One of the nicest teacher I've ever had

he's the best

Johnny rocks. You could not get a better, more caring, more helpful teacher. I've moved on, but I still make a point to go visit him. . . he's just that kind of guy. Best prof I've ever had.

John Rocks!! best prof. very approachable, very helpful, knows your name!! what more do you want

John is a fantastic teacher. Helpful in every possible way...no question is a dumb question to him, and takes his time to clearly explain what's going on. Also gives you numerous hints about what's gonna be on the mid terms.

All bark no bite

Greatest prof ever

Greatest respect for Dr. Basso. He's the best prof i've had at U of O. Very helpful!

The best professor on the face of the planet!

He is amazing! He explains very well, and is EXTREMELY devoted to his students. He is also always up for a conversation on just about anything (outside of class), whether it's explaining genomics or debating the theory of evolution.

Great teacher but hard class. You have to be able to understand or else u won't do well

Very helpfull/clear/devoted teacher.First science class in university that actually required me to THINK/REASON as opposed to regurgitate,(John's style of exam question)Not hard per say but there is a lot of matter to learn. Encourages class participation,extremely available out of class, can't wait to take other classes he teaches.

John's the best! And don't believe what you hear... there are no "trick questions"!

He's extremely devoted to his students, available to answer your questions. I have great respect for John and he's my favourite prof at Ottawa U so far :)

He's the best teacher I've ever had. Very helpful.

Very devoted prof and WILL find a way to make you understand and takes the time and cares if you get the concept or not. Not an easy class but if you talk to him if you are struggling and put the same effort he puts into you... not hard to get a good mark.

He's pretty good he doesn't do any research so he puts alot into his classes. Very helpful if you go see him

The best microbiology and molecular biology professor at Ottwa U.

John Basso is hands down one of the best teachers in the facultly of science at uOttawa

Probably the best prof i have ever had. Deff been an extremely positive influence. Take any class you can with him.

Not always perfectly organized or crystal clear. Before you understand how he work the course is extremely hard. After, EXTREMELY easy, but you have to put in a lot of time. In the end, if you go see him, and you work hard, you'll learn more than you ever did in other classes. His teaching methods seem not excellent, but actually are...

by FAR my favourite prof at U of O. If you put in the work and go see him you'll do good.

BY FAR the best prof i've ever had. Love him to death. As long as you put in the time and go see him you'll do good.

Best prof ever! This is how university should be!!! If you are reading this DO NOT RETIRE keep teaching!!!

Best prof ever!

Take his course or not, you have to get to know him. He will help you with anything and I mean anything. Just wish I had met him at the beginning of my university years. His courses are amongst the most useful and interesting, but not necessarily the easiest.

Great prof, very enthusiastic and involved. Very few profs can keep my attention during the entire class period like he can. I'd highly recommend choosing him as a prof for any class that it's an option.

Great professor. Great person. One of the best at the university. You can consult him about any of your life issues.

John Basso is not just a prof, he's a life coach. Warning, his exams can be a bit challenging. Go see him, ask him questions, practice! Very nice, caring, doesn't forget his students and his door is open for any inquiry whether it is a question about this week's homework, a mock med school interview or a life issue.

Easily, THE best professor that I have ever had. I'm proud to consider him a friend and a true teacher. He's a great man, I wish him the best. If you're in his class, make sure you go to his office for questions/clarifications

Never took one of his classes since I am not in science; so I cannot comment on his teaching. Heard about him through a third party. I was amazed that he actually took the time to speak with me. He`s helping me with every aspect of my med application and his help is invaluable! If you can, get to know him.

Great prof, amazing human being.

Real interesting class and very helpful prof.

Great person who cares about his students. Exams can be a tad challenging, but he likes to recycle some questions from the previous exams and assignments. Best advice I can offer to ace this class is to read your notes after classend of the week and discuss with him. If you ask a question that's on the exam, he will implicitly tell you it's on...

Aide extrêmement ses étudiants. Allez à son bureau poser vos questions ça vaut la peine!! Prof très intelligent et admet ses erreurs quand il en fait. Examen sous forme de scartch card donc facile d'obtenir des points. Questions d'exam difficiles, il faut être bien préparé.

