2.9
Quality3.2
Difficulty44%
Would Retake86
Reviews44%
Would Retake
86
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
20
4
10
3
25
2
15
1
16
What Students Say
“Be ready to know many tiny details”
BIOL1010 - 3.0 rating“dont fall asleep in the class even if it's hard to stay awake through her monotone voice”
BIOL1010 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
79%
Textbook Required
40%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.38 avg changeRatings by Course
001228SUMMER
5.0
(1)1201SUMMER
5.0
(1)BIOLBIOL
4.0
(1)BIOL1030
4.0
(2)BIOL2300
3.8
(4)Difficulty by Course
INTROTOECOLOG
5.0
BIOLBIOL
4.0
BIOL1030
4.0
BIOL2240
4.0
BIO1010
4.0
Reviews (86)
Mrs. Sereda has a very clear and simple teaching format making the subjects very easy to learn. She marked very easy on our paper, but her midterm was really challenging as long as you studied the notes very throughly. Questions consisted of fill in the blank and long answer. Mrs. Sereda is a excellent teacher who wants her students to do well.
Really great teacher. Takes an interest in individual students and is a really nice person.
bad and very judgemental
Very poor marker, expects too much on the exa, avoid if possible
Her exams were hard, although she marked very easily on the paper. She seemed disinterested in teaching the class, often forgetting key concepts (ie Hardy Weinberg theory) and droning through the lecture material. The textbook was much more interesting.
She was late for class every day and her notes were not well organized, but she was very friendly when I went to her for help.
No surprises with this prof. If you come to class and take all the notes you will do well. She was very nice, smiled all the time and was polite. I could not have asked for more in a prof.
you right alot of notes
Spoke slowly and clearly for everyone to understand. Did not have that 'ego' that some profs have. She was very down to Earth, and I thought she could be very funny at times if you caught on to her humour. She's very sweet and knows a lot about what she teaches, you can tell it's her personal passion. I would definitly take more classes with her.
Not really organized, she kept going back and forth with key concepts...oh and she doesn't use powerpoint notes....apparently her theory is if she posts them online...less people will come...well then that's telling you something, she's nice and all, but seriously really boring. Be prepared to take tons of notes.
bio is bio, but this class was really good! She is very clear on her expectations, very clear notes and easy to understand. I will definitely take another class with her as the prof!!!
Karen is very sweet and helpful. She LOVES biology and that is obvious. Your notes will be your lifeline in this course. Go to class, listen up, and write down what she writes down. Study. You'll do well.
she's a good prof..makes you right a lot notes..you dont need the textbook..make sure you know all your phylums like the back of your hand...and you'll do fine...after the first midterm you will get her way of trying to trick you...the more you study the better mark you will get!!
Her lectures sound like someone was just hired off the street to read the slides, she sounds like she has no clue what she is talking about. Her explanations are completly useless and very confusing. She uses analogies that make her sound like an uneducated highschool dropout. I DO NOT RECOMEND THIS PROFESSOR, EVEN IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT.
Quite possibly the worst 'prof' I've had in my life. I have never encountered someone so disorganized, disrespectful and inept. Shows up late then talks in circles about concepts that could be explained in 3 sentences. Treats students like they're complete morons. Should NOT be a teacher.
Sereda is overall an excellent prof. She cares about her students and it shows. The slides she puts together are organized, interesting and detailed. she keeps her explanations simple and concise. Anyone who says different...(seriously!?) It's first year biology, really, how hard can it be? You either get it or you don't. Same goes for ecology.
Material is straightforward and easy. Notes are messy, poorly organized, and difficult to read (handwritten on projector). Knowledge of the course does not extend beyond the taught course. Midterm is easy but marked VERY poorly. Does not accept correct answers that are beyond her answer key/notes even if it came from the textbook for the course
She's a great prof. Notice that most of the people saying she's horrible spell write 'right'. Enough said.
Possibly one of the most un-interesting profs I've ever had. She was very interactive in labs but an extremely dull lecturer. Had strange questions on exams that were more geared towards memorization than actual comprehension.
She seems nice. Trys to be funny, but fails... which makes her funny. Really boring lectures... like they're only 50 min long, but it feels like they're 50 hours. Don't need the text for this class... just study her disorganized notes. Exams are straight forward... know your phylums and you'll be fine.
Great Prof!
I really enjoy Mrs. Sereda. She really enjoys what she is teaching, and it is evident. She NEVER makes you feel stupid when you ask questions and is very encouraging. The one thing I don't like about her is her marking. Like someone already mentioned, you have to have exactly what is on her answer key to get full points for an answer.
