3.0
Quality3.9
Difficulty42%
Would Retake85
Reviews42%
Would Retake
85
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
31
4
8
3
10
2
7
1
29
What Students Say
“He is unanimously hated by all 200 level bio students”
BIO211 - 1.0 rating“Super great, especially if you don't like reading the chapters in the book”
BIOL211 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
36%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.46 avg changeRatings by Course
AP100
5.0
(1)AP103
5.0
(1)BIOLOGY100
5.0
(3)BIO160
5.0
(1)BIO211212213
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
BIOL211
4.6
BIOL110
4.4
AP242
4.0
ENVS204
4.0
BIO160
4.0
Reviews (85)
Danny is awesome!! He explains everything and is really helpful. He is funny and very passionate about Biology. His lectures are easy to understand and his tests are pretty easy if you study. If you can, take his class!
Danny is a very good teacher who is both knowledgable and passionate about all things biology. His lectures are clear and easy to understand. His online tests were tricky, so beware of that! I would recommend his class!
Danny is an awesome teacher. He's passionate about you learning about biology. If you have any confusion or struggles, he will take as much time as you need to help you. Lectures are important, so go to them and take clear notes. If you follow the study guides you do fine on his tests, which are very straight forward. Take his class.
Danny is awesome! He knows what he's talking about and has a passion for Nature. DON'T PROCRASTINATE, pay attention, show up for lectures, put some effort into it, and study a little, and you will do fine. Danny always replies to his emails and always responds to questions with respect. If you get the chance to have Danny, TAKE HIS CLASS!
He is the most incomprehensible teacher I have ever had in GRCC. Seriously. Don't take his class because he will give you tons of works and he will make you memorize things that are too complicated for 100 level class. He is an okay person, but I don't think he is a good teacher. Save yourself and your money, don't take his class.
Danny is a great professor who is extremely passionate about Biology and wants to help you succeed. Don't be afraid to ask him questions and show up to as many lectures as possible. The tests are easy if you attend lectures and labs are fun if you're willing to put in the work. There is a lot more to learn in his class than a regular bio class.
This professor is exactly what every professor should strive to be. He is passionate about the subject, he encourages critical thinking AND his main goal is to help you understand everything. I have never had a professor that taught me so much. Anybody with a curiosity for life should take a class from this guy. He is so. Good.
Best teacher ever!!!!! I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to take a class with him. He has such a passion for teaching, it is inspiring to see. Great teacher!
Awesome teacher! Has a passion for what he does, and it shows. I may have learned more from this guy than I have from any other teacher. Extremely helpful and committed to helping you actually learn, rather than just pull out a grade. Came out from his class a better, more educated person. Seriously look up to this guy
Claims to be there for the student but couldn't give me a simple answer. His tests are impossible! Absolutely the worst class I have taken (2 quarters from graduating). Many more issues, but not enough time/room to write them all. If you take his class, all I can say is GOOD LUCK!
Hybrid class (online and in class),I came into this class very lazy, didn't pay attention or watch online lectures.Until the second quarter, and i watched every single lecture.if i did that from the beginning I'd highly likely pass with a high grade.Completely changed the way I look at everything. Awesome Professor!
This class was a joke. For a 100 LV class it's way too difficult. He's a great person, but terrible teacher.
I took Danny's hybrid class and he is awesome. Lectures online made it easy to rewatch parts I didn't understand, and labs were always fun. However I will warn you that his class is not the easiest, BUT it's because he really wants you to walk away with knowledge, not just memorized material. It definitely was a challenge, but very interesting.
This was a very fun intro biology class. Here is the secret to success: Print out his study guides at the START of the unit, and skim and annotate them the day you start a unit. Follow along with the study guide as he lecture on the material, and take notes in a notebook. Do this and you will get perfect grades and it won't be too hard!
Everything comes back to the ultimate cycle, and the lectures flow together like a good book. Don't miss classes, and pay attention because he will amaze you if you take the time to understand what he's saying. Tests and lectures can be difficult, but not unfair. Remember your homework and for the love of honeybees, BEWARE THE PROJECT.
