she's awesome. does her own course evaluations before midterms and tailors reveiw sessions accordingly. lecture before midterm is review session, lecture before that is unscheduled but remains in the lecture hall if you have questions. very enthusiastic about teaching. very approachable and helpful.

By far one of the best professors I've had. She actually takes the feedback that students give her, and uses it to make the class better. 333 is a boring class though, but she's an excellent professor regardless.

A very helpful prof who looks after her students. Exam is moderate - hard, due to a massive amount of materials, but her exams are fair. She is abit demanding on the definition part of her test. Overall, she is a great prof!

Okay, I beg to differ. There was so much material that she went through and expected you to know INSIDE AND OUT! Something like 47 slides per lecture, chalk full, is not reasonable. Exams were fairly straightforward, but writing a whole essay for a definition won't get you fully marks. Nice tho!

one of the best profs I've had at SFU

Very nice instructor, she is really patient toward students.

She is an awesome prof, she explains things thoroughly and her exams are really fair. TAKE the class with her, follow the lecture notes and u will do awesome no doubt.

I think she's nice but not a good prof at all. She expects you to know so much detail about all the slides she shows in lecture and she is not prepared when she comes to class. Her tests are pretty hard.

i totally recommend her she is always willing to help and she is so encouraging too. yah this course does cover alot of material but what mbb course doesn't. her exams r not that bad as long as you know your material and study well.

really really helpful, nice person, fair exams good lecture notes that are right to the point. Makes the labs interesting!

She's a great prof. Exams are perhaps very (overly) generous. I strongly recommend biology students to take this course with this prof! Aside, she doesn't scale the class grades.

Great prof. She explains things clearly, gives very fair exams, always willing to help and she wants the students to do well!! I've also taken BISC 403 and 333 with her...and she's consistent with all of these courses...teaches well and very fair. I wish more profs were like her.

Very good professor, seems very friendly, takes class seriously, quite casual, you can relate to her, somewhat funny

She's a very good prof.I knocked on her door at 11pm once and she spent her time answering my questions while she was so busy doing her PhD thesis.Very generous prof, never tricks her students and very very approachable.I only took 302 because she was teaching that course.

She's a very good prof.I knocked on her door at 11pm once and she spent her time answering my questions while she was so busy doing her PhD thesis.Very generous prof, never tricks her students and very very approachable.I only took 302 because she was teaching that course.

not a very interesting lecture, but hardly surprising conidering the material. very fair tests and the notes are quite good.

She is a good lecturer and has lot's of knowledge of material. Course is very heavy in content, but non-cumulative exams make it so much easier. Exams are straightforward from her notes; no tricks. Straight up memorizing course!

Her exams are straight forward. Memorize the notes and you will do well. The best part of the course is that the exams are not cumulative. I recommend Prof. Fitzpatrick.

Very good professor. Ton's of feedback and makes the material interesting.

she has shown great enthusaism to the material. great teacher, good at clarifying difficult concept. down-to-earth prof!

Dr. Fitzpatrick is an excellent professor. Not only is she clear, fair with grading and knowledgeable, but she acts as a terrific role model and mentor for her students. Take her class if you can!

I barely open the textbook. She is absolutely an awesome prof, very patient and no yelling. 1st half of the course it's easy, but the 2nd half had alot more material and harder to understand. so make sure u read her not and understand it and practice her problem set

Great sense of humour, always willing to help, genuinely enjoys teaching.

She is an awesome prof, textbook was pretty much useless, just follow her notes. Very nice and very approachable, makes an effort to get to know your name and actually helps you complete your project if you're having problems.

I have taken BISC 333, 302,&403 with her, I will take any class that she teaches. She does expect that her student effort, and there can be a lot of memorizinf, but she is very willing to help anyone understand anything. These courses require students to study, so be ready to do work, but her lectures are informative and clear. shes a great prof!