Wasnt interested in the course and she did not make it interesting. Notes were disorganized, jumps back and forth. Would recommend ahead of time, to look over what you will be studying and organize it yourself, a lot of work, but would be way less confusing. Lots of comparisons on exams. Was helpful, but not always clear, wants you to figure it out
Easy class. Her notes are disorganized but to do good you have to know it all. Almost everything she writes will be tested. Know your seaweed. Know your phylums for the final. Boring class. You probably would never think she was a prof when you first see her. Funny at times. Class GPA was low due to not that many committed people taking the course.
Took this class in the summer, pretty easy. Exams are multiple choice, fill in the blanks, T/F and long answer. Understand concepts for long answers and for fill in the blanks literally remember where the bolded words are in the sentences in her notes which she posted. Labs are easy but very tedious. Study and you'll do fine.
Shes a nice lady, however her notes are very hard to follow and study from. The textbook is a must because more than likely you will need to relearn everything on your own.
Her notes are so unorganized, so i defenitily recommend getting the textbook. She doesnt put any notes on jump so you have to go to class. She very difficult to understand, doesnt talk loud enough so sit close up.
she is extremely unorganized- forgot to bring the midterm to class.. she's a very nice person but notes are messy and tests are hard. I recommend picking a different prof, but if you do take her, sit close to the front as she speaks very quietly.
She's a good teacher and very nice person. The notes may be a wee bit unorganized, but at least she writes them up for you. Most profs wouldn't. She is very open about her office hours and encourages students to see her after class for help. Very inviting and is also willing to make special appointments outside of office hrs. I would recommend her.
She covers a lot of material per class so always come to class because she will use it on exams. She is a bit confusing and does not speak loud enough, so buying the textbook is helpful when she completely confuses you. Nice lady and she does write her notes out which is rare these days.
Professor Sereda was filling in for Professor Scott who was on a leave this year. The lectures were videos that prof Scott filmed, and Sereda was merely filling in for him. However her midterm exam was VERY hard and focused a lot on detail memorization rather than higher levels of learning and actual understanding. Do not recommend her for BIOL1030
Good prof, very helpful. Likes details. Know your stuff and you should do alright in the course.
horrible prof, covers all material but is very unclear and uses irrelevant examples.
Awful. She goes through everything far too quickly which is confusing. Helps that she writes notes but most of the time they are short, unclear & riddled by improper grammar and spelling. The textbook is the only thing that makes sense. Her examples are completely useless and irrelevant, particularly in regards to exam material-completely different
I found her to be a great prof, and liked the way she presented the information, and didn't find it that unorganized and found it quite easy to study from actually. Be sure to attend her lectures and write everything she puts on the overhead, as well as many things she says during the lecture as it is all testable. Sit close to the front though!
I found her to be a really great prof, her lectures were well organized and easy to follow, lectures must be attended all material is testable, writing on overhead can be a bit messy. very approachable if you have any questions. textbook readings are a must and companion website is great for extra questions similar to her exam questions.
She gave us complete notes so lectures were pointless to attend - although i believe she used to do notes by overhead. I found her lectures quite boring and difficult to follow.
Horrifically boring lectures. Nice enough person. Maybe biology majors won't mind the class, but if you're looking to fill your science requirement, find another prof.
Best prof I've ever had . She explains things very well to one's own understanding . Her exams are very easy if only you study n concentrate in her lectures. You just need to put your ears down when she's teaching. Most times , the questions she ask in class are her exam questions . I got an A in her course.
painfully boring lectures and talks way too quiet. exam focused on ridiculous details and irrelevant examples rather than actual understanding of material. was rude when e-mailed to double check something with her.
Pretty decent prof, sit up at the front so you can hear & see the stuff she brings. Lectures can get kind of boring, I'll admit I fell asleep a few times. Read the textbook to clarify her notes. Notes are a little unorganized, but if you go to class they make more sense. Give yourself lots of time to stuff for the exams, she likes to test details!
GREAT PROF! anyone that didnt do well obviously didn't pay attention or go to class (she hints at exam questions). exams are straightforward from the notes and nothing tricky (obviously you need to study like any other class). she explains things very well and is very helpful if you ever need to have something clarified.
Karen was a kind professor with clear passion for the subject. She was always willing to help explain any background questions on the material. I had her for a 3-hour evening lecture, so at times I found her voice to be too soft (though legible) to keep me alert. She definitely gave me a good experience coming into the university, I recommend her!
