to succeed.
Take this class if you want to be miserable! Required to watch lecture videos outside of class, but attendance is mandatory. Lectures are spent ranting about student study habits, going off on whispering students, and giving backwards/confusing explanations. I transferred here with 1 science degree and this is the worst lecturer I've experienced.
Just terrible, please don't pick her. It's so bad that you would actually be better off taking this course at a different college over winter or summer break. She has some sort of god complex and personally she is no help.
Dr. Foster is extremely smart; however, I think because she is so smart so cannot teach incoming students. This is Biology 1 and a lot of the questions on the exams are BioChem. She should be in research rather than teaching. She doesn't really like students. She has very inhumane ethics with her rats and really needs to be re-evaluated on that.
After starting medical school I decided to revisit my feelings towards Dr. Foster and I found that they haven't changed. She was the most unprofessional, demeaning, and evil professor I ever encountered at ETSU. If you want to learn biology, take it with someone else. If you want your career goals and intelligence mocked, take Cerrone Foster.
This is a flipped classroom course!! This class will, at best, be difficult with 7-10 hrs a week for learning. Supplement any questions or discrepancies outside of class and it will help simplify. Attendance isn't required but show up! She usually posts 1-1.5 hour lecture videos and has a practice quiz due prior to lecture. Study & Review!
You learn a lot in this class. You can feel as confident as you want and you can know everything about every chapter but her exams really are about application. The exams have lots of things that you don't go over in class but just enough for you to have to make an educated guess. Shes not a bad teacher at all but she just isnt very helpful.
great professor for freshmen fr
Get ready to teach yourself You must watch a recorded lecture and take a quiz before you even step foot in class. she does not lecture during class and spends class asking students to help to fill out a study guide on the projector. the entire first class was her going over her life achievements. She has canceled class twice in 3 weeks. AVOID HER.
She is very smart but too smart to be teaching this class. She also is incredibly occupied with other things in her life such as research and running a sorority. She gave lecture videos to watch in between classes that were at least an hour a piece. If you can get out of this class DO IT. I am so glad I did.
The coursework is difficult, but I think Dr. Foster is a very good professor. She is clear about what she wants from you, the assignments helped with my understanding, and she is willing to help you (highlight -->) if you ask. She's good about responding to emails and sometimes questions from past exams repeat on later ones, so reviewing is vital.
It's tough. Many people go into this class expecting hand holding similar to high school. Reviews state that work is required prior to lecture to answer questions while in class. This is called active learning. Research shows that this is the most effective way to learn/retain material. Do it. Exams are application and not simple recall. Study!
At first, comes off polite but seems to get more difficult as the semester goes on. Seems like a nice person, just a very difficult professor. Don't stress about making 60s and 70s on exams. It will happen but trust the process. Study very hard for this class!!! I'll be up until 3:30 am studying before an exam.
At the end of the day she isn't horrible. But you will be teaching yourself in this class. Be fully prepared to learn the material on your own with little help from lectures. Textbook can help but video lectures she requires work just as well. Going through the study guides is a must. Hard class but if you put in the work you can make it happen.
You have to study a bit everyday, watch the lectures before class, and try to answer her in class questions. You need to be able to apply for the test. However, you will have seen 30-50% of the questions that will be on the test. Do not be afraid of what everyone else says. It is a tough course if you have never studied before, but it is doable.
Flipped class, be rdy to do pre class quizzes & watch an hr long video of lecture before actual lecture. 5 exams for whole course excluding final but she'll drop 2, same with pre class quizzes. Study guides are long would j recommend studying pre class, practice exams, and master bio practice test questions. Expects 6-9 hrs put aside for class work
Dr. Foster was an incredibly difficult professor to have for Bio. While she did provide some extra credit, it amounted to almost nothing for my grade. She assigns way too much work each week, it felt as though she had no regard for students taking lots of courses/who have extracurriculars. Communicated well via email, but I would never take again.
Foster is really big on the flipped classroom model but executes it questionably. Online lecture recordings from quarantine are assigned to watch before class with a quiz (usually with multiple questions requiring MUCH further digging in the textbook) only for a nearly identical lecture to be given in class the next day. Does not respond to emails.
There are about 10 hours of homework at least a week, you have to watch lectures before class and the assignments don't line up with the lecture. She is very smart so it is hard to comprehend what she is saying at a bio 1 level.
This class overall wasn't hard but was time consuming. There are a lot of assignments each week, and they require a lot of time to complete. The exams are difficult, but if you know the material and can use real world application they aren't as bad. As long as you do the work and go to class, this course isn't bad.