He's the most helpful prof at UOttawa. Assignments look tough at first but once you start to figure out the theory, the material is easy. Go to his office for help because he answers any question and doesn't make you feel dumb about it. Overall a great person.

Jon's the biggest boss on campus. All about understanding the concepts, so throw away your quick memorization regurgitation routine because that won't help you in his class. Wants you to genuinely understand the material and is always willing to help at any time of the day. If he's in and his door is open, go in and seek help!

While there's a little disorganization (near the end), John makes sure his students don't pay for it. On tests and assignments, questions are either straightforward or impossible... until he explains his train of thought and works through it with you. Listen to what he says and there are no surprises. A real gem of a prof and mentor.

great man, tough tests/material. Studying hard doesnt necessarily mean you'll do as well as you like. Sometimes even if you think you understand, when you get your marks back you'll realize you dont.

you can not memorise in this class, you really need to understand the material. Make sure you go to his lectures and understand every detail. John is always ready to help, go see him for any question and he'll even help with the assignments. Be ready to work

Great professor, always willing and available to help. Very clear in his expectations, and gives out opportunities for bonus marks. Course is slightly difficult as there is a big emphasis on actually understanding the material as opposed to purely memorizing.

I loved John as a lecturer, and this was by far the best and most interesting class I have ever taken. However, no matter how hard I tried, I could not get a good mark. I found the exams really confusing, not in terms of subject material, but that I and a lot of other students would not know what he was asking for. He's a great guy, though.

He is such a great guy but beware; this class is NOT easy. You have really understand the material and be able to apply it when doing his tests and even then its hard to feel like your 100% sure of the answer (at least for me). Study early and ask questions when not sure!

John is very encouraging to his students and genuinely cares and wants all of them to succeed. Even if you re not one of his students, he'll try his best to help you. Go and see him, he'll make it crystal clear. Note: This is not an easy course though. Final was open-book hard. You need to know your stuff inside and out to do well.

john is a helpful and selfless man. I have never seen a prof willing to help students more than this man is. I have learned a lot from his courses. He's very inspirational and knowledgeable. His classes are hard so you need to do your part in order to succeed. That being said, you need to go see him ASAP if you don't understand something.

Okay here is the real truth. Don't go into this class thinking that it'll be like past microbio courses. The class is v tough. You will need to put in a lot of effort, a lot more than your other courses in order to even get a decent mark. John is great, but the material is not something that can be memorized, you have to fully understand everything

do yourself a favor and type every single word he says during the lectures in your notes. Review your notes weekly. The sooner you think like Dr. Basso, the faster you will succeed. So start adopting his ideology and ask him questions to pick his brain a little. He is always available. Do the practice midterms and the exercises. Good luck.

John is a great prof in and outside of class. He's always available and will explain a concept 10 times in order for you to understand. However, the material is tough and the examples seen in class are A.L.O.T. easier than the questions in his midterms and problem sets. Do the past midterms and go see him immediately if you don't understand.

John is the best prof you can have during your undergrad. Had him for two classes. It isn't a memorization class but you have to memorize a lot of material to apply, it is super content heavy. His final exam was open book and the average was around 50, but he curved it heavily. Go see him about ALL question he explains very well in person.

He is great at explaining, and I don't know why some comments are saying he talks fast; he takes breaks when he talks so you can write what he's saying. However, you can't expect to get a 10 just by learning the material by heart - you have to really understand how different units link together. Has an open door policy and is basically always there

John was probably my favourite professor yet. He cares about his students and wants them to succeed. That being said, his midterms and final exam are very tricky. Make you sure write down everything he says in class and write it down when you get home. Start studying early, there is a lot of material in this class.

Really nice guy, and super approachable. However, this class is not easy. All tests are MC only, and require a level of understanding beyond what's in the notes. It's not enough to simply memorize, you really need to understand everything. Read the questions carefully, as many options will all look correct. Final was open book but still very hard.

