3.0
Quality3.4
Difficulty45%
Would Retake122
Reviews45%
Would Retake
122
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
35
4
16
3
28
2
15
1
28
What Students Say
“Not approachable at all”
113 - 1.0 rating“He does not understand the life of students at times”
BIO113 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
39%
Textbook Required
62%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.21 avg changeRatings by Course
PLANTFF
5.0
(1)BIO
5.0
(2)PRINCIPLESII
5.0
(3)BIOII
5.0
(1)BIOLII
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PRIN113
5.0
BIOL100
5.0
BIO1
5.0
BIOBIO
5.0
BIOECOL
5.0
Reviews (122)
not a good teacher for principles of bio. he needs to stick to botany..b'cuz all he talks about is plants. can be a difficult teacher if u dont study 4 his exams...but u can take him if u dont mind learnin about plants all semester
Quite possibly the worst biology teacher I ever had. Has the hots for plants, doesn't care to help you unless you have size C cups or above, and has no sense of humor.
COME ON -- DAVID SPADE, SAY WHAT?:) NICE SCOOTER TOO!
GOOD GUY! always there for his students, and fair exams, and an objective grader. Boring, yes, but how exciting are plants?
HAHA he does look like David Spade! He's an awesome professor.. very mellow and down to earth. A little slow when you ask him to help with something, but always around in science hall to help out.
dr v was a great teacher, he's an easy grader and is always there if u need extra help. he'll tell you what is goin to be on the exam his exam are easy if u study, take his class. he love plants. so talk to him about any plants and he'll love you
he is not as good when it comes to teach principles of bio two, but come on give him a break it's his first time teaching this class, that's why he's so easy. his test are fair, good grader, always available for you, tell you what's going to be on the tes
DR. V is alright. he's not horrible and knows his material most of the time. His exams are fine. but he does LOVE plants....
this guy is doesn't know anything. All he knows is plants.Test are very hard. DON'T TAKE FOR UR FIRST BIO CLASS. HE WILL KILL UR INTEREST.
V hot very good teacher. take this class
he is a very good teacher. His tests are not hard if you study, after all this is college. He is fair with his grading, his test are very straight forward, you would have to be as dumb as a box of rocks to fail his class I would take him again for sure.
His requirements are completely unclear. He is a subjective grader and he's fairly boring.
I took him for principles of 2. He's a pretty cool guy, he really cares about his students and if you get on his good side, he'll take care of you. You really have to study for his test in order to pass them!
I took him for principles 2....tests are very simple...if you just pay attention in class its very easy.
I had Dr. Van for plant form. He was ok, but he would frequently write an entire board full of notes, then say forget that, and write about something else. That said, I think he had a sick relative at the time (1998) so it's understandable. He's a fair grader. Do your work,study and you'll be ok.
OMG HE IS THE BORING CREATURE TO EVER WALK ON EARTH BUT LET ME GIVE HIM SOME BROWNIE POINTS I MEAN HE DOES PUT THE NOTES ON BLACKBOARD FOR YOU SO SKIP HIS CLASS ALWAYS. UMMM DONT TAKE HIS CLASS BUT MAY I SAY HIS TIGHT JEANS AND BALD HEAD MAKE HIM A VERY HOT TEACHER... EEEEEK WAIT ERASE THAT
His class was fairly boring, most students fell asleep halfway into it. He is a nice guy and helps you when you need it. He lets you make up missed exams during the finals period instead of other Bio professors that give you the finger. I would definitely take him again.
how do say it....o yea....BORING!!!!!...monotone, easy to fall sleep in his class..other than that he is a good teacher, his tests are simple but sometimes hard. Study very hard,he is a botanist so expect alot of plant lingo...LOL
Please avoid his class!! His class is extremely boring and doesn't show interest in what he's saying himself. Dr. Vanderklein should has no business teaching he should stick to plants.
this class can be a little bit boring. He never required lab reports required & if you study his power point notes from blackboard- you can do amazing. I got a 4.0- it can be done with ease.
