2.6
Quality3.9
Difficulty29%
Would Retake95
Reviews29%
Would Retake
95
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
10
4
20
3
22
2
15
1
28
What Students Say
“Studied more for this class than any ive taken and by far the worst”
BIO380 - 3.0 rating“Kantak was the worst professor I've had at SVSU”
BIO380 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
86%
Textbook Required
45%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.07 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOL476
5.0
(1)BIO475
5.0
(1)BTO105
5.0
(1)BIOL205B
5.0
(1)BIO483
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ENVIRDYN
5.0
SCIENCE
5.0
BTO105
5.0
ECOLOGY
4.8
BIO476
4.5
Reviews (95)
Wasn't very nice about answering questions. She always seemed annoyed with her
Very monotone. Didn't seem like she wanted to teach.
No Comments
doesn't try to make interesting doesn't know to stop at the end of class boring
Semi-easy class, not to hard. Just know the stuff and you'll do fine. She has a she mullet! haha
Boring for one, hard for two, and worst teacher for three. Her mullet was the only amusing thing about this class. The tests are hard and the lectures are beyond boring. Prepare to doodle.
Knows her stuff but extremely boring. I fell asleep most the time, bring coffee take a ton of notes and you will do fine.
Very boring, unemotional, occasionaly tries to make jokes that only she laughs at. Tests are kind of hard....takes good notes and you will do ok.
monotonous, wicked mullet. made the statement "I am not here to entertain you; and even if i was, i dont know how" that pretty much explains her. She knows her stuff, and does a good job of explaining, but there are a lot of unessecary det
PAY ATTENTION! it's a tough class, but if you can manage to stay awake, you maybe could possibly pass. it's really boring and the tests are worded tricky. if there's another choice, do it!
C'mon, an 85% is a straight A if you miss under 4 classes! Who cares if shes boring?
She is a very difficult, cold, stuck up teacher. She won't help you if you ask, and gets raging mad when you ask questions in labs. Don't take this class! Wicked Hard grader too, and I studied my butt off!
The worst prof EVER . . . she was not willing to help me at all and her tests were never over what she said they were going to be. Taking one class with her dropped my GPA A GREAT DEAL . . . DO NOT TAKE HER FOR ANYTHING EVER!!!
No Comments
Quite possibly the worst teacher ever . . . she is rude and very unwilling. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!
Awesome professor, gives very entertaining lectures. The hardest part about this class is trying to take notes fast enough. Another bonus is that there is a curve at the end of the class.
NOT A GOOD TEACHER AT ALL....WILL NOT EXCUSE CERTAIN ABSENCES FOR YOU EVEN IF YOU TALKED TO HER BEFORE HAND...AND SHE WILL GIVE YOU A HARD TIME...STAY AWAY FROM HER..SHE IS THE DEVIL
Avoid like the plague. Horrible teacher! Boring lectures. Her tests are tricky and the study guides do not help. I cannot stress this enough...AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!
I believe that her class SUCKED! I dont care if she gives a curve @ the end of her class. She is a very unwilling person.A very cold person, not someone you can be comfortabl to talk to.Her lectures are dreadful!Her tests questions are worded awful! AVOID
No Comments
Straight up . . . SHE SUCKS and could care less if you pass or need help
AVOID THIS CLASS! If you pass my hats off to you! I'm a science minor and I HATED this class. The study guides do not help at all, lectures do not cover much of anything except one topic for the entire class time. To be blunt it SUCKS! Do not take!
DONT TAKE THIS CLASS.... ITS AS SIMPLE AS THAT!!!!
she's a completely different person than she was for Ecology-much more easy going and very nice! material is interesting;the exams weren't as challenging as ecology exams either.THIS CLASS (mammalogy)IS DEFINITELY WORTH TAKING!! it's hard to believe kantak has a nice side,but trust me-i've seen it!
No Comments
Some find her lectures boring, (most lectures were in monotone) I thought they were extremely interesting. If I could take another class of hers I wouldn't hesitate.
You have no choice in teachers, so suck it up, put your time in, and work really hard on that paper!
