2.4
Quality4.0
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake87
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
87
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
11
4
14
3
18
2
17
1
27
What Students Say
“He is not organized and very rude if you ask him for help”
BIO237 - 1.0 rating“Jim Is not a horrible lecturer”
BIOL237 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
0%
Textbook Required
92%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.47 avg changeRatings by Course
BIO237AND238
5.0
(1)BIO248
5.0
(1)AP239
5.0
(1)237API
4.0
(1)BIOL2378
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ANAT2
5.0
BIO239
5.0
APBIO237
5.0
237AND238
5.0
237
4.3
Reviews (87)
Uses powerpoint, lectures are very boring, but his tests are straightforward and he is really good about answering questions during and after class.
Provides extensive online resources which are very helpful. Videos and powerpoints are awesome.
Dry, monotone lectures were impossible to stay awake during but he provides EXTENSIVE online notes and resources. Often tested for obscure facts rather than an understanding but was always willing to help students.
Some of the most boring lectures I have ever sat through, but he's the only A & P instructor at UNM. If you can take this class at another school, I'd recommend it! But he is very helpful as far as online stuff goes. Tests are unreasonable at times.
Very knowledgeable and clear in lectures. Lots of extra resources to help students.
great class but hard as hell. he teaches you everything you need to know and knows how much you could handle. take this class seriously.
Don't think lectures are boring; hard to make some of this exciting. Very helpful in person. Extensive online resources :take the time to navigate around the website and WebCT so you can fully take advantage of them;same for lab. Do all xtra credit; can bump you up a whole letter grade in the end.
No Comments
Worthless teacher. Have to depend on studying old tests to pass the class. Tries to trick you. Too much memorizing and no learning. In fact, I didn't learn a damn thing! His teaching style is terrible! And for such important classes...
teaching anatomy is not about memorizeing, however this is how jim swan teaches.
Provides extensive resources -- take advantage of them! However, he is not a good "teacher." He simply projects powerpoint slides and reads you what's on them. You are on your own to actually make sense of this information. If you study hard, you can pass this class without even attending a lecture.
I am struggling to follow this guy. The on-line quizes are lengthy with minimal grade influence. The only way to do well in this class is to put in serious study time. This class should only be taken if you are serious about needing it for grad school.
He offers resources like crazy but it's all seems too much. You basically just have to memorize the book and the notes. Sometimes that might not even help because his tests are difficult and confusing. I did learn a lot, but it wasn't from him. Minus the participation points, it's worthless to go to class.
he's fun!
He's a nice guy, but not a good teacher. He has managed to take a fascinating subject and turn it into a grueling chore to learn. That said, I like him a WHOLE lot better than the TA's teaching lab and grading assignments!
The tests are done in the computer labs, some people liked it and others didn't. If a TA didn't show up to proctor the exam people had extra time to study and there were unfair questions that he gave away only to students who got them, Which made students upset. He can be hard but tries to give as much points as he can. Lots of studying to do.
Class, material and tests are notoriously hard but understandably so. He is much more of a guy that likes to work in the lab and do research than be a friendly teacher, in fact he comes off as quite uncaring and indifferent if you pass the class or not.
Very hard professor, had questions that were not in the reading/lecture. Would not recommend him to anyone. Not helpful at all.
He isn't the best teacher at all. HIs test and way of teaching are just not what is expected of a teacher at UNM. Lots of studying on your own!!! however go to class for points.
Perhaps the worst professor I've ever encountered. Memorize his lectures and his book. Take this class somewhere else if at all possible. If you decide to take it on main campus, prepare to take it multiple times.
This class is hell. This professor wrote the book and expects you to know EVERYTHING from it! I'm not joking, 2 of my midterm and final questions came from "notes" at the bottom of a page that are in .9 font. Who reads those!? This guy's lectures are useless, but you have to show up for participation points. I'm dreading Anatomy 2...
This guy is by far the worst teacher I have EVER had. The book required for the course was written by Mr. Swan, and it seems that he didn't even bother to use spell check. The book is a flimsy spiral bound Kinko's style book with a typo on just about every page. Unfortunately he is the only professor who teaches the course at UNM.
Swan is very knowledgeable about this subject. If you like to learn and read on your own, you will most likely enjoy this class. It is not difficult to get an A if you do ALL of the online quizzes and assignments as well as attend class for points. I actually enjoyed this class.
Anatomy isn't supposed to be an easy class, and it isn't with Dr. Swan. That said, if you keep up with your reading, pay attention, and study you'll be fine. If you get behind its hard to catch up.
