2.8
Quality4.3
Difficulty44%
Would Retake174
Reviews44%
Would Retake
174
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
52
4
17
3
18
2
27
1
60
What Students Say
“Gardner is extremely intelligent”
BIOSC0150 - 5.0 rating“Gardner is phenomenal”
BIOSC0150 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
79%
Textbook Required
11%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.70 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOSC1010
5.0
(1)BIO1
5.0
(1)BIOSC350
4.2
(13)BIOSC1250
4.0
(1)BIO0350
3.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
BIOLOGY011
5.0
BIO0035
5.0
GENETICS350
5.0
BIOSC1590
5.0
BIOSC1250
5.0
Reviews (174)
Dr. Gardner is so awesome and personable! She goes through her lecture notes quick sometimes but all you have to do is ask her to go back for a second. She is very helpful in office hours and genuinely cares about her students. TAKE HER
She expects you to know everything she went over in lecture. Hard but do-able exams; drops the lowest. Exams consist of around 8-10 pages of short answers and multiple choice; its a matter of managing your time so if you're not good at that, avoid her. She gives recitation points and homework to boost your grade.
I'm a psych major and this class was much more challenging than I anticipated. If you're not strictly a hard sciences person maybe steer clear of professor gardner. I spent most of my homework time on this class, and my other grades definitely suffered. Attendance in recitation is mandatory but if you're having an off day you might get a zero.
Class is a lot harder than I thought it was and she expects you to know everything that she says in lecture. She is not very clear in her lectures and gives tricky exams.
Would not recommend. Rambled through unnecessary amount of material to keep up with other faculty teaching same course. Very intelligent yet expected way too much from students.
Dr. Gardner seemed like a good professor at first, but after the first exam it went down hill. The exams are very tough, and not often related to what we did in class. Focuses on the small things way too much, which would be fine if she taught them in the first place. Recitation and homework boost your grade, but those exams are killer.
Dr. Gardner is a very friendly professor, however genetics with her was extremely difficult. Her lectures are very dense, and her practice problems relate very little to what is actually on the test. Exams often have questions on very minute details, and are grade killers. Avoid
Even with a background in bio this class was way too challenging. She should be teaching grad students, not freshmen. She pretends to have this friendly approachable thing going on but won't cut you any breaks even if something serious is going on. This class made me get a C in another course. Avoid her at all costs.
Kathryn's really nice and is willing to help in office hours but her lecture's are super dense and she moves through them really quickly. Her exams are tough and definitely make or break your grade. Avoid her class if you can.
Avoid. Exams are difficult and very challenging to complete in the given time. An immense amount of information is covered in each lecture. Lecture slides are informative but do not follow order of textbook which makes it challenging to reference text and therefore are left only to memorize slides. Difficult to predict what will be covered on exams
Dr. Gardner doesn't get enough credit! She was very knowledgable about Genetics, and biology in general! Her tests were tough but if you pay attention in lecture and give homework enough attention, this class isn't that bad! Exams are all problem based, short answer questions which takes some time to get used to. Overall, I really liked her class!
0350-Gardner is a great person and professor. Lectures are a bit fast paced but problems/hw/lectures relate heavily to the tests. Analytic skills needed to do well. tests were difficult, challenging, to be honest. Key-Read questions carefully and completely to answer correctly. questions made you think but overall the class is very doable.
Genetics was a tough, frustrating, but ultimately a rewarding experience. Just because grading is tough doesn't mean tests are tough. Do the HW, go to class, a few office hours, and you will do well on the tests (you can also drop one). Genetics is a tough class, and should be treated as such. But if you want to learn, I highly recommend Gardner.
Her tests are so hard and the average is consistently a D but she blames the students rather than recognizing it is her fault. It is her first year at Pitt and taught at Yale last year so expects us to be like her students from Yale. Do not take her if you want a good grade in Biology 1.
Gardner is so sweet and very knowledgable in her field. Foundations took effort but she gives you the lecture notes which prepare you well for the exams. Make use of office hours they make a world of a difference!
Professor Gardner is very knowledgable in Biology. She has very detailed lecture slides and all of her tests are based completely off of the power points. Study those in depth and you'll be fine. The averages on the tests are low but she gives plenty of extra credit to make up for it. I would definitely take her again.
I would NEVER recommend to anyone. She expects way too much out of her students and does not convey information in an understandable way. If the averages on the exams are D's and she tells the students that it is all their fault. Flat out awful
good professor, tests were fair, but challenging-so if u didn't study enough for them then it kind of is ur fault if u didn't do well. make sure to study the PowerPoint slides and the recitation worksheets. her office hours were helpful. definitely go to UTA office hours so ur familiar with the type of questions she'll ask on an exam.
I loved Dr. Gardner! The class was decently hard but that's because it's biology. Dr. Gardner made sure to help whenever she could and there were always plenty of resources to go to if needed. Her tests were pretty tough but the final exam wasn't too bad. She is a wonderful professor!
Dr. Gardner seems great at first but she is an extremely hard teacher to deal with. Sadly, her office hours involve her sitting there talking about inconsequential non-class related things. She's very unhelpful and if you don't understand the information it's your fault. Avoid her at all costs.