No Comments
The worst teacher in the biology department. Not only is the material extremely difficult, she does not care if you have trouble understanding it. She is lucky she is the only teacher who teaches Ecology, otherwise, no one would take her class. Oh yeah, and the paper is HELL!!!
No Comments
Lectures were pretty boring but if you can sit through that and lab you'll do fine. You can tell she knows that she's talking about.
Great Prof. I would recommend her to anyone. She knows the material inside and out and explains it very clearly. She can answer any question you have ... if you actually ask it. If you're having trouble in 105 try taking notes and studying.
shes a great teacher, its just when it comes to exam time, the reviews dont help you any!! but over all it was a good class. but exams are hard
Easy, easy, easy.
She is a good teacher but exams are tricky with hard questions.
I took the class in the Spring. I had no way to print my paper at home so I brought it in to school to print in the lab. However, being in between breaks, the lab was closed. She could've cared less and would not let me print my paper out in her office. I had to have a classmate print it out for me the next day (cuz I work) and turn it in for me.
Tests are sooo confussing, they are like: both a and b, b and c, none of the above, so therefore you have to know everything!!!
Good teacher, hard tests
very boring! she knows what she's talking about, but she needs to spice things up a bit. exams are hard and confusing. so study, study, study!
really nice teacher but very boring. attend class because she will grade on a curve.
Don't buy the text book. Everything on the exam is on the power point so take notes, and attend all classes. There were no assignments so you only have to spend time studying before the exam, but study HARD because the exams are tricky. Lab was a breeze.
HARD TEACHER!!! if you dont have to take her, dont!! Her test ate extremely hard!! I studied for HOURS and still got a 77. The test are very confusing and hard to understand! It is also very hard to stay awake because she is so boring!!
VERY HARD CLASS. I would spend hours studying notes and the exam questions would be one above, two above, all of the above. I usually averaged C's on exams as the questions were so misleading and challenging. Didn't use the book.
the tests were very hard! she says that she gets all the test questions from the book so read that thing like crazy! the qt's are still hard and confusing but if you ask her for help she will help you. class can be boring but if you take good notes and study hard its not impossible to get a good grade.
just study a lot and you will do fine
Very Hard class. The test questions are very confusing and the term paper at the end is very time consuming. Also, the lectures and labs are boring but you have to go if you want the curve at the end of the class. Avoid this prof if you can.
She makes the class a bit more difficult than it has to be. The thing is, it is not enough to just go to class, take notes, pay attention, and study from that. You have to understand book concepts, and I recommend printing out the outlines. Tests are hard, and don't worry about the side stories, worry more about the book.
If you can think the way she thinks, you will be fine. If you can't you are going to have a miserable semester. The lab paper is very time consuming. Tests have multiple choices with "Only A and B", "Only three of the above". Her short answer questions are very hard for some, easy for others.
worst teacher ever...she's very hard..dont care about students passing....she needs to retire...
Go to class, she takes attendance, read the assigned textbook readings and listen to lecture along with careful note taking and you will get an A for sure! I enjoyed her, others do not.
Very nice. She always tries to make sure you understand. Very approachable. The material is sometimes interesting. Not to hard for a non-science person, like myself, to understand. Very glad I took her. :D
One of the easiest labs out there. If your looking for fun labs don't take this class. They are mostly on the computer and dull. Kantak is a good teacher but not very good in the labs. Not an easy A but a little studying will get you there. I would take her again if I had to take another BIO class.
Very easy class if you attend class and the lab is super easy but not very interesting. I did not mind this class because it was easy to study right before the exam and do well
This class was not as hard as everyone said it was. Granted, I took it in the spring. The multiple choice/true false questions on the exams were pretty easy, some of them were even gimmes. Essays were a little more challenging, but not too much more. I did not use the text book at all and managed an A in the course.
Hard tests. Has questions that contained choices of all of the above, two of the above, and none of the above. Read the textbook. She uses stuff out of it that she doesn't cover in class. Lab is very long and very boring. Good teacher, but not easy.
Tests felt as if they were meant to trick you. With the options in mutliple choice being, all apply, two apply, a, b, c, d, e, a&b, a&c, etc. Too many weird options for answers. She was absolutely impossible to talk to and very rude. Not in the least bit helpful when you had a question and she treated students like they were stupid.
