Very useful if you take the lab with her.

I hate bio, but got a lot of value out of that class. The way I see it, taking bio is gonna be a **** if you don't enjoy it. But i'm glad i took it with her. She's not easy, but extremely caring if she sees that you're trying. Never give up and she'll never give up on you.

she jumps from one subject to the next pretty quick. she doesn't follow by the textbook so it can get a bit confusing. her tests are kind of hard! she likes to throw in a couple of problsm on small issues that she spent only a minute on.

She's very nice and wants you to succeed; i missed the first two/three weeks of class & consequently the 1st exam and she let me take a make-up exam towards the end of the quarter in order to raise my grade.

I loved the class but if you are not good at multiple choice tests, this class is not for you, take it with a different prof! She is an interesting lecturer though.

Very valuable course, yet very challenging. Thought she lectured well. One of my favorite classes to date.

It is important to attend lecture and pay attention. She likes to test on some details that might not seem important... but she tries to make the class interesting.

interested in what student has to say, but picks the worst TA's

Best Prof I had in Biology department. Expects a lot, but is willing to help if you show you care.

Great teacher, interesting classes and she gives many opportunities to do well. Classes are not easy but are relevant outside of classroom in biology/health care fields.

Karen is an awsome teacher. The class can be a bit challenging because it covers lots of materials and moves fast, but Karen will give you many apportunities to get it all together (including many practice tests!).

I loved this professor AND her class. I bombed bio 180 but aced her class if that tells you anything. Sure it may involve a bit more work than rocks for jocks, but it's really not THAT difficult. Make sure to go to class, pay attention, and do her practice exams and you'll be fine.

very GREAT! teacher!! she really cares about how well students understand material and makes lectures really interesting!

Her lectures are interesting, but they contain a lot of material. I really like her analogies in class for the different concepts that we learn. However, this is a very difficult class to 4.0, and it isn't curved, so beware.

I LOVE this class. The professor does a good job at explaining the concepts and provides plenty of previous exams to study for. The class requires hours of studying and I had to review the material everyday to keep up with all of the information. Make you sure attend lecture everyday and don't buy the textbook.

A lot of material to review and study everyday, however, I learned a lot in this class. Straightforward exam questions, unlike Bilgen's. No need for textbook.

Study hard and you should do well. The class covers a lot of material, but she is a really good lecturer. The labs are really useful too, but the book not so much.

great teacher, but a little difficult so study hard. Make sure you attend class

Dr. Petersen was a GREAT professor. She actually cares about how you do, and gives you every oppurtunity to succeed. Sure, you have to study quite a bit for the tests, but she gives you practice exams that consistently have verbatim questions on current tests. I highly recommend this class!

The class is curved in a way that makes it easy to get a 3.0 but hard to get a 4.0. She likes throw "trick" questions and confusing graphs on tests...so don't expect to get an A on a midterm without studying. Also, attendence is pretty much mandatory for anyone who wants to get a good grade. I averaged 92% on all tests (w/final) and got a 3.8.

Study the questions in the back of the lecture slides and do the practice tests - you'll do fine.

I really enjoyed this class and felt I got a lot of interesting and relevant information out of it. The key to success is going through the review questions at the end of each slide show, taking notes on what she says in class, and taking practice exams. Just as a FYI, this class requires STUDYING!

Great teacher! Just go to lectures and pay attention to the powerpoint and you'll do fine.

You honestly do not need the textbook for her class. As long as you show up to lecture, take notes, and study the review questions she has at the end of each lecture, you'll be fine. That's all I've done, and I average a 94 on her exams.

Very helpful and understanding when it comes to missing an exam due to emergency. Exams are only on materials on the slides and attendance is mandatory. The bad thing I can think about is that it is sometimes difficult to write down what she's talking about and stuff on the slides at the same time. Overall, a very nice class and good intro to bio.

I really like the class content, her accent is annoying though! Make sure you go to class because she has clicker questions EVERYDAY! Exams are fair just study the questions at the end of the lecture slides. Didn't open my book once, got a test average of 94%.

Bio 118 can be a tough class, but if you show up to lecture, attend a few review sessions, you should be fine. Karen is a GREAT teacher and overall person who really cares about her students. Sit in the front row and she will get to know your name!

