2.4
Quality3.9
Difficulty14%
Would Retake100
Reviews14%
Would Retake
100
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
11
4
18
3
15
2
29
1
27
What Students Say
“She makes the labs very easy to understand and she is super approachable if you have any questions”
CHEM131L - 5.0 rating“She is very willing to work with you”
366L - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
71%
Textbook Required
78%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.19 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM362
5.0
(1)CHEM131L
4.3
(6)GSCI101H
4.0
(1)CHEM360
4.0
(1)366L
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
GSCIGSCI
5.0
BIOCHEMLAB
5.0
BIO361
4.8
CHEM361
4.2
GSCI
4.0
Reviews (100)
No Comments
awful...don't take...she's a biochemist researcher, not a teacher...doesn't make any sense, no curves even when whole class fails tests....wouldnt recomend, esp early mornings...
Asked her for help dozens of times. Makes me feel like an idiot. Acts like she doesn't want to teach the class. I even had an excused absence one day that she wouldn't accept. This woman is awful. She should stick to the lab.
HARD AS HELL, has no sympathy for anything, suggests studying 3 hours per hour of lecture--for a freakin gen-ed requirement. Tons of quizzes and in-class assignments, so if you miss class, you grade is sh**.
Total witch. She shouldn't be teaching because she can't. Not at all helpful, when you ask a question she makes you feel like an idiot. If you don't do well on her tests, which you won't, she tells you to blame yourself for not coming to her for help.
Atrocious Class. I studied for hours for tests and I read over and over the stupid in class readings just to pass. Her questions are so specific Einstein would fail. She should retire immediately. Drop course if you get her.
Her lectures and notes are broad and confusing. She may be a good scientist, but deffinately not a good teacher. Good luck getting help too!
She is very smart, but too smart to teach. Not bad for the whole gsci dept. but when the class average for 2 exams is a D says something. In class quizes and assignments every day so you can get your grade up that way.
hard class -class average is like high 60's low 70's for everything. this class isn't her first priority. no attendance policy
whoa... harsh ratings... yea it's science, it's supposed to be hard. pay attention and study, go to her for help. she's not mean, she's competent, only reading is articles really. lots of easy quizzes on reading.gsci sucks no matter what, i recommend her.
difficult class, but the professor is pretty good . . shes really not that bad at all. you're going to have to work hard, though.
OK as a person, but not a great teacher. Lectures are confusing and notes are too broad. Tests are too specific and class averages are extremely low. Quizzes and class assignments are easy.
These ratings are ridiculous. I am not a science person and I love her. Quizzes about once a week on the readings, which are barely anything. Tests are not easy, but not terrible. She is SO willing to help, and is so friendly. She wants you to understand.
*yay dr. mac* trying to bring the average up here. i dont regret taking her.
This is a hard class and her tests are tough. But she gives easy quizzes once a week and homework assignments to help your grade. She offers help to anyone who needs it. Just make sure you are studying enough and pay attention.
Dont be fooled by everyone trying to bring up her rating because they feel bad for her. It's like a med school class where the class average on tests is failing. Everyday reading can be short and easy but also long.....very long!
She is a big you know what and her material is for people who actually want to major in science. She thinks everyone in the class wants to be. Her quizzes and homework help your grade but her tests are realllllly hard and very random.
good teacher, really nice and willing to help but her tests are impossible
this class is soooooooo boring.... i hate gen ed! class averages on all exams have been in the 60s...not good! the most random topics ever on physics/chemistry. i would recommend finding another professor, if possible, for those who don't like science.
this class is totally for science majors....her syllabus says "this is not an easy course and the tests will reflect comprehension rather than memorization..." if you don't like science, don't take this professor, she is really hard!
