2.5
Quality4.5
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake87
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
87
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
9
4
18
3
17
2
19
1
24
What Students Say
“Class isn't hard, just make sure to study”
BIO1111 - 1.0 rating“Don't come into this class expecting an A”
BIO1111 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
50%
Textbook Required
86%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.14 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOLOGY101
5.0
(1)BIO1009
5.0
(1)BIO4327
4.5
(2)101
4.0
(1)104
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
101
5.0
104
5.0
BIOLOGY
5.0
BIO101
4.6
BIO1111
4.5
Reviews (87)
extremely hard, basically impossible. But learn alot. Expect a C.
Very demanding course with long, difficult tests. She has a lot of knowledge on the subject and seems to care a great deal about the students. Beware of the completely pointless lab.
Her class is one of those things where you hate it while you're taking it, and when it's over your glad you did it. She was extremely hard and I didn't think I'd pass, walked away with a B. She's very helpful and extremely smart, excellent teacher.
Very tough. midway through, if you hate the course, change your major and drop the class. Her assignments are long and hard... will take your group forever, but most do very well. Study 2+ hours daily outside class if you want an A
everyone complains about this class, when really its not that bad at all if you know basic biology. very informative class.dr tanaka really knows her stuff.
Toooooo hard, but informative!
She knows her things, but it is a really hard class to pass. You learn because the material is good but she makes it harder than what it is, specially in her exams
good professor and is willing to help outside of class. cares about the stuff she teaches. overall good class, great professor!
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Bio is not suppose to be that hard. I think she is just mean.
she's a b***** .. but is a reallie good teacher.. class is hard as anything u can come across.. shes very hard if u take her be prepared to put in the time and effort or just dont bother taking her class.. tests are harddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd as well...
Do yourself a favor and not take this woman. You will hate yourself. She is very unapproachable and disgustingly rude. She needs to retire and doesn't know it. Take another professor for Bio 101 because you'll be learning the same thing.
She is crazy!!
Horrible, worst class ever. Too much work, tests are hard, and she is very vindicative. She made me not want to continue as a bio major, she just might do the same to you. If you do take her, best of luck. You're going to need it.
Again this another professor that believes in challeging students, as if they were Ivy League. But think about it, you are going to be competing with those Ivy's for jobs later, it's better to have the right skills to compete later than not. Its one of those courses you just have to buckle down on.
She's a nice person if you talk to her and get to know her, but she's a different person during lecture. She challenged us to the core. The work-load was heavy. The assignments take a lot of time to finish. The tests were okay, if u read everything.
she sucks. the tests are only easy if you are good at multiple choice (which I am not). As long as you do decent in lab and really do really well on the assignments and quizzes , all u need is to do the average on the tests and you will get a B. Doing the reading is not very needed. (read summaries only and look at diagrams.)
if your plan is to go to med/dental/professional school after graduation, this woman will prepare you for the ways you need to study to do well in the future. yes, she is hard... yes, you will work your butt off, and you may not do as well as you would like to in this course. but you WILL learn how to study. suck it up, and you will learn a great d
she is ****..she thinks that students should know everything..its a freshman class...but she teaches as if students are graduate students...she is very rude also...you will work your butt off but still end up with a C...her tests are horrible and dont make sense...avg of this class usually comes to 40 or 50
if u take this class... be prepared to work out of ur skins... b/c if ur a freshman or soph. chances are u probably NEVERRR came across class that requires this much dedication and time and seriousness... bottom line... Dr. Tanaka's class is no joke... be prepared to study like u never ever have in ur life...
No Comments
No Comments
This lady is insane! She's only helpful to brown nosers and inflates grades to people who she likes. The averages for the exams were 40%. I got 78-80% yet some people who did horrible on the exam came out with a better grade than me. If you want to get an A, kiss here ass and tell her how much you love nature. She is such a tree hugger.
don't take this bio course!! Try to take it from a different professor, that's all i have to say!!!
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No Comments
I don't think she is as bad as everyone says. Just read the textbook and the tests aren't that terrible. She's really nice at office hours too. She did try and talk me into changing my major to Bio but I think she does that to everyone. just really read the book throughly and pay attention to small details
she makes alot of dumb rules, and even when we got the extra credit questions right, she would not include them cause the other class didn't answer them.
This class is ridiculously hard. She doesn't lecture to the subject and tries to think of extra work for you to do as if this is your only class. She also patronizes the students. Not pleasant to talk to at all. You're basically paying to read the book and take her tests... and the tests are hard.
really looks out for people who suck up. if you talk to her 1 on 1, talk about the athletics you do or recycling. she loves athletes and nature people. Shes all about her favorites and is very unfair. she also messed up my grade because she "forgot" to add a test score, and later corrected it after a few e-mails
RUN RUN! NOW!!!!
