Very nice and eager to help students, tests are kinda hard

Very difficult class - requires a lot of extra time outside of classtime!

great teacher, but tests are really hard...lots of information!!

A really nice guy!quite confusing at times,yet an easy grader;will be glad toend

wonderful teacher, very enthusiastic, loves to help his students, you learn a lot in his class, but it also requires a lot of hard work. he likes to talk about beer making.

lots of material and hard tests. always willing to help when asked. a little too smart for his own good sometimes. if you work hard and seek help you will be fine.

Very nice, approachable prof. Course was hard though! You definitely need to work in his classes but he's very fair and recognizes good effort.

omg, he knows EVERYTHING that there is to know about biology it seems like. he talks over your head, but he loves talking about it, so if you he will gladly sit down and re-explain concepts. hard grader, but if you do the work, you'll earn the grade.

Dr. Monroe is so knowledgable and passionate about biology. Really wants you to learn and is definately willing to help. There is alot of work and studying but you will learn.

Not an easy course by any means, but you get what you put in. Expect to come out of his class actually learning, but not necessarily with grades. You actually do better focusing on the material rather than your grade. Office Hours key to success in his class.

its just memorization...its not that bad, im not even a bio major and i got an A. read the book for the details on concepts you feel he doesn't explain well and you'll do fine too.

Not an easy class, but Dr. Monroe is very helpful and extremely intelligent. Though his lectures may seem a bit scattered at times, studying from your notes is key for the exams.

The thing about Dr. Monroe is that he loves what he does and he will work with you. The only real problem is that his lectures (and some of his test questions) are a little scattered and hard to follow. It won't kill you to take him, but you must realize that you'll probably have to read the book and listen in class.

Professor Monroe is one of the coolest Bio professors you will get. He makes coming to class fun mostly because he loves what he does. There is a lot of material in the course but if you go talk to him he explains things well. Take this class.

he is a great guy, but I dont like his lectures, you really have read the chapter before going to class,other wise the lecture is useless...but I love him he is great.

Brilliant man - I'd love to pick his brain cause he knows everything about biology. He really loves teaching and helping his students. Sometimes his lectures are a little disorganized, but you can just read small sections of the book to help clear up specific things. This was the first class that I felt like I was challenged...in a good way.

Dr. Monroe is really a great professor. He definitely knows his stuff, and expects a lot from students. Lectures are slightly fast-paced, but with the amount of material in this course are very reasonable. Likes to focus on the "big picture" and tie in all you know about biology, a very excellent philosophy. One of my favorites so far at JMU.

NICEST guy in the world!! really knows his stuff...his exams are hard but that should be expected - this is a bio class...tests come from his ppt lectures...study using notes from ppt to fill out the review sheet he gives n ull be fine

I loved Monroe! Really a great teacher and loves when you ask questions. Really interesting and definitely knows his stuff. Although attendance is not mandatory I would recommend going and taking lots of notes because thats what he tests on. If you read the textbook and go to class, easy A. If you don't understand something, go to his office hours!

I thought he would be bad b/c of ratings but after attending class and getting to know him, I found he was the kindest and most sincerely concerned for his students of any teacher i've ever had!definitely not an easy class, but go to office hours, he wants you to succeed!!!

Jon is a really good guy. His lectures sometimes can be scattered and a little confusing, but if you go to his office hours, it'll REALLY help! He really wants his students to do well. This was a hard class, but what's the point in being in college and taking classes if all you want to do is try to do as little as possible??

I loved his class because he is a great professor, really nice, and could be really funny sometimes. My favorite part of the class was when he brought in homemade jam on two occasions! His tests weren't bad and he posted review sheets before each test that were helpful. I am definitely going to look into taking more classes from him!

He was so cute when he was teaching, he gets really passionate about what he's talking about and he stands on chairs and goes on these rants.He is always willing to fix his teaching style or question style if students find it confusing. He LOVES feedback, so give it to him! and he even brings in homemade jam.yum! He loves what he teaches.take him

short easy online quizes, tests are fairly easily if you write down everything he puts on the board and do the review sheet. only studied the night before the tests and got an A. really good teacher, id recommend him

Hands down one of the best professors at JMU. You'll never fall asleep in class and you will learn so much. Loves his students and wants us to succeed, and he LOVES biology. The class is no gen-ed but if you pay attention and study a fair amount, you'll be just fine.

