2.5
Quality3.5
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake131
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
131
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
22
4
20
3
20
2
31
1
38
What Students Say
“I've sent 2 emails to her, and still no reply”
BIOL112 - 1.0 rating“The class is a complete waste of time”
BIOL112 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.66 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOL121
5.0
(1)AP1220
5.0
(1)BIO141
4.0
(1)BIOLOGY1115
4.0
(1)BIO112S
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
BI112
5.0
BIOL
4.0
BIO112SUMMER
4.0
BIO112S
4.0
BIOL1200
4.0
Reviews (131)
very boring, always goes off topic, says um alot
not funny
AHHH! Horrible horrible! Goes off on tangents and makes unfunny jokes!!!!!!!!!!!
haha.. she has no confidence in wut she says
failed to teach effectively, difficult to follow
Easy prof, but can't teach, by the end of course, only half the shows for class
never seem to have answers, made the course horrible
Lectures are completely useless. Can't teach...might as well stay home and read your notes.
SOOOOOOOOO BORING! i wouldn't go if it weren't for the stupid prs quizzes that she can't work right. it's just a notes review. i can't stand the class.. she pauses constantly mid-sentence.
she is an good teacher, very friendly, and if you find biology boring it is not the prof's fault!!
Improvement necessary to continue in teaching...
this class sucked. the book teaches better than her. she pauses mid-sentence, repeatedly. she lacks confidence, it seems as though she might even be paranoid about the students talking about her. i sometimes felt guilty about leaving her class early. meh.
Basically,I think biology depart. should change the whole 1st year system.Students had to do m/c midterm and final exam with no part marks-Doo~You cannot take your midterm home to see mistakes. Why?because they are so unoriginal;they had to recycle ex
She pauses when she talks..........and suddenly says lets go back to chapter....
Teacher is not hepful, very boring, not understanding, I urge you not to take her
No Comments
how did she become a prof? most of the time she seems confused and is never able to answer your question so that you will understand...is very frazzled most of the time, but kinda feel sorry for her, seems aware of the criticism
Dreadful. Tries to be funny, mainly by writing songs about some of the things in the course and setting it to other existing favourites. But she can't lecture, she drives a lot of people to sleep. AVOID DR. GORDON AT ALL COSTS OR YOU WILL NOT DO WELL!!
She needs to learn public speaking skills, she uses the stupidest analogies...which makes me feel embarrassed for her, and she always pauses mid-sentence as though she's lost her train of thought.
this lady licks! so bad makes me feel bad for her
Extremely bad prof. Doesn't know how to communicate with students! It was already a hard enough course...having her teach it was even worst!
not good
Man she's not THAT bad. It is not hard to understand what she's saying, that's if you guys weren't playing games or chatting during the lecture....
She's okay. Not the most captivating, but, tries to relate with teens by introducing music to the mix with minimal success. HOWEVER, I fell asleep in every class, and this was during the afternoon. I'd rather have her than the other 112 profs.
Her PRS Questions are the easiest things in the world if you just read it carefully and if you read the notebook. However, I fell asleep every class and never learned a thing from her directly. Her final was hard too...
She incorrectly argued a point regarding chemistry.....not a smart woman! You are getting sleeeeeepy............ One word to describe her: inept. I am dumber for taking her class.
No Comments
well....she tries her best to help students..REALLY...it's just that she is not good at lecture...otherwise..okay person..nothing against her!!
Most students didn't respond well to her BUT I thought she was GREAT. She really cares about her students' progress and although she comes across as cold she is a very pleasant woman. Some students need to be a little more understanding...
Only thing i got outta her lecture was these words stuck in my head: "oxidization is the loss of electrons"
Dr. Gordon tries really hard to help but at the end has no effect on my progress whatsoever. Her PRS questions are extremely easy and I've learnt nothing from her directly.
makes material interesting
HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE. worst teacher I've ever encountered. It should be illegal for her to mess up people's minds like that. stop teaching dr. gordon...please
Worst prof for whom english is a first language that I have encountered in 5.5 years at 2 schools. Amazing ability to take clear and easy concepts and confuse them. If you care at all about your education avoid Dr. Gordon (and bi 112) at all costs.
What can I say, she sucks!!! Who gave her a license to teach??