She is such a great prof. Makes sure that you understand the concept more than just memorizing facts. Good at pointing out errors of the previous classes which makes for very good hints towards exam questions. Uses clickers in class which gives instant feed back on understanding and you get marks for just going to class

Great prof, explains concepts very well and spends time on making sure everyone understands. exams are fair and are similar to the assignments. her notes are well written so you don't need to use the textbook too much. she uses clickers every class so make sure you go. she also has a lot of enthusiasm in her voice so i didn't find many ppl sleeping

Absolutely fantastic instructor. Very enthusiastic about the material, and it shows... makes the classes fun and the material easy to learn. Will take any other classes with her that I can.

What a wonderful individual! Great course, little memorizing and a lot of thinking and writing practice. Wish more university courses and profs were like this!

didn't so much like the course (ew to writing intensive science courses!) but prof was wonderfully nice and helpful. tried super hard to help us learn and was esp awesome about catching us up on bisc202 stuff that some may have forgotten. would totally recommend for bisc 202 or 302!

She's a very helpful prof that really takes the time to help students understand each concept. Often she'll make quizzes (not worth marks) just so students can determine where they're having trouble. Her notes pretty much sum up everything, so the text isn't that necessary. Just make sure to do many of the practice problems for exams.

A nice prof,very good notes such that the text was barely used, lectures werent boring maybe because of clicker Q's every class. Exams are sometimes fair, sometimes hard because this wasnt an easy course. Make sure you understand and not memorize. She tries to give out as many marks as possible and tries her best to help us understand the material.

Her final wasnt really cumulative, with only a couple questions from the prev. sections (that she will tell you) She puts funny exam covers (like no morse code or grunts to cheat?) However the exam(s) will take out almost everything out of you that you studied. Make sure to know the important stuff that she emphasizes on and go to tutorials.

She is an AWESOME bio prof who really knows her stuff. Exams were completely fair and her notes are excellent and clear and prepare you well for her exams! I totally recommend her!

This course is very difficult with loads of material to memorize. Her lectures are very informative and uses iclickers. Her exams seem fair at first but her marking is extremely picky, which makes it really hard as she wants a lot of details from you. She bases most of her notes from the book, so be sure to read it. Overall shes nice and helpful.

This is what she said in the end: (PAERT 1) "I won't be changing grades to help you get into med school or dentistry or grad school so please don't ask." ----this is the first part of what she said, coz of word limit check the next comment for the rest.

MIDTERMS WERE REALLY LONG AND HARD!!!

She made it clear that she will not be raising grades to help people get into medical/dental schools. I tend to agree with her philosophy... so many underqualified students apply to such schools nowadays that there has to be someone to filter them out. All credit to her!

I've taken alot of Biology courses, and Kathleen is actually a decent teacher. She goes out of her way in making the best lecture notes; textbook was hardly needed IMO. Her exams are very qualitative AND quantitative. Lots of writing, and preparation needed. If you dont have a passion for Biology, this course may not be the best.

Kathleen really cares about her students and is receptive to feedback. Her midterms were fair but a bit long so she scaled it. Final was very fair with multiple choice and list of short answer questions which you were allowed to pick from. She is a tough marker for papers, but is more than willing to provide feedback before the due date.

Lectures are boring, but filled with important information and clicker questions with marks for correct answers. Midterms are fair and if you practice you should be able to score high. Class isn't on the usual curve, so brace yourself. Exam marks are scaled based on the person who got the highest grade, not the average. Easy pass, hard A.

I've taken a few classes with Kathleen, each time my grade improved. If you put in effort and demonstrate your willingness to engage, she will go out of her way to help you achieve your goals. Use her considerable knowledge of Biology as a resource and ask questions. Beware that her exams can be long, but she always scalescurves to normalize them.

Very helpful teacher. She is a hard marker and her assignments are really hard but if you really work on her assignments then you are good to go for her exams. Midterms are too long for the time given but the questions are fair. Her notes are crystal clear and you won't need to buy the book. Also her final exam was not cumulative.