He is very knowlegeable and if you are a serious student you can learn a great deal from his class. Intelligent people are never bored. Think twice before you take this class because it is painful for morons.
Most of the time lectures were boring. Labs were even worse. If you take him on Saturday don't expect him to be on time. You can get a good grade if you just study the notes.
great prof. its bio, its not gonna be easy if u dont take notes or read. he really helps when u need it. his exams arent too hard. pay attention to little thigns that are not in the book that he'll get from news articles. he likes to put that stuff on tests. he knows his bio. he is interesting contrary to what most people say. take him again anyday
Very Very average prof. The only part of the course that he knows is plants. The rest he reads off the slides.
No Comments
He is different. The class isnt hard and he is very fair in grading. Contrary to the belief that you only need the slides, what he says in class is far more important. The cricket project will consume most of your time and semester plus cause a lot of stress. He is worth taking because you will learn a lot. Be prepaired to work!
People say his lectures are boring. Show me one single class that is NOT boring!!! You must go to his lectures if you are expecting a good grade. Afterall, he is very fair.
He's an awesome teacher, that I must say teaches very well.. plus his son is nice too..
horrible
One of the clearest and most knowledgeable professors I've had.The outcome of your grade is a reflection on how much effort you put on his class.If you pay attention to all his lectures, you will do well. If you're lazy, consider a less demanding major.An A is not impossible, but you have to work for it. You'll walk away with a wealth of knowledge.
He's awesome, tests are easy if you pay attention and follow his notes, also if you just follow his syllabus you'll be fine.
I love him, he is a great professor, very clear, patient, amazing. He is just great.
dont take this guy, he's soo boring and he's so heartless. he thinks his class is the only one students are taking. u need to study a lot for his tests. i hate him
DONT EVEN TAKE HIM!!! THIS GUY IS WEIRD AND HIS TEST STINKS. HE DOESNT CARE IF U GUYS FAIL, AND HE WILL PUT U TO SLEEP IN CLASS. WHAT WAS I THINKING TAKING THIS CLASS. HE MAY BE GOOD AT BIO 113 BUT NOT BIO 100, TRUST ME, TAKE A BETTER PROF
these ratings for bio 100 are correct! dont take this professor, avoid him as much as u can. he obviously doesnt give a damn about his students. he couldnt care less if the whole class fails. he shouldnt even be a professor. its basic bio and he gives all these crappy info to memorize. doesnt even give u a proper review for the exam. DONT TAKE HIM
This is definitely a prof you want to avoid. He doesn't curve any tests, no retakes, and no easy tests. He can be very rude and cold at times. Honestly, I don't think anyone likes him in class. His class will put anyone to sleep and that's probably the reason why people don't do well on his tests. Also, he can't teach either. Horrible prof.
This is his first time teaching Bio 100 class and he's doing a terrible job. Many people studied for his test and still failed. So you still wanna take him? My answer would be HELL NO.
i took him for principles 2 and ecology. he's not hard. he is intimidating when doing presentations though. the tests weren't hard if you come to lecture because he explains in more detail what's on the powerpoint slides. but what can i say, the dude loves plants! i'd take him again.
the person that made the comment before mustve been his teacher pet or something or maybe he paid him/her to write that. He is difficult and most ppl are failing class. Attendance is not mandatory but he is hard as hell and he's reallu rude and MEAN.
heS boring, he has made himself yawn during CLASS. hIS RATING IS TOO HIGH. he gives hard tests, with no reveiw and is dispondent and mean at times. he can be nice but i can see that he CHOOSES not to this teachers need to relax and be SUPPORTIVE,YOU POOR KIDS HAVE NO IDEA HOW ABUSIVE THESE TEACHERS ARE. MY FRMR SCHOOL CARES THIS SCHOOL DOESNT CARE.