WoW!!!! AVOID!!! TEST ARE IMPOSSIBLE AND SHE DOESN'T LIKE PRE-ANYONE!!
This class ruined my life. I probably won't get into med school because of this class. It is unfair, unpredictable, and completely ridiculous. Do not take this lady, wait until someone tries to kill her, and they get a new professor. Just writing this pisses me off. This lady is satan.
this is the same class that used to be 101...This class is ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE. The class is difficult beyond belief and not just difficult but in a nonsense way. I mean, who the hell gives a research paper over spring break. the admin side of this class is not helpful at all, they tell one thing and put another on tests...horrible people.
don't tak this class!!!!!
She is an extremely tough prof. but the things she teaches you will be usefull in all your other bio and biochem upper level courses. Go to her office hours and get to know her, she is really cool! One you establish a friendship and she knows who you are she will be alot more willing to help you!
So this class is an introduction class...ridiculously hard. I would take her over Hassan though. The tests are poorly written, so it doesn't matter how much studying you do. Get a lot of points from lab and do the extra credit, but THIS CLASS REQUIRES A LOT OF WORK IF YOU WANT TO PASS!!! Beware!!!
she is the worst teacher I've had in my whole education career. If you want to get A in this class, don't take her. I strongly recommond you should take this class outside Temple. Tanaka should not teach any more because she doesn't know how to teach.
i studied my butt off for this class and still got a C. Temple biology department needs to fire her and hire teachers who really want us to learn and get a FAIR grade at the same time.
Absolutely insane introductory class. Tests are meant to fail everyone but if you do well on the assignments and do the extra credit you will pass.
JT, not errone ideal professor, but 4 someone who's been at Penn for bout 20 yrs, wat do u expect? She tries to raise the standard for her students and prepares them for the competition out there with other skools includ'n Ivy Leagues. When it comes to midterms, it's not bout what u KNOW but HOW Efficient u r within 50 mins...it's all bout strategy
She is one of the best teachers at Temple. Her course isn't a cake walk. it's a course that prepares you for whatever school is to come after Temple. She's an Ivy League teacher that has devoted her time to teach at Temple. If you take this course, you will have somewhat of a challenge and you'll definitely get your moneys worth. Just Study!
DO NOT TAKE HER CLASS. Her exams are extremely hard and she is a very difficult grader on the group projects. She degrades you when you go to her office hours unless you have an A in her class. She is very intimidating to talk to. Save your GPA, don't take this professor.
Dr. Tanaka conducted a very difficult but very efficient class. Tests were HARD. BUT there were 3 class assignments and ample extra credit so if you take advantage of those you will do well. I got a B. She also teaches test taking strategies which are realistic and helpful for other classes. Don't listen to the bad rap that she gets. PPL are lazy.
Its been a year and the stain Tanaka put on my GPA still stands. She pretends as if she is trying to help the students, but in reality, she makes absolutely no effort to help. She has such a high position in the dept that no one will ever get rid of her.
jacquie's a good lady. i did average on both of the tests and bad on one of the assignments and still pulled a B. i def could have worked harder too. its def possible to do okay- just dont get frustrated.
The truth is unless you make it above 90 which is an A for sure, other grades below 90 will just end up with a B or lower. So, saying that if you get 80ish on your exams, don't think you'll get an A or even a B+, even though the average is like <40. In short, getting an A in this class is next to impossible, unless you are Super-Duper-Extra smart.
She Sucks!
Horrible class. The average for the first midterm was a 57, but that wasn't low enough for her... so she decided to make the second midterm a lot more challenging. Wtf? You don't learn too much from her lectures. Most of your learning is just from reading every night.
I must admit that i like... well used to like Biology but after a month in her class, i couldn't do it!I got a 70 on the first test but i studied so hard that u could feel it in my other classes' grades! She doesn't really go over anything, but i guess it's also because we dont have much time.Whatever,i ended up withdrawing,cant have her next semes
Had her for 1111. you'll never get an A. period. the course is set up so that it's not possible to get an A. but a B is really accessible, i think. i got average on both of the exams and still pulled a B. just do well in lab and you'll be fine.
Horrible.Don't bother going to class unless you read or you will be lost. If you hate reading drop this class now.A LOT of reading.Class averages on tests are usually in the 50s. If you want to get a B get above average on the tests, do well in lab, and do well on assignments. If your thinking about an A or A- forget it.She doesnt help you at all.
