Overall OK so far. He seems to be fairly new to teaching this course.

He really is not that bad. Read the chapters and memorize the notes. He does just read off of the powerpoint and he does dim the lights but the tests are NOT THAT BAD. I've read the chapters, read the notes and I have a B+ in the class. Also, COME TO CLASS! Don't expect to get an A from home.

Really not that bad if you know *how* to study the material. He requires you to actually know what you're doing and to pay attention to detail. Rather than just memorizing a few cursory facts, you will need to properly use his notes, thoroughly read the textbook and do the ?'s on the Campbell Bio website. Overall, class is easier than Bio 213.

Seemed very enthusiastic about the subject. Exams can be very specific and some questions are very tricky. He does drop some questions when grading, etc. Likes to write questions about examples from lecture/notes/text. He posts the notes on WebCT. Good idea to pay attention to what he says about the notes and/or look up stuff in your textbook(!!!).

Ok I wrote a rating for him before and now i am completely revising it! I had to retake this summer since i didnt pass the 1st time in spring 05. i think since it was his 1st semester teaching at mason he had no idea wut the hell he was doing. hes so much better now and his notes are AWESOME! he put them on webct at the end of the session.

THIS DUDE IS NEW AND IMPROVED! i heard tht he couldnt teach at all spring 05 but i took it this summa and he rocks! evn ppl tht retook his class said so. examz are STRAIGHT frm the notes and hes so nice n helpful, few profs r like tht. take him, he posted the notees online twrds the end, but make sure u pay attn cuz u have to fill in the gaps =)

Not a class I was lookin forward to. BUT, I learned sooo much!!!! GREAT CLASS. GREAT PROFESSOR!!!! DO not hesitate to take him.

Not sure what the fuss is about. Great class and great prof. nuff said!

first day of class, told us how to do well. went to class, took notes, read, studied. guess what? made an "a"!!!!! guy knows his stuff and is very helpful. :)

No idea what others are a sayin. Took the class in spring, thought it was great. I learned alot and was happy with my grade (what I deserved). Dr. Edwards is a great prof (knows his stuff!) and a cool guy. If you go to class and study, class is pretty easy!

I thought Dr. Edwards was much better then Dr. Birchard. He was cool and really knows his stuff. At least he is willing to work with you and makes lectures somewhat interesting

This guy is pretty easygoing, hes young so hes not boring and strict like a lot of teachers, his tests come pretty much from his notes which make it easy, plus this is an easy subject in general for much bio majors, much easier than cell bio was

This was my first summer class at Mason, and I thought it was going to be very hard, but Dr. Edwards tried making the class more interesting and the material easier to understand. His tests are all straightforward and had none of those "more correct than other" choices.

luv him!!!! great prof (besy ive had a mason) that makes class interesting. Class is not that tough; must go to class and study (go figure!) to avoid "less-than-stellar grade" (:( .

I thought he did a wondeful job (I made an A, so maybe I am biased, or maybe I studied!). The class wuz not difficult and he helped me anytime I went to see him. Lots of crybabies in the class!!!!!

Fun to listen to but tests can be tricky

Dr. Edwards is great! I wish that he would teach other undergrad courses. He loves to teach, knows his stuff, and if you pay attention the exams are easy. I would recomend for any bio major to take his class.

interesting course, hard exams...the material is straightforward but if you're not good at (short answer, essay, F.i.b) type tests then you'll struggle. come to class for notes!tests are straight from notes..but he can get side tracked a lot..pretty good course.i did have a problem with a death in the fam and he wouldn't let me make up the quizes.

dr edwards is pretty hard but there is alot of material to study and he does what he can to help you out as much as possible. He tries to make it fun and sometimes makes some corny jokes but overall its just not a class you can bs your way through. you gotta work for it. Hes a great professor and not so hard on the eyes either

hes a really cool professor the trick is to always go to class and also find old exams they are really helpful and also he tells alot of jokes in his lectures if your not already asleep to hear them. very cool guy

