2.7
Quality3.7
Difficulty20%
Would Retake107
Reviews20%
Would Retake
107
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
15
4
19
3
29
2
23
1
21
What Students Say
“the struggle is real on this one”
BIOL1116 - 1.0 rating“Donald is a very UNORGANIZED instructor”
BIOLOGY1116 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
67%
Textbook Required
79%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.01 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOL
4.3
(3)BIOBIO
4.0
(1)BIO1215
4.0
(1)BIO1218
4.0
(1)BIO1115
3.1
(51)Difficulty by Course
PATHO227
5.0
BIOLOGY1115
5.0
INTROTOBIO
5.0
1115
4.3
BIO1116
4.1
Reviews (107)
nice and funny instructor
Very nice funny man, but trying to hard to be funny rather than teaching clearly
he can not teach. bad notes and handwriting
He sucks. Can't read his notes. Expects you to know things he didn't even teach, or specify. You never get quizzes back, even if you need 2 study from them. Doesn't teach, just talks too much.
his notes suck. not clear enough and hard to read sometimes. goes way too fast. goes way off topic often. he shows up 15 mins late for every single class and answers his cell phone during class and wastes our time.
Very unorganised but nows the lecture materials, if you want to rely on notes, don't take him, but if you are a type of guy who learns more than necessary, you are well in for an A....... take him.... his classes are fun too
Very unclear and not fair at all. Sometimes he takes a week to finish a small chapter, and sometimes he covers an important long chapter in 55 minutes with his power point handouts. He is not serious about his job.
He is a really nice guy, but his class is really hard. I think this class is hard no matter who you take though! I am an A student but I will probably get a C in his class. Expect a lot of work!!
Very fun and interesting teacher, but tough. He is quite demanding, but lets you know in advance most of what will be tested. It's up to you to know the material. He flies through note-taking and has messy notes, tonnes of notes too. Loves the Simpsons
Basically he sucks!!!!! notes are unclear... mumbled too much... trying too hard to be funny but his tests are easy if u study... don't take his class.. i felt that i studied from the book instead of gaining anything from him
No Comments
Very nice at first but gets a little testy when questioned about marking. He tells you exactly what's on the test, memorize his notes & you'll get 100%, don't need the text much because it's mostly from his notes, quizzes are good prep.
No Comments
He is a nice instructor. His test is really easy if you study his notes. 98% of the test material come from his notes. He is excellent except that he mumbles and his bad writing which makes everybody in the class frown.
This is my fourth term at langara, I had a number of teachers, seriously this one is the WORST. At the beginning he teaches one chapter in a week to ten day, towards the end, he teaches a chapter a day.
i ended up with a (B-). his notes are quite bad, very messy, hard to read, better sit in front. his tests aren't that hard. just make sure to listen in class. he also gives out a few hints ahead of time, such as test questions etc.
He is very friendly and approachable. Exams are hard; however, they are based on his notes and he does tell what is on the exams. I found him to be very knowledgeable and helpful.
What a terrible time having him as my biology teacher!!! Not helpful at all. His lectures are awful and materials are out-of-date and useless.
He is Hilarious, but tends to rush through subject material and doesn't explain things very well. He assumes it is all review, when in reality it is new material form many of us, particularly the ones w/o a chemistry background.
Awesome instructor. gets bored easily. tells you exactly what will be on his tests including the format. Multiple choice questions are the only tricky part. goes off on tangents talking about non biology stuff. has habit of being half hour late for class
Arts students beware! Basically go to class, take notes, memorize notes word for word and you're good to go. Not a helpful teacher, but entertaining in class.
Read the textbook and keep up during lectures and you should be okay. Instead of complaining that the course is hard find someone who is doing well and study with them. You do need to read lots and memorize memorize memorize.
ok, course is hard-Memorize. Don is always late. Doesn't break. Doesn't like being challenged and reacts with VERY unprofessional behavior. In class he yelled at me that I was wasting his time, turned and walked off. I was not impressed.
He is the best teacher!!! Highly recommend!!!
Nice man but not a good prof. The second MT had paragraph long questions and the class was dissapointed because his test clues were misleading. Hopefully he will improve one day but if your a first year student, I'd say don't even botherjust keep away.
study diagrams like made and terms
He spends more time being amusing than teaching the class. When he is trying to teach, he slows down the pace so much to get across the simplest things, and then expects you to know the harder stuff he's talking about. At least he tells us the exact breakdown of how he marks the midterm. The best part is not having a cumulative final.