Don't come into this class expecting an A. No point in coming to lecture unless you are keeping up with the reading or else you will be lost. In my opinion, exam questions not fair or well suited to material. To even expect a B in this class you need to do well in lab and on all of the assignments.
READ for this class!!! As long as you do well in lab n assigment, it'll help you tremendously, but you also have to do above average (not much, about 10 pt above) in exam to get an a- or a, it's not that hard like people say it is. Many are just lazy and complain a lot but there are many questions from old exam that show up in exam she give.
This class is very reading intensive. If you had to choose between going to lecture vs. reading i would def do the reading. Go to lecture just to get a gist of what was emphasized so that you can go back and read those topics over again. Work hard on the assignments and lab and shoot for mid 70s on the tests and your gold. dont let people scare u.
This class will truly determine whether a bio/biochem major is right for you. Reading almost every day is imperative if you want an A. Her teaching is definitely in need of improvement. Exams require A WHOLE LOT of thinking for an intro class and her assigning a huge project over Spring break was ridiculous.
Contrary to what some people say, it IS impossible to get an A. When I took 1111 not one person got an A (as was told to me by a bio administrator). If you did well (and worked ridic hard) then you got a B. Reading won't help, going to class won't help.. just get through the class and use 2112 to pull up your science gpa
You better like to read because this course requires you to do it for HOURS! Even the brightest students struggle through this class. I absolutely hated the exams. Tanaka is a very nice lady but I dreaded coming to lecture. You've been warned!
Oh, wow, I hated this class so much! Lab didn't go well with lecture and the exams were unnecessarily difficult. I understand that we need to be prepared for the higher level bio courses but this was just ridiculous. Tanaka would never explain the answers for clicker questions and she went off topic sometimes. Ugh, I'm so glad I'm done with her.
Lab was unfair. Whoever you had for lab truly reflected how you did for that portion of the grade. My TA gave impossible quizzes and other TA's gave quizzes that only required one-word answers and even had multiple choice! Like wtf? Tanaka, as lovely as she was in person, didn't teach well. Only a couple out of 500 students will get an A. Beware!
Easy A class. Highly recommended! Dr. Tanaka was the best teacher I've met. Don't listen to those slackers!
Tanaka isnt bad but she is HARD!itsnotimpossible 2 get an A.you will have to work 10 times harder than your other classes to get an A.It is a challenging course. Someone just said, its an easy A,its absolutely wrong!.its not an easy A,its not just studying, labs are tedious, labAssigments & dont even bother talking abt her assignments. its not FUN!
If you don't keep up with the reading prior to the lecture, you will suffer miserably in this class. To get an A you need to be either gifted, lucky or read the material like 10x per day. B is more reasonable. Her curves only benefited the people that did decently and the exams weren't created for students but like for some Nobel Prize winners.
If you're taking this class you better be scared. Like many people have already said, the only way to get an A is to READ/STUDY EVERY DAY. Don't just memorize facts & definitions b/c the exams aren't your typical exams. The avg. will be around a 55. Study for lab frequently as well! The quizzes and practicals will be hell if you don't review.
Hehe, I abhorred this class! I'm so happy that I got a B because I seriously thought I was gonna fail. Too much reading, useless lectures, ridiculous assignments, and not enough time in the world. Forget about getting above a 90 on the exams. Maybe 2 or 3 people will but that's rare. Expect an extremely low class average!
Tanaka's not as bad as people say she is. Read ahead to follow along lectures. If you do that and memorize, you'd be able to derive answers from her exams based on that and her lectures. I got a B+ only because I bombed the final. Everything else I did very well. She wants you to do well and be competent, but not make it so easy.
Her class is hard. She expects everyone to read ahead and know the material. Do not expect to get an A, without reading & rereading everything like 5 times. Although her tests are multiple choice there's usually 50 questions in 50 mins, which gives you no time to ponder. Do not take this class if you can't read, comprehend and apply the material.
It's possible to get an A, I did, But you MUST read every chapter and you MUST practice the information. Don't expect to get high scores on exams but if you get excellent grades in lab (A's) plus decent exam grades (C's) then you can get an A overall. Memorize ALL concepts - you do not have enough time on exams to contemplate the question.
I like her a lot. Sit in the front and get to know her she can be nice and funny. Shes alwayss in office to help. Exams are very difficult. Second exam i didn't study got the average score (21/50). Never showed up to class after exam 1 (half semester) and got a B. Just do all the assingments there easy and do well in lab. They bring your grade up.
Don't let the name "Introduction to Biology" fool you. This class is no joke, as you'll spend a majority of your semester studying for it. Tanaka is a very nice woman when you get to know her, but the exams/assignments pack quite a punch. Be prepared to take one of the hardest courses in your undergraduate career. I got a B-, but I learned so much.
