Actually, Dr. Russell is nice, she just doesn't appreciate students talking in class while she is. She is very approachable. She usually does want very specific answers on her tests, however you can get an A or B on a test if you study your notes thoroughly.

The first week she told us not to talk to her and to go to the T.A.s. But, when I had an appt with her and she was amazing. She figured out my grade for semester. She comes off as rude, but when and if you ask ?s after class, she is great. Study like crazy- this isn't high school. Do not print out the webct notes- they come from the book!!!

Teacher singled out people in class so don't take your cell phone out or talk to loudly. Test had nothing to do with powerpoint. Make sure you read the chapter.

Tests come straight from the notes. The best method I found for taking them was writing in the book and highlighting what she says during class, because most of her lecture is word for word from the textbook. Ended with a high B in the class, and my test scores improved 10~ points after I started using this method. All MC tests. Very "C" heavy.

Lectures were very boring, but pretty helpful. The exams are damn near impossible if you don't study right. Don't try to cram. Review like crazy. Also, don't be afraid to ask her questions after class; on a one-on-one basis she's very friendly!

Good professor who teaches directly off the slides. She is specific, but not too tricky. Her questions are reasonable but they require studying the slides very indepth. If you memorize the slides well this class should be no problem.

Russell is a great teacher. She may be stict and demanding, but truly cares about the subject and her students.She sticks to the info and doesnt try to trick you.Very willing to help and a very nice prson. I truly learned alot in her class and she made it easy to pay attention. I would take her again in a heartbeat. One of the best teachers ive had

she is a fine teacher,no surprise questions on exams. be sure to study

She can talk fast at times, but is very helpful and understanding with tech. problems. very passionate, I love this teacher

Great teacher. She is very accomidating when there's ever a technical error with quiz clickers in class. Very clear. Tests are lecture based. Has small quizes in class at least one a week so SHOW UP! easy to understand. Not biased at all. She's a great teacher.

PROS:explains everything very well in class, tests are straightforward from notes, answers q's.--CONS: very demanding, goes into a lot of detail, tests are straightforward but hard bc of detailed, announced that will not rnd up on .01% of final grade,so 89.99=89.99 --ADVICE: ALWAYS take notes and attend class; exams are mostly off of her lecture.

You need to show up in order to be successful with Dr. Russell. The class is very straightforward and there aren't any surprises. The tests are not easy and can be somewhat specific. Overall though, I think she teaches the class very well and tries to make a connection with the students, even in a large lecture hall. No bargaining though.

She moves quickly through lecture but is fairly clear and does a good job of focusing on the topic.

As long as you study her notes, and back up her notes with the book if you dont understand her notes, youll be fine. Her tests are not detailed, and its easy to get an A as long as you study. Go to class cuz her lecture notes are amazing!

Very approachable. Its helpful to read the chapters before going into lectures so that when shes teaching you know what shes talking about cause she can talk kinda fast. Overall she is wonderful teacher and really wants her students to do well

She is an excellent teacher, very approachable but you have to go to class in order to pass her tests and her tests are extremely difficult.

Good class. She is good at speaking in class. All you do is take notes from her powerpoint slides. Tests are pretty challenging. Tutoring is available though.

The teacher is a good speaker. You basically take notes in class off her powerpoint slides, but she writes on them so you have to go to class for the whole thing. The tests are challenging, but not impossible.

Difficult yet fair. Really great teacher. Comes off a bit rough in lecture, but one on one is very nice.

Biology is not the easiest course in the world, but Dr. Russel is a wonderful professor. Lectures were engaging and helpful. I went to lecture, took notes, and read each chapter within one week of it being covered in lecture and did very well. I highly recommend taking her. I am pre-med and she is the best biology teacher I have had so far.

Best Biology Teacher ever! She is extremely knowledgeable and makes everything seem so simple. Biology is a lot of material to learn, but Dr. Russell makes it manageable to learn. Tests are fair, but you have to read the text to do well.

