2.3
Quality3.7
Difficulty24%
Would Retake197
Reviews24%
Would Retake
197
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
197 total ratings5
22
4
14
3
41
2
54
1
66
What Students Say
“probably the worst professor I've ever had”
BIOL214 - 1.0 rating“Bader's tests are very challenging”
BIOL214 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
16%
Textbook Required
27%
Grade Predictor
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A-
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BIOL335
5.0
(2)BIOL336
5.0
(1)BIOL343
3.2
(5)BIOLIDK
3.0
(1)BIOL214
2.4
(127)Difficulty by Course
BIOL300S
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3.8
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3.8
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Reviews (196)
worst professor at case.takes himself way too seriously. it becomes blatantly obvious that he is not smart enough to be teaching upper level bio. this guy should be teaching in a high school. it is impossible to learn from his teaching and his tests r completely arbitrary.if u want to see how not to teach a college level course take this guys class
Terrible! his tests are vague and hard and you don't learn anything.
Absolutely the worst teacher I have ever had. His teaching method is not suitable for college students, and he is not bright enough to teach high-level biology class (you should know he doesn't have a PhD degree). His exam questions are vague and misleading. He is lazy and not engaging. He communicates with students poorly. He is incompetent.
I think that people are not prepared for the type of test that he gives. Many times it is analyzing data sets and applying class knowledge. Also reading the book and knowing the figures is key, but people exaggerate when talking about his test, and I have found him to be very helpful.
His tests aren't just regurgitation which makes it hard. I definitely had to put in more time. He's a nice guy with dry humor but isn't the best professor. I'm sure he knows his stuff though (despite what others have said). They probably are upset over a B.
His tests aren't just regurgitation, so they can be difficult. Definitely learn the pathways for processes. He's a nice guy with dry humor but isn't the best professor. I do think he knows what he's talking about though (despite what others on here have been saying.)
I slept through most of his lectures. The only reason I was there was for the clicker questions. His lectures are basically pointless but are necessary if you want to do well on tests. Do not read the textbook and go into the test room thinking you will know everything. Study his slides and know all the concepts he brings up in his lectures
He was one of the most helpful and accommodating professors I have ever had. I entered the class believing I would have no interest in microbiology, and came out with a passion for the subject due to his applicable and hands on curriculum.
Interesting lectures and exams are not very hard.
Extremely kind and knowledgeable professor. Will take the time to help you if you ask. I really enjoyed his class and method of teaching. He has a very laid back demeanor.
Easy going person, lectures aren't the most riveting but I liked the content so it wasn't terrible. On exams you have to interpret the data he gives you and can't just regurgitate things you've memorized. I had him for a portion of Biol 214 as well and it was really straight forward and fair.
Awful lecturer. Does not go into detail about anything and I'm learning so much more from the book. Course moves slowly and professor does not stay on track. Avoid this professor.
CLASS IS DOABLE, HOWEVER he will go off the syllabus because he doesn't pace each chapter, quizzes are EASY because they are group, GO TO HIS OFFICE HOURS when he has them otherwise you aren't going to do that well in his hard exams WHICH ARE NOT MULTIPLE CHOICE, lectures pretty useless
A lot of people did not like this course and blamed the professor but I think much of that stemmed from a lack of effort on their part. I found the lectures to be interesting and informative, he also made good use of the book as a supplement to learning. Also, whenever I had trouble I would visit him in office hours and he always managed to help.
Personally, I found his lectures to be really boring and repetitive of what's in the book, to the point that I don't even show up to class anymore. I ended up learning all the material from the book and SI. Tests are all short answer and tougher than diiullio benard's. Nice guy, but not a good professor.
His lectures are useless. The tests are way harder than an into biology class's should be. They are all free response and very long. The lecture slides he posts are mostly useless was well. definitely need to read the bookstudy hard for exams. The quiz's are group, but can still be tough.
Super fun nice professor. Really generous and loves his students.
Not the most caring professor but he does his job.
The lectures are terrible and he is extremely useless with technology. I cry everyday before I enter this lecture because I cannot stand his monotone voice for over an hour. He is not funny no matter how hard he tries and his syllabus is inaccurate.
probably the worst professor I've ever had. His lectures are useless, you might as well not even come to class except for quizzes/tests read the book. You won't learn anything from lecture.
As a person, he's really caring and open and accessible. BUT. BIO214 is a lecture hall class with somewhere around 400+ students. So all of this is hindered. He's difficult to pay attention to between technological deficiencies, mumbling, and stops and starts. You can't really escape the pre-req, so prepare to do a lot of work on your own.
Bader is someone who's really nice and does care about helping you. HOWEVER, since this guy's not usually the lecturer for BIOL214 he struggles with helping students with test review and you can tell that he has trouble lecturing. READ THE BOOK and GO TO SI SESSIONS.
He is very unclear (and boring) in his lectures, which seem to take five-ever. The text book can help clear things up, but it would be better to have someone teaching us. Also, it feels like he picks the worst grades to put in blackboard.
Our master is quite harsh in grading... Bader's tests are very challenging. I personally believe it would be easier if he put his tests back to all free response. Many people I know, including me, struggle in the multiple choice section. Oh not to mention his free response graders have no mercy. No partial credit is given.
Absolutely awful lecturer. Lectures are useless; USE THE TEXTBOOK. In class assignments and quizzes are incentives to show up to class but otherwise there's no point. Useless professor in general.
