2.9
Quality3.8
Difficulty32%
Would Retake309
Reviews32%
Would Retake
309
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
309 total ratings5
58
4
52
3
72
2
69
1
58
What Students Say
“She is the devil, 666 Dont take her unless you're into self harm”
BIO120 - 3.0 rating“Lectures are boring and tests are difficult”
BIO120 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
72%
Textbook Required
46%
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Reviews (300)
Very Nice Teacher- Explains material well Class is easy to slack of in!
Sometimes hard to read between lines. did some cool labs.
willing to help, a couple quizzes, boring teacher but nice
hard as hell quizzes! She is willing to help you out and she is nice.
explains things well, go to class & pay attention and STUDY for her quizzes!
worst teacher ever. not helpful.
Pay attention, show up, quizes suck in any class, ok teacher.
very easy just pay attention and she always tried to help you
Hard grading! Explaination is very important!Details!
quizzes can be difficult...but very helpful and nice
she grades EXTREMELY hard and unfairly. was helpful with ?s, but that's about it
Very willing to help and she's clear! Just ask questions. She's a picky grader.
Tough but very helpful, ask questions and study for quizzes
great lab instructor, better and more helpful than Zeman
GREAT PROF KNOWS WHAT SHE IS TALKING ABOUT QUIZZES HELPFUL IN LECTURE!
No Comments
not as bad @$$ as she seems in the beginning; very helpful and nice
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lab quizzes sometimes tough - just study and ask q's she's really nice
Very nice and helpful, she knows her stuff, Study for quizzes, they can be tough
The Quizzes are VERY hard. But, very nice and very helpful.
Scary as hell in the beginning, but you get used to it! Work hard
Very helpful prof, quizes are HARD, MUST study, lots of ID's of organisms...
very helpful and clear, difficult quizzes so study up!
Hard, has little commpassion, lots of quizes, take Janet Vigna
VERY strict grader, but it willing to help. She comes accross mean, but isn't
VERY hard grader, very picky but willing to help if you have any questions
HORRIBLE! Don't get her sister either. Very hard lab courses compared to others!
Pay attention & ask about quiz prep
she's very helpful, can go through material quickly, but she's nice
She seems scary at first, but she is NICE. Ask questions.
Very helpful- don't be afraid to ask for help. nice lady
easy class, nice lady, grades easy, just show up....labs are simple to finish
Scares you first day, but super nice. Don't be afraid to ask for help, nice prof
Nice, tells you exactly whats on quizzes, must study though
Prof really knew about bio. Very helpful
Very knowledgable, always answers questions, hard but worth it.
Sucks big time, says everything is fair game, wont answer questions
man...this lab sucks. won't help students...says everything is fair game
She is very helpful if you do get up the courage to ask her. Quizes are very hard, study on the concepts she goes over in class and experiments. Results, what causes what.,etc. The more you talk to her, the more you understand.
Very good prof. If you ask her questions, she'll help you out. Knows her stuff, and helps out much more with understanding than the lecture did.
I found it overwhelming at first but you just have to stay with it and ASK FOR HELP. She doesn't sugar coat things but she likes helping you coming up with the answer. Study for her quizzes or they'll kick your butt!!!
At first, comes off as being very hard and strict. As time goes on you realize that's not the case. Willing to help you, wants you to understand.
Evil ! U will not get a perfect 10 on ANY of your graphs :( Class averg. 72%
She really understands the material but it feels like she's always yelling at you. She helps you to learn, she doesn't just tell you the answer, but it feels like you're on the spot all the time. She's a challenging lab prof.
HARD LAB! says that eveything is fair game. Quiz questions are mostly identifying and very hard if you dont study for massive amounts of time before the class.
Um...all these people who gave her a smiley face are crazy...she is by far the worst lab teacher EVER! She takes a rediculous amount of points off for the smallest errors. HORRIBLE I tell you! Stay away!
VERY confusing teacher-makes the material more difficult to understand than it really is. Tries purposely to word questions funny to confuse students. Picks the most confusing topics for quizzes. The highest final lab grade was and 87%, and I studied.
At first seemed really mean and snooty but after a while I found she just has a sarcastic sense of humor. If you talk to her she is incredibly nice and helpful. Dont expect an easy class though-she actually wants you to learn on your own-Study alot!
the course work is not hard but grading is. cross your t's and dot your i's, and you better be a woman if you want a fair grade. otherwise you better kiss her but.
She is very very very nice. If you ask questions she will usually answer them or help you to find the answer. She is a very harsh grader and if you don't have exactly what she wants you won't get the points. STUDY and DO THE HOMEWORK! ITS EASY AND HELPFUL
Very picky for a low 100 level lab class. Maybe she should teach a course on law. Sometimes is more helpful than others (don't count on help too much), particularly with genetics.
if you are a motivated student who puts forth lots of effort and time deb is going to be a great prof for you. if your a slacker she will be pretty hard on you. she comes off as a little rude at first but onece you get past that shes a good person.
Worst lab teacher ever!! So hard on grading, doesn't give good description of what she wants untill it has been graded...stay away!!
She isn't straight forward, grading is horrible, labs are long and complicated, she doesn't help at all, seems like she hates her job, STAY AWAY!
Lab material is very easy. Kind of time consuming for only a 1 credit class. Prof Simon is very tough on grading small mistakes. Overall a good insturctor.
If you are a male in her class...GOOD LUCK!!! She is difficult and seemes to hinder rather than help you. Tries to be intimidating, but don't let that fool you.
Comes off sorta cold, but if you ask, will stay and help. If she tells you to do something in the lab report, do it, or major deduction. Like anyone, just pay attention and you will make it.
She is very picky about grading, so just have everything that you need in there. Is always willing to help with the actual lab assingment. Don't turn anything in late
if you are taking bio107 take eric snyder. he would be so wonderful. VERY picky always answer why if possibly can. even if there isn't room on the paper. Grades tough nice enough is there if you have questions not terrible not the best
She was really helpful in lab and really knew the material well. some of her quizzes were a little difficult but she is overall a good teacher.
Hard grader, treats you like a moron, but very helpful if you ask. Gives lots of Extra Credit,
She was very snide and treated you like you were an idiot. I didn't get anything from her class because I always felt unprepared even if I had read the assignment beforehand. I would definately try not to get her or her sister.
didnt seem like she wanted to be there what so ever. very hard on grading, and made the over all lab much harder than it should ahve been. very bland and not interesting at all
If you're taking BIO 120, you definately WANT to take this lady! She is great and really helpful. She teaches well and is very clear, her quizzes and tests are challenging BUT IF you study you'll pass. I enjoyed the class and suggest that abyone taking BIO 120 enroll in her Bio lab.
She is EVIL!! Likes to make freshman squirm. Very intimidating presence. Makes things much more difficult and complicated than should be. She likes to confuse you just so you can ask her a question then when she tells you you will think she is so amazing!!!! She is on a power trip and takes bio lab
HORRIBLE! do NOT take!! she is rude and mean and just completely unpleasant! she grades ridiculously and makes it so its very hard to do well!!