Awsome teacher, but she crams a lot of material into a 50 min lecture.

lots of memorization. the info is not that hard though. 3 tests and a final that is not cumulative. lecture is somewhat interesting if you like physiology

Dr. Russel crams a lot of info into one class, but her lectures are good and straight forward. Clicker quizzes can help bring grade up if you pay attention.

Dr. Russell is a great teacher. If youre looking for a first year bio teacher she's the one. This is a tough class. The material is crammed in the first semester but she is willing to help or anwser questions at any time.

Really great teacher. The best freshman bio teacher. She's really nice, very helpful. You have to go to class to do well. Uses powerpoint teaching style, which is very clear. Best teacher I had this semester.

Russell was awesome! I would recommend her to anyone! She made the class interesting and her powerpoints were identical to the material on the tests!

Crams so much into one lecture! Tests are difficult. You will have to work hard. Always pay attention to lectures. Clickers and assignments help to raise grade. Unfortunately Bio Lab is 25% of grade and this Lecture is 75%. A useful tactic is to read the chapter before class, take notes in class, then review notes after class in order to keep up.

Lots of info in lecture. U can study from the notes or the book. She is very approachable out of class and truly loves to help. Don't listen to the little scared freshman in bio 104. It's their first bio class, of course they think it's hard.

Really great teacher. She has a very organized and clear way of lecturing that helps raise your test scores if you go to class. It's a challenging class but not impossible if you study and take good notes.

Easy class, interesting, great teacher! Take her for sure!

ok teacher. definitely manageable. tests arent that bad if you study. she moves fast but if you need help its out there. i liked the class.

Great teacher! very organized and very helpful. If you have the choice, definitely take her course!

Dr. Russell is absolutely awesome. She knows and realizes that students do have lives outside of the classroom, and is often very empathetic. She is very helpful, and gives her class clear and concise guidelines. I highly recommend any of her classes to anyone.

Professor Russell is awesome. The tests are extremely fair, and she has homework online that is related to the text books which are completed for points. Although she does move through material quickly, most of the tests are straight off of lecture; I found it ideal to use the text book to supplement anything I was confused about from class.

Professor Russel is great. Her lectures simplify the readings in the text which is good because test questions are based off her lectures. Tests are fair and homework are easy points. Definitely recommend her.

I suppose it's like any lecture class where the teacher teaches the class like their talking to the wall. What you learn is learned in the regular homework. Of the BIOL 104 teachers she is the hardest. Recomendations: use your notes as the main study source, record lectures, and find a friend to help you cover with the clicker questions

Smart and good at teaching. She uses a lot of technology to teach the class and I think it really paid off. Class isn't that hard and she makes it somewhat interesting so you want to go to class. Take her!!

Dr. Russell is a great teacher. I took BIOL 104 and Genetics with her and felt everything was fair and well explained both times. Don't listen to the freshmen who aren't used to their first college classes. She is an awesome teacher, and you'll do fine if you put in the work.

This was my second class with Dr. Russell. She is very organized and clear when it comes to class, and if you study the powerpoint presentations thoroughly, you will do fine. She is a great teacher and you will learn a lot!

She is very nice and good teacher. very easy to understand and tests are straight forward coming most from her slides. Her notes are clear and homework is always fair.

Dr. Russell knows what she is doing. I have never been to a single office hour and I pulled of an A in the class. How? Because of the way she structured the class. She has you read what you will discuss in lecture the night before. Her lectures are really interesting and she is very clear as to what she wants you to know for the tests.

Dr. Russell is easily one of the best biology teachers I have had. Her lectures are succinct and clear, and she is clearly passionate about her subject. Tests are mainly on the lecture material, not necessarily what is in the textbook. Make sure to print of the slides she provides for lecture notes.

Go to class and pay attention and u will b fine. Only used the books to do homework on connect. Wouldn't buy the books if I was doing it over. Tests are right from the power points and the slides are very helpful. Tests are challenging but as long as u studied the slides in detail and took notes onto the slides in class u will b fine. I read my notes 3 times the night before each test and got a 98 on the 1st 96 on the second and 98 again on the third. I have not read a single chapter from book

Nice lady. Don't talk or use ur phone in class tho. She will either call u out in front of the entire lecture hall or kick u out of class for the day.