Honestly, not a very good teacher. Makes the class extremely boring. His exams are often times confusing and poorly worded. Unfortunately he's the only BIOL 214 professor for Fall 2016 so had to go with him. Pop in class assignments are the reason to show up for class. Has 10 of those and 10 quizzes for the semester. Exams are hard. Avoid.
Relatively easy material but quiz and test questions are poorly worded and weird. Whiny, boring lectures with little use, but necessary attendance because of the in class assignments that he gives. Tries to be engaging, but messes with the technology too much letting students get distracted and leading to an unengaged classroom.
not the most articulate and clear of teachers. however he gives fair tests and extra credit. he isnt very good at engaging his audience however his slides and lectures do have the important information. if you really tune in and pay attention you will get all the material. be sure to study for the tests.
Dr. Bader's lectures touch topics that you really must study thouroughly on your own. His test often feature unfair questions. To be fair, he gives full credit for his mistakes and allows people to work together on quizes. Moreover, he often gives easy in-class assignments, but you WILL lose easy points if you skip class.
Bader's lectures are very broad and require personal reading afterwards to thoroughly understand the material. He is very fair and wants his students to succeed. I recommend doing SI sheets on your own to solidify the knowledge.
His lectures are useless and slides nonspecific. I learned more from the textbook than him
It has been almost two months since I have seen James Bader and even now certain biology figures will bring me crashing back to the memories of James killing my grade, not explaining things in class and trying too hard to me funny. He stole my semester from me, he is the reason I dropped pre-med and he is the reason I cannot sleep at night.
Pros: places emphasis on really learning the material and thinking about it critically rather than just memorizing stuff; didn't make us buy a textbook or iclicker. Cons: not that good at explaining stuff -- I relied on Khan Academy to help me understand the material; also, quiz and test questions were sometimes ambiguous.
He is an awful teacher and his exams are relatively difficult. You don't have to buy the textbook, but you should because sometimes I doubt if he even knows what he's talking about. Also tries waaaayyy too hard to be funny and spends a weirdly long time playing with technology and wasting class time.
Terrible teacher but very very easy if you read the textbook.
So much better than the usual fall semester Biology professor. Gives tons of extra credit, I think we got 30 points EC. Curves grades if your close at the end and truly a nice guy. Tests are hit or miss. Exam 2 is rough but if you read the book and listen to him in class when he hints at stuff being on the test you should be fine
His teaching method is less effective than eating soup with a fork. Also, be prepared for a lot of dad jokes.
Professor Bader is pretty much a very generic instructor. The class is Mediavisioned, but the lectures are a mix between fast and slow, and are not particularly interesting. The tests often have typos and have intentionally confusing questions on the multiple choice. The grading is rather harsh, with large chunks of points taken for small errors.
Not too bad of a professor - speaks slowly so if you mediavision the lecture on double speed, you can still understand and save yourself about an hour! goes on tangents so you can fast forward a lot. Tests are not awful
Not an amazing teacher, but a lot like the other professors in college. Does not have slides with words, everything taught is from his mouth. Tests are extremely difficult and are application exams. Final was extremely difficult. Class curved 1% at the end of the semester, so there may be hope for you. Knew everything from AP biology.
Bader is a nice person, but that is where the positives end. In class he often spent a weirdly long time messing with technology. Also, his test questions were often extremely vague. Reading the textbook is a must if you want to do well in his class.
Bader was an average professor. Lectures were boring and students just played on their laptops. Not much help during office hours. However, you really dont have to pay attention in lecture to do well. If you read relevant sections of the textbook and go to SI sessions religiously, you will do well. Go to class for easy points on class assignments
Typical college intro lecture. He read off the slides (which were dry) and students spent class on their laptops doing anything but biology. Most students learned material for the test from the textbook. Exams were predictable and not difficult, at least if you read the book. There were random in class assignments, so don't skip.
Lectures are long and boring. Read the textbook. There are occasional in class assignments.
Prof Bader's lectures are long, which make them be very boring. The strongest advise I can give you is go to the SI sessions, come to class before In-Class Assingments are given and read the textbook for the exams. Class is curved, 88% is an A, but it is still very hard to get it. Final Exam was extremely hard. Teaching method did not work online.
Dr. Bader is not the best lecturer and exams can be tricky b/c of poor wording. I recommend still attending class just to stay on top of your game (students who attend do better than those who don't). He does give extra credit but don't rely on it being there. My advice: read the textbook (particularly for Exams 2 and 3) and go to SI sessions
Don't skip class, as he gives out extra credit that can really boost your grade if you show up. Don't stress about the lecture slides as much as you do the textbook. Everyone on this thread says to read the textbook for a reason as most of the test content comes from there even though it might not be covered in the lecture.
Prof Bader is a decent lecturer. Grade is bades on 3 exams, 5 quizzes, 5 in-class assingment and a final exam. First exam is evolution and is easy, exam 2 & 3 get harder as topics move into molecular genetics. Final is very hard. Go to class for random assingments. Read the textbook and go to SI sessions! Getting an A (88%) is super hard. Good luck
At times, it felt like he didnt know what he was doing, which made me not trust him as an instructor. His lectures are drier than sand, but hes a nice person. I dont know what advice to give other than to teach yourself the material between SI sessions and the textbook.
This is the worst class I have taken in my freshman year. He does not differentiate between useful and useless information.
He's a nice guy and cares about his students. I met with him individually and he basically gave me two hours of one-on-one tutoring, which was really nice. His tests are somewhat difficult, but manageable with a little studying. Be careful with his quizzesthey can be a little rough if you don't know your stuff.
facts^ he doesn't know how to differentiate between useful and useless info and you have to figure that our for yourself. There's a lot of you have to figure out for yourself, and if you can do that then you good. He words a lot of test questions wrong and weird and isn't too timely on returning stuff. But he's very nice guy and smart.
