great teacher, very smart and helpfull

Great professor! While attendance isn't mandatory, you will learn a lot if you come to class and she helps clarify anything, if needed. Wish I could take her for more classes.

Very smart teacher,knows her subject very well. However, this is not an easy class. Make sure that you go to her classes, she doesn't like slackers. Very friendly, but don't let it fool you. She says what she means and she means what she says to the dot. Be familiar with her grading scale. She is a tough grader. Take her seriously. No curve.

The class is very straightforward. Her tests questions are mostly from the ppt slides, but she will give some from the book that aren't on the slides. Tests are easy, hardly any trick questions. She does give extra credit if you read ahead and complete an online module. Great professor, very nice, and knowledgable.

Really good teacher, knows the material. Attendance not mandatory but she has random checks. Extra credit is given through the online module. Tests come from both slides and text.

Dr. Bégin is really smart, has tons of experience in her field, is nice and will talk with you if you have a question or issue with the class. Although clear and interesting, not an easy class. She is a very strict grader Her exams are strait forward, but if you don't put down exactly what she is looking for you get points off. Go to class!

This is a hard class period. If you want to actually learn take this class with Dr. Begin. Going to class is key to passing. Not everyone is cut out for medical school, Dr. Begin requires that you know the material to pass, simple as that.

She is an incredibly great professor. This is a tough class and she made it really interesting and made it easy to understand. Attendance is important since everything she covers in class is on the exams. There's online quizzes and extra credit homework that really helps at the end. I really enjoyed this class.

Before everyone rates they should do it based on the teacher, not their own personal performance in the class. I thought she was REALLy helpful and passionate about her subject and teaches very well. Her tests can be hard but you have to study right. Study the textbook multiple times and take notes. Basically, do what she tells you and youll do wel

Amazing teacher! Loves what she teaches and makes everything so cool to learn.

Excellent, amazing professor. Dr. Begin is Incredibly smart, intuitive, and makes class so interesting. Her Marine Bio class is my favorite class since college and she's also my favorite professor. I can't wait to take two more classes with her! You learn so much, but the class is challenging. Textbook for this class isn't really needed.

She is a really amazing teacher! her tests arent easy but they arent impossible. I got at least a B on all of them. You really learn so much and are able to retain the knowledge. would definitely chose her again above all other bio 2 teachers

Bio 2 is a hard class because you have to memorize and learn how all organisms are arranged and placed in the evolutionary tree. I liked her. She spoke clearly and her slides said what needed to be known not excess info. I read book since being, did some extra credit, and hw which was always due on Thursday. Test hard possible if u know the info.

I thought Begin was great. She basically went over all we needed to know , and her slides were 'to the point'. Its obvious she knows the material well and is not boring at all when conveying it. If you go to almost every class early, read your textbook and do all the homework and extra credit on time, you will be 'A' ok !

I went into this class pretty worried based on previous comments, but it wasn't so bad. She taught the material very well and clearly outlined her requirements. The rest is up to you. I read every chapter, took notes, did all the extra credit, and ended up with an A. Try to find her old final exams, she uses those questions for the semester tests.

The best way to put this is as follows: If you took Franck for Bio 1 you will be in for a very rude awakening with this professor. She is a great person and really understands the subject but she doesn't hand out As like Franck does. If you are prepared to actually learn and work for your grade take her, but if you want an easy A take Franck again.

Hard class, great professor. Thanks for preparing me well!

Bio 2 is a tough class in general. I read and took notes before class, then again in class, got most clicker Q's right, did all the EC and all the assignments (there are a ton but you can get 100s on all hw). You have to study bio literally everyday. Her class is about as much hard work as Johnston chem 2 but I never had a problem with him. AB+

Begin is a great teacher! Her class consists of a lecture off of a powerpoint and asking you tons of clicker questions. Her tests are hard but if you study the book, powerpoints, and hw you can surely get an A! Bio 2 is supposed to be a hard class, she asks a lot more of situational questions than just straight memorization questions. Office Hours!

Interesting lectures and available for student questions. Exams are mostly essay based, so must know material well.

Took her in Fall 2014, loved her class. If you read the book, do the HW, and go to class, it is an easy A. She tells you everything that is going to be covered on the test, no surprises . She is very knowledgable and passionate. Anybody complaining probably didn't didn't read or show up to class.