Very intimidating and hard grader. You never knew what exactly she wanted and at one point the highest grade in the class was a C. Not impossible, but seemed to enjoy making your life miserable.
she's very clear about where your points are coming from. she's very helpful during lab and with assignments. if you come prepared to class, pay attention and do what she says you'll be fine. you'll definitely have to put the extra effort to get an A but it's doable.
Very stern and firm...seems scary at first...dont be scared she is really very nice and very clear, do what she says and youll get an a or b
No Comments
This lady is on a major power trip. You ask her about one thing...you do it exactly like she said to do it and she goes to town with a red pen on your work after you turn it in. She is extremely unclear with her directions and expectations. I honestly believe there is no way you can get through with a B or better.
EVIL!
To sum it up, she sucks. She expects you to turn in your assignenments to her expectations...although she does not clearly explain what her expectations exactly are. She is strick and needs to explain what it takes to receive an A in her class. If she doesn't, everyone in her class will receive a B- or lower...
She is a great teacher, just study for every quiz a you will be fine. A much better teacher than her sister. She is always there to answer questions and if you don't understand it she will try to help you along.
Lab reports are expected to be written at a grad school level. Instructions on how to construct them are vague or non-existant. Field research is tedious and dull, just like her demeanor. Deb has an abrasive personality and is an overly-harsh grader. I can't say enough bad things about her (or this lab) in 350 words or less. Do not take her lab!
I have over 100% in my bio lecture and yet I barely have a B in bio lab with Simon. Even if you are a hard worker and a good student, I think it is way too difficult to please her and do well in her class.
She is not a very good prof. Knows Bio but can be quite intimidating. Hard class. Lots of work. Take someone else who really cares more. She's good at answering questions though.
Well... At the start of the class she was tough so don't take her if you want an easy class. However, I learned more about how to study and what was expected on a college level that helped me with other classes. It was a wake up call that I needed. FYI the class was very interesting and I did enjoy it a little.
She is a grades harshly. If you plan one passing this class please please study on time. When it comes to the Lab report at first it may not be clear but ask her question she will help you. She not the easiest teacher but she only doing her job the right way. Don't expect sympathy because she's all about fairness .
Deb grades VERY harshly. The papers are really tough to get a good grade on. However, Deb's really nice and the labs are a lot of fun! Deb can seem intimidating at first because she has high expectations, but the labs give you a chance to get to know her and she's really wonderful.
this lab is a lot of work and simon makes it even more work, lap reports every week, long and tedious, hw and quizzes every week really hard. shes a really really tough grader and shes mean
I had her for my lab, and it was like having another lecture. She talked the entire time and made the labs much longer than they needed to be. The pre-lab questions were dumb, we already knew what was going to happen because of those questions so there was no need to even do the experiment. The lab reports are ridiculous and she grades harshly.
She was very annoying, but she explains the labs very well and she knows what she's talking about. She can talk a lot, but if you listen, you shouldn't have to ask any questions. However, if you do have a question she is very helpful and will walk you through it until you get it. There are a lot of group worksheets and graphs, only 1 lab report
Sometimes very entertaining, She explains well and gives diagrams and great instructions but she grades hard.
She's a pretty strict grader, and I did not always agree with how she graded things. However, in spite of this, she is extremely helpful in lab. I think only one person in my lab section got an A. If that's your goal, plan on working hard for it.
She's very tough, but once you know what she's looking for, the assignments are a breeze
She's really clear and explains things in a way that you can easily understand. She's also very helpful if you have any questions. She's really specific when she grades things, so be sure to take good notes when she is explaining how to do assignments and do things EXACTLY how she says to do them. Do that, and you'll be all set. Nice prof.
nice lady but not the greatest of profs. she trails off when she lectures which becomes annoying. she is helpful but not the best.
She is a nice lady, however a very tough grader, it drove me nuts, she is very picky. But she is very helpful, and if you ask for help she will help, just don't wait till the last minute to do an assignment. I don't really reccomend her, but if ya get her don't worry you'll be okay, just do exactly as she says and ask lots of questions.
I had her for BIO375 and BIO215 lab, and she was much better as a BIO375 prof. Picky grader, but clearly explains what you need to do and will help out if you're having trouble collecting data.
I don't recommend this professor. It seems like she is always yelling and irritated at the class. She likes to grade like it is a level 600 graduate course. When the other lab courses average grade was a 75% on the lab report, hers was a 60%. She does not work with the students if they make mistakes. Overall, I think that this lab was a waist o
I had her for lab, and I feel that she was pretty much useless. She grades like a level 600 class. She was constantly yelling at the class. I think she is a horrible prof. With paying 16000 a year, I feel that I deserve a prof that doesn't make me feel like dirt every class. I think you do to.
Very hard grader. If you want an A in lab don?t take her. I have a 3.7 GPA and I was unable to get an A no matter what I did. Did well on the quizzes but was marked off for things like prediction questions and she graded the lab report harshly when she said not to overly worry about it. Don?t take her if you care about your grade
Genetics lab is alot of work for one credit. Simon does an excellent job explaining labs and facilitates learning well. Very few points to be earned in the class, so when you lose a point it is critical. Be very meticulous in your work, but that goes without saying...since you're in lab! Very nice lady.
very meticulous grader. takes off random points on quizzes and graphs cuz its not specific enuff for her. you never really know what your grade is cuz she only tells you a few times during the semester. don't take her if you want a good grade in bio 120.
Really people? I don't understand why people think she is so hard. Yes she is intimidating at first, but she is completely specific on what she wants. If you have ANY questions e-mail her and she will give YOU EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED. She is probably the best teacher I've had in a while. Pay attention and ask questions, you will do fine.
Simon literally made the book into a powerpoint and then read the powerpoint to us. Her tests were ridiculously hard and did not reflect what she lectured.
Don't bother buying the textbook...I never opened mine once during the semester. This professor is okay, her lecture is EXTREMELY boring, and she is a tough grader. You can never get 100% on anything, she will find one little thing to mark you down on. Overall she would not be my first choice as a professor, but I have had worse.
Simon is a nice person, HOWEVER it is a very rare occasion to get 100% on anything. The best grade i got on anything was 14/15. She nit-picks everything, and for the lab paper she gave us the rubric then waited until AFTER we turned it in to tell us stuff that she didnt mention was needed but we should have known to include. Do not take her..!
Avoid at all costs! This lab is stupid easy so she docks you points for irrelevant and insignificant things. She always seems to have a chip on her shoulder and assumes we are all idiots that are about to mess everything up. She runs her lab like a day care center. Prepare to feel like a little kid again with deb.
Straight A students do awful in her class. She is impossible to learn anything from. Her exams are confusing. She creates the feeling that you need to note every word she says which ends up being so much information it's impossible to absorb any of it let alone study and remember. People are switching majors because of HER, never hated a prof more
Her lectures go on forever. She talks forever on her powerpoints making it so everything she says, you have to write down. She gets somewhat frustrated when you ask her to repeat things. Her quizzes can be aced, not so much her exams. Good luck with this one!