Nice guy, but always 10-15 min late..what am I paying for? At 15min/class that's 13hrs/semester. Rushes through overhead notes as if it's all review. Printed notes have random blanks to fill in (distracting) Good marks for diagrams. Seems to have lost the passion for his job. Right, left, right, right, right....that's what I got out of his class.
Hand-writing is too messy...cant read anything off his board. and yes..flies through everything too fast....cant learn anything from him basically...maybe thatz his style...but first year student better leave him alone
He is one of the worst teachers I have ever seem in Langara.I am sick of him.
I like the way he teaches. He is very clear about what he expects and what the required information is. There is a lot of information in this course, and he does everything he can to let the class know what the relevant material is.
I didn't find his teaching methods very effective. He gives you a booklet of notes with blank spaces for words. Then he uses the overhead to go over the booklet. Class gets very boring. His writing is very messy. His tests are extremely hard. You have to know everything inside out. I would not take this teacher again.
He is a hilarious teacher with sick humour that makes it very interesting to go to his class. His tests are damn hard but all from handouts. definition questions (2 marks each), diagrams that you have to draw from scratch ranging from 5-12 marks each, and bloody difficult multiple choice. You need to study your ass off to do well in his course.
i argued with him a couple of times and he was so stubborn!
i think he's pissed off about his name. he's funny but gives really hard exams. his classes consist of filling in blanks from powerpoint and he acts as if the lessons are review. THEY'RE NOT!!! some help would be nice. be prepared to teach yourself.
BORRINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
prepare to study your behind off! this guy is hard and he doesn't really prepare you for his midterms at all. he knows what he's talking about but he's very unorganized and usually late for classes, therefore he'll speed through alot of the lectures and leave your head spinning. if you take him good luck cause you'll need it!
only take this class from don if you really like science. His lectures were loooong, and had to follow, and his midterms were very hard. He does try to prepare u for his tests, so listen and dont underestimate what he says.
The best prof ever.Soo nice.Does ANY THING possible to make a hard course easy 4 U & makes U ready 4 exams.Just read notes(don't miss any point)u'll be fine.pay attention to hints he gives.If U make him believes U got material he won't be picky about Ur mistakes .Incredible personality.I REALLY enjoyed class& LOVE HIM.I got A+."HIGHLY recommended"
don is tough but at least he's not dry...go to class and pay attention - he telegraphs everything he will test you on...the trick to doing well: memorise EVERYTHING
Donald is a good teacher, he preps you very well for tests because he tells you what EXACTLY is on the tests. One thing to keep in mind to new students is that he LIES and he tells us that in the beginning too. So if he says don't read your textbook/ no need to prep for class...Read your textbook/prep for class.
believe me guys, this guy is tough. sure his first exam is easy but you just wait-he gets alot harder. it's not that biology is difficult or hard to understand-it's not, but he makes it more difficult then it is (and his exams are tortue).he's a nice guy but not a good teacher.take someone else when you make to 1215.
If you want a prof. w/ good notes and can teach well. Look somewhere else. Fill in the Blank notes. Always Late (once, he never showed up. The class just sat there). Exams, first page = vocab 2 marks each, mc questions, diagram questions 10-15marks each. Goes off topic sometimes. LIES (jokes) alot. Boring. Hard exam?
he's a terrible teacher. besides the fact that he shows up late all the time whcih we are paying for the course, his notes are not helpful and teh class is so boring..he goes off topic all the time and ends up falling behind with the notes. it's been 2 months, and class attedance has gone down to like 13 people becuase he sucks so much
Don is a great teacher, and a really good guy. If you want to continue in biology, he is a great teacher to start with, as he really makes you memorize everything.
He's a nice guy. likes to use humor in his classes. Yeah he's late all the time but his office is far. His writing is horrible, but hes nice about it. Never tease his art or he'll get mad. Hes really friendly and a fair marker. Has cool "bonus questions" like "Why do I give bonus questions?" but ya our class went from 40 ppl to about 15.