Lecture is her writing on slides. The test is over those slides. You don't use the book much.

Great teacher. She enjoys what she is teaching about. She has very difficult tests though. Make sure to receive a good grade in lab and complete homework so your overall grade is boosted

Great teacher! Very passionate about biology and teaching. Class is not mandatory but between clicker questions and understanding lecture notes you should attend. online homework almost everynight not very hard. 4 tests and final tests are all about the same very specific though you need to know a lot of detail final very broad and easy take her!

Tough teacher, but she is very fair and understanding. Great lecture personality, and explains the subject matter quite well. Great teacher.

She is an excellent teacher. She is very passionate about biology and she does a fairly well job at teaching all the information. Her test questions are drawn out thinking questions kind of like real life, so her tests are difficult, but if class is attended and book is read, will do fine. (Need to read the book!) Best teacher for this class.

SO GOOD. One of the best biology teachers I've had. Extremely passionate and sometimes a little quirky which are both very good qualities. Attendance is essentially mandatory given she asks clicker questions. Dr. Russel's tests are not difficult, but truly challenging. Expect Dr. Russel's class to make you think about biology concepts in real life.

Very nice teacher and the class is not too difficult. If you read the textbook you should not have much trouble in the class. I printed out the slides prior to every class and for notes I just always wrote whatever she wrote unto the slides during lecture. I never added more notes and was able to get an A-

Tests are challenging, but she is a good instructor. Make sure you go to class and listen to her lecture carefully. She is very helpful and wants to help you learn. I'd take her again.

Wonderful professor. She is very interested in the material, but moves quickly! Make sure you study in advance for her exams as they are sometimes more tricky than other professors in the biology department. Also use the notes more than the book to study! I recommend her as she makes it challenging but informative.

She is a wonderful professor! I highly recommend her. She does give a lot of homework, but everything is helpful and pertinent to what we are learning. Her lectures are interesting and is excellent at explaining everything. Her tests are very hard, so study a lot!

Attendance is mandatory as there are clicker quizzes every day. As long as you pay attention in class and understand the clicker questions, class is pretty straight forward. 3 unit tests and a final. Tests are good reflections on what we learned in class.

Difficult teacher, but you learn really well from the lecture. Make sure you study and show up to class every day because there are clicker questions. Go to office hours if you want help.

Lectures are extremely helpful. Can't skip also because of the every day clicker quizzes that add up points to pad your grade.

My experience in the class was very good. The test could be a little tough but not if you prepare yourself. Always true to her word of what will be on the test. The in class clicker questions give you motivation to go to class and give a slight cushion to your grade. The online quizzes keep you up to date with studies but will not overwhelm you.

Bio 104 is a tough class but Dr. Russell's organization and teaching style definitely helped me get through. You need to study a lot to do well on the tests but the way Dr. Russell presented the material helped me learn faster. She seems a little intimidating but is very nice once you get to know her.

Dr. Russell's tests are very close to her lectures so attending class and doing the practice problems are essential. The answer book was also very helpful. The material got easier with the third exam and the final was a piece of cake. I am very glad I chose to take genetics with Dr. Russell.

I liked the class, You had to put effort into it, I ended up with a B+ mainly because the questions on her tests are very tricky and make you think about the an entire system and how it works. Make sure you fully understand the materials to the point where you can explain it to someone with as much detail as possible.

Dr. Russell is a great professor. Her lectures were straight forward and the powerpoint slides were easy to follow. There is homework every night and clicker questions in class, but 10% are dropped. Make sure to read in the book and review the slides and tests should be okay. They are all multiple choice.

Russell has been one of my favorite science tests thus far. Her lectures are clean cut and she knows what she is talking about. The book is not essential, but very useful. Her lesson plans are set out in the syllabus and rarely does not follow them. Clicker questions every day, so you must go to class. Tests are hard, averaged an 88 on the past 3.