I think he is probably a good person, but he comes off as a little rude when you talk to him during office hours. You need to teach yourself all of the material and write down EVERY WORD he says during lecture because he says one thing once and then gives us 5 questions on it in the test. The wording in the tests is usually terrible, so practice!
He clearly knows his stuff, but uses that in a way to tell his students everything he knows rather than relevant material to the course or the specific exam. He really tries to engage with his students and is a good prof in that way. Exams are annoying because his multiple choice are poorly worded. Also takes forever to grade anything.
Well said by the others, very poorly worded questions. Also, an excessive amount of questions are marked incorrect on the exams, even when you are correct. We end up having to figure everything out ourselves even though its not our job. Unnecessary headache for us. In this class you teach urself, grade urself, fend for yourself. very disappointing
If you can avoid this class, DO IT! He is not a good professor at all!!!!! I do not understand how Case has such a bad biology professor, especially in a STEM school.
Super sweet and engaging during class. He enjoys talking to students and learning about them and creates resources and events for students to participate in outside of class. The material can be difficult and tests as well, but once you get used to the questions and level of work it isn't as terrible. Lectures can be dry, but he is a good person.
Professor Bader was very kind and accessible. I took his class online and he was one of the professors that handled the switch to virtual learning the best. He assigns a lot of homework and the lectures are long but they are detailed enough. Do the extra work to succeed. Study for tests and read the textbook (specifically the textbook figures).
Do every SimBio, it's essentially free points. The first test is a breeze but you need to study hard for tests 2 and 3. He gives extra credit. Test questions are worded really poorly so you need to fight for every point back that you can. Lectures are long and boring but pay more attention to what he says rather than the slides. Overall a nice guy.
Great professor that really cares about his students! All lectures were recorded and posted so if you missed a class there was always a recording to watch. Always willing to set up office hours and/or one on one meetings and was very helpful w/explaining topics. Some test questions can be worded badly but for the most part tests weren't bad.
I got an A in Bader's class but at a high cost. He never responded to emails and tests are very poorly written. I had to sink a lot of time into SI sessions and memorizing the textbook. You have to listen to every little word he says because he is very nitpicky on tests. It's a pre-med req but it's very time consuming so plan for that.
Funny guy, more of a talker than a lecturer. You have to pay attention to the lectures closely, the test questions are the kind where you could answer two different ways unless you have one specific tidbit of information that tells you the right answer. Go to SI sessions and look up things you don't get before you fall behind.
Average to Bad. Teacher cares but the grading criteria sucks- test Q are unclear, irrelevant and vague. Teacher's mistakes student's responsibility. Office hours unhelpful. Read the textbook+ lecture's super vague and unsure of what's impt but required all the same. Test gets progressively more difficult. Never miss assignment+80s on examsA.
If you like bio and have taken bio in the past, this class is pretty easy. Assignments are all different and tests are not super predictable. He does a really good job of providing study materials and makes his tests difficult but focused on what he talked about in class/the reading. Take notes, go to class, study with a friend, and youll do fine.
Id agree with others in that he doesnt distinguish between useful and useless info so I also had to write everything down which was very stressful and time consuming. Simbios v important. Tests/hw are not fully graded until 3-4 weeks later. Textbook free online. Office hours not v helpful. Live lectures are a waste of time. Take quizzes seriously
Great person, terrible test writer. What he says in the lecture is what he will put on the test, but it'll usually also have some things you haven't seen. If you want to save yourself some stress, go to all the classes and buy the actual edition he teaches. I used 4e and that's probably where my test vs book discrepancies come from. Simbio among us
Harsh
Nice guy but that's pretty much all he has going for him. He seems to not know what he's talking about most of the time, and the lectures are close to pointless, as all the test material comes straight from the textbook, so get ready to read and take notes from it a lot. Tests are often worded quite poorly. Do the homework and sim bio, grade savers
Professor Bader is very nice and has a great sense of humor. However, the course was very challenging for being intro biology, and the test questions were tricky and often confusing no matter the amount of prep done beforehand. Biggest advice is to MEMORIZE the textbook, as most of the questions come straight from there.
I took this class in the Fall 2020 semester. If I had to describe Mr. Bader with one word, I would probably say "average." Mr. Bader was a nice person to talk to, but his class, being an intro bio class, was taught in a confusing way. Tests are confusingly worded, but there are filler points in the SimBios and homework.
What he teaches is so different from what appears on the exams. Sometimes, he will use the entire class to explain something and it is still confusing. His wording is often hard to understand.
His test questions are so absolutely ambiguous and poorly written and then he has the audacity to pretend he's not the source of the problem when the class average is 70%. I know it's a required class for a lot of people but please understand that you're not learning about biology in lecture - you're learning about Bader and what he wants to hear.
Terrible professor. His exam questions are often really hard to understand and his lectures are simply a waste of time. This class was taught horribly and needs a new teacher. He's a caring professor but it doesn't make up for the gap in teaching. Don't go into Biol214 expecting to get anything good out of it.
Flipped course (ew). If lectures were useful flipped would be tolerable but they werent. Pre class recordings were confusing and useless too ofc. Textbook is where I learned but the tests were so obscure the content wasn't in there. Tests have multiple right answers so impossible to get them right even knowing the content. Harder than engr courses
He is a very nice man, but just an okay professor. His live lectures were useless for me. This class is so easy to bs so if you get him as a professor, don't worry about not getting an A or B. You probably won't learn much which really sucks. I do appreciate some of his lecture videos though! If you get him, just try to make the most of it.