Quizes almost everyday on assigned readings which arent too bad, but her tests are ridiculous. Way too specific and difficult for a gen ed class...class averages in the low 60s. Dont even bother trying to turn anything in late or making anything up, she m
class is basically for science majors. notes are really broad and then tests are really specific. Don't take her if your only taking it for gen ed, tests are ridiculously hard.
material is interesting to learn about. hard teacher.but is available to help you. tests are difficult. make sure you do ALL of the quizes and in class work it really saves your grade. have to work for an A
Class is extremly boring, and the tests are close to impossible. You should be a science major for this class.
she a nice, smart person. her test are Really hard though -they are Way more in-depth her lectures are.i studied for hours and still got 60s and 70s on the tests. but the quizzes and in-class assignments do raise your grade.
Class is kind of interesting, but the tests are impossible. Very specific questions about things that don't really seem important. Very Low test averages and she won't curve.
Get the hell out if you have the chance. I'm in it and i'm in hell. Save yourself before it's too late. There's still time. Don't make the same mistake I did.
Really hard material- hardly any math or calculations. Study class notes. Lots of pop quizzes and in class assignments so she knows if people come to class. Tests are impossible! Class avg in 50s or 60s. Shes nice if you see her for extra help.
not an easy class, but so worth it, if you're into brains and human behavior. she gives out powerpoint print-outs from her lectures, which is really helpful. do the readings and you should do fine.
Okay so her tests are hard -- at least she lets you have a notecard! The info is interesting and related to people, not just scientists. Ask question if things aren't clear. She is extremely nice and funny.
This class is hell! There are a ton of quizzes which may save your grade- but you'll need them because the tests are impossible! The avg. is around 60. The professor thinks she's funnier than she is- and trust me, failing a gened is not funny!
Supposedly the easiest science class has been turned into a very hard one my Dr. MacDonald. The information is hard to understand.
Her lectures have nothing to do with the tests which are IMPOSSIBLE!!! For a gen ed 101 class it is ridiculous
she is horrible. the lectures have nothing to do with the tests. the tests are insanely hard. she does let you have a notecard but you don't ever look at it during the tests. she drops the lowest 2 quizzes and class assignments and the one lowest test. the quizzes are all t/f but still hard. getout
If your reading this and scheduled for next semester get the hell out right now! Very nice lady but way too difficult to be a gened. You will wish you died after view your test scores.
This class was my most difficult class, You do a lot of work but it was my favorite class as well. Here tests are very detailed and hard but the material is interesting. You get a flashcard as well, once you understand how she tests the flashcard is helpful. Go to her office hours- very helpful
Had her at 8am, pretty lax about most things, strict with grading though, but very nice and down to earth.
Hard class but fun. quizzes will help your grade. tests are really hard. She's okay.
Take her for chem lab if you can. Always get out early and almost never have to write out full lab reports. Teaching doesn't seem to be her primary interest, though--more interested in lab work. Seriously, though, easy for a lab.
Partial Credit, I think not. Very vague in class and speaks about what you're going to learn and then BAM there is a test and you feel like you've learned nothing. Very unclear about what's on the tests.
If you take her class, be ready to teach yourself biochem, because she won't be
absolutely terrible professor. Unequivocally, the least organized professor I've ever seen. Zero personality. Focuses on research methods and not real biochem.
Hey, people, read the damn book. The class is very tough, but very interesting. Reading the book and taking good notes in class (and reviewing them) helps a lot. She answers any questions you have; go talk to her if you aren't doing well.
I expected to be able to make connections between chem and bio after this class, but I ended up more confused. Mainly teaches bio methods. Tends to play favorites; seems to prefer chem majors. Has turned students away during her office hours. Doesnt follow the book.
tools, tools, tools and tools. these are what you learned. she can't teach, can't explain. it's hard to understand what she is presenting. go take biochem in some other schools.
worthless in office hours and is a downright unhappy displeased person. I would avoid her where possible but then again she avoids students in lab as well. in summary just dont take her
Horrible, horrible teacher. If you do not understand something she says you don't study enough. She can't teach. She is also not a very nice person. I hate this class now.