This class is easy and mostly very helpful. However- be warned, if you have any problems large or small this Professor will not work with you and will not help you. He does not care how much an issue will affect you.
Great professor. Easy class....not sure why everyone does not like him. He is VERY knowledgable and gives students what they need to know to be successful.
This class is pretty easy as long as you stay on top of the material. The textbook just got redone, so it's a lot better than it was.
Good class- but he will NOT work with you on any issue, big or small. However, you can do well if you attend and keep up.
This professor was the worst I have ever had. It is unfortunate that he is the only professor who teaches Anatomy and Physiology at UNM and not to mention he authored the textbook. Anatomy and Physiology is a hard class and personally I don't believe that it should be taught online. I would not recommend this teacher because he is not helpful.
WORST PROF I'VE EVER HAD. Not to toot my own horn, but I have a BA degree & have never gotten below an A in college-until Swan. He wrote the text so expects u to MEMORIZE every detail, which is impossible but it's the only way you'll do well. Only a minute per question for online exams, which is not enough to look anything up. Didn't learn a thing.
Dr. Swan is an okay professor if you never have to talk to him. He is one of the most rude people I have ever met and won't work with you if you have any sort of problem. Assignments, quizzes, and tests are all done online which he, or the TA, manage to make multiple mistakes. Good luck trying to get that fixed!
He is an ok teacher. Everything is done online which makes it easy but you don't really learn much in his class and he doesn;t give enough time to take the midterm and the final. The class is boring and if he didn't give iclicker participation point I don't think anyone would even go.
For an anatomy and physiology class it wasn't hands-on at all. If you took the time to study the power points and manuals (written by Swan) you could do well on the online quizzes/tests. Because everything is online, it takes away motivation to go to class and actual learning of the material is not required.
Swan is very hard. You get to take the test on the computer anywhere you want, but he makes the questions very, very hard. If you do all the homework and do decent on the midterm and final you will pass.
Very easy, to do well in his class. There are so many opportunities to get extra credit. The lab is especially helpful, it's like extra study time. Swan isn't super friendly, but is helpful.
Lectures include lots of quizzing with little teaching. The midterm and final are very difficult to prepare for as he does not give you a list of thing you need to know. There are over 600 muscles he did not provide a list of the important ones to know for the tests. When he does teach, he does it well.
Lecture/lab is not that bad or hard. I liked the website Dr. Swan had us use. I also feel that doing the work/quiz's online reinforces what you studied from the book. I wish all classes where online moreover, wish the class used models like other schools instead of cadaver. You can tell the post below will not make it in the Health Sciences Field
He will not work with you on any issue, big or small, right or wrong. His class has been the worst experience thus far. There is not enough room to accurately elaborate. I personally will boycott, and will be taking Bio 238 at CNM with another instructor. Good luck to anyone who does take him.
Dr. Swan is a very good teacher. He definitely knows his subject inside and out and is willing to answer student questions. His tests are challenging but he gives plenty of opportunities to review material prior to exams.
Dr. Swan is awesome. Very knowledgeable, lectures are interesting & easy to understand. He is very clear about communicating expectations of the course. Offers extra credit opportunities & many quizzes/participation points to boost your grade. Put forth the effort & you will learn a lot from him.
He is very stubborn and does not like to help students in the slightest way. He is very inconsiderate. TAKE THIS CLASS AT CNM. He wrote the book and expects you to know all the material beforehand. The exams cover material not even touched in class. He is not reasonable and will not discuss things with a student. It was horrible taking this class.
Very dry and boring lecturer. He requires a lot of detailed knowledge but doesn't do a good job of presenting this information. The textbook was written by the instructor, it sucks. Very poor graphics and arranged in incomprehensibly.
Swan is a very very dry lecturer, and the book that he wrote for the class to use is unclear and difficult to find info in. However, he has a great knowledge of the human body. Tests are tough but fair, and he always gives you a pretty good idea of what will be on them. Not a blast of a class, but a necessary evil.
Dr. Swan's lectures are dry and useless. He expects you to learn it on your own and the lecture is review. He has a lot of homework and assignments that are hardly worth any points. Tests are hard because he expects you to know abstract things. If you want to learn anatomy, take the class at a community college!
Professor Swan is one of those super brilliant people that has no idea how to explain things simply and concisely. He wrote the textbook he uses, so it's just as incomprehensible as many of his lectures. Be prepared to work very hard on your own or in a study group outside of class to really get a handle on A&P.
