2.8
Quality3.3
Difficulty44%
Would Retake108
Reviews44%
Would Retake
108
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
11
4
34
3
23
2
19
1
21
What Students Say
“God the testing format is horrible, power point style,2-3 minutes per slide/question m, spelling counts”
BIO244 - 1.0 rating“Your best bet is to study his lecture notes every day for at least thirty minutes if you want an A”
BIO242 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
10%
Textbook Required
64%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.86 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOL301
5.0
(1)BIO01
5.0
(1)1691
4.0
(1)BIOLOGY
4.0
(1)BIO240BIO242
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
242
5.0
BIOLOGY240
5.0
BIO244
4.6
BIOL242244
4.5
BIOL301
4.0
Reviews (108)
Actually made ecology bearable
He's the coolest professor ever!
Good teacher, but you really dont have to show up to class to get an A as long as you read the lecture notes and the book.....
HE HAS THE COOLEST BOUNCING DANCE EVER....YOU HAVE TO TAKE HIS CLASS...HE IS BOMB!!!
No Comments
Awful teacher lacking any compassion or personal relations skills.
No Comments
No Comments
Dr. Alexander is a good teacher. He makes biology somewhat interesting and gives you copious amounts of material to study with. His tests are a little tough but is you have a decent understanding of the material you will get a B because he has a larger grading scale than most other teachers.
Caught up with research, does not care about teaching. Frustrated doctor who did not make it and hell bent on seeing everyone else fail, so he became a teacher because he did not have enough sense to do anything else. Those who make As in his class are frat brothers and geeks that suck up
Study his learning objectives and notes and you will do fine. His tests are fair.
No Comments
Good teacher, doesn't put up with crap, you need to show up for classes if you want a better than a C,
Pretty good class, if you can stand to listen to him yammer for an hour and a half. He also bounces on his toes the entire time.
Excellent teacher. His "ramblings" kept things interesting in class. His knowledge is vast, and he's more than willing to impart this to you. I've gone up to his office just to chat, and left feeling like I understand the world a little more than before. Wish he taught more upper level classes.
you have to buy the notes for this class and thats really all u need. not an easy class, but i never went because everything he said was directly in the notes. I got a B, but only b/c I studied really hard with the notes.
Very easy class; go to lecture if you want (it helps some), but its not necessary. Just read his notes, show up for the exams, and its an easy A.
He tries to help the students and motivate. He does a good job and his notes are good. The test are difficult though.
He makes things easy by providing learning objectives and lecture notes, but unfortunately that kind of leads to people just memorizing stuff in an unconnected way rather than actually understanding it. He is a good at explaining things though and makes class interesting.
He spends maybe 40% of the time talking about biology, and fills the rest with either lecturing us about how hard his class is and that we need to study, or telling uninteresting stories about himself or his pets. I made a habit of coming to class about 20 minutes late, to hopefully miss out of most of the non-biology lecturing.
I had Dr. Alexander for 240 and 242. He gives you all the resources you need to pass the classes. His lecture notes are excellent, and he explains everything during lectures. These classes are hard, just because you have to read so much, and memorize so many concepts. But thats what it takes to become a biologist.
No Comments
This professor teaches directly from his notes. book can be used for diagrams and clarification, however you don't need to purchase the book. Overall, class was very easy and tests were directly from notes so you don't have to go to class.
I didn't like him at first but he really grew on me. His notes are awesome and you really do need to know them well. He seems terrible and he is boring, but he is just trying to weed out people from seeking a bio degree
I despise Dr. A (who calls himself "The Bear"). He is a terrible teacher! He can't stay on topic and you learn NOTHING from him! Do not take him if you are thinking pre-med, you will not be well prepared for the MCATs. He wants you to fail; he should not be a teacher, he should only be a researcher.
This guy IS Biology and he can be rather entangled in his work. No science professor isn't though, so don't take it to heart. He teaches right from his notes that you buy for about $20 (book basically unneeded)and he teaches well and keeps it interesting. The REACH tutor can provide old tests which are the best study tool. Def. take him for 242!!
He really does teach straight from his notes. If you go to class and take notes on his lectures and study them well you will do fine on the tests. I've heard he's not as hard as some of the other bio profs at U of L.