Prof is just awesome

Took Bio102 Lab and bio202 with her. Lectures are interesting, but have a lot of information. For bio 202 assitsments are challanging, and midterms are too long for 50 min. Exam is not cumulative, tutorials are mandatory. Couldn't get her grading criterias, you can miss marks for something that is not asked, but she assumes you will right it.

Kathleen is a natural educator. She really cares about her students' success and is always thinking of new ways to help you do better. This semester she was juggling 3 different courses, but still managed to make time to hold many office hours and do extra lecture recordings on difficult material. Great prof!

Loved her and will take more courses with her if possible. midterms are long for the time given so you have to understand everything very well to finish in time. final was only worth 25% and not cumulative. Such a mvp. Do lots of practice and understand all the notes!

Her midterms are definitely long so you should come very prepared during midterms because you will not have the time to pause and think. She gives extra marks. CLicker grades and tutorial marks are like bonus marks so always attend lectures and tutorials. Her exams are quite difficult, finals is not cumulative and she reply to emails quick.

Great prof! Notes may not always match up to the posted power points but she gives you what you need to prepare for exams and do assignments. Tests are long, make sure to do lots of practice. If you listen carefully in class and watch the videos she posts showing you how to solve questions she tells you what to practice/know for the test.

One of the best professors at SFU. You wont do well in her class if all you do is memorize. She teaches you how to think like a scientist and how to apply information.

I went into this class thinking I would hate it- in fact I only took it because another required course I wanted to take is no longer offered. This class ended up being my favourite of the semester, and one of my favourites in my undergrad. Kathleen is an excellent teacher. She makes you apply skills and think critically. I would recommend!

Good teacher. Typical genetics course. Nothing special. Easy A if you don't cram and essays are easy as long as you follow the rubric she gives out. Group work can be annoying if you have degenerates as partners.

Great professor! prerecorded lectures on top of lectures PERFECTLY prepare you for class. Her essays are very straight forward if you put some time into them. Exams require critical thinking; however, they all use general topics with slight twists - as per genetics courses. An informative, and interesting course! BEST feedback any prof has given me

Will put in any sort of effort to make sure you understand the concepts. Course is designed so that even if you haven't taken the prereqs in years you won't find it hard if you do the exercises she provides. Papers were hard but prepare early and she will provide you with incredible feedback. Exams and labs were easy. TA's were incredibly bad tho.

Kathleen is an amazing lecturer, provided that you do your part and give in that extra time she will ensure you get a good grade. Super understanding and accessible!

She's a great teacher who really cares about the success of her students. Sometimes she may be a bit stern when you catch her during a stressful time, but generally she's very understanding. It was years ago since I took BISC 302W with her, but I've taken TWO MORE courses with her afterwards because I liked her teaching so much.

Great professor! Does her best to explain to tough concepts in genetics. Her exams are fair. Undergrad students struggle because this is one of the first classes where you cannot just memorize material and expect to get an A. I recommend going to class. Put the effort in and you will succeed!

Kathleen is an amazing person, she is very understanding and helpful. She gives tons of feedback on the papers and other work. I love her attitude towards teaching the material so that everyone understands not just memorizing. Overall, very inspirational and sparked my interest in genetics. Highly recommended and I wish she taught more courses

Fitzpatrick's class was a blast this semester. She writes really thorough lecture slides so I never had to read the textbook. Easily got close to perfect on exams with minimal studying. I enjoyed a group portion of the exam for extra marks. Went easy on us, high averages, receptive to questions and generally laid back.

Kathleen was great. Most of her genetics problems revolve around fruit flies. The course was not too difficult if you did a bit of practice. The way she does exams is very good. First, you do the exam on your own, and then once finished, you do it again with a group. If you get a better grade in the group portion, then that's your grade.

She is pretty nice. The practice exam is helpful.