Dr. Gardner is an amazing professor. You must work hard in class in order to receive a good grade. Her exams are clear and straight-forward, yet application heavy. She is very helpful in office hours, and I've developed a great relationship with her. She is genuine and extremely intelligent. Favorite professor I've had so far at Pitt!
Dr. Gardner is by far the greatest professor I have ever had and she genuinely cares about her students. She is extremely knowledgeable about genetics and loves teaching it, making her lectures super interesting and enjoyable. Genetics is tough but Dr. Gardner's class has been an extraordinarily rewarding experience. I highly recommend!!!
Dr. Gardner seems nice at first, but then you take the first exam and suddenly Genetics isn't fun anymore. She's terrible at explaining things, tests material that she barely teaches, (i.e. she skips meosis/mitosis because she expects you to know it, but tests specifically on it), and will not give you points back even if your answer is right.
Insane amount of work to put in for a class. On tests, asks very tricky questions about things she barely covered, and expects you to understand how to answer questions by filling in graphs, gel electrophoresis bands and other scientific research methods as if you were a real researcher. Extremely time crunching exams
Avoid her. The insane amount of time you put into studying for the class won't show in your grade at all. Tests are all application and time is a huge issue. It's not enough to know what she taught in class, you have to be able to apply it all in time crunched exams; so it's basically impossible to get an A if you're not a great timed-tester.
I should have dropped this class when I had the chance! If you have no interest in genetics and are only taking this course as a bio major or because you're premed, just don't do it! This stuff is hard and you have to really like studying it.
Professor Gardner is a nice person but terrible professor. She just rants off in lectures and expects you to know every little thing she says. Her test are fair but way too long and you wont have time to finish them or check them over. Her TAs are useless, and her final was incredibly long. Geneitcs if awesome but do not take her.
Although Dr. Gardner is extremely kind and seems to care about her students, I very much disliked her class. I was initially excited to take the course because I liked genetics, but after this course, I completely dislike the subject. This class involves a TON of information and her exams are rather stressful and time-consuming.
I really enjoyed genetics before taking her class. Your grades are unrepresentative of the amount of time you put into studying. I studied WAY more for this class than all of my others yet somehow I ended up doing worst in this class. Time is a huge issue during exams. Worst class I've taken at Pitt so far.
I really disliked this class, which is unfortunate because I liked genetics before taking it. Exams were stressful and difficult to study for. Apparently she believes that giving you an exam with a huge amount of information in a short period of time is representative of what you learned in the course. I would not recommend.
I regret taking this class for credit. I felt that the immense amount of work I put into the class was not reflected in my grade at all. Don't recommend if you don't want your GPA to take a hit.
I tried to give her a chance but Dr. Gardner is frustrating to work with. I had her for bio 1 and her class is hard to follow. She expects you to come in knowing everything and barely covers material. When I got injured during the semester and had to miss class for doctors appointment and x-rays she told me it was "no excuse" and refused to help me
Dr. Gardner is easily the best professor I've taken at Pitt. Despite the difficulty of the class and the topic itself, Dr. Gardner is really approachable and makes time for you to explain concepts and other problems. She holds great office hours and her TA's recitations bring the material from lecture full circle with the problems
Take Dr. Ashmore, if u want to hate Genetics and get a 2.0 in it, then take Dr. Gardner. I put in 100% and got back 60%, put in 100% into the same class with a diff. prof, got 100% back. She's nice but that's it.
Freshman who take genetics as fall semester sophomores don't realize how much harder this class is compared to the effortless foundations courses. You need to put in work to do well, and Dr. Gardner is the nicest, fairest bio professor in the department. If YOU take the TIME to put in effort, she will lift you to new heights. She's the best. Period
Dr. Gardner truly is amazing. She works really hard to help all her students who are willing to learn and do the work. Genetics with her is definitely harder than other classes, but the teaching is amazing so you have a trade-off. It's hard, but you truly do learn and grow with the class, and develop good study habits along the way.
Worst teacher I have ever had. Do. Not. Take. Her. Biggest mistake of my life.
Dr. Gardner is by far THE BEST professor. The other ratings don't do her justice.
Definitely take Dr. Gardner for Genetics! She is extremely knowledgeable and very approachable. Her exams will really make you think but you will get so much out of it. You won't regret taking this course with her.
Dr. Gardner is phenomenal. She is a well organized professor and her lectures are very engaging. The exams can be challenging but if you take the time to really understand the material, and A is achievable. She genuinely cares about your success if YOU put in the effort and attend office hours.
15/10 recommend
Amazing professor! Not an easy A but well worth it. Her tests are extremely fair if you study and understand her powerpoints. Dr. Gardner wants you to succeed so definitely go to office hours.
Gardner is extremely intelligent. I've learned more with her than I have with any other professor. Best prof out there.
