2.8
Quality4.0
Difficulty46%
Would Retake591
Reviews46%
Would Retake
591
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
591 total ratings5
103
4
114
3
112
2
134
1
128
What Students Say
“avoid this woman at all costs”
BIO0150 - 1.0 rating“Worst professor I've had in my entire life”
BIO0150 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
40%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
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Rating Trend
Stable
+0.15 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOLOGY1
5.0
(1)0150BIO
3.8
(8)BIOSC370
3.7
(3)BIOSC1250
3.3
(42)BIOSC0370
3.2
(26)Difficulty by Course
BIOLOGY2
5.0
BIO160
4.5
BIOSC0150
4.4
0150BIO
4.4
BIO0120
4.3
Reviews (300)
The worst bio prof at Pitt! Very disorganized lectures/slides. Doesn't care about students at all. Doesn't explain deeply anything at all. Tests are very hard. Would rate all 0s, really, if could. Avoid at all costs.
Just know that her slides are like a bare skeleton outline of what you should know to prepare for the test, and then some. The textbook is your LIFE. You need to read it. There's no way around it. All her questions are written by the TAs, so the questions are sometimes iffy. Still would take again because I love multiple choice tests.
Her tests were extremely hard and her lectures were pretty boring. It is very possible to do well if you study because there is a huge curve on your final grade. Stay above the curve and you'll be fine. Go to class because she does clicker points that help boost your grade.
I'm no science whiz and have had my fair share of struggles with pitt's science classes. That being said, I don't understand why so many disliked roberts. You hands down need the textbook. Don't just read it, take good notes and study them. If you do that, you will do well in her class. Roberts is an awesome person and her exams are tough but fair
Roberts provides you with a lot of material not covered as much in the textbook which makes lecture mandatory. Also makes the tests a lot more difficult. But she was an amazing professor and Id recommend her to anyone, tough but she gives you the resources that you need to be able to do well.
Lol bye. Tests are hard and not reasonable. Be prepared to fail.
Her tests ARE hard. However, if you truly know how everything works that is written in the textbook, you should know how certain changes will affect different processes. Being able to manipulate and apply everything that you know is key to acing her tests. Very possible to do well in the class if you take it seriously. I repeat, SERIOUSLY.
Even if you know the information really well you still can fail because her tests are tricky. She rambles a lot and talks about stuff that doesn't matter. She is a rude person and will not listen to anything you have to say.
If you want an A in bio and plan on going to med school, do not take her unless you really know what you're doing. Not only are the tests difficult but there is no help you get from attending office hours or BID sessions since the tests are completely different from what you learn.
Many of the exam questions focus on hypothetical situations, mostly the malfunctioning in specific cellular processes. Although with lots of studying and preparation on the topics these questions revolve around, the lecture material only gives and overview of them, without offering enough detail to form an understanding of these hypotheticals.
Hard professor? Absolutely. Killer exams? Oh yes. However, Roberts isn't too unreasonable if you truly want to put in the work. Most of her reputation comes from pre-med wannabes who can't grasp the fact that you need to give it your all if you want to go to med school.
AVOID. This is the most subjective science class I've ever taken. Tests often have multiple options that could be right depending on the way you think about them - even the TAs admit this. Acknowledges the # of pre-meds in her class, but then makes a straightforward subject a guessing game so that us premeds' GPAs are hurt by her ambiguity on tests
Her exams are awful. Material is very in depth and you won't find anything like it in the book or the lecture. I read the chapters in the book many times. I studied hours upon hours and still failed. She bragged about how many people fail her class but still go on to do great things. Do yourself a favor and avoid this class.
I did not do well in this class. Make sure you study like crazy. When she says you need 3 hours per chapter she means it. The UTAs are a big help but because this class is a lecture you have to flag them down. I did not like this class at all and would not recommend. I am a bio major that hated biology. That's when you know
This woman is the reason that I have learned to hate biology. She puts stuff on her slides and lectures about information that won't appear on the exams. The stuff that is on exams is like a foreign language and will make you want to put pencils in your eyes. She takes pride in the number of students that fail her class and doesn't care about you.
Makes powerpoints that cover the bare minimum of the material, but says not to read the textbook when studying. TAs make all of the exam questions and they are all application that is almost impossible to understand based on the small amount of material given. Requires way too much of students that may only be taking class for gen ed requirement.
She is a good teacher, but her tests are ridiculous. There were so many mistakes throughout the semester on grading & it was very annoying to deal with. Also, she is misleading when it comes to the grading. She changed the curve from 10% to 6% last second with no explanation. The class wasn't impossible, but it was unorganized and frustrating.
By far THE HARDEST intro to bio professor you will find. Her test averages always Fs, and considering the class size is 350+, that should be indicative to you. All of the test problems are written by the TAs, and they're very unclear ambiguous application problems. You could a have a 4.0 high school gpa and still fail this class, STAY AWAY
Yes, her tests are incredibly hard and riddled with mistakes, but Dr. Roberts is very intelligent and a great lecturer. This class was definitely a wake up call for me and many others, but if you're pre-med and can't handle this class then you probably can't handle upper-level classes. I felt like the class prepared me for the pre-med track.
never take dr. roberts for anything. avoid this woman at all costs. if you're looking to pass bio 0150 with a decent grade and your mental stability intact, look elsewhere for a professor.
Her reputation on this site made me apprehensive, but after taking her I thinks it's entirely possible to get an A if you're willing to put in the work. Her tests are hard and averages will be low for all tests except the first one, but as long as you stay above the curve and go to lecture you'll be fine. Her class prepares you well for the future.
Try not take Roberts if you can. She says that only what is covered in class is on the test, however, that isn't true. The tests are extremely hard even though they are multiple choice and she pretty much expect you to answer your own questions
I would not recommend Laurel. Although she is extremely knowledgeable and intelligent, most of her test questions are written by her UTAs. Exam questions are often ambiguous and unclear, and answer keys almost always contain errors. Her grading scheme is extremely confusing and it is always difficult to know where you stand in her class.
She lets her TAs make the tests, and there is almost always a typo or incorrect answer, so grades must be changed. She is a good lecturer, but don't think she cares much whether students learn the material or not. She also changed the curve without actual explanation the day before grades were due and brought many down a whole letter grade.
Currently taking her for human phys. If I could skip class, I totally would, her lectures are useless, reading the textbook is infinitely more helpful, but I can't because of Tophat. She's half lazy, half impossible, and her TAs, who write the test questions, are even worse. Take Sved in the fall. I'm surprised she hasn't been fired yet.
The first day of class she tells you that you should be thrilled to get a C in her class. the tests are very difficult and even with the curve it takes a lot of work to just have a chance to succeed in her class
She was a terrible professor. Her personality was great but, the way her class is structured is absolutely terrible. Her TAs create ALL the exam questions and many of them don't even know the material themselves. The questions are terribly worded and she doesn't even proofread the questions. She's as bad as everyone says.
Dr. Laurel Roberts Man my feelings for this woman have fluctuated many times. All in all however, Dr. Roberts will make you a better pre-health student. She has so many areas of knowledge to pull from that truly proves her intelligence. She will kick your culo in this course however, even for the smartest of students; be careful what you get into.
All of her test questions are terribly worded. My dad is a physician and he thinks the exams are stupid/ridiculous. There has been typos on every exam. The syllabus said an A was a 92 the whole year and she changed it to a 92.5 the Monday of finals week. You can only challenge one question per exam and it has to be submitted via a written form.
Tests are way too hard for what she covers in lectures and expects you to take away from readings. Luckily, if you have a high enough grade before the final, you can waive the final and keep the grade you earned.
Roberts makes lectures interesting, she's really nice and funny. Her exams are hard, but if you focus on the pictures she puts in the slides you can do really well. Human Phys isn't an easy class so don't expect an easy A. She offers a lot of extra points . Lowest quiz and exam grade get dropped.
Dr. Roberts made Human Physiology an enjoyable class to attend and learn from. The lectures are fast paced, so make sure to read before class and come prepared with questions. Exams are based mostly on her powerpoints and are tough. She uses Tophat to grade class participation. She is constantly making jokes and made it an overall enjoyable class.
A lot of people don't like Dr. Roberts because her class is more difficult than other intro bio classes. I really liked her. She was a great teacher and graded fairly as long as you showed up to class and paid attention. If you want and easy A, do not take her.
had to give my class a 10 point curve, but decided the last minute before grades were due to make it only 6 points thanks for telling me that my grade would be changed at the last possible minute best part i had ap credit and didnt even have to take this course just did it because i enjoy biology
She's a good instructor. Obviously the course is hard but she's a great teacher.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!!!!! I took this class not knowing what I was jumping into and boy do I regret it. The book is nothing like what she says in lecture and no matter how much you study you still have a high chance of failing. Worst professor I've had in my entire life. BEWARE OF THE DREAM CRUSHER!!!!!!!
Although this class is very difficult and the questions she asks are more in-depth than other intro to bio courses, she's a good teacher who is easy to pay attention to. The hard part is that it's not just memorization, it's also application. If you want to continue with biology she is the choice for you since you'll be better prepared for bio 2.