She's a nice person, but her lectures can get really boring. She wants you to write down every word she says. Quizzes are pretty easy, but exams are really hard. It's multiple choice, but not a b c d. It's a b c d e f g. Always tricky questions. I think you can get a good grade if you're willing to study at least every day.
HORRIBLE TEACHER. Avoid at all costs. Quizzes aren't too bad, but exams are ridiculous. Expects way too much of people.
this prof alone ruined my gpa, avoid at all costs, not kidding the worst class i've ever taken...got a C and im a straight A student. her expectations are ridiculous
long lectures, hard tests
I would advice people to take a different professor for 120. There's a lot of material and she is not that good at teaching it and making it simpler. She just makes it more confusing and isn't very helpful. Easy quizzes every week but hard tests.
terrible. every lecture was ridiculously boring. class wasnt mandatory, but would be very difficult to pass without attending every class. She quite often doesn't seem to know what she's talking about and will take 10 minutes looking through notes to answer questions. her lectures are read word for word from her notes. don't take her, straight up.
Very hard class, the lectures are really boring and she doesn't seem to know what she's talking about all the time. She makes seem like you have to write down everything she says, which is way too much for you to soak in and actually learn.
Avoid her if at all possible! Her lectures are word for word from the book; she doesn't explain anything at all. If you ask a question she has to look through the notes to find the answer but the majority of the time she doesn't even know the answer at all. If you get stuck with her, get a tutor. They explain it MUCH better.
This was a very difficult class. Not impossible, just a lot of material and a lot of note taking. I would expect this though in any BIO 120 course. I thought she was a good teacher, with good notes. She knew her stuff and was available for questions and willing to repeat.
Class average for first exam 64. Class average for second exam was worse. Way too much info is given and not very clear. All you do during class is write every word she says the whole class everyday. By the end of class my hand is permanently cramped. Avoid at all costs! Tests are impossible to ace! Avoid at all costs!
Really hard, but not impossible. Yes, she does sound like she's reading straight from the book, but as long as you get the info you'll be fine. Not to mention, if you attend office hours she is extremely helpful if you ask her to go over a topic. I say she's really not that bad, you just need to put forth a lot of effort to study.
WORST TEACHER EVER!! test are ridiculous and her style of teaching is even worse. She expects you to write down everything she is saying because any of it could be on the test. Everything she says was straight out of the book. I barely passed this class even though my knowledge of the material was much more that my grade shows.
Good professor, took her course in fall 2010. Despite what other comments say, the work really isn't too difficult. Tests can be worded funny, so pay attention during them.
Not relatable and confusing. Not concise with the directions she gave for lab papers, and when approached becomes defensive about this. She changes her mind and marks you down for things you had correct according to her first set of directions. I heard rumors she would try to prevent you from getting a good grade, and these were confirmed.
Very very hard teacher. She lectures through the whole class and you write down everything she says. Class is long and boring and the exams are super hard. Every question has the obtions, a. b. c. d. e. a & b. a & c. b & c & e or all the above. ITS HORRIBLE.
This teacher is not bad but she was not very friendly when I asked questions. When I attended office hours not much help was given. Tests are EXTREMELY DIFFICULT i studied all the time, I would know the notes by heart but that didn't matter come test time.
The papers were easy enough, but tests were strange. I took meticulous notes, studied hard (usually I get A's) but still did poorly on exams. Several times we found that answers in lecture notes were diff than 'correct' answers on exam. I know of NO ONE who got an A in this class, no matter how much they studied.
The homework for this class isn't too awful but the tests are murder. The tests have way too many options for answers and arn't anything like the notes that she makes you take all hour, everyday. Try your best not to take this class.
Impossible grader, don't take this teacher if you don't have to. tests are confusing and don't measure the level of knowledge you have, they just make you angry.
don't do it. whatever you do, do not take this professor.
This teacher is absolutely awful. She gives a million choices on her tests and nothing is like you talked about in class. She is just so rude. If you can avoid it at any cost, DO! Don't take her if you don't have to!!!!
she was a horrible professor! Seriously get out of her class while you can. Her exams were horrid and confusing and almost impossible to get a good grade on them. Amount of study time was not shown in exam outcome. She also lectures from start to finish of class and doesn't give a lost of time for questions and she talks really fast. She was bad.
Prof. Simon is a very nice lady but an impossible grader. There is a bunch of course work to do as it is but be prepared to do way more work in lab compared to other BIO lab professors. I would NOT recommend for Biology 120.
Prof Simon was my hardest prof at GV. She has good office hours and is willing to help if you go to her, but she will leave you feeling just as confused when you leave. Her tests are really tricky. She constantly tries to throw you off. you have to know every little detail to pass. The amount of material you have to study for tests is not worth it.
Do not take this class if you can help it. Prof is ridiculously hard grader and not very helpfull at all! Tons and tons of notes but she talks so fast you can hardly keep up let alone learn anything. Steer clear of this prof.
She is a horrible prof whatever you do do drop this class, at first i didn't think she would be so bad but she is horrible , she expects you to write everything she says and everything she talks about in class isn't part of the material covered by the exams
She seems like a nice lady, but her teachig style is horrible. She basically reads the text book out loud for lectures and expects you to write down every word she says. Switch teachers now.
do whatever you can to avoid this professor. she is an extremely strict grader and all of her multiple choice tests have choices A-G. Her teaching style makes you zone out almost instantly. I once got a zero on three assignments for not stapling them. Change now
She flies through all of her notes way too fast and there is just an overload of info. Her tests are difficult and try to trick you with way too many options. I would not recommend her if you want to understand the material and get a good grade. Get out while you can.
First of all, get out while you can. She is a horrible teacher and doesn't explain anything in depth. The notes you have to write are ridicules and she talks so fast it's extremely hard to keep up. Tests don't match up with the material taught in class either. Bless your soul if you can get through it, but if you don't feel like stressing, switch.
She is a very nice lady and very willing to help, but does not have a good way of getting material across to students. This class is not impossible, but takes A LOT of extra studying.
Professor Simon is a very nice, caring, helpful professor. However, her material is extremely difficult and occasionally, she will ask you questions she hasn't taught you. You need to do a lot of studying and remember every detail, but remember, BIO 120 is a weed-out class. Overall she is nice, but be careful with the amount of work you will do.
Professor Simon generally wants her class to do well, but she is tuff. She gives you alot of info in the notes and for the homework and all the test it is very applied learning questions which really suck. I would say the genetics test is the hardest. You won't find the answers in the notes. Study alot and go to class.
She got more friendly throughout the semester. There is a lot of information she covers, but she presents in powerpoint form that you can study from. She is strict about the class atmosphere and attendance.
The class was really easy to understand because it was just bio 104, but she makes her exams really hard and stupid. The class isn't cumulative which is nice but unless your really good test taker I wouldn't recommend her.