he is by far the worst professor i have ever had in my life. the whole class was failing the exams and he wouldnt cuve. everyone had an A average in lab but an F average in lecture. His personality is cold, HEARTLESS, and just plain nasty. He doesnt care if you pass or fail all he cares about is getting a paycheck. STAY FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE... :(
No Comments
THIS IS THE WORST PROF EVER....NO ONE LIKED HIM, HE WAS MEAN, RUDE, AND JUST CRUEL. I CANT BELIEVE THEY MADE HIM A PROFESSOR. WHO HIRED THIS DUDE ANYWAY? HE'S AN INSULT TO ALL PROFESSORS
No Comments
He is really nice and clear of what he wants,he knows his stuff and i took him for summer session I almost die but after 4 weeks I was so happy to have him as a professor.Give defenitions for exams that will help you and he is all about the notes!GREAT PROF!if you are scared to study bc your brain would start working for once, he is not for u!
this is going to sound mean, but w/e. i dont go to montclair, but i took this class in the summer. i guess to montclair standards, he's hard. to other school standards, he's really not that bad. yea, you havta study. welcome to college kids. i had fun finding the minimum i could put into something and still get a 100. not that bad. just study=]
This man could care less. Rude and very disrespectful. Treats people like they are beneath him. Reads directly off slides, not expertise in teaching. Learned absolutely nothing other than draw pictures. If you like to be downgraded and talked down to go for it. Answer a voluntarily question wrong and be humiliated in front of everyone.
No Comments
i can't believe this guy is still teaching.
Dr. Vanderklein is the man!!! he knows his stuff...he can get boring at times...but he's really cool and funny though... his tests are hard because you gotta do a lot of writing...if you gotta take any ecology class... take it with him... it's not that bad and he tries to make fun and understandable...
god bless him!! i got a A- which i did NOT think i would get. his test are pretty simple, mostly essay questions. he puts the slides he teaches in class on blackboard so failing his class is mostly your own fault. he's semi helpful but knew what he was talkin about. so print those slides and show up to a couple classes and u will b alrite
very good professor, show up to class, take notes and you will definitely get a good grade. Just make sure you pay attention because he is sometimes very boring.
BAd professor..stay AWAY FROM HIM. Trust me.. If you want to get a good grade then stay away from him. Take someone else...He's not worth it.
Man, I love Dr. V. Great guy and great professor. Before his class, I didnt care about plants AT ALL, nor did I find them interesting, but he definitely gave me another perspective. I sat all the way in the back at the top tables and yet I still felt apart of his class. The work was good, tests were ok. I even enjoyed my lab too! I liked it alot
Well he's a nice guy in class. I got good grades in his class. He's really lenient in grading. But his tests are peculiar. It's kind of a game, once u learn the rules its easy. He also respond to comments u make on tests which i think is super cool :). I got nothing shorts of A's in all of his tests Dony study alone. Do study groups.
I thought the class was pretty good. He made me understand some concepts that i didn't understand prior to taking this course. At times it got a little boring, but overall i think he's a good professor
Awesome professor. He is really good. You learns. Tests are easy if you study. Very clear. YOu learn a lot. Take him if you can because he is good for seminar in bio.
Go to class and take notes. Attendance is not mandatory but will help you. He gives a review sheet with a lot of questions, and test questions come from that. if you know the review sheet, you will do well on the tests.
Do yourself a HUGE favor and don't take this class. He give all essay exams and despite the fact that the essays are from the review sheet, the review sheet contains about 20 topics to understand. I have never and I MEAN EVER have gotten a F in a class in my life and I am failing this class. Take someone else and don't listen to anyone else.
Well his class are ok but...he is not dat good in teaching he gives u less than a quarter of an inch and expects u to take a thousand miles... Take him if u want to work your ass out..luckily for me I passed his class
great teacher
Way too demanding for ecology!
Dr. Vanderklein needs to work on his attitude towards people and should be be dealt with by his superiors and observed. Kind of boring and monontone. Take all the notes in lecture, and he is pretty good at lecturing and giving you all the material.
DO NOT TAKE HIM!!! his tests are really hard they all are open question and nothing is memorizing. and have to do a lot of concept maps on tests and labs. Don't take him.