Kathleen is an amazing prof!! Her class are great, she's very friendly and her lectures are interesting. Going to see her in her office hours really helps!!

Kathleen is a great proof! If this course is taken online, the demonstration videos are really helpful and most of her test questions are focused on those topics. The final exam is supposedly cumulative but 95% of the questions came from the last three weeks especially from the chromosomal changes chapter.

Very straightforward class and she makes the concepts simple! I suck at genetics and I got a D when I took it with Verheyen since her lectures were packed with material. The amount of content expected to know was MUCH more reasonable in this class. Gives you practice exams that give you a very good idea of what to expect. So thankful this time.

Theres a lot of work, 3 papers, 2 exams, weekly lab quizzes, clicker questions every class, worksheets every lab however Kathleen really cares and if you put in the effort you'll be fine. She gives you lots of feedback and allows you to send her your papers to review before they are due. Rubrics are always available. I would take Kathleen again!

Kathleen is a very nice person and very easy to talk to. She does really care about her students and wants to ensure that she is teaching the material in a way that students can understand. The course itself though is really difficult and I'd suggest only taking it if you want a job in a lab or have to or to fill a requirement.

Her lectures are very clear and she also emphasizes what is and isn't important to know. She seems very passionate about the course material (and cats) and is very fair with her expectations and grading.

Kathleen is a gem. Had her for Summer 2021, she was SUPER CARING and understanding of the stress students face. Lots of free points on exams, adjustments to tough questions. However, to be clear, this course is NOT A CAKEWALK, you must STUDY HARD. Lectures are boring, but the material is interesting. Exams were difficult, make sure to study.

A lot of material but the prof gives a lot of opportunities to learn the material through quizzes, handouts, and assignments. The course was tough but the prof did everything to make the material available. She is a bit less approachable than an average prof, but she is doing the job very well.

Honestly one of the best and most interesting courses I have taken. Course material is directly connected to lab stuff. As long as you maintain attendance (therefore participating in class) you'll do perfectly fine.

Kathleen really wants her students to learn the concepts and be able to apply them rather than memorize information. The grading and expectations of assignments or worksheets can be unclear, but she is very accessible for questions as I don't recommend asking the TAs. Pre-lectures for this course are a must, more so than the in person lectures.

Kathleen is one of the best profs I've ever had. She truly cares about students and does her best for them to learn. Unlike many courses, her exams emphasize critical thinking over memorization, so they can be challenging if you cram at the last minute. But, she is fair and adjusts the curve if the class average is low Try to learn during lectures.

Kathleen was such a sweet prof and really cares for her students. Her lectures can be a little heavy, but everything was comprehendible. Tests questions were almost exactly/the same as tutorial, practice exam and practice questions she provides. Kathleen also scaled our exams if she felt like it was needed, and was super fair with the content.

I loved Dr. Fitzpatrick, she is always available to answer questions, and is even excited when asked questions! The lab is excellent, one of the few labs that I have taken that teaches you how to perform technical skills like PCR, Ligation, Cloning, Restriction Digests, and so much more.

Kathleen is my fav prof at sfu. Super nice, super caring and hella funny. Put in the effort, you'll do well. She breaks down the course so even if you flunk one of the assignments it won't hit your overall grade too much. Labs were hard but fun Just pray you don't get stuck with a crappy TA coz they're the ones marking the papers not her.

She is very nice and always helps you get bonus marks.

Kathleen was great. The amount of practice and bonus marks given were such a huge help it was unbelievable. The only issue is that you have to put in an obscene amount of hours to do good, and the final exam was so difficult and it covered more of midterm 2 than she said it would, but other than that, very good prof.

Her cat was the highlight of her slides. We love Ruby.

Kathleen is such a dedicated and passionate professor. She provided tons of resources, recorded pre-lecs for every lecture, and was excited to help with any questions. The amount of material is heavy both with its volume and understanding, but criminally A LOT of bonus point opportunities were provided. So, I would definitely recommend.