GREAT professor. He is incredibly enthusiastic about the material which makes the class a lot more interesting. Grades come from three tests and a final, plus some online quizzes and assignments. The tests were eaier than I expected, but the final was very detailed. Attend office hours if you need help in the class, hes very approachable.

GREAT professor! He is so nice and funny and really enjoys teaching! He is scatter brain when it comes to teaching but if you read the text you will do fine. He is good explainer and good teacher just hard to follow in lecture. I would take him again though.

AMAZING! Monroe is probably one of my fave professors at JMU...he loves his students and makes sure to fit in interesting tid bits in class...TAKE HIM! and plant bio is an AWESOME elective, i honestly HATED plants before this class and was actually pissed i had to take it but i needed the upper level bio ...youll never look at plants the same

Nice guy! His tests are easier compared to other 214 professors. Lecture is not very organized, but he tries his best to help us understand the materials. Easy to approach, always have exam review sessions. 214 is hard. Good luck if you are planning to take it.

great guy. extremely funny, really easy to be around. This is a challenging course regardless of who you take it with, but i guarantee that if you take it with him, you will enjoy the class. It does take up a lot of time, but it's worth it for his class. TAKE HIM

Favorite class and favorite teacher at JMU so far. The material is difficult, but Monroe makes it interesting and is very helpful/approachable. You can tell that he really cares about his students and wants everyone to learn thoroughly and have fun at the same time. Would take Dr. Monroe for this class 10 out of 10 times.

Monroe might be my favorite professor at JMU. Bio 214 is a difficult class, but Dr. Monroe makes it interesting and fun, and is very approachable. You can tell he really cares about his students and wants everyone to learn a lot. Great professor - great guy in general.

Such a nice guy and very helpful. He's a little confusing in the beginning, but you get used to his style of teaching pretty quickly. It's a lot of material, but he does it well.

Little bit hard to keep up with at times as he is a bit scatterbrained...but he knows it and makes it work! It is such a cool class and having him makes it even better because he is freakin hilarious. The tests are fair and he is really helpful if you talk to him.

Very smart man, loves his subject, great guy to talk to and get to know, but sometimes hard to learn from, especially if you don't think the same way. Hard to know what he wants you to know for tests, which are hard and not just multiple choice, lots of fill in the blank, short answer, and T/F. Hard class, butfun. lots of studying, be prepared.

Monroe is so awesome. He loves what he teaches and is incredibly smart. Awesome to get to know at office hours. Read before lecture or else lecture won't flow and make sense to you. Taking notes in his class takes some time to get right because he is all over the place. Wouldn't say the information is hard, but there is a lot. Tests are fair.

I took Bio 214 before and got a D. I had Monroe for lab and lecture the second time I took it, and I really understood concepts that I had NO idea of when I took it the first time. He's a great guy, super approachable, and willing to help! It's a challenging class but as long as you keep up with the work you should do well.

I highly recommend Dr. Monroe, he's a good teacher, an interesting person, and very helpful. He's cut me slack multiple times where some teachers might not have. He's always willing to engage in conversations with you during or outside of class. He gave quizzes before each lab that were somewhat difficult, but the lab reports were very easy.

Unless you've taken another plant class with another professor, I wouldn't recommend Plant Bio with Monroe. He tries to make the class doable for people not interested in plants, so he makes the tests open note (4 pages) but they're impossible. The only way to do well on the tests is by having lots of previous plant knowledge.

Monroe is a cool guy, I loved his plant biology class. He is very interested in helping everyone succeed. You don’t need previous plant knowledge to do well on his tests. They are open note so as long as you go to class test are straight forward. He never puts anything on the tests that you don’t go over in class so the text book isn’t necessary.

Dr. Monroe is the best BIO professor at the school. If you're looking for an easy class, look somewhere else. But if you want to be taught by an expert who is really passionate about his field and teaching his students, this is the guy for you. Don't skip class, study his lectures, and you'll be fine. I got an A- in plant bio, and a B+ in cell.

great professor who I recommend to all bio majors. let me into his class with 214 as a co-req instead of a pre-req and he's mentored me a lot about grad school. Very intelligent and helpful man. tests come straight from lecture so GO TO CLASS but are open note short answer style. not easy but he's a fair grader. cant wait for plant phys w him!