She's amazing. Really smart and caring, truly works her butt off on behalf of her students. If you pay attention to her, she does a great job at making things simple and clear. Her exams were fair, no Q was unfair but they were difficult. You had to know the concepts really well, but once again, she helps a lot w that. Better than other 350profs
such a great teacher. her exams are tough but fair. you dont need the textbook. as long as you throroughly understand her lecture slides youre good to go. also she provides so many helpful resources for extra practice problems. definitely take advantage of them
dr gardner is a great lecturer. she has a wide breadth and depth of knowledge on the subject and she presents the material in an interesting way. shes by far the best bio1 prof out there
she's the best!! highly recommend!!
having gardner for genetics was great. she really has a passion for the subject and she genuinely wants you to succeed. youll learn so much in her class.
In this writing class required for all bio majors, Dr. Gardner does a phenomenal job at teaching us how to write a literature review and giving a scientific presentation. It may be a difficult process, but in her section, there is no unnecessary work. Everything is streamlined to be efficient, and Dr. Gardner is always available if you seek her out
I love biology and excel in it, and Dr. Gardner just added to that! Her tests required a good bit of studying, but were always fair. She offered lots of points to help with exam grades, like TopHat, recitation points and extra credit. It is obvious that Dr. Gardner loves the subject and is passionate about teaching it. I am taking her again!
Bio is obviously tricky at Pitt, but Dr. Gardner is by far one of the best options. She provides numerous methods for you to get help outside of class & recitation will greatly prepare you for exams. There's a lot of information to know for exams, I highly recommend preparing early for them. Take advantage of what she offers and you'll be happy.
I thought Dr. Gardner was a pretty good professor for Foundations 1. Borrowed a textbook from someone, never even opened it. All information for the tests is right in the lecture slides. Don't just pull up the slides on your laptop and read along, take notes. And if you want to get a good grade, GO TO OFFICE HOURS, the worksheets help a lot.
Dr. Gardner is the best foundation 1 teacher. I had to retake the class (D+ from another prof) and ended up with an A. She gives lots of examples and every possible chance to succeed. Office hours are super helpful and great review for test. Clear with grading and expectations. Study her study guides and tophat questions and you'll be golden.
I took this class because I was vaguely interested in the field, but she did a good job about making the subject seem interesting. She really cares about you succeeding and as long as you do your work, you'll be fine. Lots of opportunities to catch up also. Lectures were fun.
She definitely knows her stuff, but she is so knowledgeable that she has borderline unrealistic expectations of her students. Exams are tough to time-manage. She gives lecture problems, recitation problems, book problems, and online homework problems as practice. If you cannot devote 150% of your time to this class, do not take it.
Dr. Gardner is an extremely dedicated professor. She puts her heart and soul into her lectures and truly wants to see you succeed. She provides many extra credit opportunities and if you do the in class problems, recitation packets, and the homework then you are in good shape. You will definitely get a lot out of her class!
Dr. Gardner will definitely prepare you for advanced upper level bio courses. You get exposure to reading primary literature and interpreting data through journal clubs in recitation. Her lectures are interactive and she presents the material in an interesting way. Take advantage of the many resources she provides, and you will do well!
Take Gardner. She's the absolute best professor you can have at Pitt! Very knowledgeable and very approachable. You need to show up and pay attention in lecture but you will definitely learn a lot! Exams are fair and pretty straightforward if you understand the material.
Wasn't sure about taking Dr. Gardner's section of Genetics, but this was honestly the best decision I made! Super organized and knows what she is talking about. Go to office hours and take advantage of all the resources offered. You will learn so much from this class. Take her, it's worth it!!
I highly recommend Dr. Gardner. You get to drop your lowest midterm and there are many extra credit opportunities. This course is a challenge, but you won't regret it.
She's clearly extremely well versed and passionate in what she's teaching, but her tests aren't easy if you're not interested in/good at genetics. She gives multiple opportunities to succeed and extra credit though. I've heard instances of her being kind of stand offish to people who go to her office hours, but utilize the TAs, they're amazing.
Absolutely horrible person. NEVER TAKE THIS CLASS. Her lectures make no sense, and honestly her ability to explain concepts from genetics make we wonder if she even knows the topic. Not only that her Unit three exam came from random articles, rather than the lecture slides she covered in class. We weren't event made aware about the articles.
Garder is an extremely passive aggressive person, do not go to her office hours because she is condescending, and it is beyond her ability to see things from someone else's perspective. Also the week before finals she replaced a lecture by a TA with a horrible, poorly put together lecture that should have been used for review.
Took this class as an bioengineering student my senior year as an elective. I don't think this class was that bad if you put the time into studying for it. She tends to test on extremely specific topics from recitation and expect a deeper understanding on topics without giving them in class. Use the TA's!! You need to know the notes well.
I'm extremely disappointed with this class. Her exam averages and distributions were consistently bad. I loved genetics until I took it with her. TAs are amazing. Seems nice at first but she is condescending. I wish I left this class with a better understanding for a topic I feel passionately about rather than just hoping for a curve
Dr. Gardner is truly a phenomenal professor. This is not a class where you can just memorize a bunch of facts and expect to do well. She incorporates authentic science into her lectures which is an advantage that you won't have in any other Genetics class. If you like to learn, take her course!