There is no homework and we do not know what would be tested and therefore no credit for homework. The test is much difficult than the lecture and the test questions are really wordy and unclear. The lecture has strange organization. Never choose her again.
Dr. Roberts was a great teacher, I may not have cared for her at the time of the class but now I see she was amazing. She always made lectures interesting and was always there to help if you just asked. Her tests could be a challenge but if you learned her style of questions you were fine.
Im not a natural science major and took her class for a natural science gen ed credit. Do not take her class if you are in the same boat. Her lectures dont help with the tests, the tests questions dont relate to what is learned in class or in the foundations book. My friends who are passing other bio classes couldnt even understand her tests.
If youre a pre-med student who needs bio for the future, do not take this class. I went to tutoring & took other classes tests for practice( got 90s) but when talking any of her assessments i always did poorly. She doesnt grade fairly & makes it hard to pass her exams, so i highly recommend a different professor.
She lets her TA's make the tests which leads to questions that are a different level and style than how she teaches in class. The tests always are confusing and have at least 5 or 6 questions that could have more than one answer and later when going over the test, the TA's finally correct their own test. Do not take bio with her.
Dr. Roberts was TERRIBLE. The tests were brutal and extremely hard. The questions were not on the same level as lecture material. The class always averaged less than a 65 b/c the average was "too high" after the first test (72%). Loves to waste class time and then rush through the rest of the powerpoint skipping stuff. Worst class EVER! DON'T TAKE!
You'd have to be a masochist to enjoy a Roberts exam. That being said, she is a sweet lady and gives you plenty of resources to succeed, including an army of TA's and BIDS (go to these!). Yes, she is more difficult than other bio 1 professors, but no use in avoiding her since she will make you a better pre-med/biology student in the long run.
Roberts is a fun, lively person. The only way to do well in her class is to go to lecture and write down everything she says and then study it and pray to the gods. The TAs make the questions and the TAs make a ton of mistakes on the exams, so if you think you are right... you probably are. Overall, fun class made me like ecology a lot.
Dr Roberts teaches a challenging level 1 Bio class. Her tests are difficult, but if you work hard and pay careful attention to the material she covers in lecture you will be well above the class average. It is in your best interest to go and talk to her if you find yourself struggling early on as I did and she will tell you how to succeed.
I'm pretty sure she wants to fail students. Luckily I passed but a majority of the class did not. Do not take this class if you don't need it.
She puts a lot of hard random questions on tests so you will always leave feeling like you failed, but she usually ends up taking those questions back giving you a few points back. The textbook is not used but reading it helps a lot and will put you ahead. Tough class but manageable.
Dr. Roberts is a really great lecturer and I definitely learned so much from her class. The tests were extremely hard, especially compared to other Bio 150 professors. There are many resources to succeed in the course so it is definitely not impossible to pass, but it will take a lot of studying and work.
Dr. Roberts is an excellent lecturer. She gives everything you need to know for the exams to you during lecture; so if you don't go to class, you will not pass. Her tests are very hard, but you can get an A in the class if you usually get around an 86% on each tests and get good grades on quizzes on recitation.
Cool person, but unfair exams and unhelpful in general. Constantly tossing out exam questions she realized were unfair, but still tests you on a chapter she didn't teach in lecture. Will often not explain things because she wants you to figure it out yourself or assumes you have. Doesn't listen/agree when told questions had mult. interpretations
Overall was a difficult class. Tests were based heavily on lecture, so you had to pay attention. However, the TA's were super good and she is friendly and personable when you meet with her outside of class. Easy to get the help you need to not fail!! Recitation points help a lot too
This class was definitely not easy. The exams are mostly written by the TAs and the questions are wordy making it hard to do well. Her lectures are not super interesting or helpful. I don't think she's awful as long as you are prepared to work for your grade. This is not a blow off class and you should attend class bc there are tophat questions.
good teacher, she has good analogies to help you memorize some of the information, lectures can be long, labs are fun, shes a tough grader. Quizlet is one of the only things i found to be unhelpful only 10/130 questions are on the actual tests. The power points are the most accurate as far as testing goes.
Super challenging bio 1 class. She calls herself the dream crusher because she thinks she makes students switch their majors to something other than Pre-Med by having half of the class fail each test (average test scores would range between 60%-75%) Material itself is pretty interesting if youre premed but the tests are impossible to pass.
The material in the class is not particularly difficult or in depth. However, the tests are written in a way to trick you. The highest average on a test was 70% and that was only after she removed questions because so many students got them wrong. Do not take her unless you really like biology and are planning on doing it as a career.
Literally calls herself the Dream Crusher. The material itself is not hard to learn, but the tests are specifically made in a way to trick you. I never got a test grade over 60% and same goes for more than 1/2 the class. She wants you to be challenged and will do all that is in her power to make it that no one gets an A. Always talks about rowing.
Don't take Roberts if you have the option not to. Her class made me have several mental breakdowns this semester and made me want to switch out of my major. If you do decide to take her class, you will now live and breathe bio and if you want anything above a C you will literally have to study every day.
This class is definitely difficult and the multiple choice exams are torturous. But she gives lots of supplemental material (BIDs worksheets especially) that is super helpful if you have the time to do it. If you want to get an A, or even a B, you're gonna have to study a pretty ridiculous amount b/c the tests are so hard, but overall decent prof.
This is definitely a tough class, but if youre willing to work for your grade you should be okay!! The lectures are interesting and you should definitely go because some of the test questions are based off of examples from class. The textbook helped a lot as well if i was ever confused about anything, and she gives lots of other resources as well!
As a sophomore who took Bio 1, I can def say there are worse professors out there than Dr. Roberts. Yes, her exams are difficult. But she also cares about her students and gives plenty of resources (TAs, BIDs, etc) so they can succeed. Study a frequently and effectively and you will get a good grade. That's just how college works.
This Bio 1 class was one of the hardest and unreasonable classes I have ever taken. Her lectures were significantly more simplified than the tests and even if you study for hours, you won't be able to do well on the tests. The outside of class help, such as the TA reviews, are unhelpful because they are ran completely based on student questions.
Dr. Roberts Bio 1 class if of the utmost difficulty. Her tests are extremely difficult with the average on the final exam being a 60%. All of the topics on the test are covered in her interesting lectures, but the questions on the exams are confusing and made to be tricky. She curves the final grades up to 75% at the end of the semester.
Amazing teacher! I took her for Ecology and she made showing up to an 8 am fun and totally worth it. Her exams got progressively harder during the semester, but she really listens to student feedback about the class.
Nice lady and a decent lecturer but the main downside is that her exams are VERY DIFFICULT. But overall it is possible to get a good grade in her class if you put in enough effort
Dr. Roberts is a very good lecturer and she makes it clear what will be important to succeeding in the class. However, her exams are very difficult it is almost like she sets you up to fail every time. This class requires a lot of extra effort and studying. There are many resources outside of class to succeed.
Dr. Roberts is a nice lady and she tries hard to get to know people even in a large class. But her exams are INSANELY HARD and her slides are really vague so when you're in class you have to somehow listen to her lecture, take extremely detailed notes, and answer questions all at the same time. (also no curve which sucks)
Dr. Roberts clearly is knowledgeable in the field of biology and gives articulate and well organized lectures. The problem is that her exam questions are intentionally designed to be confusing and are based on trivial details rather than larger important concepts. I would strongly recommend taking a different Bio 1 professor if possible.
Dr. Roberts is very funny and caring, but she teaches in her own way. Lecture is just sides with pictures as she talks, so be good at notes. Her tests are written by the TAs, and the questions often require deep understanding and application. Lots of office hours and many TAs to help, but being a good test taker is important for her class.
First, she is a good teacher that she respects every one of us. When I ask her questions, she would explain with details. Her exams are hard, really hard. I am a student from Korea and I think this professor is not good for international freshmen because she has too much American slangs and quotes that are hard for foreigners to understand.
Grade is mostly determined by 4 multiple choice exams (final is optional) and in-class quizzes. Lectures are mostly based off the slides, which she does make available. Going to class is still helpful for clarifying what's written. Exams are drawn up by the TAs so there are occasional weird questions that get thrown out.
Dr. Roberts has a great sense of humor, and really tries to become close with her students. However, do not be fooled by her charismatic personality , because the class itself is not charming. You will have to live and breathe the textbook, and study the most minuscule details in order to pass the tests. Beware the dream crusher.
The material covered is what is on the exams, BUT the exam is practical applications, while in class we only learn the generic text book version of processes. There are many hypothetical questions on exams, such as "If an alien had CAM plant chloroplasts, what gasses would its atmosphere consist of during the day versus at night?"
Dr. Roberts definitely makes you work but she is a really good teacher and I enjoyed the class. Everything that she puts on the tests will be said in lecture so you really have to attend class! She has a bad reputation but if you study, utilize office hours, and go to bids (bio in the dorms) you will be successful in her class.
Class was very difficult and you really need to study hard if you want to pass. She has an army of TAs always willing to help and they are very knowledgeable on the subject. Make sure you use all of her resources like the weekly worksheets and quizzes in recitation. Hard to succeed, but doable.