Pretty good professor I guess. Very good teaching but tests are tough so reading and studying are essential to passing with a good grade

Really enjoyed Dr. Begin's class. She was very clear and offered ample opportunity to pass. Provided two extra credit assignments, dropped lowest test grade, dropped lowest two clicker points as well. Loves Biology and has experience in the field too. Definitely recommend.

Great experience. She is not giving it away but she is fair, you will learn a lot.

Professor Begin was awesome. She explained the material clearly and with passion. She is always available to help in her office hours. The tests are all situationally-based since it's all concepts. Does a bunch of clickers in class. Sapling is used heavily, and so is the textbook. Would definitely recommend her for Bio II!

Most of grade is based on tests (final is optional). Clicker questions are past test questions that are used for attendance. Makes class lecture recordings available to students through Canvas. Test are completely based off of the learning objectives. Very straight forward grading criteria; follow the learning objectiveseasy A.

Dr. Begin is a great professor who really challenges her students to think critically about ecology and the scientific method. The course material is engaging, and the class is structured well to give students a comprehensive view of coral reef ecology. She's can be a tough grader, but it's always with her students' success in mind.

Professor Begin is a very good teacher. I believe she teaches the class material well and one thing I like is that most of her clicker questions are actual past exam questions, which helps a lot when studying for exams. There's a lot of homework but nothing tedious. I feel like with her as my teacher, bio 2 was worth it.

For the beginning of the semester I was struggling through the class because of the tests. However, I learned that she gives us the majority of the test questions through clicker questions during lecture. I started to just study the clicker questions from the Panopto Recordings and I started getting A's on the tests. I recommend it if you take her.

You get everything that you put in. Professor Begin is a great teacher who loves her work and wants her students to pass. The homework is a lot, but it's consistent and give away points for the tests, way better than Sapling. Tests are also clear-cut and if you studied the clicker questions, book and the PowerPoint, then that A is almost guaranteed

I had Begin for BSC2011, Biology 2. Her tests are 75% of the final course grade and they can be tricky sometimes, but just study her LEARNING OBJECTIVES because the tests are based on that . GO TO CLASS because she has so many clickers that she asks throughout the entire lecture period and they are mandatory to add more points to your course grade.

She tells you exactly what to study and what to know. Our second exams average was a 66 but everyone was saying how they did not study because it was on plants and she drops a test . Bottom line, just don't be lazy and you will fine. 20% of the class is practically a gimmie with the mastering biology. Answers all questions as long as YOU ASK.

She tells you exactly what to study and what to know. Our second exams average was a 66 but everyone was saying how they did not study because it was on plants and she drops a test . Don't be lasy , do the homework and take notes when listening to panopto

I struggled in the beginning of her class because I was not studying correclty. About halfway through the semester I thought I was going to fail and I went to her for help, she told me exactly how to study and it really helped me out and I ended up bringing my grade up almost 3 letter grades. She is very helpful and nice.

The lectures are always extremely interesting, with videos and images that are very helpful and show real world examples. She also posts all of them online, with her comments from the class session recorded. Don't skip, though, because she does clicker grades. Exams follow the learning objectives she gives if you study hard. Wonderful overall!

She's very good at teaching and you will learn a lot, but exams can be difficult. You will be studying a lot and the material can get extremely boring.

Very good Professor. Clicker heavy. Answer her learning objectives for sure, they are an outline of exactly what is going to be asked on tests and she tends to answer them in her lectures. Also reading the textbook helped a bunch. I took her during summer C so it was shorter but the class was actually easier than i had expected. Would recommend her

Her test are very fair and super easy. Read the chapters once, then reread for the learning objectives before the test. A LOT of people get 100's on her test so don't be scared if you do well in any science class. Dr. Begin knows her stuff and the lectures are pretty fun because she's a marine biologist and adds in cool info.

Begin records her lectures on Panopto. Make sure you watch those and study her ppts. Know EVERYTHING in the learning objectives. It is actually not that hard to do very well in this class. 1 drop. must take final.

Dr. Begin is a great professor who knows a lot about the topic. Her lectures are never boring and makes it exciting to be there. She is a great professor but her exams are NOT EASY!!!! Be sure to study or you will only get a C.