Very good at going over what you need to know but rambles a bit from time to time
I'm not into Biology; this class has been rough on me. The material is very dense and complex. But Dr. A is a great lecturer, who makes a very dull subject much more interesting. Tests are often worded strangely, so read very carefully. Textbook is mostly supplemental reading to the lectures; buy used or don't bother. Must buy his notes anyway.
Very dry sense of humor...very funny. But he basically reads the notes you buy.
Beware of any career advice that this professor gives you.
His exams werent too bad, if you read the notes ahead of lecture, it will make the notes stick to your head better!! Its easy to not take this class seriously because you have his notes.
No need to go to class. Just study the notes he gives and have old exams because he re-uses questions. Probably the easiest Biolgy class for a Bio major.
Took over the summer. Super easy A. If you take during the summer, a textbook is not required. I never opened mine. The packet is all you need to focus on and he give you a review sheet that is the test basically.
It was a huge class, so I didn't really get to know him much. I just used his notes most of the time and barely opened my book. Which MAY have been a bad thing. He seems WAY too busy for his own good. He does research for the school. Don't expect to spend much time outside of class with this professor.
Very poor lecturer, essentially reads straight from his lecture notes. Hope you're prepared to self teach. Definitely take someone else if possible.
Boring lectures, don't need to go. Read his notes that you have to get-tests are straight from that.
Very easy, Just memorize his notes and the tests are mostly easy, just a lot of nit picky details other than that i went to class only on test dates and got a high B
Terribly boring. Also doesn't answer emails. Dont need to go to class cuz he tests right off the selected lecture notes. Easiest class for a bio major but also pointless
Exams are straight from his notes. Never went to class except on exams and got an A! Final is cumulative yet easy as well.
boring, no need to go to class, just read the lecture notes.
Best Bio 240-242 Professor to take. If you can find tests from previous years (which isn't hard because he hands them back to students) you will do well because he repeats about 70% of the questions. Interesting fellow, but talks about Mrs. A and tells jokes the first 10 minutes of every class. Study and the class isn't hard.
Total joke of a professor. Clearly research is more important than teaching. Lame jokes, arrogant, don't expect answers to even simple questions. Having said all that, ridiculously easy - just study old tests and his lecture notes (don't buy textbook for this class) and you'll get an easy A. Class is easy but disappointing in terms of learning.
He makes the best jokes ever, and is a Carebear of a man! Take him definitely! He also mocks students with ridiculous voices, which cannot be topped. The class is pretty hard, but study old tests and read his notes. DON'T BUY THE BOOK, it is never used so just buy his lecture notes because that is what he uses for tests. Take him!
People say he's easy. I've been out of high school 9 yrs and found his course hard. Studied non stop, did study guides, etc and barely pulled a C. Ridiculous class.
Coming in to this class I thought it would be the hardest class I will ever take and I had 0 interest in Biology. If you actually look at his notes and if you have the Masteringbiology online you will pass with a high grade. What is good about Dr. Alexander is that his test are straight forward and there is no trick answers. Best bio teacher!!
Dr. Alexander is very funny and a very nice person. He'll talk to you one on one and clarify what you need. He is very thorough and gives lecture notes to follow and learning objectives for each exam. I'm taking him again because he really is an excellent teacher.
Either go to class or read the chapters. But DEFINITELY do the learning objectives online. If you're like me, this is a great way to retain the info and all you have to do is look over the LOs before the test. I didn't do LOs for the first test, got a 54. Once I started doing them I got a 84, 86, and 90
Dr. Alexander's Biology 242 was a challenge for me. In order to get a decent grade I had to read the lecture notes before class, and then pay attention in class in order to reiterate what I had read. He goes through his material quickly, therefore you have to read his lecture notes in order to fully comprehend. Be willing to work.
Great guy, honestly read his lecture notes, study them. They literally are the test, if you know those notes, you know his entire class. He is firm, but really I loved taking his class. Study the notes thoroughly, and you'll have no problem.
He's a good man. He relates to the hassles of juggling a blue-collar job with college. He'll let you reschedule tests provided you have documentation. I couldn't attend most lectures due to work, but by thoroughly reading the book I pulled an B. Could have gotten an A had I not bombed the first test. Not too hard.. be prepared to study 10hrs/test
I've had Dr. A for 240/242/244 and he's a good guy. He sells his class notes (from which all test questions come) and he adheres to them. The book is only needed for clarification. Save tests because he takes all of his questions from old tets. Overall, good guy,just boring intro class.