He gave 20 extra points this semester, which improves your grade a lot. The short answer sections in the exam are done in small groups, so if you have good partners, your can earn about 25% of grade without putting much effort.
Prof. Bader is a really nice guy. In class lectures are boring and pretty much a waste of time; however, his annotated lectures are very useful. His exams are hard, multiple choices questions are difficult and heavily weighted, 4 wrong puts you out of an A. Luckily, you can get an A with like an 80 exam average if you complete all assignments.
Prof. Bader is a nice person and a funny guy, but he is probably the worst I have ever had. His lectures are confusing and not helpful at all, and his exams are unusually difficult and complicated. He gives lots of extra credit, but the class still sucks. You don't learn bio, you learn what Bader wants you to learn. Avoid this if possible.
Class was way to challenging especially for an intro level class. Questions on the test were always application and a lot of times were about things we never talked about in class. There were extra credit assignments that he gave out in class so don't skip. Ask the SI questions and get outside help and practice application of the material.
Professor Bader is a really nice guy. He actually cares that you do well in the class. However, he does a flipped classroom, which isn't bad. ATTEND SI SESSIONS. In person lectures are a waste of time. He is AWFUL at writing multiple choice questions, but there is so much extra credit that it's still an easy A .
Bader is passionate about biology, but the format of the class is NO BUENO. 1 hour+ long online modules packed with information that you need to understand to do well (every little detail) on top of in class stuff. Tests were difficult, especially the first. Be prepared to study very hard to do well and second guess all of your answers.
Dr. Bader is a great professor, but he makes you work for your grade. The tests are mainly based on the annotated lectures that he posts on Canvas and class discussions. The multiple choice questions are worded weirdly which makes it very easy to lose points. Having a strong understanding of each unit is essential. The extra credit somewhat helps.
Your first test will be your worst, but you can still get an A in the class. Go to office hours and SI sessions; dont take the textbook too seriously, mostly focus on the stuff he says in class and in the annotated lectures. While a lot of people dont like him, he is a good person who has a big heart and is happy to help you if you reach out.
boring class. He gives extra credits. His lectures don't help at all but if you want extra credits, you should go to class for pop up extra credits.
He's very nice and chill. I would highly recommend him to anyone!
The way he words things is super unclear - many questions are a 1-sentence summary of something we discussed in class. There's no way to understand the context (ie. the full question) if you didn't memorize the exact situations he used. Basically, you can't pass the exam if you didn't take this specific class with this specific professor.
He is the worst teacher I have ever had in my entire life.
The provided lectures were extremely helpful and really helped make the subject more clear. The tests are difficult but can be passed with effort and lots of studying. The only thing I would dock him on is the trick questions he gives in the tests, as they were always worded strangely and designed to trip you up. Otherwise, great teacher!
Lectures are useless. Lessons are taught through videos that are terrible at explaining topics. Exams are poorly worded.
The entire course was online recorded lectures from two years ago during covid where he talked slowly. Even when the video was put on 2x speed it was too slow. He spends a lot of time talking about things that don't matter and in-person class is useless. Try to take the other professor if possible because this course is a waste of time. Awful.
This stinky man made me hate biology. Talks so slowly and draws out lectures to be 1h 15 when they could be 45 min. Additionally, his tests are NOTHING like his lectures.
He explains things so poorly that I've barely learned anything in his class. He's paused his lectures to read his notes bc he's literally forgotten the course material. Asking questions in office hours gets you roundabout answers. I didn't spend my tuition dollars for someone 10x worse than my HS biology teachers. He gives extra credit, though.
I don't know why everyone disses on Bader, maybe because freshman think his class is hard? As an upperclassman looking back it really wasn't bad at all, just some memorization and understanding basic ecology topics. He's a great guy and he played amongus
Flipped classroom-watch online lecture first. In person class is composed of q&a (often makes concepts more confusing), discussion based case studies/polls (often without a conclusion). Exam questions are confusing and evolves every year. HW and extra credit are huge boost to your grade. Utilize textbook and SI sessions and A is achievable.
Literally such a bad professor. His lectures are long and boring. Multiple choice questions on his tests are very ambiguous and convoluted and his tests are nothing like the practice exams that he gives. He gives a lot of EC opps though so go to class
ngl Bader was on some bs with some of his multiple choice questions. smh. although his tests were a pain in the butt, he gives a lot of extra cred which helps your grade A LOT. also, u get to work with a group for short answer which is clutch. tbh, forget the reading and just watch his lectures. this class is hard but if u grind, you'll get an A
Took BIOL 214 my first semester at case. I received a low B and couldn't get anything above a 74 on any of his tests including the final. I tried my absolute hardest but nothing can prepare you for the types of questions he gives on the tests. What he says to do better is akin to just saying "be smarter." Good luck
Not hard to get A since you just need to watch lecture and he gave out tons EC. But looking back it was a terrible experience he singlehandedly made me hate bio. His class was so dry and he put in minimum efforts to make the class fun or engage with students. Need some serious mental readiness to bear through this man.
It's generally a flip of a coin if you like his style of teaching. As someone who always second guesses themselves on multiple choice, his exams were great for me. If you go in thinking he may trick you and look for key wording, you'll do great. He also goes over his style of questions during class and was always fun to talk to after class.