She is a really great teacher, in my opinion. All you need to pass her class is to go over her lectures and clicker questions. She even offers a bit of extra credit. I thought her experience as a marine biologist made class interesting. If you just take the time to go over the notes she provides for you, it is a super easy class.

There is a lot of material covered in this course, but Dr. Begin makes it all interesting and highlights what you need to know. My best advice would be to synthesize. She will give you extra information in lectures that is not on her learning objectives; don't focus on this. Exams are only on the learning objectives. Make flash cards!

I got an A by doing the following: print the learning objectives and watch all of her panopto recordings, taking notes ACCORDING TO THE LEARNING OBJECTIVES. Final is comprehensive, keep exams 1-4 to study off of them. She'll tell you that you need it, but I never used the textbook (my final grade was a 98). Study panopto arning objectives well.

Go to lectures to do clicker questions, these will show up as test questions. She records her lectures so you can go back and add to your notes. As long you you pay attention and study you are good.

Dr. Begin is probably the best professor I've ever had at USF. She makes all of her lectures interesting and easy to follow. Her tests are not hard if you really know the material plus she does not try to trick you! Highly recommend taking her if you have the chance!

She has interesting lectures and ties it into marine biology. However, there is a lot of homework that can be used as perfect study material. The exams are kinda tricky because some of the questions have answers that can technically be two answers. Lots of clickers and very nice teacher overall. Theres a lot of material but its useful for CAS.

So many clickers! It took me a while to figure out how to study for this class. Once I did though, exams became much easier. Pay attention to lecture and outline the learning objectives before the exam. Her exams are not something you can cram for; you have to work for it. Dr. Begin is passionate about what she teaches and is a fair professor.

I struggle with bio to start with just to be honest. She's a good professor explains the material well and tries to give out practice tests if there's enough time. She is very good and helpful it was just personally bio was a tough subject for me.

Dr. Begin is a really good professor who explains all topics very clearly. Before every exam, listen to the Panopto recordings of each lecture and fill out the learning objectives like a study guide, as well as the practice exams on Canvas. Class has a lot of clickers, but most questions are not too hard.

I really like Begin. She knows her material thoroughly and teaches it well. She does give a lot of clickers and homework, but Bio 2 is a super dense subject. Her exams are exactly how they should be. If you know your vocab, you know the exams and will get a good grade. Study some and go to class. She does sometimes get carried away though!

Loved Professor Begin, I don't know why she has so many negative reviews. Her class won't be an easy A, but she is very knowledgable and tells you what she expects of you. Be prepared to read prior to every class, it is extremely helpful. Does tons of clickers which I loved, but if you don't know the material it could bring your grade down.

Unpopular opinion but I love Dr. Begin. She is my favorite marine biology professor at USF. She is very knowledgeable, has a lot of experience, and is a no nonsense professor. But, she is a very tough grader and she hardly gives out A's. You have to try exceptionally hard to get A's in her class because she expects a lot out of students.

Begin was great. She explained everything well. Those who are complaining are the ones that didn't read the book or do the LEARNING OBJECTIVES. You are tested on learning objectives and all the bio professors have the same question bank for their tests, so those who are complaining are misleading. Attend lecture, do your hw, and study learning obj.

This woman made me care about nematodes and it just shows how good of a teacher she was. That said, come prepared, she does clickers everyday on the lesson she is teaching so just a warning on reading. She posts all of her lectures and notes on canvas, and thats basically the test, no book needed. Overall, heavy material but fantastic professor!

I'm surprised to see so many poor reviews for Dr. Begín. The lectures were interesting and the tests were entirely based on her slides. All of the lectures are recorded and posted on Panopto for later viewing. I studied the day before each exam and consistently earned As. Clicker questions were for credit, but they weren't particularly difficult.

She is great with her learning and helped me understand the content through clicker questions. Though, it is difficult to be in a flipped classroom, it did help me learn better and I appreciated it. ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY!!!

Make sure you have time to study, it's not "hard" just detailed. Read, pay attention in class, clicker attendance. Multiple-answer-questions on tests. Worked in groups two separate times during the semester, the first time for writing a scientific blog post. If you did well you could post on a science website for extra credit.

It's a flipped classroom, which doesn't mean that she doesn't lecture, she just lectures with clicker questions. It's kind of weird at first. If you do the worksheet and read the textbook before coming to class you'll do well, which is what I did.