Dr. A is a pretty nice guy, but don't bother asking questions in class because all you'll hear from him is "Yes, what?!" and then an answer of "We'll get to that later." The book is pretty useless for this class, but STUDY HIS NOTES! Tests are all memorization from the notes. I got an A and never cracked the book. His notes are the entire test.
Great professor. Very funny. Class attendance is not necessary. the book is not necessary. stick with the lecture notes he provides. keep all old exams for final review (uses same or very similar questions). I had him for 240/242/244. I aced all 3 :)
Dr. A was a very nice guy. As long as you read his lecture notes and understand them thoroughly you will be fine. His exams have tricky questions, but most are straightforward. Going to class helps, but you don't need to. Bio 240 isn't easy but if you put the time and effort, an A is possible.
He's nice, but that's his only redeeming quality. He spends most of lecture repeating old jokes or unrelated anecdotes from his life. Don't expect to learn anything from this class. To do well, and it's not hard to do well, study the heck out of his lecture notes, which he sells separately from the book. I never opened the book and did fine.
The tests are very specific, and you literally have to memorize every single detail off the notes he gives you. This class requires a lot of studying throughout the week, and going to class isn't necessary. I hated this class and thought his lectures were extremely boring and his tests too specific considering they covered 5 to 6 chapters.
Study study study the lecture notes and use the picture diagrams in the book for clarity. The tests are very nit-picky so make sure you understand everything to an extent. Animal phyla are terrible, and so are plants. Just fight through it. Love Alexander though!
This class is taught by TA's. You either get a good one, or a bad one. Just know everything in the lab book. Very hard class to study for but it isn't that bad because it's basically a review of 240 & 242 combined. Just go to lab & make sure to understand everything.
Dr. Alexander is super funny, but can really get off topic during his lectures. You don't even really need the book except for the diagrams, because his tests come straight out of his lecture notes, which you can print online. So long as you study that, you should do fine on the tests. He also gives practice tests, which are helpful.
The sections are taught by different TA's, and since they make their own tests, it varies for each section. So some may have an easy or a hard TA. None of them are very good, and the tests are on powerpoint slides. You only have three grades, which are the tests. You have to memorize all of the images in the book. It's ridiculous.
He gives out his own notes and does not use any biology book. If you go to lecture and read his notes you will do fine, but you need to pay close attention to the little things in his notes because he likes to test over that.
for 240/242 don't even buy a text book soly read his notes, if you memorize the notes good you will do good on tests, make sure to take online practice test to test whether you know the material well. Got an A in both 240/242. The lab ugh!l.. is ridiculously hard. avoid the hard TA's read the book and i studied f load and got high c.. :(
Dr. A is a great professor. Very goofy but strait forward and very easy if you attend class and read lecture notes. Just like the other comments say, just study the notes provided for class, DONT BUY THE BOOK, you wont need it. Study and go to class and you get an A
Likes using different voices for "comedic" effect, but it usually strays away from learning.
Dr. Alexander is a funny guy, though some say he is not. He uses powerpoint and lets you print his lecture notes. The tests are based on his lecture notes; you do not have to read or purchase the text book. Attendance is not required if you just study his lecture notes.
Best way to pass? find students who have previous exams, as he doesn't change them much but picks and chooses questions from old exams. I found going to class was pointless as 90% of the time he's off topic anyway, nice guy though and generous with curves
Class attendance recommended but not necessary. Test details come from his lecture notes, broad connections come from lectures. Nice person, generous grading curve. A87%,
This is more a rating of the TAs for the BIO lab. Mine were absolutely awful. They were unorganized, unprepared, and unsure of everything they told us to do. Uninformed as well. Good luck. This was the hardest class I have ever taken... and I've taken several BIO classes.
Dr. Alexander is the worst professor I have had at UofL so far. The class is not hard, but he his a horrible lecturer and you literally have to teach yourself. I was one question away from a C to a B and he refused to curve (which may not sound like a big deal, but I needed at least a B for grad school). Unfortunately, I'm taking his class again.
His lectures are good, but you have to read the notes to understand what he's talking about a lot of the time. Use the resources he gives, including the notes, slides, and practice tests. If you have a book it is extremely helpful, but you can survive without it. (The book is more organized than his lecture and notes). Silly, nice man.