I just finished my Genetics course with her and it was my hardest class this semester. I did not expect such a course to be so demanding. Exams are difficult and she gives online quizzes that are due every class period. On top of that she gives in class work that is graded. If you skip too many classes, you will lose a substantial amount of credit

This class is well-designed so that the student learns effectively. One of the best learning experiences I've ever had. Made me proud to go to SLU. Russel expects you to learn the bulk of the material before class, then in class she goes into more detail and has clicker questions that let you know how you are doing and she then explains them well.

She is a great teacher in my opinion. I would strongly suggest going to her office hours and talking to her one on one if you have any questions. I felt like she really cared about weather or not I did well in the class.

Very challenging class, but Dr. Russell is very intelligent and gives you all of the information necessary. The class has tons of homework and quizzes everyday. Tests are difficult, but you'll get a feel for them after the first one. Overall, the class prepared me for the future, but don't take her if you want an easy A.

This class was definitely challenging, but if you keep up with reading, take notes, ask questions, complete the homework, and actively study then ask any questions, you should be fine. She was very clear and concise in lecture, very approachable, but challenging.

Dr. Russell is so intelligent and she cares and wants you to understand the material. But she isn't just going to give it too. You have to work hard to get a decent grade. Her tests are hard, there is a lot to cover, she makes you think. There is a lot of application, you are not just memorizing. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Dr. Russell is very helpful during office hours. Her class requires effort, and if you're not willing to think critically about the lecture material, you're not going to do very well.

I really enjoyed Professor Russell. After hearing about other biology professors from peers, I definitely think Russell sets students up for the most success. There are clicker questions and class worksheets every class, so attendance (while technically optional) is not optional if you want a good grade in the class. Tests are tough but very fair.

I took Dr. Russell for second semester intro to Biology. The class was tough and took a lot of effort. It was a flipped classroom so I felt like I was spending hours on this class to learn outside of class and then testing knowledge in class. Be ready to put in some solid effort.

Truth: Russell is a difficult professor and her section is harder than the other sections of BIOL 1240. That being said, her teaching style made me feel like I knew the material inside and out, her tests are not multiple choice - but they are doable if you study. I had to work HARD in that class, but I'm hoping to have her again for genetics.

There are always clicker questions so skipping is definitely not a good idea. Daily reading quizzes online from the textbook but then the exams are based on models or worksheets we did in class. Not terrible but you definitely have to work hard to earn the grade you want.

A challenging course, but definitely worth it. Dr. Russell makes her class difficult, but you come out TRULY knowing and understanding the material. Yes, it is a lot of work, and the exams are challenging, but once you figure out her pattern of questions you're set. It is doable! I enjoyed her teaching style, but it's not for everyone.

She gives a lot of group worksheets&clicker questions so if you skip class your grade will take a hit b/c she doesn't let you make them up. The lecture itself is pretty basic&she encourages students to ask questions she can come off as harsh at times but I slept through an exam once&she let me take it during office hours so she's very understanding

Dr. Russell is somewhat unpleasant, getting upset quickly at small things and talking down to students. Her tests are very hard and almost entirely written response, but her grading is based off a rubric for each individual question. The class uses a flipped classroom model, but overall her tough grading and teaching style works. Lots of classwork.

She's not a warm person but always willing to help you during office hours. Study the worksheets to do well on tests. It's hard work but definitely doable. Also hint, watch the screencasts in 2x speed.

Get ready for homework everynight and go to class!! she has clicker questions and group work every class and if you miss it, your grade will take a hit. Her office hours are helpful and she'll sometimes tell you what to actually study. Tests are very very similar to old exams so study those and the PowerPoints. Don't waste money getting the book.

Laurie has a bad reputation from gen bio but she is caring and does have good info packed lectures. Genetics is a super interesting class and I can tell she loves to teach it and is willing to answer any questions about the material. There is quite a bit of work outside of class, like practice problems, you need to do to understand. I def recommend

Dr. Russell is not the easiest professor I have ever had, but she was one of my favorites. If you are doing something in your career with genetics I would take her class because you will understand the fundamentals by the end of the semester. Her tests are an even combination of multiple choice and short answer and lectures are normal STEM style