Animal test are super hard, especially the first one, just memorize the classes and phylum stuff. His lectures are educational, but test materialis more from the book. He flexible w/office hours, but he's not an email person and prefers you come see him, which is rough on a working student.

good teacher but hard. if you can get a hold of his previous tests, then ur pretty much set. need to read both the book and the notes. he knows what he's talking about and its never confusing to hear him talk

I can honestly say it was a pleasure being in Dr. Edwards' class. Although he may seem strict at times, he is a very nice guy and will go out of his way to help you if you need it. It is a difficult course, but he does just about as much as he can to help you, the rest is the student's responsibility.

many exam questions come from old exams from previous semesters so if you dont have those, well goooood luck to you.

he is a nice guy, but its a hard class.

Dr.Edwards is really nice and respectful to his students. He is always willing to help you out. His exams are fair and not impossible. He makes the course interesting and often makes the class laugh, too. You'll learn a lot about evolution and his teaching is clear. I would recommend him!

Dr. Edwards is probably one of the most nicest and interesting professors at Mason. Animal Biology is extremely hard but if you come to class and take notes and go back and read the book, you have a legit chance of getting an A. Be prepared to study hard! And he never makes you bored because he walks around during lecture and is really funny.

I've had Dr. Edwards for both Animal Bio and Natural History of Vertebrates (333) and he is by far one of the best biology professors at Mason. He's entertaining and is always willing to help you and make sure you understand the material. Go to class! His exams come straight from his lectures.

Great Professor! Tests come from lectures and book so go to class and take a lot of notes and read the book thoroughly. Hard class but Edwards makes it fun and really interesting.

what a decent guy! Edward is really the best professor! i wish i can take every bio classes with him. He is so passionate about each topic he covers that it makes u want to learn and know more! He is funny, extremely respectful to his students, and FAIR. his exams are easy.just have an audio record fo lecture and u wont even have to look at the boo

he is awesome!! if u ever have to take animal bio or evolution he is your guy! he is respectful, very helpful, clear, fair..and everything you would want from a great professor! exams are very fair, ther are no surprizes..if u attend all his class you should be good. besides he is very good looking and funny.makes the trip worth :)

Edwards makes his class very interesting.He makes his subjects so clear and simple that there is not reason for students not to do at least average in his class.Yes there is a lot of info but is not impossible,and Mr Edwards is beyond helpful.The taxonomy part to me was the toughest,was literally like learning chinese(all latin names).Good teacher.

He is a great professor and shows a lot of respect for his students. I took both animal and conservation bio with him. He is tough but I would recommend him if you're serious about biology, evolution, or conservation.

Professor Edwards is a great teacher! I took him for BIO 303 and found his lectures to be very interesting, him to be very nice and approachable, and his tests to be difficult but pretty straight forward (compared to other BIO classes). If you have questions about anything, he prefers that you see him during office hours or by appt. Very helpful

He is a GREAT teacher! He makes the subject interesting and is incredibly helpful when you have questions. A great experience. I got an A but YOU CANT MISS A CLASS. take perfect notes because his tests are directly from the lecture notes and things he says. The book is a good reference but not to be used primarily.

Dr Edwards is an excellent professor. I took animal bio with him in summer. Not only does he engage the students and make the class VERY interesting, he also helps the students in every way possible. He is very respectful and has a great sense of humor. I truly enjoyed AnimalBio. Make sure you READ THE TEXT AND SLIDES. great class, great prof.

What a fantastic Honors Seminar! My only fear is that no onther honors seminar will be this good again. Dr. Edwards is knowledgeable on most all biology topics. Beware of religion versus evolution though, he is very opinionated. Great professor! Highly recommended!