The lectures are somewhat useless but I did decide to go with hopes that some of the terms would be familiar to me later when studying. All you need are the lecture notes but they are lengthy and he tests even on little things. Study early! It is hard to learn all of this in a day or two. I do not enjoy his brand of comedy--needs focus in lecture!
I really wanted to like "Dr A". He's clearly influenced a lot of young minds at U of L, but why do teachers like him actively discourage their students so much? If you love bio, don't take the competitive, negative bait. There's a lot to learn here... the book helped me get the concepts, the lectures, well, you're paying for em.
I adore Dr. Alexander! He is really funny but his lectures can be very off topic. Don't go to lecture or read the book for 242, just read his lecture notes he posts online. Tests are curved. 244 is horrible. The labs are pointless and the tests are ridiculously specific. The class ended up being curved 19 points because everyone did so poorly.
Little effort was made to facilitate understanding of the material and instead all of our time was spent memorizing facts. I feel that my time in class would've been better spent staying home and reading the textbook because I basically just sat there and listened to him tell me the SparkNotes version of it anyways.
Megan DeVries was the TA who taught my lab. Classes were disorganized, unfocused, and a waste of time. The tests were a disaster. They covered too much material and the questions were far too specific. Nobody ever knew what we needed to study, even with a guide. They were presented as pwrpnt slides with only mins to answer 2-3 questions per slide.
Mister Alexander is a charming person but not a good professor. He's very off topic and doesn't cover all of the material for his exams. I found it very difficult to achieve a decent grade for this class. It's a very on your own course!
Dr. A is an amazing professor. He has that documentary voice that if you watch discovery channel documentaries you'll notice right away. His lectures are tough, but Bio is also a tough subject. There are many terms to learn and know. You do not have to have the book, but it is a great reference tool to the lecture notes he posts.
This class is literally the worst class I have ever had the misfortune of taking. Its absolutely miserable. Prepare to memorize the entire textbook (spelling counts) and still get horrible grade in the class. TA's are a joke.
This class is such a pain. The tests are really hard if you get one of the TAs who are difficult. Quizzes were at the end so you annoyingly had to stay for the whole thing even when there was nothing left to do.
God the testing format is horrible, power point style,2-3 minutes per slide/question m, spelling counts! And the information your tested over is hella specific jeez
Not impressed by this course. Only gave a 2 point curve and I needed 6. The tests were nearly impossible to study for. The curve is determined based on all sections which is unfair because different TAs teach different sections and they make the tests.
242 and 244 are both horrible. So many terms, tests are painfully specific, and TA's was just a joke.
He is a very nice and caring professor. He gives you his lecture notes as the book which is helpful. I did find his test challenging, more than needed.
Go to class and study the notes. If you pay attention and actually take the time to over his notes you will pass the exams. It's a lot of content but if you take the time and study it's not that bad.
The exam questions are extremely specific and difficult to pass. The only grades are exams, including a cumulative final. There are no assignments or extra credit and he won't bump your grade no matter how close you are. He post all the notes on Bb so you don't have to attend lecture but be prepared to live and breathe this class.
This was the most difficult class I've taken thus far. If your not sitting in the first four rows, then you won't be able to hear him. He doesn't allow for recording either. Lectures didn't really help for exams since he mostly got off topic. Your best bet is to study his lecture notes every day for at least thirty minutes if you want an A.
I took this class with 5 professors, so it's more of a review for them. DON'T TAKE IT! This class was miserable, I tried so hard & still couldn't get above a C. It is so poorly structured, the tests are so inconsistent bc of 5 profs- it's a joke. Avoid taking at all costs. It's a BS weed out class, and is unnecessarily difficult. 100% regret taking
His tests really aren't bad. Usually the people that struggle are the ones who don't attend lecture then wait to study for his exams. Don't listen to others, GO TO LECTURE. I probably would not have gotten an A if I didn't. He's funny and his lectures really helped me stay on top of the material.
Dr. A knows this content like the back of his hand, but it is a lot to take in at first. With only 4 exams including the final, grading is strict. Lecture was more supplementary to his lecture notes online. Opened the book twice and never used it again. If you want to do well: go to SI sessions and study well in advance, 7 days before at least.