I spent a lot of time on this class. For a one credit course I had no time to get my lab booklet the way she wanted it. She's very picky when it comes to grading, and doesn't sympathize very much. My grade was passing, which is good enough for me considering its only a one credit course. She's a nice lady though, and not mean like some say she is.
Class was VERY confusing, I had to seek help on every topic outside of lecture. Not clear on any notes and not fair at grading assignments. No late work, but changes due dates at different times randomly. I would suggest taking a different professor if trying to pass this class.
At first I did not like her teaching style, but as the semester went on I got used to it and I actually enjoyed her class. Sometimes when I would ask questions she would confuse me more. She is very nice and her powerpoints and clicker questions make the class easier to understand.
Very nice professor. She goes on rants and writes all of these things at once and is hard to follow. Her power points and clicker questions are very helpful studying for the exams. She does start sentences loud enough to hear then by the end of the sentence you can't hear her. But she is very lenient on worksheets and quizzes. consider changing
Don't buy the textbook! Her lectures give all information needed and textbook will just confuse you more. She is sometimes a little hard to hear. Not super interesting, but honestly neither is the material for BIO 120.
Decent professor. Hardly need the textbook at all. Didn't think I liked her teaching method at first, but it became okay. Her voice can get quiet at times, so try to sit near the front of her class. Tests and assignments are reasonable as long as you study well and take good notes.
The class was incredibly boring and Professor Simon was pretty monotone in her teaching, too. However, she grades fair and the exams and homework reflect what is taught in class. She's a nice woman, it's just boring.
I loved this class, and thought Professor Simon did an excellent job teaching it. She's nice and very knowledgeable about the subject and what will be done in class is predictable, so if you miss a day it's easy to figure out what you did in class. Just take good notes, and do the activities she assigns (extra credit points!) and you'll do fine!
Professor Simon has a very original teaching style. In lecture she writes notes on the board which you are supposed to copy down in your own notes. If you do this and review the material she has given you, in detail, you will do extremely well in this course. She is nice and down to Earth so don't be afraid to approach her!
She is a nice lady. But without my adderall her class is horrible. She goes over slides the whole class. I had over 125 slides that I wrote at least 10 sentences with information she gave us. She doesnt explain things well at all. Exams are impossible. Knowing the main concepts is useless. The exam test you on smallest details of smaller details.
Avoid her at all costs. I had over 100% in lecture and a 4.0 GPA yet my lab grade with her was a C. All group work and she grades ridiculously hard. Talks down to the class and is very condescending. Take this comment seriously, switch lab instructors.
Very boring class. Goes over entire power point that you already went over. Get smart lab partners because worksheets are hard and quizzes are hard. Also for lab report go to her for help.
Her lectures were pretty boring. Be prepared to take a lot of notes. She teaches off of power points, and she adds a lot of other information that she expects you to know. It was a lot of memorizing facts for her exams, but it was still fairly straight forward
Everyone else is saying this class is very hard. As she can be a tough grader, I still ended up with a 95 in the class. I would suggest to future students to ask as many questions as you need because she is helpful when you reach out to her!
ASK Questions. It was a real rough start but once you get a hang of her style and personality its smooth sailing. Very approachable.
I took Professor Simon for both BIO 120 and BIO 121 lectures, and did not regret it one bit. She her sense of humor shows if you have a smaller class, and her exams are fair. If you take notes and study a bit, it's not hard to get an A or B.
She never connects a single idea that she is talking about. So everything that she says is a bunch of not interconnected things that don't make any sense. And if you ask her a question, often her response will be, "I don't know, go ask your chem. professor."
Professor Simon had a monotone voice. Her lectures were long and she made everything way more confusing than it needed to be. I like Biology, but this class was extremely hard and painful.
Lectures felt extremely long even though it was only a 50 minute class. Her lectures are confusing and it seems like everyone is too scared to ask questions during lectures as she moves through her presentations way too fast.
Had Simon for lecture last year (Bio120) and lab this year (Bio215). I would not in any chance recommend her. She is unclear, and not one student in my lab liked her. Everyone that tried extremely hard on her absurd papers got terrible grades with no explanation. I went to her office hours and she made me feel like I was wasting her time. So rude.
She is the devil, 666 Dont take her unless you're into self harm.
Absolutely horrible professor. I had her for lab and she was the toughest grader I've ever come across. You actually have to beg her to help you and clarify things. DO NOT take her!!
She is very unclear, even when you ask for help one on one. The tests are very tough, so study hard. I would not reccomend her.
This class itself is very hard to pass. This class was designed to push you to the limit. Her lectures feel like they're longer than they are. She speeds through most the information so I'd recommend a voice recorder to get everything. She makes you take a workshop, which is helpful because it's a chance to ask questions and go slow over material.
One of the hardest professors I have encountered, she moves through lectures way too fast and does not stop for questions.
Lots of notes, hard exams, lots of writing. Nice lady though and explains things well.
Don't take her. Lectures are boring and tests are difficult. She knows the material but doesn't know how to teach.
This was Prof Simon's first time teaching ethics and I thought she did well. This was SWS she had writing assignments in class but they weren't bad, spend the 10 minutes writing about your opinion and include specifics from class and your good. Midterm and final weren't bad, just study PowerPoints. There is a lot of note-taking.
Professor Simon taught very well. Mostly lecture style classes, but she was very clear on what you need to know for the test, and she explains information in a clear and understandable way. Wants her students to succeed and was willing to help if you ask for it. It was very important to come to class, or you will miss points on the test.
10/10 would NOT recommend. Nice lady, but never explains things completely. Super hard grader and not sympathetic with being flexible. Even after going into office hours and asking if I did a paper correctly I got a 0 out of 6 on two segments of a paper. Taking a lab with this woman is setting yourself up to fail.
tests are extremely difficult
TAKE HER. Professor Simon was a great Bio 120 prof. It's a lot of note-taking, but she is extremely clear on what will be on exams so you are never surprised. She also gives in class activities that give you extra credit on the exams. She's very helpful and will answer any questions you have. Definitely would take again and recommend!!
Professor Simon's first time teaching this class was mediocre at best. She didn't use a textbook and seemed to literally print things off the internet, then write them on the board. I asked for a study guide for the test to help narrow down the 5 pages of notes we took each lecture, and she said we should be familiar with everything.
Class is overall very lengthy, lots of information to be learned. She teaches kind of quickly but not terribly hard.
There is homework online, however it isn't very hard if you use your notes. There are a lot of notes, but they're pretty clear. To do well on tests, I'd say to read through your notes, make sure you understand them, then watch videos on YouTube. There weren't any surprises and she gave help if you ask! Very nice lady.
She was a good professor, and knew about what she was teaching. She didn't make an effort to get to know any of the students, and it didn't feel like she cared if you passed or not. She goes into great detail on the topics, and is vague on what is going to be on the exams.
Come to class engaged and try to absorb every bit of what Simon says. Copy Down all of her notes word for word and you will have every bit of of information needed for tests. There is simple math involved with genetics but nothing too difficult aside from that. I used Quizlet. com to help with memorizing the information.