This is one of the hardest classes you'll take. Tanaka usually spends lecture time going over only figures in the book mainly unrelated to exams which are extremely difficult. One had an average of about 25%. You'd think she would realize she needs to change her teaching style, but she doesn't. Assignments and lab do help bring grades up though.
HORRIBLE. Extremely hard. Exams have nothing to do with the lectures she has. Don't EVER take her or you'll probably ruin your life. She actually wants to fail her students because this course is meant to eliminate students who "don't take bio seriously" Studied my ass off and managed to get a less than 50% on my exams.
A fairly nice lady, but an absolutely useless professor. She outlines notes in class only to amuse herself it seems bc nothing in those notes are on the exam. The book was absolutely useless as well. If you don't know the material inside and out, then forget it. She seems almost annoyed when kids have questions about the material.
Apparently she was suspended for failing to many students so she "changed" her teaching styles and started making outlines in class... they don't even count as outlines. They have absolutely no information. Don't even go to the class because what she does in lectures are completely unrelated to whats on the exams...avoid taking her classes..please
She's an awful teacher and this class is EXTREMELY difficult...do NOT underestimate her...most people FAIL...i got a C & i'm happy because i never have to look at her face ever again. Make sure u read like 2309 times for each chapter
This is one of the most difficult classes you WILL ever take during your undergraduate career. Tanaka is remorseless. She does not care that her exams do not match up to the information she gives us in class. This is partially because in her delusional mind, it does. To EARN a B you need to know the material. Re-read everything & know the figures!
doesn't author the course to emphasize (and test) on what she sees most important. it's ok to hold us responsible for a high volume of material but her failure to offer guidance is not. exams ask random question from ~4 chapters. doesn't say this but that's how it is. doesn't help us build work ethic or study skills. not a good way to teach.
nice lady but a pretty bad professor. her "outlines" don't help at all. most quiz/clicker questions were tricky & unfair.exams are ridiculous. i highly recommend going over back tests, quiz questions & the questions in the book cause sometimes she uses them. the curve really saves you. i managed to get a B+ but it was a lot of work
I HATE her! She finally had notes for student just because she was on probation. Her notes can be tossed in the trash because it's completely useless. Said nothing helpful during lectures and the tests questions came from nowhere to be found. This woman is freaking stupid but always want to show off her knowledge. LIFE RUINER!!!
A nice lady???!!! No way. She's possibly the rudest professor I've ever come across and it's incomprehensible to me that Temple would hire her. There are plenty of doctors out there and she's seemed to miss the memo that she's not special in any way. Class isn't hard, just make sure to study.
Rudest professor! If you turn to your friend to ask them a quick question, she'll call you out for chatting. Doesn't promote an atmosphere where students can ask questions. If you do ask her something, she questions you on whether you read the chapter or not instead of providing an answer. Exams were hard. Had to read chaps 5 times. Got B on exams.
She is awesome! She is not mean or hard like people say she was in Bio 1 for this class. She is the smartest bio prof. that I have taken so far. Very knowledgeable in all areas of science not just bio even organic chem! Fair grader, interactive class. Do the homework,& review them for exams then test will be easy. Got an A- in the class. Thank God!
The best Professor I had at Temple. She is knowledgeable and she cares about the nature. She is such a sweet heart and knows and lives according to what she is talking about. She encourages everyone to talk in class and develops your abilities. The best bio elective I took only because of her. You do need to do your homework and you will be fine.
Honestly she is one of the best Bio teachers l have come around, not only does she take the time to teach you the material but to understand it. Bio 1111 is not about memorization but understanding concepts. She doesn`t want to give you an easy grade but quiz you on wether you know the material as you should
I have had Tanaka twice. I was not too fond of her in 1111, but when I had her in a much smaller elective size class, she was wonderful! I think when you get to know each other, you understand her better. She has a particular style of teaching and when you get used to it, its easy! Overall, she is not my favorite professor but shes above average!
Dr. Tanaka is super respectful and caring. I had her before and didn't care for her because it was my first time taking a class in the bio department. After high school, I was definitely in for a shock seeing averages in the 60s. I struggled, but not because of her. She's really wants her students to learn.
Great class and she has particular style that you must conform too or else you will not get the grade you want. She often goes off topic to pass on her opinions and political views instead of conveying the material in an effective and efficient manner.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
50%
Textbook Required
86%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.14 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOLOGY101
5.0
(1)BIO1009
5.0
(1)BIO4327
4.5
(2)101
4.0
(1)104
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
101
5.0
104
5.0
BIOLOGY
5.0
BIO101
4.6
BIO1111
4.5