Very homework heavy. You must learn how to be an excellent time manager to succeed in this class. The material is difficult and you aren't given a lot of time to learn all of it. Do the pre-class quizzes/videos/study guides, they will prepare you for the lectures and tests better than anything else. Use the book if you don't understand a concept.
Honestly she was okay just way too much work for this class... and she taught it more detailed then it needed to be for bio 1.
Unnecessary amount of homework. Does not let us see feedback on assignments so we'll never know where to improve. Expects 15+ hours out of you outside of class every week, impossible to take if you're balancing work and school. Drop her while you can.
As an instructor, she is great. Her class structure, however, had me miserable all semester. Very unnecessary homework load, expects you to have read the chapter before lectures AND complete a quiz on it before lectures. Which is fine, but then, why is attendance mandatory?? The lectures don't really provide any new info. At least exams are easy
Dr. Foster does care about her students. She uses hard examples at times. Take your time to watch all lectures and draw things out.
Dr. Foster is an amazing professor and great inspiration. If you put in the work, you'll be rewarded with her!
She assigns a lot of work, but it really helps you learn and understand the subject. I had an amazing experience with her she was one of the best professors I have ever had.
makes you buy like 3 different online services that are mad expensive for NO REASON. she doesn't usually teach in class and just assigns a bunch of lecture videos for you to watch outside of class. there's an exam almost every 3 weeks but she usually drops the lowest scores on some assignments/tests
allthough there is redundancy between outside lectures and in-class lectures, she teaches in a way that allows for maximum understanding of a topic
This class is so bad and she uses study guide videos from 2020! Her lesson plans are terrible and the wifi in the room is trash. The is not her fault, but what is her fault is the fact that our attendance is taken thru a website which barely loads and she was barely even here half the time
Was told this is a weave out class for pre meds. You basically teach yourself everything, she just yaps in her lectures. Go ahead and get ready to drop a band on TopHat and mastering bio. If you show up to the lectures it's just her yapping and you won't learn anything, she wants you to come up and talk to her (suck up to her). She does drop grades
Foster is horrible. Does not teach in class. You have to do all of the work before the class starts, the workload is heavy and is different than what's on the exams. Attendance is mandatory even though all work is taught by yourself, with two to three quizzes a week with 30-60 questions per quiz. Books are all expensive and unused. DO NOT TAKE HER!
Foster knows her stuff, but if you have trouble learning online then don't take her course. Go to a different school if you have to. She's great about forgiving and or dropping grades, but this to me just shows she doesn't care about her job if she has to drop low grades like she does. Lecture is required on the days you don't take notes from home…
Foster gets the award for least favorite professor. While this semester she was very forgiving on grading (had exams dropped, gave 100s out for many assignments etc.) she still managed to make this semester insufferable. Her lectures are pointless, if I were you, do tophat at home, theres no difference in going to class and not going in my opinion.
Dr.Fosters in person lectures are pointless, she just reviews the slides that you already have to read and quiz on, she constantly says things will be on exams but never will be. The lecture guide that she asks you to fill out for the exam is pointless and the best way to do well on exams is know the quiz and practice exam questions/info
A lot of people complain about Dr. Foster, but I had a good experience with her fall class. Exam content is very clear, practice tests and study guides were very helpful. Will tell you that you need to spend a lot of hours studying and doing homework, but if you go to lectures and pay attention you only need a couple per week. Would recommend her.
Dr. Foster expects a lot out of her students. She requires a lot of work outside of lecture hours. If you want to understand what is going on in her lectures you HAVE to watch the videos. You can still make a good grade without them but it is highly recommended that you do. She also gives out information about research opportunities at the school.
A great professor so don't be discouraged to take her bc of all the “awful” reviews. Put effort into the class, you'll do just fine. Be ready to apply the topics to examples & interpret data. She gives optional study guides, but they're a great tool. I got the textbook, but you could still pass w/o it bc video lectures she posts cover test content
It's not that difficult to get an A in this class as long as you read the textbook and do the study guides, make sure that you don't miss quizzes. However, lectures are absolutely pointless, and there's things on the test that are never gone over in class. This class requires outside work. Dr. Foster is nice and cares about your learning though.
great professor, extremely smart and was very lenient on the grades. if you are willing to put work into the class it is easy to get an a.