I tookk this class 15 years ago! i dont belive he is still here.He hates women.. his wife is a nurse.. and he failed 75 % of his class at the time. I cant belive he was kept on..Power to union.. proof union work.. cuz he sucks
He's a really nice guy who likes to joke a lot. Yea he's ALWAYS late and goes off topic a lot, but I still recommend him to others. Just pay attention (as with all classes) and you should do well. He now tests us on the videos we watch with ridiculous questions!!
recommend! wish he was teaching 1215! hes such a nice and funny guy, and helpful too. he tells you what to expect for the tests, they're not that hard if you study and know your stuff..they're based on his notes you print off of powerpoint
he has alot of notes for each unit which you have to print out. study everything 2 weeks ahead otherwise there is jus too much info on the notes. If you know general biology then you should be able to answer his essay question....jus make up stuff and he will give you marks
First thing Don says, "Half of you will fail this course." He gets students to mark exams, we're here for education, not to bribe friends to mark in our favour! He's never on time. Have to endure his jokes. Have to watch him perform circus acts in class. Asks irrelevant questions in exams eg. star war, TV questions.
Ok I'm not going to be mean, but If you are a first year student DO NOT take Donald. You will be better off picking any other teacher. He is late for every class and his teaching style is not up to date. So save yourself some slack and take another teacher . :-)
Donald is always late....ALWAYS. Forgets to post our lecture notes, babbles about nonsense sometimes and forgets everything he tells the class. Choose another teacher! He is smart but he doesn't know how to teach.
I don't mind him. He is always willing to answer questions. He isn't great for first year students because he assumes all students know terminology from high school. Wasted lots of printer ink and paper printing off his powerpoint notes to bring to class.
He's the funniest teacher I have ever had! seriously! most of the teacher try hard to be funny but they're not. This guy is one heck of of a funny guy. in his class you laugh your heart out! However, his exams and quiez are really hard even though they're very very staight forward. What I also love about his class is that it is not cumulitive!!
Very unprofessional. Always blathering about how we need to be more professional, but then shows up late for every class. Even showed up 20 minutes late for the final exam. A big waste everyone?s time. Get over yourself.
If you are going to major in bio then this is a good test to see if you really have what it takes to do well. Its not impossible to get a good grade but you have to study your ass off. Even though hes hard hes a good teacher and you'll be well prepared for future bio classes.
He's a good teacher in general, but he goes slow through notes and then fast, not a good pace. He's funny, and prepares you for the tests but I felt overwhelmed with all the diagrams we needed to draw. I would not recommend him for students that have no previous biology/chemistry background.
He's very funny, but hard to keep up with if you dont have previous bio experience.
Tardy for class. Not a great teacher, seems like a nice enough guy. No previous experience in Biology, take somebody else. Test questions are way beyond the level he teaches us at.
Don is always LATE! He is a decent teacher and is quite knowledgeable. I was mad because we did not use the $150 txt which was mandatory for the class. If you have no prior chem (like myself) do not take this class. Heavy on chem and bio, although Bio1115 is "GENERAL bio" Tests are also past the level in which he teaches.
He needs some fixin'
Always late LOL. Even the late guy walking in look surprised he was early. This teacher slacks off during the first few weeks, going very slow on the notes. Then when the test is coming up he'll RUSH the in class notes like no tomorrow. Way too many useless diagrams, and no use of the $150 textbook.
He is ALWAYS late! If the weather is bad the class will most likely be cancelled because he will get there so late you have no time to learn (not like we do much learning anyways). Very vague and does not keep up with the course outline.
He's always late to class by 5 or 10 min. While going through the lecture he tells you what diagrams and definition words that are going to be on the test. Tests aren't hard, just a lot of info to study and remember.. people complain abt him just cus they don't study
He is a funny guy that always making some random jokes to his students.There are tons useless DIAGRAMS and details need to memorize eventhough his tests arent that hard if you have good memorization.In addition,no assignments throughout the term except reading SCIENCEDAILY online.
Horrible. Can't learn anything from him and his tests are filled with the most useless diagrams, but they are worth a lot of marks. He's very vague with his assignments and always, always forgets dates, criteria, and very often says the wrong word in class or when outlining assignment requirements. bad. very bad. if at all possible, don't take him.
I wish I had known that the textbook is not required before I went out and bought it, but the book is actually very helpful. Print and read the notes before class. He is very good at giving a relatable examples for topics, and is really funny, but consequently may lose track of time. Always available to answer questions during and after class.
He is clear and fair. His lectures are enjoyable. It is a lot of damn work to do well. I'm not sure if it is biology or him... I think it's just biology.