Bader gets an unfairly bad rep, I think a lot of people go into his class expecting a redo of 3 chapters of AP Bio. People complain that Bader teachers 'his version' of bio but in reality he teaches a version I quite like, light on facts and high on significance. You won't have to memorize more than 3 facts for a test. Hard tests but easy studying
Does not teach in lectures whatsoever but gives hour long videos every week that you need to watch because he pulls things for the test. Tests are incredibly hard for no reason
Professor Bader was a good person but a terrible professor. He makes you watch the lectures before class and because of this, the actual class time was useless. But he gives pop extra credit opportunities during class so you have to go. He also does not have set office hours which I think are a little inconvenient if you wanted to go.
Professor Bader is a genuinely nice person and cares about his students. However, his lectures take up the entire class time and aren't very interactive and engaging. One 4-part module is assigned each week and tests are definitely not easy, especially the multiple choice. This class will push you a lot. Make sure to have good study habits!
The exams are very difficult and in general this class is not for the weak. Even if you think you did good in AP Bio that will not prepare you for this class.
Nice guy and I like his lecturing and teaching style as he's good at explaining concepts. Test questions can be tricky though as you have to pay extra attention to the specific wording.
I tagged "hilarious" to this review, as the class was a joke. The last words I heard this man utter were "fish menopause." We weren't learning about fish nor did fish ever appear in his tests. Manz just can't teach. I somehow pulled up w/ an A. I'd give you advice, but my advice is to not take the class. Otherwise, aim to have the best luck.
The structure of this class is horrible. The reverse classroom, using old lecture videos you "have" to watch before lecture where he essentially reviews the same slides as the video is ineffective and a waste of everyone's time. I also cannot stand the fact he has group work on the exam.
Content is very disorganized. You can get a B in the class without trying, but getting an A requires quite a bit of effort.
Difficult exams and not straightforward as you would think for a intro bio class.
GO TO SI!!!!!!!! take notes on every single thing he says in online lectures. i recommend going thru si sheets w the textbook for studying. go to class bc sometimes there's random extra credit but feel free to do other work while he talks bc he misspeaks and confuses himself often. god bless saul castillo and alex hager
I didn't like that the structure of this class was flipped, where we spent so much time learning outside of class than during lectures (attended because of possible extra credit opportunities), which were a waste of time. I knew that this class required a lot of effort, but the exams were not straightforward at all.
I dont understand why people hate on him. it's true that the content he teaches in in person lectures are not useful, but if you watch the online lectures he posted and take notes, you will easily get an A. I didn't put that much time effort and ended up with a high A
if you want to waste hours of your time in lecture even though you are learning nothing, and then be forced to watch hours of lecture material online, then this class is for you. there is absolutely nothing interesting, or good, about this class. I wish i had taken the other section with a different professor.
I really hate flipped classrooms, and I'm pretty sure I learned absolutely nothing actually in class. The videos that were posted were helpful, but usually longer than what our lecture period was and made it a massive time commitment to even learn anything. Go to SI sessions cause they are the only ones that actually help.
Prof. Bader was a really engaging lecturer and really made you think about the material. There is memorization involved as with any biology class but the tests are not regurgitation. I think many students struggle in his class because they expect the class to be easy coming out of a HS bio class.
Professor Bader is an npc.
flipped classroom, online lectures are anywhere from 50minutes to 2 hours. please take the other bio214 if possible. so many random questions on exams. he's actually a very nice guy but his teaching style is not for everyone
Not teaching a lot of helpful things on class, asking students to have online lectures for hours everytime even we're not an online course. Exams are so tricky.
Lectures: He uses a flipped classroom strategy. You are doing lectures before class, and u cover muddiest points during class. Homework: Not much, mainly 2 codon assignments Tests: Study guide provided. But his tests are the worst. He doesnt use logic, he uses bader logic, which no one understands.
His exams are very tough. I hated the format of quizzes/short answer of exams cause it was collaborative which can be stressful cause everyones saying different answers and you're on the clock. However, if you study well and you know all the concepts youll prob average B on exams which will be brought up to an A with his extra credit. Doable class
His in person lectures are often not helpful at all, and the online lecture videos he sends out for students to do on their own time can be inconsistent in how useful they are. However he gives all the resources needed to effectively prepare for his tests and quizzes, and as long as you do the work needed, a good grade is not hard to get.
I don't get why Bader gets all of the hate. He is a good teacher and I'm a fan of his flipped style of teaching. His in class lectures aren't the most useful, but he does take stuff from them to use on the short answer part of test. Gives out review problems and if you do them along with taking notes on his video lectures, this is an easy class.
I personally really dislike the flipped classroom technique, the lecture videos had the content, but were usually much longer than a class period. In person lectures seemed useless, and we discussed things that were not even relevant. Questions on tests were confusing and focused on small details that we barely discuss.
Exams: recycles, but really weird questions and logic Study things you'd least expect
A lot of readings are required before lectures. Also long records of lectures should be watched before real meetings bc the meetings will only cover some muddy points and case studies relate to the module. I don't really get his logics.. And the exam problems can be weird in wordings too...
I wouldn't wear my seatbelt to this class in hopes of getting in an accident.
Professor Bader gaslights students into thinking that they can do well in this course when in fact you must already know everything about bio to have any hope in maintaining an A in this class. Lectures are an absolute waste of time, I unfortunately attended them all so that I can get the extra 10 points extra credit by the end of the semester.
The class is mostly based on the recorded lectures. +90% of the material on the tests is in those lectures and in the in class case studies. Find a good group for the tests and quizzes. I slept through most classes and still got an A. It gets very confusing if you don't keep up with the material but is in no means unreasonably hard to get an A.