Do not take Dr. Roberts' class if you don't have to. She calls herself the dream crusher and will do just that. To really succeed you will have to devote all of your time toward this class. Her exams require application, when all that is taught are basic terms. MY friends who succeeded with other professors agreed that she is unnecessarily hard.
Dr. Roberts is good lecturer and makes class interesting. However, her tests are extremely hard no matter what you know. Heavy application questions and syfy questions, which only make it more confusing. In the beginning she told us there would definitely be a curve in the class, after the 60average on the final we expected one but no curve. do not
Material emphasized in lecture comprises maybe 30% of exam questions. The remaining 70% comes from tiny, unmentioned, asterisked notes in the corners of PowerPoints and passing mention during long-winded/mostly pointless tangents. Studying is a crap-shoot and the only reason I received the grade I did was because I had a few lucky dice rolls.
Dr. Roberts is a very good lecturer. You definitely need to read the textbook, pay attention in class, and take good notes. Her power points are very helpful and you can ask her questions in class and recitation. She also has lots of TAs if you need extra help. As long as you devote a lot of time to studying (a little bit a day) you should do okay.
Great teacher. She knows biology inside and out and will explain every topic thoroughly. Yes, her tests are difficult but anybody can pass and succeed if you study the right material and devote the proper amount of time. She is also super nice and willing to answer any questions outside of class.
Dr. Roberts was a passionate professor, that cared about her students, and about the class material. Although she often went on tangents, they were very helpful to students going into the medical field, giving real-life examples and uses for the material. Her tests are fair and the TAs prepare you well in exam prep. Easy to pass if you attend class
Dr. Roberts does something that almost no other Pitt professor can: she makes the material interesting. She has a big personality that shines throughout lectures and keeps the student's attention pretty well. If you take good notes in class, you won't need the textbook at all. Sometimes she'll make random, opinionated political remarks, though.
Not the best for human phys. Tests are on small tiny things mentioned in presentation slides and larger more conceptual concepts. Very hard to get an A, and also very hard to learn the material and enjoy it. She has good energy but doesn't explain concepts very well.
I had a tough time with this class, but Dr. Roberts made herself very accessible outside of class. If you take the time to speak with her, she will do what she can to help you understand the material and what you can do to earn back points if you mess up an exam or two.
I've only taken her Foundations of Biology 1 class, during the Fall term of freshman year. Her class is by no means easy, but if you're having trouble, ask her and her TA's for help. Her tests are weird and a lot of the questions can be obscure or poorly worded, but if you go to office hours and BID's, you'll get a feel for how to take her tests.
Roberts is a very strict and hard professor but also has a great personality. She wants to see her students succeed. Do not let the low ratings confuse you. As long as you show up to her lectures and actually take the time to study the material, you should be able to get a good grade. The TAs are amazing! Textbook not necessary but good to have
Comes into class on the first day with "Dream Crusher" on her shirt. She has a great personality and is funny, but she loves the reputation of having a difficult class. Lectures are fast paced and you must note what she says, info on slides is not enough. Exams are very hard, more application based than memorization. Would not take again.
Laurel Roberts is easily the worst professor to take for Foundations. The only grades are from the 4 exams, final, and 5% comes from homework. If you dont score above the average on every test you will not pass the class. The test questions are about obscure details she wont mention in class. Literally take any other professor.
A lot of people hate her as a professor, but if you are looking to learn a lot then take her. She definitely prepares you and gives real world examples instead of just teaching material straight out of the textbook.
One of the best professors at Pitt. Her lectures are so engaging and she truly cares for student understanding. Lots of resources outside the classroom for help. Love Dr Roberts!
I had her for ecology and I wasn't really a fan of her class. she was definitely test heavy, pretty tough, and some of her questions on the exams were kinda tricky which made me doubt my answer. If you are really good at taking exams and don't mind putting in a LOT of hours to prepare for each exam then this class is probably right up your alley
Lots of love for laurel! Shes honestly a great and caring woman who teaches so well!!! Queen!!! Tests arent that bad either just pay attention.
Dr. Roberts is easily the worst prof for bio 1. Obscure questions on exams that she breezes over during lecture. 40 time consuming mc questions in 50 mins. your entire grade is based on how you do on exams. homework only worth 5% of grade. Hard to get in touch with. I emailed her multiple times and never got a reply. Take anyone else you can
TAKE HER FOR ECOLOGY!!! I had doubts bc I took her for bio 1 and got an A- but it was struggle. Ecology was completely different and so much fun!! The tests are pretty straightforward and not that hard at all (I got a 100% on one). Also, I only ever had to study a couple hours the day before for them. The final is also optional which is a plus!!
Dr. Roberts is very smart, but not so great at teaching. Her exams are all multiple choice questions that are very difficult to understand, which makes it nearly impossible to do well on any of them. I do NOT recommend taking a class with her. They say all bio professors are hard, but everyone agrees that she is the worst.
really tough class but excellent teacher. would take again
To be entirely honest, Dr. Roberts is not a horrible person. HOWEVER, I would not recommend taking her the first semester of your freshman year. Her tests are extremely difficult and 90-95% of the exam is medically practical. She provides a study material but the tests are BRUTAL. Avoid this class if you can, but if you can't: good luck.
Very passionate about what she teaches. Very accessible outside of class, holds office hours multiple times a week and is available for individual meetings. Tough grader, exam questions are very specific. She curves the final grades so the average is a 75% meaning a lot of people fail.
Roberts makes lectures interesting and explains things in a clear, concise way. However, Roberts' tests are tricky and are on obscure things that are briefly mentioned in lecture or the textbook. Make sure you memorise all the biological processes AND know how to apply them. Also, she'll say there's a curve but then change how many pts the curve is
Dr. Roberts is a fantastic lecturer and very accessible. She teaches from her notes, but the textbook can help. The TAs are all very helpful, as well, and there are plenty of office hours. The exams are very challenging, and are mostly application-based. If you learn that way, as opposed to by memorization, and A is definitely achievable.
Roberts is tough. Her tests are very specific and based primarily on application and details she mentions in class but doesn't include in the slides that she posts before class. If you want an A I wouldn't recommend, but if you want a good professor who will prepare you for harder courses in the future, I would take her class. (She does curve)
Roberts is amazing! She even offered extra help after the semester ended and said we can meet with her whenever we need to. Class is tough but she does curve. Great teacher and really nice lady.
Dr. Roberts gives awesome lectures. Her tests are application based which can be quite difficult. Though if you go to office hours and BIDS youll get a feel for test questions. She is great to take if you are going into the medical field. You really have to work hard to earn your grade but an A is attainable. Rely on her slides NOT the book.
Best professor Ive had so far. Ive learned so much. It has been a challenge to earn an A but the class was worth taking.
I took Dr. Roberts for bio 1, and I enjoyed the class and learned a lot. Although the material is difficult, if you go to office hours and BIDs you can definitely do well. Dr. Roberts and her TA's are very accessible and will help you as much as they can as long as you ask!
I was very scared to take her after hearing about her Bio 1 class, but ecology was completely fine. I put in very minimal effort, an A is definitely attainable if you put in effort. She really wanted us all to do well and gave us a lot of points just for funsies.
Do NOT take Dr. Roberts Bio0150 class. I made the mistake to enroll for her course in my first semester of college. Firstly, she introduces herself as the "dream crusher", and she definitely fits the title. Secondly, her exams are very difficult and she does not explain concepts well either. Take any other professor for Biology.
Roberts was a good teacher who gets respect. Her tests were challenging but not unfair. She wants you to succeed, but people get upset when they don't want to put in the effort to do well in a college level class. Biology is hard and takes effort but Roberts want to help you
Dr. Roberts is a very fair instructor. Her exams are challenging, but are fair and straightforward. She gives you the tools to succeed in her course, and the points outside of the exams are very achievable. Her lecture slides and textbook were the most important materials for the class. The book is a must read, and you need to apply the knowledge.
Although her exams are VERY difficult, she is a good teacher and I learned a lot from her class. You can't skip lecture or else you'll be lost, and you do need to put in a decent amount of work outside of class to do well. She has a TON of TAs that are very helpful. She is also a very kind and funny person.
Dr. Roberts' class is a weedout class plain and simple. Her test were literal hell, and if you don't know how to study correctly you won't pass them. That being said she is an amazing woman so go to her office hours (it def helped my grade!!) Her TAs are extremely valuable too. Put in the work and you'll be ok. Also she curves final grades a lot.
This class was literally the hardest class I have ever taken. Had over a 4.0 in high school and took AP Biology. I went to tutoring, bids, office hours every single week. Never missed a lecture. Still had to retake this class. If you want to pass, take someone else.
She is the professor for you if you plan on going premed. Although Roberts class was definitely a tough one, you will always remember what she teaches, but you must work for it. You will gain such a great background and understanding in biology. Pay close attention! - she will casually say "this will be a good test question" hint hint.