Edwards is a good teacher. Pros:he is very patient,clear and will encourage you to ask questions,and learn about animals.He makes every single class interesting. Cons:he is a little biased when it comes to his long-term TAs. Save your time if you have a complaint or issue with his TAs,he will do nothing about the problem and will keep hiring them.

ppl who gave bad ratings didnt study enough for his exams. its not easy u gotta study at least a week before the exam date, and recoding his lectures are VERY helpful because his questions come from his lecture, the book is more of a reference. u have to be a serious student in lecture and lab and work hard if u want an A. ask questions hes helpful

Theres 2 weekends for the zoo trip so plan accordingly. better to get it out of they way the 1st weekend (and didnt get poured on).hes a serious prof and very helpful hes nice too, but an evolutionist, so that gets on some peoples nerves. just dont mess around or talk during lect and take PERFECT NOTES, and u'll do just fine in the class.

wow, I was the one who wrote the rating on 3/7 and im not a TA! the tests are hard i make flashcards and everything and i think im getting a B. labs are tough but interesting make sure u come prepared cuz the TA will throw a quiz at u when u least expect it. lects are interesting but make sure u have perfect notes and study 2 weeks ahead for an A!

Edwards is a very good prof. but he can be rude sometimes. he is full of himself and will SHUT YOU DOWN if you don't believe in what he believes. he pushes everything on you and we spent about 6-8 classes talking about evolution. but he is clear and you must take notes on what he says, not on the pp. ATTEND EVERY CLASS, take notes and your good.

The lab has been very stressful. The professor always talks about how easy it is but everyone I've talked to don't feel that way. The average for the practicals are 50's-60s and the TA never curved. The tests, I admit, have been fair. Like what others have said, I don't fully believe all the positive comments on here but he's OK.

I have a high GPA and he is a fine instructor. He thrws kids off a lil who are used to reading the text bc he is SOLELY lecture. Be sure to record his lectures and go over your notes. His tests are fair and the reason I think I will be getting a B in his class (one of my lowest grades in college) is because I was not prepared for his teaching styl

Probably one of the tougher courses I've taken. The lab was hard. There were no surprises on the exams but they're not good for people not used to exams almost entirely focused on lectures. Otherwise, he's a great professor who appears VERY passionate and knowledgeable. His lectures on evolution were interesting.

This is certainly a very interesting course, however; it was very tough. If you take his class, you better attend all of the classes and take fine detailed notes. Exams are mostly based on lectures. Taxonomy part is probably most challenging, but it's not impossible.

Focus on class notes(not only the pwpts)but make enough time to read and understand the graphs from the book.I don't get why students are surprised they are mentioning evolution in this class,this is a Bio class,and about evidence and theories of animal evolution on Earth. Science NOT religion,so why should he mention spirits,bibles,Gods and stuff?

This class took up a large chunk of my time and even though attendance is not mandatory Edwards expects you to come to class on time or he'll throw you out of the class. The lab TA was terrible (avoid Beatty), and the tests were pretty difficult if you merely skimmed through the lecture notes and book. Regardless, Edwards is a great teacher

if you want to do good in the class exams you must attend the class even though it's a lecture. test material is right out of his lecture. he's very passionate about his teaching, don't be late either lol.

he is a nice and helpful professor but over load you big time you do not even have time to finish his note for his test. memorizing to much. he make up Qs of every single detail on his test.overall not helpfull. I waist my time and money.

he is a nice and helpful professor but over load you big time you do not even have time to finish his note for his test. memorizing to much. he make up Qs of every single detail on his test.overall not helpfull. I waist my time and money.

he is a nice and helpful professor but over load you big time you do not even have time to finish his note for his test. memorizing to much. he make up Qs of every single detail on his test.overall not helpfull. I waist my time and money.

He's an amazing professor. This man definitely knows what he's talking about. He's one of the best professors at Mason. His class is pretty difficult but you will learn so much. Take his class!!!

Great professor and has clear expectations from his students. If you're not 5 minutes early to class you're late, so don't even bother going to class unless you want to be called out and humiliated. Notes not posted, good note-taking and recording strongly recommended bc EVERYTHING is fair game for exams.

Easily the best lecturer I've ever had! Very charismatic & lectures are interesting. Tests are hard and questions can be on ANYTHING he has said. He has clear expectations. He does not use textbooks, all info is from what he says in class.