She's a decent prof, although her lectures are kinda boring. I found her notes organized. She adds some notes in class. Some of the exam questions were questions she asked in class so it's better to attend her class. There's a lot to remember for the exams but it's straightforward.
my favourite prof I've ever had. made me understand concepts that i never really got before. gives exam question hints. exams very straightforward so just go to class and study. didnt touch the textbook AT ALL- only needed for extra knowledge really.
I took this course in the summer so it was long lecture. This prof is so lovely & she knows what she's doing. She sometimes gives funny stories, but they're related to the lecture & make the class a bit alive. Some people find her lectures boring because she's slow, but I definitely like the way she teaches. Exams? So easy. Strongly recommended! :)
At first I thought Karen was going to be an awesome prof. Then we got into more lab reports and midterms. She does not always give clear explanations of what is expected on lab reports, and will post a day before due date some important detail to include in report.. Little bit late to be stating those things I think. I would not recommend!
Her notes were posted online, and would only add in little details during lectures. Mostly read from the slides posted. She has a very monotone voice and was hard to stay focused during the lectures. She attended labs and was helpful there. Textbook was useful for lab reports.
She's an okay prof. Course material is pretty easy to understand but really hard to distinguish what she wants you to know for the exam. Just had the midterm for the class and lots of the questions were based on random comments she made during class and less on what was actually in the notes. Exams are a mixture of memorization and understanding.
Going to class is mandatory because exam stuff is based on what she says in class rather than all the specifics in the notes. dont fall asleep in the class even if it's hard to stay awake through her monotone voice
Really nice person, but literally the worst prof for this class. She gives notes on 3 different mediums (a handout, powerpoint, and written out notes), and she frantically switches from all of them throughout the lecture. She is the opposite of linear, going back a few slides because she forgot something. Highest mark was an 82 on the midterm...
way too easy
easy a+. her tests have very little of those questions like a or b, a or c, none or all compared to many other bio profs. i recommend making your own notes as her slides are a tad bit scrambled. sit close to the front because her voice is monotone and quiet despite the microphone.
If this class is offered at 8:30 don't take it. The material is super dry and her quiet/monotone voice doesn't help. Surprisingly little information correlates with a harder exam, you're expected to know things that she didn't talk about in class.
Good prof, awesome course!
Be ready to know many tiny details. She can and will test you on anything she's said in lectures, whether it was important to the course or not. Expect to identify animals, plants and fungi based on characteristic descriptions.
Although some may find her lectures boring and monotone, she definitely knows what she is taking about and is quite approachable and thorough in her explanations when asked questions. However, she can be a pit picky on the marking though, so study the material in full detail. Also, if you take BIOL 2242 in the summer with her, be prepared to WORK!
questions are very straight forward but she will pull questions on midterms about random details that were mentioned in class
Mrs. Sereda is sweet but strict. Her lectures are dry but necessary to attend- focus good and hard, she will test what's only said in class.
Although her lectures are pretty monotone, and dry, Karen is a very sweet lady. She definitely knows her stuff and is willing to answer any questions you have about the course material. Her exams are very definition based and memorization heavy but if you attend her lectures, she will tell you what is on the exam and what will get emphasis.
Very approachable. Essentially just reads off of the slide notes. Summer courses can be quite condensed. Pay attention in class and you'll be good.
MAKE SURE YOU GO TO LECTURES. Tests aren't only based on online notes but also what she says in class. Lectures can be really boring but there's a lot of material covered, goes through slides and explains. Syllabus says there are reviews given but she only asks review questions in class .
Lectures are fairly dry, not the most dynamic professor. Powerpoint slides have a lot of details on them but unclear as to what the main message to take away is. None or very little images, underlining or bolding terms. Material is quite fascinating though, and go to lectures since she makes a lot of diagrams and schematics that are useful!
She moves through the course work very slow and doesn't keep track of how much time is left in the term. On the last week of class, we were 3 chapters behind and she skipped a whole bunch of information and smushed the 3 chapters into one big slide for us to learn and left all the slides of the Nervous System for us to teach ourselves. Hated this.
A solid but very dull professor. The material and lectures are quite boring but she teaches the material quite well and nothing is overly complicated. Her mid-terms and final are fair and not overly tricky. The only issue besides her dull lectures was the lab component. Just pay attention in the labs and you'll be good for the exam.
Karen is a very nice person, willing to help until you understand. Accessible. Classes are fairly dry, but a clear explanation. She will test you on little details, not recommended to skip class. 2 midterms(Cumulative) and 1 Final(Cumulative).