No Comments
No Comments
The course BIO 112 is hard. Face reality. This prof is good. Sit in the front row... be a geek and you'll strive through this class.
at 1st i thought she was a bad prof but then i realized she only seems that way because pre-reading is so crucial. she expects we will read what were supposed to so she doesnt start at the basics in class which can make it hard to follow if you only skim
Dr. Gordon tries very hard to keep students engaged and to ensure that they understand the material. She goes out of her way to give students extra help if they ask. The course is interesting and most of the learning happens out of class.
this prof takes a fairly difficult course and makes it nearly impossible to understand...absolutely nothing gets learnt in class as the prof is very very unclear about all concepts
EXCELLENT teacher. Instead of going through the tedious reading again, she teaches the major concepts required to understand the significance of all the details in the notes. If you preread and pay attention in lectures, the course is a breeze.
she sucks she cannot teach..sigh
pretty bad..
below are 2 good ratings with 5's all of a sudden... the prof mustve written them herself
Bio 112 is quite hard. She is a nice prof nevertheless, very responsible and well prepared at all time.
she talks really slow.....too slow for me to concentrate
repeats what is already in the book. Is of no asisstance and cannot even answer midterm questions. Absolutely futile.
NO WAY, she is not responsible at all, and although she may TRY to help students understand material, she does not help the least bit. I've sent 2 emails to her, and still no reply...when i go up to ask her questions during the break, she is so rude.
takes forever to post things up on webct
this course is hard...
just finished her biol 112 course, it was horrible. she's not good. makes the exams harder than they should.
I don't know why all these comments are so negative, i personally thought she was AWESOME,she was passionate about what she taught,helpful,funny,fair,understanding and made everything so much more interesting,bio 112 is hard and horrid not gordon
These people cannot handle the course, don't blame it on the prof. She was excellent. I got 94 on the final.
well she isnt the worst prof nor the best prof...she cant realli teach but bio112 itself is hard nevertheless...i guess she tried her best already~going to her lectures are pointless though~just read the freakin textbook and do all the problem sets~
have to say... those that say they "got 94 on the final" are usually not being very truthful. um... cus we don't usually say how bright we are, unless, of course, if ur in science.
u need to know the details to do well on the tests, her lectures are very general, and if u don't read the text before class you won't really know what she's talking about. she has a passion in teaching so i think she's a good prof,but the course was hard
New insult to add to repertoire: "you teach like Dr. Gordon"
this course is hard! Esp those 'energy electron source' stuff. I asked her a question,she looked annoyed or sth. Her lectures too general, until U SEE THE EXAM, u'll find out how they are so not related. Ace ur problem sets,then u realize exam is hell.
hard course and she makes it worst
Dr. Gordon is a very knowledgeable instructor and she conveys info very well. She does everything possible to improve students' marks. (eg. PRS bonuses) If you think she was a poor instructor, then I suggest you transfer into an Arts program.
She is a pretty nice professor, very helpful as well. However, the last M.C. quiz and the final are just too hard! By the way, she likes singing songs with modified lyrics in class!
uses prs and has all her lectures notes available on the web, she's quite helpful, tests are all multiple choice but make u think quite hard
she doesnt know how to explain the course materials well...btw...this is a common midterm/final course, and she is not the one who write the exam
Very approachable and friendly however, I found it diffiuclt to follow her logic and she didn't tie material together. Quite scattered and not a confident lecturer.
what the hell???? i basically self learned everything in this class ! why do we need her if she's not gonna teach the materiall..plus she says taht she'll post the notes up on webct but she hasnt done sht for like a month now
No Comments
she's not too bad cuz she tries to help her student a lot by having review sessions on her own time but this course is hard and i really think its more of an effort thing and being really really really careful about the mc exams.. cuz they're really tricky her teaching isnt too great but not bad
She's a really nice prof. She tries to help out the students the best she can i.e. easier assignments. Overall I think she's a good prof, it's just the actual course and the way we've been tested on that is hard.
I took this last summer. She was a good prof, and covered the material well. The tests were hard but doable if you put the effort into it. I only had a mediocre midterm mark, but I did very well on the final and ended with one of my best marks at UBC.
She didn't teach the material at all, she was stupid, she was not concerned about her students at all, if possible get another teacher, you've been warned.
She tried hard to explain things clearly. I found that she could do with some lecture outlines perhaps.. to help guide us along and keep us awake. This is a hard course though. I think she managed the material well.
She was very unclear and she also seemed like she didnt know what she was talking about. Has bad attitude towards students.
For the majority of the course, I really didn't learn very much from her lectures -- though the last class she was quite good. Her midterms were pretty easy, but the final sucked. She needs to be more specific in dictating what exactly she expects you to know and such...She was really good about replying to emails, though.
she works really hard to make sure that everyone understands... all tests are mulitple choice so that makes them harder than they could be... makes information and concepts clear during lectures and gives up a lot of her own time to help students
overall she was a decent prof.very cranky about students talking (who wouldn't be).she embarrassed some people on last day of class. this course requires that you APPLY the concepts you learned to problems.this course tests how well you can apply,not memorize. i recommend you form study groups outside of class b/c some problems are really hard.