SO SO MUCH work outside of class. There is no lecture/review, just using what you teach yourself. She expects you to read articles, complete a study guide, do practice, and watch hours of videos BEFORE every class. Horrendously huge class size. Also expects students to pay for subscriptions to some apps. NO LATE WORK. Quizzes outside of class only.
This professor doesn't teach in class, only assigns long videos, endless notes, and huge chapters—over 5 hrs for one class with 7 exams. As a single mom with work, labs, and other classes, it's unsustainable. I need a professor who values time and teaches effectively. If I had a better advisor, I wouldn't have this professor.
Being in the class with Cerrone Foster, I can tell she cares a lot for her students. I just wish her lectures went over more material, and she didn't just make us do so much out of class. For someone who is taking a test every single week this semester, it is practically impossible to have sleep, eat, social life, and just live out of class.
Her study guides are great and do prepare you well for tests, but her pointless lectures in which attendance is mandatory and the 5+ hours of pre-class work you have to do before just one lecture make this class not worth it. Don't take Foster if you have a choice.
If you are broke don't take this class. $130 for textbook, $80 for Pearson plus, and $30 for top hat. Will talk for the entire lecture but somehow not answer any question relevant to exams. Overall snooze fest.
Absurd class requirements. She wants you to dedicate 20 hours to studying and completing her unhelpful study guides for an entry-level class. None of it is useful, by the way. If you spend 3 hours total reviewing chapter notes and her 5-year-old COVID-19 lecture videos, you will manage an A on the tests. Be prepped to pay for two platforms as well.
First off let me say how I feel like I am treated like a child in class with Dr. Foster. She tells us to put up our laptops in class, when I am trying to right down here information, and on top of that I could be actually doing other useful things then sitting in her awful lectures full of pointless Top-hat questions? I got an A- teaching myself.
Be prepared to spend way too much on her course, get assigned an insane workload, and then work 10x harder to do good on exams. She shouldn't be teaching a level 1 class. Also, she doesn't answer her emails, it takes weeks for a response. She's very smart but a horrible professor, especially for freshmen. Avoid her at all costs.
The lectures always seems to be ahead of the work, which is necessary to do well on the exams. with the amount of work across 3 separate websites ( some of which don't appear on the Pulse app sometimes ), the class is extremely hard to catch up with. One positive I've taken from this class is learning to teach myself the material necessary.
Most of the complaints mention a "heavy work load," but it's really not. The videos, practice exams, and study guides are NOT mandatory, but they are great tools and give you extra points. Also, people complain about teaching themselves, but that's part of college. *The information in the textbook is chronological with the study guide.
Dr Foster is great - you just have to put in effort. The material can be tough, but she provides helpful study guides to fill out as you read/watch videos, etc. The exams are challenging at times, but again, if you come to class and pay attention, you'll be fine! I loved her class and learned a ton - all the hate comes from lazy students.
Foster does not deserve the hate she gets. She is a great professor and clearly explains what will be on each exam, making them easy to make an A on. I have not studied all semester and mader A's on all her exams because they are that easy. She is also willing to help you raise your grade if you come talk to her. Don't be scared of her class!
Dr. Foster might just be sent from the lord to torture freshman-year students. You will have to drop $100+ on materials, then 7+ hours of studying, homework, then your weekly Mastering Biology quiz (which will take more than an hour) If she didn't drop an unreal amount of grades, I highly doubt a majority of people would receive over a B. Avoid her
I really enjoyed having Dr. Foster, you can tell she is very passionate about the subject and heavily relies on case studies to relate the material to real life. You do really have to study but she basically makes the class fail proof if you just show up and complete the assignments.
Many students don't like her because her class setup pushes for a lot of independent learning, but she makes this very clear in class. If you do your work, you'll be in great shape. Study guides directly match tests.
Dr. Foster is a very smart professor who cares about her students. A lot of her teaching is based on case studies, which makes it more interesting. The tests are hard, so you have to pay attention to all the details in the lecture. However, she offers a ton of extra credit, supplement quizzes, and drops one exam grade, which all help a lot.
The textbook is like 100 dollars, and TopHat is 50, absolutely insane. She posts videos to watch before class, and the lectures she just answers questions, and they are useless. You can't miss the classes, though, because your grade drops by 10% if you miss four classes. The exams are a little tough, and the final is cumulative.
Professor Foster does not get to the point in her lectures. I taught each lesson to myself because of how much she went off topic/didn't use class for what it's for. (But still makes it mandatory). If you can study the lessons yourself and show up to class you'll get an A.
Class Info
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100%
Attendance Mandatory
98%
Textbook Required
62%
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