I had no interest in taking the class but because of her I want to major in bio. Lectures are online, but she has (easy) clickers. Just study/rewatch what you dont get. Did this and got a 3.5. No curve, but lowest test dropped/no cumulative final. DONT GET THE BOOK. Useless, didn't open it once. Otherwise, highly recommended.

Classes are very time consuming, but if you keep up with the material, you'll find the class extremely fun! Opened a whole other world about vertebrate biology for me, and I thought I knew much about that world already!

Those people are mean!! Ms Petersen is a REALLY NICE TEACHER! Sometimes I admit it's a little bit hard but it's College biology, you can't expect it to be easy! Of course you need some background for it. She is very interesting, funny and nice, and she explain things very well mostly. (Sometimes she uses confusing graphics)

Karen is a really sweet teacher and really loves what she does and puts a lot of time and effort into her students. That being said, this was the worst class I've ever taken. It's all blank memorization of hundreds of facts and the course load is like like taking an 8 credit class, not a 5 credit. She LOVES busy work. Don't take this class. Ever!

Nobody who teaches intro to bio is good. Nothing is clear for tests. All self taugh. But once you get to higer level bio, Karen Peterson is amazing. Her lectures are straight to the point, just study all powerpoint. A lot of info to memorize, but super interesting all together. It is a lot of hard work even just for a 3.0. If you r lazy, don't take

This class was awesome! It was her first time teaching it so there was a bit of unorganization but I learned so much about the reproductive systems of many animals! Karen is an amazing teacher! She is sweet and always willing to help! I can't wait to take more classes from her.

Karen realizes that many students do not have a biology background and she holds five review sessions per week. She care's about every student. The lectures do move really fast, but if you re-watch them after and answer the review questions, the tests are manageable. She is also hilarious, and makes going to a 9:30 class more fun.

This class is tough, but honestly once I started watching the lectures over after class, everything became so much easier. Petersen is so funny and she cares about every student, enough to learn a ton of names. She does call on people in class, which can be scary but I love how enthusiastic she is about physiology. Plus, clicker questions are easy.

You will feel extremely lost/overwhelmed at first but don't get discouraged! Put in the time to rewatch her lectures and do her review questions and things will become pretty clear. There are certainly things Karen could do to make this class easier, but it's reasonable if you're willing to put in the effort.

If you're expecting this to be an easy intro class, don't take it. You need to put in effort to succeed, but it is manageable if you do it right. Focus on the points Karen stresses in lecture and DO ALL HER REVIEW QUESTIONS for each lecture; those are crucial. Take all the practice tests as well and you will do fine.

HALLELUJAH! WE ARE DONE!!! This class took up so much of my life this quarter and left me discouraged many times; however, I pulled through and you can too! The light is at the end of the tunnel if you're willing to work to reach it, folks.

She is an amazing professor! He class might seem intimidating at first but once you understand the way she writes her tests, then it is a piece of cake! Make sure you do the review questions and study the past exams. A lot of her questions uses the same concepts from past exams. I studied the day before each exam and always scored above a 92.

Dr. Petersen is an amazingly intelligent professor. She blazes through her lecture slides but it's because she wants you to learn a lot! She actually cares about you and is interested in your questions and feedback. Also, if you get the chance, just go and talk with Dr. Petersen, you're sure to walk away much smarter and in higher spirits!

Mrs. Petersen is such a wonderful person and is really invested in helping her students learn. She leads review sessions herself and really puts in a lot of work. Sometimes her lectures can be hard to follow but if you have a question put it on the discussion board and the next day she will answer it.

Don't buy the textbook, it helps but you DONT NEED IT. The exams depend on the lectures' review questions and the textbook goes way more in depth than necessary. Answer all the review questions and study for the exams and you'll be fine! Go to class, you have to answer poll questions for participation. If you stay on top of things, you'll be good!

I don't know why people complain about her? Just re-watch her lectures while doing the review questions and you'll do great. I did this and never got below a 94 on a test. Don't buy the textbook, you don't need it!