Dr. Roberts was a great lecturer and kept things interesting in a 2.5 hour class. You may seem like you're drowning in the material because there is so much but she is willing to help you if you do not understand something. My biggest advice for this class is to DO THE EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENTS they are a blessing in the end.
Laurel Roberts bio 1 class KILLED me. It was a weed-out class for pre-med students and refers to herself as the dream crusher. My first sem of college was nearly ruined by her. If you do choose to be in this class utilize her TAs!!! They saved me and I was able to barely pass because of them. Best of luck if you choose to take her class.
Dr. Roberts's class was hard but worth taking. Her exams are not to hard, and the questions will seem more straightforward if you study for the "right" things. To know what that is make sure you listen/take notes well during lecture(she gives hints on what you will see on the exam), go to office hours, & make sure to do Cerego!
Unfortunately not a good professor. Asks questions in the slides presented but the doesn't answer them which I thought impeded learning. You are not able to speed up the narrated slides which are 80% of the class content and is done on your own time which is super annoying because she talks very slowly. Needs to adjust to online learning.
Great lecturer and good person, but extremely difficult class. She calls herself the "dream crusher" and prides herself on being tough. Her exams are hard, but get easier as they go since the topics get easier. The final was literally impossible. Good luck.
She's alright, not too hard, but definitely not easy. Assume that anything she discusses in the lecture will show up on a quiz. Be prepared for weirdly competitive peers and talking to the TA bc she doesn't have a lot of time to give outside of lecture.
Dr. Roberts is one of the toughest professors I've had here at Pitt, but I can say that I walked away from that class knowing so much more about biology than before. She teaches exactly what's on her exams, TA's are extremely helpful and all want you to succeed. This is a weed-out class and she definitely makes sure you know that.
The class isn't that hard, but there is a lot to memorize and understand. The textbook is a great resource and very helpful for studying for exams. Also the Cerego program she provides is key. Her lectures are fine, maybe a little slow, but Dr. Roberts clearly cares for her students and makes for a great atmosphere during lecture, even over Zoom.
Will make tests with mistakes and won't give points back despite her knowing it is wrong. Timed exams and expects you to have enough time to log onto a zoom meeting so you get the correct answer choices. If you bring up a mistake in the exam, she will justify she is right because of her degree.
Dr. Roberts has a vibrant personality that makes her lectures very interesting. Reading the textbook and doing cerego is helpful, but her lecture material is where most quiz questions come from. Her quiz questions can be worded poorly and she is very against returning points for that kind of thing, but besides that she's a solid choice for bio 2.
Dr. Roberts handled online classes really well! If you take good notes during lecture (and pay attention to the details), you won't need to use the book. Practice with the flashcards she assigns and stay on top of the information. She can be a bit snippy at times but overall is a good choice for Biology!
Dr. Roberts is probably the best STEM professor I've ever taken. Super friendly and easygoing person and she is very straightforward with her grading and lecture material. Take her if you have the chance!
If you take notes on her lectures, you will do well on the quizzes. Very nice and understanding professor. I think she is great, and would love to take her again in the future.
Dr. Roberts was one of the best bio professors I had. Her grading criteria was very fair and if work hard your grade will come thru. Recommendations on getting an A: make cerego doc, redo quizzes/ worksheets, read corresponding chapters and take notes, rewatch lecture, make one-page study guide for each presentation (helps for the final)
Dr. Roberts was the best bio2 professor. I noticed some holes in her lectures but if you read the corresponding chapters you can easily do well. ATTEND CLASS! There be some extra credit! The Final is VERY HARD so make sure you have a solid grade before you take the final because it will only go down. Overall, her class is very doable!
Dr. Roberts is enjoyable listen to and interact with during lecture, but her quizzes are written to be challenging and the final is quite difficult, so make sure to keep your grade as high as possible going into the final. There is opportunity to earn credit in other parts of the class, but overall your grade is determined by your test scores.
Roberts is a solid choice for Bio II. Her class was very straightforward and I think it really sets students up for success. Shes an engaging lecturer, too. If you pay attention in lecture + read the textbook + do Cerego + redo recitation worksheets, youll get a good grade. Her quizzes were fair.
Most of your grade will be decided by a few quizzes plus the final, but she gives you chances for extra credit and allows you to drop your worst quiz grade. The other part of your grade(hw+recitation) is a guaranteed 100% if you just do it. Tests aren't bad if you read the textbook and pay attention.
Grading system is fair overall. 30% of your grade is participation quizzes/cerego, so it's easy to get a 100 there. She offered 3 bonus points in total which were really helpful with boosting my quiz average. Quizzes were fair overall, to prep review her slides, lectures, recitation quiz questions, and recitation discussion questions.
Dr. Roberts' class was great! Her lectures were always interesting and engaging, even with the long duration, and she was a very helpful professor. Also, weekly quizzes instead of exams are certainly a bonus, and as long as you studied and did the Cerego homework/practice worksheets, you'd do well.
I was afraid of taking her at first, and there was a time where I was worried about my grades. However, she lets you drop your lowest quiz score. There was one class where she was in the wrong and would not admit it. The final was difficult. I feel that she prepared me for future bio courses.
Clear/fair grading system but poorly written test questions that don't always coincide with what was discussed in lectures. Found myself relying heavily on the textbook for better explanations; she came off as very condescending and unhelpful (her TA's also unhelpful w/ answering questions), would not recommend. You'll have to put in the work!!
With 6 quizzes (drop the lowest), a final exam, plus recitation & hw grades that were based solely on participation, the grading was fair and it was not hard to do well. Dr. Roberts is super nice and engaging. I did not find her previous reviews of being a "dream crusher" to be true. Some quiz questions were poorly worded, but lots of extra credit
Fantastic STEM prof! She really makes a lecture engaging and extremely intelligent. Very encouraging if you talk to her in office hours. Highly recommend
This was an okay class. In my opinion, the only way to get an A is to attend Dr. Robert's office hours frequently, complete all worksheets, and study lecture powerpoints word for word consistently. If you budget time in your schedule to do all these things for this class, an A or B is certainly achievable. Good luck.
Great choice for Human Phys. Lecture Topics and PowerPoints are scattered and not necessarily organized. This can make a hard time learning concepts. Not the best lecturer, but does a good job. Tests make up 75% of the grade. Attendance is mandatory during "TA Time" which is literally USELESS! Pretty good though.
Dr. Roberts is definitely a caring teacher and genuinely loves what she teaches which is why I liked her class so much. Granted the 5 exams that were given were not easy, they were still manageable with enough studying. (1 exam is dropped and I suggest you drop the final as it was the hardest exam :/) make sure you listen to what will be on the tes
Dr Roberts is a great choice. Shes very engaging and I learned a lot. Theres only one TA that knows the material so go to him with questions. Test questions come from what was covered so no surprises.
I took Laurel Roberts with Paul Mlogeski as the TA. This class isnt an easy A but very straightforward. I used the textbook and lectures. She is very kind and either she or the TA are always available by email. My favorite class this semester. Good choice of a professor.
you had to take excellent notes on specific topics that Dr. Roberts covered in her lectures, because you will be tested. Once you get used to her testing style (all application, multiple choice), you gotta study, but you can do okay. Just depends on the depth of your understanding of the material because she will go deep with questions.
She’s a very good teacher. Lectures are not boring and I can follow along with the book. Tests can be tricky so it requires studying. Try to get paul as your TA.
do not take her. she is not what everyone makes her out to be. her exams are nothing like what you learn, her pp have minimal info. you need to memorize everything she says. Sosa her TA is the worst. I will never understand how Pitt finds these biology profs.
I love Dr. Roberts! imy experience seems to be different than most others, but she is very smart and I love hearing about her experiences as a woman of color in science. She's very funny and smart, and the massive amount of TA's have office hours nearly every day. Everything on the exams is mentioned at least 1 time in lecture, just pay attention
Prepare to be a mind reader if you want a good grade; I only got an A because I could guess the right answer, not because I used what I learned. She has questions that are irrelevant to the course, require ridiculous trivial memorization, or have confusing answers (2 or more right answers or NO right answers) but expects you to just know. Terrible.
prof is well versed in ecology & evolution. i found the genetics units FAR more difficult & confusing. lecture slides were disorganized and packed with information, making it hard to find big ideas and tie together important information, especially since dr roberts did not present the content with confidence. exams are also confusing, but mcq
Roberts is much better at teaching evolution that genetics. She tests on examples instead of understanding content. She did not respect students and refused on multiple occasions to answer questions after she asked if anyone had questions. Exams confused me even when I understood content. Very disorganized lecture slides. TA writes exams.
she absolutely sucks. her grading is awful and her tests almost never line up with the actual material. her TA's do EVERYTHING for her, and even they aren't the best either (minus a few good ones). the class is extremely poorly ran with lectures that a second grader could explain better.