His in person lectures are mostly just case studies that may or may not appear on exams. This is a flipped classroom, and the videos are a must watch must take notes on to succeed. He wants you to think like he does and is very very definitions based (quizlets are extremely helpful). He does sometimes give extra credit so go to all of the lectures.
Don't take if you don't like flipped classroom.
DO NOT TAKE IF YOU HAVE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR EXTRA TIME ON TESTS! He refused to accommodate my disability. Since his tests are group style I did not get extended time and he rejected my proposal to take the test in a group of people with the same accommodation. Also his multiple choice questions are badly written and his lectures are useless.
Hated this class, you couldn't pay me to take it again. Get ready to watch 1 hour videos every single week before class every single week. You basically have to already know the content in order to get anything out of lectures. I do like his group testing method though, make sure to collaborate with others for success. ATTEND SI SESSIONS!!!!
Do NOT take this class if you do not have a strong background in biology from high school! And if you do, prepare to dedicate a lot of hours into ensuring you know and understand the material. This was my case and going through this course was honestly a struggle as I was teaching myself a lot of new content.
The flipped classroom style results in a lot of out of class work and makes in-class lectures pretty much useless. He occasionally gives extra credit but refuses to round grades. Tests and exams are taken in groups. Often test questions are badly worded. Can be condescending when answering questions in class
Worse flipped classroom. He makes sure we watch the videos he records before class yet these videos are missing tons of content. Most of his homework he assigns on Codon is nothing we went over yet in class nor was it provided in his "flipped" learning videos and resources given. We basically are grasping for nothing.
His lectures are not very clear or a good use of time. I attended every lecture, but I wouldn't say they were helpful nor interesting. He is a nice professor, but I think his flipped classroom style using "muddiest points" is currently ineffectual. The class is not extremely difficult, but you'll have to self-study pretty much everything.
He's a nice guy but not a great lecturer. The lectures were a bit useless. We were required to watch hour long videos that would just be repeated during class. The exams weren't too bad, though the questions could be a bit vague at times. I enjoyed Biol 216 with another professor much more even though it was more difficult.
so bad. this is a mandatory class for a lot of majors but its truly so awful. he takes pride in the fact that people do badly in his class and is not accessible outside of class. the work-to-outcome ratio is insane. you can study for 20 hours for an exam and still do badly on it. go to SI sessions if you can
genuinely the worst professor i've ever had. he grades things based on his MANstrual cycle and takes pride in his god awful averages. fails students for giggles, and schemes on how to make his students hate biology and switch majors.
This class is terrible. His exams are convoluted and somehow makes what is arguably the easiest Bio a pain. While is certainly a nice person, I would not recommend you take this professor if you can avoid it.
His exams are extremely difficult, and you basically need to memorize the textbook and flipped classroom lectures to perform well on them. However, he does appreciate students making an effort, so absolutely attend office hours if your exams aren't going well. Also, make sure to argue back for points after exams, he is pretty reasonable with that.
The format of the class is horrible. His flipped classroom is BS, the online stuff is alright but he just yaps in lecture. Exams are pretty difficult and it's hard to really come out of this class with any useful knowledge. It's not COVID anymore, please just make this class normal.
Flipped classroom model so you'll have to watch lectures OUTSIDE of class. So, there's really no point in taking the class for 3 credits when it really should be like 6, since it takes double the time you think it would. Group exams are awful, avoid avoid avoid.
a lot of people are put off because he talks in circles. i would understand the flipped lectures if there was a real point to them. for 1/2 of the semester there kind of was, because the practice problems or questions answered in class were pretty helpful. not hard to study for though! if you get him you'll be okay with some effort.
His exams are difficult not because of the material but because of how he poses the questions - if you don't fully understand them you won't do well. I enjoyed how he lectured (it was very interesting to me) but with his flipped classroom approach, it was pointless to go to both classes and do the pre-class work so just choose one or the other.
Flipped classroom style was awful and not done well. Not impossible to do well in the class, but exams are very tricky and unnecessarily complicated. I considered him to be the bane of my existence- if you have the option, do not take Bader for 214.
While the flipped classroom style was a little annoying, getting a good grade in this class is certainly manageable. He gives practice problems well in advance of the tests and some of the test questions will be taken directly from the practice. The best thing to do in order to do well in the class is just do all the work, even the optional work.
The flipped classroom portion is quite annoying but not intensely difficult. Overall, this class is a pretty average level of difficulty because all the content is just a repeat of AP Bio. It's just harder because Bader likes to come up with confusing test questions but he gives lots of extra credit/free points.
Bader is not a terrible teacher, but he's certainly not great. All of the content is covered in the video lectures, and the only reason to go to class is for in class assignments. He gives a decent amount of extra credit when he's in a good mood. Overall, its possible to get an A if you really understand the content and show up to class.
Where to even begin. Never have I loathed a teacher like I loathe Prof Bader. His classes are useless you but have to go in case of an I class assignment. The annotated lecture are difficult to pay attention to even if it's the most interesting topic in the world. His exams have so many niche questions it's ridiculous. Save yourself the pain.
He gives extra credit sometimes, so it's important to attend lectures. He's a good guy, but does not explain the material clearly at all - in fact, he's told us wrong information before. Go to the SI sessions because some questions appear on tests/quizzes. Learning is up to you and your effort; don't expect anything from him.
He seems like a fun guy to go fishing with, but not a great teacher. Codon activities do absolutely nothing for your learning. Boring lectures repeat recording material. VERY specific test questions but I feel you can consistently get >80/100 if you study decently. Some lectures have in-classes, quizzes, and extra credit.