The class is hard but the prof is amazing! You have to GET TO KNOW HER- go to her office hourse as they are posted and she will help you! She is my favorite professor at JMU but you HAVE TO STUDY to do well in this class- god forbid . . . quit whining and study or you shouldn't be in the class anyway
Worst class I have taken at JMU. You learn nothing. Studied metabolism in more detail in AP Bio in highschool. Take at another school until JMU replaces her, which should be soon.
She is a nice enough person, but the class is crap. Its sporadic, unorganized, and skims the surface of major topics.Tests are similar. Tough multiple choice from crappy lectures. If you gave me a month and the textbook there would be a more cohesive class. I have above a 3.8 gpa so Im not a lazy sack. College biochem should not be like this!
she is a nice person, but class is very disorganized as menchioned. she is not very helpful when you talk to her and confuses you more. I understand that biochem is not an easy course, but i really thought that i would learn more than i did so far from lecture.
Run like hell!!! She is superficial. Tries to appear nice but really isn't. Her lectures are probably the worst of my college experience. Her tests are pulled out of thin air. She is not very helpful. I'm doing well in the class but it is certainly not because of her. Had someone warned me about her, I would have taken the course elsewhere.
Boo this class is terrible. I am about to get into med school and am friends with many of the sucessful premeds and predents who took this class to help prepare them for professional school. Well this class certaintly did not as you learn nada. She will confuse you on topics you learned in depth and understood in previous BIO courses. STAY AWAY
this class is AWEFUL. the tests are terrible because they are full of mistakes due to the fact that they are written a couple of hours before we take them. if you expect to get anything out of lecture, forget it, but no choice, she is the only one teaching biochem
Well, you figured out she's awful. So...to survive: 1.never ask her for help during the exam, she WILL trick you 2.know EVERYTHING about the 7 basic and acidic amino acids especially cys and tyr 3.forget that the title of this class says "bio" and ONLY study the chemistry for her tests, the bio on her tests is elementary 4.READ THE BOOK
Do I see a trend here... yikes man that class must be ****!
This class won't actually teach you anything or prep you for any graduate school. She can't teach and her exams don't reflect the material. Read your book! You are going to have to teach yourself.
She makes biochem a waste of time. If you want to learn read your book. Even if you know the material tests are impossible. She always talks about being ****, she hates bio majors, and she is a nasty person.
Dr. Macdonald was horrible - probably the worst professor I've had in four years at JMU. She couldn't comprehend that this was an introductory required general education class and therefore taught it as an upper level biochemisty class. The tests were ridiculous and the average was around a 60 for all the tests but no curve. Do not take!
She is a HORRIBLE professor! It's a GSCI 101 class and she teaches like everyone is a Chem or Bio major! Don't take her, tests are super hard and you have to do in-class assignments everyday so you have to go to class!
She teaches biochem from a chemist's perspective. For example, she'll teach you the structure of amino acids, but wont teach you about their importance in biological systems - which was what was on my med school boards. If you are taking this class as a prep class for a professional school, dont bother unless its required - it wont help you.
Dr. Mac is a good teacher...she teaches biochemistry like it should be taught...its just HARD material so get over it. THE CELL CROWDED NANO MACHINE.
Mac is an great teacher. She gives good lectures. this is not a gen ed and it is not an isat/hhs class. it is a chemistry class. Chemistry classes do not give easy As so get over it. if you put in actual effort then you can do well and learn a lot.
if you want to learn chemistry, take dr macs class. if you dont give a**** about science avoid the class. simple as that. you can work your ass off and get a B if you really want it. oh and suck up to her. she definitely plays favorites
She's very willing to help if you just ask. Not a particularly hard lab if you can follow directions. Attendance IS mandatory (it's a lab...) but it never went the full 3 hours and the writeups are super easy.
YOU CAN'T POST AN ASSIGNMENT THE NIGHT BEFORE CLASS AND EXPECT US TO DO IT.
