I have taken several courses with him and he is by far the best prof. I have ever had! He has a clear understanding of the field and relays that to his students. He takes time to care and makes class fun!!!

Dr. Thomas is quite the character. To me, seemd like he talked down to me sometimes, maybe I just read him wrong. Class was fun and interesting, but study hard for the exams.

A different kind of professor, yes, is a fun class, but don't make the mistake of not studying, YOU MUST READ BOOK. Get to do an outside project that is a blast, and you learn lots about genetics...attend class, study, and you'll do fine. Great jokes!

very good personality, makes the class enjoyable, and that is whats good about him, doesnt make you despise school, however his tests are not all that easy, you MUST READ, another thing he is never clear on whats on the test, just says the chapters, but the guy is very optimistic and open.

Very cool teacher, however he is hard, you have to read the chapters and do the homework, doesnt give you study guides on whats on the test, just tells you the chapters.

Dr. Thomas is a bizarre teacher. You feel like you don't really absorb anything in class, but come test time it's cram city. He has a pretty weird personality for a science professor, but I guess teaches well. Favorites, ah, yes, he hugged some students on final day, but not all.

i love dr.T.>>granted class time can be a waste, but its funnier than SNL! serious cramming before test. all about understanding, not memo.get on his good side, and keep open dialogue with him and u'll be fine. not a hard class. i thought bio 140 with adler was harder.

Professor Thomas is quite the character. His class can be rather amusing. The tests require a pretty strong knowledge and understanding of the material.

Awesome teacher. Very amusing and easy-going. Loves to tell stories. Made it easier to pay attention in lecture. Labs were fun. He pretty much let us run things ourselves. Very easy to talk to and get along with. Tests were quite hard; have to be able to think logically. Memorize the figures. A+++

Extremely nice guy and ridiculously funny. However his test are little bit tough and makes you think. Even though they were hard I like it because it makes you understand the material. It would not be an easy A in his class. I didnt get the best grades but I still think he is one of the best pro

not an easy A but a very good teacher, altho his lectures are jokes and stories alot of the time i learned alot bc he has a very diff way of teaching, exams are hard and you have to work hard, but if u put the time in u will actually learn the material to where u will remember it later in life, if u dont want to take the same old class take him

Dr. Thomas is probably the coolest guy here at UMD. His lectures are interesting, fairly easy to understand, and his sense of humor makes the class all that more enjoyable. His tests are pretty difficult, but he's a pretty easy grader and gives a ton of partial credit.

If he likes you, and you have a clue what's going on, you're golden! There is a lot of learning you have to do on your own

I took 3 classes with him and got A's in all of them. His classes are not that hard , cuz he doesn't want you to memorise a lots of deffinitions ,and names , but you got to understand the material . You do need the book , but no need to know every detail. His lectures are fun , even thou he does spend some time on talking about off class material.

Love this class, love Thomas. Class is based on understanding the material, no memorization, which is exactly what a class should be. Also, the guy is hilarious and class is always fun, even though you really don't learn anything. Tests were tricky, but I ALWAYS got a better grade than I expected. If I could, I would take him for every class.

great prof. really wants you to UNDERSTAND the material, rather than just memorize. it may seem like class is waste of time, but you actually learn quite a bit. Attend lecture, ask questions, do hw (not just copy from Answer book) and you will get A in the class for sure, and learn quite a bit as well. Definitely worth taking.

Dr. Thomas is a good professor, and makes an effort to get to know everyone. Lectures are funny and interesting but you MUST read the book and understand the concepts. If you can solve the HW problems without relying on the answer book, you're in good shape for the exams. If you have trouble, just ask him for help. Overall the class was great!

he's different, but in a good way. He makes the class fun the way biology should be. Everybody gets around the same grade but everybody earns their grades.on the test you will blank out for the first 10 minutes but then it will come to you.

he's different, but in a good way. He makes the class fun the way biology should be. Everybody gets around the same grade but everybody earns their grades.on the test you will blank out for the first 10 minutes but then it will come to you.///////

i spent so much time on this class and when i looked at the exam i didn't know a single answer they are all short answer and based on studies youve never heard of. when you ask him what the answer was he says that he doesn't know and thats the point. he only uses the pictures from the book for his lecture. basically read the book in and out.

Dr. Thomas is a wonderful professor who actually cares about students and their goals in life. Many don't like his class because he makes you think rather than memorize. This is college, stop whining and show some effort. He is a very funny and intelligent man. I would take him for every biology class you can. Use the book for the pictures.

His class is tough, lets accept that. He cares about the take-home message,not how well you can memorize, so his tests only have 1 or 2 questions with definite answers. The rest, you have to think about the information given and formulate your own. A lot of partial credit for trying. He's willing to work with you. And remember, there is no bear.

He's really a great person and one of the most entertaining professors you'll ever meet. Whether or not you should take a class with him really comes down to what kind of test taker you are. If you're more of a critical thinker, his exams won't be too bad. If you're more of a memorize the steps and details kind of person, it'll be more difficult.