Stories about the class scared the bejesus out of me, but honestly it wasn't bad. I was terrified by the idea of watching lectures outside of class but it allows you to go at ur own pace which I liked. To get an A: Rewatch lectures before tests, GO TO SI SESSIONS (like all of them if u can), and go to all the lectures for extra credit opportunity.
I had an A before the final and woke up to ending with an A in the class. But later in the day there was a "misalignment with the tests" and he changed my grade to a B. I think this is the worst possible way you could get a B and I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy.
AVOID! Getting an A is doable, but the biggest problem is the time/outcome ratio. Content is relatively simple, but test questions will make you second guess yourself. Mistakes add up fast, so it's easy to end up with a high B (he won't round) Go to class for IC/EC, find a good exam group, do all SI sheets, watch and REWATCH the annotated lectures.
I personally did not have a bad experience with this class. Bader is a boring lecturer, but you should go to all classes and SI sessions for EC and in class assignments. The more practice you get, the more you'll understand what the questions on tests are asking you to do. In my opinion, it is A is doable if you put in some effort.
Great guy during office hours. Uses flipped classroom--1-1.5 hr lecture online on canvas, then 1 hr class lecture, so very lecture heavy. Exams are extremely difficult and he likes to ask trick questions about evolution. Seriously helped me out so much when I went to visit him during his office hours. Good luck
First exam/quiz/in-class assignment were by far the most difficult. U can bomb these and still get A. Some MC questions are highly subjective, esp evolution ones. Ask TAs to clarify these questions during exam. 2 extra credit opportunities, giving 10 extra points total (about a 1.7% final grade boost.) not too bad for someone w "bad" in their name.
good guy who tried to make the lectures entertaining because they were long and dense. the exams were half multiple choice and half group-work short response. the questions were TRICKY, had to be read over multiple times because of the wording. time was never and issue on exams and they were pretty doable. do the annotated lectures before class.
Class is entirely based on annotated lectures (long and tedious). Going to lecture is kinda useless, but there may be quizzes/EC at times. Bader cannot teach BIOL for the life of him, but the TAs/SIs are pretty good (but not necessary to be successful). Overall, just study whatever the course requires you to study and it'll be fine.
Ultimate opp. Makes you watch 1hr+ long lectures BEFORE coming to class which aren't helpful. Makes simple bio content way more difficult and his exams focus on the most niche stuff. I recommend going to class because he'll randomly give bonus. Exams have solo and group work, including the final (which dropped me from an A to a B) AVOID IF POSSIBLE
I would never take a class from him again. He did his best I'm sure, but lectures were quite boring. We were also expected to watch hour long lectures outside of class every week. I studied a ton and still ended with a B, but I do have friends that got A's. Try to avoid this class if you can.
The quizzes are a joke. You get to do them in a group but also talk to everyone around you. Assigns long boring lecture prior to class because he can't actually teach. Would recommend going to class for the pop up class assignments which weigh a good amount. He is a nice guy tho and definitely go to the SI sessions because they are quite helpful.
This class was such a joke. His lectures were unhelpful and the exams were pretty difficult. Make sure you choose a good group to work with otherwise your grade will be tanked. He's condescending and unhelpful outside class.
He tests on the most useless information from the entire unit. If you don't know what type of blender an experiment used, you'll get the question wrong. He's a nice guy, but an awful professor. Spent an entire class teaching us the wrong information and then said "forget what I said" at the very end of the lecture.
Useless tests. Useless lectures.
Not helpful. Exams are group, which is extremely unfair as some group members don't do anything. There is no way to rate group members, so they get the same grade for doing nothing.
he does not teach well. He goes on tangents that do not even matter and ends up wasting all the time. He keeps correcting himself so it is confusing to tell what the right information is. His "had to" justification for the evolution unit is not logical at all.
DONT TAKE BAD PROF
Please for the love of GOD take Dilulio and Gardener. You can spend HOURS studying for Bader and still end up with a B. If you don't get dilulio freshmen year, wait a year and take her sophomore fall. I promise its worth it. Getting an A in this class doesn't mean you are smarter than anyone, it just means you can cheat better and get away with it.
I wouldn't take him again. First test was some of the most annoying questions I have seen in a biology class on an exam, no actual science, just Charles Darwin fun facts. Also the group test sections absolutely suck if you don't have a good group so make sure to make friends if you have to take this class.
Terrible at explaining concepts, lecturing, and answering questions. Constant backtracking and contradictions. Can be very rude and is very inconsiderate. Unclear availability outside of class, but is barely even available. Doesnt respond to emails or provide grades promptly. Overall, just the worst possible professor you could have. Avoid.
Going to class is usually pretty useless but one time he gave ec in class. getting an A in the class is achievable just by watching flipped lecs and seeking past exams. Make sure you get a good group for FRQ I think his class is prob easier than Dilulio
I maintained around a 94% average until the final, which dropped my grade to a high B. I didn't attend lectures because I didn't find them necessary for test prep. Personally, I liked the flipped classroom format bc it allowed me to study at my own pace, but the final really threw me off.
Even if you've taken AP Bio, you must work for an A. Watch the annotated lectures and go to class--skipping is tempting. He gave over 2% in extra credit opportunities throughout the semester, so go to class!! Multiple choice tests are tricky initially, but then you get the hang of them. Pick a good group for the 25% group portion of the exams.