Take this class in the spring, from what i heard it makes a world of difference. Her tests are horrible. She is condescending in office hours and in class. Be prepared to stand around outside bird watching and measuring trees for four hours in lab. Other than that, lab work is all busy work. Less you study the better you do.fact.
Not an easy A, tests were tricky and she talks to you like you are in middle school. She does know her stuff though and the labs are very easy. Study for the tests and lab quizes.
She's a smart woman and knows the material she is teaching, but her exams are extremely difficult with trick questions. She's willing to answer your questions if you have them. Averages are usually low.Labs are very boring and time consuming. Study study study, and that includes reading the book, as she chooses test questions from there as well.
She's the only option for ecology so you have to take her. Her tests are rough and have short answer. The lab is way too long and boring. The lecture is clear but a lot of info.
Hilarious because she speaks to undergrads as if they were lesser beings. Tests are tough because i dont know how anyone can stay awake long enough to pay attention in order to pass. And would definitely take again because i may have to. Studied more for this class than any ive taken and by far the worst. Id rather take evolutionary genetics again.
she is a super good teacher and the concepts are not very hard. the tests are pretty easy she could make them much harder if she wanted to. people make her tests seem really hard but its because you have to think and apply concepts and use common sense. she doesn't just give you the answer in lecture like everyone is used to.
Test questions are written to be intentionally confusing. Professor is difficult to talk to, and is often condescending to students.
Professor Kantak was only my professor for lab. I found her labs to be dry and boring. She often spoke down to students and kept us for the entire lab period. Your grade is based off of 2 lab exams which you need to prepare for as they are challenging. If you respect her she will respect you which will allow for a more enjoyable class.
Dr. Kantak isn't the most approachable prof. ever but she is good at teaching the material and answers your questions if you have any. I barley passed her Ecology class because I didn't make time to read the book. If you at least skim the chapters and study far ahead for the exams you will do fine, you just have to work for the grade you want.
Teaching style is outdated and she is very condescending. Lab and lecture and long and boring. Tests are hard because its impossible to stay awake during lecture. The material is basic and easy enough, however her exams are written as if she is trying to trick you.
Dr. Kantak was the worst professor I've had at SVSU. She makes it mandatory to come to class and listen to her boring lectures, but she doesn't write her own exams. She takes the questions from the test bank the book gives her. She is extremely rude to her students and is terrible about answering questions. Avoid her if you can.
In 4 years at SVSU Ecology with Dr. Kantak was the worst class I've ever taken. Test questions felt like they were designed to trick students. Lecture slides have no information on them, and the class is overall just unpleasant. The teaching style is outdated and the class material is completely unrelated to anything 90% of Biology majors need.
Professor Kantak is not the most approachable professor. She is willing to help you with any questions you have, however she makes you feel stupid for asking. I had her for lab and she gave a thorough exam review that helped immensely. There is only two exams. Take notes on what she says in class because she hints at what is on the exam.
You have to earn your grade in her class. She is smart and expects her students to think. Lots of students think if they just touch on something in the exam questions they should get full credit, and they get mad when they don't.
I learned a lot about the environment even tho environmental issues are not my thing. Exams were hard but there was lots of extra credit.
I transferred from another section and this prof was MUCH better at explaining things
The class was way more interesting than I expected. The paper helped my grade.
She knows a lot more than what is in the book and helps explain it better. I'd take her for another class if I weren't graduating
The class was more work than I expected but I did ok
The beginning of this class makes you think its going to be easy and then it ends up being very difficult. Her exams were much harder than I would've expected. Make sure you know everything on every powerpoint.
Very soft-spoken but is easy to talk to if you have questions. You can tell she's passionate about biology.
Very rude to her students. Does not answer questions in a respectful manner, will mark you down for being late multiple times. Will call you out in front of all students for any inconvenience. However, she did give a good review before each of her two tests.
She is one of the best lab teachers. Her class was one of the only ones to pass tests. She makes sure the students understand the lab material. She also creates study guides that are very helpful.