"Sorry, im not really an expert on this." - Dr. Laurel Roberts "this" = the class material all jokes aside: Roberts is disorganized. She does not know the material well and shows her disinterest until you start ecology and evolution. Her slides are just pictures from an old version of the textbook with words jambled around in different fonts.
this class gave me a huge headache. her slides are very out of order and do not give any help to the tests. my biggest tip: MAKE SURE TO LOOK AT THE TEXTBOOK! that's how i managed to learn anything in this class. go over the content after class on your own as well. the tests were stupidly hard as well and VERY application based
Do not take. Condescending and unhelpful when answering questions during lecture (if she answers them at all). Exams are poorly worded and confusing and there is no room for error (also her TAs write her exams). Her slides are confusing and unorganized. Exams test on very specific examples from class she mentioned once. She is the dream crusher.
I think her slides are a little convoluted, and some of her questions on the exam are extremely specific. It is possible to get an A, but it is hard and takes a lot of time. She wants to make sure you are committed to STEM and is not lenient. However, I don't think it is as bad as everyone says.
Dr. Roberts's Bio 2 class is certainly challenging. Listen carefully to her lectures and write down EVERYTHING that she says in class. Her seemingly random tangents can make an appearance as an exam question. Look at the in class exam practice questions that she gives. Go to her own office hours because TAs often give conflicting information.
Dr. Roberts was an amazing professor but her class was definitely difficult. I loved her but I understand the low ratings. One big piece of advice I have is to take advantage of her TAs, they submit questions to her, some of which she actually puts on the exams (TAs don't write all Qs). 4 midterms(drop 1)& 1 final. Go for office hours if you can!
Dr. Roberts wasn't the best lecturer, but the exams were not that hard and if you enjoy ecology, the content was interesting. Not the best professor, but you'll learn some things and pass pretty easily.
~Dr. Roberts is a very good lecturer. A huge team of TAs is available for help outside of the classroom. All exam questions come from the lecture. Not necessary to read the book unless you need clarification. No bonus. 4 exams (drop 1), mandatory final. Each exam 20% of grade and 40 MC ?s. Remaining 20% is participation for homework and recitation.
Awful. Do not take her for human physiology! Tests were extremely difficult. She is extremely rude and condescending when talking to students. Cannot question her. I had a good bg of anatomy and neuro and still did poorly due to her policies and questions. No office hours, too many TAs (some helpful, but didn't know what was going on). NEVER AGAIN
Dr. Roberts was a solid choice for Bio 0150. Her tests are exactly what we covered in her slides, but beware - a lot of her test questions are application questions (so you REALLY need to know the material). Sometimes TA made questions taught completely wrong material, which was not great. But overall, don't be worried to take the class.
Where to begin? Lectures are a bit disorganized and she doesn't explain concepts clearly; she makes a point of refusing to answer the questions she poses in class, leaving everyone confused; exams are poorly written and measure subject understanding poorly; and even her own TAs can't explain the answers to the questions.
Dr. Roberts' class is a fair and solid choice academically. I attended lectures and studied heavily for exams to finish with an A-. Exam questions require some thinking/application, so learn the material well. Sometimes lectures were difficult to follow because the slides were disorganized and answers to practice questions were not given.
Dr. Roberts is a good lecturer, but her class is very disorganized. She would often rush through concepts towards the end of her slideshows. Her TA-led portions of the class are very disorganized and unnecessary. Her exams are a gamble, with many questions being sloppily written, incorrect, or confusing. She is also very defensive and rude.
This class was difficult. With that being said, you will learn a tremendous amount of material in this class. While her lectures can be a bit disorganized at times, the test questions come directly from her lecture slides. Go to lecture, read the textbook, and go to her TA office hours.
This professor is incredibly disorganized and stubborn. Her lectures are ill-prepared and confusing (use Youtube videos). Exams are the main part of your grade, but she doesn't know how to write clear exam questions and undergraduate TAs are responsible for writing some of the exam questions. When mistakes are pointed out, she won't admit them.
She's much better at teaching ecology than she is at DNA. She refused to answer students' questions in class. Tests were on specific examples, and she tests obscure concepts. She's a frustrating lecturer because she herself doesn't know a lot of what she teaches (especially DNA). You have to learn how she operates to do well in the class.
This class was more stressful than necessary. Note slides were disorganized and some important topics were skimmed over. Exam questions were confusing and frequently had to be re-graded. Handouts/ supplementary materials were also confusing and it was hard to get straight answers to questions at times. The TAs were pretty helpful.
I thought her lectures were very clear. Tests reflected what we saw in class. Pray you get Paul as your TA. I feel prepared with the material.
Dr. Roberts went off on random tangents throughout class, but she was not too bad. Her tests were not bad as long as you studied a lot and used the TAs for help. Utilize your resources and put the time in and you will be fine.
She was extra for no reason. Praised herself for a low class average as if she's bragging like her class is hard. All of her exams come from her lectures so you don't need to read the book. Listen to what she says. Demeaning, degrading, and discrediting are all adjectives to describe student regards. Attitude is a no but her class is OK barely
Show up and do the practice problems she assigns and you will slay the house down boots. Love her.
Roberts was honestly pretty fun to take, just be prepared for anything in the lecture to show up on the tests. Once you get to ecology the class gets easier. The quizzes in recitation are good preparation. If you go to office hours the night before the test, the TAs will tell you all the content you need to know for it. Paul is a great TA.
Dr. Roberts had engaging lectures and I learned the most I have learned in a class at Pitt in her human physiology class. Her slides are VERY dense and she tests on details in the figures, so make sure you study and understand each slide. Otherwise, she is clear with what will be on tests and quizzes, and homework is 10% of your grade. Great prof!
Content is hard and her lectures are very dense. She can be a quick lecturer, but always takes time to stop and answer many questions during class. She is very clear on what content to expect on the exams (still difficult) and she posts lots of practice problems. I did not find her TAs very helpful, but with the practice problems you're set
Dr. Roberts is very educated, but she is rude to you when you are confused. She does not like to change her ways and is never open to any feedback. The class itself is kind of meh but be prepared for a professor with a major attitude and fixed mindset.
Human physiology was a tough class. But Dr Roberts and Paul made it really fair especially when we had a sub for a few lectures. Lots of extra credit given. Our class agreed that our well being was thought of. Nothing was unfair. Expect to study but nothing surprising
Would not recommend. She is condescending, gives limited points (160/180 points are tests), and you have to do a lot of learning outside of class because there are gaps in the lecture material. Tests are difficult and sometimes confusing. Will give example questions in class but not tell the answer unless someone asks, so not helpful for learning.
I don't really like Roberts but she is better than some of the other options for bio 2 I think. There are four exams (one of which is dropped), and then a mandatory final. There are weekly recitation quizzes graded on completion only. Also the cerego homework which is time consuming but sometimes helpful. The majority of TAs were horrible.
She does not provide answers to problem sets unless someone raises their hand and asks for an explanation. She also does that while having regular lectures. She puts the blame on students for not using office hours. Aren't office hours suppose to be used for better learning, only after we learned everything we were supposed to learn?
I really liked Laurel Roberts as lecturer. Her tests were fairly difficult but she had passion for what she teached. If you put in the work, you can succeed.
Literally so condescending. Does not respect students and gets defensive when you ask questions about the exam, often refuses to even answer them. Never proofreads tests so its difficult to even comprehend the question. Recitation quizzes are never updated and wont even contain material you learned. Cerego also is never updated and is unhelpful
Roberts clearly cares about her students however her lectures can get off topic easily. Her tests are mostly based directly from her lecture slides, however, grade is composed mostly of exam grades. Final is mandatory and one of the four unit exams is able to be dropped.
Difficult class but manageable if you put in the work/time. Lecture slides often felt random & incomplete. I had to read the book/use AP Bio notes to teach myself & make connections. Exams weren't too hard, but questions were worded poorly & difficult to interpret. Office hours & TAs were helpful.1st 2 exams are hard, but last 2 exams are easier.
Dr. Roberts is condescending and makes a lot of inappropriate comments in lecture. She searches for reasons to not give points back for unfair questions. In lecture she doesn't answer questions, she just says she isn't sure and to ask a TA. Study everything on the slides even if she says you don't need to know it, go to TA office hours.
She was so incredibly rude to students. I asked her to round my final grade by .5 and her response was just "no". Her exams were so awfully worded and confusing, she seemed to just want everyone to fail. Even if you know material, she gives you trick questions that screw you over. All the TA's were bad and rude as well.
Lectures were bland and honestly it was hard to stay engaged sometimes. She made a lot of weird inappropriate comments, which I don't mind usually, but she did it basically every lecture she taught. She's not a very good question writer for exams and she's also a tough grader, which is a rough combo. Easy to pass, hard to ace.
Despite Roberts having a somewhat good reputation among prior students, DO NOT TAKE HER. She is extremely rude in person and through emails. Everyone thought her final was incredibly hard, and it lowered some peoples' grades by a whole letter. She does not give extra credit so the tests that are 80% of your grade actually count. Again, DO NOT TAKE.
I already have a solid baseline of Bio from highschool and even got a 5 on the AP test. However, the questions on some of her tests were very difficult and would not have proper explanations. Do not take her unless you want 80% of your grade to be tests. She is also very rude and inappropriate.
Exams were tough, but passable. Some questions were questionable, and did not pertain to anything that was mentioned during lecture.