He was horrible. The lectures are absolutely useless, and the whole class is a joke. Do all of the old tests from previous years because he repeats those a lot, and study hard for the final exam because those questions are NOT picked from the old exams. Good luck if u have to take him, seriously. Also go to all of the classes in case extra credit.
He was terrible. His lectures suck and class is a waste of time. He goes on continuous tangents and constantly contradicts himself. Most helpful thing was the textbooks and past exams. He also does not round at all, despite being very close to an A he didn't round as he claims there are thresholds for a reason.
For a class being mostly about evolution, this was hard. Honestly, it's best to try to get as high of a grade as possible on the first exam which is all memorization. He asks so many trick questions, make sure to review past exams because he reuses questions. The lectures and class were so boring which doesn't make it easier.
going to class was a huge waste of time (gave ec once), and his annotated lectures are incredibly boring. he cannot teach. exams are difficult bc of his confusing wording, and sometimes asks the most useless questions. i'd recommend looking at past exams (he sometimes repeats ?s) and going to SI sessions.
People say that Bader is a horrible professor because of how hard his tests are, but if you do the annotated lectures (just 2x and take notes, it's not that bad) you'll get good enough grades. Bader offers a LOT of extra credit and you are more likely to get an A than not. Seriously, just do the work and you'll be fine.
This class is good for character development. There's essentially 2 lectures for each lesson/day and they're all yapping. Quizzes are easy but the tests are mainly wording focused/random niche things instead of the content itself. Go to SI sessions instead of office hours (he doesn't answer your questions). He also explained meiosis wrong.
I do not feel like I learned anything except how to succeed in a class taught by him: did not feel like he was teaching us stuff that was universally accepted by the bio community because it all felt like Bader logic and not actual logic. Was bad at explaining things when I attended office hours too. Says its flipped classroom but still all lecture
Amazing human, super funny, but cannot lecture to save my life. Also made his class much harder than last year, practice tests are not comparable to current tests, sometimes I wonder why I bother studying because the content I look over isn't even on the test. Basically study everything he doesn't talk about in class.
Watch the Echo360 before class to understand the material, attending his lectures may help but the slides he shows doesn't contain much content compared to his videos. He has lots of extra credit throughout the semester, which makes up for lost points on the test. Group FRQ + MC isn't too bad, do SI worksheets, they have similar questions.
Its a flipped classroom so lectures are pretty useless. Go to class anyway since he gives out 15 extra credits. There are 4 quizzes but they get given back with the test. 1st exam was a copy of the practice exam but exam 3 was hard (ave. 75-80). Exams are 35 MCQ and 6 SAQ which are done in a group. Textbook is only good for half the modules.
Professor Bader gets too much hate. Tests can be confusing however the group work on part two makes it a somewhat enjoyable experience. Codon learning is not that helpful. Extra credit is given often so do go to class and make sure to go to SI sessions they have direct questions that will be on tests.
He's a great guy. His exams can get tricky but quizzes, hw, and EXTRA CREDIT definitely helps make up for some of it. It's a flipped classroom so a lot of it is on ur own but as long as u stay on top of the work you'll be just fine. Best thing u can do is come to class already knowing info from the annotated lectures and it helps clean up confusion
Professor Bader is the most overhated professor at Case. He genuinely cares about each student and offers a lot of extra credit, so show up to lectures even though they are kinda useless. Make sure you have a good group for short answers and do every SI sheet, and you will be fine.
Professor Bader is not a good lecturer but still show up to his class because he gives lots of extra credit. Watch all his lectures and read the textbook because it actually teaches you. Keep up with the SI sheets and ask him any questions, he's genuinely a nice guy. Memorize answers from the all exams and SI sheets because he reuses questions.
He's a nice old grandpa, but self studying is the move for this class. His lectures in class are difficult to follow and don't contribute to course material. Watch his annotated lectures and read the textbook. Show up to lectures to get extra credit, you'll need it. Has bad wording for tests, uses questions from past year's exams and SI sheets.
Professor Bader recieves a lot of hate, but he is genuinely a good person. Not really good at teaching and lectures are useless, but he offers around a total of 15-20 points of extra credit throughout the semester so show up to lectures. Just watch the annotated lectures before and do SI sheets, but the MCQ is a little tricky.
-Extra credit opportunities, so make sure you attend every class -Tests are taken in groups for the free response, chose group wisely (and I recommend a group of 2 not 3 or 4 people) - The first few units a lot of stuff in quizzes/exams were from Codon, the rest was mostly from the textbook so read up on the textbook!
A good person overall, but he is kind of bad at lecturing. His in-person lectures are difficult to follow, and he goes on tangents sometimes. Pay attention to the annotated lectures, do Codon Learning, and go to lecture for extra credit. Do SI sheets too. The exams are difficult (especially E3), and are somewhat weirdly worded.
Wow, please just take any other teacher. This class was definitely an experience. He gives a great amount of extra credit, not that it doesn't help because his tests will be on so many random details you won't be able to find in his lectures or his textbook. He is funny and nice in person. If, very unfortunately, you get him, do SI sheets. BEWARE.
Very cool and funny guy. He is definitely over hated, but many of the criticisms are accurate. His lectures can sometimes feel like a waste of time, and a lot of the material on exams isn't covered. Definitely use SI sheets and look at the learning objectives for a more accurate representation of what's on the test. The class isn't too bad.
his lectures aren't very useful. I would find a senior and get some past tests. for almost all the exams he word for word used mcq questions from past years. Like her didn't change the order of the question, so if you just take enough of this previous tests, you can walk in the test knowing all the answers.
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