Best teacher. Had for Bio 2 in summer. Explains material very well and easy to talk to. Tests aren't horrible. You just have to pay attention in class.Don't skip class. He doesnt take attendance but you learn a lot from lecture
He was kinda asking too much for a new student seminar class alot of work and papers but he gave us make ups if we missed something
Dr. Vanderklein is a tough professor but he is very helpful if you come during office hours. The classes are very informative and you will definitely learn something..... and he's cute ;)
He is defenetly hard peofessor,but if you ask him for help he is very nice,he will help you to have a better idea on how to study for his tests.I recived F in my first exam which i couldnt belive.I never had an F in my life,but after i spok to him i felt much better in how he explained to me what to do to get better grade!so hopfully i pass.
i wrote the previous post,i passed with C+.DR.V was very tough in the first test, but in the second and third he give review sheet and 10 extra point for each exam.If you ask him for help he is very helpful,he will try to make everything clear.I hated this class in the beginning,but now i have to admit that i learned a lot and i loved it so much.
Worst professor at MSU If he is the only option wait until next semester
He is a good guy, explains well requires a billion and one things from his students. That's not the problem the problem is he puts people into groups and give assisnments that are due the following week where people cannot always meet. So much work for intro to ecology class and his attitude is pretty bad. Try to take different professor.
Dr. Vanderklein isn't terrible but he is EXTREMELY demanding and fickle with class work and exams. He teaches well and you will learn A LOT. But like I mentioned earlier, he is hard to please with exam answers. He will take off points if he simply does not like what you wrote or if you don't phrase things the way he taught it in class lol.
Definitely not taking one of his classes again. He expects you to write specific things on his exams, which are only like 5 problems but require long paragraphs. He also requires A LOT of group work!
Take him if you like working with concepts, want maximum learning and demand a lot in general. Very helpful and approachable.
he is so harsh on grading test he wants certain writing on exams his review are given a week before exam but he gives you like 55 vocabulary words and 15 questions its a whole lot of work and he does not have a review day. if you don't memorize the way he wants you to write it don't take his class extremely hard grader.
Not approachable at all. I was nothin, but nice when asking questions, and he was completely rude, and shut me off. Not to mention that he doesn't think before he speaks. First impression with him was absolutely horrendous. Will never consider him as an option.
You will learn a lot from his class. He requires a lot of work (especially the labs) but, in the end, you will appreciate it because it will help you learn. I thought his lectures were very interesting and engaging. If you are looking for an easy A professor, do not take him, but if you really want to learn about ecology.
You have to read journal articles every week as hw and discuss in class. His exams are take home open-ended essays. I used to record his lecture and add whatever he said in class on my exams, but he would put ? on them. So I stopped recording and just research for the answers through articles. Textbook is needed for the take home exams.
The tests are very similar to the review. It's best to record the lecture and go over it because he gives all the answers, if not, the answers are in the Simutext. He's funny and keeps the class engaged. He's looking for a specific answer in the tests (his answer). The best way to pass is to build a good study group & discuss the review questions.
I hate his class. it is literally torture!!! He assigns so much work and assumes no one has a life outside of his class. The worst professor at montclair
He does not understand the life of students at times. Doesn't give extensions to students with special needs w/o reason. Talks too much and too fast. Has very little office hours and makes you learn more on your own. If you don't like plants you won't like him because he talks about plants a lot. Put questions on test not covered in lecture.
Vanderklein is one TOUGH grader and that may be an understatement, he grades test based on his opinion of the topic, if it doesn't match how he would answer he will mark it wrong. For lab, its not really a lab most of the time, u write many papers, they are assigned basically every week. HIs tests reviews are confusing, too much info he doesnt use.
he is horrible i honestly dont know how he even has one good rating. i barely passed the class. and failed all the tests. bio lab saved me and the discussions which he was strict about and didnt give proper directions until the third discussion. i recommend that you use sources and explain throughly to get the full ten points they will save you.