Her lectures and slides are confusing, especially when there is little extra reinforcement in recitation or homework. Final grade is based almost entirely on exams, which are purposefully tricky and have many errors and typos. Most questions are application based, so memorizing course material isn't very helpful.
(DO ANATOMY 1ST) Just taking notes in class? You'll likely pass exams (mult choice, drop 1/5). Actually study? % in 80s-90s is very doable! Don't be intimidated by the OR quizzes or exams bc she gives out MANY review worksheets (not graded). Due to a bad subtitute, she gave us EC, but without it, my score would still be ok (B+) without much effort.
Felt like I couldn't approach her because she was just so rude and condescending. Tests were worded weirdly/confusing and often contained errors. Final was very difficult. Had to frequently teach myself the material and I put in A LOT of effort in this class and still didn't do as well as I hoped I would. Quizzes and Cerego didn't really help much.
I took Dr. Roberts because I heard she was amazing. I respect her and she has a great story, however I would not take this teacher again if possible. 80% of our grades were hard tests, and you can drop 1 but not the final. It was a veryyy hard class, because the tests were super hard. I didn't like the lectures much either.
Wasn't the biggest fan of Dr. Roberts. She definitely did a better job with the last two units than the first. Exams were pretty easy, but some questions made no sense. Had to rely on my previous knowledge of AP Bio to get through this class. 160/200 points are from exams and you can drop 1 of the 4 midterms (but not the final).
Laurel and her TAs do not care much about the performance of their students. When students come to them for help, they usually brush them off or vaguely answer the questions since they do not know the answers themselves. Do not take this course because some of the questions do not make any sense no matter how well you know the information.
Dr. Roberts is an amazing lecturer with ecology (U3-4), but terrible with genetics/dna (U1-2). As a result, her first two exams are very difficult, but the last two are manageable. Exams are very word heavy (many paragraphs for a single question). You have to put in the work; I had a very busy sem, but I believe I could've done better w more time.
READ. THE. TEXTBOOK. Not everything on her exams is covered in class. The way her exams are worded is tricky, and you need to know details of the content. Do the worksheets too (helpful for open responses). Has a very dry and sarcastic humor that is not for everyone. She is very accessible through email and office hours. Exam averages are horrid.
your grade is 60 percent tests with 20 as cerego and recitation with the final also 20 percent. Take good notes and be able to apply the content and connect other topics. go to the office hours and ask questions because learning the content and not knowing how to apply it will not help you on the exams (40 multiple choice) she does no extra credit
Wasted a lot of lecture time on topics that were not important for the exams, and was nasty to students when they asked questions in class sometimes. You could tell for some units she did not fully know the topics well, and explained them poorly. Her exams always had at least one mistake, and the questions on the final were annoyingly complicated
Roberts is disorganized (and rude) during lectures so I had to go over the slides many times before exams. Her exams are application so difficulty depends on how well you understand her brain. I did well on exams but the final was unfair because the questions and case studies were shuffled out of order for some test versions and not others.
Bio 2 was an easy A if you payed attention to her lectures and went to office hours. I learned a lot
Personally thought she was really rude...poor responses to emails, and she plus some of her TAs gave me attitude when I tried to ask for help. I'm normally a good test taker, but her tests were very difficult for me. I took notes in class, went to office hours, and read the textbook, but nothing helped. She also makes her class a bell curve
Just wasn't for me. Tests were a huge percentage of the grade and were poorly written with multiple mistakes. Like even the final had mistakes on it. For some reason, the UTA's are a huge part of the curriculum even though they're... just UTA's? Lots of wasted class time.
Dr. Roberts is a pretty nice person and has an great grading system (fives exams but you get to drop one + lots of extra credit and quizzes). However, exams can be confusing and questions try to trick you. Also, she is too overly focused on making people participate and will get annoyed if you don't. Also rarely gives answers to practice problems.
dr roberts comes off as rude and dismissive. her lectures are incredibly disorganized and she mentions small details once then tests on them. tests are difficult even if u take notes on every lecture and study, questions often had answers that conflicted lecture or textbook. take another professor if u can
Had Roberts for Bio2, liked her better for Phys. Lots of material but I just reviewed the lecture slides the weekend before each exam, got all A/Bs, was able to drop the final. In class quizzes are easy, 5% extra credit avail. She can be a harsh person but would recommend as a professor. Wrote down everything she said in class next to the slides.
I absolutely enjoyed this class. Dr. Roberts made all the lectures super engaging and all of the exams were very reasonable with regards to the lecture material. Dr. Roberts is also a super nice person and is absolutely hilarious, so this class was an absolute blast. The extra credit and in class assignments/homework were a very nice grade boost.
Do not take her. Very condescending and will not answer questions.
She was ok. She's funny. Her TA, Paul, I found to be more helpful. Her UTAs are rly involved for some reason and some are rly condescending when you ask questions. Ive seen them laugh at people multiple times. Exams are fair. Sometimes content on exams wouldn't be in textbook, so def go to class. I don't recommend for bio 2, maybe another class tho
Fall 2022: She was a nice lady & brought humor to class that kept things kind of lively. The HW system was very helpful for solidifying basic concepts before moving onto test preparation. She did not allow us to keep tests, but we could access them during office hours and take notes on what we got wrong. Phys is hard, but she helped the experience!
do not recommend
Exams (40 questions total for each and 80% of your grade) were difficult. 3/4 would be standard and if you were in class and studied you'd be fine. 1/4 was difficultly worded and it was hard to decide between two good answers. You had to really understand her thought process and unfortunately, I never did. She's a good professor, just not for me.
Grade is based off 80% exams. No extra credit, no curve. I study about 25+ hours for each exam and still run into questions that I wasn't prepared to answer based on what we covered in lecture. No practice exams and very little practice questions available. Exams are 40 MC. Great person, but not a great option for a prof.
Don't take this class. As a hardworking student, I have never been so frustrated by a course at Pitt. Once during lecture, Roberts looked at a slide and said "Yeah, I don't really know what I wanted to say here" and moved on. No matter how much you study, it never will be enough. Be prepared to get a lower grade than you usually do on stem courses.
Grade is 80% exams. 40 MC that feel unfair based on practice and lecture material given. Doesn't explain concepts well and slides don't have much information. Don't take for BIO160.
Worst class I have taken. Slides consists of a photo from the textbook. Explanations of slides consist of "you should know this". Exams are very difficult and refuses to admit when there are mistakes by claiming the textbook is wrong. Questions are application based so you can study and still not be prepared. Provides no practice for exams.
Very exam-heavy. Allowed to drop your lowest exam and lowest recitation homework. Questions on exams are tricky and more of reading comprehension than actually testing your knowledge. Each exam is forty questions wrong. The Final was also forty questions. Answers to questions on lecture slides were never given.
She was nice. Though her lectures were vague and she would put it on the exam. The exams were not easy, 40 questions in 50 minutes with long questions. No room for extra credit. Homework was easy, had a long time to do it. 80% of the grade is on exams. 5 total exams, but only 4 counts.
Overall, Dr. Roberts was a fine professor. I was not the biggest fan of her style of teaching. The subject was not too hard to understand but the questions asked on exams were sometimes unreasonable or unclear. There was 2.5% of extra credit that you could get and that really helped my grade. I am quite glad to be done with ecology. Optional final.
You can get a good grade in this class if you put in a lot of work. However, Roberts is not a good lecturer and spends too much time on minute details while not explaining complicated systems that actually appear on the exams. Doesn't know a lot about the content(if you ask questions not explicitly on slides she won't know) and she is rude.
The UTAs will sometimes say inaccurate content, and Roberts can sometimes be condescending and difficult to reach. But if you go to lectures listen carefully because the puts the specific examples she says on the tests and you would only know by going to lecture. Review lecture slides and practice exams to best prepare for exams.
This is by far the most difficult class I have taken at Pitt and was made way more difficult than it had to be. Roberts is often rude and does not provide explanations for many of her slides in lecture. Lecture slides have the bare minimum information that is just copy and pasted from the textbook she then claims is wrong.
I would not recommend Dr. Roberts to anyone. She makes her class incredibly confusing by always contradicting herself, and only puts pictures on her slides with no words. She is often very rude to her students and will never explain the answer to a question unless someone asks. Overall a very stressful class.
Disagree with the people saying she's rude, but yeah not a great lecturer. A lot of exams questions are based on random details on slides that she didn't even bring up in class. Doesn't really explain things well, I did best in this class when I learned from youtube videos and TAs. Will ask practice questions but then won't even give the answer.
Horrible exams, you have to know what she wants and pick the answer you think she will like. Often, there was more than one correct answer. Overall, easy enough class. Cerego is annoying but not hard. The ICAs were easy and you were given the questions beforehand. She values class participation. Slides were basically only pictures, so go to class.
(took pass/fail and passed) her lecture slides just have diagrams with no info?? if u dont take good notes its impossible to figure out what she wants u to know. the exams arent TERRIBLE if u take the class super seriously. there is extra credit, cerego, ICA, and an exam drop for grade boosts which is helpful. human phys is a super cool subject tho
Dr. Roberts is one of the best professors that I have had. Her lectures are engaging and she is very knowledgeable and passionate about the class content. The exams are extremely fair and you get one drop which is generous. Also, Dr. Roberts connects with her students and knows many of us by name. She is the absolute best! Would recommend!!