Prof Simon seemed to be a little all over the place some days. Her exams are a bit tough but she does give extra credit on them if you do all your in class worksheets leading up to the exam. I would suggest getting a tutor simply to go over main ideas and have concepts drawn out because she simply tells you how things work and doesn't show you.
Prof. Simon is a nice lady. Her tests are manageable only if you study really well. She showed us a lot of video clips in class, which made going less painful. She also gave in-class activities and extra credit which will save your test grades if you don't do so well on them. There's a lot of notes & usually a lot of material to know for the tests.
Ugh.. I thought this class would be easy but am going to be lucky to get a B-.... She gives you so much material it is hard to study. She does not give study guides and the tests are almost impossible. Yes she gives you work sheets which help, but she grades them super tough. Would never ever recommend this teacher.
Deb is nice, but this class was set up poorly. She hand writes notes on a white board and projects on to a big screen, you're constantly looking up and down all class. Skip, get the notes from someone else. MEMORIZE the PAGES on PAGES of notes. No answers given for practice exams. Homework is unhelpful. Just read the chapters and memorize her notes
Dr. Simon was a great professor. She made the class very enjoyable. The tests were a bit tough but she provides great study materials. Reading the textbook was very helpful in this class.
Professor Simon is very enjoyable, she seems tough on the exterior but her lectures are well thought out, make sure to take copious notes during her class and I recommend creating practice quizzes for her exams which are pretty hard. Very good teacher to have for a lecture course.
Very lecture heavy and does not leave time for student questions.
The class involves a lot of chemistry even though it is biology. The Tests have very specific questions and the lectures are long and note heavy.
Professor Simon is great! She has been teaching for a while and she definitely knows what she is talking about. She practically gives you the lecture notes, which is great, and the exams are taken almost straight from the notes. She's really nice and understanding and is happy to help with any questions you have. Would definitely recommend.
The class is all lecture based with some extra credit activities. She gives amazing notes that are very well outlined. Really wants everyone to understand the material and encourages questions if there is confusion. Not a good idea to skip class because everything you need to succeed will be from the notes and you could miss pop quizzes.
Simon does not give back tests, which makes it very hard to study for the final, and understand things you got wrong. Her lectures are very long and she just reads off of her notes. Her tests are incredibly hard because there is so much information that you don't know what to study for.
I loved Professor Simon! She knew her stuff and knew how to communicate the information! Her exams were tough at times but if you study you will do fine! I would definitely take her again and highly recommend her!
Prof Simon does not teach. She basically gives you the notes through her lecture and then expects you to actually learn the material on your own time. I had a very hard time retaining the information from her class. Find a different professor if you can.
Professor Simon is a great professor. She will always tell you everything you need to know in order to get A's. She is also vey willing to find time outside of office hours to help with your understanding. You need to actually show up to class though because she crams a lot of information into every lecture and does have in class activities.
During the entire time, we copy down A LOT of notes for each section. Make sure to keep up with the studying and do not procrastinate. This class is not about understanding ALL the notes, but only specific concepts. She is available during office hours and I would recommend correcting exams and going into see her. It can be overwhelming at times.
Professor Simon is not understanding at all, and it very negative when it comes to her students and their overall learning experience at Grand Valley. DO NOT even try to talk to her about anything because it is her way or the high way.
you need to be there to pass, lectures are very detailed so take good notes!
Professor Simon just reads off her notes, which contain a ton of info that she then just expects you to know. She doesn't give a lot of guidance as far as tests, even though these tests are basically 90% of the grade. There's no extra credit or participation points either. I was also required to buy a $160 textbook that I never opened once.
Deb writes on a small white board that is projected on the big screen to give us our notes. She says what she is going to write, writes it down, erases it, and repeats. Makes for a very long, boring, and dry lecture. Very easy if you study these notes, but it is a lot to study. Still had to be one of the most boring classes I've taken.
Not very good at explaining things. She expects you to already know most of the information. Recommend writing notes although she goes pretty fast. Must study a ton to pass the class.
If you go to Deb Simon's office hours and study well for exams, it is a pretty easy class. Once you get behind, you will stay behind. I can't stress enough how HELPFUL going to her office hours were. I went after every lecture to teach her what I had just learned and she made sure I knew everything well and gave extra practice and hints for exams!!
Simon wasn't the best prof out there. She just reads off of her notes, and expects you to know what she's talking about. Her class isn't impossible, you'll be fine, just know that you will have to study a lot. MAKE SURE YOU DO THE MASTERING EXTRA CREDIT. This will help you so much. I also recommend getting a tutor, I didn't and I really wish I did.
Simon was awful. If you must take Simon's class be prepared to teach yourself the material. Teaching just isn't her thing so hopefully it is yours. Simon stands in front of the class and simply reads her notes out loud, writing unintelligible shorthand on a white board. She reads her notes using the same inflections disregarding sentence content
The good news is the exams are only worth 40 points, the bad news is they are quite difficult because there are a ton of notes to study for and she basically crams all the information onto the relatively short exams. I'm scared for the finals because it's only 50 points and we had a ton of notes over the semester.
Her lectures are dry and boring and her lack of enthusiasm makes it very difficult to pay attention. She expects you to know when homework is posted even though she doesn't tell you in class and chooses not to notify on Bb. She is very rude if you ask for help and doesn't seem to care about student success or about what she's teaching.
Deb was okay. The entire class really just consists of her writing down notes on a whiteboard for us to copy. I ended up having a textbook size amount of notes in the end, which is rather difficult to study from, so beware if you're planning on being in her class. The tests weren't too bad, but overall, the class was just kind of boring.
Gave dull, dry lectures that consisted of her drawing on a white board and you having to teach yourself the content. Also forced the entire class to buy a service called 'top hat' that was used to quiz us instead of actual quizzes, screamed LAZY to me
Overall a great class! That being said you better be ready to work for it. Prof Simon was an amazing teacher. Her lectures make sense and has good office hours you should take advantage off. Skipping class will only hurt you, so don't do it. Would highly recommend Simon and would take again in a heart beat.
The only thing we did in class was take notes that were difficult to understand in class. I did most all of the learning on my own and would highly recommend getting a tutor. She is better than some professors who instruct bio, just was not easy to learn the specific material she gave to us.
Her exams are tough as they are detail oriented and you have a lot of notes to study. Make sure to do the homework and mastering biology as it will help a lot. I did bad on all the exams but still got a C. As long as you don't do what I did by waiting until 2 or 3 days before every exam to start studying you should do fine.
I generally love biology, but I found this class to be a little difficult. It was solely based on lectures and taking notes on her power points which gets very repetitive. I can not stress enough DO MASTERING BIOLOGY!! They count as extra credit points on your exams. I did not open my text book once, there is no need to buy the textbook.
Better be good at teaching yourself
TAKE THIS PROFESSOR. She is absolutely amazing! Her tests are EXACTLY like the notes so if you study hard it will pay off.