If you aren't in Gardner's class you're doing it wrong. She wants you to succeed and is accessible and very helpful outside of class. This course will challenge you, but you will definitely be prepared for any future career in medicine or biology.
Dr gardener is a great genetics professor but a terrible person. she's passionate abt genetics and def knows what shes talking about. the course is extremely valuable for anyone with a science major. but it is extremely difficult. she expects you to memorize minute details and analyze rather difficult data. Not available outside of class &shes rude
This isn't a high school biology course so it's not an easy A. Dr. Gardner genuinely wants to see you succeed though, so if you strive to do well and put in the time and effort, this class can lift you to new heights.
Favorite class I've taken at Pitt. Gives many practice problems and extra credit opportunities. Take advantage of UTAs and go to office hours!
Absolutely loved this class! Lectures are interesting and engaging. Exams aren't a walk in the park, but if you take advantage of the many resources offered, you can succeed!
I've had Dr. Gardner for two classes now, and I would definitely take her again. Exams are fair and straightforward if you've put in the time to study and learn the material. Take advantage of office hours!
Super smart. Everybody should go sign up for Gardner.
TAKE HER. PERIOD.
Genetics is a challenging course, but Dr. Gardner makes it fun to learn. Her lectures are very energetic and keep you interested. If you go to class and put in the time to learn the material, you will surely benefit a lot from Gardner's section of Genetics.
Dr. Gardner is very organized and her expectations for the course are clear. Exams are fair and definitely challenge your understanding of the material. Go to office hours. She is very approachable and was always happy to answer questions.
Top-notch professor. You will gain so much from this class that you won't regret it. Gardner is your best choice for Genetics.
Do not take her. All these comments have failed to mention her exam distributions. With each exam, they decrease significantly. When all her TAs knew she would need to curve to keep the average, she did not. Do not take her, you will regret it.
Gardner is Pitt's best professor in the biology dept. Her lectures make it easy to stay focused in class and exams are fair if you take advantage of the many practice problems she provides.
you have to take Gardner for genetics. she genuinely cares about your success in the class and is always willing to help. definitely take advantage of office hours!
Best Foundations professor you can have at Pitt. She really knows her stuff and wants you to learn it too. Definitely take her.
Dr. Gardner is an amazing lecturer. Her midterms will challenge you, but they are fair. If you put in the effort, you can excel in her class.
She definitely knows what she's talking about and lectures in an engaging manner. The online homework platform she uses is written in the same way as her exams, so it's very useful to study from. She also offered my section a lot of extra credit, around 5% of your final grade. The distribution of points is also very even - one bad exam? No problem.
This class is not easy, and you definitely have to do a lot of work, but if you put in the effort outside of class, you'll get a decent grade. Dr. Gardner also gives a lot of extra credit opportunities and gives tons of feedback, especially on things like how to best study the material. Definitely recommend! She really cares about her students.
She seems super nice at first but is actually VERY passive aggressive and condescending. She talks down to her students when they ask questions. No curves, even if whole class missed something. Can't make anything up (even if you missed it because you were not enrolled in the class yet). Students cry after her exams (particularly genetics). Mean.
An extremely condescending professor. I wouldn't recommend Gardner unless you're willing to put A LOT of effort into her class. One of the first days she said her class wasn't a weedout, which was a complete lie. She's very knowledgeable, and not the worst bio 1 teacher, but I'd stay away if you don't have a seriously strong foundation of biology
is a pretty good lecturer but when I went to her office hours, she just talked down to me and made me feel like an idiot instead of helping me. only redeeming quality is the amount of extra credit she gives (I had 9 points plus extra credit on a few exams), I wouldn't have passed without it. not the worst bio professor, but not the best either
I switched into her class a few days into the fall semester and there was an assignment due that I was never able to see but she refused to let me make it up even though I literally could not have completed it because I wasn't even in her class! And if you're even 30 seconds late, don't bother showing up because she will mark you as absent. Awful.
Bio 1 is a hard class, but it is easy to do well in her class. She is very intelligent and energetic which makes her lectures easier to listen to and comprehend. The homework can be really difficult, and even doing bad on it does not affect your overall grade that much. Definitely go over homework and participate in recitation
She's a very intelligent professor. She's very experienced in her field, but I found her class very hard to succeed in at times. She likes to use her knowledge and experience to challenge students, but I feel like she often crosses the line between reasonable/effective challenges and challenges that are too hard to be useful to her students.
Very difficult. Please don't take genetics with her and save ur GPA.
I would advise taking another professor for genetics. During lecture Dr. Gardner talks so quickly its impossible to keep up with notes. Recitation packets are crazy long, and instead of learning (the purpose of recitation), it always feels like a race against the clock. Also, if you don't have the same logic pattern as Dr. Gardner, well good luck.
A smart prof who designed Genomics but is out of tune with students, and her conduct in class & office hours is mean, rude, and concerning. Assigns 30+pg. papers before every class & quizzes on obscure numbers, details. Dismal exam averages, no curve, high student anxiety, and impossible standards for even the dept.'s best students. No joke, avoid.