If avoidable, AVOID. She made simple topics so confusing, would contradict herself, put most of the work on TAs, would ramble(making it difficult to understand what is being discussed), soo many test errors, just overall a really bad experience and would never hold herself accountable. It's a foundational class, so its important, take someone else!
Steer clear of her whenever you can. She would overcomplicate straightforward concepts and frequently contradicted her own teachings. Her TA's essentially ran the class, despite them not being adequately versed in the content. Her exams were notorious for their difficulty, riddled with convoluted questions and rampant errors throughout.
I love bio and did great in bio 1, but bio 2 with Roberts was actually terrible. Her lectures were awful, her slides are messy and confusing and you basically need to teach yourself the material. Her exams were equally as terrible, the qts are long and confusing and you're rushed for time. Averages in low B range and no curve. She's also just mean.
100% recommend Roberts! Her grading is fair and gives opportunity to get points that aren't just tests. She is very sweet and funny. Tests are all very fair and you get one drop. Overall, she's the best option for bio 2 and doesn't require as much work as the other classes.
Do not take her. Her lectures are very unorganized. The slides do not make sense and are very randomized, but that is what we get tested on..? Exams are 80% of your final grade. 10% recitation and 10% Cerego. I do not recommend, I put so much time toward
She is the WORST professor you will ever come in counter with. Her exams have incorrect information and you are tested on info that is not bio 2 material that isn't in the book. She also relies so heavily on the UTAs who give wrong info. She is rude and disrespectful, and when you find something incorrect on exams, she will tell you you're wrong.
Not only is she rude, she's also a terrible professors. Her exams do not reflect material learned, and exams include information from "guest speakers" that are not in the book, so if you don't catch it when the say it good luck on the exams. Her exams have typos which make you get wrong answers, but she won't change your grade.
If you want to do well in bio 2, do not take her. I loved bio 1, but she completely destroyed any love I had for bio. She tries to be funny, but in all reality she is just rude. She seems to have no idea what she's talking about, and her slides and exams reflect that. Incorporates the UTAs too much, and they told me wrong information on an exam
Each question on an exam is half a percent. Exams are 40 questions and 50 minutes, but you don't get the exam until 2 mins after class starts, and 3 mins before the exam ends, she tells that "if you're not standing up you'll fail the exam" which stressed everyone out and makes them do worse. She's so awful and rude, whatever you do, avoid her.
I loved Bio, and did very good in Bio 1. I expected the class to be harder, but instead found the material easy to comprehend. But, when tested, the tests were riddled with questions that had ambiguous answers and neither Dr. Roberts nor her TA would admit that. She was very disorganized and honestly, just a mean person. Don't take this class!
Try to avoid her class if you can. Tests are difficult since they are application based but she only teaches the concepts. Has very few practice problems besides the ones on the slides and recitation. She has a team of UTAs but the stuff they say isn't always correct. Go to her office hours if you can, she sometimes gives hints about exam content.
Exams are very difficult in both content and timing. The questions felt like riddles and were very ambiguous. You can drop 1 exam except the final. When she actually lectured it was helpful, but time was often wasted with UTA presentations, videos, and group collaboration. I think it's passable with studying, but can be challenging for sure.
Lectures were extremely shallow in comparison to exams. Reading the textbook is a must. Taking the exams felt like trying to solve riddles, and exams are also weighted 80% of our grade. I worked hard in this class and didn't see results. I would take another professor that has more fair exams and a better weighting system. Don't waste your time.
Dr Roberts is a very nice person, but her lectures were lacking material that would show up on exams. Would spent 20+ hours studying for an exam just to barely pass it. Relied heavily on UTAs to teach stuff she did not go over.
The tests were fair; make sure to read the textbook from time to time. They were all multiple choice & you could drop your lowest score. There were a bunch of UTAs but they weren't really helpful. She sometimes calls on people :/
Her slides are super messy and the exams are only based off lectures. Need to go to lecture but they are such a waste of time as she will stay on one slide for half the time or ONLY answer questions when that should be done in office hours. Tests are made harder than necessary. 80% of your grade are exams, so only take if you are a good test taker!
Dr. Roberts class will definitely test you! Come to class prepared and ready to take notes cause the stuff she lectures and appears on the exam will not be on the slides. Her exams are more difficult then they should be and contain so many mistakes. Go to the uta office hours and wish yourself good luck before an exam!!!!!
Definitely an interesting experience. Found that the class was significantly harder than it needed to be but there were a lot of resources given to succeed. Found it hard to pay attention in lecture and a lot of times she just expected us to understand. Would take her again though she is funny and I learned a lot.
She changed our final exam grades even when she told us that the grades were finalized. Went from a B to a C+. Avoid this class. Avoid her. Wait to take Bio 2 if needed.
I'm not sure why anyone would complain. This class was great. Her lectures were easy to pay attention to and exams were really easy if you took notes and studied. Would take her again any class she teaches.
Got a lot of false hope from her. Attended office hours, read the book/slides, etc. only to not do as well as I hoped on exams despite being confident in my knowledge. The material is not crazy hard; it's her odd exams. Got defensive when students exposed issues. I'm satisfied with my grade but the class frustrated me way more than it should have.
Dr. Roberts is funny and super engaging, but you are expected to think like her to get the correct answer on exams. She knows what she's talking about, and you'll understand the lecture and the material, but then you'll sit in front of your test and be super confused. It's hard to improve on test scores and most people got the same grade on 4 exams
Vague/unclear explanations. Said we need to apply concepts yet didn't prepare us or give practice to do this. Unfair exams: poorly worded, different start times. Understanding the material isn't good enough for the exams unless you can read her mind. Refused to explain some test questions since she knew she was wrong. Defensive and unhelpful.
I don't agree with a lot of comments. Yes, the tests were incredibly difficult and borderline unfair, but that was done to prepare students for harder bio classes. She's a pretty good lecturer (just answers useless questions for too long) and does want her students to succeed. Probably better for upper level bios where she has more experience.
Roberts was ok. Of the options, she might have been best for 2 but not sure. 60% of your grade is tests. Lecture slides were disorganized and not my favorite and she answers questions for far too long, I hardly learned anything in lecture, ever. Tests were easy sometimes but also always had mistakes. Grad TA Paul honestly carried class in the end.
She is so unclear in her lectures and doesn't speak in full sentences. Her exams are horrible and doesn't give clear answer choices, many of the questions depend on how you perceive the question. Also, she messed up the grading of the finals twice for the entire class.
She's a good lecturer and the class is interesting, but she can be rude and stubborn. There were five exams, drop one (including the final) with weekly in class assessments that you see the prompts for beforehand and opportunities for extra credit. Exams are mostly fair and somewhat difficult but she will not budge on poorly written questions.
Professor Roberts' class is challenging, but engaging. Attend lectures and use resources like unstuckstudy ai to stay on top of the material. Exams can be tricky, but if you put in the work, you'll learn a lot.
I loved Dr. Robert's but can admit she's not for everyone. You can't memorize, you need to understand the concepts to do well on tests. I could've did better in a different class, but I enjoyed her lectures and her slides were accurate to the test (mostly). Take good notes and do the recitation homework. Her class is hard, not impossible.
She was the worst professor I have ever had. I studied all material weeks prior to the exam and stayed on top of the learning, yet it was never enough to reflect on exams. Exams were 40 MC questions, some which were easier, most being long questions that took a while to answer. We had 50 mins, and said she would fail us if we finished late.
Dr Roberts is great for Ecology and actually ended up being one of my favorite professors this semester. Her tests aren't bad and they are very fair but you need to study. She gives a lot of extra credit too which is amazing!!!
She is kind but her lectures are set up frustratingly. Random info crammed onto slides, inserts questions without answering them, and doesn't give good practice for the tests which are application-heavy. You can earn up to 5% EC (YOU'LL NEED IT) and 20% of your grade is hw/quizzes. Understand how changes in x will affect y by using textbook/OffcHrs
I enjoyed the material that was taught, but the exams had questions that were irrelevant or nonsensical. I studied hard and received a good grade, but still felt like everything was much harder than it should have been. On the bright side, Dr. Roberts is entertaining and has a good sense of humor.
Some funny jokes but mostly rude to students, saying we wouldn't get into med school if we didn't know a lecture question. I've never seen a prof so obsessed with their UTAs. On tests easy Qs were easy and hard ones were hard. Slides were a mix of helpful and useless. Extra credit offered.
Literally makes ecology so hard for no reason - exam questions are 60% of the time worded very weird and even the UTAs dont know what it is saying. not willing to budge on anything and overall makes an easy class hard. Take someone else for ecology NOT HER
would love to write more. decent person. grading is basically tests, as someone said, her easy questions are easy, hard questions, hard, worded poorly, ambiguous answer choices. little material to prepare. answers conflict with those online. will not acknowledge your confusion, just blabber to you until you nod and walk away. take someone else
I loved ecology with Dr. Roberts. Her exams are pretty straightforward if you study and are fair. She offers extra credit too. The assignments are easy too to get full credit on. UTA office hours were helpful. Would recommend her for ecology!!