I loved this class with Deb! Yes, it's not an easy A and you have to work hard for your grade. However, there are no surprises on the tests so if you study her notes you will do well! I am pre-nursing so grades are really important and I would recommend her for any pre-nursing students and people in general that want to learn bio!
A lot to remember and doesn't explain topics in enough detail to understand while in lecture. Better get a laptop for this class b/c TONS OF NOTES not enough time to grasp material while in class. Flys through material.
This class was very lecture-heavy. Never needed the book. One of the hardest bio classes I have taken. Doesn't give you much time to even formulate a question and doesn't have class participation. Tests are worth a lot with not too much of a grade buffer.
Dr. Simon absolutely flew through all of the lectures and it was difficult to understand the material. Wording on tests makes it impossible to pass no matter how much you study. Would not recommend.
She seems like a nice lady but she does not teach BIO120 very well at all. She just rambles on and goes very fast during lecture.
She uses a white board to write extra notes that aren't given on the PowerPoint lectures. I recommend bringing a laptop to class because the notes do go by quick. She explains things really well, and she has office hours that are very flexible! I recommend her as a bio professor!!
Writes notes on the board in lecture, won't post them on BB. Doesn't take attendance for points, but otherwise you will want to make it to class. Study guides for each unit similar to the test & notes, but really wordy! No HW, in class assignments are worth 1 point XC towards the exams. 1 or 2 quizzes before every exam. Very few points to earn!
The class is hard, but if you're will to put in the work she's a great professor. Her lectures are absolutely full of material. The class schedule is usually a little ahead of the lab's schedule, which might help you to absorb the material. To get a good grade you're really going to have to work for it. DO NOT SKIP CLASS EVER. ABSOLUTELY.
Simon teaches like we are in the 80's. She never uses the real whiteboard on the wall, she just uses this little whiteboard on her desk with the camera, she writes the whole time, and gives you less then 20 seconds when shes done writing to finish your writing. She expects that you are all experts in the field for a 100 level entry course. DISLIKE!
Simon's lectures are thorough and detailed. She covers everything you need to know for lectures. The textbook helps for review. Gives SO MANY chances for extra credit. Lectures can be overwhelming but a lot of it is stuff that doesn't end up on the exams anyways. Online quizzes are tough.
You work hard to succeed in BIO120. However, Simon seems to make a course that is already difficult so much harder than it needs to be. Outdated teaching style, only using a 1-foot whiteboard under a projector to give notes. Doesn't utilize additional resources like videos, etc. PP slides not thorough, just pictures w/ few words. You teach yourself
Professor Simon was a great professor. I really enjoyed her lectures. She gave a lot of opportunities for students to do well and get extra credit. She was very thorough in her explanations and notes.
Wonderful and kind person, but the material was not... favorable. The important info for tests and quizzes is written on a tiny white board and often erased before you can finish transcribing everything. The info also seems a bit dated, you don't get to keep tests for study material, and occasionally I caught wrong info. Great person, poor lecture.
She was nice but her lectures were so boring that I blocked most of them out. Her teaching style was bland. Random in class worksheets for credit and tests were kind of hard but if you study her lecture notes on blackboard you'll be fine. Would recommend going to her office hours,and read syllabus carefully because the grading scale is weird.
Professor Simon was very nice, especially in office hours! The tests were not too difficult, but you do need to study. She focuses on broad ideas, not very specific. You need to teach yourself most things as they are not very clear in the lecture. Does give extra credit on EVERY test, just make sure you come to class in order to receive it.
Deb is an amazing human being and makes one of the toughest classes at GV a lot more enjoyable. During lecture she writes on a white board at her desk and projects it on the screen so you can write the notes with her. She also gives you all her powerpoints so you always have them. She does extra credit in-class assignments that help on tests.
She explained the material very well and if you ask questions she does a great job of re-explaining herself so she is more clear. Make sure you take good notes on all of the material and STUDY them before exams because they are hard if you do not know the material. Attendance wasn't mandatory but there were in class papers for extra credit.
Studying is a must with this class. She can fit a lot of info into one lecture, so I'd recommend taking them on your computer. The way you'll be taking notes is copying what you see her writing on a small whiteboard projected on a screen. Always show up to lecture so you can get the extra credit points -- they're worth a lot on exams.
She just feeds you bullet point notes and doesn't really do a good job of explaining. Sometimes you just feel like you have no idea what's going on. Final exam was ridiculously hard and had stuff that we weren't prepared for. Don't recommend.
She makes it clear that students need to spend lots of time outside of class teaching themselves. I believe she is quite lazy when it comes to clearing up material unless you go into office hours. I spent lots of hours in the library and ended up getting an A but it was not easy. BIO 120 is a hard class and she will make you work for it.
what you will be graded on is very clear and she is very helpful if you go to her with questions. the course is challenging but doable. frankly the white board thing is just inefficient and it frustrating to have a powerpoint with seperate written notes. shes funny in a real cheesy way. tought everything to myself, shes almost too smart to teach
Overall really good prof if you put the work in. It is a hard class and she tells you that from day one. But she does in class activity that give you extra credit on your exams which is super nice and helpful. She goes pretty fast during notes so be ready to write but once you get the hang of it its not to bad. Super nice and willing to help!
Deb was a super fair prof. She basically writes down all notes for you. If you study the slides, you should be fine. BIO120 is work. all you'd have to do is put in the work for success. exams were not bad. she is very helpful in office hours. easy A/A- if you really study.
Her lectures are full of content so make sure you always go to class and take lots of notes. It helps to go over notes right after your class and read the chapter in the book to clarify content from lecture. She doesn't go very in depth on concepts in class so make sure to ask questions or go to her office hours if you need extra help.
She is a really nice lady. But, once we really started diving into the material, it was hard to keep up and required a lot self-teaching to really understand the concepts. She writes notes to copy but they can be hard to understand. She offers lots of extra credit throughout the class, which can come in handy on the 3 exams and final.
She is the best one you can get. She gives extra credit on HW that the class does together. You will have to study and work for it though. Great teacher!
Dr. Simon is a horrible grader. If your graph titles are above the graph instead of below it you will get an 83%. Takes off points for things she didn't even ask for. I absolutely love biology but she has ruined my BIO 121 lab experience. One of her fellow profs warned me about her, no joke, he said don't take her if you can help it!!! BAD PROF!
Her classes are super lecture heavy. She gives several pages of notes each class, but they dont really make much sense, so basically you need to teach yourself everything outside of class.
Worst professor and grader ever. I barely passed the class and I attribute to her only. When I asked for help she merely told me I could make up points later without telling me what I did wrong. Gives reviews that don't help. Lectures are pointless and barely knows what she's doing. GET OUT
Worst ever. She would look over my work, tell me it looked good and then would give me a 2/10. When asked for help, she wouldn't tell me what I did wrong and would just tell me that I could make points up later. I loved bio and got A's in it before her class. I ended up changing my major. WORST EVER
I really liked her teaching style. She lectures the whole class, but goes at a good pace. Test questions are not super straightforward, but if you study enough and know the material, you'll be fine. You definitely have to put in a lot of work, but she helps you out and gives extra credit on tests. Makes it clear what she expects from you.