Awesome material and good professor. I like the way she uses a lot of pictures in her slides. The people complaining about her are the ones who only use her material to study. To succeed in this class you need to look at animations online to really understand/visualize what is going on in the body. Otherwise, you'll have no clue what she's saying.

Dr. Petersen was a great professor and gave great lectures. She always gave access to the slides, and gave you lots of review questions about what you need to know for the test. She is very invested in helping students, and was always so kind when I went in to ask her a question. The material was very interesting. It's hard work but it's worth it.

This class is an easy 3.5+. Show up and actually listen for 50 min (shocking!), her clicker questions are usually very easy, described in detail, and word for word what she said 30 seconds before. All lectures can be watched again on Panopto. Dont use book- all test questions are said in lecture. She teaches BASICS, doesnt complicate anything.

Dr. Peterson is a wonderful professor. Physiology was a tough class, but she explains things very well and is always open to answering questions - she's also very approachable. One thing that bothered me is that the "required" textbook is NOT NECESSARY - don't get it! I used it maybe twice. Everything you need to know is said in lecture.

I loved her class, sure it is jammed pack full of information every lecture but as long as you rewatch her lectures and just listen carefully the tests are a breeze because they only cover what she talks about in class. Make sure you're consistently always keeping up with her lectures or the class will be difficult.

Dr. Petersen is incredibly passionate about physiology and it was apparent through her detailed lectures. She was very organized and clear about what you needed to do to succeed in class. She hosted numerous review sessions that were highly beneficial. You really have to work for your grade in this class but it's worth it in the end!

Dr. Petersens course was both one of the hardest and one of my favorite classes Ive taken at UW. Yes, the exams are difficult and there is a lot of material to learn, but the material is super interesting and the labs are actually pretty fun. Dr. Petersen is hands down one of my favorite lecturers at UW. If you work hard, the class is worth it.

Professor Petersen is the best professor I have taken in college. She works hard to teach her students lecture material, hosts study sessions and office hours regularly and really does want students to succeed. If you come to lecture, are engaged, go to study sessions, and put in some time, the class is not hard at all.

Dr. Petersen is hands down one of the best professors. While the lectures are quick and full of a lot of information, Dr. Petersen works very hard for you to succeed. She hosts many office hours ands study sessions that she is present at. They are very helpful. Her tests are straightforward and if you put in the effort, you will succeed. Love her!!

I loved her! She uses fantastic analogies to explain what's happening in the class. I didn't find this class too challenging but there is an exam every other week so be prepared for that. She posts practice exams which are super helpful.

If you are interested in biology, this is the class for you. However, I can imagine this class being very difficult if you are in no way interested in biology. Exams are every 2 weeks, so it's best to make sure you are caught up with lectures every week. SHE IS AMAZING! She explained everything very well. Loved this class and the professor!

One of my favourite professors so far at UW. Her class can be difficult, but mostly it's just time consuming. But she offers a lot of resources (office hours+lots of past exams, etc), so it isn't too difficult to know what's expected. Overall a really interesting and fun class, lots of small assignments that can boost your grade as well.

Professor Petersen is very thorough but has no words on her slides, so if you miss anything you'll have to rewatch the lecture or ask a friend. It's easy to zone out during this class. PollEv questions are graded on correctness. You don't need to buy the book, tests are based around lecture. Answer the review questions everyday.

Dr. Petersen is such a wonderful Professor. Her enthusiasm for the material makes every lecture fun, and her love of animals and wildlife shows. This is one of the most enjoyable courses that I have taken at UW simply because she has such a great attitude. There is a lot of memorization, but plenty of class time to practice during lab.

I really love her!!! She comes to every study session where I thought only TAs would come! She always answers our questions online in a short time!!! And her lectures are really engaging and fun!!!! As long as you pay attention in class, you will get a good grade!!!

Karen is a great physiology teacher! Her ppts were mainly pictures, so attending class or watching panopto is a must if you want to understand the material. She was very accessible outside of class, so make sure to introduce yourself to her! The class is not curved, so she really emphasizes and cares about everyone getting a good grade.

She is super nice!! and her lectures are amazing. She also responds to piazza questions very fast.

Dr. Petersen is a very good teacher, and her lectures are very clear. Also, the study session she held is very helpful.