Very helpful and kind. Her tests are difficult, but not if you study hard and use the practice tests to prepare for them. Not a bad teacher at all, considering the amount of extra credit she offers, and how helpful she is. It's a chem class, so expect it to be difficult, I'm a bio major and did very well.
Her ppts include a few lines of incomprehensible text with tiny figures she rarely explains. Used the phrase, "Your book covers this so I'LL LET YOU look at it," as an excuse not to teach. Blatant she only cares about her research and sees teaching as a burden. If there was a "worst professors" category her face would be the icon you click on.
Useless. Her and Professor Wright are, 1 and 2, the worse professors that I've EVER had. When Macdonald handed the class over to Dr. Wright in the middle of the semester, I rejoiced and said there is no possible way he could be any worse than her. WRONG! He is absolutely terrible. THREE WEEKS ON LABORATORY TECHNIQUES?! THIS IS BIOCHEM!
Awful! Her lectures are totally incoherent, which see laughs off as her being "all over the place" as if it's an endearing quality, but it actually is a serious detriment to being able to pass the class. The material should be relatively easy, but the way she presents it makes it impossible.
She should be your last choice of teacher for this class. She can't teach at all and the lectures are unorganized. She explains things so horribly that often the entire class will be left clueless. The course material is just high school science for the most part, but she makes it incomprehensible.
Lab class with her was very easy. She went over what to do become you do it. Also her lab reports are laid out for you so their easy to get done my next class, even if they are tedious. Better than my lecture class.
THE easiest and chillest lab teacher. Never makes you do the whole lab - never need to do abstracts and most of the times dismisses discussion questions. If you show up, do the lab properly, and do the lab reports, you will have an A. However, if you actually want to learn something, she is not for you
She's really funny and nice, but obviously does not care AT ALL about chem131. However, this is to your benefit as she cuts corners all the time and doesnt make you do that much work. Definitely take her for lab.
Dr. Mac is awesome. she makes you think and class can be difficult but if you put in the time you'll be fine. extremely helpful to students
I don't know what's wrong with these people. If you put in the work you will get a decent grade. She just can't stand losers that don't even try. A very fair class that's really straightforward if you just put a little effort into it. AND SHE'S SO COOL.
She is an awesome lab instructor! She realizes this is Gen Chem and doesn't make it super hard. Just do your pre-lab & pay attention in class when she tells you what she wants/doesn't want on your lab reports & you will be perfectly fine. Take her!
What a horrible teacher! She is not clear with her power points or lectures. She jumps all over the place. She is not helpful either if you go to her office hours. She will just tell you, "Just look over your notes." If she is good in lab then she needs to stay in the lab. She should not even be an option if you are considering this class.
Definitely take her!!! She makes the labs very easy to understand and she is super approachable if you have any questions. It's easy to get 10/10 on the lab reports as long as you pay attention when she tells you what to include.
Mrs. MacDonald is a wonderful professor. She is extremely helpful in helping you to understand both the lab material and your CHEM131 material. She is very understanding, and a very fair grader. She also has a wonderful personality. I highly recommend here as a professor.
Attendance isn't necessarily mandatory, however she hands out daily assignments so not showing up hurts your grade. Never used the book, just read the online articles. Sometimes allows notecards on tests. Overall fun teacher for gsci.
This class is not impossible to pass but it's crucial that you pay attention or you will fall behind. Dr Mac is likable and really enthusiastic about gsci. PRINT OUT THE POWERPOINT NOTES because she goes through them really fast and instead of listening you'll be scrambling to write. Read the articles because there is occasional reading quizzes
Dr. Mac is very nice but is not meant to teach GSCI 101. This was my last gen ed and I had to struggle to get a C. She teaches the class like we are all chemistry majors. Not worth it. Wait for an easier teacher. It's a shame that the class I had to worry about the most was a gen ed science class. Avoid if possible.