I went to 60% of the lectures but they weren't the most helpful because he'd go on tangents and briefly cover important things. However, I emailed him with a few questions and he responded very quickly and was helpful. I suggest depending on his lecture notes and not studying the book because for some things he uses different terminology.
Dr. Alexander is extremely intelligent. He very obviously knows what he is taking about but he does often go off on a tangent and tell strange and sometimes irreverent stories. If you don't sit near the front of the room you will have no idea what's going on. He has GREAT lecture notes that basically tell you everything you need to know for exams.
Dr. Alexander is very knowledgeable, but there is so much difficult content that it's hard to go over it all in detail. His lectures aren't very useful but they help loosely go over content. If you study content and do practice tests in textbook, you can be semi-prepared for the four tests.
Dr. A is not bad. I enjoy him actually a lot, but it's easy to see how people don't. He gives you the lecture notes and the learning objectives. The key to pass: use the lecture notes to work on the learning objectives. Learn it. Memorize it. Practice it. Also math. Get good at that. He gives you the formulas though. But know what they're for.
Dr. A is very knowledgeable, but during class you will not get prepared for exams. This course is lots of material that really requires memorization. You really just need to memorize the lecture notes he posts online and you can do well on tests (decent curve). Lectures are honestly a waste of time. I would say just go to office hours for questions
Dr. A is the greatest Biological mind in the city of Louisville, Ky. He puts his heart into his work. Dr. Alexander's class is tough but using the given lecture notes it can be passed with appropriate preparation and studying.
Dr. Alexander is a good man but not so great at staying on topic. He always gets off topic which makes his lectures pointless. Also he posts ALL the notes that he goes over in lecture online which is very helpful. I never went to class after the first day and only used the notes he posted online and did very well.
His lectures are useless, but he gives his lecture notes (a transcript of what he should be saying in lecture but doesn't). Don't waste your time at his lectures, go to the library and memorize the lecture notes on blackboard instead. Exams are not hard, based completely off the learning objectives. Just put in the work to memorize and you're fine
Dr. Alexander is one of the worst Biology professors I have ever had. He has very poor communication skills and will take weeks to respond to emails. Grades are based on 4 exams alone, and you pretty much have to teach yourself the complicated content. Lectures are useless as he is very disorganized and does not provide clarification. Avoid!!!
This class is only hard because you have to memorize everything. Going to lecture is pointless. He gets distracted and forgets to teach. He posts his lectures online and learning objectives for each unit. Only graded on three exams and a paper. The paper is ridiculous. It's easy just takes forever to do. Would recommend if you're good at memorizing
The tests are super hard and confusing. He is very unorganized and the lectures are not very good.
Honestly, this class is pretty useless. Pure memorization of like 40+ pages of notes. The class is really exam heavy and there is no curves or homework or papers offered to pad out your grade. You don't have to show up to class unless you want to fall asleep. Literally just memorize his packet of notes he gives you.
Worst professor I have ever taken. Does not care about the students.
Don't go to lecture, I went and realized after a 30 min discussion on the direction of toilets swirling that it was useless. His 40+ pages of notes (per exam) are helpful but a lot of memorize for every exam. He curved so the avg. could be a C (it was usually a D). Memorize the things you think are useless and any math, that's what the exams are.
Does not care about his students or make any exceptions. Going to class is useless because he does not teach the material you need to know for the exams. Study on your own time and teach yourself from the exam review and slides. No I clicker to test knowledge throughout lectures and only exams and the paper assigned is graded.
This is my second time taking this course and it is just as awful as the first time I took it. Only 4 exams, no extra credit or any chances for extra points. Exam averages were very low, and he blamed the students instead of his poor teaching style. Prepare to memorize 20+ pages of lecture notes in only a few weeks. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
AVOID THIS PROFESSOR AT ALL COSTS! His lectures are not helpful at all, he literally rambles about stuff that has nothing to do with exam content for 20 mins and up. Seriously just don't take the guy.
The entire class is 4 exams , nothing else. Class isn't mandatory and he posts notes but there are extensive. Exams are extremely memorization heavy. I personally would not recommend .
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
10%
Textbook Required
64%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.86 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOL301
5.0
(1)BIO01
5.0
(1)1691
4.0
(1)BIOLOGY
4.0
(1)BIO240BIO242
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
242
5.0
BIOLOGY240
5.0
BIO244
4.6
BIOL242244
4.5
BIOL301
4.0