Dr. Gardner is quite possibly one of the hardest professors I have taken at Pitt. She makes it impossible for anyone to do well. I have studied endlessly for her exams and I still get nowhere. Not only does she make the content impossible, but she is condescending and rude when you ask her questions. DO NOT take her.
Very unprofessional with students, and seems to really be going off the deep end this semester. The expectations and grading for Genomics are not doable for above average students. We're presented with barrages of info and quizzed on minutiae. The stress and anxiety she's causing is a mark of the worst teaching I've seen, worse than high school.
STEER CLEAR. Dr. Gardner has made an unbearable course that has us suffering. She takes an immense toll on our mental health, and there's nothing you can do to meet her challenges (exams, quizzes, presentations) because she's always crossing the line. Why she's allowed to teach so terribly, puzzles me. Passive-aggressive & outright aggressive.
Overall very rude and pompous professor. She will ask trivial questions that have no purpose than to lower averages. She expects students to know a disturbingly large amount of material at a overly specific knowledge of the material. She doesn't curve exams so you have to rely on a final grade curve. Please don't take
Dr. Gardner is a very great lecturer, but her exams are a bit rough in the sense that knowing the material is not enough to do fairly well on an exam. She does come off as condescending and rude in office hours or in lecture, but if you take time to see her for help in office hours one one one she can be very nice and helpful. Overall very decent.
Took Gardner for genomics. You will learn EVERYTHING in this class, and I can't think of a class where I've learned more. However, her tests are extremely difficult and she likes to ask about small details -- use the learning objectives on her presentations and any reading reflections she gives you and you will do well. She gets condescending.
She is very knowledgeable and accessible. Her exams are very hard but do prepare you for harder courses in STEM. If you want to pass easily, I wouldn't take her but she is a very good teacher. She weighs HW heavily so do it. A lot of tophat but that helps your grade too. Not true to her word about dropping HW or curving so beware.
Out of touch with students. Condescending and rude. Poorly designed exams. Overall terrible. Don't take her.
Dr. Gardner has been one of the toughest professors I have had to learn to work with. Lectures are not necessary, but if you don't show up you won't pass. She lectures off of slides she posts online. I don't recommend taking this class if you're just getting credit out of the way. Bio is a tough course and she makes it even tougher.
This was the absolute worst class Ive ever had. Dr. Gardner crams so many complex topics and expects you to memorize the smallest details, it was an absolute nightmare for a bio 1. It felt more like a weed out for a biochemistry major. This class would have murdered my GPA and I do not recommend!!
Dr. Gardener is a very lecture heavy professor. She crams so much in her lecture modules and it can be herd to keep up sometimes. Se claimed she wasn't a weedout the first day of class and that was a complete lie. He UTA's teach better than her during office hours. And if you tell her that you have a learning disability she won't care.
Very knowledgable when it comes to bio, and she definitely treats this as a weed-out course. Her tests and quizzes are extremely hard. If you aren't willing to put the majority of your time into a biology course, do not take her class. I would not recommend to a friend.
She was the hardest professor I have had. I knew all about the topic, but her tests were so obscure that it made it very difficult, especially for an intro class.
LEGIT WORST PROF. SAVE YOURSELF. THIS IS A STRAIGHT UP WEED OUT CLASS. The exams were way too hard for an intro class and there was hardly any time to finish them. She also just reads directly off the powerpoint in class. WORST BIO PROF EVER.
save yourself, this is straight up a weed-out class. Gardner is Thanos and she will snap 90% of the class.
Dr. Gardners class was extremely challenging. This year she was generous with extra credit- however maintaining high scores on homework and recitation packets is mandatory to succeed (as well as doing good on exams). Not the worst prof Ive ever had, but for sure one of the most challenging. Be sure to read and practice application of bio.
Her Bio 1 class was the second time I had to take biology, but Dr. Gardner's class seemed to be more thorough and clear in the information given. She would make sure we had a good basis before throwing curveballs at us. You have to keep up with the work and lectures though. I would recommend going over the lectures after class.
Virtuosity comes to mind. Dr. Gardner is by far the best professor/teacher I have ever had (my 2nd Degree) The way she blends learning methods. The heart she puts into her craft are undeniable. Her class is supposed to be tough. She is training scientists & expects dedication. If you are serious about biology she will prepare you in the discipline.
She is brilliant and extremely organized. Tests are tough time wise. Make sure to go all the lectures, take meticulous notes, do the homework/rec/extra credit as it all links together in the end. I learned so much. The field is getting more competitive. Take her if you want to pass the MCATS. She will annihilate your soul if you talk in class.
Professor Gardner is very sweet and is really passionate about her field but the expectations set for her class are excessive. She expects you to learn the information at such an in-depth level that reading the textbook is still not enough and if you don't go to lecture you're screwed.
Dr. Gardner is one of the hardest professors I've had, but she is a very good one. NEED to be in class to have a chance at passing. She doesn't teach from the textbook, but it helps to read it over for clarification. She's very sweet and enthusiastic, but she's a meticulous grader, and particular about timing. DO HW AND REC PACKETS. Organized.