Professor Najera genuinely cares about his students, though he certainly makes them work for their grade. All of his lectures are very well put together and packed with information. Just follow his study guide and you'll do fine on the test. Make sure to also choose a reliable lab group! Get ready for group interaction because there's a big project
I am not a fan of biology, but I am a fan of Mr. Najera. He is the best teacher that I have ever had, and I'm not a biology major. Watch his lectures! Everything that is on the exams he covers in his lectures in class and online. He explains everything really well. Ask and he will answer. Brilliant guy and teacher. I'll always remember this class.
THIS GUY. Man, he sure can digress in his lectures. Really into being "Cool, Laid-Back Teacher ". The material is interesting, but he doesn't answer questions you ask him straight on. Also very in-depth for a 100 level Intro Class for non-science majors. Don't skip lab days or get behind in watching his lectures (hybrid class). Meh is my opinion.
Danny's the homie! Great teacher who knows his stuff. One of the most intelligent teachers I've ever had. At the end of the quarter Danny drops your worst test grade, assignment, and lab which can help a lot. There's a big project due at the end of the quarter so make sure you don't procrastinate on it. Other than that I really enjoyed this class.
Mr. Najera is an excellent, inspirational instructor. His lectures are very interesting, but he packs a lot of material into them. If you are not the kind of person that takes college seriously you will have trouble in his class. His tests and quizzes are mostly short essay answers, and he expects you to understand the concepts he teaches.
I took this class thinking that it would be easy considering it is a level 100 class. He teaches the stuff like its bio900. If you want your gpa to tank, then I would recomend this class. The tests is lots of typing. Good dude though.
All tests and homework were online (AKA take good notes and you will easily pass). Additionally, all lectures are also online and he says almost the exact same things in person as on the online videos. Attendance is not taken so there is very little need to show up to class if you watch lectures online everyday. Extra credit is given for every test
danny is truly the man hes so chill. study your butt off and you will get a good grade. watch the panopto recordings they will save your life like you dont even need to show up to class. pay attention to all the emergent properties and the class will leave you with a lot more knowledge than you were expecting. 10/10 dog
By far one of the hardest courses I have taken. Danny has high expectations of all his students, I recommend that you study study study! Danny is passionate about science and will challenge you everyday with HW/Quizzes. Danny will answer all questions; just ask. Great person overall, tough grader; made me a better person at the end of qtr.
It was the worst and first science class at college i ever took He is too stuck around what he taught in the class instead of the overall concept Does not want your understanding but you have to rot his lectures He basically assumes everyone knows what he is teaching and just has too deep material for a 100 level class Tanked my grade pretty bad
Great guy. Danny's very approachable, funny, and easy to talk to but is still very professional and really knows his stuff. Gonna miss having him as an instructor. Had 3 tests + final. Tests are mostly essay and not stuff you can google. Go to class bc some of the questions are answered during lecture. Final is multiple choice.
Taking Northwest Ecology with Danny being my professor was amazing! The class isn't that difficult and although it isn't mandatory to show up, it's very highly recommended that you do go since a lot of the questions on the tests are answered in the lectures. He's also super funny and is very passionate about his teaching!!
He's knowledgeable, but he has you "make connections on your own" which to me just means, fill in the blank. However, it is mostly clear. I don't care for science and if anything he made it interesting, but definitely not easy.
He was a great prof. Super energetic and interesting. Rarely a boring lecture. The tests are difficult but it's not too hard. Definitely take his class if you have the chance.
As with any other class - show up, listen, participate, study and you will get a good grade. Danny is approachable, knowledgeable and I felt the material presented was well suited for it being a 100-level class. His lectures had changed the way I view the "nature" around me. Recommend him as an instructor and would take his class again.
Danny is an awesome teacher. He is really helpful if you have any questions, and easy to reach in office hours. He is clearly passionate about teaching and his lectures are enjoyable. Good sense of humor and tests are easy if you pay attention to lectures. Will definitely be taking more of his classes!
One of the best instructors Ive had at Green River. Lectures are never boring. Reasonable in grading and inspirational in lectures. You do learn a lot and start seeing the world around you differently. Would take his class again.