Make yourself a favor and don't take him. Tough grader and really hard. The test were easy but if you don't answer the question like he wants then you won't have it right. He is very unorganized. In a couple of labs there was no homework according to him, but then in the middle of the week he would send an email saying there was homework.
Lectures, lectures and more lectures. Not a very nice guy. If you have the book you don't need to go to class. Lab was very difficult with 7 page lab reports due every week. Made his lecture classes seem like a piece of cake. But again, really nasty guy
Do not take him. Opt for anyone else. He is vague, disorganized, moody and rarely gives an A. Exams are only open ended and very difficult. A lot of busy work and homework. None of the work helps. Just don't do this to yourself.
Horrible.
Too much to do. Bad at explaining material. Very particular about what he wants on exams. Lots of busy work, too stressful. Hard to get an A.
He's incredibly tough and overloads students with assignments. hardest thing ever. an A is very difficult, he doesn't explain things well, very unapproachable.
Definitely don't recommend taking him if you have a life. One week alone there were 8 assignments due. Work load is ridiculous and exams are only essays. Hardest class I took in a very long time.
Is he a difficult professor? Yes. One of my hardest classes? Yes. He's enthusiastic about Ecology and he's humorous, I did not get the greatest exam grades but worked hard in lab, did extra credit assignments, went to his office hours when I had questions before the exam, and Dr. V was extremely helpful. Basically, show him effort.
Unfortunately if you're like me, you just wanna take your pre-reqs and get into Med school but get stuck with this required ECO class & it sucks Dr.V seems passionate but test like 6-7 questions open ended study guides are 30 questions and you DONT know what ?s r on the test group projects labs are outside in the dirt, presentation @ end
His exams are 100% based on this study guides. You must UNDERSTAND the study guide. His study guide questions basically narrow down to 10 different subjects. THOSE SUBJECTS ARE THE EXAM QUESTIONS!!! It's true there is a lot of work, but if your a responsible student who does not procrastinate much then its no big deal. Do ur part and youll be fine
DO THE SIMUTEXT ON TIME! It may make or break you. Definitely be in class for lectures bc lectures slides have no notes so they are not the best study guide. Create an editable google doc study guide for whole class for the exams and you won't do too bad.
Hes a great teacher. Doesnt give a lot of homework. Only online discussions that are due every week on canvas.I would say his test are no joke. He gives a study guide full of 40+ questions and terms to know but the exam is only 9-10 questions that are OPEN ENDED. If you know your stuff youll pass. If not then youre failing that test.
If you're not interested in botany, don't take him. Instructions are unclear, doesn't give out rubrics. All tests are open ended. He doesn't seem to care about the accuracy of his lectures besides the info on plants. The lab work is 4th grade level at best (measuring bean plants the full semester) I almost dropped but had to stay for the credits
lots of homework and projects.
Not the best professor. The exam reviews are unnecessarily long (40 questions or more!) and their open response. If you want to pass just do the whole review AND the definitions. It seems like a lot (and it is) but it does help.
Great Professor. I took him over the summer for 213. He is a caring person and wants to see his students pass. You just have to put in the effort to study and go over the review questions. Pay attention and take notes and you should be fine.
I honestly never wrote a review about any professor, but this one is the best! He teaches science and he incorporates with our daily life which makes going to lecture very enjoyable, not just a boring one that you feel forced to sit down to only end up slipping on the bench. Do the review sheet before the exam, and do hw on time!
Dr. Vanderklein is very knowledgable and passionate about plants (especially trees) so focuses on that a lot in class. At the beginning of the semester, attendance was taken in lecture. One hw assignment a week for lecture. Exams are long, open ended, some info was only said in lecture. LOTS of lab work and lab homework attached to the course.
Only grades in the class were 4 exams and lab. All exams were open-ended BUT he does give a study guide with 20-30 questions, and the questions on the exam are guaranteed to be straight from the study guide, so fill it out. Nice guy, boring lectures, o extra credit.
Very rude and unprofessional.. avoid at all costs
Dr. Vanderklein he is a nice guy but he is unapproachable at times. He makes you work for the grade but what bio class dosen't. He is a solid guy but has some quirks about him that you have to learn to go with. Overall a nice guy but just tough as a professor.