As a molecular biology major major I love bio and genetics, but she makes me generally hate the class. Consistently being graded even on things you just learned. Last semester was a 4.0 student and I still am unclear on how to actually do well in this class. Will tell you to create your own problems instead of assigning more. AVOID AT ALL COSTS
Completely unfair with her tests and the amount of work put into the class has no correlation to how well you do. I spent a ridiculous amount of time on work for this class and the material on tests is so different from anything provided before there was little to no way to prepare. Im going to get a better grade in Ochem than this class.
Firstly, i would like to acknowledge that Dr. Gardner as a person outside of class is an intelligent, intellectual, and sweet person. But, if you are planning to take any of her classes please AVOID unless you are on her level and will focus ALL your time and energy on her class. If you are not a genetics major, do yourself a favour an AVOID.
My advice, drop while you can. Nothing correlates with each other. Although things seem organised, they're not. Expectation are set so high that makes you second guess your choice of career. She has caused many students to change their major/ field of study. An undergrad proff that thinks shes teaching a post-grad class. Didnt learn a thing at all
Had to remind myself that learning is more important than getting an A. Did I learn anything? No. Did I get a good grade? No. Is it my fault? Tbh no, because I worked so hard for this class, but that doesnt matter because a person who spent countless hours working and a person who slept like a baby wouldve had the same level of preparation NONE!
Save yourself the trouble, headache, anxiety, and lack of sleep, and RUN WHILST YOU CAN. You take her class, its your choice. But I will say this I told you so. Total waste of valuable time with no benefit whatsoever. Me first day of class Love Genetics. Me halfway its okay a C is fine. Me last day who am I? Where am I?. HUGE MISTAKE.
Besides the fact that she is enthusiastic and sweet. Taking her class is like participating in a triathlon. You have to be both mentally and physically ready , be put in a special diet, excessive training and immense focus solely for that day.
How to put out the fire that is this class: stop, drop, and unenroll. Dr. Gardner clearly violates the boundary between challenging and overbearing and impossible. She is absolutely unapproachable, and her lectures aren't correlative to exam material. She can't effectively teach concepts beyond a basic level that are understandable to students!
You need a miracle to pass her class. Dr Gardner has no regard for students. She crosses the boundary of pushing students to the limit. She should not be permitted to teach. She believes that her class is the only one that matters while others dont. Dont waste your time with any of her classes, she isnt worth it. Horrible teacher.
Dr Gardner, students are not robots. A humans mental capacity has limits. I would like to apologise to all who took her class and hope you do better next time if you didn't pass. With all do respect, I agree that she should not be teaching. If someone is to do something regarding this matter, please do. Thank you
I'm going to tell you straight up. Do not take this class. There is way too much expected from a 3 credit undergraduate class. By far the most difficult class I have ever taken and didn't feel fair. Do yourself a favor and drop this class. Recitation packets are incredibly long for the 30 minutes that you get to work on them.
She is a tough grader.
If you've read any of the past reviews about her being a terrible Bio teacher- they're true. Took her for Bio 2 and it's been an awful experience with how condescending and disorganized she is. I'm honestly surprised that she's been allowed to teach Bio here for as long as she has. Steering clear of her when I take Genetics
Would rather be researching than teaching, she doesnt care at all about the students. Very condescending app too top it all off, wants her students too know 100% of the smaller details rather than expand intellectual on Biology itself. If you want to learn the material more thoroughly and get better grades then take someone else!!!
Freshman year. Starry eyed. I left Pitt because of her. "My other students have problems, too. You're not special" - After I had the flu and asked for extra help. Does not care about her students at all. Do not take her. She made my friend cry during office hours and called her stupid. Incredible CV, but horrible with people.
Dr G is by far one of the most brilliant and caring professors at Pitt. Her class is very tough, but if you stay on top of the work and regularly attend her office hours you will be okay. There are so many resources available in this class. You have to work hard, but it is doable. She expects a lot because she truly wants you to succeed. TAKE DR G!
Dr. Gardner is a solid choice for Bio 1. However, If you have little experience thinking scientifically and applying what you lean, you may want to take a different professor. Her class is HARD but you WILL learn a LOT. Sweet lady. Cares about students deeply. Def recommend. Extra credit is there. Be prepared to work very hard. You can do it tho.
Dr. Gardner is a great Bio 1 professor! Her exams are tough, but if you review the notes packets & recitation worksheets regularly and go to office hours with the UTAs (very kind and helpful), you will excel in the class. Make it a habit to attend lectures and ask questions when you are confused.
It is unfair how much work she gives for a 3 credit undergrad class, especially during quarantine, have things due every Mon Wed Fri at 11ish. Then hw due every night and HAVE TO purchase the textbook to do hw which is very expensive. Very tough grader, would email your lists of mistakes after submission but would not let you correct. Never again.
She does not care about her students, why is she allowed to teach I will never know, do not take her class because she does not care you pass or not.
Dr. Gardner is very sweet but her class is mistakingly easy. Her lecture slides are filled with pictures which help understand the concepts well, but her exams are word heavy and require a much deeper understanding. I learned late that her recitations and those packets are what will help you get A's on her exam. I would take her again.