Authority on Honey Bees
This guy is lecture heavy, he lectures for all 2 hours of the class but the problem is that he stole all his material from professor brumbaugh yet isn't as experienced as him. He barely has any idea of the material he teaches. He picks certain random problems from the textbook to test you on. He is unanimously hated by all 200 level bio students
Very interesting class and awesome lectures! But LOTS of extra work to do - aside from 3 tests that are 50% based on essay-type questions, there are multiple assignments, quizzes, field trips on weekends, presentation... A little too much. Other than that, one of the best teachers I had!
Tough grader. Fun class. Lots of work to do outside the class.
He's an ok teacher that knows his topics. I would recommend that you check out this YouTube channel "Highlyskeptical." These vidos are a great way to review the material and cover most of everything you will learn in the class! Super great, especially if you don't like reading the chapters in the book! The videos cover all BIOL 211, 212, 213.
Great teacher, good lectures, and easy going.
The problem with Danny is he will tell you to read the textbook to study but the thing is the textbook gives information that he won't grade on tests. He doesn't want the answers from the textbook he wants people to match his own opinion. He also has drawing questions on test, don't draw anything except for what he posted on his slide or its wrong
Loved this guy. Loved loved this guy. I came to class super excited, and was sad when yet ended. And the guy is a total babe. Like the outdoors? Like the environment? This guy/class is for you! One of our assignments was to go around and take pictures of flowers. So take his ENVO class during the spring! Lots of fun stuff happening!
I took him for Biol110 and EnvS204, and I wish I could give him more tags. He grades tests harshly but gives you chances to raise your score to your desired one. He has long lectures and often gives out of class assignments involving reading or venturing out onto the campus or the outdoors. He is inspirational as well, I highly recommend taking him
Easily one of the best professors Ive had at Green River. Im not a fan of science, but his lectures are just so interesting. He makes you see the world differently. He has recordings on canvas so you dont even need to show up, but I recommend you do. He also made us do a lot of outdoor activity for labs and assignments. His tests arent too bad.
Theres a textbook required but dont waste your money on it, nothing in the textbook will help you for the tests. Easy class, fun, and informative. Just show up to class if you want to pass the tests. Hes also funny and really easy going.
Danny is a really great guy who inspires you to do better and truly cares about how you're doing in class. If I'm going to be perfectly honest, the class is a lot of time consuming work, but I loved every minute of it. He will make sure you're having fun and staying caught up to the material, and I always had a great time exchanging jokes and roast
The study guides are long and tedious, with so much unnecessary information that isn't on the exam. There are about 20+ short answer questions on EVERY exam. Fill out the study guide after each lecture session; attendance isn't mandatory but there are quizzes which affect your grade almost every day. Get your independent research study done ASAP!
Honeslty a hard class if you put time in to study all the material covered in study guides and lectures, put it will prepare you for the tough classes in university like no other! Give it your best shot and you'll get a good grade hands down.
Danny is a wonderful person but sometimes lacks the communication skills a professor should have. This spring was 100% due to COVID, which left us stuck with a bunch of recorded lectures from 5 years ago. Felt a little dated and irrelevant at times. The class content is important, but his way of professing can be frustrating.
Had Danny for the whole Bio series- Cellular, Plant, and Botany. I would stress to take advantage of the fact that he has pre-recorded lectures and study guides out practically from the beginning of the quarter. Fill out the study guide after every lecture, use the pre-recorded lectures and book to your advantage when filling it out.
His canvas is very confusing and unorganized. He has unclear instructions on assignments then harshly grades for not living up to his unmentioned expectations. I do not recommend if you arent into science because he seemed to except you to already have a lot of knowledge on science
He's instructions are often unclear indeed, but he will always kindly explain when you ask for clarification of the instruction, so ALWAYS ASK when you're confused. Lectures are fun, informative, and have plenty of outdoor opportunities. Tests can be heavy, but you will find them not that difficult after finishing the study guides he provided.