I took this class online and it makes my life miserable. I knew this would be a lot of work but I feel like I'm doing work for this class 10 hours a day 7 days a week. It's so much I'm drowning. Somehow through the video lectures she sounds condescending.
SO MUCH WORK. She is super knowledgable which is great!!! but the workload is so intense that it's hard to balance. I enjoy that she makes it challenging but honestly, it's almost too challenging. She makes you work, which is good, but also I haven't gotten a good night of sleep in ages because I'm trying to keep up while existing as a human being.
took an online lecture with her, and she grades very hard. she hands out zeros more often than not. averages for our lab quizzes are sometimes as low as 20%, the highest so far is 57%. this class isnt worth the tough workload she gives you, if you have to take bio lab try very hard not to take her.
Took her online lab class for BIO 111. Labs do not match the weekly lectures which makes everything more confusing and difficult. She is one of the hardest professors I've ever taken and does not care about the well being of her students. It seems like she only hands out 0 and makes it very hard to do well in her class, despite the work you put in.
I took this class as a senior and have done well in all other bio classes. This professor's grading standards are confusing, she uses a citation technique that doesn't exist and you get super marked down for not sticking to it. Her lectures did not help me on the exams, I only passed because I read the book chapters. No bueno
This course has been a nightmare to say the least. Coming from a student who works extremely hard in school, this class has been very difficult to do well in. Grades come only from labs, lab quizzes, and exams, which the exams are extremely difficult. Exams are worded awful and its almost like she sets you up to get confused/get them wrong.
Had it all online because of COVID. If you emailed her asking for help she would tell you to find your answer on google and was very rude. Hours of lecture videos you have to watch every week. If you don't pay super close attention to what she says then you wont do good on the exams.
First off, Gale is obsessed with birds so get ready to bird watch. She explains things well in lectures but her tests are tricky. Write down everything she says in lecture, even the small details. Lab reports were graded kind of aggressive and she was rude when giving feedback or answering any Qs. She made me feel stupid and I am an A student :/
Professor Kantak is by far the worst professor Ive ever had. She is condescending and rude when asking for help. Tests are made to confuse you, lectures are boring. You need to learn everything from every chapter and PowerPoint. The lab is a lot of work for very little credit. She refused to excuse my absences due to valid reason and doctors note.
One of the worst professors I have ever encountered at SVSU. She is very rude and does not care about students at all.
The most condescending and rude professor ever. It's almost as if she looks down on you for not knowing something the second you see it. Be sure to listen to her closely in lectures. Info that she verbally gives ( that aren't in the slides ) will be on the exams.
Her test is heavy, questions she gave on exams would be confusing, even though you have studied carefully for the test. If you looked carefully slides she gave, you would get at least 70%, another 30% will be how you get over those trapped questions.
Knew what she was talking about and had decent lectures. Exams are hard if you don't study but if you do your work you will be fine. Attendance is important and labs are pretty easy. She can be rude at times but she means good, just a little old fashioned.
Normally a B+ or A student but this class was horrible. After many hours of studying, I would still receive 50%-70% on exams. She is very stuck in old ways and often can come off as rude. Attendance is very mandatory and if you miss labs, it lowers your grade a LOT, the lab quizzes were not as difficult as long as you attended them.
This class is extremely tough and requires a lot of work. You're graded on very few things so you have to do well on everything to get a good grade. There is a class curve but don't rely on it because it varies. She can come off a little rude but I think she's just blunt and doesn't care. If you can avoid taking this class and the professor DO IT.
This class=mistake. She's a very tough grader on exams/papers, which seem intentionally tricky. Will dock points over the simplest mistakes/formatting. She has a disapproving tone and likes to point out mistakes students commonly make. Out of paranoia, she called out a student in front of everyone for taking notes while going over an exam. AVOID
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
86%
Textbook Required
45%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.07 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOL476
5.0
(1)BIO475
5.0
(1)BTO105
5.0
(1)BIOL205B
5.0
(1)BIO483
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ENVIRDYN
5.0
SCIENCE
5.0
BTO105
5.0
ECOLOGY
4.8
BIO476
4.5