Dr. Basso is the best thing that happened to microbio - knows his stuff and fantastic lecturer. Very willing to help outside of class. Class is tough and he makes you work for it but one of my favourite profs

John is the best thing that happened to microbio - knows his stuff and fantastic lecturer. Very willing to help outside of class. Class is tough and he makes you work for it but he's one of the best

John is probably my best professor from the university. His tests are very fair, his lectures are very useful and he breaks things down to make it easier to understand. While the course in itself is not easy, he makes it interesting. You will do no wrong taking this class with him

John is best the prof I've had in my undergrad. He's probably the only person that actually made me understand instead of simply regurgitating. Super approachable and honestly wants the best for his students. If you get the chance to take one of his courses, do it and make sure to go to his office hours. A real gem and mentor.

JOHN IS THE BEST PROF IN THE WORLD IDC WHAT ANYONE ELSE SAYS. Great lectures, entertaining, approachable. Go to class, watch podcasts, do crosswords, practice past exams, do problem sets more than once! Up to 3% in bonus points, very easy to get. Seems like a lot to do but it was manageable even when I had 5 other courses to worry about.

John is the best!! Very caring, he listens to what the students have to say and will repeat until you understand. How to do well: 1. Attend lectures + take good notes 2. Rewatch podcasts & fill in the missing info (he talks fast) 3. Do practice midterms + problem sets 4. GO SEE HIM IN HIS OFFICE (absolute must!! he gives similar qs in his office)

LOTS of material in lectures that you need to memorize and then be able to APPLY. His method of MCQ's is via method of elimination, so make sure you consider every answer and strike out ones that don't seem right. To understand how to play the game, go to his office and ask him to show you his reasoning on a handful of Q's from practice midterms

Super tough? Definitely. But the last couple reviews are unfairly negative. if you want to succeed you need to put in the work. He tends to give everybody a generous bump at the end if the average is low (which is often fort his classes). Unlike most profs he always has time to answer questions outside of class even if in class he is a bit stiff.

Very tough no doubt. But he is caring and willing to put in the time to help you. His molecular lab course is extremely time consuming but a lot of the work is built on a few major principles he will emphasize and that can make or break your mark. With the effort you can succeed and although he is tough he does want the best for his students.

Great professor!

Great teacher

Took this class a few years ago but im really surprised at all these negative reviews. His course is tough and you cant expect to do well if you dont attend and pay attention. He will emphasize material that is high yield for the exam. Moreover, he is ALWAYS available to answer questions. I went to his office and he was always helpful. Got A+

The most caring and patient professor! He makes sure his students ask questions during class and does not move on to new material until the concepts are understood. Homeworks and previous exams are given to prepare you. Take thorough notes in class and listen to the audio (his exams and quizzes are SPECIFIC). Open-book exam + virtual exams :)

easily uottawa's best science prof. definitely take this class if you're already taking bio3524/3124. lots of assignments but its pretty easy to do well on them. this class has one midterm and a final and they were both pretty hard, the midterm especially so. practice the calc questions!

Great teacher, the class is very interesting and was very enjoyable to take. He clearly states how you will be graded, online exams that are open book and he gives you lots of time to do them. Only tedious part is that there are weekly quizzes but they are only for bonus marks and you don't have to do them. Would definitely recommend

John est un des meilleurs profs que jai eu. Son cours est difficile mais il est toujours là pour texpliquer davantage la matière jusquà ce que tu comprennes. Cest un pédagogue hors-pair.

He is a very caring and nice person. His lectures were not heavy and he made sure everyone understood the lectures. He doesn't give hard examples during the lectures but he allowed us to use any kind of resources during the exams which was very helpful. He is also accommodating and you don't have to explain yourself to get an extension for exams.

John is a very great prof. While his slides can be complicated and confusing to read through, he explains the concepts rather concisely and thoroughly during the first hour of the lab. Alongside this he is very quick to respond outside of office hours, including on the weekends. I would highly recommend taking BIO3126 with him if possible!

Dr. Basso gives concise and interesting lectures, and he often emphasizes important content for the exams. At times he can come off as demeaning, but he wants his students to succeed. His exams are multiple choice but application-based - memorization alone is not sufficient. Overall a solid choice!

His lectures are pretty good imo, and attending them makes it easy to keep up with material (dont wait at last second). Lots of extra work (quizzes and assignemnts) that are relatively easy (free pts). Be prepared to memorize stuff and calculate tho, but everything needed to know are on his slides! He also records himself.