Monroe is a great professor, but he's not a cell biologist and therefor is not familiar with everything that he lectures on. He's a really nice guy if you take the time to meet him and really has every student's best interest at heart. His tests are not impossible, but you definitely need to put in outside worktime to do well on them.

Dr. Monroe is extremely intelligent and passionate about biology. Pay attention to his lectures, study the handouts, and do the reading. Although this class is a tough one, if you put in the work it is worth it and you will learn a lot.

Monroe is an amazing professor. He can be spacey sometimes and he's not always the clearest about what you need to know but if you go to class, pay attention and take notes you'll be fine. His tests are short answer and HARD but they're open note so no reason not to do well. I thought the class was awesome and the labs were fun, take plant phys!!

10 out of 10 chili peppers. Would recommend.

Wonderful person and really wants you to do well. The class itself is very hard. You have to put the time and effort in to do well on the tests. He can be a bit confusing sometimes during lecture but if you read the textbook and ask him questions via email (great at responding to emails within 24 hours!) or office hours you will easily get a B.

He took the time to get to know every single person in his giant lecture class, so he definitely cares about his students and is an amazing person. READ THE BOOK! He lectures as if you've thoroughly read each chapter, which allows him to make the more difficult concepts easier to grasp, so you must read or you'll be clueless during lecture.

He cared about everyone and graded pretty easily on assignments. The final wasn't awful, but you have to fill out the study guide thoroughly because it wasn't multiple choice. The 214 lab in general takes up a little time outside of class (postlabs and making notes for open note quizzes), but not too much. Pretty much everything is group based, too

Dr. Monroe's tests are hard, but he's very clear and informative in lectures. Show up to class, read the textbook, and do the chapter quizzes (which are 4 questions each) and you'll do fine.

Dr. Monroe's tests are very hard, but he knows that. He tries to help you out as much as possible, and will usually curve at the end of the semester. You have to read a chapter a week and do an easy 4 question canvas quiz. You get full credit if you get 2 or more questions right, so there are a lot of chances to help your grade. READ THE BOOK.

Professor Monroe has been my favorite teacher since being at JMU. If you take notes during class and pay attention the tests are extremely doable. He is entertaining as wants everyone to succeed! Absolutely approachable and an inspirational man. TAKE HIM!

This man has more interesting stories to tell than there will ever be time to hear. Knows he is a plant biologist and not a cell biologist and will admit there are some things he isn't sure about. Hand graded 150 students' tests in two days. He truly wants every student to be successful and will do anything to help you. Definitely take him!

One of the best professors I've had. The course is challenging but easily doable if you keep up with readings/lectures. Monroe has cool stories he tells every lecture that make class more interesting.

I had Monroe for lecture and lab & he is my FAVORITE teacher. His tests are hard so you have to read the book to do well but go to his office hours and ask questions if you're confused. He's always willing to help you understand concepts. He loves biology and always tells interesting stories relating biology to his travels over the years.

Dr. Monroe was a solid prof. Its a hard class and his lectures can be pretty detailed, but the tests were fair, and I really learned a lot. Reading the book and using its companion website really helped me study. His lectures put to sleep a few times, but the lighting of the room didn't help. I felt bad cause he's actually interesting. curves too.

I loved Dr. Monroe he is a great professor and is always happy help with any material you have trouble understanding. He will raise your grade if he sees you are really trying, so I highly recommend going to his office hours. His tests can be pretty hard, but he gives very helpful tips on how to study for them.

Great professor! I thought I'd hate cell & molecular bio, but his class completely changed that and now I love it. His classes are lecture/ppt heavy, but his slides are picture-heavy and he avoids walls of texts like the plague. He's passionate about teaching and he's very friendly, so take him if you can!

Dr. Monroe is a brilliant man. He shows true passion for biology and he cares about his students. He is personable and very nice and wants you to succeed! His lectures can get boring because they can be very detailed and sometimes hard to follow because there is so much information but overall, good class!