Her tests were very difficult especially in the final. She was nice and gave candy to the students who stopped talking which is what I was very appreciated, as those guys were too noisy and disturbed other classmates including me in every class.
She explained things in class well, however this was a summer course and it was 3 hours long, so it would have been difficult for the students to actually pay attention the whole time. Tests were hard however. Homework was easy and most importantly, NO ONE SHOULD USE PRS FOR ANYTHING CAUSE IT SCREWS/LOWERS YOUR MARK (ie. MINE)!!!
A very thoughtful and supporttive prof. She managed to present the material in a decent manner during summer school. However, time's not enough. Well, since we only got 2 and a half weeks, it's not her fault. My advice, don't take this class in summer unless you are willing to devote all your time to be a pure nerd.
Very experienced prof. Always tried to present materials in an interesting way (she wrote lyrics and sang songs). Tried to cover all the materials, but 2.5 weeks apparently wasn't enough. Exams are open book so no need to memorize excessive amounts of words or charts. You will be expected to know all the concepts well and apply it to problems.....
Midterms were OK. The final exam was super hard. If you decide to take this course in the Summer, make sure that you can understand material (concepts) FAST. The course lasted for 2.5 weeks, which is not nearly enough time to digest the material. Best of luck to you!
She is tough. >_< If you're not so bright or can't understand material quickly, don't do it in the summer! (I got screwed over and I gotta retake =__=). Make sure you don't fall asleep during lecture.
she's pretty hard yaa everything the comment below me just said about her @__@
I had Dr. Gordon in the summer and the lectures were quite interesting. The course was very intense. It was like learning a new topic everyday! The midterms were acceptable but the final was extremely hard!!! I barely passed...but overall a good prof.
Dr. Gordon knew her material extremely well. Only problem w/ her was that she had a bit of an attitude during class. However, she's very approachable outside of lecture. Midterms weren't easy but fair, and the final was super hard. Do all the practice exams b/c a few of the q's are re-used in the midterm & final.
She has taught this course the longest at UBC, which means one thing: HARD EXAMS!! I do agree that she has an attitude towards her students, especially when questions are asked during the lecture.
Bloody brilliant teacher! Teaches at a fast pace that keeps classes interesting, and explains everything in detail.
What?? Why does everyone not like her!?!? She really tries to make the class more interesting, with interactive demonstrations and her own singing (ALWAYS a hilarious treat) as a means of reviewing material. I think the course BIO 112 itself is a bit dry, but she does the best she can w/ it and really tries... an underapreciated teacher, really.
No Comments
She is a super nice professor. She is so funny. I love her songs. She is the one of the best professors at UBC. She dresses up really well too ;)TWO THUMBS WAY UP PROFESSOR GORDON!
Lots of mixed reviews on her. Didn't like her teaching style, notes, or her attitude. One positive is that she really pushed her students to learn on their own. Course content itself is tricky; definitely need to understand concepts very well.
The course was hard, but interesting. She was helpful and engaging, but she seemed all over the map. I suppose it was ok, not the best prof I've had though.
she sucks. so boring, listening to her for more than an hour makes me wanna die....of friken boredom. she tries to be clear but overclarity leads to me falling asleep and not listening
The course itself is the problem; it used to be MICB 201 so it is more difficult then most first year classes. Dr Gordon is a decent prof but doing well in this course depends on you; you have to be able to learn 90% of the info by yourself. With effort and smart studying, you can score very well in this class without being a a genius.
Prof doesn't spoon-feed information, which may be a little hard for students fresh out of high school to get used to. However, she has the right approach for this course, I think, which *is* pretty damn difficult :P
Good lecturer and clearly tries very hard to help students. Unfortunately the course is quite difficult and not every interesting, so students really need to be self-motivated. Low marks are not because the prof's incompetent.
She is very clear!!
She is such a good prof!! Why her rating is so low, I cannot understand. Extremely helpful and very nice as well. I recommend her whole-heartedly. Very clear because she tries her hardest to make everyone understand, as well. I understood everything she thought me and actually enjoyed the course.
she..........sucks. boring lecture. rush all the materials. her test is really hard. it's really easy to fail this course. guarantee
don't take her class. boring as hell. and she is so cheap on the course material. never make extra worksheets.
No Comments
This professor is the type of person who'll continuously improve her teaching skills. I've enjoyed her class. Even though the entire course were 13 sessions, i can easily follow with her pace. The tests were pretty difficult in a sense that i've put in 5hr studies/day but still only got a C+. Advice: read exam questions carefully.
boring lectures, but she actually explains concepts very well and clearly..
she tries to make the class interesting. makes up lyrix after every unit and wud sing them to us to summarize the unit. it feels like she really cares about her students and seems eager to try to make sure that her students understand the textbook material.