Miss Sereda is a great prof, very caring and tries to help all students. The only reason Im rating her a bit low is because half the questions on quizzes and midterms are multiple select. You dont know how many of the answers (out of 5) are correct and she doesnt tell you. Makes it super tricky. I find it unfair and an attempt to fail students
so many multiple-selections questions which have 0-5 true answers, she try her best to fail students
The quizzes are extremely difficult. many multiple-selection questions, long and complicated, full of minor details. The lectures/ notes won't help. Need to self-study. Have no clue what the lecturer is expecting you to know. better cram the whole book
Makes exams and quizzes really hard
I specifically made this account to rate this professor. shes awful! avoid her at all costs! her quizzes and exams are designed to fail students and she will absolutely disregard any concerns you have. She is a horrible professor definitely wants her students to fail. Please avoid taking her class at all costs!
Multiple selection questions are designed to fail students. Get ready to teach yourself everything as the notes arent detailed enough to what she wants you to know on exams
Professor Sereda gave clear, rewarding lectures. Attendance wasn't mandatory but the people who tuned in definitely had an advantage. The textbook was a great resource to supplement learning. You could tell that she cared for the subject and encouraged in class participation. She worked hard to make the best of switching online with little notice.
tests and quizzes were lengthy and not enough time was given. A lot of multiple select questions, and there's no part marks given although you just missed one answer. diagrams used in the tests were unclear and poorly drawn, makes it confusing to identify certain parts. notes were a bit disorganized and lectures were boring.
The course is interesting itself. She didn't use the textbook but her unorganised slides. could tell she was trying her best to explain all concepts but she failed. The mid-term, exams were unbelievably difficult. Not enough time to read or even process the questions. She made BIOL 1010 one of the hardest course. Avoid her
Maybe the test format was harder cause its online but I hated this class. Lectures were mostly just her reading off the slides. Midterms and final had way too many unfair multiple answer questions about specific details buried in the notes, and not enough time was given to finish them. She seems nice enough but didnt listen to students concerns.
lost all interest in the topics since she lectures incredibly slow and uses examples as if her class were in kindergarten. talks too much in labs. she is so nice, I wouldn't have a problem talking to her, she's really kind. I don't think she's a good instructor though, she cant teach well and she bores the class, She needs to get her Ph.D.
Dr. Karen cares about her students, but her teaching style is very slow and flat, make me lose focus while learning. Accessible during office hours. She wants you to understand the material. The course is straightforward, M/C, fair grader. She likes to go into details during tests. The course itself is easy, just a lot of info for me.
Prof Sereda wants her students to do badly in this basic course. She seems proud that the average mark one the quizzes/in the class is in the low 60s. Her notes are vague and uneven... She provides more specific information for some topics than others, but wants you to know all of it. Even the textbook doesn't include some of the information...
The quizzes are really difficult. Multiple select so you have no idea how many answers are correct or incorrect. Designed to trick students. Also, note enough time given to even read through all of the options and think about each one. Would not recommend taking a class with Karen. She needs to listen to student complaints...
Worse.
Loved her live lectures, the 3 hours didnt bother me at all because she always asked questions throughout to engage us and keep us going, plus she was nice enough to give us a 15min break in the middle of class!! Definitely would take a class with her again, she cares about her students and is enjoyable to have as a professor!
Karen is a great prof to have for Flowering Plants since it's a very detailed-oriented class and she has organized her notes well and she replies to emails pretty quickly. Just make sure that you attend the class and you participate during the labs and ask questions during lectures and you should be good.
It is very clear she cares about her students. All the information was in her lectures so it was super easy to study for the exams. She often brought in her collections and give anecdotes about experiences, you can tell she cares about the subject and hopes students might find something interesting as well.
Take this class with any other prof you will get a way better grade. This prof makes the tests difficult on purpose and doesn't give enough time. Also not very considerate of students needs/feedback.
One line advice-NEVER ever take any class with this prof. NOT helpful at all, tons of homework, better to enjoy your summer vacation and wait for fall to take this course with other good and descent prof instead of having no choice and taking it with her. I don't want anyone to suffer like me. I am telling you the truth, believe me, else ur choice
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
79%
Textbook Required
40%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.38 avg changeRatings by Course
001228SUMMER
5.0
(1)1201SUMMER
5.0
(1)BIOLBIOL
4.0
(1)BIOL1030
4.0
(2)BIOL2300
3.8
(4)Difficulty by Course
INTROTOECOLOG
5.0
BIOLBIOL
4.0
BIOL1030
4.0
BIOL2240
4.0
BIO1010
4.0