Coming to class I thought it would not too hard but it is the opposite. He grades really slow although he only had two classes summer 2020. No extra credit whatsoever, and he will not give it out. He has no empathy towards the students. Tests points are high for no reason. Communication sucks and I would not tell any student to take his class :p
DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT TAKE THIS TEACHER. This was the most unorganized and unclear class I've ever taken. His tests are very opinionated and his lectures are from 10 years ago (screen cap is blurry and hard to see). He constantly misgrades over requirements that weren't there before and wont fix grade without several messages. Worst teacher ever
This is the worst class I've ever taken. Not because of the subject matter, but how it is taught. The tests are mostly essay responses. Extremely unorganized. Given little notice to complete assignments. Anytime I've asked for clarifactation he's just quoted the confusing instructions. Words cannot describe my dissatisfaction with this class.
Lacks communication skills a professor should have, thinks his directions are so easy then marks off lots a points .Recorded lectures from 5 years ago. Everything is a group project, weekly labs, test do not have enough time. Will give us 1-2 days to work on assignments and complete them, if you have a job good luck.
Professor Najera is probably a great teacher in person, but online there was much to be desired. He's fun to talk to and is personable, but the teaching aspect is weak. He had us work in groups (all hw assign.), but did nothing if we struggled with one group member. The tests are hard, there a lot of hw which can be difficult sometimes as well.
I'll be honest here. He is a really kind and knowledgeable professor who will prepare you for future biology related classes. However, don't take him if you are taking an ONLINE CLASS. He just can't teach online very well. His instructions in canvas are very unclear and he is slow on grading. I wish I met him offline....
His comments that he makes on assignments are absolutely so rude. He is such a tough grader and marks things down that were not on his rubric. Also too much group work for an online class. I still can not get over how rude his feedback can be.
Don't ask him questions. It will take him more than 2 days to reply, and his feedback will be just restating your question. Also, there are just too much group projects. If your group doesn't participate, you will have to do most projects on your own for the whole quarter. This class would have been so much easier if projects were individual.
Don't expect feedback. It takes him ages to reply, and his replies are not helpful at all. There are so many unnecessary group projects which are a waste of time. This is an online class so it is very hard to find a time where all members can work together, and most members will just not show up for meetings. Good luck doing the project alone. :)
Find another lab science class! He is such a harsh grader for no reason which sucks due to his assignments being very time consuming. Overall this class just causes your quarter to be one giant headache
I was fooled by his seemingly go-lucky attitude, I thought he'd be a lot more willing to help if you had questions to ask. I messaged him a few times with a question and he gave my a four-word answer each time, not even answering my question. He seems very happy in his lectures but when you message him personally he's very blunt and borderline rude
Just dont take his class. What an ignorant propessor he is. Never leaves good feedback, 95% of assignments are worked as a team. Exams are long with ambiguous questions. He acts cool in the lecture, but he will hit you hard from the back. Warning you, dont take his class
I have mixed feelings about this professor . Like his online exams are unfair because you cant go back and forth between the questions so you need to make sure you got everything written, and no enough time , but his test questions are all from his lectures and the textbook , so study hard! Overall, he is cool and respectful though.
Definitely need the textbook, even skimming through it is very helpful for discussions and tests. Discussion heavy class, tests aren't hard if you've watched the video recordings and read the textbook. Usually takes a long time to grade, very strict on meeting deadlines.
Danny really cares about what he teaches, and that is apparent when listening to his lectures. However, he is not the best professor. He does not give very good feedback, takes a while to grade, and instructions can sometimes be unclear. Nice guy, alright professor. You need to pay attention and read in this class or you won't pass.
Absolutely the worst Professor I have ever had. I worked so hard in his class. He gave very vague instructions for assignments. The tests were long and hard. A lot of the questions on his test were essay questions. I cried almost everyday (that's how hard this class was) !! The lectures he made were really long, like 2 hours
His course work is sloppy, reused, and needs editing. He is not agreeable if you ask for help, talks down on you as if you're stupid. Everything and I mean everything is to be done as a group, so if you have a group member that doesn't participate, you better pick up the slack or he'll take your grade. Things due 3 times a week, 10/10 need to study
stinky
Material from this class was recorded 9 years ago and was not updated. Information was posted last minute and expectations were not clear. The syllabus did not lay out exactly what the expectations were for the class. This made completing most assignments incredibly difficult. I will not be taking this class again.