If you want to pass this class, you have to put in the work. I took Dr. McGreevy (who is rated much higher) and failed with a D+ my first semester, but then retook the course with Dr. Gardener and passed with A- simply because I tried harder and put in the work. Regardless of Professor you can always pass.
Shes the reason I left Pitt. Im usually a good student and I love bio, but this is way too much for a foundations class! She moves too fast in lecture, has too many details, and the study guides are NOTHING like exams. This class took a serious toll on my mental health, DONT TAKE IT
Dont take Gardner is you need extra help. She refuses to do so.
Dr. Gardner is the hardest Biology professor out there. The biology class was co-taught by 4 professors and easily Gardner was the hardest. Do not underestimate her, she will test concepts very in depth and in very different ways than on Top hat or on the study guide. Read the book, work fast on the exams. If you can avoid her, do so.
SHE IS THE WORST! I have never seen a professor who makes unforgivable, simple mistakes like her during lecture. I get a 5 on AP Bio and I know most of the content in bio1, however he lecture makes me confused!
She doesn't give good extra credit. I asked to do extra work for extra points, and she bluntly said no. She did not care that I was struggling in the class, and when I went to her office hours she would ignore my questions. Do yourself a favor and avoid her.
Out of four professors that taught us this semester, she had the lowest quiz average, and she literally blamed it on us for it (more than 1000 students are in this course). She always challenges us in a "higher level" way, although most of us are freshmen. Do NOT take her if you're trying for medical school, she will destroy your GPA and blame you.
She is literally the worst professor to ever teach bio 0150. All she has to do is give a lecture alone and record herself but she manages to go off on a tangent. Her quizzes are something you will see in a masters or higher level class and if we complain on the difficulty she says it is our fault and that we have to prep like it is the MCAT.
Like the comments below me, BIOSC 150 was joint and four professors taught it. I dont know why but whatever. She is the most insensitive teacher I have ever encountered and does not care about her students grades, at all. I know many students emailed her after her first/second quiz and made it seem like we were to blame for her low quiz average.
I had Dr. Gardner for module 4 of bio 1 (genetics). There were 3 quizzes for her module, and the class average for the quizzes were as follows: 16.7/26 (64.23%), 17.4/26 (66.9%), and 17.5/26 (67.3%). If you're looking for an easy A, Dr. Gardner is definitely not it. I've heard that she is not super accessible when it comes to getting help either.
While Gardner is the toughest of all 4 professors, her quizzes had questions that were similar to questions on TopHat and her study guides. She had quality lectures and answered my questions in office hours. If you work hard and do the study guides its perfectly possible to do well.
This semester I took Bio 1 through the module system, Gardner taught the genetics module. I know a ton of people hated her module but I think it really gave an idea of the difficulty of a college level course. You really had to work for the grade you wanted. She's amazing during office hours definitely go! She's very nice and everything was fair.
If I could give her a zero I would. I would recommend taking anyone but her. She is literally the worst professor to ever teach bio 0150. Her lectures are so long and half of the things she says don't even matter. Her quizzes are something you will see in a master level class and she will ruin your GPA. Avoid her if possible!
A lot of people did not like her bc she had the hardest quizzes so many struggled in her module. But college isn't meant to be easy and she taught a conceptually difficult module. Dr. Gardner is a captivating lecturer and she introduces tough concepts really well. Memorization alone cannot save you, and that should be expected in a college class.
Absolutely horrible professor. Talks way too fast and is not good at explaining any of the material.
I had Dr. Gardner for the genetics module and recitation. Her lectures are long but are the same amount of time that a normal class would be- about an hour or more. Her quizzes were difficult, but doable. If you watch the lectures and do the practice problems, Tophat, and the study guide, you should be fine. Just work hard, carefully, and quickly.
gardner flies through lecture and then tests you on small footnotes in the textbook. she's a very difficult professor and i had to put in a lot of work to get an A in this class. tons of reading/studying are needed which sucks for an intro course. she's kinda mean too. if you're not really into biology/need this for a major do not take this course
People didn't like her b/c her quizzes are tough. But college bio is supposed to be hard and her class reflects that. She is an engaging lecturer and emphasizes important topics. Her practice problems were super helpful. Quizzes were hard b/c they were short, so 1-2 wrong questions hurt you but questions were straightforward and fair. Solid choice!
Out of the 4 professors who split this course, Gardner was by far the worst. All of them were hard but it never felt impossible and it was always fair, until her module. You can tell she's well-versed in the subject, but she can't teach it at all and just assumes that everyone is on the same level of understanding as her. Avoid if possible
Dr. Garnder's lectures were not very helpful. She dumped a lot of information into each lecture and did a poor job at explaining it. Her recitations were often unorganized and we did not discuss material. Instead we went into breakout rooms and had to do the assignments in groups. She rarely joined my breakout room to answer questions.