Flipped classroom so most of the teaching is done from you. Lots of reading and assignments. If you dont read the book, you most likely wont do well, you really will have to have a lot of study time to get an A with the way she sets the class up. Professor is nice and accessible. Clicker questions and participation grades for lecture meetings.

She's really good at her job but she is a complete stickler when it comes to work. She teaches a flipped classroom, which means you're learning all the material on your own and doing a worksheet in class. I suggest this class to kids who are okay with learning on their own.

Don't be scared by the flipped classroom set up. I think this helped me learn a lot more than I would have in a normal lecture. Yes you do have to read before class to prepare but then class time is spent going over tougher topics that the majority of people don't understand. Overall great prof with a great teaching method.

Begin is a good professor who cares about the material she teaches. My class was considered a "flipped classroom" meaning the lecturing was at a bare minimum during class. This can either be good or bad for you, depending on your learning style. Personally, I like a little more instruction rather than assignments during class time. Overall, fair.

The flipped classroom helps so much! If I didn't take this class I wouldn't have read the book and I probably wouldn't have done so well. There are almost always office hours being held outside of class, and you can email your LA for additional help. I highly recommend Begin! You get one dropped exam and a few dropped quizzes/hw/attendance.

Lectures are good but tests are always significantly harder. Otherwise, the structure of the class was very organized and clear. Don't underestimate marine biology, I thought it would be an easy elective but I was wrong! lots of studying required.

Dr. Begin was a great professor for marine bio! Her lectures were interesting, and she records and posts all of them. Clicker questions every class, but she dropped the two lowest clicker scores. Also dropped lowest homework and lowest exam (not including the final). Exams were all multiple choice. She offers a little extra credit.

Very clear expectations and very fair grading. Class wasn't too hard, and Dr. Begin was always available by email and super communicative. I've got no complaints.

This is a difficult(ish) class but she makes it a lot easier, she knows what she is talking about. As long as you pay attention in lecture and actually do the homework you should be fine.

Prof Begin is well-educated. Her tests require critical thinking, which forces you to take learning seriously. Studying for face value is not appreciated in this class. Yes, it's a beginner class, but that shouldn't mean we take it lightly. There's a lot to learn from her, I know I did. I got a 100 on one of her tests so it's possible to do great.

going to lectures is how i did well. everything on the exam is covered in the lectures and she's actually very chill. if you can use her resources to not memorize but learn, the tests will be bearable. also the final was cumulative so it combined lots of concepts. she might not be for everyone i agree, but i loved her:)))

Gives 5 exams drops one, make sure you study the learning objectives. Clicker questions but drops 3 lowest scores. She's very kind and ensures everyone knows about her office hours. The class is a lot of memorization but I'd take her again. She gives people many resources to succeed and gives decent curves, all you need to do is actually try.

BEST BIO PROFESSOR HERE. Her lectures gives an overview of the online textbook which is actually a great resource for her tests. Begin gives worksheets WITH answer keys on each chapter in Canvas and she gives clear learning objectives that match perfectly to the exams. Pay attention in class, take good notes, practice. Its not that hard guys.....

People are dramatic. Dr. Begin might not be very approachable, but she is kind and obviously knows the material. Read the textbook, take notes on the textbook, come to the lectures, and you're fine. She goes fast because there's a lot of material to cover; if she didn't cover everything, there would be complaints about that too.

This class has a lot of content and is very fast paced. Many exam questions are application based not memorization. Focus on lectures, clickers, and learning objectives. Don't worry about the textbook much. Dr. Begin has so many study tips; she wants her students to succeed! It is possible to start with a C then get As! Good luck!

This class is easy as long as you put in effort and study. literally ignore all the other reviews, most likely freshman taking their first college course. 4 exams total and one final! iclicker for each class that u can do at home. all you need to succeed in this class is to attend the lectures, take notes, and study!

I ended this course with a 100%. The way I was able to do that was by reading the textbook, taking notes while understanding not just memorizing, coming to class prepared, and answering the LOs after each chapter. I really enjoyed this class and loved the professor. I was always engaged and thinking with the lectures. IT IS POSSIBLE TO DO WELL.

This class was super enjoyable. Begin lectures every day, does clicker questions for attendance. The class does move decently fast (tests every 2-3 weeks or so), but exams were not too hard. Opportunities for extra credit as well. I went to office hours and found her very approachable.