The class is really boring, especially if you have it for 1.5 hours. I think it'd be better if she organized her own thoughts before starting the class. It's obvious that she tries to teach. But it's still pretty useless and boring. I never even think of skipping class. But I can't stop myself from skipping this class. The book is much more helpful
Sucks at everything she has done and will ever do. Disorganized and confused/confusing. Seems to genuinely care, but that is not enough to forgive her ill-advised choice of careers. Belongs in a preschool class for "special kids". I wish a pox upon her family.
quite frankly, she is really bad at teaching, although she might appear to be quite knowledgeable. Tries hard to use "interactive" examples, but in fact weren't that effect at all. Avoid taking her class at all costs.
Extremely ineffective lectures, you will learn nothing if you attend. Instead, just go to tutorials and study custom notes book like a bible. Her slides are pointless and completely off topic most of the time, and quite honestly, she's a cold, heartless big meanie who knows it.
She's an alright prof. If you pay attention you can actually get something out of it. Generally if you pre-read then it'll be alright. She's kind of sarcastic tho... and she sings to us? that's Ok... PRS too lil time. SHe doesnt let u discuss with others. Overall not a hard prof. Pretty effective just PRE-READ!!!
after she tries to explain the concepts, she only ends up confusing me more. reading the text before class is a MUST or else it's not worth your time to show up
really boring and confusing
Very ineffective teacher. Constantly goes off topic and confuses the entire class with her constant rants about irrelevant information.
No Comments
Can you say boring? Confused the class most of the time, and the only reason for going was the PRS. She made very little sense, and if you didn't read the text before, she makes no sense. Her notes were useless.
very BAD at explaining and doesn't prepare you well for the final! unclear, confusing, a complete waste of time! switch to another prof if you have her. she gives too little time for prs questions and she doesn't do anythin by order... VERI DIFFICULT to follow her in class. I would NOT recommend her and I never want to be in her class ever again.
Yeah, it's tough. But I actually liked her as a prof.
Um...very ineffective, bad timing pace, did not explaing things clearly. Lectures were boring. Did not understand what she was trying to say most classes...hence I slept on my bf's shoulder most classes. Never tells when PRS are started, and gives too little time. Does not recommend this prof, but course is alright.
Switch out of her class. Her lectures are completely useless. She doesn't give enough time for the prs questions. I didn't like her attitude either.
Teaches the BARE bones of the course. Expects you to learn the hard stuff on your own! When asked questions in class she chooses to say: "Let's not go there." Not her fault entirely. Under time constaints to get through stuff. Too rushed. She should complain to UBC that she doesn't have enough time. Everyone stressed in class for 'impossible' exam.
Horrible pace and timing with lectures. Always wastes time with irrelevant things and then says "we really need to pick it up now" the whole prs thing is just a waste of time and $
hmm... if I needed someone to take what's in the book and re-write it on the overhead, then dr. gordon would be an excellent teacher. sadly, it's not something i need.
Took bio with her in the summer and given the time constraint, I thought she taught the course well.
The class is a complete waste of time.I no longer go to class regularly since it's competely useless. Let me break it down for you of a 50 minutes class. She spends 10 minutes with stupid survey and technical problem. The next 30 minutes include incoherent rambling. The last 10 minutes are all just people shuffling and ready to leave. GET OUT NOW.
It was such an awesome course. and she sings! haha
take this class if you want to hate bio forever
Too much rushing, does not clarify questions well, most of the notes from text, and lots of times confusing the class. Only fun thing is that she sings...lol... If you'd like a better experience with Bio112, switch out of her class.
werid prof, boring class.
If you can find her to help you, she's very helpful. Besides that, she's a fine prof. Not much more than that though.
Fairly easy class to ace. A lot of first-years come from high school with inflated GPAs, big egos, and poor studying habits, which is why they complain. She is boring, but if you read the book, you'll be more than prepared.
I loved A&P prior to this class and I took the prerequisite with another instructor who basically just reiterated the textbook and still loved it. Joyce Gordon, however, tends to take very simple/intuitive concepts, spend inordinately large amounts of time discussing them while presenting them in a needlessly difficult way. Don't take her class.
Joyce is tough but fair - you will learn a lot in her course
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.66 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOL121
5.0
(1)AP1220
5.0
(1)BIO141
4.0
(1)BIOLOGY1115
4.0
(1)BIO112S
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
BI112
5.0
BIOL
4.0
BIO112SUMMER
4.0
BIO112S
4.0
BIOL1200
4.0