Dr. Petersen's lectures are very clear, and her study sessions are super helpful. I took it last year and it's really interesting.

Dr. Peterson is an awesome professor and she's always passionate about delivering content to students! Her lectures are very detail throned and clearly explained. The captions are represented in the lectures accurately and on time. I enjoyed the journey with peers in studying her course. I would love to take Dr. Petersen's classes again.

Took 453 online, and asynchronous lectures were super important. No book, so all material is from lectures. Labs are long and hard. They require lots of study time outside of class. Overall I think this was a really hard class to transition to online, but Dr. Peterson did it well and the class was overall enjoyable. Tiny Science projects were fun.

if you work hard, you would get good grade

The class was manageable. What brought my grade down are exams, which asks about figures from research papers in relation to topics in the lecture, so practice analyzing figures. If you work hard, you'll get a good grade. Dr. Petersen is very responsive if you have questions and gives detailed feedback to your work. The class was fun!

Class is pretty easy if you already had some basic biology knowledge. Lecture slides are mostly picture & graphs, this helps with concepts. Mark down everything she says in lectures, exams are mostly based on it. If you are new to Biology, read the textbook before class. She bumped up everyone's grade cause the median score was lower than expected.

My first quarter at UW and I couldn't of been happier starting it off with Karen. It took me a little while to understand how professors work at UW and ended up getting a 70% on the first exam. However, lots of chances to bump your grade and even drops an exam! She gave me lots of resources like practice exams, handouts, etc.

Lectures are posted online, essentially no homework, lowest exam (5 total) grade is dropped. Did poorly on first exam but figured out how to study after and did better. Take notes on everything she says during lecture and study it thoroughly. Dont waste time on textbook reading and review questions at end of slides, just study lecture :)

First off, read the lower rating reviews with a grain of salt. Karen was not as bad as other students have made her out to be. While she is not the greatest professor I've ever had, she is certainly proficient enough to where if YOU are putting in enough work (studying, review, etc.), you can succeed. She provides the info, you just need listen.

Karen is not the best professor but she's fine. She's not the most knowledgable one but she explains lecture in an understandable way. Exams are not tough if you remember every word she says and TAKE NOTES. Sometimes have curves in exams. Participation is mandatory & need to do polls. Nice and caring prof. 95%=4.0. Not as hard as people say.

This class is hard, but she tries to make it fun. Enthusiasm is her thing, during daily class graded by PollEverywhere. Everything she wants you to know she says during lecture, so good attendance is crucial. 5 Exams throughout the quarter so prepare to stay on top of course material.

I was scared to take this course bc of the reviews, but I had no choice bc I needed it. TBH karen is so kind! Go 2 the study sessions she hosts, they actually help. There are 5 exams, and the lowest grade is dropped, and 2 200-word reflections. No other hw. Graded in-class polls every day, so attendance is mandatory. MAKE FRIENDS IN THE CLASS!!

Daily lectures and 5 PollEv questions during it for credit, lots of scores are dropped and at least 1 exam is dropped. 5 exams total including the non cumulative final. Attend lecture, make a study group, and use the key questions she gives you and complete them for each lecture. Never got the textbook or went to office hours, lecture is enough

No homework so what really mattered was just attending lecture and understanding what she was explaining in class. Tests were all multiple choice and I never got below an 85 on all 5 exams. Make sure you attend lecture because participation is counted through PollEv questions. All content could be learned from lecture, no outside material needed.

Dr. Petersen was one of the best professors I've had. She is caring, extremely knowledgeable, and fair in her grading. Her study sessions were extremely helpful and I recommend it for anyone taking this class. Copy down everything she says in lecture.

This class is very lecture heavy, and there are a lot of slides that she goes through per day. It's basically a lot of memorization, but it's doable. There are four midterms and one final, but she drops the lowest exam. She's so sweet and very passionate about what she's teaching, but just be ready for how much material is covered in this course.

Dr. Petersen is an excellent professor. Her lectures are fascinating and the labs are really interesting and fun. She works hard to get to know her students and clearly cares about everyone's learning. The class is a lot of work, so don't expect to just cruise by and 4.0. But it's easy to succeed and very enjoyable if you put the work in!

Really great professor!