Course was outdated poorly put together. Modules would be posted last minute and the project guidelines were unclear. Tough grader and will get you on little things. Uninspiring and test questions would be about one little thing he said in an hour+ lecture. Did not care about his class.
Dr. Najera is passionate and knowledgeable but ineffective at knowledge transfer. Assigments and exams are often ambiguous and confusing; some haven't been adapted for online. Group work will make up a sizeable portion of your grade and the high workload will dominate your schedule. Don't take with other heavy classes if you can avoid doing so.
Danny is my favorite teacher EVER. He really cares about the material and student comprehension. Responds to emails within 24 hours. Assignments have clear and specific instructions for completion. the course load is high for a 100, weekly data collection on the campus trails are a significant aspect. He is a tough grader and offers extra credit
Loved this dude's lectures. Very clear messaging and easy-to-comprehend ideas because even though the textbook was required for the class, I barely even read it because he was able to effectively communicate the concepts of the class material in his lectures. He was super chill and funny as well. Despite the amount of work, I do miss his class.
Oh my goodness I hated this class. Winter quarter of last year I took this class and WOW. Environmental Science consumed my life for these 3 months. Daniel's pretty chill but definitely not the most helpful professor, especially for the amount of work given. I don't think my lack of joy was entirely his fault, there was just SO much school work.
Unclear assignments, disorganized lesson plan and syllabus. Overall not a great course. Grading criteria was all over the place
Lots of reading and long lectures to watch, he unfortunately doesn't give helpful feedback either. Sometimes instructions are confusing and tells students to be "clearer" but doesn't do that himself. The study guides are also long and not useful because it includes things that aren't even on the test.
To much tasks for an entry class.
Danny is not a college level professor, he would be better off in middle/high school. His instructions are written poorly, and he doesn't like feedback from students. He is lazy with grading, and waits till after finals week (the night before grades are due) to finish grading. He is extremely disorganized, and does not care if you pass/fail.
This is one of the worst professor I have ever had. He expects you to put in 200% effort into this class and puts bare minimum effort in grading and teaching. His exams do match the study guide, but that study guide has so much unnecessary information making it hard to study and remember what is needed for the exam.
Adding on he did not grade anything until the day grades were due. I actually don't even know what grade I got on some of the assignments. He's such a lazy man and I don't know why he teaches. Lectures are useless but you need to go due to pop quizzes. This class made you put in so many hours out of lecture time and labs due to the trails
His grading is somehow messed up? When asked why I lost points on an exam, he told me that he graded me too harshly and shouldn't have lost that many points. And no, he did not change my grade for that question. Lots of seemingly busy work, and grades stuff so last minute you can't even check your grade on canvas before official grades posted.
Took over summer, NOT "online asynchronous" as advertised. Must walk assigned campus trails once a week, quarter-long group project, long "forms" to fill out about what you see on trails. Poor communicator, posted assignments ~3 days before due date, instructions can be unclear. Confusing grader, took a long time to grade, with unhelpful feedback.
Asked him to help my group project members follow instructions, and he never did. Half the video lectures were a few months old, the rest were 10 years old. Instructions often confusing, long sign-up for Qlik data platform for the group assignments, which was very confusing. Seems very pessimistic about society as well.
The whole qaurter felt as if he wanted everyone to fail. he has 0 regard for his students in the sense that he refuses to consider the time it takes to do his class. 4 hours just for data analysis and youll probably spend 6 hours in lecture just to do 12 on the assignments just to get a bad grade.
Have you ever wanted to look at an exam and cry? Look no further! Classes were primarily tangents about irrelevant political discourse. Exams were sloppily made. You will need to learn everything outside of lecture. I drove with my eyes closed coming to class.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
36%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.46 avg changeRatings by Course
AP100
5.0
(1)AP103
5.0
(1)BIOLOGY100
5.0
(3)BIO160
5.0
(1)BIO211212213
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
BIOL211
4.6
BIOL110
4.4
AP242
4.0
ENVS204
4.0
BIO160
4.0