After taking 2 classes with Thomas, I can say he's one of my favorite professors. I didn't do as well in his classes as I could have, but they were certainly interesting because he's an awesome guy. Lectures are rarely on-topic, but you WILL remember key topics forever. Classes are easy enough, I just didn't study and ended with a B+ in both.

Dr. Thomas is a wonderful person. However, his teaching is not so great. I never understand what's going on in class or what he expects us to know. Half of each lecture is spent with him telling unrelated stories. There is a bookwork assigned every day, so if you get behind on that it really adds up.

He is the best teacher I have had! I recommend that everyone takes Biotechnology with him!!!!!!! I really looked forward to the classes :) and labs.

I have never met a professor that actually takes the time to get to know the students. Incredibly nice man and is trying to structure his exams like grad schools do. His exams are not clear cut and require some insightful thinking b/c theyre mainly conceptual questions. I love the man he knows what the real words like and tries to prepare u for it.

He is a great professor!!! He wants everyone to learn the most they can before they go off and graduate :)

Dr. Thomas is absolutely hilarious and is great at explaining things in a clear and memorable way. His exams are based on reasoning and critical thinking, which are essential skills in any science; little memorization required for this class. He's more than willing to give partial credit on exams if you explain your reasoning. Overall, fantastic!!!

I love Dr. Thomas! He cares a lot about his students. His exams are tough and most of lecture is off topic but when it came to exams all I did was read the chapters (yes, they are at least 60 pages long) and I never got lower than a 87 on an exam. This class is more than just memorizing, you need to be able to understand the material.

Dr. Thomas is one of the best professors at uofm, he is very knowledgable about the materials. I enjoyed his class and learned a lot. very easy grader, he only wants to see that you got the main idea. I would take any class he teaches.

The material itself is VRY hard. lectures are pointless & his slides are all out of order. Your best bet is reading the book to understand what's going on- then if u want, just skim thru the slides. But in order to get an A, u have to read the book, do the recitation hw, know every topic inside out (by watching vids), AND BE ABLE TO APPLY concepts

His lectures are pointless, and he always strays off topic. To get a good grade you need to fully read the chapters and watch the videos he posts on canvas. He assigns homework every week and has one easy group presentation at the end.

BIOL140 is a very difficult class, but Dr. Thomas makes it bearable. He often goes off on tangents in lecture so get ready for that, but he is very caring, helpful, and knowledgeable on the subject.

Clearly cares for students and quite outgoing. Not the best at explaining things IMO. Very very reasonable about grades and deadlines; very approachable.

Graded by few things and takes a really long time to get papers back. Dr. Thomas is really funny. In every beginning of the lecture, he would talk about others things. Watch the videos and really study the slides. Know the process and the mechanism. Requires critical thinking!!

I took Dr. Thomas classes many years ago, with a background in Biology for 2 semesters: Genetics and Cell Biology. We really never knew why these courses were important, but it the coming years, it laid the foundation for an understanding of science that Professor Thomas is no highly regarded for. The lecture is engaging and interesting.

Dr. Thomas is a great professor! The key to success in his class is making sure you have access to the ebook and TopHat. He's very caring and lenient when it comes to due dates and students' personal schedule/life. Failed/did unsatisfactory one test? No worries! Dr. Thomas drops your lowest test score. Would recommend!

Professor Thomas was very kind and knowledgeable about the subject matter. He answered emails almost immediately and was willing to help whenever I did reach out. The tests were easy to take if you read the book and he recorded lectures for extra help too. Would recommend taking his Bio 140 class!

He is genuinely a very sweet and funny guy. Is he a great lecturer? Not exactly, and sometimes he gives questions on quizzes or exams that he never touched on in class. However, I would still take him again.

Great teacher, great personality, very humble! Everything you look for in a professor

He is a super nice guy but does get off track a lot. Anything you do not understand, he will always give you a detailed answer. He helps all students, visual learners, book learners, even people that only understand analogies. He is doing anything he can to make the class entertaining and efficient and I respect that. You do have to read a little.

He was great! Super fun and a caring person. His lectures are mainly him telling stories so you need to read the textbook. His exams are doable if you read the textbook and really put effort in the class. If you have the opportuity to take him, go for it!

He is really nice and actually cares for students. His exams are ok if you read the textbook, and they do challenge your thinking a bit. His class was overall great

Amazing professor that truly cares for his students. Tells a lot of stories which actually can be used to answer test questions which are all written. He give you point if he knows you understand even if you don't get the answer 100% correct. I would definitely take him again!!

Pros: A brilliant doctor whom you will benefit a lot from, his style of exams helps to sharpen your critical thinking skills Cons: ambiguous grading criteria, his feedback not clear and will not respond to you if you ask for clarification, every student will get one question on achieve HW and you may get a very easy or a tough one

Super crispy proffesor Thomas

Prof.Thomas is a great professor. Lenient individual who cares about his students. He makes lectures very enjoyable with his jokes and humor. I would argue that his slides and presentations do not really help in terms of actually understanding the material itself. Also keep track of your homework in this class.

simply that nga