For Prof Simon you have to work for a good grade. She is very knowledgeable and literally writes down notes for you to copy down. I found it hard to learn this way and was teaching myself for the majority of the semester. Overall, she knows what she is talking about but teaches it in a way that is difficult to retain information.
I knew I was in for a hard class when she started giving a lecture immediately after she finished reading the syllabus. She writes notes on a whiteboard as she's talking and going through the presentation, but she moves quickly and I often couldn't really listen to what she was saying because I was too busy trying to take the notes.
Professor Simon was an average professor. Not a bad professor by any means but not extraordinary. She feeds power points to you, but also write key details that she thinks are extra important. I would definitely recommend reading the book in order to pass because she goes into deep detail for specific questions. The final was super easy and fast.
If you want to enjoy your course, don't take her. She sucks the joy out of learning and is honestly the worst professor I've ever had. Lectures contain a lot of information and she won't slow down enough for anyone to take the quality of notes she requires. Exams are very hard and comprise almost 100% of your grade. Avoid at all costs!!
I did not enjoy her class at all. This class really stressed me out, and was pretty difficult. You really have to work for it, which can be hard when you're also managing lots of other classes. Her exams are very challenging so put in a lot of time if you want to do well. I do not recommend taking her class!
I can not stress enough not to take debs class. I struggled so much in it. I tried getting a tutor and studying different way with my friends and did nothing but struggle. Worst bio teacher ever for a 100 level class. Very Lecture Heavy!
I had bio with Prof. Simon during the Covid-19 debacle. I was so impressed with her dedication to our learning; she transitioned her lectures online seamlessly. Never worry if you don't understand something in class--she is readily available outside class and always ready to help. Just don't skip lectures! Ever! They're worth their weight in gold.
I didn't look at her reviews before taking her class. I think she is average overall. I could have done soooo much better if I put in more effort. She teaches and appears to be very available outside of class. She offers extra credit so that was nice. I recommend going to all classes because she lectures every day. I wouldn't recommend her.
She will give you notes that she expects you to know word by word. Not all material on tests are covered in class; however, the book covers less than what she teaches in class. You can do alright if you really study the notes, but don't expect an A.
She switched from completely in-person to fully online two days before the course started. She is not very tech-savvy and barely responded to emails. I had to get a tutor because I was so confused. You honestly don't need the textbook because in order to get a passing grade you have to memorize her lectures. Avoid if possible
I took BIO 121 lecture online with Professor Simon. The class consisted of watching 3-6 lecture videos each week, a quick and easy Mastering Biology assignment, and usually a short test over that week's material. As long as you watch all lectures and do all assignments you should be fine. The class is very test heavy. She seems nice though!
I had Deb apart of an asynchronous class. I cannot speak of her in person but as for online I definitely would switch out ASAP. She isnt very good with technology, its rather difficult to reach her, expect you to memorize your entire biology book so good luck, her online lectures are awful and dont provide half of the material covered on exams.
She's a nice person, but her class is really hard especially if you're not good at biology. She's an easy grader on assignments but they're super difficult.
If you are enrolled in her BIO 120 lecture, GET OUT. She puts out lectures and seems to be reading from a book (she often messes up and has to go back) and just reads off slides with very confusing diagrams. Not tech-savvy and the material on her exams were not covered in the class. Assignments are ridiculously hard and I had to get a tutor to pass
Gives very confusing lectures for a fully online class and her tests were very difficult and solely based on her lectures, a lot of information and if you aren't naturally great at bio I recommend a different professor if you can.. maybe she's better in person.
Professor Simon is a good lab instructor. The only complaint I have is that the pre-labs were a bit difficult and very time consuming. She is always to help and is very understanding. I got covid and she extended my due dates until I was up to completing them. Definitely take her!!
Shes super nice, caring, and is willing to help you whenever you need it! Most of her lecture is just doing notes all hour so I would be prepared to review your notes often when not in lecture. Her tests and quizzes can be difficult but as long as you study really really hard along with getting help from the tutoring center, you should be fine!
This is by far one of the worst professors Ive ever had. Her notes are basically useless and really hard to follow, you have to go every day because she has these in class questions that are hard asf and they are 20% of your grade at the end of the year. My grade was brought down an entire letter grade purely because of them. DO NOT TAKE DEB
never taking her class again she is not understanding at all and her exams are based on only her lectures. waste of money for the textbook.
The class is pretty tough, like most bio classes, but she's pretty concise about the information. I don't recommend her to people who are taking bio as a gen-ed, but for people who need it for their major, she makes sure you have a solid foundation. A quick note: you WILL need to do extra studying outside of class to get a good grade.
There was definitely a lot of note-taking in this class, but it was all super specific which helped. I liked that all the tests and exams were online. That part of the class is super convenient. Overall, I don't think that Professor Simon was too hard of a teacher, but you definitely need to put the time and effort in to get a good grade.
She flies through lecture notes with minimal explanation- I think she simply just reads out of the textbook. I never have enough time to write down everything she writes and says. If you want to pay for someone to read a textbook to you take this class with her.
If you have her, switch IMMEDIATELY! We wrote 3-4 pages of notes in 50 minute sessions , that she doesnt even clarify. She threatened to fail me due to my sickness conducted with missing class. The book was over $100 and all we use for it is assignments. The test and quizzes are timed & doesnt add up to the notes. She treats us like were senior.
Theres these in class questions every time the class meets, which for me was three days out of the week. Theyre impossibly difficult and no matter how hard I studied for them I still managed to get a good handful wrong. For lecture she reads straight from the book and doesnt explain any of the material. She was kind, and all exams were online.
Her whole class was a lecture and students never got to ask questions. It was an easy class to pass and i would take with her again but it wasn't the best learning environment. she never got the students involved.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS, SPREAD THE WORD TO AVOID HER. Worst Professor Ive ever had. Participation grade is based on your ability to answer an impossibly hard question, showed up to every single class but got an attendance grade of a 60%. When the whole class failed a midterm, she blamed it on us and said it was our fault we didn't study hard enough
Do not take this professor! She was awful. Her lectures were so fast I couldnt even focus on what I was writing as I wrote it. No one had time to ask questions and her lectures were so crammed with info, nothing stuck. Her style of teaching is making you write down notes verbatim from what she writes on a whiteboard
There are many Bio120 teachers, and I would take anyone of them before I took her class again. The biggest problem were her in-class questions; they are near impossible. They brought my semester grade down 6% the last day of the semester. Tests are all online. Not too much homework. Lecture Heavy. If you HAVE TO take Deb, get a tutor day 1.