Class set up with 4 different teachers for 4 modules. Hard to adapt to each teacher's teaching and examination style. 14 quizzes (can drop 2 quizzes. Highest 12) Need to work for your grade. Prof Gardner's quizzes were TopHat heavy. Application-based teacher. Teaches well but hard quiz questions. Have to study and practice more than other profs.
I took this class with 4 professors. Gardner was by for the worst professor. She would "teach" 40+ minutes sections (while the other profs did 25+), but would not explain anything.
She used a system where your worst average out of the three sections (homework, recitation, and exams) was your grade, so if you had a 85 test average and a 90 homework average but a 78 recitation average, it was impossible for you to end with above a C in the class. The homework was unnecessarily difficult and she was very condescending.
Very insensitive, uncompromising, and defensive in response to student's feedback. Lectures, tophats, and quizzes barely relate to each other and are all VERY time consuming. Often blames students for poor grades instead of looking at her own teaching style. Do not recommend.
She is by far the most insensitive professor I have ever had. She is rude, condescending, and straight up mean. She thinks the failures of the class are only on the student and is unwilling or does not want to change her teaching style for the betterment of the class. Can not take criticism and wants you to fail. Worst biology professor at Pitt.
Dr. Gardner is a smart woman who professes her knowledge, but CANNOT teach. She hides important information in lectures that will come up on the quiz and unless you pay attention to every single word she says you will end up studying the wrong thing and do horrible. The quizzes are super hard but if you have very thorough notes you will pass.
Dr. Garder is clearly very knowledgeable in this subject but can not communicate the topics effectively. She seems to forget that this is a foundations class. She packs a ton of information into her lectures and hides important information that you need to know for quizzes. I would take any other prof.
Dr. Gardner was the worst Bio professor I've had. Her quizzes were near to impossible and never matched what she taught in lecture. I always thought I understood all the material she taught, but her quizzes would just be another level of difficulty. She is also very unhelpful and not willing to give any extra credit. Avoid her!
This woman is very knowledgable in her field of study. However, she is the most insensitive, spiteful, uncompromising professor in the bio field at Pitt. My homework and recitation grades were both in the 90s. My quiz grade average is in the 60s. This shows how bad she is at teaching and preparing you for the class. If you want to pass, avoid her.
If you're just trying to get some easy bio credits, do NOT take Dr. Gardner. If you're truly passionate about advancing in biology, she is a solid professor. Her tests can be hard, but if you pass them, you'll know you're ready to move on in the field. Dr. Gardner teaches well, has a great attitude, and will help if you're struggling--if you ask(!)
So, Ive taken this class twice now. The first time, I withdrew and ended with a C-, not enough to pass onto bio 2. This time around, Im not doing much better, in fact Im probably doing worse. Gardner sticks to her decisions and doesnt budge when it comes to extensions, extra time (unless you have disability!) and DOES NOT CURVE.
I had Gardner fall semester when they did the four bio teacher thing. I averaged a 60% or so out of the 3 tests I took while having her. The tests she gave were so ridiculously hard and I had no time to finish. I'm in Bio 2 now and I have an A so that shows a lot about what type of teacher she is. Don't take her if you value your GPA!
A lot of this class comes down to test taking skills. If you freeze during quizzes, don't take this class; we only had 35 minutes per quiz (6 quizzes; you can drop one. Only 1/6 of our grade came from material outside of quizzes). There is enough bonus offered to raise your grade by 6%, but don't rely on it. Does not curve easily. Very challenging.
Where to begin on how terrible Dr. Gardner is... I was a senior when I took her class, and I had never received below a B+ at Pitt. I got a D in her class. She does not teach the material that will be on the quizzes and blames students for not working hard enough. Prep time before each quiz was 15-20 hours, and I still failed. Do not take her!
My God never ever ever take this class with Gardner EVER. I cannot even describe the lack of structure this class had. She would dump a literal truck load of lectures and Tophat questions on us and expect it all to be done within in a week. I think I passed maybe half the exams if I was lucky. I wouldn't recommend her to anyone for Bio 1 at Pitt.
Oh dear, this class was one of the worst classes I have ever taken. I had an ample bio background coming into this class (Honors and AP) and I failed. Gardner is a knowledgeable woman, but cannot teach and did not seem to adapt her teaching style to fit the Flex@Pitt model. I would not recommend this class to anyone. Save your money and your GPA.
had her online as 1/4 profs in Fall 2020. absolutely awful. i practiced a lot & consistently went to her OHs & still failed every one of her tests. she was rude & talked bad about the other profs teaching w/ her. i also have a lot of bio experience but barely passed. just finished bio 2 & ended with an A+ easily. avoid if you can
I had her for the Spring Semester of 2021 and went to all recitations and her office hours, did not matter. She gives 35 minutes for 18 questions on the exams and is overly specific to the point it's hard to tell what she wants you to know. Would not recommend her for anyone.
I know that other people have commented about the BIOSC 0150 arrangements with 4 biology instructors for 1 class in 2020. Man, that was a BAD idea! I had Gardner for the genetics module. She is not understanding. The class averages of the weekly quizzes were D and F averages and she blamed those averages on us. I don't recommend.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
79%
Textbook Required
11%
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