Teaching assistants run Professor Swans labs, and you will never see him if you don't have lecture with him. This is great because most of these TAs have struggled with the material and have good techniques to help learn it.
Swan's lectures are extremely dull. If it wasn't for Iclicker attendance, this would be an online course. Be prepared to spend some time on webCT submitting quizzes, case studies, etc.... His exams (which are also online) were rather difficult as well.
Hard class! But learned a lot. Very smart man! Wouldn't recommend taking in the summer. It is not enough time! Be prepared to study...a lot!
If you do all the assignments and MyLabs assignments and go to class so you have a 100% in participation, you think you are doing really well in the class. However once you take the midterm and final, that's what drags your grade down a whole bunch.
Very Boring
Jim Swan is by far the worst teacher I have ever had. The lectures are useless and boring. He expects you to learn all information beforehand, based on the book that he wrote. The book is terrible. It's very cheap, including hand drawn pictures, and has at least one typo per page. The tests and quizzes are very tricky, and very hard.
Absolutely horrible class. His lectures are useless because he goes over trivial facts but expects you to know every single detail of how the systems work but you have to go to get participation points. Book is crap also because you can't find anything you need to and his quizzes/tests are WAY too hard. Shame he's the only A&P teacher at UNM.
Horrible teacher. No personality, does not explain things, expects you to know everything already, not understanding of ANY situation. Very difficult and not caring.
Swan's lectures (if you record them) are actually very helpful. The book he wrote is very low quality filled with spelling errors and unclear figures. The setup of this class is horrible. 2 online exams worth 75% of your grade don't measure how much you know just how fast you can look up answers to the extremely specific questions. Disapointed.
Warning: do NOT take this class with Swan. The setup is terrible and the tests don't truly measure what you know. I dont even think he has a PhD! Avoid him!
Dr. Swan is a wonderful teacher. I look forward to attending his class.
Anyone on here that says professor Swan's class is easy is either lying or insane! He was awful! Take the online class from Los Alamos unm -way easier!! The only way to get rid of a professor is everyone stops taking his class!
HORRIBLE professor! His book is so disorganized and doesn't pertain to his tests. His tests and quizzes don't relate at all to what you should for life in general. I truley despise this professor. Take it somewhere else!
How is this allowed to class and how is he allowed to teach? This class is an embarrassment and a waste of time.
Dr. Swan is one of those professors who thinks the only class that matters is his. I would have loved the class if his work wasn't completely useless and poorly written. He is a jerk and his tests are hard. Take this class online if you can!!
Dr. Swann is the WORST professor I have ever had. I am in my fourth year at UNM (A student) and I have never struggled so much with a class. His work is not defined, syllabus is worthless . He does not reply quickly to emails, and when he does he is completely useless. Do NOT take this course. He sets you up for failure starting on Day 1.
Worst teacher I've ever had. The textbook that he wrote does not go along with the My Labs Plus homework and his textbook even has wrong answer. I would never recommend this teacher. Take it elsewhere. Anatomy is a very important course and I love anatomy, but he made me despise the course.
worst class I have ever taken. The textbook he uses is awful (written himself). Nothing is explained or clear. I was excited about A&P beforehand, this professor ruined that. This class is an embarrassment to UNM. Take elsewhere if possible.
Terrible class. I studied like crazy (and I usually have straight As). The quizzes and tests do not relate to the material covered in the lecture or the homework. The diagrams and questions on assessments are unclear, and the time allotted makes it impossible to finish, even if you know the material. I wish he was not the only option.
If you can take A&P from CNM you should do it. This class was beyond hard and should not be limited to online. The book was ridiculously expensive and written by Dr.Swan himself. It is not very informative and its like no matter how hard you study, he always asks obscure questions. Very hard to do well on quizzes and tests.
Poor instructor,unable to utilize classroom technology competently, lecture is useless as it only regurgitates the poorly written textbook. It's a shame he's the only option for this course.
structure of the whole class is worthless, you must buy the book he wrote which is confusing and cheap(quality) lectures are unclear,u have no time to do the exams which are online 60min for 50 multiple choice and 5 short answer which is not enough time for the complexity of the questions he asks! AVOID HIM, only one that teaches this course @ unm
Really not helpful at all. I was really excited to take anatomy but he ruined my excitment. His lecture slides have not been updated. I found this course to be confusing and all over the place. I would highly sugest taking this course at CNM.