I dont recommend having Simon as your professor. She reads off a PowerPoint, minimal explanations and it drives you to sleep. She does in class questions, even if you missed a few away from receiving a 100%, she gives no room to fix it. My grade went from a 90 to a low B right before finals! It was pointless and you learn nothing, frustrating 100%
Comprehensive Guide to taking Debs class: Dont
This class is horrible to take, wish I would've taken it at a community college. If you have to take BIO120, take it with another professor! The lectures are horrible and she doesn't explain anything ever. When I tried contacting her about my grades she told me to go read the syllabus instead of just helping me.
I think that overall the class was extremely easy and there was even opportunities for extra credit. The only issue is that the class itself was heavily focused on notetaking.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. I think she doesn't realize that we are mostly freshmen, not PhD students. Her class is too hard and confusing without reason. She has notes she writes on a white board, and I honestly dont think she reviews them; she absolutely just pulls them out of her head on the spot. She literally rephrases the same thing repeatedly
Prof. Simon was very helpful. She can come off as intimidating or rude but she cares about your education and will happily help if you ask a question or need extra explaining. The lecture is mandatory, missing one means you miss out on a lot of useful notes. Be prepared to take lots of notes and do not forget to do the online homework Great Prof
Professor Simon was a very caring professor and was very understanding. However, her class is very heavy on note taking and that was really all we did. I would be forced to teach myself the content on my own outside of class because I was trying to keep up with her notes in class. However, she offered lots of extra credit to boost people's grades.
Easy professor. You take notes for the whole 50 min every time. Exams were online, open note, outside of class, and given the whole weekend to take them. In class activities, but she gives full points as long as you do it. You don't learn much, but I'd recommend Deb for an easy A.
This was a pretty easy course if you make sure to study. Deb is always willing to answer questions. On chapter activity days sometimes we got to leave early. Exams are online open throughout the weekend. Only downside is that sometimes during lecture she would sound kind of condescending.
do not take
Deb was not my favorite professor. Her lectures used large vocabulary that made it difficult to understand, didn't rephrase anything to make sense or put it into real-life scenarios to make sense of it and her tests were difficult. I wouldn't want the stress of managing her as a professor again. She was nice and helpful but her class was difficult.
DO NOT TAKE BIO120 WITH HER!!! This class has been one of the hardest classes I have ever taken. You take notes the whole time that do not relate to her exams. The exams are super hard and confusing. You will spend hours trying to teach yourself the material because she flies through slides. If you have her, I would recommend getting a tutor!!
DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR. Terrible professor! I have all A's in my classes but was holding onto my B by a thread and was constantly stressed about her exams. Just reads off her PowerPoint and does not offer help. Hank Green taught me more about biology than anything she lectured on the entire semester. Change professors before it's too late!!!
Lecture attendance is mandatory, and the entire lecture will be spent taking notes. All exams are in person and extremely detail oriented. You will have to spend a significant amount of time outside of class teaching yourself the material if you want to do well on the exams. She does not answer questions effectively, and does not give extra credit.
Do not take a class with Deb Simon. The lectures were VERY note heavy, which is no problem. But, nothing was ever explained. She will also throw a few things on the test that were never in the notes or reviewed in class. Attendance is mandatory.
You need to learn the content on your own, due to lectures not being informational. When taking exams, they are worded hard, and random content not learned can be thrown at you. A kid asked her a question once and she responded to look it up on youtube because she didn't know the answer. All around one of my worst experiences with a professor.
By far the most difficult professor I've had. She purposely tricks you on exams and is very condescending during lectures. The sole reason I passed with an A was because I spent hours learning it in my own time. The lectures I could handle, but again, the exams were intended to fail you and I'm not exaggerating
Professor Simon knows what she's talking about in regards to Biology. I just feel the class is not set up for student success. Long wordy lectures, exams that are misleading, offer very few extra credit opportunities, very smart lady but be prepared to put in a lot of out of class time doe studying.
The lecture notes RARELY covered what was on the exams. I had to retake an exam in essay format, and she awarded me 7 points out of 32. My significant other is a Biology instructor for High School AP Biology, and he is shocked by how misleading her content and grading scale were being presented throughout the semester. She sets you up to fail
do not take!!! she seems like a caring lady but she uses very long and confusing words to try to describe things, without actually teaching the info. it seems like she is tricking you on the exams, you use all your brain power to try to just understand what she is asking. dont take unless all you want is to stress about her class 24/7
DO NOT TAKE DEB SIMON. I have never had such an uncaring professor. Attendance is mandatory. She lectures all class but you still have to spend hours out of class learning material. Her exams are purposely written to trick you. She clearly does not care about student success, not to mention there is very few extra credit opportunities given.
She is definitely a typical "college professor" of lectures and tests. She is such a sweet person outside of teaching. If you attend her office hours, get to know her, and ask her questions after exams you will succeed.
She's an average college professor. Attendance isn't graded but lectures are where a lot of her test questions come from. She doesn't really get to know students, but is happy to ask questions. Tests and the final are online, which means you can use your notes if you choose. There is a textbook, but you don't need it to pass the class.
While the professor knows her stuff, the class is a real challenge. Lectures can be confusing, and exams are purposefully tricky. But with dedication and tools like unstuckstudy ai, you can succeed. Attendance is a must, so be prepared to put in the work.
DO NOT TAKE!!! I spent 12 hours one week studying for the exam to get a C on it. The amount of work I do outside of class to understand the topic is outrageous and the lectures are pointless because it makes the topic more confusing but you can't skip lectures cus they are mandatory and have random assignments for pts she only hands out in class.
She doesn't really explain things, just reads it off a PowerPoint which you then take extremely fast paced notes on. Just not really the professor you'd want for this class.
I don't recommend Deborah. We had about 6-8 article assignments and if you forgot to do 1, she gave you a 0 for every single one of them. Mind you, these articles take forever to read and write about. I spent so much time on 7 of them and she chose the one I didn't do to grade as all of them...
The material covered in class is covered very quick and is very heavy on information needed for the exams. She uses big words that lead to confusion within most topics. During class she hands out assignments to do with peers, if not present she marks you with a 0. I would not choose to take her if you want to get something out of the class.
When I tell you I got an A- in this class purely out of spite... she will not slow down for even a second so don't bother asking. Material on tests, notes, powerpoints, textbook, and hw is different. Don't even bother studying for tests just google the answers. The less I cared the higher my grade got... didn't even go to class the last 2 months.
I would not recommend taking this class due to her reading off a PowerPoint while using confusing words and terms. But she does make you do group activities, which were about topics we hadn't talked about. She is very lecture heavy if you miss a class you will be confused!! Even though I passed I had to get a lot of help from tutoring.
Professor Simon would not be my first choice when it comes to bio profs. The tests are all online but if you try not to use any notes, I think you'd likely fail. Questions are worded in odd ways and centered around minute details as opposed to general topics. You could understand the concepts and fail. She goes quickly and notes must be detailed!
Don't take her for lecture, if you miss one writing summary you're given a zero.
She is not very nice, and get ready because she had 3 of her testes online and then for the last two she surprises you and say now they are on person which is completely unfair. Does not prepare you for those tests at all you get very little time and tests are confusing.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
72%
Textbook Required
46%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
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