She has NO teaching style -- thank god there was another new professor who actually understands what she is doing. She should probably find something else that is NOT teaching. Honestly, it is okay to make a mistake, but it is never okay for anyone to not admit that he or she has made a mistake - And that is how exactly she is. AVOID at all cost.
One of the worst professors I've had here. Avoid at all costs. Expects everyone to know what she means, and is not clear explaining it if you don't. Passionate about subject, but terrible project that info outward. Attendance optional, but you need to go to pass. Overall, just don't.
She is very willing to work with you. Not the most organized class but very do-able.
Just don't. I am not the most science-y person in the world, however I spent the entire semester having no idea what was going on. Her "lectures" are terribly unclear and if you do not already have a decent knowledge of science it's just worse. Her powerpoints are very unhelpful and her office hours are unreliable. Save yourself.
She was very alright. The class that I took was a gen ed in the realm of my major so I found it easy. I think if I would take a major class with her I would like her more. It was very easy to get an A; classwork is heavily factored into the final grade.
She's cool. She's sort of intimidating, but she really wants everyone to learn, so don't be afraid to ask for help because she's good at explaining things. Having some background research experience in biochem is probably helpful for this class, but it's not the end of the world if you don't have any bc her and Watkins are there to help you
She's nice enough, but didn't really do anything. The TA for my lab section was much more involved, and I learned a lot more from her. I'm sure there are worse professors you could take, but I didn't feel like I gained anything super valuable from her.
Awful. Co-taught with Watkins but she was even worse and seemed to care less. Extremely disorganized. She was in charge of grading but couldn't tell me any of my grades. I wish I had her job so I could not do anything and get paid for it.
Dr. Mac is funny and caring but that's where all the positives end. She co-taught 361 with Watkins and supposedly was in charge of grading but it was clear that she didn't really know what was going on. The TAs are the lifeline of this class, so go to their office hours. Practice exams tell you what you need to know for the actual exams.
Dr Mac does not care if you do well or not. She does not know biochemistry material and would send you to Dr Watkins if you had a question during office hours. Do not take her, take literally anyone else.
FLIPPED CLASSROOM!!! There are no lectures, just worksheets you work on with a group EVERY class period. On exams (each worth 20%) you get the front of a normal piece of paper with any notes you want which is nice. I genuinely did not learn anything. I just managed my way through the flipped classroom and wrote everything on my cheat sheet for exam
she's terrible, her LA's taught the material better than her. Not sure why she's still teaching. Exams are tough, especially the final. Get ready to work w/ a group every day for in class assignments.
The class is a flipped classroom with group work every session. Exams are challenging, but the professor's cheat sheet policy is nice. I wish I had learned more, but Unstuck ai and practice exams helped me get through it.
She co-taught with Watkins and genuinely I never understood anything she was trying to teach us. This class was comparable to having two stand up comedians who know 30% of biochem try to teach, but they find more time to bicker with one another over absolutely anything. Not too sure how she is still teaching but someone should audit her class.
Biochem w/Gina+Watkins. She got mad at my group for asking too many questions during class (we only asked two, and she gave us the wrong answer). Their resources on Canvas did not teach us what we needed to know for assignments and frequently directed us to the wrong places. They would often answer their own problems incorrectly. Wish I could drop.
She slurs her words and is drunk, I swear. If you need to take biochem at jmu, take anything other than this class with Watkins. They argue constantly, they let the students talk over them the entire time, they do not provide all of the information needed, they don't even know the right answers or material. This class is a joke and a waste of time.
Just don't. Seriously, I didn't learn a thing. You have to teach yourself everything, and they sometimes give the wrong answers in class when they're not bickering with each other. Truly awful experience, worst class I've ever had to take at JMU.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
71%
Textbook Required
78%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.19 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM362
5.0
(1)CHEM131L
4.3
(6)GSCI101H
4.0
(1)CHEM360
4.0
(1)366L
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
GSCIGSCI
5.0
BIOCHEMLAB
5.0
BIO361
4.8
CHEM361
4.2
GSCI
4.0