TERRIBLE professor. He is an embarrassment to education. He highly recommends his $200+ latest book; I had the 1st edition when he was on the 3rd. Guess what? 99% the exact book (just with more spelling mistakes, apparently never heard of spell check). He is more like a con man than a professor. My advice, form a study group for his terrible exams.
Worst professor ever! He is not organized and very rude if you ask him for help. Do not take this class at UNM!!
Very very bad professor, over complicated the majority of the material. Test questions where often times poorly worded and like I said overly complex. Swan acts as if this is an actual med school class. Super inflexible as well, had a 97% on homework and accidentally missed a due date. He wouldn't even give a partial credit extension.
Jim swan is the biggest keel ever. He does not care about you or your education. He will let you fall if your down. He wrote his own useless book that does not fallow homework on my labs. His tests are so damn hard with no time to answer them . DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS GO TO CNM
Worse professor, said "NO" to everything. No point in asking for anything or a simple request. He would just say "No." He acted so powerless even if this is his class. Like it's set in stone.
James is very tough but so is being a health science major. The class requires a lot of studying. Don't think you will pass because its online. Swan gave opportunities for students to get better grades. Use all the resources he gives you! I studied about 10 hrs a week and I passed with a B. I still recommend you take all your sciences at CNM.
This class is ALOT of work and Swan is not helpful at all! There are resources at your disposal though such as CAPS and the TA's. I found it helpful to print out his powerpoints prior to class and take notes on them. Class isn't mandatory but I suggest you attend if you want to pass! Good luck and DONT take the online section!!
Honestly the worst online course experience I've had in four years of university. This man abdicates all responsibility in every discussion about the course and the online information has not been updated since 2008. There are children who were born that year who already possess a greater sense of personal responsibility and accountability.
Jim is pretty tough but taking the class online has its advantages. Make sure you do every assignments and opportunities for extra credit. His book really isn't helpful so don't waste your money. A&P2 is hard so be prepared to do lots of studying!
Took the first exam and did really well on the first 50 multiple choice questions but ran out of time for the last few. Too bad no one told me that the last five questions were worth almost half of the entire test grade. Even if I got the first 50 right, I failed the test. Great. So be careful taking the tests and read the directions!!
Took the online class so I could watch and re-watch his lectures. He gives you case studies, extra credit and quizzes to improve grade. He'll extend the deadline so we could use the quizzes to study. Most of the midtermfinal questions come from the quizzes. I once heard some people are too smart to teach and he's one of those people.
Jim Is not a horrible lecturer! The course is extremely tough, there is a lot to learn and you have to study but its AandP, its going to be hard! He gives out alot of extra credit, classes are not mandatory, and all exams are multiple choice, online. He even says that you can use your notes and the internet.
Absolutely the worst class I've taken in my life. Covered every bone in the body in about 45 minutes and then tested us on it. Tests are meant to confuse students rather than teach. Voice is super dull making it hard to sit through lectures. Tests are roughly 90 questions in 60 minutes. 100% do not take this class at UNM whatever you do
The tests have a lot of questions that focus on little details from each chapter that you will have to look up, but the tests are not impossible to pass. Dr. Swan knows his stuff and explains everything you need to know in class, so take good notes, but also read the book. Staying up to date on the lectures and chapters will definitely help.
Generally considered difficult material poorly taught, this class is frustrating beyond belief.
VERY hard class but definitely possible. I came out with an A but it wasn't without work. Tests are long and he does not give you much time to finish them. Lectures are boring and he tests you on a little details he doesn't go over in class. He does give you lots of chances for extra credit and that is what saved my grade
Toughest biology class I ever took online. Lectures are all over the place and haven't been updated since only he knows when. Test will take up your whole time.
Professor Swan is very knowledgeable and is happy to help when asked. His course is difficult due to the amount of information that needs to be learned, but he has a decent outline and resources that can be used to help you succeed that I suggest following. Though some of the lecture slides and videos haven't been updated since 2008, needs updating
Do NOT, whatever you do, use his textbook! I learned absolutely NOTHING about Anatomy and Physiology from him or his textbook! The Marieb textbook and Shaner's class taught me everything about Anatomy and Physiology and I can definitely say that Shaner and the Marieb textbook got me all of my references at the clinic where I work!
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
0%
Textbook Required
92%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.47 avg changeRatings by Course
BIO237AND238
5.0
(1)BIO248
5.0
(1)AP239
5.0
(1)237API
4.0
(1)BIOL2378
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ANAT2
5.0
BIO239
5.0
APBIO237
5.0
237AND238
5.0
237
4.3