Don is a nice guy and a pleasure to listen to. But the lectures are largely a waste of time (as I think most lectures are), being there to highlight key points rather than teach the material from scratch. If you want to succeed in his course, you're going to have to take responsibility for your own education. Don isn't going to hold your hand.
This is a tough course. Be prepared to spend time every week studying. Donald is a really good teacher but help him stay on track with lectures by telling him where the last lecture left off. If you have questions try to ask them during office hours or write it down and ask after class. There is no time to stop an answer everyones questions. 9 times out of ten your question will be answered during the lecture anyway so listen up! I enjoyed this class a lot and worked my butt off for an A-
dude is awesome, he is funny, relates real life stories to connect with the lectures, which helps you remember them, don't need to buy text book, and most important of all he really makes studying 'COOL'
Don is quite a character! His lectures are enjoyable to attend, and he keeps the topics interesting. At times he goes off on funny tangents. His notes are thorough, EXCEPT he gives testable diagrams in class that are not exactly the same as in the textbook. He is a fair marker and fun teacher. Make sure to remind him where he left off on his notes!
You'll do great in this course if you attend all classes, take good notes, pre-read the notes and study properly, especially the diagrams! He loves diagrams!.Also, attend the labs! You have to pass the lab in order to pass this course. It is a very challenging and intense course,but it'll worth it for any further Chem/Bio courses.
Don is a very clear and experienced instructor and follows the text. Although, Very hard and subjective on exams. If you are up for a challenge, like diagrams, and don't mind disappointments he is your prof.
Don was an amazing teacher that really got me excited for biology. He related the topics to today in the modern world and spark a passion for science. Always making jokes the class wasn't torturous to attend. If you study, take good notes, ask questions and read the textbook you should do well in this class.
Don is a really nice guy but definitely not a good professor. He doesn't stay on topic during lectures, is usually late for class and his exams are ridiculous. He is really unorganized and ends up having to rush the last part of the course up until the last day. Goes off on many tangents and gives you absolutely no guidelines for what to study
He is a nice teacher but his diagrams are so overwhelming, end up studying only for the diagrams, because each one is worth 10 marks and not enough time to go over other material. not clear with directions, did not need the $150 text, would not take him if you have no history in bio, it is difficult and he is not the best
Passionate about biology but sidetracked easily. Exams weighted heavily on diagrams, if you're not much of a visual learner, you may have difficulty. Classes tended to be somewhat confusing, and slides were messy in some parts. Nice guy, but a bit confusing as a prof.
I wish there are more quizzes or assignments for us to do. some diagrams are just impossible to comprehend. He is funny and sometimes off topic.
Do everything you can to avoid this class. Overwhelming. If you plan on working, having other medium-tough classes, definitely do NOT take. 90% of my study time went into this class, and I still did poorly and brought my other grades down. Over 40 diagrams to memorize for one midterm, you can't possibly learn the material. MCvery hard too.
The endless diagrams are impossible to remember all, definately would NOT RECCOMEND THIS TEACHER UNLESS IT IS THE ABSOLUTE ONLY CLASS YOU HAVE!!!! Overwhelming studies
His class mark is only based on the midtermsfinal exam& the bio lab. You have to make sure you keep up with his lectures, and focus in class. It makes it a whole lot easier to memorize all the material, and continuously practice all the diagrams he assigns for the tests. He is a super nice teacher, and really does want the class to do well.
Don is a very nice person, but not a very good instructor. He puts too much emphasis on memorizing dozens of diagrams for each midterm, claiming that scientists learn through them. Unfortunately, some students don't, and when they make up 50% of the marks in an exam, it becomes a problem. Overall, I'd try to avoid this instructor
Don is a nice guy, but his lectures can be very confusing. Since he wasn't the one making the lecture slides, his lectures were everywhere, difficult to follow. His exams are easy to pass, if you can memorize 20 diagrams. ps he looks like Zeus.
Great teacher, really enjoyed his class, unfortunately I went into it not expecting to do much work on my own time for the semester, so did not do that well. My fault, not Don's. Pay attention to the diagrams and definitions list as those are going to be your primary study material. If you know them all you can easily get 90%.
Great guy! The textbook was useless to me as he does everything from his notes. He puts ALOT of emphasis on diagrams, so if you can put in the effort to memorize them then you're good. Unfortunately, I think he puts too much emphasis on these diagrams and found myself getting lost with the other material because you only have so much time to study!