Tough class, He has a slightly scary quietness and stare but overall not a bad professor
Amazing professor! As a teacher, he pushed my writing, thinking, & deductive abilities. He isn't easy, but neither is Bio. As the Chair of the department, he has also helped me get into other classes & waived requirements. Push yourself; he will notice & reward you. Learn to speak like a Biologist, it'll help you understand & communicate in class.
awful, never organized and everyone was pretty much confused as to what he wanted from us. lectures are boring and long, no good feedback, had to pay like 90 ish dollars to be able to do some online hw that is never anything close to what he tests us on. just a messy and confusing class
He is such a nice guy! I was very interesting in almost every lecture he gave. He gave a clear message on what we should be focusing our studying on. The tests were open ended so you got the chance to explain your answer. He gave pretty long homework assignments. There was only 3 exams, no final.
Professor Vanderklein is a gem, and he is very funny although most of my lecture didn't laugh at his jokes. He clearly is passionate about his study and his love of plants especially. There are three tests throughout the semester and he gives out the study guide before hand so its pretty easy to study. However, he isn't clear at all on the feedback
Loved him, he was understanding and only had 1 test in one semester. Almost everyone got an A on the test. Would take it again.
Never gave extra credit, expects long answers for questions but even after answering the question still takes points off.
Great professor - only one test, most got A's. Loved the class, would take it again. unstuck ai helped with study prep too.
CSAM 101- easy class, he cares about students. Lectures can get a little boring but overall interesting topics and he know how to teach them
Good guy, he knows a lot about what he teaches and hes really smart. Show up to lecture (even though its not mandatory) and take notes. I liked his class the only problem is hes a very complex grader when it comes to exams. You have to explain yourself well, and all 3 exams are open ended, no multiple choice. Lab was fun, had to write papers tho.
Professor Vanderklein is a good but hard teacher. He has 3 exams with one of them being a final. All the questions are open ended so make sure you study and know the material. He posts a study guide for them too so make sure to fill that out correctly. The class itself is challenging but you can always visit him during office hours for questions.
In all honesty the lectures were interesting to hear and learn about. I would just say that the exams are what will kill your grade. The exams are open note but if you lack a good amount of detail you can get 5 points deducted off a 10 point question. His grading style is on the harder side to please but lab was very fun. Make sure you study!
The tests were all open-ended. He provided a study guide, but those were usually more than 30 questions, and the tests were only around 8 or 10. You had to guess what you were going to have on the test. Harsh grader, too, he wants you to read his mind. Never taking him ever.
AMAZING PROFESSOR!!! Genuinely cares about what he's teaching, if you wanna learn, take him. Very smart guy whose lectures are engaging. Just be ready to study since his tests are open-ended questions. But the guide he provides is amazing, so it's not too hard to study.
3 exams all open ended, provides study guide with questions similar to exam but its like 40-50 questions while exam has like 10 questions. If you actually want to understand biology take him ig. He's a nice little lad but class is hard so be aware. The lab has a lot of homework, but the lab instructor usually lets you leave early.
Essay. Exams. Study guides were very broad information-wise it almost felt useless. Usually only one or two specific questions actually made it to the exam. Lectures are extremely boring, he sounds very dry and disinterested. Regretted every second of this class. Don't take him for Biology.
This class is overly hard! He's such a a harsh grader. I do not recommend taking this class.
Tough grader but gives study guide, 3 exams, the questions on the exams are the same questions that are in the study guide. he tells you what to expect. You can tell he is very interested in the subject and passionate, very nice lecturer.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
39%
Textbook Required
62%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.21 avg changeRatings by Course
PLANTFF
5.0
(1)BIO
5.0
(2)PRINCIPLESII
5.0
(3)BIOII
5.0
(1)BIOLII
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PRIN113
5.0
BIOL100
5.0
BIO1
5.0
BIOBIO
5.0
BIOECOL
5.0