Monroe had a unique mind that was fun in the lecture (the first day he asked how often we defecate per day for "research"). He tests fair and lets you know at least a week in advance for tests. We had three tests and a final. He prints out the important parts in his ppt for you to use during lecture. Keep up with the readings, and you'll succeed.

Dr. Monroe is a respected professor. This was his first year teaching BIO 140 and I believe he did a fine job of it. If you read the chapter before he goes over it in class, it makes it much easier to understand the material and ask questions. His exams are difficult, but attending PASS sessions makes the material easier to understand and apply.

Dr. Monroe isn't too bad as a professor. His lectures get very boring really quickly, but he is available and helpful during office hours. The only reason to go to class is for the clicker questions because you might be better off going over the slides at home. The tests can get hard so study (but that's a given).

Dr. Monroe is a good guy and really tries to make class interesting. The content/tests are quite difficult but he gives out printed slides printed each class so it's worth going (and for clicker points and his travel stories!) Content is hard/boring but he's willing to help!! Don't buy the book... you don't need it. GO TO PASS SESSIONS!

Dr. Monroe is a great professor! He is very knowledgeable and really tries to make the information interesting and presents it in a way you understand. The tests are pretty hard for an entry level biology course but he is accessible outside of class and really wants to help make sure you understand Read the book and GO TO PASS!!

Monroe is a great guy hands-down, he cares about his students and tries to make lectures interactive. Come to lectures and pay attention because sometimes he goes a little fast through hard stuff. He is an incredibly smart guy but don't be afraid to ask questions. Tests are HARD so GO TO PASS SESSIONS. Very personable guy so try to talk to him!!

I think he is a great teacher, he is nice and wants everyone to do well, and was very open with office hours. His class is very lecture heavy, but he tries to keep it interesting and shares about his life and does different activities every once in a while. His tests were challenging so you really have to study lecture notes and use PASS sessions.

Attendance wasn't mandatory but the material is difficult to understand without hearing him explain. He's funny! He does his best to make lectures interesting but it was pretty difficult for an entry level course. I would never have taken this class if I was not a Biology major at the time. GO TO PASS & office hours! It's the only reason I passed.

Monroe is incredible! His lectures are very detailed and are can be confusing at first, but if you stay up to date with readings and pay attention you'll do fine. He wants the best for all of his students and is more than willing to take as long as it takes to explain something in office hours. He made me feel so much more passionate about biology!

Monroe's lectures have inspired me! I used to think molecular biology was so boring but now I love it! He has a way of inspiring students so I would 100% recommend this class! Grades are up quickly and the homework load isn't too bad!

I had Monroe for BIO140 and he tried his hardest to make lecture enjoyable and he was always asking us to ask questions. I found it a bit difficult to understand the lectures at times but I went to the pass sessions with Maddie and IT WAS SO HELPFUL! The tests weren't hard, if you read the book you will pass. He does a lot of clicker questions!!

Bio is hard no matter who you have and Jon really understands this. He does his bet to work with you so you can succeed. I 100% recommend going to office hours and getting to know him because he has amazing stories. Plus if you get to know him he'll help you out in the end(bumper me from a B to an A). Overall lecture can get boring but he is great.

Take him for lab if possible, he's really sweet and super nice. He understands labs are long and boring, so he doesn't lecture heavy if everyone isn't really involved. As long as you do as rubric says for labs, you'll be fine for grading. There is a midterm and test, both are somewhat difficult, so you will have to do the work.

I really enjoyed this class! Be ready for fast paced lectures and quick note taking, but he is always happy to answer all questions!

Prof Monroe is the best choice for BIO140. He is patient and understanding but be prepared to take lots of notes and watch lectures for hours. It is a difficult choice but I would definitely recommend Monroe, he's a nice guy!

This class will be difficult and requires you to work hard outside of class; however, if you put in the work you will do well! You have about 1 chapter (20-25 pages) to read each week before lecture. Lecture can be a bit drawn out, but he is very passionate! GO TO PASS, it saved my grade in this class. He is a great person too!

He tells stories at the beginning of each class about his travels. He retires after this year which is sad because he is a great professor who wants his students to succeed. The tests were difficult but going to office hours and PASS helps. He does iClicker questions for attendance which can only boost your grade.