Started off great but come test time this course was impossible. The amount he expected from first year bio students was insane. He relied a lot on the students to recreate drawings and diagrams. Very hard marker and the materials he discussed during lecture had little connection to the exam material. Also added an assignment right before the final
He has an authoritarian awkward side to him that will send shivers up your spine.
Diagrams, diagrams, diagrams! If you can remember all the diagrams given to you then you'll end up with a solid 80-85% on exams. The other 15-20% will depend on how well you can pick up on definitions and concepts.
He is very unorganized. He goes quite slowly in the beginning of the semester, and then speeds through the chapters near the end of the semester. His tests consist of a page of definitions, 3-4 pages of diagrams, and 50 questions of multiple choice (in depth info). He also loves diagrams, which are not that bad, but there are A LOT to memorize.
Donald is a very UNORGANIZED instructor. Although he is a nice guy, his way of teaching and course outline is a joke. Speaking of course outline, Don hardly let's students know when things are due, everything is always last minute. Tells students to focus on diagrams, but the multiple choice section is the most difficult part of exams. Not good.
Donald is a nice teacher. He doesn't ask for many tests,only 1 midterm, final and no presentation. But the things is his writing is so hard to see and his tests are really tough. He always asks for diagrams and definitions but the tough part is the multiple choice. It's like 10 definitions and 10 diagrams but 50 multiple choice questions in total.
Very unorganized, is all over the place during lectures. He didn't make the slides, so he skips over lots of them. Nice guy, but his class is very hard to pass. I wish I had a teacher that gave homework to earn easy points, and detailed what was on the tests. The only way to even KNOW the exam dates is to be in class when he tells you the date!
Hardest teacher I've ever had. He made me hate biology. All I learned how to do in his class was how to regurgitate diagrams. Avoid him at all costs.
DIAGRAMS!!!!!!!!!!!
All he did was make us memorize diagrams and most of the class failed.
This guy shouldn't be allowed to teach. Don't miss class because that's when he draws diagrams that are worth 50% of your exams. Most students didn't understand the big concepts b/c they were so focused on learning the diagrams by heart. If you're looking to move forward in Biology, he won't help you build a good foundation necessary for success.
he is the best teacher of biology.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS!! He should not be allowed to teach anymore. There is not enough space here to list all that is wrong with his teaching/course subject matter. Multiple students over multiple semesters have submitted formal complaints about this prof!!
the struggle is real on this one. laid back teacher but extremely unorganized. lectures are boring. makes you memorize a ton of diagrams. assigns 2 group projects in the final 2 weeks of the semester. gives out info about the projects very last minute so if you have prior commitments, you are basically dead. avoid this prof.
Don is extremely unorganized, he shows up to class at least 15 minutes late. He doesn't follow the format he handed out in the beginning of the semester, he goes off topics to the point where he isn't talking about the lecture anymore. Assigned 2(pointless) last minute projects before finals. Also if you don't know diagrams, you're going to fail.
worst class I've ever taken. worst professor I've ever had.
Professor MacDonald is a funny and laid back teacher. He's been teaching at Langara for a very long time and I have much respect for him. His lectures however was somewhat disorganised and seemed to go through his slides too fast. Luckily he provides access to his slides via D2L. My key advice to you is to remember his diagrams! Plenty of marks!
He is the most inspirational teacher I've ever had. Great guy, but a tough class. He is very clear about what you need to know for the tests and exams, and will basically tell you what you need to know. "Here's a list of diagrams, half will be on the test". Reminiscent of Santa Claus.
I took the course 1115 and even though thats the course i paid for, all the content he taught was from 1116. he had us do a paper on "your favourite scientist" which was very easy but completely useless. He gave us a poster board project at the end of the year with little to no criteria. He was extremely unfocussed during lectures and condescending
Liked the class a lot, not a huge fan of the 5 midterms 7% each, but I understand how that could be helpful for many. I liked his lecture style and I do think I learned many things from the class! Loved the field trips also!
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
67%
Textbook Required
79%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.01 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOL
4.3
(3)BIOBIO
4.0
(1)BIO1215
4.0
(1)BIO1218
4.0
(1)BIO1115
3.1
(51)Difficulty by Course
PATHO227
5.0
BIOLOGY1115
5.0
INTROTOBIO
5.0
1115
4.3
BIO1116
4.1