Ecology was definitely one of the easier STEM classes I've taken, and Dr. Roberts makes the class fair. Get to drop lowest exam (4 midterms and final), so you don't have to take the final if you're happy with your grade. Uses cerego and in-class assignments for other components of grade and also has extra credit to have grade go up 2.5%.
Exam based course: 60%. however, 20% cerago was easy for a grade booster and 20% ICQ are also easy for grade booster. Also offers extra credit surveys (5 points total) just make sure to do them on time or else no credit. Very caring professor I enjoyed and interesting lecture material.
Dr. Roberts isn't a terrible professor but her attitude towards students can be very demeaning. Her exams were really difficult and require you to know every little detail that could appear on the slides. You take 5 exams, drop 1 and she gives lots of opportunities for bonus points. Tough class but I do think I learned
5 fair exams with one dropped --4 midterms 1 final-- and usually based on the examples given in class that are often from the textbook. People had problems with her teaching style, which at times I can see, but if you study for this class using the cerego, the in-class assignment prompts, and her slides you'll do well.
Roberts was a great lecturer; I never missed class due to them being interesting. Her exams are fairly easy but there are questions where you have to guess what she would answer. We had a worksheet where she would say something was right then you ask her why it was right and she would tell you it was wrong?? I would take her but put in the work.
She cares so much about ecology because she got her degree in it and expects her students to care the same. Exams were ambiguous with multiple right answers where you had to pick the MOST correct answer. Cergeo and ICAs are an easy 40% of your grade and she gives ec for surveys. Go to TA office hours
Worst exams ever, not testing on ecology stuff. Exam questions are very ambiguous and people get annoyed with this professor.
Amazing professor, just watch out for the exams as they do require a lot of studying. Though as long as you pay attention in class and study at least a little bit, the tests should not be too hard. Attendance is a necessity as she does ICAs that are needed for points. Very funny woman as well.
Her exam are all multiple choice, but all the options share the same meaning. Her slides are only pictures and you have to go to lectures to understand. However, that's not enough for the confusing exams which also test on very minor things. She is also rude.
Her lectures were impossible to follow, and she didn't lecture on anything that was important. I did enjoy her little anecdotes about relevant things regarding the topic, but her slides were the most unhelpful things ever. Her lectures aren't even worth going to because you do not learn anything. Her slides are just a jumble of random things.
Dr. Roberts is a wonderful professor, but taking this class will require self-study. While I understand that her teaching style isn't for everyone, it worked well for me and she offered several other resources that you can use to study. Fair grading, four midterms and a final with one drop. Very understanding and very funny.
80% exams 10% in class assingment (take 8 but 4 count toward grade) 10% cerego which is a given. Test 2 is very hard and the others are easy if you just know everything on the slides. U can drop an exam incl. the final. She rushes lecture but you get out of class early and stuff is pretty self explanatory. These other reviews are invalid lowkey :/
Do not recommend.
An overall ok class. No extra credit but 5 exams with 1 drop. Exam questions were sometimes poorly written and basically choose the best answer. Cerego is required but doesn't always align with exam content. Dr.Roberts wasn't always the best at explaining topics in depth, especially microbiology, but she provides all the resources to succeed.
She was a good teacher, and her lectures were engaging but its hard to study for. She gives u practice questions but no answers for them. The Cerego didn't help much and was honestly a pain. The material was easy but the test questions are very hard. Recitation points and Cerego points are easy to get and bring your grade up.
Dr Roberts was a great professor with good lectures and fair exams. Her TA Kelly was condescending and did not know the material well. She should choose her TA better
Dr Roberts is a relatively good choice for Bio 2. The class before each exam, there is a review of the unit where they tell you what specific topics will be on the exam, which was super helpful. Required homework for each unit is annoying but helped a little. Just lock in for the exams and you'll be fine.
I rlly enjoyed her. Her lectures were thorough and made sense if u actlly paid attention. Her exams were tough due to how she poses her questions, but if you learn how to decipher them they r ok. Her TA Kelly was truly awful. She was rude and thought yelling at everyone made her cool. Luckily, she is leaving. I recommend Roberts!
Her lectures are okay, she gets distracted and entertains the wrong things sometimes, like annoying kids in class. But overall, lectures are fine if you pay attention. HW and REC are easy points. All MC exams. Exams were not extremely hard, but she threw a hard question at you time to time. Lecture before each exam are review, so that was helpful.
This class honestly wasn't too bad. She is a decent lecturer and you will understand most of the material as long as you go to class. Recitation and homework are easy points but they can drag your grade if you don't do them. Tests weren't too hard but for exam prep she doesn't give any answers to the practice questions. Go to UTA office hours!
This class was just okay. Dr. Roberts is an okay lecturer but her slides are quite disorganized. It often feels like she's rambling. Her exams aren't too difficult, but there are weirdly worded questions that can be hard to understand. It's doable to do well in this class, but I personally think she made Bio 2 harder than it had to be.
Tough class and tough teacher! Her exams are all multiple-choice and a mix of easy questions and very hard ones. She does give extra credit and you can raise your grade through homework and ICAs. It is very possible to do well, but be prepared to study nonstop and memorize all the small details on Slides.
I entered this class expecting Dr. Roberts to be like the reviews, which is exactly how she was. Her tests weren't that hard to study for, but her exams were so hard, and there would always be 2-3 questions on stuff she just didn't teach you, or worded so you were more than likely to get it wrong. She's very hard but not impossible.
Hard but not impossible. Exams were unreasonable and heavily weighted, slides were all over the place and not very helpful. Luckily I did well in AP Bio and just took this because I'm a bio major, or else I would have been screwed. I think she's funny and engaging, but if you don't have a background in bio do not take her class.
If you want to remember what you are learning in this class, then I suggest taking her, while also going to office hours. I guarantee most of the bad ratings are from people who did not go to her office hours. They are right after class and very helpful for understanding what you were taught that day. This class does take a lot of effort tho.
roberts is genuinely a great prof. people who rate her low clearly did not attend office hours (which will make or break your grade). one thing to note is she does not give out handouts. i ended the class with an 89.0 and an A- is an 89.5 so just be aware of that. otherwise i would say she makes lectures interesting but don't skip bc you will fail.
Not bad, Cerego sucked and third exam was insanely difficult for no reason? (SP 25) Overall though, her lectures were very good, just make sure to focus on every detail she talks about (especially the ones that she clearly states you need to know). One exam is dropped though, which is nice! Prob the best bio 2 professor to take honestly
Exams are 80% of final grade, they are extremely unclear and worded weirdly. Some of the questions are subjective. There are questions coming unexpectedly that people think they won't be appear on the exam but they appear. Don't give answers to the worksheet. Not a good choice for ecology.
Dr. Roberts' exams are subjective and horribly worded. Goes off topic in lecture. Shares tidbits that are interesting but barely helpful. Ppt slides are useless. Enabled this one kid to keep asking the most pointless questions DURING lecture instead of in office hours. UTA was mean. Do not recommend, only take if there are no options available.
Very mid. First day of classes annouced her nickname as the "dream crusher" and said to pray for her UTA in another class of hers. Class itself was fine if you don't care about learning in lecture and can self study. 20% of your grade is an easy 100% but the rest is tests. Good luck.
While some professors want to help their students succeed, Dr. Roberts wants to see you fail. Her exams are purposely wordy but not in a way that helps with reading comprehension. She tries to make Bio 2 a weed-out course when it's very much not. She is very unaccommodating for exams, and it's apparent she has favorites. (good luck if it's not you)
Human Physiology is a tough class but Dr Roberts makes it manageable. Her tests do require lots of studying but she posts lots of practice questions that mimic exam questions and is clear about what to expect on exams. I also like the multiple choice format of all her exams 40 multiple choice questions on each exam. Great professor!!!
Graded by 5 exams (1 drop), Cerego and 4/8 in-class assignments. Her slides are very confusing, with many pictures/diagrams but not nearly enough words to explain the concepts. When emailing her towards the end of the semester, she is extremely rude, unapproachable, and spiteful. AVOID like the plague and take literally anyone else.
Don't listen to the bad reviews about Human Physiology with Dr Roberts. She is a very good professor and her exams are very fair based on what is covered in class. She also has many UTAs and herself that will clear up any confusion you have on the material. Honestly probably one of the best choices for Human Physiology. Extra credit given too!
Absolutely love Dr Roberts this was my second class with her I took her for Ecology before. Her exams are very fair and she is clear with her expectations. My advice to succeed is go to class, take good notes/pay attention, do all the practice she gives (ungraded), and go to UTA office hours. If you do all that you will succeed in this class.
She explains the content well during lectures that made it easy to understand. The exams were fair, but I think a little long for the time we had. You can drop 1 exam, including the final. Remaining assignments are an easy boost. Opportunity for 3% extra credit. Good choice overall!
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